Patents by Inventor Dale N. Memering

Dale N. Memering has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11927988
    Abstract: The disclosure provides members formed from multiple layers as well as enclosures and electronic devices that include the members. The members include glass members formed from multiple layers of glass. In some cases, the members include a protruding feature provided over a camera assembly of the electronic device. The member may define one or more through-holes that extend through the protruding feature. The protruding feature may define a textured region that may be configured to provide a matte or glossy appearance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Joseph C Poole, Matthew S. Rogers, Dale N. Memering
  • Publication number: 20240075713
    Abstract: A component for an electronic device including an internal compressive stress region is disclosed herein. The internal compressive stress region may be created in a glass portion of the component or in a glass ceramic portion of the component. Electronic devices comprising the components and method for making the components are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2023
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher C. Bartlow, Dale N. Memering, Tyler A. Marshall, Victor Luzzato
  • Publication number: 20240053799
    Abstract: Electronic devices including a display layer and a cover layer including a foldable region are disclosed herein. The display layer and the cover layer are configured to be moved between a folded configuration and an unfolded configuration by bending the cover layer along the foldable region. Methods of making a cover layer for an electronic device are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2023
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Christopher D. Jones, Dale N. Memering, Christopher C. Bartlow
  • Publication number: 20240025154
    Abstract: A window in a system may have inner and outer window layers. The inner and outer window layers may be formed from molded glass plates. The inner window layer may have a molded convex surface formed by molding a first glass plate against a mold with a concave surface. The inner window layer may have an opposing non-molded surface that does not contact the mold during molding operations and is smoother than the molded convex surface. The outer window layer may have a molded concave surface formed by molding a second glass plate against a mold with a convex surface. The outer window layer may have an opposing non-molded surface that is not contacted by the mold during molding operations and is smoother than molded convex surface. A layer of polymer may join the inner and outer window layers with their molded surfaces facing each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Inventors: David E. Kingman, Albert J. Golko, Dale N. Memering, Peter F. Masschelein
  • Patent number: 11860409
    Abstract: A display may have an array of display pixels that generate an image. A coherent fiber bundle may be mounted on the display pixels. The coherent fiber bundle may have a first surface that is adjacent to the display pixels and a second surface that is visible to a viewer. The coherent fiber bundle may contain fibers that carry light from the first surface to the second surface. The second surface may be planar or may have a central planar region and curved edge regions that run along opposing sides of the central planar region. The fibers may have cross-sectional surface areas with a first aspect ratio on the first surface and a second aspect ratio that is greater than the first aspect ratio on the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tseng-Mau Yang, Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering
  • Patent number: 11850822
    Abstract: A component for an electronic device including an internal compressive stress region is disclosed herein. The internal compressive stress region may be created in a glass portion of the component or in a glass ceramic portion of the component. Electronic devices comprising the components and method for making the components are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christopher C. Bartlow, Dale N. Memering, Tyler A. Marshall, Victor Luzzato
  • Patent number: 11822390
    Abstract: Electronic devices including a display layer and a cover layer including a foldable region are disclosed herein. The display layer and the cover layer are configured to be moved between a folded configuration and an unfolded configuration by bending the cover layer along the foldable region. Methods of making a cover layer for an electronic device are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Jones, Dale N. Memering, Christopher C. Bartlow
  • Patent number: 11772354
    Abstract: A glass fastening system includes a glass portion, a support structure defining a recess, a first adhesive layer disposed on an exterior surface of the glass portion facing the recess in the support structure, a second adhesive layer disposed within the recess of the support structure, and a fastener having a first portion secured to the first adhesive layer and a second portion extending away from the first portion and into the second adhesive layer to secure the glass portion to the support structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: David E. Kingman, Derek C. Scott, Donald R. Monroe, Phil M. Hobson, Juan A. Lazaro, Ibuki Kamei, John Raff, Stephen B. Lynch, Albert J. Golko, Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering, James A. Yurko, Christopher D. Jones
  • Publication number: 20230232558
    Abstract: Differentially strengthened cover members for electronic devices are disclosed. The differentially strengthened cover members include at least one chemically strengthened zone that improves the resistance of the cover member to cracking. One or more of the chemically strengthened zones may cover or at least partially surround a portion of the cover member to be protected from damage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2022
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Christopher C. Bartlow, Dale N. Memering, Tyler A. Marshall
  • Publication number: 20230209880
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form an active display structure with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structure may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Optical structures such as a sheet of glass or another optical member may have portions that are configured to bend light from the display pixels along the periphery of the active display structure. The optical member may have an area that is larger than the area of the active display structure, so that the presence of the optical member may serve to enlarge the apparent size of the display. Solidified liquid polymer may be used to support the optical structures and may be interposed between the optical structures and the active display structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: Tseng-Mau Yang, Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering
  • Publication number: 20230167021
    Abstract: Asymmetrically strengthened glass articles, methods for producing the same, and use of the articles in portable electronic device is disclosed. The asymmetrically strengthened glass articles include glass articles having a deeper compressive stress layer in a thicker portion of the glass article. Using a budgeted amount of compressive stress and tensile stress, asymmetric chemical strengthening is optimized for the utility of a glass article. In some aspects, the strengthened glass article can be designed for reduced damage, or damage propagation, when dropped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2023
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Victor Luzzato, Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering, Matthew S. Rogers
  • Patent number: 11626578
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form an active display structure with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structure may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Optical structures such as a sheet of glass or another optical member may have portions that are configured to bend light from the display pixels along the periphery of the active display structure. The optical member may have an area that is larger than the area of the active display structure, so that the presence of the optical member may serve to enlarge the apparent size of the display. Solidified liquid polymer may be used to support the optical structures and may be interposed between the optical structures and the active display structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tseng-Mau Yang, Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering
  • Patent number: 11604514
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a substrate for an electronic device. The substrate has a visually imperceptible surface texture that exhibits different coefficients of friction on various input objects. In some implementations, the texture of the textured substrate is created using a gas etching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Naoto Matsuyuki, Dale N. Memering, Matthew S. Rogers, Victor Luzzato, Naoki Okahata
  • Publication number: 20230075801
    Abstract: A vehicle or other system may have windows. The windows may be formed by laminating together glass layers. The glass layers may include a curved inner glass layer with a convex outer surface and a curved outer glass layer with a concave inner surface. A polymer adhesive film such as a polyvinyl butyral film may be adhered to the convex outer surface. An additional polymer layer formed from a different material than the polymer film may be interposed between the polymer film and the second glass layer. The additional polymer layer may be formed from a gap-filling liquid polymer adhesive layer. The layer of gap-filling liquid polymer adhesive may have a first surface adhered to the polymer film and a second surface adhered to the concave inner surface. An optical layer may be embedded in the additional polymer layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: David E Kingman, Albert J Golko, Dale N Memering, Peter F Masschelein
  • Publication number: 20230060365
    Abstract: A system may have a window. The system may be a vehicle having a vehicle body. The window may serve as a front window in the vehicle body, a rear window in the vehicle body, a side or roof window, or other window. A window may include one or more structural glass layers. A layer of polymer may be used to attach glass layers together. An electrically adjustable component such as a light modulator layer may be included between structural glass layers. The glass layers may be characterized by regions of compound curvature. To ensure satisfactory optical performance, the window layers may be formed from molded sheets of glass that are shaped in a molding tool with draw beads of various strengths. The molded glass layers may exhibit low amounts of thickness variation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2022
    Publication date: March 2, 2023
    Inventors: David E Kingman, Albert J Golko, Dale N Memering, Zhiyong C Xia
  • Patent number: 11573603
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display may have an array of display pixels that provide image light to a user. The array of display pixels may form an active display structure with a rectangular shape. The rectangular active display structure may be surrounded by an inactive border region. Optical structures such as upper structures formed from a sheet of glass and lower optical structures that lie beneath the sheet of glass may be configured to bend light from the display pixels along the periphery of the active display structure. The upper optical structures may have an area that is larger than the area of the active display structure, so that the presence of the optical structures may serve to enlarge the apparent size of the display. The lower and upper optical structures may have curved surfaces for bending the light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Prest, Tseng-Mau Yang, Dale N. Memering
  • Patent number: 11573450
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display and other optical components such as optical sensors. The display and other components may be overlapped by chemically strengthened glass coherent fiber bundles. The surfaces of a coherent fiber bundle may include ion-exchanged glass that places theses surfaces under compressive stress. In some configurations, the coherent fiber bundle is symmetrically stressed and has equal amounts of compressive stress on opposing surfaces. In other configurations, the coherent fiber bundle is asymmetrically stressed and has more compressive stress on one surface than the other. The coherent fiber bundle may have areas with curved cross-sectional profiles, planar areas, and/or areas with compound curvature. Sensor windows may be formed in the coherent fiber bundle that are surrounded by an opaque area. When overlapping a display, the coherent fiber bundle may serve as a display cover glass layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Jones, Dale N. Memering, Daniel J. Barrett, Erik G. de Jong, Sameer Pandya, Tyler A. Marshall
  • Patent number: 11565506
    Abstract: Glass articles and methods for producing glass articles for a portable electronic device are disclosed. Properties of the glass articles, such as cover members, are improved through chemical strengthening, thermoforming, or a combination thereof. The glass articles may include barrier layers to prevent diffusion of ions between glass layers of the glass article, internal compressive stress regions, or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Victor Luzzato, Christopher D. Prest, Matthew S. Rogers, Dale N. Memering, Christopher C. Bartlow
  • Patent number: 11565969
    Abstract: Asymmetrically strengthened glass articles, methods for producing the same, and use of the articles in portable electronic device is disclosed. The asymmetrically strengthened glass articles include glass articles having a deeper compressive stress layer in a thicker portion of the glass article. Using a budgeted amount of compressive stress and tensile stress, asymmetric chemical strengthening is optimized for the utility of a glass article. In some aspects, the strengthened glass article can be designed for reduced damage, or damage propagation, when dropped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Victor Luzzato, Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering, Matthew S. Rogers
  • Publication number: 20230022354
    Abstract: An integrated window for a photosensor for use in an electronic device has first and second transparent regions separated by an opaque region. The first transparent region allows a transmitter to emit light out of the housing of the electronic device and the second transparent region allows a receiver to receive light through the housing. The opaque region is disposed between the first and second transparent regions to isolate them from one another such that the transmitted light is isolated from the received light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2022
    Publication date: January 26, 2023
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Adam T. Clavelle, Maegan K. Spencer, Jaden Alyssa Barney, Dale N. Memering, Ueyn L. Block, Paul D. Mannheimer