Patents by Inventor Michael C. Sulkis

Michael C. Sulkis 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).

  • Publication number: 20240126120
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated with backlight illumination from a direct-lit backlight unit. The backlight unit may include an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a printed circuit board. The display may have a notch to accommodate an input-output component. Reflective layers may be included in the notch. The backlight may include a color conversion layer with a property that varies as a function of position. The light-emitting diodes may be covered by a slab of encapsulant with recesses in an upper surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2023
    Publication date: April 18, 2024
    Inventors: Meizi Jiao, Joshua A. Spechler, Jie Xiang, Zhenyue Luo, Chungjae Lee, Morteza Amoorezaei, Mengyang Liang, Xinyu Zhu, Mingxia Gu, Jun Qi, Eric L. Benson, Victor H. Yin, Youchul Jeong, Xiang Fang, Yanming Li, Michael J. Lee, Marianna C. Sbordone, Ari P. Miller, Edward J. Cooper, Michael C. Sulkis, Francesco Ferretti, Seth G. McFarland, Mary M. Morrison, Eric N. Vergo, Terence Chan, Ian A. Guy, Keith J. Hendren, Sunitha Chandra
  • Patent number: 11874559
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated with backlight illumination from a direct-lit backlight unit. The backlight unit may include an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a printed circuit board. The display may have a notch to accommodate an input-output component. Reflective layers may be included in the notch. The backlight may include a color conversion layer with a property that varies as a function of position. The light-emitting diodes may be covered by a slab of encapsulant with recesses in an upper surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Meizi Jiao, Joshua A. Spechler, Jie Xiang, Zhenyue Luo, Chungjae Lee, Morteza Amoorezaei, Mengyang Liang, Xinyu Zhu, Mingxia Gu, Jun Qi, Eric L. Benson, Victor H. Yin, Youchul Jeong, Xiang Fang, Yanming Li, Michael J. Lee, Marianna C. Sbordone, Ari P. Miller, Edward J. Cooper, Michael C. Sulkis, Francesco Ferretti, Seth G. McFarland, Mary M. Morrison, Eric N. Vergo, Terence Chan, Ian A. Guy, Keith J. Hendren, Sunitha Chandra
  • Publication number: 20230091389
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated with backlight illumination from a direct-lit backlight unit. The backlight unit may include an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on a printed circuit board. The display may have a notch to accommodate an input-output component. Reflective layers may be included in the notch. The backlight may include a color conversion layer with a property that varies as a function of position. The light-emitting diodes may be covered by a slab of encapsulant with recesses in an upper surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2021
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Meizi Jiao, Joshua A. Spechler, Jie Xiang, Zhenyue Luo, Chungjae Lee, Morteza Amoorezaei, Mengyang Liang, Xinyu Zhu, Mingxia Gu, Jun Qi, Eric L. Benson, Victor H. Yin, Youchul Jeong, Xiang Fang, Yanming Li, Michael J. Lee, Marianna C. Sbordone, Ari P. Miller, Edward J. Cooper, Michael C. Sulkis, Francesco Ferretti, Seth G. McFarland, Mary M. Morrison, Eric N. Vergo, Terence Chan, Ian A. Guy, Keith J. Hendren
  • Patent number: 11536446
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker device may have a housing. A speaker and other input-output components and control circuitry may be mounted within the housing. Light-emitting components may emit light that passes through a curved upper top cap portion or other housing structure. The light-emitting components may be interconnected using a flex circuit on a curved substrate or may be mounted on a planar circuit board. A subset of the light-emitting components may be rotated to improve color balance. Optical structures such as light guides, lens, microlenses, and/or a diffuser layer may be disposed over the light-emitting components to promote light mixing, to reduce hotspots, and to improve contrast on the top cap. The diffuser layer may be suspended using a support structure having baffle members to constraint the angular spread of the emitted light. Illuminated or persistently visible glyphs may be displayed in or near the top cap portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rong Liu, Andrew Baek, Ethan W. Juhnke, Eugene A. Whang, Gemma A. Roper, Glenn K. Trainer, Jia Chen Pang, Jun Qi, Ka Ho P. Poon, Michael C. Sulkis, Pedro Mari, Syed F. Mohiuddin, Victor H. Yin, Yu P. Sun
  • Patent number: 11460622
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker device may have a housing. A speaker and other input-output components and control circuitry may be mounted within the housing. Light-emitting components may emit light that passes through a curved upper top cap portion or other housing structure. The light-emitting components may be interconnected using a flex circuit on a curved substrate or may be mounted on a planar circuit board. A subset of the light-emitting components may be rotated to improve color balance. Optical structures such as light guides, lens, microlenses, and/or a diffuser layer may be disposed over the light-emitting components to promote light mixing, to reduce hotspots, and to improve contrast on the top cap. The diffuser layer may be suspended using a support structure having baffle members to constraint the angular spread of the emitted light. Illuminated or persistently visible glyphs may be displayed in or near the top cap portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rong Liu, Andrew Baek, Ethan W. Juhnke, Eugene A. Whang, Gemma A. Roper, Glenn K. Trainer, Jia Chen Pang, Jun Qi, Ka Ho P. Poon, Michael C. Sulkis, Pedro Mari, Syed F. Mohiuddin, Victor H. Yin, Yu P. Sun
  • Publication number: 20220042676
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a voice-controlled speaker device may have a housing. A speaker and other input-output components and control circuitry may be mounted within the housing. Light-emitting components may emit light that passes through a curved upper top cap portion or other housing structure. The light-emitting components may be interconnected using a flex circuit on a curved substrate or may be mounted on a planar circuit board. A subset of the light-emitting components may be rotated to improve color balance. Optical structures such as light guides, lens, microlenses, and/or a diffuser layer may be disposed over the light-emitting components to promote light mixing, to reduce hotspots, and to improve contrast on the top cap. The diffuser layer may be suspended using a support structure having baffle members to constraint the angular spread of the emitted light. Illuminated or persistently visible glyphs may be displayed in or near the top cap portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2021
    Publication date: February 10, 2022
    Inventors: Rong Liu, Andrew Baek, Ethan W. Juhnke, Eugene A. Whang, Gemma A. Roper, Glenn K. Trainer, Jia Chen Pang, Jun Qi, Ka Ho P. Poon, Michael C. Sulkis, Pedro Mari, Syed F. Mohiuddin, Victor H. Yin, Yu P. Sun