Patents by Inventor Patrick B. Wright

Patrick B. Wright 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: 11775021
    Abstract: An electronic device may have an optical touch sensor that is insensitive to the presence of moisture. The display may present images through a display cover layer. A light source may illuminate an external object such as a user's finger when the object contacts a surface of the display cover layer. This creates scattered light that may be detected by an array of light sensors. A metasurface grating may be used to couple light from the light source into the display cover layer at an angle such that total internal reflection within the display cover layer is sustained across the display cover layer even when the display cover layer is immersed in water or otherwise exposed to moisture. Additional metasurface gratings may be formed on the display cover layer to redirect light propagating within the display cover layer away from edges that might otherwise defeat total internal reflection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yakov G. Soskind, Mohammad Yeke Yazdandoost, Patrick B. Wright, Giovanni Gozzini
  • Publication number: 20230093626
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprising: an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and a sound output port to an ambient environment; a transducer positioned within the interior chamber and dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber coupling a first side of the transducer to the sound output port and a back volume chamber coupled to a second side of the transducer; and an electromechanical valve comprising a number of flaps operable to open and close a vent to the interior chamber, the front volume chamber or the back volume chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Gokhan Hatipoglu, Peter C. Hrudey, Scott C. Grinker, Ankur Jain, Patrick B. Wright
  • Publication number: 20230086021
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprising: an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an opening to an environment surrounding the enclosure wall; and a valve comprising a number of sliding actuators operable to open and close the opening to the environment surrounding the enclosure wall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: Gokhan Hatipoglu, Peter C. Hrudey, Scott C. Grinker, Ankur Jain, Patrick B. Wright
  • Publication number: 20230057534
    Abstract: An electronic device may have an optical touch sensor that is insensitive to the presence of moisture. The display may present images through a display cover layer. A light source may illuminate an external object such as a user's finger when the object contacts a surface of the display cover layer. This creates scattered light that may be detected by an array of light sensors. A metasurface grating may be used to couple light from the light source into the display cover layer at an angle such that total internal reflection within the display cover layer is sustained across the display cover layer even when the display cover layer is immersed in water or otherwise exposed to moisture. Additional metasurface gratings may be formed on the display cover layer to redirect light propagating within the display cover layer away from edges that might otherwise defeat total internal reflection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Publication date: February 23, 2023
    Inventors: Yakov G. Soskind, Mohammad Yeke Yazdandoost, Patrick B. Wright, Giovanni Gozzini
  • Patent number: 11525958
    Abstract: Configurations for a photonics device with a vertical outcoupler and fabrication operations thereof are disclosed. The photonics device may include an off-cut substrate with a cavity. The cavity may be coated with a buffer layer, which may form the vertical outcoupler. The cavity may be filled with a fill material that provides structural integrity to the cavity. The off-cut substrate may have a first and a second cladding layer above and below it, to provide cladding for the waveguide structure. In some examples, light may propagate through the off-cut substrate and may be received by the outcoupler. The outcoupler may reflect and redirect the light out of the waveguide structure and toward one or more optical elements. The optical element(s) may provide the light to a launch region in a system interface and/or to a sample.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Pelc, Arun Kumar Subramanian, Patrick B. Wright