Patents by Inventor Paul S. Drzaic

Paul S. Drzaic 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: 10754440
    Abstract: Touch sensitive mechanical keyboards and processes for detecting touch events and key depressions on the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard are provided. The touch sensitive mechanical keyboard can include a set of individually depressible mechanical keys having a touch sensitive surface. A touch sensor layer can be disposed on top of a key mechanism and flexible interconnections provided between key segments of the touch sensor layer can allow for depression of the key mechanism of individual keys. In some examples, the flexible interconnections can be formed by patterning a spring-like structure into the touch sensor layer. In some examples, the touch sensor layer can be transparent or include openings to allow a backlight to shine through. In some examples, addressable LED backlighting with buckling interconnects can also be provided to illuminate keycaps of the mechanical keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yung-Yu Hsu, Mingjing Ha, Zhiyuan Sun, Paul S. Drzaic, Anuranjini Pragada, George Ho Yin Mak, Antonio Y. Layon Halun, Wesley W. Zuber
  • Patent number: 10756020
    Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric layers and other layers of material. An array of electrical components may be mounted in the fabric-based item. The electrical components may be mounted to a support structure such as a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have a mesh shape formed from an array of openings. Serpentine flexible printed circuit segments may extend between the openings. The electrical components may be light-emitting diodes or other electrical devices. Polymer with light-scattering particles or other materials may cover the electrical components. The flexible printed circuit may be laminated between fabric layers or other layers of material in the fabric-based item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel D. Sunshine, Paul S. Drzaic, Daniel A. Podhajny, David M. Kindlon, Hoon Sik Kim, Kathryn P. Crews, Yung-Yu Hsu
  • Publication number: 20200258454
    Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus to refresh a display device at various frequencies. Specifically, multiple areas of the display device may be refreshed concurrently at different frequencies. In this way, when static content is being displayed in certain areas of the display device, those certain areas can be refreshed at a lower rate than areas displaying dynamic content such as video or animation. By refreshing at lower rates, the energy consumed by the display device and subsystems associated with the display device can be reduced. Additionally, processes for reducing flicker when refreshing the display device at different refresh rates are disclosed herein.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Chaohao WANG, Szu-Hsien LEE, Paolo SACCHETTO, Shih Chang CHANG, Chun-Yao HUANG, Paul S. DRZAIC
  • Publication number: 20200226973
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally systems and methods for controlling current provided to display devices. A method for controlling the current may include receiving drive current values associated with subpixels in a display and receiving information that corresponds to an application type being rendered on the display and/or an indication of image data being rendered on the display. The method may then include reducing at least some of the drive current values based at least in part on the application type. Alternatively, the method may include reducing the at least a portion of the image data corresponding to the at least some of the drive current values has substantially similar luminance and color values. The method may then include supplying the subpixels with drive currents that correspond to the drive current values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventor: Paul S. Drzaic
  • Publication number: 20200218204
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a wristwatch device or other device may have a display. The display may be used to continuously display information such as watch face information. A watch face image on the display may contain watch face elements such as watch face hands, watch face indices, and complications. To reduce burn-in risk for watch face elements, control circuitry in the electronic device may impose burn-in constraints on attributes of the watch face elements such as peak luminance constraints, dwell time constraints, color constraints, constraints on the shape of each element, and constraints on element style. These constraints may help avoid situations in which static elements such as watch face indices create more burn-in than dynamic elements such as watch face hands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Tae-Wook Koh, Yiqiang Nie, Yifan Zhang, Giovanni M. Agnoli, Paul S. Drzaic, David A. Doyle
  • Patent number: 10705634
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. The display is flexible and bends around a bend axis as the housing is folded and unfolded. When the housing is in an unfolded configuration, the display lies flat in a plane and displays images for a user. When the housing is folded along the bend axis and placed into a folded configuration, a first portion of the display is covered by the housing and is hidden from view, whereas a protruding second portion of the display is uncovered by the housing and exposed for viewing. Control circuitry in the device may display notifications, icons, and other content on the exposed second portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Drzaic, Hoon Sik Kim
  • Patent number: 10705638
    Abstract: A computing device is disclosed. The computing device may include a display, a processor in communication with the display and an enclosure connected to the display. The computing device may also include an input/output (I/O) device in communication with the processor. The I/O device may also be connected to the enclosure. Additionally, the I/O device may include a modifiable display that may substantially match the appearance of the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Chris Ligtenberg, Euan S. Abraham, Jun Qi, Paul S. Drzaic, Po-Wen Chiu, Ron Hopkinson, Michelle Goldberg, Victor H. Yin, Bartley K. Andre, Mikael Silvanto, Erin Turullols
  • Patent number: 10700236
    Abstract: Quantum dot layers and display devices including quantum dot layers are described. In an embodiment the quantum dot layer includes quantum dots with coatings to adjust the spacing between adjacent quantum dots. In an embodiment, the coatings are metal oxide coatings and may create a charge transporting matrix. In an embodiment, the coatings are core-material coatings. The QD layers may be QD-LED compatible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan S. Steckel, Hitoshi Yamamoto, Paul S. Drzaic
  • Publication number: 20200201102
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display having a thin-film transistor layer. One or more holes in the thin-film transistor layer may be used to form pathways from display circuitry to other circuitry underneath the display. One or more conductive bridges may pass through holes in the thin-film transistor layer and may have one end that couples to the display circuitry and a second end that couples to a printed circuit underneath the display. These conductive bridges may be formed from wire bonding. Wire bond connections may be encapsulated with potting material to improve the reliability of the wire bond and increase the resiliency of the display. Display signal lines may be routed through holes in a thin-film transistor layer to run along a backside of the display thereby reducing the need for space in the border region for display circuitry.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Paul S. Drzaic, Jeremy C. Franklin, Stephen Brian Lynch, Scott A. Myers, Benjamin M. Rappoport, Fletcher R. Rothkopf, John P. Ternus
  • Publication number: 20200192423
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a wearable electronic device may have a band. The band may form a stand-alone device or a strap for a wristwatch unit or other device. Electrical components may be mounted on flexible printed circuit substrates. A substrate may be encapsulated by elastomeric polymer material or other material forming the band. The elastomeric polymer material may form cavities that receive the electrical components. Components such as light-emitting diodes may be mounted to the flexible printed circuit substrates so that the light-emitting diodes are located in the cavities. Reflective sidewalls in the cavities may reflect light from the light-emitting diodes outwardly through a thinned portion of the band. Light-diffusing material in the cavities may be formed from clear polymer with light-scattering particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Yung-Yu Hsu, Shubham A. Gandhi, Mingjing Ha, Paul S. Drzaic, Chang-Chia Huang, Han-Chieh Chang, Bryce T. Bradford, David W. Lum, Bhaskar Banerjee, Adam Adjiwibawa, David A. Doyle, Hong Luo, Michael J. Brown
  • Patent number: 10629131
    Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus for refreshing a display device at various frequencies. Specifically, multiple areas of the display device can be refreshed concurrently at different frequencies. In this way, when static content is being displayed in certain areas of the display device, those certain areas can be refreshed at a lower rate than areas displaying dynamic content such as video or animation. By refreshing at lower rates, the energy consumed by the display device and subsystems associated with the display device can be reduced. Additionally, processes for reducing flicker when refreshing the display device at different refresh rates are disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chaohao Wang, Szu-Hsien Lee, Paolo Sacchetto, Shih Chang Chang, Chun-Yao Huang, Paul S. Drzaic
  • Patent number: 10620490
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display having a thin-film transistor layer. One or more holes in the thin-film transistor layer may be used to form pathways from display circuitry to other circuitry underneath the display. One or more conductive bridges may pass through holes in the thin-film transistor layer and may have one end that couples to the display circuitry and a second end that couples to a printed circuit underneath the display. These conductive bridges may be formed from wire bonding. Wire bond connections may be encapsulated with potting material to improve the reliability of the wire bond and increase the resiliency of the display. Display signal lines may be routed through holes in a thin-film transistor layer to run along a backside of the display thereby reducing the need for space in the border region for display circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul S. Drzaic, Jeremy C. Franklin, Stephen Brian Lynch, Scott A. Myers, Benjamin M. Rappoport, Fletcher R. Rothkopf, John P. Ternus
  • Patent number: 10614750
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates generally systems and methods for controlling current provided to display devices. A method for controlling the current may include receiving drive current values associated with subpixels in a display and receiving information that corresponds to an application type being rendered on the display and/or an indication of image data being rendered on the display. The method may then include reducing at least some of the drive current values based at least in part on the application type. Alternatively, the method may include reducing the at least a portion of the image data corresponding to the at least some of the drive current values has substantially similar luminance and color values. The method may then include supplying the subpixels with drive currents that correspond to the drive current values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Paul S. Drzaic
  • Publication number: 20200103981
    Abstract: Touch sensitive mechanical keyboards and processes for detecting touch events and key depressions on the touch sensitive mechanical keyboard are provided. The touch sensitive mechanical keyboard can include a set of individually depressible mechanical keys having a touch sensitive surface. A touch sensor layer can be disposed on top of a key mechanism and flexible interconnections provided between key segments of the touch sensor layer can allow for depression of the key mechanism of individual keys. In some examples, the flexible interconnections can be formed by patterning a spring-like structure into the touch sensor layer. In some examples, the touch sensor layer can be transparent or include openings to allow a backlight to shine through. In some examples, addressable LED backlighting with buckling interconnects can also be provided to illuminate keycaps of the mechanical keyboard.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Inventors: Yung-Yu HSU, Mingjing HA, Zhiyuan SUN, Paul S. DRZAIC, Anuranjini PRAGADA, George Ho Yin MAK, Antonio Y. LAYON HALUN, Wesley W. ZUBER
  • Patent number: 10608069
    Abstract: A display may have an array of organic light-emitting diodes that form an active area on a flexible substrate. Display driver circuitry such as a display driver integrated circuit may be coupled to an inactive area of the flexible substrate. Metal traces may extend across a bent region of the flexible substrate between the active area and inactive area. Metal traces may have zigzag shapes to reduce stress when bending. Adjacent pairs of parallel segments in the metal traces may be shorted together by a bridging segment that extends perpendicular to the two parallel segments. The bridging segment may be offset from corners to avoid clusters of stress zones in the metal trace. Neutral plane adjustment layers in the bent region may include a metal layer to help counteract the bending force of the flexible substrate and the relaxation of an upper polymer coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhen Zhang, Terry C. Lam, Paul S. Drzaic, Izhar Z. Ahmed
  • Publication number: 20200097044
    Abstract: Protective cover layers for electronic devices are described. In an embodiment, an electronic device includes a display panel and a protective cover layer over the display panel. The protective cover layer includes a transparent support substrate and a hardcoat layer covering an exterior facing surface of the transparent support substrate. The display panel may be a flexible display panel and the protective cover layer may flex with the flexible display panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Hoon Sik Kim, Chang-Chia Huang, Christopher D. Jones, Masato Kuwabara, Nikhil D. Kalyankar, Terry C. Shyu, Yasmin F. Afsar, Paul S. Drzaic
  • Publication number: 20200099012
    Abstract: Display panel stack-up structures are described. In an embodiment, a display panel includes a substrate, a light source, and a multiple layer thin film encapsulation over the light source. In an embodiment, the display panel additionally includes an anti-reflection layer over the light source. In an embodiment, an incoherence layer is located within the thin film encapsulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Inventors: Yifan Zhang, Amin Salehi, Yun Liu, Paul S. Drzaic, Tae-Wook Koh, Chih Jen Yang, Bhadrinarayana Lalgudi Visweswaran, Chieh-Wei Chen
  • Publication number: 20200044197
    Abstract: An electronic device is provided with a display and a light sensor that receives light that passes through the display. The display includes features that increase the amount of light that passes through the display. The features may be translucency enhancement features that allow light to pass directly through the display onto a light sensor mounted behind the display or may include a light-guiding layer that guides light through the display onto a light sensor mounted along an edge of the display. The translucency enhancement features may be formed in a reflector layer or an electrode layer for the display. The translucency enhancement features may include microperforations in a reflector layer of the display, a light-filtering reflector layer of the display, or a reflector layer of the display that passes a portion of the light and reflects an additional portion of the light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Anna-Katrina Shedletsky, Paul S. Drzaic, Erik G. de Jong, Fletcher R. Rothkopf
  • Patent number: 10553540
    Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric layers and other layers of material. An array of electrical components may be mounted in the fabric-based item. The electrical components may be mounted to a support structure such as a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have a mesh shape formed from an array of openings. Serpentine flexible printed circuit segments may extend between the openings. The electrical components may be light-emitting diodes or other electrical devices. Polymer with light-scattering particles or other materials may cover the electrical components. The flexible printed circuit may be laminated between fabric layers or other layers of material in the fabric-based item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel D. Sunshine, Paul S. Drzaic, Daniel A. Podhajny, David M. Kindlon, Hoon Sik Kim, Kathryn P. Crews, Yung-Yu Hsu
  • Publication number: 20200020639
    Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric layers and other layers of material. An array of electrical components may be mounted in the fabric-based item. The electrical components may be mounted to a support structure such as a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have a mesh shape formed from an array of openings. Serpentine flexible printed circuit segments may extend between the openings. The electrical components may be light-emitting diodes or other electrical devices. Polymer with light-scattering particles or other materials may cover the electrical components. The flexible printed circuit may be laminated between fabric layers or other layers of material in the fabric-based item.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Inventors: Daniel D. Sunshine, Paul S. Drzaic, Daniel A. Podhajny, David M. Kindlon, Hoon Sik Kim, Kathryn P. Crews, Yung-Yu Hsu