Patents by Inventor Bradley L. Spare

Bradley L. Spare 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: 8506322
    Abstract: Portable computer battery structures are provided. The portable computer battery structures may include a battery with a metal enclosure and a battery cable with a floating end. The battery may have six cells. Three pairs of parallel-connected cells may be connected together in series. The six cells may be substantially planar in shape. The battery may have a connector with at least five conductive pins and six recesses. The battery cable may have a cable with at least five conductive pins that mate with the five pins of the battery's connector and with six support pins that slide into the six recesses of the battery's connector. The batter connector may be formed on a printed circuit board substrate that folds over on itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Michael D. Hillman, Robert L. Coish, Chris Ligtenberg
  • Publication number: 20120214035
    Abstract: Portable computer battery structures are provided. The portable computer battery structures may include a battery with a metal enclosure and a battery cable with a floating end. The battery may have six cells. Three pairs of parallel-connected cells may be connected together in series. The six cells may be substantially planar in shape. The battery may have a connector with at least five conductive pins and six recesses. The battery cable may have a cable with at least five conductive pins that mate with the five pins of the battery's connector and with six support pins that slide into the six recesses of the battery's connector. The batter connector may be formed on a printed circuit board substrate that folds over on itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Michael D. Hillman, Robert L. Coish, Chris Ligtenberg
  • Patent number: 8168319
    Abstract: Portable computer battery structures are provided. The portable computer battery structures may include a battery with a metal enclosure and a battery cable with a floating end. The battery may have six cells. Three pairs of parallel-connected cells may be connected together in series. The six cells may be substantially planar in shape. The battery may have a connector with at least five conductive pins and six recesses. The battery cable may have a cable with at least five conductive pins that mate with the five pins of the battery's connector and with six support pins that slide into the six recesses of the battery's connector. The batter connector may be formed on a printed circuit board substrate that folds over on itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Michael D. Hillman, Robert L. Coish, Chris Ligtenberg
  • Publication number: 20120015236
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a battery cell which includes a set of electrode sheets of different dimensions arranged in a stacked configuration to facilitate efficient use of space inside a portable electronic device. For example, the electrode sheets may be arranged in the stacked configuration to accommodate a shape of the portable electronic device. The stacked configuration may be based on a non-rectangular battery design such as a toroidal design, an L-shaped design, a triangular design, a pie-shaped design, a cone-shaped design, and/or a pyramidal design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Publication date: January 19, 2012
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Bradley L. Spare
  • Publication number: 20110313589
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of a fuel cell system which is capable of both providing power to and receiving power from a rechargeable battery in a portable computing device. This eliminates the need for a bulky and heavy battery within the fuel cell system, which can significantly reduce the size, weight and cost of the fuel cell system. This fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack which converts fuel into electrical power. It also includes a controller which controls operation of the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system additionally includes a power link that transfers electrical power between the fuel cell system and the portable computing device, and a communication link that provides communication between the portable computing device and the controller for the fuel cell system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2011
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Vijay M. Iyer, Bradley L. Spare
  • Publication number: 20110311895
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to the design of a portable and cost-effective fuel cell system for a portable computing device. This fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack which converts fuel into electrical power. It also includes a fuel source for the fuel cell stack and a controller which controls operation of the fuel cell system. The fuel system also includes an interface to the portable computing device, wherein the interface comprises a power link that provides power to the portable computing device, and a bidirectional communication link that provides bidirectional communication between the portable computing device and the controller for the fuel cell system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Vijay M. Iyer, Jean L. Lee, Gregory L. Tice, Michael D. Hillman, David I. Simon
  • Publication number: 20110256463
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments relate to a system that provides a power source. The power source includes a set of fuel cells arranged in a fuel cell stack. The power source also includes a power bus configured to connect the fuel cells in a parallel configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2010
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Steven C. Michalske, Bradley L. Spare
  • Publication number: 20100092845
    Abstract: Portable computer battery structures are provided. The portable computer battery structures may include a battery with a metal enclosure and a battery cable with a floating end. The battery may have six cells. Three pairs of parallel-connected cells may be connected together in series. The six cells may be substantially planar in shape. The battery may have a connector with at least five conductive pins and six recesses. The battery cable may have a cable with at least five conductive pins that mate with the five pins of the battery's connector and with six support pins that slide into the six recesses of the battery's connector. The batter connector may be formed on a printed circuit board substrate that folds over on itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Publication date: April 15, 2010
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Michael D. Hillman, Robert L. Coish, Chris Ligtenberg
  • Publication number: 20100068607
    Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring and responding to forces influencing batteries of electronic devices are provided. One or more sensors may be provided at various positions within a battery assembly including one or more battery cells within an enclosure. In some embodiments, a sensor may be provided between a battery cell and a portion of the enclosure. In other embodiments, a sensor may be positioned between two adjacent cells in a stack. Each sensor may detect a force influencing a battery cell of the assembly. In some embodiments, the sensor may be a force sensing material having a conductance configured to vary based on the influencing force. In other embodiments, the sensor may be a contact sensor that detects when the influencing force moves two elements together.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: Apple, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Robert Sean Murphy
  • Publication number: 20090169977
    Abstract: Systems and methods for monitoring and responding to forces influencing batteries of electronic devices are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Sfarzo, Robert L. Bailey, Bradley L. Spare
  • Publication number: 20080079606
    Abstract: A wireless based sensor assembly incorporated within a sealed and pressurized vessel including an end plug secured against an inner surface of the vessel. Temperature and pressure sensors are mounted to inner exposed locations of the end plug and are capable of monitoring temperature and a pressure conditions existing within the sealed vessel. A power supply is communicated to the sensors within said vessel and such that the sensors communicate, in wireless fashion, information regarding the conditions existing internally within the vessel to an external location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Publication date: April 3, 2008
    Applicant: Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Bradley L. Spare, Justin D. Ward