Patents by Inventor Brett William Degner

Brett William Degner 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: 8091178
    Abstract: A hinge has a pintle, a moving leaf, a resilient device and a stationary leaf. The pintle has a resilient device mount formed on a distal end and is mounted securely in the stationary leaf. The moving leaf is mounted rotatably around the pintle and has a barrel having a protruding limit formed on an outer end. Because the resilient device mount is formed on the pintle, it does not break easily and may slip to prevent terminal failure and be reset when closed. The protruding limit abuts the stationary leaf and ensures a gap is formed between the leaves for wires cabling or the like. Therefore the hinge has improved wear and longer lifespan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, Patrick Kessler, Chris Ligtenberg
  • Publication number: 20110242756
    Abstract: A hinge assembly having a hollow clutch is arranged to pivotally couple a portable computer base portion to a portable computer lid portion. The hinge assembly includes at least a hollow cylindrical portion that includes an annular outer region and a central bore region, the central bore region suitably arranged to provide support for electrical conductors between the base and lid portions. The hinge assembly also includes a plurality of fastening components that couple the hollow clutch to the base portion and the lid portion of the portable computer, with at least one of the fastening regions being integrally formed with the hollow cylindrical portion such that space, size and part count are minimized. The integrally formed fastening region(s) can be flat with holes dispersed therethrough for screws, bolts or the like. The central bore can also support a heat transfer element and can also serve as a lubricant reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Brett William DEGNER, John M. BROCK, Bradley Joseph HAMEL
  • Patent number: 7997906
    Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a first sub assembly having a first housing component. The first housing component has an opening. The electronic device also includes a second sub assembly having a second housing component. The second housing component cooperates with the first housing component to enclose components of an electronic device. The at least one internal component is accessible through the opening. The at least one internal component is also movable relative to the second sub assembly so as to properly align with the opening. The at least one internal component is additionally magnetically attracted towards the first housing component near the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Ligtenberg, John DiFonzo, Brett William Degner, John Brock
  • Patent number: 7999748
    Abstract: Key antennas are provided for an electronic device such as a laptop computer. The electronic device may have radio-frequency transceivers that transmit and receive signals using the key antennas. An antenna resonating element may be mounted beneath a keycap of each key antenna. The antenna resonating element may be spirally wrapped and integrated into the keycap. The key antenna may function as an antenna and may also function as an input key for an electronic device. A flexible communications path may pass through a hole in a conductive housing of the electronic device and may be used to couple the antenna resonating element to the radio-frequency transceiver. The antenna resonating element may be coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver by a weak spring. The weak spring may form a portion of the antenna resonating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Ligtenberg, Brett William Degner, Douglas Blake Kough
  • Publication number: 20110169700
    Abstract: A removable antenna and a resilient antenna are provided for an electronic device such as a laptop computer. An antenna resonating element is mounted within the antenna. Flexible coupling structures are used to physically and removably attach the antenna to the electronic device. The flexible coupling structures couple the antenna resonating element to circuitry in the electronic device. The coupling structures may allow the antenna to break away from the electronic device without causing damage. A user may extend the antenna by rotating the removable antenna to its extended position. The electronic device may have an antenna receptacle that holds the resilient antenna in a stowed position and that allows the resilient antenna to flex to an extended position. A user may extend the resilient antenna by removing the resilient antenna from the antenna receptacle and flexing the antenna into its extended position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, Matthew Ian McDonald
  • Patent number: 7934292
    Abstract: A hinge is disclosed. The hinge can include an axle, a first member coupled to the axle, and a second member coupled to the axle and configured to rotate relative to the first member and around the axle. The hinge can further include a stop mechanism configured to stop the second member from rotating, relative to the first member, in a first direction and beyond a first range when the stop mechanism is in a first position and the second member is in the first range. The stop mechanism can be further configured to allow the second member to rotate, relative to the first member, in the first direction, beyond the first range, and into a second range when the stop mechanism is in a second position and the second member is in the first range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, John Ternus, Andy Lauder
  • Patent number: 7911397
    Abstract: A removable antenna and a resilient antenna are provided for an electronic device such as a laptop computer. An antenna resonating element is mounted within the antenna. Flexible coupling structures are used to physically and removably attach the antenna to the electronic device. The flexible coupling structures couple the antenna resonating element to circuitry in the electronic device. The coupling structures may allow the antenna to break away from the electronic device without causing damage. A user may extend the antenna by rotating the removable antenna to its extended position. The electronic device may have an antenna receptacle that holds the resilient antenna in a stowed position and that allows the resilient antenna to flex to an extended position. A user may extend the resilient antenna by removing the resilient antenna from the antenna receptacle and flexing the antenna into its extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, Matthew Ian McDonald
  • Patent number: 7880678
    Abstract: A removable antenna is provided for an electronic device such as a laptop computer. An antenna resonating element is mounted within the antenna. Magnetic coupling structures are used to magnetically attach the antenna to the electronic device. The magnetic coupling structures couple the antenna resonating element to circuitry in the electronic device. The electronic device may have an antenna receptacle that holds the antenna in a stowed position and allows the antenna to extend to an extended position. A user may extend the antenna by sliding the antenna or by rotating the antenna to its extended position. The coupling structures may allow the antenna to break away from the electronic device without damage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, Chris Ligtenberg, Bartley K. Andre, Douglas Blake Kough
  • Patent number: 7845953
    Abstract: A movable I/O port and housing therefore. The I/O port housing may be hinged to pivot between an open and closed position. The pivot point may be a low- or zero-friction pivot. The I/O port housing may include an opening mechanism to facilitate pivoting the port between the open and closed positions, and/or vice versa. For example, the opening mechanism may take the form of paired magnets of like polarities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John Brock, Brett William Degner, Dinesh Mathew, Thomas W. Wilson, Jr., Chris Ligtenberg
  • Publication number: 20100254111
    Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a first sub assembly having a first housing component. The first housing component has an opening. The electronic device also includes a second sub assembly having a second housing component. The second housing component cooperates with the first housing component to enclose components of an electronic device. The at least one internal component is accessible through the opening. The at least one internal component is also movable relative to the second sub assembly so as to properly align with the opening. The at least one internal component is additionally magnetically attracted towards the first housing component near the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Ligtenberg, John DiFonzo, Brett William Degner, John Brock
  • Patent number: 7804463
    Abstract: An antenna-carrying assembly for facilitating wireless communication using an electronic device is disclosed. The antenna-carrying assembly may include a body and one or more antenna elements carried by the body. The antenna-carrying assembly may also include a first attraction element carried by the body. The first attraction element is configured to magnetically couple the antenna-carrying assembly with a track and to slide along the track. At least one of the first attraction element and the track includes one or more magnetic elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, Chris Ligtenberg, Bartley K. Andre, Douglas B. Kough
  • Patent number: 7773038
    Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided with sensors for determining the presence and position of extendable and removable antennas. The antennas may extend by rotating about an axis, by reciprocating along their length, or by flexing from a retracted position to an extended position. The electronic device may determine when a removable antenna is attached or detached using signals from the sensors. The electronic device may determine the extent to which an antenna has been extended using signals from the sensors. The electronic device may control the operation of a radio-frequency transceiver that is coupled to the antenna based on signals from the sensors. The electronic device may turn the transceiver off when the antenna is retracted or removed. When the antenna is partially extended, the electronic device may place the transceiver in a low-power mode or place a dual-band transceiver into a single-band mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William Degner, Chris Ligtenberg, Douglas Blake Kough, Paul Andrew Gojenola
  • Patent number: 7762817
    Abstract: An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a first subassembly having a first housing component. The first housing component has an opening. The electronic device also includes a second subassembly having a second housing component. The second housing component cooperates with the first housing component to enclose components of an electronic device. The at least one internal component is also movable relative to the second subassembly so as to properly align with the opening. The at least one internal component is additionally magnetically attracted towards the first housing component near the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Ligtenberg, John C. DiFonzo, Brett William Degner, John Brock
  • Patent number: 7697283
    Abstract: Wall portions, such as wall portions of electronic device housing components, are provided with one or more foot assemblies. A foot assembly can be formed by creating an internal cavity in an internal surface of the wall portion, an external cavity in an external surface of the wall portion, and a hollow passageway extending through the wall portion and between the cavities. The foot assembly can be completed by inserting a foot at least partially through the external cavity and hollow passageway and into the internal cavity, such that an external portion of the foot is at least partially contained within and contacting the surfaces of the external cavity, and such that an internal portion of the foot is at least partially contained within the internal cavity. A portion of the foot may be deformable to at least partially conform to the surfaces defining the internal cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Dinesh Mathew, Brett William Degner, Thomas W. Wilson, Jr., John Brock
  • Publication number: 20100079404
    Abstract: An input device is disclosed. The input device includes a movable touch-sensitive track pad capable of detecting an object in close proximity thereto so as to generate a tracking control signal. The input device also includes a movement indicator capable of detecting the movements of the movable track pad so as to generate one or more other control signals (e.g., button signals). The control signals can be used to perform actions in an electronic device operatively coupled to the input device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William DEGNER, Patrick KESSLER, Chris A. LIGTENBERG, Thomas W. WILSON, JR., Bartley K. ANDRE, Matthew P. CASEBOLT
  • Patent number: 7646613
    Abstract: A latch mechanism for removably securing a module in a bay of an electronic device. The latch mechanism includes a first wireform configured to move along a first wall of the bay to latch a first side of the module and a tang configured to move substantially perpendicularly to a second side of the module to latch the second side of the module. The latch mechanism includes a control member operatively connected with the first wireform and the tang to actuate the first wireform and the tang simultaneously in response to user input such that when the module is inserted into the bay, the first wireform and the tang simultaneously latch the first side of the module and the second side of the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chris Ligtenberg, Brett William Degner, Bartley K. Andre
  • Publication number: 20090273570
    Abstract: Capacitive multi-touch sensor panels in which both row and column traces may be formed on a single conducting surface are disclosed. These stack-ups may be made thinner and more flexible allowing them to be particularly well-suited for curved or other non-flat touch sensor panels, such as those that might be present on a mouse or other device designed to be grasped by a user's hand. Curved sensor panel arrays that may be formed from flat substrates are also disclosed. These sensor panel configurations may include channels around the periphery of the array. These channels allow the flat array to lie flat when applied to a curved surface, such as the inside of the curved surface. The pattern of the touch sensor elements may be adjusted across the array to avoid the channels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: November 5, 2009
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brett William DEGNER, Kenneth Lawrence Staton, Steve Porter Hotelling, Shin John Choi
  • Patent number: D637157
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley K Andre, Robert L. Coish, Brett William Degner, Ron Alan Hopkinson, Chris Ligtenberg, R. Sean Murphy, John Raff
  • Patent number: D637192
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley K. Andre, John M. Brock, Matthew Phillip Casebolt, Brett William Degner, Ron Alan Hopkinson, Eugene Kim, Chris Ligtenberg, John Raff, David Yeh
  • Patent number: D637193
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley K. Andre, John M. Brock, Matthew Phillip Casebolt, Brett William Degner, Ron Alan Hopkinson, Eugene Kim, Chris Ligtenberg, John Raff, David Yeh