Patents by Inventor Conor P. Lenahan

Conor P. Lenahan 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: 9137891
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a conductive housing. A dielectric structure may be mounted in the conductive housing to form an antenna window. An electrical component such as a camera, light sensor, or other device may press against a conductive foam structure. A printed circuit may have conductive traces that form an antenna ground and antenna resonating element. The printed circuit may be wrapped around a support structure. The electrical component, the conductive foam structure, and the printed circuit wrapped around the support structure may be compressed between a display cover layer and the antenna window. A camera window may be attached to a camera window trim using multiple adhesives. The trim may have a curved exterior surface that matches a curved housing surface. A flexible printed circuit cable may have a folded portion. A band structure may surround the folded portion to form a service loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin D. Gibbs, Carl R. Peterson, Erik A. Uttermann, Conor P. Lenahan, John P. Ternus, Justin R. Wodrich, Elvis M. Kibiti, Derek Wright
  • Patent number: 9065175
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a conductive housing with an antenna window. Antenna structures may be mounted adjacent to the antenna window. The antenna structures may have a dielectric carrier. Patterned metal antenna traces may be formed on the surface of the dielectric carrier. A proximity sensor may be formed from a flexible printed circuit mounted on the dielectric carrier. The flexible printed circuit may have a tail that contains a transmission line for feeding the antenna structures. The transmission line may include a positive signal conductor that is maintained at a desired distance from the conductive housing using a polymer sheet. A portion of the antenna structures may protrude between a microphone and a camera module. Plastic camera module housing structures may have an inner surface coated with a shielding metal. A U-shaped conductive fabric layer may be used as a grounding structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sean S. Corbin, Taylor H. Gilbert, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Yi Jiang, Conor P. Lenahan, Qingxiang Li, Stephen R. McClure, Robert W. Schlub, Salih Yarga, Jiang Zhu
  • Patent number: 8895865
    Abstract: The embodiments relates generally to the use of conductive connections for electrically grounding a series of conductive substrates. More specifically the embodiments teach configurations of conductive connections that do not overly constrain relative motion between the connected conductive substrates. Conductive pressure sensitive adhesive is used to attach opposing ends of the conductive connectors to the conductive substrates. A substrate portion of the conductive connectors is scored by a cutting device such as a die cutter to reduce rigidity of the substrate portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Inventors: Conor P. Lenahan, Taylor H. Gilbert
  • Publication number: 20140259627
    Abstract: The embodiments described in this paper relate generally to a fastener configured to reduce a risk of doing damage to a high cost component. Various embodiments of fasteners configured to be threaded during insertion are described. This is accomplished by selecting a material for an engaging portion of the fastener that is soft enough to yield to a set of threads to which it is driven into. In this way, a complementary threading pattern is formed on an exterior surface of the fastener as it is twisted against threading of the high cost component to which the fastener is configured to be coupled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Conor P. LENAHAN, Taylor H. GILBERT, Piotr S. TRZASKOS, Alex C. Yeung
  • Publication number: 20140226291
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a conductive housing. A dielectric structure may be mounted in the conductive housing to form an antenna window. An electrical component such as a camera, light sensor, or other device may press against a conductive foam structure. A printed circuit may have conductive traces that form an antenna ground and antenna resonating element. The printed circuit may be wrapped around a support structure. The electrical component, the conductive foam structure, and the printed circuit wrapped around the support structure may be compressed between a display cover layer and the antenna window. A camera window may be attached to a camera window trim using multiple adhesives. The trim may have a curved exterior surface that matches a curved housing surface. A flexible printed circuit cable may have a folded portion. A band structure may surround the folded portion to form a service loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin D. Gibbs, Carl R. Peterson, Erik A. Uttermann, Conor P. Lenahan, John P. Ternus, Justin R. Wodrich, Elvis M. Kibiti, Derek Wright
  • Patent number: 8712233
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a conductive housing. A dielectric structure may be mounted in the conductive housing to form an antenna window. An electrical component such as a camera, light sensor, or other device may press against a conductive foam structure. A printed circuit may have conductive traces that form an antenna ground and antenna resonating element. The printed circuit may be wrapped around a support structure. The electrical component, the conductive foam structure, and the printed circuit wrapped around the support structure may be compressed between a display cover layer and the antenna window. A camera window may be attached to a camera window trim using multiple adhesives. The trim may have a curved exterior surface that matches a curved housing surface. A flexible printed circuit cable may have a folded portion. A band structure may surround the folded portion to form a service loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin D. Gibbs, Carl R. Peterson, Erik A. Uttermann, Conor P. Lenahan, John P. Ternus, Justin R. Wodrich, Elvis M. Kibiti, Derek Wright
  • Publication number: 20140111684
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a conductive housing with an antenna window. Antenna structures may be mounted adjacent to the antenna window. The antenna structures may have a dielectric carrier. Patterned metal antenna traces may be formed on the surface of the dielectric carrier. A proximity sensor may be formed from a flexible printed circuit mounted on the dielectric carrier. The flexible printed circuit may have a tail that contains a transmission line for feeding the antenna structures. The transmission line may include a positive signal conductor that is maintained at a desired distance from the conductive housing using a polymer sheet. A portion of the antenna structures may protrude between a microphone and a camera module. Plastic camera module housing structures may have an inner surface coated with a shielding metal. A U-shaped conductive fabric layer may be used as a grounding structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2012
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: Apple, Inc.
    Inventors: Sean S. Corbin, Taylor H. Gilbert, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Yi Jiang, Conor P. Lenahan, Qingxiang Li, Stephen R. McClure, Robert W. Schlub, Salih Yarga, Jiang Zhu
  • Publication number: 20140073152
    Abstract: The embodiments relates generally to the use of conductive connections for electrically grounding a series of conductive substrates. More specifically the embodiments teach configurations of conductive connections that do not overly constrain relative motion between the connected conductive substrates. Conductive pressure sensitive adhesive is used to attach opposing ends of the conductive connectors to the conductive substrates. A substrate portion of the conductive connectors is scored by a cutting device such as a die cutter to reduce rigidity of the substrate portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Conor P. Lenahan, Taylor H. Gilbert
  • Publication number: 20130223836
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a conductive housing. A dielectric structure may be mounted in the conductive housing to form an antenna window. An electrical component such as a camera, light sensor, or other device may press against a conductive foam structure. A printed circuit may have conductive traces that form an antenna ground and antenna resonating element. The printed circuit may be wrapped around a support structure. The electrical component, the conductive foam structure, and the printed circuit wrapped around the support structure may be compressed between a display cover layer and the antenna window. A camera window may be attached to a camera window trim using multiple adhesives. The trim may have a curved exterior surface that matches a curved housing surface. A flexible printed circuit cable may have a folded portion. A band structure may surround the folded portion to form a service loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2012
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Inventors: Kevin D. Gibbs, Carl R. Peterson, Erik A. Uttermann, Conor P. Lenahan, John P. Ternus, Justin R. Wodrich, Elvis M. Kibiti, Derek Wright