Patents by Inventor Eric X. Zhou
Eric X. Zhou 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).
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Publication number: 20250112488Abstract: Electric fields that can cause corrosion of contacts can be compensated for by embodiments of the present invention. For example, voltage waveforms at the contacts can be made to have a zero volt average, and therefore have a zero net electric field. Galvanic voltages generated by dissimilar metals used by a contact and a housing can generate an electric field, and currents motivated by the galvanic electric field can be blocked by capacitively coupling the contacts to their corresponding circuits.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2024Publication date: April 3, 2025Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Albert Wang, Todd S. Mintz, Benjamin Morse, Christopher S. Graham, Eric X. Zhou, Karl Ruben Fredrik Larsson, Nicholas S. Brodine
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Publication number: 20250104895Abstract: Examples provide magnets for electronic devices. The magnets can be formed as unitary structures using metal-injection molding. The magnets can be referred to as neodymium magnets. That is, they can be formed of neodymium, iron, and boron. The magnet can comprise a plurality of easy axes, where the plurality of easy axes are not parallel.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2024Publication date: March 27, 2025Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: John C. DiFonzo, Eric X. Zhou, Christopher S. Graham, Karl Ruben Fredrik Larsson
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Patent number: 11967450Abstract: An electronic device can include a housing component at least partially defining an internal volume and including a wall. A component can be disposed within the wall and at least partially surrounded by a material forming the housing. A battery can be disposed in the internal volume and electrically connected to the component.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2019Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Jiahui Liang, Eric X. Zhou
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Publication number: 20230080598Abstract: Accessory cases that can be charged using one or more types of wireless chargers. An example can provide an accessory case having a first alignment feature for aligning to a first type of wireless charger. The first alignment feature can include one or more magnetic elements in the accessory case. The one or more magnetic elements can be located in both the base and the lid of the accessory case. Another example can further include a second alignment feature for aligning to a second type of wireless charger. The second alignment feature can include one or more magnetic elements in the accessory case.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2022Publication date: March 16, 2023Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Eric X. Zhou, Muhammad H. Kiani, Rohan Dayal, Ye Li
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Patent number: 11589150Abstract: A portable acoustic device comprising: a device housing that defines an internal cavity, the device housing comprising a speaker housing portion and a stem portion extending away from the speaker housing portion; a first acoustic port formed through a wall of the speaker housing; an audio driver disposed within the speaker housing portion and aligned to emit sound through the acoustic first port; a battery disposed within the speaker housing portion and positioned an opposite side of the audio driver than the acoustic port; an antenna disposed in the stem; a user input region disposed along the stem; and a system in a chip disposed in the stem, the system in a chip comprising: a processor that controls operation of the portable wireless acoustic device, charging circuitry, an accelerometer, a wireless communication controller, support components for the antenna and support components for the user input region.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2021Date of Patent: February 21, 2023Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Lee M. Panecki, Arun D. Chawan, Julia C. Canning, Michael B. Minerbi, Pengchuan Wang, Kyle Tse, Brian R. Twehues, Sean T. Bong, Eric X. Zhou, Ethan L. Huwe, Scott C. Grinker, Haochuan Sang, Martin Kuster, Sean J. Docherty, Ryan Buck, Yuta Kuboyama
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Publication number: 20220416590Abstract: A bimodal annular magnetic alignment component can be included in an electronic device that attaches to other electronic devices using a magnetic alignment system that includes a primary annular alignment component and a secondary annular alignment component having complementary (and fixed) magnetic orientations. In a bimodal alignment component, a set of alignment magnets can be reoriented or shifted between a first position in which a magnetic orientation of the bimodal alignment component is complementary to a primary annular alignment component and a second position in which a magnetic orientation of the bimodal alignment component is complementary to a secondary annular alignment component. A bimodal electronic device incorporating a bimodal alignment component can be interchangeably attached to another device via either a primary annular alignment component or a secondary annular alignment component.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 6, 2022Publication date: December 29, 2022Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Timothy J. Rasmussen, Eric S. Jol, Christopher S. Graham, Karl Ruben Fredrik Larsson, Eric X. Zhou
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Publication number: 20220407355Abstract: In a wireless charging system, a transmitter coil of a wireless charger device and a receiver coil of a portable electronic device can operate at either of two different operating frequencies. The low frequency can be in a range from about 300 kHz to about 400 kHz, and the high frequency can be in a range from about 1 MHz to about 2 MHz. To provide efficient charging at both frequencies, the transmitter and receiver coils can be formed from a compound, or multi-stranded, wire.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2022Publication date: December 22, 2022Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Makiko Kawamura Brzezinski, Eric X. Zhou, Brennan K. Vanden Hoek, Saining Ren
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Publication number: 20220336143Abstract: The disclosure is directed to wireless power systems that include a ferromagnetic core formed of nanocrystalline material disposed on a ferrite. The wireless power systems can have reduced saturation and/or lossiness.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2022Publication date: October 20, 2022Inventors: Zelin Xu, Sumant Ranganathan, Matthew J. Chabalko, Nan Liu, Eric X. Zhou
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Publication number: 20220217462Abstract: A portable acoustic device comprising: a device housing that defines an internal cavity, the device housing comprising a speaker housing portion and a stem portion extending away from the speaker housing portion; a first acoustic port formed through a wall of the speaker housing; an audio driver disposed within the speaker housing portion and aligned to emit sound through the acoustic first port; a battery disposed within the speaker housing portion and positioned an opposite side of the audio driver than the acoustic port; an antenna disposed in the stem; a user input region disposed along the stem; and a system in a chip disposed in the stem, the system in a chip comprising: a processor that controls operation of the portable wireless acoustic device, charging circuitry, an accelerometer, a wireless communication controller, support components for the antenna and support components for the user input region.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2021Publication date: July 7, 2022Inventors: Lee M. Panecki, Arun D. Chawan, Julia C. Canning, Michael B. Minerbi, Pengchuan Wang, Kyle Tse, Brian R. Twehues, Sean T. Bong, Eric X. Zhou, Ethan L. Huwe, Scott C. Grinker, Haochuan Sang, Martin Kuster, Sean J. Docherty, Ryan Buck, Yuta Kuboyama
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Publication number: 20210091590Abstract: An electronic device can include a housing component at least partially defining an internal volume and including a wall. A component can be disposed within the wall and at least partially surrounded by a material forming the housing. A battery can be disposed in the internal volume and electrically connected to the component.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2019Publication date: March 25, 2021Inventors: Jiahui Liang, Eric X. Zhou