Patents by Inventor James A. Curran

James A. Curran 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: 12275173
    Abstract: A chemical treatment process has been identified as a simple and effective means of improving the bonding of injection-molded polymer to titanium surfaces. This process forms an oxide layer on a titanium surface that includes a layered double hydroxide. The layered double hydroxide both raises the bond strength and minimizes air or water leakage. The process enables the use of titanium alloys with injection molded polymer structural bonds in strong, lightweight, and water-resistant enclosures for consumer electronics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, James A. Yurko, Todd S. Mintz
  • Patent number: 12252799
    Abstract: An enclosure for an electronic device includes a titanium-aluminum clad substrate and an anodic oxide coating disposed on the titanium-aluminum clad substrate. The anodic oxide coating includes a density of between about 2.1 g/cm3 and about 2.4 g/cm3 or includes a maximum porosity between about 21% and about 31% and can be exposed to a temperature of over 150° C. without cracking or crazing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Kar-Wai Hon, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang
  • Publication number: 20250083413
    Abstract: A chemical treatment process has been identified as a simple and effective means of improving the bonding of injection-molded polymer to stainless steel surfaces. This process forms an oxide layer on a stainless steel surface that includes a layered double hydroxide. The layered double hydroxide both raises the bond strength and minimizes air or water leakage. The process enables the use of stainless steel alloys with injection molded polymer structural bonds in strong, lightweight, and water-resistant enclosures for consumer electronics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2024
    Publication date: March 13, 2025
    Inventors: Todd S. Mintz, Kar-Wai Hon, James A. Curran, Daniel T. McDonald
  • Publication number: 20250048576
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic device can include an exterior titanium portion, an interior metal joined to the exterior titanium portion, the interior metal being a different metal than the exterior titanium portion, and an intermetallic compound having a thickness of less than 1 ?m disposed between the interior metal and the exterior titanium portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2024
    Publication date: February 6, 2025
    Inventors: Abhijeet Misra, Hoishun Li, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang, James A. Curran, Lei Gao, Chuan Liu, Yu Yan
  • Publication number: 20250011914
    Abstract: Non-cosmetic quality aluminum substrates are given a cosmetic finish by applying a PVD coating to the substrate. An enclosure for an electronic device can include an aluminum substrate including a 6000 series aluminum or 7000 series aluminum, a PVD coating disposed on the substrate, and a protective underlayer disposed between the aluminum substrate and the PVD coating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2024
    Publication date: January 9, 2025
    Inventors: Zechariah D. Feinberg, Wai Man Raymund Kwok, Lee E. Hooton, James A. Curran, Elizabeth Nicometo, Brian S. Tryon, Isabel Yang, Shinjita Acharya
  • Patent number: 12151453
    Abstract: A component for an electronic device can include a part including a first metal and a second metal diffusion bonded to the first metal. The first metal can be aluminum and the second metal can be different from the first metal. A porous aluminum oxide layer can overlie a portion of the first metal and can be disposed adjacent to an interface between the first metal and the second metal. The component can further include a non-metallic material bonded to the part and extending into pores defined by the porous aluminum oxide layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Isabel Yang, Todd S. Mintz
  • Patent number: 12150264
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic device can include an exterior titanium portion, an interior metal joined to the exterior titanium portion, the interior metal being a different metal than the exterior titanium portion, and an intermetallic compound having a thickness of less than 1 ?m disposed between the interior metal and the exterior titanium portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2024
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Abhijeet Misra, Hoishun Li, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang, James A. Curran, Lei Gao, Chuan Liu, Yu Yan
  • Publication number: 20240373574
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic device can include an exterior titanium portion, an interior metal joined to the exterior titanium portion, the interior metal being a different metal than the exterior titanium portion, and an intermetallic compound having a thickness of less than 1 ?m disposed between the interior metal and the exterior titanium portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2023
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Inventors: Abhijeet Misra, Hoishun Li, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang, James A. Curran, Lei Gao, Chuan Liu, Yu Yan
  • Publication number: 20240373575
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic device can include an exterior titanium portion, an interior metal joined to the exterior titanium portion, the interior metal being a different metal than the exterior titanium portion, and an intermetallic compound having a thickness of less than 1 ?m disposed between the interior metal and the exterior titanium portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2024
    Publication date: November 7, 2024
    Inventors: Abhijeet Misra, Hoishun Li, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang, James A. Curran, Lei Gao, Chuan Liu, Yu Yan
  • Publication number: 20240326383
    Abstract: A component for an electronic device can include a part including a first metal and a second metal diffusion bonded to the first metal. The first metal can be aluminum and the second metal can be different from the first metal. A porous aluminum oxide layer can overlie a portion of the first metal and can be disposed adjacent to an interface between the first metal and the second metal. The component can further include a non-metallic material bonded to the part and extending into pores defined by the porous aluminum oxide layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2024
    Publication date: October 3, 2024
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Isabel Yang, Todd S. Mintz
  • Patent number: 12085734
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have optical modules that present images to a user's left and right eyes. Each optical module may have a lens barrel with a low-reflectance coating, a display coupled to the lens barrel that generates a visible-light image, a lens mounted to the lens barrel through which the image is viewable from an eye box, an infrared light-emitting diode that emits infrared light that illuminates an eye box at an infrared wavelength through the lens, and an infrared camera that captures an image from the eye box at the infrared wavelength. The low-reflectance coating may be a low-visible-reflectance-and-low-infrared-reflectance coating that exhibits low-reflectance for visible light from the display and for infrared light at the infrared wavelength that is generated by the light-emitting diode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ivan S. Maric, Alan Kleiman-Shwarsctein, Cole Snider, James A. Curran, Jan K. Quijalvo, Leon J. Garcia, Jr., Paisith P. Boonsom, Zechariah D. Feinberg
  • Publication number: 20240276660
    Abstract: To eliminate galvanic corrosion, a housing includes a clad. The clad includes an interior metal disposed within an exterior metal and a clad interface. The exterior metal includes a lower electrical conductivity potential than the interior metal. An aperture can extend through the exterior metal and the clad interface and an actuator or a plug can be disposed within the aperture. The housing further includes a corrosion resistant coating disposed on a portion of the interior metal at the clad interface. The corrosion resistant coating can include a thickness between about 2 ?m and about 10 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2024
    Publication date: August 15, 2024
    Inventors: Isabel Yang, Todd S. Mintz, James A. Curran, Timothy D. Burks, Harshal U. Shinde
  • Publication number: 20240229288
    Abstract: An enclosure for an electronic device includes a titanium-aluminum clad substrate and an anodic oxide coating disposed on the titanium-aluminum clad substrate. The anodic oxide coating includes a density of between about 2.1 g/cm3 and about 2.4 g/cm3 or includes a maximum porosity between about 21% and about 31% and can be exposed to a temperature of over 150° C. without cracking or crazing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Kar-Wai Hon, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang
  • Patent number: 11795564
    Abstract: This application relates to an enclosure for a portable electronic device. The enclosure includes an aluminum alloy substrate and an anodized layer overlaying and formed from the aluminum alloy substrate. The anodized layer includes pores, where the pores include (i) dye particles that impart the anodized layer with a color, and (ii) divalent metal cations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, James A. Dean, Todd S. Mintz
  • Patent number: 11751349
    Abstract: This application relates to an anodized part. The anodized part includes a metal substrate and an anodized layer overlaying and formed from the metal substrate. The anodized layer includes (i) an external surface that includes randomly distributed light-absorbing features that are capable of absorbing visible light incident upon the external surface, and (ii) pores defined by pore walls, where color particles are infused within the pores. The anodized layer is characterized as having a color having an L* value using a CIE L*a*b* color space that is less than 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Aaron D. Paterson, Sonja R. Postak
  • Publication number: 20230227947
    Abstract: The disclosure provides aluminum alloys having varying ranges of alloying elements and properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Publication date: July 20, 2023
    Inventors: Herng-Jeng Jou, Isabel Yang, Sonja R. Postak, Tyler J. Harrington, James A. Curran, Todd S. Mintz, Abhijeet Misra
  • Patent number: 11614778
    Abstract: This application relates to an enclosure for a portable electronic device. The enclosure includes a metal substrate, and an anodized layer overlaying the metal substrate and including pores having a near-infrared (NIR) light-absorbing material therein, where an average specular reflectance of NIR light that is incident upon an external surface of the anodized layer is less than 3%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Alan Kleiman-Shwarsctein, Leon J. Garcia, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20230092781
    Abstract: A chemical treatment process has been identified as a simple and effective means of improving the bonding of injection-molded polymer to titanium surfaces. This process forms an oxide layer on a titanium surface that includes a layered double hydroxide. The layered double hydroxide both raises the bond strength and minimizes air or water leakage. The process enables the use of titanium alloys with injection molded polymer structural bonds in strong, lightweight, and water-resistant enclosures for consumer electronics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventors: James A. Curran, James A. Yurko, Todd S. Mintz
  • Patent number: 11549191
    Abstract: Anodic oxide coatings that provide corrosion resistance to parts having protruding features, such as edges, corners and convex-shaped features, are described. According to some embodiments, the anodic oxide coatings include an inner porous layer and an outer porous layer. The inner layer is adjacent to an underlying metal substrate and is formed under compressive stress anodizing conditions that allow the inner porous layer to be formed generally crack-free. In this way, the inner porous layer acts as a barrier that prevents water or other corrosion-inducing agents from reaching the underlying metal substrate. The outer porous layer can be thicker and harder than the inner porous layer, thereby increasing the overall hardness of the anodic oxide coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Zechariah D. Feinberg, Sonja R. Postak
  • Patent number: 11547005
    Abstract: This application relates to a multi-piece enclosure for a portable electronic device. The enclosure includes a metal part including a metal substrate and a metal oxide layer overlaying the metal substrate, the metal oxide layer having an external surface that includes openings that lead into undercut regions. The openings are characterized as having a first width, and the undercut regions are characterized as having a second width that is greater than the first width. The enclosure further includes a non-metallic bulk layer including protruding portions that extend into the undercut regions such that the non-metallic bulk layer is interlocked with the metal part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: James A. Curran, Todd S. Mintz, Isabel Yang