Patents by Inventor Kevin Gibbs

Kevin Gibbs 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: 8213168
    Abstract: A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include a single piece housing and a display module. The display module can include a protective top glass cover that is bonded to a plastic display frame and surrounded by a seal frame. The display module can also include a display panel and its associated circuitry suspended from the display frame below the protective glass cover. The display module is coupled to the single piece housing mounting clips in a manner that allows the display module to move relative to the single piece housing during an impact event. The plastic display frame can include inserts that provide structural support near openings in the single piece housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen R. McClure, Joshua D. Banko, John P. Ternus, Matthew B. Morris, Peter M. Thompson, Kevin Gibbs, Timothy G. Van Vorhis, Martin B. Adamcyk, Arthur J. Lucchesi, Brian S. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20120044660
    Abstract: A process is provided for characterizing a tactile response of a first mechanical actuator (e.g., button) based on a back off distance. The first mechanical actuator may include a plunger, a dome-shaped flexible membrane, and an electrical contact, all aligned with each other so that a contact signal is generated when the flexible membrane touches the contact. The plunger can be moved a first distance towards the contact until the contact signal is generated at a contact point. Then the plunger can be backed off a second distance from the contact point. This second distance may be called the “back off distance”. The particular feel of the first mechanical actuator can then be correlated to a particular back off distance. This process can be repeated a number of times to classify a number of different “feels” for the first mechanical actuator based on a number of different back off distances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2010
    Publication date: February 23, 2012
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Benjamin M. Rappoport, Kevin Gibbs, Patrick Kessler, Derek W. Wright, Alex Chun Lap Yeung
  • Publication number: 20110212288
    Abstract: A composite formed by impregnating open cell foam having a plurality of foam cells with liquid adhesive, wherein the liquid adhesive fills most of the plurality of foam cells, wherein in an uncured state, the composite remains pliable and compressible, wherein in a cured state, the composite becomes rigid and is capable of adhering to a surface in contact therewith, and wherein in the uncured state, the composition responds to applied pressure to a surface of the composite by generating a counter pressure uniformly along the surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Stephen R. McClure, Carl Peterson, Kevin Gibbs
  • Publication number: 20110164365
    Abstract: A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing including a plurality of steps. The plurality of mounting steps are formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface. At least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components to the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Stephen R. McClure, Joshua D. Banko, John P. Ternus, Benjamin M. Rappoport, Kevin Gibbs
  • Publication number: 20110164372
    Abstract: A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include a single piece housing and a display module. The display module can include a protective top glass cover that is bonded to a plastic display frame and surrounded by a seal frame. The display module can also include a display panel and its associated circuitry suspended from the display frame below the protective glass cover. The display module is coupled to the single piece housing mounting clips in a manner that allows the display module to move relative to the single piece housing during an impact event. The plastic display frame can include inserts that provide structural support near openings in the single piece housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Stephen R. McClure, Joshua D. Banko, John P. Ternus, Matthew B. Morris, Peter M. Thompson, Kevin Gibbs, Timothy G. Van Vorhis, Martin B. Adamcyk, Arthur J. Lucchesi, Brian S. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20110164370
    Abstract: A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include a single piece housing and a display module. The display module can include a protective top glass cover that is bonded to a plastic display frame and surrounded by a seal frame. The display module can also include a display panel and its associated circuitry suspended from the display frame below the protective glass cover. The display module is coupled to the single piece housing mounting clips in a manner that allows the display module to move relative to the single piece housing during an impact event. The plastic display frame can include inserts that provide structural support near openings in the single piece housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Publication date: July 7, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Stephen R. McClure, Joshua D. Banko, John P. Ternus, Matthew B. Morris, Peter M. Thompson, Kevin Gibbs, Timothy G. Van Vorhis, Martin B. Adamcyk, Arthur J. Lucchesi, Brian S. Carpenter
  • Publication number: 20070145700
    Abstract: A stabilized container is provided. The stabilized container includes a container, a portion of which is adapted to be a seat. The stabilized container also includes a stabilization device configured to stabilize the container. The stabilization device can include a frame. The stabilization device can also include a platform flexibly coupled to the frame at one or more locations. The portion adapted to be the seat can be coupled to the platform, and a free end of the platform can move relative to the frame in response to an amount of weight present on the portion. The container can include one or more wheels configured to contact a floor surface in a first orientation. The stabilization device can also include a skid configured to support the container in a second orientation in which the wheels are out of contact with the floor surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2006
    Publication date: June 28, 2007
    Inventors: Richard Ambrose, Eric Fresh, Kevin Gibbs, Emmanuel Addai, Abdullah Aldawood, Shahed Amanullah
  • Publication number: 20060106769
    Abstract: A set of ordered predicted completion strings including strings of ideographs are presented to a user as the user enters text in a text entry box (e.g., a browser or a toolbar). The user entered text may include zero or more ideographs followed by one or more phonetic characters, or the entered text may be one or more. The predicted completion strings can be in the form of URLs or query strings. The ordering may be based on any number of factors (e.g., a query's frequency of submission from a community of users). URLs can be ranked based on an importance value of the URL. The sets of ordered predicted completion strings are obtained by matching a fingerprint value of the user's entry string to a fingerprint to table map which contains the set of ordered predicted completion strings. The generation of the ordered prediction strings takes into account multiple phonetic representations of certain strings of ideographs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Publication date: May 18, 2006
    Inventor: Kevin Gibbs