Patents by Inventor Matthew D. Hill

Matthew D. Hill 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).

  • Publication number: 20240007556
    Abstract: An enclosure and a method for forming an enclosure are disclosed. The enclosure may be formed from metal, such as aluminum, and further include a non-metal portion allowing for transmission and receipt of electromagnetic waves. The non-metal portion may be interlocked to the enclosure and in particular, to a region within the enclosure including a first material having a relatively high strength and stiffness compared to the non-metal portion. Interlocking means may include forming dovetail cuts into the enclosure to receive the non-metal portion, a hole or cavity drilled into the enclosure which includes internal threads, and a rod inserted into the first material to provide a tension to the non-metal portion. Methods of assembling internal components using anodization are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Derek C. Krass, Benjamin Shane Bustle, Lucy Elizabeth Browning, Michael Benjamin Wittenberg, James B. Smith, Ashutosh Y. Shukia, Scott A. Myers
  • Patent number: 11838432
    Abstract: A portable electronic device includes a housing defining an internal volume and a circuit board assembly within the internal volume. The circuit board assembly includes a first circuit board, a wall structure soldered to the first circuit board, and a second circuit board soldered to the wall structure and supported above the first circuit board by the wall structure. The second circuit board defines an exterior top surface of the circuit board assembly. A processor is coupled to the first circuit board and positioned within an internal volume defined between the first circuit board and the second circuit board and at least partially surrounded by the wall structure. A memory module is coupled to the exterior top surface of the circuit board assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Bryan D. Keen, Devon A. Monaco, Sherry Lee, Ihtesham H. Chowdhury, Eric N. Nyland, Matthew D. Hill, Arun R. Varma, Lucy E. Browning, Sawyer I. Cohen, Benjamin J. Pope, Abhishek Choudhury, James W. Bilanski, Yaodong Wang, Daniel J. Morizio, Nicholas W. Ruhter, David A. Karol, Sean M. Gordoni
  • Patent number: 11792309
    Abstract: An enclosure and a method for forming an enclosure are disclosed. The enclosure may be formed from metal, such as aluminum, and further include a non-metal portion allowing for transmission and receipt of electromagnetic waves. The non-metal portion may be interlocked to the enclosure and in particular, to a region within the enclosure including a first material having a relatively high strength and stiffness compared to the non-metal portion. Interlocking means may include forming dovetail cuts into the enclosure to receive the non-metal portion, a hole or cavity drilled into the enclosure which includes internal threads, and a rod inserted into the first material to provide a tension to the non-metal portion. Methods of assembling internal components using anodization are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Derek C. Krass, Benjamin Shane Bustle, Lucy Elizabeth Browning, Michael Benjamin Wittenberg, James B. Smith, Ashutosh Y. Shukla, Scott A. Myers
  • Patent number: 11750900
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a chassis for a multi-camera system and techniques for forming such a chassis. The chassis may comprise multiple chassis portions that define cavities for mounting cameras. Some embodiments include a chassis portion comprising an integrated shield can-chassis that may be formed as a single component. According to some embodiments, subtractive manufacturing may be used to form one or more features of the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Scott W. Miller, Brian A. Argyres, Lindsay M. Alanen, Matthew D. Hill, Nicholas D. Smyth, Shujun Tang
  • Publication number: 20230261695
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module having a substrate. A phased antenna array of dielectric resonator antennas and a radio-frequency integrated circuit for the array may be mounted to one or more surfaces of the substrate. The dielectric resonator antennas may include dielectric columns excited by feed probes. The feed probes may be printed onto sidewalls of the dielectric columns or may be pressed against the sidewalls by biasing structures. A plastic substrate may be molded over each dielectric column and each of the feed probes in the array. The feed probes may cover multiple polarizations. The array may include elements for covering multiple frequency bands. The dielectric columns may be aligned a longitudinal axis and may be rotated at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Publication date: August 17, 2023
    Inventors: Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, David Garrido Lopez, Forhad Hasnat, Mattia Pascolini, Mikal Askarian Amiri, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Thomas W. Yang, Jiechen Wu, Eric N. Nyland, Simone Paulotto, Jennifer M. Edwards, Matthew D. Hill, Ihtesham H. Chowdhury, David A. Hurrell, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Daniel C. Wagman, Soroush Akbarzadeh, Robert Scritzky, Subramanian Ramalingam
  • Patent number: 11728569
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array and a display cover layer. The phased antenna array may include a dielectric resonator antenna. The dielectric resonator antenna may include a dielectric resonating element embedded in a lower permittivity dielectric substrate. The substrate and the resonating element may be mounted to a flexible printed circuit. A slot may be formed in ground traces on the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the resonating element. The slot may excite resonant modes of the resonating element. The resonating element may convey corresponding radio-frequency signals through the cover layer. A dielectric matching layer may be interposed between the resonating element and the cover layer. If desired, the slot may radiate additional radio-frequency signals and the matching layer may have a tapered shape. Dielectric resonator antennas for covering different polarizations and frequencies may be interleaved across the array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bilgehan Avser, Harish Rajagopalan, Simone Paulotto, Jennifer M. Edwards, Hao Xu, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Matthew D. Hill, Mattia Pascolini
  • Publication number: 20230239558
    Abstract: A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a front cover defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device and a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may further include a rear-facing camera and a rear-facing flash including a light emitting component defining a plurality of illuminable regions. The light emitting component may be configured to illuminate a first subset of the plurality of illuminable regions to illuminate a first field of view and illuminate a second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions, the second subset different from the first subset, to illuminate a second field of view different from the first field of view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Michael W. Firka, Nicholas D. Rath, Douglas G. Fournier, Matthew P. Rao, Benjamin J. Pope, James A. Bertin, David A. Hurrell, Jonathan Gomez Garcia, Blake M. Coughenour, Angelo M. Alaimo, Jeremy D. Bataillou
  • Publication number: 20230221782
    Abstract: A mobile phone may include an enclosure defining an internal volume, the enclosure including a front cover formed from a transparent material and defining a front exterior surface, a rear cover formed from a glass material and defining a rear exterior surface, and a housing component defining a side exterior surface. The mobile phone may include a circuit board assembly within the internal volume. The circuit board assembly may include a circuit board, a circuit component coupled to an exterior surface of the circuit board, and a cowling coupled to the circuit board and covering the circuit component, the cowling having a thickness less than about 0.5 mm and including a base structure formed from an aluminum alloy having a thickness less than about 0.4 mm and a thermally conductive structure positioned over the base structure and configured to dissipate heat.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: David A. Hurrell, Gregory N. Stephens, Isabel Yang, John J. Baker, Sherry Lee, Matthew D. Hill, Obinna Onyemepu, Douglas G. Fournier, Benjamin J. Pope, Michael W. Firka, Griffin L. Schmitt, Arun R. Varma, Robert Hrabchak
  • Publication number: 20230224393
    Abstract: A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a housing component defining a side exterior surface of the portable electronic device, and a front cover assembly coupled to the housing component and defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device. The front cover assembly may include a cover defining a notch. The portable electronic device may include a speaker assembly positioned below the front cover assembly and coupled to an audio passage configured to transmit audio output from the speaker assembly, an end portion of the audio passage including a void defined between the housing component and the notch of the cover.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Kevin M. Froese, Brittany Barbara, Matthew D. Hill, James A. Bertin, Alan Wu, Justin D. Crosby, Sawyer I. Cohen
  • Publication number: 20230224389
    Abstract: A mobile phone may include a display, an enclosure enclosing the display and including a front cover positioned over the display and defining a front exterior surface, and a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface and a raised sensor array region along the rear exterior surface. The raised sensor array region may define a first hole and a second hole. The second hole may be defined by a first opening along an interior surface of the rear cover and having a first opening size and a second opening along the rear exterior surface of the rear cover and having a second opening size smaller than the first opening size. The mobile phone may further include a first camera having a first lens assembly extending into the first hole, and a second camera having a second lens assembly extending into the second hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, David A. Hurrell, Nicholas D. Rath, Tyler B. Cater, James A. Bertin, Sawyer I. Cohen
  • Publication number: 20230224391
    Abstract: A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a housing component and a front cover coupled to the housing component and defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may also include a display positioned below the front cover, the display defining an active display region, a first hole surrounded by the active display region, and a second hole surrounded by the active display region. The portable electronic device may also include a first optical sensor positioned below the front cover and below the first hole, a second optical sensor positioned below the front cover and below the second hole, and a touch-sensing component configured to detect a first touch input applied to the front cover in the active display region of the display and a second touch input applied to the front cover over the first hole in the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Rasamy Phouthavong, Jun Sik Ham, James A. Bertin, Benjamin J. Kallman, Sherry Cao
  • Publication number: 20230224392
    Abstract: A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a front cover defining a front exterior surface, and a display positioned below the front cover and including a set of transparent conductive traces positioned in a graphically active region of the display and including a first plurality of transparent conductive traces and a second plurality of transparent conductive traces oriented perpendicular to the first plurality of transparent conductive traces. The portable electronic device may further include a proximity sensor including an optical emitter below the display and configured to emit light through the display and through the front cover. The optical emitter may be arranged relative to an optical receiver along a direction oblique to the first plurality of transparent conductive traces and to the second plurality of transparent conductive traces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Rasamy Phouthavong, Jun Sik Ham, James A. Bertin, Benjamin J. Kallman, Sherry Cao
  • Patent number: 11700035
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module having a substrate. A phased antenna array of dielectric resonator antennas and a radio-frequency integrated circuit for the array may be mounted to one or more surfaces of the substrate. The dielectric resonator antennas may include dielectric columns excited by feed probes. The feed probes may be printed onto sidewalls of the dielectric columns or may be pressed against the sidewalls by biasing structures. A plastic substrate may be molded over each dielectric column and each of the feed probes in the array. The feed probes may cover multiple polarizations. The array may include elements for covering multiple frequency bands. The dielectric columns may be aligned a longitudinal axis and may be rotated at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, David Garrido Lopez, Forhad Hasnat, Mattia Pascolini, Mikal Askarian Amiri, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Thomas W. Yang, Jiechen Wu, Eric N. Nyland, Simone Paulotto, Jennifer M. Edwards, Matthew D. Hill, Ihtesham H. Chowdhury, David A. Hurrell, Siwen Yong, Jiangfeng Wu, Daniel C. Wagman, Soroush Akbarzadeh, Robert Scritzky, Subramanian Ramalingam
  • Publication number: 20230198129
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic device is disclosed. The housing comprises a first component and a second component separated from the first component by a gap. The housing also includes a first molded element disposed at least partially within the gap and defining at least a portion of an interlock feature, and a second molded element disposed at least partially within the gap and mechanically engaging the interlock feature. The first component, the second component, and the second molded element form a portion of an exterior surface of the housing. A method of forming the housing is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Michael B. Wittenberg, Shane Bustle, Duy P. Le
  • Patent number: 11662772
    Abstract: An electronic disclosed herein may include a band formed from metal that combines with a bottom wall formed from a non-metal to form an enclosure that carries internal components. The electronic device may include a transparent cover and a display assembly partially covered by a border having a uniform dimension. The electronic device may include a vision system designed for facial recognition of a user of the electronic device. A bracket assembly may hold the vision system. The bracket assembly may not be affixed to the enclosure and may move relative to the enclosure. The electronic device may include a battery assembly having multiple battery components coupled together. The electronic device may further include a receiver coil for wireless charging of the battery assembly. The electronic device may include a circuit board assembly having stacked circuit boards. The electronic device may further include a dual camera assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Pakula, Daniel W. Jarvis, Shimon Elkayam, Brandon R. Garbus, Christopher S. Graham, Karl Ruben F. Larsson, Ashley E. Fletcher, Jared M. Kole, Eric S. Jol, Aaron A. Oro, Michael D. Quinones, Gregory N. Stephens, Ian A. Spraggs, James A. Bertin, Simon C. Helmore, Melissa A. Wah, Matthew D. Hill, Jon F. Housour, Douglas G. Fournier, Christopher S. Tomasetta
  • Patent number: 11637919
    Abstract: A portable electronic device includes a housing member defining a first portion of an exterior front surface of the portable electronic device, a first portion of an exterior rear surface of the portable electronic device, at least a portion of an exterior side surface of the portable electronic device, a recess along an interior side of the housing member, and a ledge feature along the interior side of the housing member. The device also includes a top module coupled to the housing member and including a front cover defining a second portion of the exterior front surface of the portable electronic device, a display stack attached to the front cover, and a frame member extending at least partially around a periphery of the display stack and set apart from a surface of the recess by a gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John J. Baker, Eric W. Bates, Lucy E. Browning, Kodiak Burke, Benjamin S. Bustle, Trent Canales, Tyler B. Cater, Sawyer I. Cohen, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Michael Firka, Kevin M. Froese, Jun Sik Ham, Matthew D. Hill, Hugh J. Jay, Benjamin J. Kallman, Paul U. Leutheuser, Matthew W. Miller, Michael K. Mondry, Donald J. Parr, Benjamin J. Pope, Matthew P. Rao, Griffin Schmitt, Allegra Shum, Christopher R. Xydis, Luman Zhang, Yaocheng Zhang, Zhipeng Zhang, Xiao Ying Zhao
  • Patent number: 11632448
    Abstract: A portable electronic device includes a housing member. The portable electronic device also includes a front cover coupled to the housing member and defining a top surface defining a portion of an exterior front surface of the portable electronic device, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, a peripheral side surface, and a chamfered edge extending from the bottom surface to the peripheral side surface. The portable electronic device further includes a display stack attached to the bottom surface of the front cover, an opaque coating positioned on at least a portion of each of the peripheral side surface, the chamfered edge, and the bottom surface and configured to absorb light emitted by the display stack, and a rear cover coupled to the housing member and defining a second portion of the exterior rear surface of the portable electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John J. Baker, Yaocheng Zhang, Paul U. Leutheuser, Kevin M. Froese, Tushar Deshpande, Kai Wu, Marta M. Giachino, Sean Suri, Matthew D. Hill, Tyler B. Cater, Benjamin J. Pope, Jun Sik Ham
  • Patent number: 11581629
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic device is disclosed. The housing comprises a first component and a second component separated from the first component by a gap. The housing also includes a first molded element disposed at least partially within the gap and defining at least a portion of an interlock feature, and a second molded element disposed at least partially within the gap and mechanically engaging the interlock feature. The first component, the second component, and the second molded element form a portion of an exterior surface of the housing. A method of forming the housing is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Matthew D. Hill, Michael B. Wittenberg, Shane Bustle, Duy P. Le
  • Patent number: 11522983
    Abstract: A portable electronic device includes a front cover, a rear cover, and a housing structure between and coupled to the front cover and the rear cover. The housing structure includes a first housing member defining and a first interlock feature formed along a first end surface. The portable electronic device also includes a second housing member defining a second interlock feature formed along a second end surface. The portable electronic device also includes a nonconductive joining element engaged with the first interlock feature and the second interlock feature, thereby structurally coupling the first housing member to the second housing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Eric W. Bates, Xiao Ying Zhao, Luman Zhang, Christopher R. Xydis, Michael Firka, Benjamin J. Kallman, Ihtesham H. Chowdhury, Matthew D. Hill, Hugh J. Jay, Trent Canales, Lucy E. Browning
  • Publication number: 20220191356
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a chassis for a multi-camera system and techniques for forming such a chassis. The chassis may comprise multiple chassis portions that define cavities for mounting cameras. Some embodiments include a chassis portion comprising an integrated shield can-chassis that may be formed as a single component. According to some embodiments, subtractive manufacturing may be used to form one or more features of the chassis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Scott W. Miller, Brian A. Argyres, Lindsay M. Alanen, Matthew D. Hill, Nicholas D. Smyth, Shujun Tang