Patents by Inventor Robert W. Schlub

Robert W. Schlub 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: 20240097309
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2023
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: Miroslav Samardzija, Yiren Wang, Yuehui Ouyang, Joseph Hakim, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero, Siwen Yong, Erik G. de Jong
  • Patent number: 11894600
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Miroslav Samardzija, Yiren Wang, Yuehui Ouyang, Joseph Hakim, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero, Siwen Yong, Erik G. de Jong
  • Publication number: 20220077565
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2021
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: Miroslav Samardzija, Yiren Wang, Yuehui Ouyang, Joseph Hakim, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero, Siwen Yong, Erik G. de Jong
  • Patent number: 11205832
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Miroslav Samardzija, Yiren Wang, Yuehui Ouyang, Joseph Hakim, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero, Siwen Yong, Erik G. de Jong
  • Patent number: 10854954
    Abstract: A housing for a personal electronic device is described herein. The housing may include at least one modular subassembly configured to be arranged within an internal cavity of the housing. The at least one modular subassembly is aligned with a feature external to the housing, is affixed to an interior surface of the internal cavity, and is configured to function both as an antenna and as an internal support member of the housing. A hybrid antenna is also described herein. The hybrid antenna can include first and second flexible members capable of facilitating wireless communication, where the first and second flexible members are affixed to one another via a metal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Hao Xu, Jayesh Nath, Peter I. Bevelacqua, Jennifer M. Edwards, Daniel W. Jarvis, Jared M. Kole, Mattia Pascolini, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero
  • Patent number: 10707561
    Abstract: A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip M. Hobson, Stephen P. Zadesky, Erik L. Wang, Tang Yew Tan, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Adam D. Mittleman, Kenneth A. Jenks, Robert J. Hill, Robert W. Schlub
  • Patent number: 10686252
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes a radio-frequency transceiver circuit and an antenna. The antenna may be a patch antenna formed from a patch antenna resonating element and an antenna ground. The patch antenna resonating element may be formed from a metal patch on a printed circuit board. The antenna ground may be formed from a metal housing having a planar rear wall that lies in a plane parallel to the metal patch. The radio-frequency transceiver circuit may be coupled to the metal patch through traces on the printed circuit and may be coupled to rear wall of the housing through a screw and a screw boss in the housing. Buttons and other electrical components may be mounted on the printed circuit board and may be coupled to control circuitry on the printed circuit board through the metal patch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Siwen Yong, Qingxiang Li, Yi Jiang, Robert W. Schlub, Umar Azad, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Enrique Ayala Vazquez
  • Patent number: 10651879
    Abstract: A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. Transceiver circuitry, such as radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry configured to transmit and receive RF signals, may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. The electronic device may have an integrated touch screen display in which a user can control the device by interacting directly with the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip Michael Hobson, Erik L. Wang, Kenneth A. Jenks, Robert J. Hill, Robert W. Schlub, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Tang Yew Tan, Adam D. Mittleman, Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele de Iuliis, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steven P. Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Douglas B. Satzger, Calvin Q. Seid, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico L. Zörkendörfer
  • Publication number: 20200044305
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Miroslav Samardzija, Yiren Wang, Yuehui Ouyang, Joseph Hakim, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero, Siwen Yong, Erik G. de Jong
  • Publication number: 20200021012
    Abstract: A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Publication date: January 16, 2020
    Inventors: Phillip M. Hobson, Stephen P. Zadesky, Erik L. Wang, Tang Yew Tan, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Adam D. Mittleman, Kenneth A. Jenks, Robert J. Hill, Robert W. Schlub
  • Patent number: 10511084
    Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and first and second antennas. An electronic device may include a housing. The first antenna may be located at an upper end of the housing and the second antenna may be located at a lower end of the housing. A peripheral conductive member may run around the edges of the housing and may be used in forming the first and second antennas. The radio-frequency transceiver circuitry may have a transmit-receive port and a receive port. Switching circuitry may connect the first antenna to the transmit-receive port and the second antenna to the receiver port or may connect the first antenna to the receive port and the second antenna to the transmit-receive port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ruben Caballero, Mattia Pascolini, Mohit Narang, Matt A. Mow, Robert W. Schlub
  • Patent number: 10461395
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display. A display cover layer and a transparent inner display member may overlap a display pixel layer. The display pixel layer may have an array of display pixels for displaying images for a user. A touch sensor layer may be interposed between the display pixel layer and the transparent display member. A ferromagnetic shielding layer may be mounted below the display pixel layer. A flexible printed circuit containing coils of metal signal lines that form a near-field communications loop antenna may be interposed between the ferromagnetic shielding layer and the display pixel layer. A non-near-field antenna such as an inverted-F antenna may have a resonating element mounted on an inner surface of the display cover layer. The resonating element may be interposed between the transparent display member and the display cover layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Miroslav Samardzija, Yiren Wang, Yuehui Ouyang, Joseph Hakim, Qingxiang Li, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero, Siwen Yong, Erik G. de Jong
  • Patent number: 10355339
    Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antenna structures. The antenna structures may form a dual arm inverted-F antenna. The antenna may have a resonating element formed from portions of a peripheral conductive electronic device housing member and may have an antenna ground that is separated from the antenna resonating element by a gap. A short circuit path may bridge the gap. An antenna feed may be coupled across the gap in parallel with the short circuit path. Low band tuning may be provided using an adjustable inductor that bridges the gap. The antenna may have a slot-based parasitic antenna resonating element with a slot formed between portions of the peripheral conductive electronic device housing member and the antenna ground. An adjustable capacitor may bridge the slot to provide high band tuning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nanbo Jin, Yuehui Ouyang, Yijun Zhou, Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Anand Lakshmanan, Robert W. Schlub, Mattia Pascolini, Matthew A. Mow
  • Patent number: 10333199
    Abstract: A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip M. Hobson, Stephen P. Zadesky, Erik L. Wang, Tang Yew Tan, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Adam D. Mittleman, Kenneth A. Jenks, Robert J. Hill, Robert W. Schlub
  • Patent number: 10313497
    Abstract: A handheld electronic device may be provided that contains a conductive housing and other conductive elements. The conductive elements may form an antenna ground plane. One or more antennas for the handheld electronic device may be formed from the ground plane and one or more associated antenna resonating elements. Transceiver circuitry may be connected to the resonating elements by transmission lines such as coaxial cables. Ferrules may be crimped to the coaxial cables. A bracket with extending members may be crimped over the ferrules to ground the coaxial cables to the housing and other conductive elements in the ground plane. The ground plane may contain an antenna slot. A dock connector and flex circuit may overlap the slot in a way that does not affect the resonant frequency of the slot. Electrical components may be isolated from the antenna using isolation elements such as inductors and resistors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip Michael Hobson, Erik L. Wang, Kenneth A. Jenks, Robert J. Hill, Robert W. Schlub, Richard H. Dinh, Tang Yew Tan, Adam D. Mittleman, Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iullis, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steven P. Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Douglas B. Satzger, Calvin Q. Seid, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zorkendorfer
  • Patent number: 10312593
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with antenna structures. The antenna structures may be coupled to non-near-field communications circuitry such as cellular telephone transceiver circuitry or wireless local area network circuitry. When operated at non-near-field communication frequencies, the antenna structures may be configured to serve as one or more inverted-F antennas or other antennas for supporting far field wireless communications. Proximity sensor circuitry and near-field communications circuitry may also be coupled to the antenna structures. When operated at proximity sensor frequencies, the antenna structures may be used in forming capacitive proximity sensor electrode structures. When operated at near-field communications frequencies, the antenna structures may be used in forming an inductive near-field communications loop antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Salih Yarga, Miroslav Samardzija, Robert W. Schlub
  • Publication number: 20190013570
    Abstract: Electronic devices may be provided that contain wireless communications circuitry. The wireless communications circuitry may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and first and second antennas. An electronic device may include a housing. The first antenna may be located at an upper end of the housing and the second antenna may be located at a lower end of the housing. A peripheral conductive member may run around the edges of the housing and may be used in forming the first and second antennas. The radio-frequency transceiver circuitry may have a transmit-receive port and a receive port. Switching circuitry may connect the first antenna to the transmit-receive port and the second antenna to the receiver port or may connect the first antenna to the receive port and the second antenna to the transmit-receive port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Ruben Caballero, Mattia Pascolini, Mohit Narang, Matt A. Mow, Robert W. Schlub
  • Patent number: 10171125
    Abstract: An electronic device has wireless communications circuitry including an adjustable antenna system coupled to a radio-frequency transceiver. The adjustable antenna system may include one or more adjustable electrical components that are controlled by storage and processing circuitry in the electronic device. The adjustable electrical components may include switches and components that can be adjusted between numerous different states. The adjustable electrical components may be coupled between antenna system components such as transmission line elements, matching network elements, antenna elements and antenna feeds. By adjusting the adjustable electrical components, the storage and processing circuitry can tune the adjustable antenna system to ensure that the adjustable antenna system covers communications bands of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew A. Mow, Robert W. Schlub, Mattia Pascolini, Robert J. Hill, Ruben Caballero
  • Patent number: 10103423
    Abstract: A housing for a personal electronic device is described herein. The housing may include at least one modular subassembly configured to be arranged within an internal cavity of the housing. The at least one modular subassembly is aligned with a feature external to the housing, is affixed to an interior surface of the internal cavity, and is configured to function both as an antenna and as an internal support member of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel W. Jarvis, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Miguel C. Christophy, Hao Xu, Jayesh Nath, Jared M. Kole, Mattia Pascolini, Ruben Caballero, Jennifer M. Edwards, Peter I. Bevelacqua, Robert W. Schlub
  • Publication number: 20180277936
    Abstract: A housing for a personal electronic device is described herein. The housing may include at least one modular subassembly configured to be arranged within an internal cavity of the housing. The at least one modular subassembly is aligned with a feature external to the housing, is affixed to an interior surface of the internal cavity, and is configured to function both as an antenna and as an internal support member of the housing. A hybrid antenna is also described herein. The hybrid antenna can include first and second flexible members capable of facilitating wireless communication, where the first and second flexible members are affixed to one another via a metal member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Hao Xu, Jayesh Nath, Peter I. Bevelacqua, Jennifer M. Edwards, Daniel W. Jarvis, Jared M. Kole, Mattia Pascolini, Robert W. Schlub, Ruben Caballero