Patents by Inventor Sean M. Cole

Sean M. Cole 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: 20220094382
    Abstract: A magnetic alignment system can include a case with a magnetic alignment component that is configured to align with a magnetic alignment component of a wireless charging device. The case can support a portable electronic device, such as a smart phone and include an NFC coil for communicating with the portable electronic device. The magnetic alignment component and the NFC coil can be provided as an assembly that is embedded within a body of the case in a manner that provides a low profile and improved aesthetic appearance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2021
    Publication date: March 24, 2022
    Inventors: Sean M. COLE, Nishant R. JAYANT, Adriano DE FUSCO, James C. WU, Aaron A. ORO, Yang ZHOU, Aleksandar Daniel O. RIVIN, Xunsheng WANG, Ross D. ARRIENS, Charles W. WERLEY, Peter J. GUEST, Alex J. NEWMAN
  • Patent number: 11112915
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may have display with a capacitive touch sensor. A cover may have a front portion and a rear portion that bend along a bend axis. The front portion may overlap the display when the cover is closed. Conductive structures such as a patterned conductive layer having elongated strips of conductive material separated by gaps or another predetermined pattern may be formed in the front portion of a cover or other portion of a cover that overlaps the display and capacitive touch sensor when the cover is closed. Control circuitry in the device can gather capacitance images with the touch sensor and can detect when the cover has transitioned from open to closed or from closed to open from whether the predetermined pattern becomes present or becomes absent in the capacitance images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen T. Schooley, Kendall L. Helbert, Ari Y. Benbasat, Clayton J. McCoy, Devon J. Rosner, Joshua A. Hoover, Sean M. Cole, Yufei Zhao, Zhao Liu, Judd Reed
  • Publication number: 20200319734
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may have display with a capacitive touch sensor. A cover may have a front portion and a rear portion that bend along a bend axis. The front portion may overlap the display when the cover is closed. Conductive structures such as a patterned conductive layer having elongated strips of conductive material separated by gaps or another predetermined pattern may be formed in the front portion of a cover or other portion of a cover that overlaps the display and capacitive touch sensor when the cover is closed. Control circuitry in the device can gather capacitance images with the touch sensor and can detect when the cover has transitioned from open to closed or from closed to open from whether the predetermined pattern becomes present or becomes absent in the capacitance images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Publication date: October 8, 2020
    Inventors: Stephen T. Schooley, Kendall L. Helbert, Ari Y. Benbasat, Clayton J. McCoy, Devon J. Rosner, Joshua A. Hoover, Sean M. Cole, Yufei Zhao, Zhao Liu, Judd Reed
  • Patent number: 10725595
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may have display with a capacitive touch sensor. A cover may have a front portion and a rear portion that bend along a bend axis. The front portion may overlap the display when the cover is closed. Conductive structures such as a patterned conductive layer having elongated strips of conductive material separated by gaps or another predetermined pattern may be formed in the front portion of a cover or other portion of a cover that overlaps the display and capacitive touch sensor when the cover is closed. Control circuitry in the device can gather capacitance images with the touch sensor and can detect when the cover has transitioned from open to closed or from closed to open from whether the predetermined pattern becomes present or becomes absent in the capacitance images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen T. Schooley, Kendall L. Helbert, Ari Y. Benbasat, Clayton J. McCoy, Devon J. Rosner, Joshua A. Hoover, Sean M. Cole, Yufei Zhao, Zhao Liu, Judd Reed
  • Publication number: 20190324574
    Abstract: An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may have display with a capacitive touch sensor. A cover may have a front portion and a rear portion that bend along a bend axis. The front portion may overlap the display when the cover is closed. Conductive structures such as a patterned conductive layer having elongated strips of conductive material separated by gaps or another predetermined pattern may be formed in the front portion of a cover or other portion of a cover that overlaps the display and capacitive touch sensor when the cover is closed. Control circuitry in the device can gather capacitance images with the touch sensor and can detect when the cover has transitioned from open to closed or from closed to open from whether the predetermined pattern becomes present or becomes absent in the capacitance images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Inventors: Stephen T. Schooley, Kendall L. Helbert, Ari Y. Benbasat, Clayton J. McCoy, Devon J. Rosner, Joshua A. Hoover, Sean M. Cole, Yufei Zhao, Zhao Liu, Judd Reed