Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100095447 | TOILET OVERFLOW PREVENTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - A system for preventing overflow of a toilet includes a sensor, a processor and an actuator. The sensor senses a parameter caused by fluid dynamics within the toilet during a flush cycle. The parameter may involve vibration, sound, pressure, fluid flow rate or other detectible characteristics of the toilet. The processor uses information regarding the parameter that is gathered by the sensor to evaluate the condition of the flush cycle to determine if an impeded flush condition exists. In the event of an impeded flush condition, the processor directs the actuator to close a valve, which may be the toilet flapper valve in some embodiments. Also disclosed are methods for preventing toilet overflow, detecting an impeded flush condition and calibrating the system. | 04-22-2010 |
20120023654 | TOILET OVERFLOW PREVENTION SYSTEM AND METHOD - A system for preventing overflow of a toilet includes a sensor, a processor and an actuator. The sensor senses a parameter caused by fluid dynamics within the toilet during a flush cycle. The parameter may involve vibration, sound, pressure, fluid flow rate or other detectible characteristics of the toilet. The processor uses information regarding the parameter that is gathered by the sensor to evaluate the condition of the flush cycle to determine if an impeded flush condition exists. In the event of an impeded flush condition, the processor directs the actuator to close a valve, which may be the toilet flapper valve in some embodiments. Also disclosed are methods for preventing toilet overflow, detecting an impeded flush condition and calibrating the system. | 02-02-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090230270 | FLAT PANEL DISPLAY INCLUDING A HINGE ASSEMBLY - An apparatus for a flat panel is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a flat panel assembly and a hinge mechanism coupled to the flat panel assembly. The hinge mechanism is adaptable to an industry standard mount and a non-industry standard mount. A system and method in accordance with the present invention allows for the replacement of a non-VESA standard compatible display mount with a display mount that is compatible with the VESA standard. Utilizing the system and method in accordance with the present invention, such a replacement can be accomplished with minimal effort, and in an efficient manner. | 09-17-2009 |
20100201626 | Mouse with Improved Input Mechanisms Using Touch Sensors - A mouse having improved input methods and mechanisms is disclosed. The mouse is configured with touch sensing areas capable of generating input signals. The touch sensing areas may for example be used to differentiate between left and right clicks in a single button mouse. The mouse may further be configured with force sensing areas capable of generating input signals. The force sensing areas may for example be positioned on the sides of the mouse so that squeezing the mouse generates input signals. The mouse may further be configured with a jog ball capable of generating input signals. The mouse may additionally be configured with a speaker for providing audio feedback when the various input devices are activated by a user. | 08-12-2010 |
20120145841 | FLAT PANEL DISPLAY INCLUDING A HINGE ASSEMBLY - An apparatus for a flat panel is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a flat panel assembly and a hinge mechanism coupled to the flat panel assembly. The hinge mechanism is adaptable to an industry standard mount and a non-industry standard mount. A system and method in accordance with the present invention allows for the replacement of a non-VESA standard compatible display mount with a display mount that is compatible with the VESA standard. Utilizing the system and method in accordance with the present invention, such a replacement can be accomplished with minimal effort, and in an efficient manner. | 06-14-2012 |
20130038534 | MOUSE WITH IMPROVED INPUT MECHANISMS USING TOUCH SENSORS - A mouse having improved input methods and mechanisms is disclosed. The mouse is configured with touch sensing areas capable of generating input signals. The touch sensing areas may for example be used to differentiate between left and right clicks in a single button mouse. The mouse may further be configured with force sensing areas capable of generating input signals. The force sensing areas may for example be positioned on the sides of the mouse so that squeezing the mouse generates input signals. The mouse may further be configured with a jog ball capable of generating input signals. The mouse may additionally be configured with a speaker for providing audio feedback when the various input devices are activated by a user. | 02-14-2013 |
20130181104 | FLAT PANEL DISPLAY INCLUDING A HINGE ASSEMBLY - An apparatus for a flat panel is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a flat panel assembly and a hinge mechanism coupled to the flat panel assembly. The hinge mechanism is adaptable to an industry standard mount and a non-industry standard mount. A system and method in accordance with the present invention allows for the replacement of a non-VESA standard compatible display mount with a display mount that is compatible with the VESA standard. Utilizing the system and method in accordance with the present invention, such a replacement can be accomplished with minimal effort, and in an efficient manner. | 07-18-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110066985 | Systems, Methods, and Mobile Devices for Providing a User Interface to Facilitate Access to Prepaid Wireless Account Information - A method for operating a mobile device includes, in response to receiving a swipe gesture via a user interface of the mobile device, displaying a balance of a prepaid wireless service account on a display of the mobile device. The balance may be displayed in a currency such as monetary currency or a proprietary currency such as minutes or credits provided by a wireless service provider. The method may also include displaying an expiration time to identity a time remaining until the balance expires. The method may also include generating a balance request including a request for the balance of the prepaid wireless service account from a prepaid billing system in response to receiving the swipe gesture, transmitting the balance request to the prepaid billing system, and receiving the balance in response to the balance request. | 03-17-2011 |
20130328051 | Notched Display Layers - An electronic device may have a display mounted in a housing. The display may have layers such as polarizer layers, a color filter layer, and a thin-film transistor layer. Display layers such as color filter layers and thin-film-transistor layers may have glass substrates. Notches or other openings may be formed in the layers of a display. For example, a notch with a curved chamfered edge may be formed in a lower end of a thin-film-transistor layer. A component such as a button may overlap the notch. Structures such as sensors, cameras, acoustic components, and other electronic components, buttons, communications path structures such as flexible printed circuit cables and wire bonding wires, and housing structures may be received within a display layer notch. | 12-12-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110310029 | PORTABLE MULTI-TOUCH INPUT DEVICE - A portable input device is described. The portable input device can wirelessly send control signals to an external circuit. The control signals can derive from touch or gestures applied to a touch sensitive surface. The control signals can also include a mouse click equivalent control signal generated by mechanical manipulation of the portable input device. | 12-22-2011 |
20120194393 | ANTENNA, SHIELDING AND GROUNDING - 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 formed from a radio opaque material with a cover formed from a radio transparent material. To implement a wireless interface, an antenna stack-up can be provided that allows an antenna to be mounted to a bottom of the cover. Methods and apparatus are provided for improving wireless performance. For instance, in one embodiment, a metal housing can be thinned to improve antenna performance. As another example, a faraday cage can be formed around speaker drivers to improve antenna performance. | 08-02-2012 |
20120194997 | COMPONENT ASSEMBLY - 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 with a cavity having a substantially flat bottom wall. A battery assembly and main logic board can be mounted directly to the substantially flat bottom wall with a plurality of additional components arranged around a peripheral edge of the battery assembly and main logic board. | 08-02-2012 |
20120194998 | HANDHELD PORTABLE DEVICE - 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 can be machined from a single billet of material, such as a billet of aluminum. The single piece housing can include ledges with a surface receiving a trim bead and a cover. Corner brackets can be attached to the single piece housing to improve the damage resistance of the housing. | 08-02-2012 |
20120196462 | FLAT OBJECT EJECTOR ASSEMBLY - An apparatus for ejecting a flat object from a casing of a mobile device is disclosed. The apparatus is arranged to receive an ejection tool along a first axis and to eject the flat object along a second axis, wherein the first and second axes are not parallel. In one embodiment, the first axis is parallel to a top surface of the mobile device and the second axis is perpendicular to a curved edge surface of the mobile device. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a first pivot element to receive the ejection tool and rotate thereby displacing a lever section of a second pivot element. The second pivot element includes a tabular element that contacts and ejects the flat object upon rotation of the second pivot element. | 08-02-2012 |
20130342492 | PORTABLE MULTI-TOUCH INPUT DEVICE - A portable input device is described. The portable input device can wirelessly send control signals to an external circuit. The control signals can derive from touch or gestures applied to a touch sensitive surface. The control signals can also include a mouse click equivalent control signal generated by mechanical manipulation of the portable input device. | 12-26-2013 |
20140049911 | MAGNETIC ATTACHMENT UNIT - A magnetic attachment mechanism and method is described. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach at least two objects together in a preferred configuration without fasteners and without external intervention. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach an accessory device to an electronic device. The accessory device can be used to augment the functionality of usefulness of the electronic device. | 02-20-2014 |
20140065851 | Electrical Connectors With Applicators For Electronic Devices - Electronic devices may be provided with electronic components and electrical connectors coupled between the electronic components. A connector may be formed in a small gap between the electronic components. The connector may be a thin sheet of flexible conductive material with a conductive adhesive on one surface. The connector may be installed between the components using an applicator that is attached to the connector. The applicator may be a pull-tab liner having a first surface that is tacky and a second opposing surface that is non-stick. The applicator may have an extended portion that can be held by a technician while installing the connector. The connector may be installed by inserting the connector and applicator between the components, pinching the components against the connector and applicator, and removing the applicator by pulling the extended portion to peel the applicator from the connector. | 03-06-2014 |
20140075743 | HANDHELD PORTABLE DEVICE - 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 can be machined from a single billet of material, such as a billet of aluminum. The single piece housing can include ledges with a surface receiving a trim bead and a cover. Corner brackets can be attached to the single piece housing to improve the damage resistance of the housing. | 03-20-2014 |
20140111684 | Antenna Structures and Electrical Components with Grounding - An electronic device may have a conductive housing with an antenna window. Antenna structures may be mounted adjacent to the antenna window. The antenna structures may have a dielectric carrier. Patterned metal antenna traces may be formed on the surface of the dielectric carrier. A proximity sensor may be formed from a flexible printed circuit mounted on the dielectric carrier. The flexible printed circuit may have a tail that contains a transmission line for feeding the antenna structures. The transmission line may include a positive signal conductor that is maintained at a desired distance from the conductive housing using a polymer sheet. A portion of the antenna structures may protrude between a microphone and a camera module. Plastic camera module housing structures may have an inner surface coated with a shielding metal. A U-shaped conductive fabric layer may be used as a grounding structure. | 04-24-2014 |
20140111953 | Electronic Devices With Components Mounted to Touch Sensor Substrates - Touch panel structures may be provided with flexible substrates. A touch sensor array may be formed from transparent capacitive touch sensor electrodes. Electrical components such as ambient light sensors, proximity sensors, magnetic sensors, camera sensors, buttons, and integrated circuits may be mounted on the same flexible substrate as the transparent capacitive touch sensor electrodes. A flexible substrate for a touch panel structure may be formed from multiple substrate portions that are coupled using solder connections or conductive adhesive connections. A touch panel may have a flexible tail that is coupled to a printed circuit board in an electronic device housing. The flexible tail may bend when installing the touch panel in the housing. | 04-24-2014 |
20140112511 | Electronic Device With Conductive Fabric Shield Wall - An electronic device may have a housing such as a metal housing. A display may be mounted in the metal housing. Antenna structures may be mounted in the housing under an inactive peripheral portion of the display. Integrated circuits and other electrical components may be mounted in the housing under an active central portion of the display. Shielding structures may be configured to form a wall that extends between the display and the metal housing. The shielding structures may include a sheet of conductive fabric that is shorted to the metal housing and metal chassis structures in the display. The shielding structures may also include a tube of conductive fabric that is capacitively coupled to ground traces in a touch sensor panel. The conductive fabric tube and the sheet of conductive fabric may be shorted to each other using conductive adhesive. | 04-24-2014 |
20140170866 | RETENTION MECHANISMS FOR ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS - An improved electrical connector retainer employs a shell having a cavity. A pair of mated electrical connectors are received within the cavity and at least a portion of an upper wall of the shell is deflected towards a lower wall of the shell. The shell is configured to retain the upper wall in the deflected position, maintaining the pair of connectors in the mated position. | 06-19-2014 |
20140185857 | Antenna, Shielding and Grounding - 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 formed from a radio opaque material with a cover formed from a radio transparent material. To implement a wireless interface, an antenna stack-up can be provided that allows an antenna to be mounted to a bottom of the cover. Methods and apparatus are provided for improving wireless performance. For instance, in one embodiment, a metal housing can be thinned to improve antenna performance. As another example, a faraday cage can be formed around speaker drivers to improve antenna performance. | 07-03-2014 |
20150138149 | PORTABLE MULTI-TOUCH INPUT DEVICE - A portable input device is described. The portable input device can wirelessly send control signals to an external circuit. The control signals can derive from touch or gestures applied to a touch sensitive surface. The control signals can also include a mouse click equivalent control signal generated by mechanical manipulation of the portable input device. | 05-21-2015 |
20150153783 | MAGNETIC ATTACHMENT UNIT - A magnetic attachment mechanism and method is described. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach at least two objects together in a preferred configuration without fasteners and without external intervention. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach an accessory device to an electronic device. The accessory device can be used to augment the functionality of usefulness of the electronic device. | 06-04-2015 |