Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 63 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. In this particular report we briefly cover AirTag Cases, Devices with Glass Ceramic Components and more. And, as always, we wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple this week.

AirTag Cases

A case may be provided for an electronic device such as a round tracking device (AirTag) having a lateral dimension of less than 50 mm or other suitable size and shape. The tracking device may have a battery door and a speaker. The case may be used to couple the tracking device to an item such as a key ring, a suitcase, a collar, or clothing item. An electronic device such as a cellular telephone may be used to track the location of the tracking device and may be used to send control signals to the tracking device.

The case may have a device holding portion for holding the tracking device and an attachment portion for attaching the case to an item such as a suitcase or key chain. The case may be formed from leather, polymer, and/or fabric.

The case may include upper and lower case portions that form the pocket. On a first side of the pocket, the upper and lower case portions may be stitched together or may be integrally formed. On a second side of the pocket, a snap may attach the upper case portion to the lower case portion and may be opened to provide access to the pocket. The snap may be flush with surrounding portions of the case.

The device holding portion may have one or more openings through which the tracking device is exposed. A first opening in the device holding portion may transmit sound from a speaker in the tracking device and a second opening in the device holding portion may receive the battery door. The battery door may be flush with surrounding portions of the case.

The attachment portion may have an opening for attaching the case to a key ring, suitcase, or other item. Openings such as openings in the device holding portion, snap openings for receiving snap structures, and other openings in the case may be surrounded by reinforcement material such as woven strands of non-elastic material.

Apple's patent FIG. 10 below is a perspective view of an illustrative case having an upper portion integrally formed with a lower portion.

Apple's patent FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 above are top views of an illustrative case having reinforcement material incorporated in different patterns around openings in the case.

For full details including Apple's 20 new patent claims, review granted patent 12029292.

Electronic Devices Including Glass Ceramic Components

Apple's granted patent covers glass ceramic components for electronic devices are disclosed, as are components including a glass ceramic material. A cover member including a glass ceramic material may be positioned over one or more device components such as an optical module or a component of a wireless communication or charging system. The cover member may have optical properties, electrical properties, magnetic properties, and/or mechanical properties compatible with the requirements of the one or more device components.

The glass ceramic material may be configured to have mechanical properties which provide resistance to both breakage and scratches. For example, the glass ceramic material may be strong and tough enough so that it does not break when the electronic device is dropped. In some cases, the glass ceramic material is tougher than typical glass materials used for electronic device enclosures. The mechanical properties may include one or more of hardness, elastic modulus, fracture toughness, or impact toughness.

In some cases, a cover member including a glass ceramic material may be configured to have optical properties suitable for use over one or more components of the electronic device. For example, a glass ceramic cover member may have optical properties suitable for use over a sensing array of the electronic device. The sensing array may include multiple optical modules, such as a combination of sensor modules and camera modules. At least some of the optical modules may be configured to operate over different wavelength ranges, such as a visible wavelength range and an infrared (IR) wavelength range. The glass ceramic material of the cover member may have optical properties suitable for use with these different wavelength ranges. The glass ceramic material may also have optical properties suitable for use over a display. The optical properties may include one or more of a transmission value, a haze value, or a color value.

Apple's patent FIGS. 1A and 1B present the front and back of an iPhone with ceramic parts; FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a sensing array of an electronic device; FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a sensing array.

Apple's patent FIGS. 11A and 11B above show views an iPad including a sensing array; and FIG. 10 shows another example with an Apple Watch including a sensing array.

For full details, review granted patent 12030818

This Week's Remaining Granted Patents