US 11,755,128 B2
Stylus with compressive force sensor
Alex J. Lehmann, Redwood City, CA (US); Qiliang Xu, Alamo, CA (US); Blake R. Marshall, San Jose, CA (US); Nathaniel M. Parnell, San Francisco, CA (US); Wesley W. Zuber, Mountain View, CA (US); Henry N. Tsao, Woodside, CA (US); Xiaofan Niu, San Jose, CA (US); Pavan Gupta, Belmont, CA (US); Nahid Harjee, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Paul X. Wang, Cupertino, CA (US); and Brenton A. Baugh, Los Altos Hills, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 30, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/461,711.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/083,786, filed on Sep. 25, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0100290 A1, Mar. 31, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 3/0354 (2013.01); G06F 3/044 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 3/03545 (2013.01) [G06F 3/0442 (2019.05)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A stylus comprising:
an elongate device housing defining a first end and a second end, and having a continuous outer surface extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the first end is configured to contact an external electronic device; and
multiple sensors, including first sensors and second sensors, coupled to the device housing between the first and second end, wherein each of the first sensors and second sensors is configured to detect a compressive force applied to a respective one of first segments and second segments of the continuous outer surface to provide a signal in response to the compressive force applied to the respective one of first segments and second segments, wherein the first segments are of a different size than the second segments, and a density of the first segments along the continuous outer surface is higher than a density of the second segments.