US 12,326,697 B2
Crown assembly for an electronic watch
Steven C. Roach, San Francisco, CA (US); Sameer Pandya, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Erik G. de Jong, San Francisco, CA (US); Erik L. Wang, Redwood City, CA (US); Peter Kardassakis, Mountain View, CA (US); and Steven P. Cardinali, Campbell, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 23, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/492,110.
Application 18/492,110 is a continuation of application No. 17/507,589, filed on Oct. 21, 2021, granted, now 11,796,968.
Application 17/507,589 is a continuation of application No. 16/215,607, filed on Dec. 10, 2018, granted, now 11,194,298, issued on Dec. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/725,239, filed on Aug. 30, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0045383 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G04G 21/08 (2010.01); G01D 5/30 (2006.01); G04B 37/10 (2006.01); G04G 9/00 (2006.01); G04G 17/08 (2006.01); G04G 21/02 (2010.01)
CPC G04G 21/08 (2013.01) [G01D 5/30 (2013.01); G04G 9/007 (2013.01); G04G 17/08 (2013.01); G04G 21/025 (2013.01); G04B 37/10 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a touch-sensitive display at least partially enclosed by the housing;
a crown assembly coupled to the housing and comprising:
a crown shaft extending into an interior volume of the housing; and
a crown ring defining an outer peripheral surface of the crown assembly and electrically isolated from the crown shaft;
a rotation sensing system configured to detect a rotational input to the crown assembly based at least in part on light reflected from a reflective surface of the crown assembly, the reflective surface positioned within the interior volume of the housing; and
a force sensing component configured to detect an axial force-based input to the crown assembly.