US 12,126,193 B2
Accessories with magnetic alignment components and NFC
Karl Ruben F. Larsson, Los Altos, CA (US); Aaron A. Oro, Palo Alto, CA (US); Timothy J. Rasmussen, San Jose, CA (US); Christopher S. Graham, San Francisco, CA (US); Eric S. Jol, San Jose, CA (US); James C. Wu, Redwood City, CA (US); Demetrios B. Karanikos, San Francisco, CA (US); Miranda L. Daly, Mountain View, CA (US); and Paul J. Thompson, Mountain View, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/214,320.
Application 18/214,320 is a continuation of application No. 17/028,256, filed on Sep. 22, 2020, granted, now 11,710,988.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/061,752, filed on Aug. 5, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/907,332, filed on Sep. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2023/0336036 A1, Oct. 19, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H02J 50/10 (2016.01); H02J 50/00 (2016.01); H02J 50/80 (2016.01); H02J 50/90 (2016.01)
CPC H02J 50/90 (2016.02) [H02J 50/005 (2020.01); H02J 50/10 (2016.02); H02J 50/80 (2016.02)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An accessory device comprising:
a housing having a first interface surface;
an annular magnetic alignment component disposed within the housing and having an axis normal to the first interface surface, the annular magnetic alignment component including:
an inner annular region having a magnetic polarity oriented in a first axial direction;
an outer annular region having a magnetic polarity oriented in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction; and
a non-magnetized central annular region disposed between the inner annular region and the outer annular region; and
a near-field communication (NFC) coil disposed within the housing and coaxial with the annular magnetic alignment component, the NFC coil configured to wirelessly exchange signals with another device through the interface surface,
wherein a region inboard of the annular magnetic alignment component and the NFC coil is filled with a material that is transparent to a time-varying magnetic flux passing through the first interface surface.