Patents by Inventor James S. ISMAIL

James S. ISMAIL has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170330528
    Abstract: The invention provides a technique for targeted scaling of the voltage and/or frequency of a processor included in a computing device. One embodiment involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on the number of frames per second being input to a frame buffer in order to reduce or eliminate choppiness in animations shown on a display of the computing device. Another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on a utilization rate of the GPU in order to reduce or eliminate any bottleneck caused by slow issuance of instructions from the CPU to the GPU. Yet another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the CPU based on specific types of instructions being executed by the CPU. Further embodiments include scaling the voltage and/or frequency of a CPU when the CPU executes workloads that have characteristics of traditional desktop/laptop computer applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Publication date: November 16, 2017
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Dorsey, James S. Ismail, Keith Cox, Gaurav Kapoor
  • Patent number: 9613393
    Abstract: The invention provides a technique for targeted scaling of the voltage and/or frequency of a processor included in a computing device. One embodiment involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on the number of frames per second being input to a frame buffer in order to reduce or eliminate choppiness in animations shown on a display of the computing device. Another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on a utilization rate of the GPU in order to reduce or eliminate any bottleneck caused by slow issuance of instructions from the CPU to the GPU. Yet another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the CPU based on specific types of instructions being executed by the CPU. Further embodiments include scaling the voltage and/or frequency of a CPU when the CPU executes workloads that have characteristics of traditional desktop/laptop computer applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Dorsey, James S. Ismail, Keith Cox, Gaurav Kapoor
  • Patent number: 9605995
    Abstract: The embodiments relate to the use of one or more phase lock loops (PLL's) for detecting wobble of a surface upon which a computing device is set. The PLL's can be configured to lock onto an exponentially-damped sinusoid output from an accelerometer in order to differentiate between surface-induced movement and direct human-induced movement of the computing device. Reduced latency in wobble detection can be achieved by implementing the PLL in software and using multiple PLL's per accelerometer axis. Further reduction in the latency of wobble detection can be achieved by seeding the phase of an oscillator signal generated by each PLL in order to improve phase estimates when attempting to lock a PLL onto the accelerometer output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: James S. Ismail
  • Publication number: 20160357232
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for determining a current machine state of a processing device, predicting a future processing task to be performed by the processing device at a future time, and predicting a list of intervening processing tasks to be performed by a first time (e.g. a current time) and the start of the future processing task. The future processing task has an associated initial state. A feed-forward thermal prediction model determines a predicted future machine state at the time for starting the future processing task. Heat mitigation processes can be applied in advance of the starting of the future processing task, to meet the future initial machine state for starting the future processing task.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Nagarajan Kalyanasundaram, Jay S. Nigen, James S. Ismail, Richard H. Tan
  • Patent number: 9494994
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes power management control that controls a duty cycle of a processor to manage power. The duty cycle may be the amount of time that the processor is powered on as a percentage of the total time. By frequently powering up and powering down the processor during a period of time, the power consumption of the processor may be controlled while providing the perception that the processor is continuously available. For example, the processor may be a graphics processing unit (GPU), and the period of time over which the duty cycle is managed may be a frame to be displayed on the display screen viewed by a user of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Y. Law, Robert A. Drebin, Keith Cox, James S. Ismail
  • Publication number: 20160091960
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system for reducing current transients of a power supply are disclosed. Specifically, the embodiments discussed herein include a control system configured to throttle a processor of a computing device when the current demanded by the processor from the power supply exceeds a reference current value. Throttling can include reducing or limiting the performance state that the processor can be operable in. Additionally, the control system can be operated according to multiple time domains, allowing the sampling of an input current to be performed at a higher rate than a rate at which analysis on the sampled input current is performed. The processor can remain throttled depending on a delayed release filter, which determines when a processor can return to a performance state that was previously removed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Publication date: March 31, 2016
    Inventors: James S. ISMAIL, David A. HARDELL, Karen S. ECKERT, Keith COX
  • Publication number: 20150348228
    Abstract: The invention provides a technique for targeted scaling of the voltage and/or frequency of a processor included in a computing device. One embodiment involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on the number of frames per second being input to a frame buffer in order to reduce or eliminate choppiness in animations shown on a display of the computing device. Another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on a utilization rate of the GPU in order to reduce or eliminate any bottleneck caused by slow issuance of instructions from the CPU to the GPU. Yet another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the CPU based on specific types of instructions being executed by the CPU. Further embodiments include scaling the voltage and/or frequency of a CPU when the CPU executes workloads that have characteristics of traditional desktop/laptop computer applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: John G. DORSEY, James S. ISMAIL, Keith COX, Gaurav KAPOOR
  • Patent number: 9128721
    Abstract: The invention provides a technique for targeted scaling of the voltage and/or frequency of a processor included in a computing device. One embodiment involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on the number of frames per second being input to a frame buffer in order to reduce or eliminate choppiness in animations shown on a display of the computing device. Another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on a utilization rate of the GPU in order to reduce or eliminate any bottleneck caused by slow issuance of instructions from the CPU to the GPU. Yet another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the CPU based on specific types of instructions being executed by the CPU. Further embodiments include scaling the voltage and/or frequency of a CPU when the CPU executes workloads that have characteristics of traditional desktop/laptop computer applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Dorsey, James S. Ismail, Keith Cox, Gaurav Kapoor
  • Publication number: 20150128711
    Abstract: The embodiments relate to the use of one or more phase lock loops (PLL's) for detecting wobble of a surface upon which a computing device is set. The PLL's can be configured to lock onto an exponentially-damped sinusoid output from an accelerometer in order to differentiate between surface-induced movement and direct human-induced movement of the computing device. Reduced latency in wobble detection can be achieved by implementing the PLL in software and using multiple PLL's per accelerometer axis. Further reduction in the latency of wobble detection can be achieved by seeding the phase of an oscillator signal generated by each PLL in order to improve phase estimates when attempting to lock a PLL onto the accelerometer output.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventor: James S. ISMAIL
  • Patent number: 8924752
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes power management control that controls a duty cycle of a processor to manage power. The duty cycle may be the amount of time that the processor is powered on as a percentage of the total time. By frequently powering up and powering down the processor during a period of time, the power consumption of the processor may be controlled while providing the perception that the processor is continuously available. For example, the processor may be a graphics processing unit (GPU), and the period of time over which the duty cycle is managed may be a frame to be displayed on the display screen viewed by a user of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Y. Law, Robert A. Drebin, Keith Cox, James S. Ismail
  • Publication number: 20140164757
    Abstract: The invention provides a technique for targeted scaling of the voltage and/or frequency of a processor included in a computing device. One embodiment involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on the number of frames per second being input to a frame buffer in order to reduce or eliminate choppiness in animations shown on a display of the computing device. Another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the processor based on a utilization rate of the GPU in order to reduce or eliminate any bottleneck caused by slow issuance of instructions from the CPU to the GPU. Yet another embodiment of the invention involves scaling the voltage/frequency of the CPU based on specific types of instructions being executed by the CPU. Further embodiments include scaling the voltage and/or frequency of a CPU when the CPU executes workloads that have characteristics of traditional desktop/laptop computer applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2013
    Publication date: June 12, 2014
    Inventors: John G. DORSEY, James S. ISMAIL, Keith COX, Gaurav KAPOOR