Patents Assigned to Apple Computer
  • Deferred shading graphics pipeline processor having advanced features
    Patent number: 6717576
    Abstract: A deferred shading graphics pipeline processor and method are provided encompassing numerous substructures. Embodiments of the processor and method may include one or more of deferred shading, a tiled frame buffer, and multiple-stage hidden surface removal processing. In the deferred shading graphics pipeline, hidden surface removal is completed before pixel coloring is done. The pipeline processor comprises a command fetch and decode unit, a geometry unit, a mode extraction unit, a sort unit, a setup unit, a cull unit, a mode injection unit, a fragment unit, a texture unit, a Phong lighting unit, a pixel unit, and a backend unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerome F. Duluk, Jr., Richard E. Hessel, Vaughn T. Arnold, Jack Benkual, Joseph P. Bratt, George Cuan, Stephen L. Dodgen, Emerson S. Fang, Zhaoyu Gong, Thomas Y. Ho, Hengwei Hsu, Sidong Li, Sam Ng, Matthew N. Papakipos, Jason R. Redgrave, Sushma S. Trivedi, Nathan D. Tuck, Shun Wai Go, Lindy Fung, Tuan D. Nguyen, Joseph P. Grass, Bo Hong, Abraham Mammen, Abbas Rashid, Albert Suan-Wei Tsay
  • Method and apparatus for media data transmission
    Patent number: 6714984
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for processing media data transmitted in a data communication medium. A digital processing system is provided with a time related sequence of media data provided to the digital processing system based on a set of data, wherein the set of data indicates a method to transmit the time related sequence of media data according to a transmission protocol. The set of data, itself, is a time related sequence of data associated with the time related sequence of media data. The time related sequence of media data may be presented and/or stored by the digital processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Anne Jones, Jay Geagan, Kevin L. Gong, Alagu Periyannan, David W. Singer
  • Depicting and setting scroll amount
    Patent number: 6714221
    Abstract: A user interface and methods for controlling and presenting information concerning scrolling of an on-screen document are described. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method of the invention generates a graphical user interface to provide functionality of controlling a scroll amount for an on-screen document. In this method, a graphical representation of a scroll activator is displayed to enable the user to activate the scroll function using a cursor control device. In addition, a graphical representation of multiple scroll amount indicators is also displayed along with the graphical representation of the scroll activator. The multiple scroll amount indicators graphically illustrate various magnitudes of scrolling. According to another aspect of the present invention, an exemplary method of the invention provides a coasting function when an on-screen document scrolls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory N. Christie, Nick King
  • Method and apparatus for typographic glyph construction including a glyph server
    Patent number: 6714199
    Abstract: A system for typographic glyph construction includes a graphics system, a glyph server coupled to the graphics system, and an operating system coupled to the glyph server. An apparatus for typographic glyph construction of input text in a graphics system running on a computer system and output on an output device of the computer system includes a line layout core unit, a glyph cache unit coupled to the line layout core unit, an open font architecture services unit coupled to the glyph cache unit, at least one scaler unit coupled to the open font architecture unit, a font object management unit coupled to the at least one font scaler, and an attribute group support unit supporting a data structure for communication among the units of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander B. Beaman, Richard W. Becker, David G. Opstad, Michael R. Reed
  • Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player
    Publication number: 20040055446
    Abstract: In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for providing user supplied configuration data are described. In one embodiment, a hierarchically ordered graphical user interface are provided. A first order, or home, interface provides a highest order of user selectable items each of which, when selected, results in an automatic transition to a lower order user interface associated with the selected item. In one of the described embodiments, the lower order interface includes other user selectable items associated with the previously selected item from the higher order user interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2002
    Publication date: March 25, 2004
    Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey L. Robbin, Steve Jobs, Timothy Wasko
  • Fly-by serial bus arbitration
    Patent number: 6711173
    Abstract: In a first embodiment, multi-speed concatenated packet strings are transmitted by a first node on a serial bus. To accommodate multi-speed packets, a speed signal is transmitted immediately prior to the packet. In a second embodiment, ACK-concatenation is used to allow a node to transmit a data packet immediately after transmitting an acknowledge signal on the bus. The data packet need not be related to the ACK packet. In a third embodiment, a node which receives a first data packet followed by a data end signal on a child port, concatenates a second data packet onto the first data packet during retransmission. The second data packet is also transmitted down the bus in the direction of the node which originally transmitted the first data packet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: William S. Duckwall, Michael D. Teener
  • Power management for computer systems
    Patent number: 6711691
    Abstract: Power management approaches for computer systems having one or more processors are disclosed. One power management approach provides hierarchical power management. The hierarchical nature of the power management provided by the invention has various levels of power management such that power consumption of the computer system is dependent upon the amount of work placed on the processing resources of the computer system. Another power management approach pertains to deterministic handshaking provided between a power manager and one or more controller units. The deterministic handshaking provides for more reliable and controllable transitions between power management states which have associated power management taking place in the controller units. The power management approaches are suitable for use with a single-processor computer system or a multi-processor computer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Howard, Michael F. Culbert
  • Data driven layout engine
    Patent number: 6710782
    Abstract: A method and system are described for creating and editing a theme associated with a graphical user interface (GUI). In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a theme is selected from a plurality of themes. The theme is edited by modifying information associated with at least one GUI definition object, wherein the at least one GUI definition object is associated with the theme. Information associated with the at least one GUI definition object is stored as part of the theme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Ruff, Robert G. Johnston, Jr., Robert Ulrich
  • Method and apparatus for processing call progress of a serial communication device
    Patent number: 6711245
    Abstract: The present invention includes a method and system to provide the capability of a serial based analog modem to play its connection call progress in a digital format, thus eliminating the need for analog to digital conversion at the host. In one aspect of the invention, an exemplary method includes receiving data at the serial communication device, from a serial communication network; identifying the data as call progress audio samples; transmitting the call progress audio samples to the host through the serial interface, the serial interface carrying serial data or call progress audio samples; and playing the call progress audio samples at the audio system of the host. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Olivier Mardinian, Jonathan How-Lian Ta, Jeffrey Wei Huang
  • Apparatus and method for awakening bus circuitry from a low power state
    Patent number: 6708278
    Abstract: Apparatus and techniques for awakening bus circuitry from an inactive state as needed are described. The bus circuitry forms part of a computer system and is placed in the inactive state (i.e., shut down) when not needed so as to conserve power. The bus circuitry is associated with a bus and can be awakened out of the inactive state when certain bus events, including resume, connect or disconnect, occur on the bus. The invention is particularly advantageous for computing devices (e.g., portable computers, desktop computers, server computers) where it is desirous to shut down bus circuitry as well as other circuitry (e.g., microprocessor) when not needed so as to reduce power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Howard, Michael F. Culbert, Robert Bailey
  • Adjustment of color values for optimized image processing
    Patent number: 6707459
    Abstract: A method for processing an image of a given file type is disclosed. The method involves converting the image into data formatted for a new pixel type, the new pixel type is closely correlated with and has all the components of pixels for the given file type. In addition, the method includes processing the data formatted in the new pixel type using standard image processing routines, these standard routines being designed for data having different components of pixels than the new pixel type and the given file type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Graves, Randy Ubillos
  • Run-time modules for dynamically adjusting computer operation
    Patent number: 6708332
    Abstract: Code module interfaces are provided which allow a user to adjust the functionality of a program at run-time. The code module interfaces (CMIs) can be selectively activated by a user at run-time. Then, the control software will call the CMIs at various instances, for example, at startup, after each state change in the control software, at idle time and when the control software has completed all of its tasks. Alternatively, when each CMI is loaded, it can specify at which state change(s) that CMI is to be called to increase speed of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Colm J. Murphy, James Kateley, Byron Han, Ken Fitzgerald-Smith
  • Methods and apparatus for variable length codeword concatenation
    Patent number: 6707397
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for concatenating codewords of variable lengths using a vector processing unit. In one aspect of the invention, a method for execution by a microprocessor to concatenate codewords of variable lengths includes: receiving a plurality of codewords from a first vector register; receiving a plurality of lengths representing bit lengths of the plurality of codewords respectively; generating a first bit stream from concatenating the plurality of codewords; summing the plurality of lengths to generate the bit length of the first bit stream; and outputting the first bit stream and the first length; wherein the above operations are performed in response to the microprocessor receiving a single instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventor: Chien-Hsin Lin
  • Methods and apparatuses for packing bitstreams
    Patent number: 6707398
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for concatenating codewords of variable lengths using a vector processing unit. In one aspect of the invention, a method for execution by a microprocessor to pack bit streams of variable lengths including: receiving a first bit segment from a first vector register; receiving a second bit segment from a second vector register; determining whether or not the sum of the bit length of the first bit segment and the bit length of the second bit segment is larger than a required length; generating a third bit segment from the first and second bit segments; and outputting the third bit segment in a third vector register; where the above operations are performed in response to the microprocessor receiving a first single instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Chien-Hsin Lin, Mushtaq Sarwar, Mike Lai, Alexei Ouzilevaski
  • Mouse having an optically-based scrolling feature
    Publication number: 20040046741
    Abstract: A peripheral input device for controlling movements on a display screen. The peripheral input device includes a housing and an optical touch pad carried by the housing. The optical touch pad is configured to translate finger motion into movements on the display screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Wing Kong Low, Brian H. Berkeley, Benjamin Bendix Lyon
  • Assigning meanings to utterances in a speech recognition system
    Patent number: 6704710
    Abstract: Assigning meanings to spoken utterances in a speech recognition system. A plurality of speech rules is generated, each of the of speech rules comprising a language model and an expression associated with the language model. At one interval (e.g. upon the detection of speech in the system), a current language model is generated from each language model in the speech rules for use by a recognizer. When a sequence of words is received from the recognizer, a set of speech rules which match the sequence of words received from the recognizer is determined. Each expression associated with the language model in each of the set of speech rules is evaluated, and actions are performed in the system according to the expressions associated with each language model in the set of speech rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Don Strong
  • Retrieval of services by attribute
    Patent number: 6701428
    Abstract: An automatic method and apparatus for providing services on a computer system. A set of services is established providing different functionality for the computer system. With each of the set of services an attribute is stored for identifying characteristics of the function of each of the set of services. Then, the first set of services can be retrieved by a first set of attributes which is specified irrespective of any locales which may be defined in the computer system. Thus, characteristics or attributes of most importance to a service may be used to describe it and used for retrieval of such services. The establishing of the first set of services includes building a structure which references each of the first set of services. Retrieving may include maintaining a reference to one of the services in the structure and iterating through the structure in order to retrieve a subsequent one of the services.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: John Harvey, III, Andrew Michael Daniels, William James Saunders
  • User interface for computer display
    Patent number: D487275
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Bas Ording, Steven P. Jobs
  • Method and apparatus for display image rotation
    Patent number: RE38471
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for rotating images on a computer system is disclosed. The system includes a processor for accessing an image frame buffer using a set of CPU addresses, a memory for storing the frame buffer, a controller for directing the pixel data of the frame buffer to a display device using a set of controller addresses. The two sets of addresses are not necessarily the same. In fact, numerous advantages could be had from manipulating those two sets of addresses resulting in image rotation operations for the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Brian D. Howard, Robert L. Bailey
  • Display device with a moveable assembly
    Patent number: D487893
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Apple Computer, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven P. Jobs, Bartley K. Andre, Michael D. Hillman, Frank Tsai, Michael D. McBroom, Daniel L. McBroom, Brian T. Sudderth, Arthur S. Brigham, Joel F. Jensen, Robert B. Brownell, Jr., Sung Kim, Anwyl M. McDonald, Russell C. Mead, Jr., Arturo Meuniot, Jesus Beltran, Jonathan Ive, Christopher J. Stringer