Patents Assigned to Apple, Inc.
  • Patent number: 10204517
    Abstract: Electronic equipment in vehicles may transmit and receive wireless messages. Each wireless message that is transmitted by a transmitter may include information on the vehicle from which it is being transmitted, information on the location of the transmitter within the vehicle, and other vehicle status information. Receiving equipment in vehicles may be used to receive the transmitted messages. Received signal strength indicator information may be associated with the transmitted messages. Using the received signal strength indicator information and information on the locations of the transmitters within the vehicles in which the transmitters are installed, equipment in a receiving vehicle may determine locations for nearby vehicles. Alerts may be presented to a driver of a vehicle and other suitable actions may be taken based on the locations of nearby vehicles, vehicle type information, and other information regarding traffic in the vicinity of the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Devrim Varoglu, Ravisastry Parupudi
  • Patent number: 10203868
    Abstract: A device displays a user interface that includes a content area and a deletion control. The device detects an input that includes a contact on the deletion control. In response, the device deletes content in the content area based on a duration and intensity of the contact, including: when the contact was maintained for a first time period without the intensity increasing above a threshold, deleting a first-type of sub-units of the content at a rate that does not vary based on the intensity; when the contact was maintained for a second time period without the intensity increasing above the threshold, deleting a second-type of sub-units of the content at a rate that does not vary based on the intensity; and when the intensity of the contact increased above the threshold, deleting sub-units of the content at a rate that varies based on the characteristic intensity of the contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Sebastian J. Bauer, Marcos Alonso Ruiz, Matthew I. Brown, Jonathan R. Dascola, Afrooz Family, Kenneth L. Kocienda, Hugo D. Verweij, Morgan H. Winer
  • Patent number: 10203866
    Abstract: An electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface displays a user interface of an application. The device detects a first portion of an input including a contact on the touch-sensitive surface, and then detects a second portion of the input including movement of the contact across the touch-sensitive surface. The device displays, during the movement, application views including an application view that corresponds to the user interface of the application and another application view that corresponds to a different user interface of a different application. The device then detects a third portion of the input, including a liftoff of the contact from the touch-sensitive surface. In response, the device, upon determining that application-switcher-display criteria are met, displays an application-switcher user interface, and upon determining that home-display criteria are met, the device displays a home screen user interface that includes application launch icons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Chanaka G. Karunamuni, Marcos Alonso Ruiz, Nathan de Vries, Brandon M. Walkin, Stephen O. Lemay, Christopher P. Foss, Caelan G. Stack, Jeffrey T. Bernstein, Julian K. Missig, Linda L. Dong
  • Patent number: 10203959
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to reducing power consumption of a branch prediction unit. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes an instruction fetch unit configured to fetch a set of instructions that includes a call instruction. The instruction fetch unit is further configured to determine whether the set of instructions includes a first type of branch instruction after the call instruction, and in response to determining that the set does not include the first type of branch instruction, to disable a first branch predictor circuit configured to predict an execution result of the first type of branch instruction. In various embodiments, the instruction fetch unit is configured to determine that the set of instructions includes a second type of branch instruction after the call instruction, and in response, enable a second branch predictor circuit configured to predict an execution result of the second type of branch instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Brett S. Feero
  • Patent number: 10206102
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus that provide user access control within wireless networks such as those having both fixed and portable nodes. In one embodiment, the network comprises a 3G cellular network or Interworking WLAN (iWLAN), and the portable nodes comprise Home Node B (HNB) base stations. The HNB is configured to authenticate new users, and provide network access while still maintaining user privacy. The portable nodes also may operate in a number of different operating modes which provide different functional control over user access. In one variant, an easy-to-use owner-assigned ID based access control mechanism with a reliable unambiguous user ID is utilized. Methods for providing access control across differing network architectures and protocols, such the aforementioned iWLAN, and business methods, are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Achim Luft, Maik Bienas, Hyung-Nam Choi, Martin Hans
  • Patent number: 10203746
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of a device that manages a thermal profile of a device by selectively throttling central processing unit operations of the device is described. The device monitors the thermal profile of the device, where the device executes a plurality of tasks that utilizes a central processing unit of the device. In addition, the plurality of tasks includes a high QoS task and a low QoS process. If the thermal profile of the device exceeds a thermal threshold, the device increases a first CPU throttling for the low QoS task and maintains a second CPU throttling for the high QoS task. The device further executes the low QoS task using the first CPU utilization with the first processing core of the CPU by selectively forcing an idle of the low QoS task during an execution window. In addition, the device executes the high QoS task using the second CPU throttling with a second processing core of the CPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Derek R. Kumar
  • Patent number: 10206173
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to low energy communication techniques. According to some embodiments, a wireless transmission may be received by a wireless device. The wireless transmission may include a physical layer (PHY) preamble and PHY data. The PHY preamble may include destination information indicating a destination and length information indicating a length (or duration) of the wireless transmission. The destination and length information may be included prior to a portion of the PHY preamble configured for channel estimation. The wireless device may determine whether the wireless transmission is destined to the wireless device based on the destination information. If the wireless transmission is not destined to the wireless device, the wireless device may drop a remainder of the wireless transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Syed Aon Mujtaba, Joonsuk Kim
  • Patent number: 10203489
    Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have a pixel array that produces light associated with images. The display system may also have a linear polarizer through which light from the pixel array passes and a quarter wave plate through which the light passes after passing through the quarter wave plate. The optical system may be a catadioptric optical system having one or more lens elements. The lens elements may include a plano-convex lens and a plano-concave lens. A partially reflective mirror may be formed on a convex surface of the plano-convex lens. A reflective polarizer may be formed on the planar surface of the plano-convex lens or the concave surface of the plano-concave lens. An additional quarter wave plate may be located between the reflective polarizer and the partially reflective mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sajjad A. Khan, Nan Zhu, Graham B. Myhre, Brent J. Bollman, Tyler Anderson, Weibo Cheng, John N. Border
  • Patent number: 10206298
    Abstract: Glass articles having a base layer formed of glass and having a first compressive stress, an adjacent compression layer formed in the glass and having a second compressive stress, and a witness layer formed in the glass adjacent the compression layer and having a third compressive stress. The first, second and third compressive stresses all differing from one another. The witness layer also having a higher index of refraction than an index of refraction for the base or compression layers. Methods for manufacturing and methods of quality control that include the use of the witness layer are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Dale N. Memering, Dezheng Qu, Victor Luzzato
  • Patent number: 10205833
    Abstract: Methods, systems and graphical user interfaces that facilitate activation of mobile devices, such as communication devices or multi-function devices, via computers are disclosed. According to one embodiment, activation of a mobile device with respect to a wireless service provider can be performed by users through use of a computer (e.g., personal computer) that communicate with a remotely located activation server. According to another embodiment, graphical user interfaces can be presented to users so as to enable end users to easily activate mobile devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Patrice Gautier, Debbie Shimizu, Alexandrea Anderson, Eddy Cue, Monika Gromek, Robert H. Kondrk
  • Patent number: 10205898
    Abstract: A pedestal level for an image sensor can be dynamically adjusted based on one or more parameters. The parameters include one or more operating conditions associated with the image sensor, pre-determined image sensor characterization data, the number of unused digital codes, and/or the number of clipped pixel signals. The operating conditions can include the temperature of the image sensor, the gain of at least one amplifier included in processing circuitry operably connected to at least one pixel, and/or the length of the integration period for at least one pixel in the image sensor. Based on the one or more of the parameters, the pedestal level is adjusted to reduce a number of unused digital codes in a distribution of dark current. Additionally or alternatively, the variance of the pixel signals can be reduced to permit the use of a lower pedestal level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Kenneth John McMahon, D. Amnon Silverstein, David R. Pope, Suk Hwan Lim
  • Patent number: 10205474
    Abstract: A method for facilitating in-device coexistence between wireless communication technologies on a wireless communication device is provided. The method can include transmitting data traffic from the wireless communication device via an aggressor wireless communication technology; determining occurrence of an in-device interference condition resulting from transmission of the data traffic via the aggressor wireless communication technology interfering with concurrent data reception by the wireless communication device via a victim wireless communication technology; and reducing a bit rate of the data traffic transmitted via the aggressor wireless communication technology in response to the in-device interference condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wen Zhao, Paul V. Flynn, William S. Burchill, Vinay R. Majjigi, Xiaowen Wang, Syed A. Mujtaba, Kee-Bong Song
  • Patent number: 10201286
    Abstract: An algorithm for determining heart rate by removing motion artifacts from a PPG signal in the frequency domain utilizes a principal component analysis. Some examples of the present disclosure process PPG signals in combination with accelerometer signals to remove unwanted artifacts in the frequency domain. For example, principal components of the accelerometer signal can be generated and combined with the PPG signal to filter out acceleration contributions represented in the PPG signal to reveal heart rate peaks. Additionally, in some examples, templates may be stored for correlation with candidate heart rate peaks to select those peaks with the highest correlations with the stored templates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen J. Waydo
  • Patent number: 10205989
    Abstract: The present technology is for optimizing storage on a computing device. A media application on the computing device can allocate a minimum amount of storage on the computing device. The media application can further be configured to automatically download and store media items added to a media library of an account associated with the computing device. The combination of these features can put strain on computing devices with limited amounts of storage. Accordingly, the present technology can automatically delete media items in cache to allow media items to be automatically downloaded, or allow other uses of storage by other applications on the computing device, while also preserving the minimum amount of storage of media items on the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Alsina, Cody D. Jorgensen, Edward T. Schmidt, James H. Callender, Matthew J. Cielak, Taylor G. Carrigan
  • Patent number: 10205953
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide techniques for coding video data efficiently based on detection of objects within video sequences. A video coder may perform object detection on the frame and when an object is detected, develop statistics of an area of the frame in which the object is located. The video coder may compare pixels adjacent to the object location to the object's statistics and may define an object region to include pixel blocks corresponding to the object's location and pixel blocks corresponding to adjacent pixels having similar statistics as the detected object. The coder may code the video frame according to a block-based compression algorithm wherein pixel blocks of the object region are coded according to coding parameters generating relatively high quality coding and pixel blocks outside the object region are coded according to coding parameters generating relatively lower quality coding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Douglas Scott Price, Hsi-Jung Wu, Xiaosong Zhou, Dazhong Zhang
  • Patent number: 10203881
    Abstract: A method for data storage includes receiving a plurality of data items for storage in a memory, including at least first data items that are associated with a first data source and second data items that are associated with a second data source, such that the first and second data items are interleaved with one another over time. The first data items are de-interleaved from the second data items, by identifying a respective data source with which each received data item is associated. The de-interleaved first data items and the de-interleaved second data items are stored in the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shachar Katz, Oren Golov
  • Patent number: 10205560
    Abstract: Methods described herein are for wireless communication systems. One aspect of the invention is directed to a method for a HARQ process, in which the HARQ process includes a first transmission of an encoder packet and at least one retransmission. The method involves allocating a transmission resource for each respective transmission. The method involves transmitting control information from a base station to a mobile station for each respective transmission. The control information includes information to uniquely identify the HARQ process and an identification of one of a time resource, a frequency resource and a time and frequency resource that is allocated for the transmission. In some embodiments of the invention, specific control information is signalled from a base station to a mobile station to enable RAS-HARQ operation. In some embodiments of the invention, retransmission signaling in included as part of regular unicast signaling used for both first transmission and retransmissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Mo-han Fong, Sophie Vrzic, Robert Novak, Jun Yuan, Dong-Sheng Yu
  • Patent number: 10206170
    Abstract: Controllers can communicate with accessories using various paths, such as a wireless communication path. A controller can maintain reachability information for each accessory indicating the path(s) via which the accessory is currently reachable. Maintaining the reachability information can include scanning to detect broadcasts from the accessories and updating the reachability information based on the results of scanning. Scanning parameters such as scan interval and scan duration can be selected dynamically based on the current operating context of the controller (e.g., where the controller is located, what processes are active on the controller, what other devices have been detected within communication range of the controller).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis Mathews, Craig Dooley, Anjali S. Sandesara
  • Patent number: 10203873
    Abstract: Systems and methods for adaptively presenting a keyboard on a touch-sensitive display are disclosed herein. In one aspect, a method includes: monitoring typing inputs received from a user at a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device. The method also includes: determining whether the typing inputs are converging towards a midpoint of the touch-sensitive display or diverging away from the midpoint of the touch-sensitive display. In accordance with a determination that the typing inputs are converging towards the midpoint of the touch-sensitive display, the method includes: providing a first feedback to the user to indicate that the typing inputs are converging. In accordance with a determination that the typing inputs are diverging away from the midpoint of the touch-sensitive display, the method includes: providing a second feedback to the user to indicate that the typing inputs are diverging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Randal J. Marsden
  • Publication number: 20190041521
    Abstract: A light beam scanning device includes a lens element assembly which dynamically adjusts a divergence of the beam. The lens element assembly can include multiple lens elements, one or more of which translates parallel to the light beam to adjust beam divergence. Divergence adjustment can include adjusting the beam divergence along one or more cross sectional axes of the beam. Beam divergence can be adjusted between consecutive scans, during a scan, etc. Beam divergence can be adjusted based on the field of view and scan rate. Beam divergence adjustment can enable dynamic adjustment of the spot size of the beam, which can enable the apparatus to adjust between scanning a wide divergence beam to detect objects in a scene and scanning a narrow divergence beam to generate detailed point clouds of the detected objects. Beam divergence adjustment can enable adjustment of reflection point intensity, enabling detection of low-reflectivity objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Micah P. Kalscheur, Jawad Nawasra