Patents Assigned to Apple, Inc.
  • Patent number: 11963795
    Abstract: A wearable electronic device includes a body, a housing component, a band operable to attach the body to a body part of a user, and a force sensor coupled to the housing component. The force sensor is operable to produce a force signal based on a force exerted between the body part of the user and the housing component. A processing unit of the wearable electronic device receives the force signal from the force sensor and determines the force exerted on the housing component based thereon. The processing unit may use that force to determine a tightness of the band, determine health information for the user, adjust determined force exerted on a cover glass, and/or to perform various other actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler S. Bushnell, Steven J. Martisauskas, Erik G. de Jong, Andrzej T. Baranski, Serhan O. Isikman, Steven J. Banaska, Todd K. Whitehurst, Ming L. Sartee
  • Patent number: 11966578
    Abstract: An electronic device displays, on a touch-sensitive display, a user interface for an application. The electronic device, while displaying the user interface for the application, detects a touch gesture that includes movement of a contact on the touch-sensitive display at least partially over the user interface for the application. The electronic device, in response to detecting the touch gesture, in accordance with a determination that the touch gesture meets first system navigation criteria and video is playing in the application when the touch gesture is detected, concurrently displays a home screen user interface and a representation of the video that is playing in the application. The electronic device, in accordance with a determination that the touch gesture meets the first system navigation criteria and there is not video playing in the application when the touch gesture is detected, displays the home screen user interface without displaying representation of the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Nathan de Vries
  • Patent number: 11965927
    Abstract: Thermal conditions can be simulated for an electronic device. Application developers may want to test how applications perform under various thermal conditions on a device that includes thermal management. The application developers can use the tests to determine whether the application should take proactive measures to maintain application performance, and which proactive measures should be taken. For example, an application can reduce its use of resources to ensure that an application maintains a desired quality of user experience (and at a minimum remains responsive) under adverse thermal conditions. Creating adverse conditions can be difficult to replicate, costly to implement, and can potential cause damage to the electronic device being tested. In some examples, simulating thermal conditions can be used instead of placing the device in real-world adverse conditions to improve the testing process for developers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jay Mayur Khandhar, Karen Eckert, Cyril De La Cropte De Chanterac, John Ananny
  • Patent number: 11966510
    Abstract: A method includes displaying a plurality of computer-generated objects, and obtaining finger manipulation data from a finger-wearable device via a communication interface. In some implementations, the method includes receiving an untethered input vector that includes a plurality of untethered input indicator values. Each of the plurality of untethered input indicator values is associated with one of a plurality of untethered input modalities. In some implementations, the method includes obtaining proxy object manipulation data from a physical proxy object via the communication interface. The proxy object manipulation data corresponds to sensor data associated with one or more sensors integrated in the physical proxy object. The method includes registering an engagement event with respect to a first one of the plurality of computer-generated objects based on a combination of the finger manipulation data, the untethered input vector, and the proxy object manipulation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Adam G. Poulos, Aaron M. Burns, Arun Rakesh Yoganandan, Benjamin R. Blachnitzky, Nicolai Georg
  • Patent number: 11965944
    Abstract: Disclosed is a compact, multi-user magnetic tracking system. In an embodiment, a compactness is achieved by using a single coil and inertial sensors at the transmitter and magnetometers and inertial sensors at the receiver for sensing the magnetic field generated by the single coil and for determining a position and attitude of the receiver relative to the transmitter. The transmitter and receiver each include a wireless transceiver for exchanging clock synchronization data and sending transmitter attitude data to the receiver. In another embodiment, frequency or time division multiplexing is used to differentiate between multiple users of the multi-user magnetic tracking system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Guangwu Duan, Jian Guo, John Greer Elias, Savas Gider
  • Patent number: 11966556
    Abstract: In some embodiments, an electronic device present user interfaces for initializing a remote locator object. In some embodiments, an electronic device presents notifications when a remote locator object is separated from the user. In some embodiments, an electronic device presents notifications when an unknown remote locator object is tracking the user. In some embodiments, an electronic device presents a user interface for a short distance locator user interface for finding a remote locator object. In some embodiments, an electronic device presents user interfaces for finding a remote locator object using a map user interface or using a short distance locator user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Arian Behzadi, Marcel Van Os, Nicole R. Ryan, Corey K. Wang, Frank De Jong, Patrick L. Coffman
  • Patent number: 11966315
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for advising a user when an energy storage device in a computing system needs charging. State of charge data of the energy storage device can be measured and stored at regular intervals. The historic state of charge data can be queried over a plurality of intervals and a state of charge curve generated that is representative of a user's charging habits over time. The state of charge curve can be used to generate a rate of charge histogram and an acceleration of charge histogram. These can be used to predict when a user will charge next, and whether the energy storage device will have an amount of energy below a predetermined threshold amount before the next predicted charging time. A first device can determine when a second device typically charges and whether the energy storage device in the second device will have an amount of energy below the predetermined threshold amount before the next predicted charge time for the second device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Cyril De La Cropte De Chanterac, Phillip Stanley-Marbell, Kartik Venkatraman, Gaurav Kapoor
  • Patent number: 11967561
    Abstract: A fabric-based item may include fabric layers and other layers of material. An array of electrical components may be mounted in the fabric-based item. The electrical components may be mounted to a support structure such as a flexible printed circuit. The flexible printed circuit may have a mesh shape formed from an array of openings. Serpentine flexible printed circuit segments may extend between the openings. The electrical components may be light-emitting diodes or other electrical devices. Polymer with light-scattering particles or other materials may cover the electrical components. The flexible printed circuit may be laminated between fabric layers or other layers of material in the fabric-based item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel D. Sunshine, Paul S. Drzaic, Daniel A. Podhajny, David M. Kindlon, Hoon Sik Kim, Kathryn P. Crews, Yung-Yu Hsu
  • Patent number: 11967781
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array that radiates at a frequency greater than 10 GHz through a display. The array may include a dielectric resonator antenna having a dielectric column. The dielectric column may have a first surface mounted to a circuit board and a second surface that faces the display. A conductive cap may be formed on the second surface. The conductive cap may allow the dimensions of dielectric column to be reduced while still allowing the dielectric resonator antenna to cover a frequency band of interest. If desired, the phased antenna array may include multiple sets of dielectric resonator antennas for covering different frequency bands. The sets may have different dielectric column heights and/or different conductive cap sizes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Subramanian Ramalingam, Harish Rajagopalan, Bilgehan Avser, Mattia Pascolini, Rodney A. Gomez Angulo
  • Patent number: 11966544
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display with touch sensors. One or more shielding layers may be interposed between the display and the touch sensors. The display may include transistors with gate conductors, a first planarization layer formed over the gate conductors, one or more contacts formed in a first source-drain layer within the first planarization layer, a second planarization layer formed on the first planarization layer, one or more data lines formed in a second source-drain layer within the second planarization layer, a third planarization layer formed on the second planarization layer, and a data line shielding structure formed at least partly in a third source-drain layer within the third planarization layer. The data line shielding structure may be a routing line, a blanket layer, a mesh layer formed in one or more metal layers, and/or a data line covering another data line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shinya Ono, Suhwan Moon, Dong-Gwang Ha, Jiaxi Hu, Hao-Lin Chiu, Kwang Soon Park, Hassan Edrees, Wen-I Hsieh, Jiun-Jye Chang, Chin-Wei Lin, Kyung Wook Kim
  • Patent number: 11967528
    Abstract: Systems that include integrated circuit dies and voltage regulator units are disclosed. Such systems may include a voltage regulator module and an integrated circuit mounted in a common system package. The voltage regulator module may include a voltage regulator circuit and one or more passive devices mounted to a common substrate, and the integrated circuit may include a System-on-a-chip. The system package may include an interconnect region that includes wires fabricated on multiple conductive layers within the interconnect region. At least one power supply terminal of the integrated circuit may be coupled to an output of the voltage regulator module via a wire included in the interconnect region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Vidhya Ramachandran, Jun Zhai, Chonghua Zhong, Kunzhong Hu, Shawn Searles, Joseph T. DiBene, II, Mengzhi Pang
  • Patent number: 11966577
    Abstract: An electronic device concurrently displays: a first object that includes first content of an application, including updating the first content as a state of the application changes; and a user interface of software that is different from the application. In response to detecting an input directed to the first object: if the input is a first type of input, the device transitions from displaying the first object to displaying a second object that is smaller than the first object and that includes different, second content of the application, including updating the second content as the state of the application changes while continuing to display the user interface of the software; and, if the input is a second type of input that is different from the first type of input, the device replaces at least a portion of the user interface of the software with a user interface of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: William M. Tyler
  • Patent number: 11967146
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for normal estimation using a directional measurement, such as a gravity vector. In various implementations, a device includes a non-transitory memory and one or more processors coupled with the non-transitory memory. In some implementations, a method includes identifying planar surfaces in an environment represented by an image. Each planar surface is associated with a respective orientation. A directional vector associated with the environment is determined. A subset of the planar surfaces that have a threshold orientation relative to the directional vector is identified. For each planar surface in the subset of the planar surfaces, a normal vector for the planar surface is determined based on the orientation of the planar surface and the directional vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Oliver Thomas Ruepp, Pedro Antonio Pinies Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11968479
    Abstract: A method of tracking a mobile device comprising at least one camera in a real environment comprises the steps of receiving image information associated with at least one image captured by the at least one camera, generating a first geometrical model of at least part of the real environment based on environmental data or mobile system state data acquired in an acquisition process by at least one sensor of a mobile system, which is different from the mobile device, and performing a tracking process based on the image information associated with the at least one image and at least partially according to the first geometrical model, wherein the tracking process determines at least one parameter of a pose of the mobile device relative to the real environment. The invention is also related to a method of generating a geometrical model of at least part of a real environment using image information from at least one camera of a mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Meier, Sebastian Lieberknecht
  • Patent number: 11967018
    Abstract: Rendering an avatar in a selected environment may include determining as inputs into an inferred shading network, an expression geometry to be represented by an avatar, head pose, and camera angle, along with a lighting representation for the selected environment. The inferred shading network may then generate a texture of a face to be utilized in rendering the avatar. The lighting representation may be obtained as lighting latent variables which are obtained from an environment autoencoder trained on environment images with various lighting conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew P. Mason, Olivier Soares, Haarm-Pieter Duiker, John S. McCarten
  • Patent number: 11967291
    Abstract: A display may have a pixel array such as a liquid crystal pixel array. The pixel array may be illuminated by a backlight unit that includes an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The backlight unit may determine the type of content in the image data. The backlight unit may decide to prioritize either mitigating halo or mitigating clipping based on the type of content. The determination of the type of content in the image data may be used to determine the brightness values for the LEDs in the LED array. If the content is determined to be a first type of content, at least one given LED in the LED array may have a different brightness value than if the content is determined to be a second, different type of content. Classifying content in the image data may be useful in optimizing visible artifacts such as visible halo and clipping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammad Tofighi, Meng Cao, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Duane M Petrovich, Shuo Han, Zhendong Hong, Tobias Jung, Marc Albrecht, Jiulong Shan, Wei H Yao
  • Patent number: 11967015
    Abstract: The subject technology provides a framework for learning neural scene representations directly from images, without three-dimensional (3D) supervision, by a machine-learning model. In the disclosed systems and methods, 3D structure can be imposed by ensuring that the learned representation transforms like a real 3D scene. For example, a loss function can be provided which enforces equivariance of the scene representation with respect to 3D rotations. Because naive tensor rotations may not be used to define models that are equivariant with respect to 3D rotations, a new operation called an invertible shear rotation is disclosed, which has the desired equivariance property. In some implementations, the model can be used to generate a 3D representation, such as mesh, of an object from an image of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Qi Shan, Joshua Susskind, Aditya Sankar, Robert Alex Colburn, Emilien Dupont, Miguel Angel Bautista Martin
  • Patent number: 11967039
    Abstract: Electronic devices are often equipped with a camera for capturing video content and/or a display for displaying video content. However, amateur users often capture video content without regard to composition, framing, or camera movement, resulting in video content that can be jarring or confusing to viewers. There is a need to automate the processing and presentation of video content in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The embodiments described herein provide a method of automatically cropping video content for presentation on a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: May-Li Khoe, Avi E. Cieplinski, David Joshua Hart
  • Patent number: 11967586
    Abstract: Light emitting structures and methods of fabrication are described. In an embodiment, LED coupons are transferred to a carrier substrate and then patterned to LED mesa structures. Patterning may be performed on heterogeneous groups of LED coupons with a common mask set. The LED mesa structure are then transferred in bulk to a display substrate. In an embodiment, a light emitting structure includes an arrangement of LEDs with different thickness, and corresponding bottom contacts with different thicknesses bonded to a display substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Dmitry S. Sizov, Ion Bita, Jean-Jacques P. Drolet, John T. Leonard, Jonathan S. Steckel, Nathaniel T. Lawrence, Xiaobin Xin, Ranojoy Bose
  • Patent number: D1024105
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher John Ellingford, Lucio Moreno Rufo, Kevin Sandlow, Brian K. Shiraishi, Fredric Vinna