Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Publication number: 20110179350
    Abstract: The described embodiments provide a system for formatting a document in a word processor. During operation, upon receiving a command to move an object in the document, the system moves the object in the document. When moving the object in the document, the system dynamically arranges other content in the document with respect to the object. Upon receiving a command to place the object in a specified location while moving the object, the system places the object at the specified location and leaves the other content arranged with respect to the object in accordance with a most recent dynamic arrangement. After placing the object at the specified location, the system determines an anchor location for an anchor for the object and places an anchor for the object in the anchor location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jay C. Capela, Christopher E. Rudolph, Matthew T. Schomer
  • Publication number: 20110179153
    Abstract: The described embodiments provide a system that controls the operating state of a network interface. During operation, in response to receiving a request from an application to use the network interface for a route, the system creates a route structure for the route and increments a route reference counter in an interface data structure for the network interface. Upon subsequently determining that the application is no longer using the route, the system sets a route expiration timer in the route structure to a predetermined expiration time. When the route expiration timer expires, the system deletes the route structure and decrements the route reference counter in the interface data structure. When decrementing the route reference counter in the interface data structure causes the route reference counter to be equal to zero, the system sends a signal to a configuration application to inform the application that the network interface can be idled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Cahya A. Masputra, Michael R. Van Milligan, Joshua V. Graessley
  • Publication number: 20110178896
    Abstract: This is directed to providing offline purchasing of media items using an electronic device. One or more media items that are not part of a user's media library can be stored on an electronic device. When a user later wishes to play back one of the media items, but the device cannot connect to a communications network to provide payment information for purchasing the media items, the electronic device can use pre-paid credits that were purchased and stored by the device when a communications network was available to complete the purchase. By using pre-paid credits, the media store can be assured that the user has sufficient funds for the media item purchase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Taido Nakajima, Tyler Mincey, Gloria Lin, Joey Darragh
  • Publication number: 20110178697
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for defining a route from a starting point to a destination. The route can include several steps, each including an instruction directing a user to move in a particular manner, and a reference around or near which to follow the instruction. To assist the user in following the directions, a step can include one or more points of interest serving as references. In particular, points of interest having high visibility (e.g., relative to street signs) can be selected to serve as references for the directions. The device can select which points of interest to use based on any suitable criteria, including for example based on the distance of a point of interest from a location where a step requires an instruction, as well as based on visibility attributes of the points of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Publication date: July 21, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler Mincey, Taido Nakajima, Gloria Lin
  • Patent number: 7983307
    Abstract: A hybrid terminal of a mobile phone and a digital broadcast receiver allows calling on the mobile phone while at the same time receiving a digital broadcast itself even in the event of receiving a call while at the same time receiving the digital broadcast. Upon receiving a call while at the same time receiving a digital broadcast, a caption within the digital broadcast is decoded and displayed. When the user presses a call start/end button, an analog path is switched to an audio telephone path so as to start a call and the broadcast caption is also decoded and displayed. When the user presses the call start/end button to end a call, the audio path is switched to a digital broadcast audio path, and decoding and display of the broadcast caption is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Ikuma Goto
  • Patent number: 7984384
    Abstract: A user-activatable dashboard (also referred to as a unified interest layer) contains any number of user interface elements, referred to herein as “widgets,” for quick access by a user. In response to a command from a user, the dashboard is invoked and the widgets are shown on the screen. The user can activate the dashboard at any time, causing the dashboard to temporarily replace the existing user interface display on the user's screen. Once the dashboard has been activated, the user can interact with any or all of the widgets, and can configure the dashboard by adding, deleting, moving, or configuring individual widgets as desired. When the user wishes to return to the normal user interface he or she was working with, the user issues a command causing the dashboard to be dismissed. Once the dashboard has been dismissed, the previous user interface state is restored, allowing the user to resume normal interactions with the operating system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Imran A. Chaudhri, John Louch, Andrew M. Grignon, Gregory N. Christie
  • Patent number: 7984338
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an integrated circuit comprises a first processor configured to output program counter (PC) trace records, wherein PC trace records provide data indicating the PCs of instructions retired by the first processor. The integrated circuit further comprises a second source of trace records, and a trace unit coupled to receive the PC trace records from the first processor and the trace records from the second source. The trace unit comprises a trace memory into which the trace unit is configured to store the PC trace records and trace records from the second source. The trace unit is configured to interleave the PC trace records and the trace records from the second source in the trace memory according to the order of receipt of the records.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin R. Walker, John H. Mylius
  • Patent number: 7984385
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes displaying, within a user interface of a digital media system, a bounded region representing at least a portion of a media item, the media item comprising a plurality of frames, determining a position of a cursor within the bounded region, and displaying within the bounded region a frame from among the plurality of frames based on the determined cursor position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Randy Ubillos
  • Patent number: 7983300
    Abstract: For a network that connects several computers, a method of determining the network bandwidth between two computers. The method measures a first time interval between when one of the computers (1) sends a first data set to the other computer and (2) receives a first response. It also measures a second time interval between when one of the computers (1) sends a second data set to the other computer and (2) receives a second response. The method then identifies the network bandwidth from the two measured time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Vaughan, Mythili Devineni
  • Patent number: 7984274
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor comprises a prediction circuit and another circuit coupled to the prediction circuit. The prediction circuit is configured to predict whether or not a first load instruction will experience a partial store to load forward (PSTLF) event during execution. A PSTLF event occurs if a plurality of bytes, accessed responsive to the first load instruction during execution, include at least a first byte updated responsive to a previous uncommitted store operation and also include at least a second byte not updated responsive to the previous uncommitted store operation. Coupled to receive the first load instruction, the circuit is configured to generate one or more load operations responsive to the first load instruction. The load operations are to be executed in the processor to execute the first load instruction, and a number of the load operations is dependent on the prediction by the prediction circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sudarshan Kadambi, Po-Yung Chang, Eric Hao
  • Patent number: 7984065
    Abstract: An integrated searching/browsing mechanism employs user-constructed information hierarchies that represent a cognitive framework for the organization of information. The hierarchies are independent of the information itself. This feature permits them to be shared among multiple users, and applied to any of a variety of different sources of information. The hierarchical organization that is provided by the framework gives the user the ability to browse around any available document database in a manner that is intuitive to the user. Two or more hierarchies can be combined to locate documents which match the criteria of both hierarchies, and thereby refine search results to an appropriate level. A relevance feedback mechanism further enhances the browsing experience, by concentrating the search results in areas that are most relevant to documents selected as being of particular interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Daniel Borovoy, Michael Graves, Michael Robert Hanson, Nagabhushan Rao Machiraju
  • Patent number: 7984317
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for efficiently managing power distribution among the various functional blocks used within portable electronic devices. The method includes allowing each functional block to be independently controlled, containing its own low-level software and power controls for setting the local power state of the functional block. For each power control domain in the implementation, hardware uses these local power states and sets the actual operating state of the power control domain accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David G. Conroy, Timothy J. Millet, Joseph P. Bratt
  • Patent number: 7984377
    Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting media items in a display environment. A plurality of media items are selected. Instances of each of the selected media items are generated. The instances of the selected media items can be scaled and concurrently transitioned through a display environment along one or more paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Ma, Rainer Brodersen, Rachel Clare Goldeen, Mihnea Calin Pacurariu
  • Patent number: 7984320
    Abstract: Computers and other electronic devices typically include a timing operation such as a clock in an operating system. It is anticipated that hackers may tamper with this clock. This tampering might be especially advantage in the context of systems which provide for rental of audio and video content, such as movies. Tampering with the system clock on the playing device would allow an extension of the rental period to the detriment of the provider of the rental content. Hence the present method is directed to detecting clock modifications both in terms of time shifting and clock rate tampering. This detection is done using digital signal processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Pierre Betouin, Mathieu Ciet, Augustin J. Farrugia
  • Patent number: 7982548
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention provide a system that implements a resonant oscillator circuit. This system includes a first inductor with a constant potential terminal coupled to an input voltage, and a time-varying potential terminal coupled to a first phase output. The system also includes a second inductor with a constant potential terminal coupled to the input voltage, and a time-varying potential terminal coupled to a second phase output. The system additionally includes a first n-type transistor with a source terminal coupled to a base voltage, a drain terminal coupled to the first phase output, and a gate terminal coupled to the second phase output. The system also includes a second n-type transistor with a source terminal coupled to the base voltage, a drain terminal coupled to the second phase output, and a gate terminal coupled to the first phase output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: William C. Athas
  • Patent number: 7982796
    Abstract: A computer readable medium for compressing video data with an edit track is provided. Generally, computer readable code for compressing video data is provided. The computer readable code for compressing comprises computer readable code for accessing the edit track to use data in the edit track during the compressing the video data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Michael F. Culbert
  • Publication number: 20110173539
    Abstract: Various techniques for adaptively varying audio feedback data on an electronic device are provided. In one embodiment, an audio user interface implementing certain aspects of the present disclosure may devolve or evolve the verbosity of audio feedback in response to user interface events based at least partially upon the verbosity level of audio feedback provided during previous occurrences of the user interface event. In another embodiment, an audio user interface may be configured to vary the verbosity of audio feedback associated with a navigable list of items based at least partially upon the speed at which a user navigates the list. In a further embodiment, an audio user interface may be configured to vary audio feedback verbosity based upon the contextual importance of a user interface event. Electronic devices implementing the present techniques provide an improved user experience with regard to audio user interfaces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Benjamin Andrew Rottler, Aram Lindahl, Allen Paul Haughay, Jr., Shawn A. Ellis, Policarpo Wood
  • Publication number: 20110172994
    Abstract: This is directed to processing voice inputs received by an electronic device while prompts are provided. In particular, this is directed to providing a sequence of prompts to a user (e.g., voice over prompts) while monitoring for a voice input. When the voice input is received, a characteristic time stamp can be identified for the voice input, and can be compared to periods or windows associated with each of the provided prompts. The electronic device can then determine that the prompt corresponding to a window that includes the characteristic time stamp was the prompt to which the user wished to apply the voice input. The device can process the voice input to extract a user instruction, and apply the instruction to the identified prompt (e.g., and perform an operation associated with the prompt).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2010
    Publication date: July 14, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aram Lindahl, Policarpo Wood
  • Patent number: D641693
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Bartley K. Andre, Jeremy Bataillou, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zorkendorfer
  • Patent number: D641762
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Mike Matas