Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Publication number: 20110051665
    Abstract: A location aware mobile device can include a baseband processor for communicating with one or more communication networks, such as a cellular network or WiFi network. In some implementations, the baseband processor can collect network information (e.g., transmitter IDs) over time. Upon request by a user or application, the network information can be translated to estimated position coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, altitude) of the location aware device for display on a map view or for other purposes. A user or application can query the location history database with a timestamp or other query to retrieve all or part of the location history for display in a map view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Ronald Keryuan Huang
  • Publication number: 20110055582
    Abstract: In the computer data security field, cryptographic hash function processes are embodied in a computer system and may be keyless, but are highly secure. The processes are based on the type of randomness exhibited by the well known game of dominos using a set of tiles arranged by players on a surface. Computation of the hash value (digest) is the result of executing in computer code or logic circuitry an algorithm which models such a domino game using the message as an input to the domino game algorithm, then executing the domino game algorithm. A state of the game algorithm which models the final layout of the pieces (tiles) gives the hash digest value of the message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Benoit CHEVALLIER-MAMES, Mathieu Ciet, Augustin J. Farrugia
  • Publication number: 20110051931
    Abstract: A method and associated apparatus for use in a data distribution process to allow an untrusted intermediary to re-encrypt data for transmission from an originator to a message receiver without revealing the data (message) or the cipher to the intermediary. This method uses a composition of two ciphers for re-encrypting the message at the intermediary, without revealing the plain text message or either cipher to the intermediary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Augustin J. FARRUGIA, Nicholas Sullivan, Gianpaolo Fasoli, Mathieu Ciet
  • Publication number: 20110055407
    Abstract: A portable communication device (PCD) can automatically switch into different operating modes of an asymmetric communication protocol (such as USB) depending on the type of accessory connected. For example, the accessory can signal whether the PCD should operate in a first mode or a second mode using a hardware indicator such as identification resistor across two pins of a multi-pin connector and/or a software indicator such as a command protocol. The PCD can detect the accessory's signal and switch to the operating mode requested by the accessory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory T. Lydon, Lawrence G. Bolton
  • Publication number: 20110054833
    Abstract: Systems and methods for processing motion sensor data using data templates accessible to an electronic device are provided. Each data template may include template sensor data and template event data. Template sensor data of one or more templates may be compared by the electronic device to motion sensor data generated by a motion sensor. A particular template may be distinguished based on the similarity between the motion sensor data and the template sensor data of the particular template. The template event data of the distinguished particular template may then be used to control a function of the electronic device. The motion sensor data and/or the template sensor data may be associated with a user stepping event, and the template event data of the distinguished particular template may then be used to record the occurrence of the stepping event to track a user's workout history.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Andrea Mucignat
  • Publication number: 20110052073
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus are presented for associating a point of interest with a captured image. In one aspect, metadata associated with a digital image can be accessed, the metadata identifying an image capture location. Further, a depth of field corresponding to the digital image can be determined and one or more points of interest can be identified that are located within the determined depth of field. Additionally, one of the one or more identified points of interest can be selected as an image subject and the metadata associated with the digital image can be edited to include data identifying the selected point of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Alexander David Wallace, Tim Cherna, Eric Hanson, Nikhil Bhatt
  • Publication number: 20110054787
    Abstract: A location aware device includes a navigation system and one or more environment sensors. Sensor output(s) are aggregated and used to determine a context for the location aware device. Based on the determined context, context data is generated and provided to a navigation engine where it can be used to determine a navigation solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Robert Mayor, Ronald Keryuan Huang, Patrick Piemonte
  • Publication number: 20110052091
    Abstract: Techniques in accordance with the following disclosure enable digital images to be filtered (smoothed) to reduce noise and, at the same time, preserve the image's underlying structure. In general, image pixels are analyzed to identify those that participate in, or belong to, structure within the image and those that do not. For those pixels determined to be part of the image's structure, the direction of that structure is determined and filtering or smoothing along that direction is provided. Contrast enhancement in a direction perpendicular to the detected edge's direction may also be provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Mark Zimmer
  • Publication number: 20110051360
    Abstract: A handheld computing device is disclosed. The handheld computing device includes a seamless housing formed from an extruded tube. The extruded tube includes open ends and internal rails which serve as a guide for slidably assembling an operational assembly through the open ends of the extruded tube, a reference surface for positioning the operational assembly relative to an access opening in the seamless housing, and a support structure for supporting the operational assembly during use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Teodor Dabov, Phillip M. Hobson, Anthony Montevirgen
  • Publication number: 20110055576
    Abstract: This discloses, in the computer data security field, a cryptographic hash function process embodied in a computer system and which may be keyless, but is highly secure. The process is based on the type of randomness exhibited by a heap or stack of physical objects such as a heap of pieces of fruit and involves modeling the behavior of such a heap when pieces are removed from the heap. Computation of the hash value (digest) is thereby the result of executing a heap model algorithm using the message as an input to initialize the heap, then executing the heap model algorithm which logically models the process of serially removing objects (pieces of fruit) from the heap at various locations in the modeled heap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Augustin J. Farrugia, Benoit Chevallier-Mames, Mathieu Ciet
  • Publication number: 20110053510
    Abstract: Techniques for facilitating interoperation between a portable media device having an RF tuner and an accessory device. In certain embodiments, the portable media device and the accessory can exchange various commands pertaining to the capabilities, state, and/or operation of the tuner. For example, in one set of embodiments the accessory can send one or more commands requesting information about the capabilities of the tuner, and the portable media device can provide the requested capability information. In another set of embodiments, the accessory can send one or more commands requesting execution of a particular action with respect to the tuner, and the portable media device can perform the requested action. In this manner, certain embodiments of the present invention enable a user to control the tuner functionality of the portable media device via the accessory, rather than, e.g., via an input interface located directly on the portable media device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence Bolton, Jason J. Yew
  • Publication number: 20110055284
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for identifying waypoints. In one aspect, a method performed by an application executing on a computer system, includes receiving at least two sets of digital images including a first set of digital images for which image acquisition times are known and a second set of digital images for which image acquisition times and image acquisition locations are known. The method further includes overlaying waypoint identifiers over a map image. The waypoint identifiers correspond to geographical coordinates and to time acquisitions of one or more of the second set of images. Furthermore, the method includes receiving from a user associated with the application a waypoint selection of the overlaid waypoint identifiers and one or more image selections of the first set of images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Alexander David Wallace, Tim Cherna, Eric Hanson, Nikhil Bhatt, Mark Lee Kawano
  • Publication number: 20110051914
    Abstract: A first input signal, which has a first playback sequence, is resequenced based upon a characteristic of a second input signal. The resequencing occurs analyzing the characteristic in the second input signal, and modifying the first playback sequence of the first input signal based upon the analysis of the characteristic to generate a second playback sequence. Finally, a third signal is output using the second playback sequence. The third signal can be a rearranged signal or a signal played at a different rate. Using the method, video ringtones can be generated on a mobile device when a call is received.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Neuman, Brian K. McKnight
  • Publication number: 20110055312
    Abstract: A file is downloaded from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) in a series of byte ranges or chunks collectively making up the entire file. A client computer can request a file from a CDN by first requesting a server address, from a domain name server (DNS), which can facilitate the downloading of a file in chunks, by returning more than one server to service the download request. Alternatively, the DNS server can instruct the client to request each byte range of the file individually from the DNS server so that it can individually direct the request to the most preferable server. Alternatively the server returned by the DNS can redirect requests for a series of ranges to other servers to service the series of byte ranges simultaneously.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Gregor N. Purdy, SR.
  • Publication number: 20110055638
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and computer-readable storage media for annotation driven integrity program verification. The method includes distributing verification calls configured to verify a function across call paths leading to the function in source code, generating a binary from the source code having placeholders associated with the verification calls, and filling each placeholder in the binary with verification data or reference checksums. Alternatively, the method includes receiving source code having a verification call, replacing the verification call with one or more equivalent verification calls distributed over a call path, replacing each verification call with a checksum function generating placeholders while compiling, generating a binary based on the placeholders, and filling each placeholder in the binary with reference checksums. The system includes a processor and a module controlling the processor to perform the methods.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2009
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Julien Lerouge, Ginger M. Myles, Tanya Michelle Lattner, Augustin J. Farrugia
  • Patent number: 7898554
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining an up scale factor and a down scale factor according to a scale factor received from a graphics application program interface (API) to scale a graphics data in a graphics processing unit (GPU) are described. The up scale factor and the down scale factor may be precisely stored in the GPU based on a fixed number of bits. An actual scale factor which can be precisely stored in the GPU corresponding to the scale factor may differ from the scale factor with a difference. Graphics commands may be sent to the GPU to scale the graphics data according to the up scale factor and the down scale factor separately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Loren Brichter, Alexander King-Chung Kan, Michael James Elliott Swift
  • Patent number: 7900156
    Abstract: A method of operating a touch screen to activate one of a plurality of virtual keys is provided. A touch location is determined based on location data pertaining to touch input on the touch screen, wherein the touch input is intended to activate one of the plurality of virtual keys. Each of the plurality of virtual keys has a set of at least one key location corresponding to it. For each of the virtual keys, a parameter (such as physical distance) is determined for that virtual key that relates the touch location and the set of at least one key location corresponding to that virtual key. The determined parameters are processed to determine one of the virtual keys. For example, the determined one virtual key may be the virtual key with a key location (or more than one key location, on average) being closest to the touch location. A signal is generated indicating activation of the determined one of the virtual keys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley K. Andre, Bas Ording, Greg Christie
  • Patent number: 7899952
    Abstract: A method of notifying clients of a change in a USB including a first client requesting notification of a first change in the USB, detecting the first change in the USB, and notifying the first client requesting notification that the first change in the USB occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas C. Clark
  • Patent number: 7899826
    Abstract: Determining a semantic relationship is disclosed. Source content is received. Cluster analysis is performed at least in part by using at least a portion of the source content. At least a portion of a result of the cluster analysis is used to determine the semantic relationship between two or more content elements comprising the source content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Philip Andrew Mansfield, Michael Robert Levy, Yuri Khramov, Darryl Will Fuller
  • Patent number: D633498
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steve Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas B. Satzger, Calvin Q. Seid, Vincent Keane Seid, legal representative, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zorkendorfer