Patents Assigned to Apple
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Publication number: 20080165896Abstract: Systems and methods for self-configuring portable electronic devices are provided. In one embodiment, the portable device includes carrier circuitry that receives compressed data streams of information and application circuitry that decompresses the received data stream in accordance with a specific CODEC. The device includes the capability for the carrier circuitry to provide the specific CODEC required to decompress the data stream to the application circuitry. The transfer of the specific CODEC can be done as a default action or it can be done based on a queue received from the application circuitry.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 26, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventor: Christopher D. McKillop
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Publication number: 20080164056Abstract: Compact sub-assemblies of flexible circuits and drivers are provided. The sub-assemblies can occupy less space in an electronic device than conventional sub-assemblies. In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuits can be attached to or wires can be disposed on portions of the substrate that previously were unoccupied in conventional sub-assemblies. In one or more embodiments, the sub-assemblies of the present invention also can have wires disposed underneath the driver or vary the width of the wires. In one or more embodiments, the sub-assemblies of the present invention also can have composite wires that occupy less space than wires of conventional sub-assemblies, while still maintaining similar energy flux.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.Inventors: Shawn Robert Gettemy, Wei Yao, Barry Corlett
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Publication number: 20080165134Abstract: An embodiment of an improved touch surface controller for controlling a multi-point touch surface such as a touch screen or a touch pad in a computer system is disclosed. The improved touch system controller detects signal capacitance from the pixels in the touch surface digitally, and therefore is easier and simpler to implement then previous approaches relying on analog detection and processing. Specifically, signal capacitance is measured by measuring a number of clock cycles taken to discharge or charge the input node of a comparator. Embodiments of the disclosed touch surface controller are particularly useful in the context of detecting multiple simultaneous touches on the touch surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 8, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: APPLE COMPUTER, INC.Inventor: Christoph H. Krah
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Publication number: 20080165139Abstract: A multi-touch sensor panel is disclosed that can be produced by forming a plurality of first traces of substantially transparent conductive material on a first substrate, forming a plurality of second traces of the substantially transparent material, and creating a fluid-tight gap between the plurality of first traces and the plurality of second traces. The fluid-tight gap can then be filled with a fluid having substantially no bubbles and an optical index similar to the optical index of the first and second traces to make the gap and the first and second traces substantially transparent. The second and first traces can be oriented to cross over each other at crossover locations separated by the fluid, the crossover locations forming mutual capacitance sensors for detecting touches.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Steve Porter Hotelling, Brian Richards Land, Mark Arthur Hamblin
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Publication number: 20080168388Abstract: Systems, apparatus, methods and computer program products are described for automatically resizing or repositioning an area of interest, identifying a portion of a document for display, so that the area of interest aligns with one or more edges of a structural element in the document. A method is provided that includes receiving input to resize (or reposition) an area of interest associated with a clipping of content. The clipping displays a portion of a document corresponding to the area of interest. The document has a plurality of structural elements. A boundary associated with a structural element in the document is determined. The area of interest is automatically resized (or repositioned) based on the boundary.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: APPLE COMPUTER, INC.Inventor: Kevin Decker
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Publication number: 20080164934Abstract: Headset connector systems and headset engaging connector systems are provided. Headset connector systems can include two or more headset connector contact regions. Headset engaging connector systems can include two or more headset engaging contact regions to provide at least one of power and data. The headset connector system or the headset engaging connector system can include switching circuitry electrically coupled to the respective contact regions. The switching circuitry can be operative to determine an interface orientation between the headset connector contact regions and the headset engaging contact regions. The switching circuitry can also be operative to selectively route received signals based on the determined interface orientation. At least a portion of the headset connector system or the headset engaging connector system can be magnetically attractive.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: M. Evans Hankey, Emery A. Sanford, Christopher D. Prest, Daniele De Iuliis, Peter Russell-Clark
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Publication number: 20080166007Abstract: A headset device that includes an earbud housing, a primary housing, a threaded neck, an earbud screw, and a primary housing screw is provided. The earbud housing can include an earbud through-hole and a first neck engaging surface. The primary housing can include a housing through-hole and a second neck engaging surface. The threaded neck can include first and second neck surfaces that can mate, respectively to the first and second neck engaging surface. The earbud screw can fit through the earbud through-hole and can interlock with the threaded neck to fix the earbud housing to the threaded neck. The primary housing screw can fit through the housing through-hole and can interlock with the threaded neck to fix the primary housing to the threaded neck. The threaded neck can include a through-hole for enabling circuitry disposed in the earbud housing to electrically couple to circuitry disposed in the primary housing.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple IncInventors: M. Evans Hankey, Emery A. Sanford
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Publication number: 20080168404Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, a computer-implemented method for use in conjunction with a device with a touch screen display is disclosed. In the method, a movement of an object on or near the touch screen display is detected. In response to detecting the movement, an electronic document displayed on the touch screen display is translated in a first direction. If an edge of the electronic document is reached while translating the electronic document in the first direction while the object is still detected on or near the touch screen display, an area beyond the edge of the document is displayed. After the object is no longer detected on or near the touch screen display, the document is translated in a second direction until the area beyond the edge of the document is no longer displayed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventor: Bas Ording
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Publication number: 20080165157Abstract: Data acquisition from a touch-surface input unit may be disrupted during the generation of radio frequency (“RF”) pulses. To mitigate this problem, touch-surface data acquisition is temporarily halted during RF pulse generation. Data collected prior to temporarily halting is retained, with subsequently acquired data being added to prior collected data.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.Inventors: Jack I-Chieh Fu, Christopher Tenzin Mullens
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Publication number: 20080167091Abstract: Electronic devices are provided with housings that can have smoother profiles and with switch assembly input components with knobs that can move along tracks in directions at least partially offset from the directions of anticipated resistive forces. The housings can include switch assembly input components with knobs that may move along linear tracks and switch assembly input components with knobs that may move along curved tracks.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Erik L. Wang, Tang Yew Tan, Adam Duckworth Mittleman, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Philip Michael Hobson, Andrew Lewis Johnston
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Publication number: 20080165255Abstract: Rolling gestures on a touch sensitive surface of a device can be used to control the device or to remotely control another device. The device detects a roll, determines a parameter of the roll and performs an operation relating to the device or the other device based on the determined parameter. The touch sensitive surface of the device can be positioned on the device to enable a set of gestures for configuring the operation of the device, for operating the device and for enabling additional gestures for operating the device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 13, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventors: Greg Christie, Wayne Carl Westerman
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Publication number: 20080167094Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for media devices including a housing, a frame disposed adjacent to the housing, a support panel that is integrated with the frame, and a flexible circuit that is disposed adjacent to the support panel such that the support panel provides support for the flexible circuit.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 5, 2007Publication date: July 10, 2008Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.Inventors: Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Tang Yew Tan, Erik L. Wang, Philip Michael Hobson
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Patent number: 7397164Abstract: A cooling device of an electronic component. The cooling device comprises a carrier having one or more openings, a piezoelectric member moveably disposed in one of the openings, a plurality of conductive wires disposed within the carrier and extending into the openings, wherein one or more conductive wires being coupled to the piezoelectric member, and an interconnecting member connecting the conductive wires to a power source, wherein when power is supplied, the piezoelectric member vibrates to circulate air and dissipate heat.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2004Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventor: Ihab A. Ali
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Patent number: 7397964Abstract: A Gaussian blur approximation is applied to an image by repeated down-sampling operations followed by an up-sample operation. By using a truncated Gaussian filter as the down-sample filter, the frequency spectrum removed during down-sampling operations closely approximates the frequency spectrum lost during a true Gaussian blur operation. While any “good” up-sample filter may be used, up-sampling via linear interpolation may be especially beneficial in systems having a dedicated graphics processing unit. One benefit of the described technique is that it is computationally less costly to implement than a Gaussian blur. Another benefit is that this computational benefit increases as the size of the blur increases—becoming significant even for small blurs. Yet another benefit of the invention is that a judicious selection of pixel address to convolve with the filter leads to substantially reduced number of texture lookups required to effect a convolution.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2004Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Ralph Brunner, Kok Chen, John Harper
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Patent number: 7397495Abstract: A video conferencing system having video and/or audio capture device for video and audio communications is disclosed. The video and audio capture device may include one or more switches for securely activating and deactivating the device. Furthermore, an indicator may be hard-wired to the video and/or audio components so to provide a true indication of when these components are on and off. The video and audio capture device may also be integrated into a single unit.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2003Date of Patent: July 8, 2008Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Muthya K. Girish, Jay Fredrick Hamlin
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Publication number: 20080158146Abstract: Techniques for identifying irregular objects in contact with, or in close proximity to, a touch-surface are described. An irregularity measure is determined based on the regions intrinsic characteristics (e.g., energy content) rather than on the shape (or pattern) of the pixels within the region.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2007Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.Inventor: Wayne Carl Westerman
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Publication number: 20080158170Abstract: Multi-event input systems, methods, and devices for use in connection with touch-sensitive electronic devices are disclosed. In accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a third state called “hover” can be achieved on a touch-base user interface device in addition to the states of pointer down and pointer up. In an embodiment involving a capacitive touch-sensing surface, one way to achieve the third state is for the user to contact the touchpad or touch screen with a non-flesh part of a finger, such as a fingernail, rather than the fleshy part of a finger. In other embodiments, the non-flesh part may comprise an electrically insulative layer covering a portion of a finger. The third state enables an adjunct system's user interface to achieve active navigation around the screen in a pointer-up (or left-up) input tool condition. One result is that mouseover pop-ups can be used on touch screen devices. Another result is that tooltips can be used on touch screen devices.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2007Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: APPLE COMPUTER, INC.Inventors: SCOTT M. HERZ, Roberto G. Yepez, Wayne Carl Westerman
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Publication number: 20080158176Abstract: Normalization of regions of a sensor panel capable of detecting multi-touch events, or a sensor panel capable of detecting multi-hover events, is disclosed to enable each sensor in the sensor panel to trigger a virtual button in a similar manner, given the same amount of touch or hover. Each sensor produces an output value proportional to the level or amount of touch or hover. However, due to processing, manufacturing and physical design differences, the sensor output values can vary from region to region or panel to panel for a given amount of touch or hover. To normalize the sensor output values across regions, gain and offset information can be obtained in advance, stored in nonvolatile memory, and later used to normalize the sensor output values so that all regions in the sensor panel can trigger virtual buttons similarly, providing a uniform “response function” at any location on the sensor panel.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2007Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: Apple Computer, Inc.Inventors: Brian Richards Land, Steven Porter Hotelling, Richard Wei Kwang Lim
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Publication number: 20080162996Abstract: A system and method for autonomously scanning a sensor panel device, such as a multi-touch panel, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system and method disables a sensor panel processor after a first predetermined amount of time has elapsed without the sensor panel device sensing any events. One or more system clocks can also be disabled to conserve power. While the processor and one or more system clocks are disabled, the sensor panel device can periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel for touch activity. Accordingly, if one or more results from the autonomous scans exceed a threshold, the sensor panel device re-enables the processor and one or more clocks to actively scan the sensor panel. If the threshold is not exceeded, then the sensor panel device continues to periodically autonomously scan the sensor panel without intervention from the processor. Furthermore, the sensor panel device can periodically perform calibration functions to account for any drift that may be present in the system.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2007Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: Apple, Inc.Inventors: Christoph Horst Krah, Minh-Dieu Thi Vu, Thomas James Wilson
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Publication number: 20080157867Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to processing an incoming signal by using a demodulation signal, while controlling the phase of the demodulation signal in relation to the incoming signal. The incoming signal can be processed by being mixed with the modulation signal at a mixer. The mixing may thus cause various beneficial modifications of the incoming signal, such as noise suppression of the incoming signal, rectification of the incoming signal, demodulation of the incoming signal, etc.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 3, 2007Publication date: July 3, 2008Applicant: Apple Inc.Inventor: Christoph Horst Krah