Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 11921992
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to methods and user interfaces for managing watch face user interfaces. In some embodiments, methods and user interfaces for managing watch faces based on depth data of a previously captured media item are described. In some embodiments, methods and user interfaces for managing clock faces based on geographic data are described. In some embodiments, methods and user interfaces for managing clock faces based on state information of a computer system are described. In some embodiments, methods and user interfaces related to the management of time are described. In some embodiments, methods and user interfaces for editing user interfaces based on depth data of a previously captured media item are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin W. Chen, Giovanni Agnoli, Graham R. Clarke, Aurelio Guzman, David A. Schimon, Andre Souza Dos Santos
  • Patent number: 11924440
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes techniques for coding and decoding video in which a plurality of coding hypotheses are developed for an input pixel block of frame content. Each coding hypothesis may include generation of prediction data for the input pixel block according to a respective prediction search. The input pixel block may be coded with reference to a prediction block formed from prediction data derived according to plurality of hypotheses. Data of the coded pixel block may be transmitted to a decoder along with data identifying a number of the hypotheses used during the coding to a channel. At a decoder, an inverse process may be performed, which may include generation of a counterpart prediction block from prediction data derived according to the hypothesis identified with the coded pixel block data, then decoding of the coded pixel block according to the prediction data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Alexandros Michael Tourapis, Yeping Su, David Singer, Hsi-Jung Wu
  • Patent number: 11924832
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and circuitries are provided for performing sidelink communication. An example method generates SCI stage 1 and stage 2 for transmitting a transport block (TB) to a user equipment device (UE). The method includes determining the type of sidelink communication for transmitting the TB. An SCI stage 2 format is selected based on the type of sidelink communication. An SCI stage 2 payload is encoded in accordance with the selected SCI stage 2 format. The selected SCI stage 2 format value is encoded in an SCI stage 1 payload. The SCI stage 1 payload and SCI stage 2 payload are transmitted to the UE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chunhai Yao, Chunxuan Ye, Wei Zeng, Yushu Zhang, Oghenekome Oteri, Weidong Yang, Hong He, Haitong Sun, Yang Tang, Jie Cui, Yuchul Kim, Dawei Zhang, Jia Tang
  • Patent number: 11921993
    Abstract: At a computer system, display a first user interface that includes a placement location that is configured to spatially accommodate a respective user interface object of a plurality of user interface objects corresponding to different applications. The plurality of user interface objects includes a first user interface object corresponding to a first application, and a second user interface object corresponding to a second application different from the first application. The first user interface object corresponding to the first application is displayed at the placement location. The computer system detects an occurrence of an event associated with a change in status of the second application corresponding to the second user interface object. In response, the first user interface object is ceased to be displayed at the placement location, and the first user interface with the second user interface object is displayed at the placement location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: William M. Tyler, Caelan G. Stack, Craig M. Federighi
  • Patent number: 11924892
    Abstract: Techniques for random access (RA) in a cellular internet-of-things (CIOT) are discussed. An example apparatus configured to be employed within a User Equipment (UE), comprises a receiver circuitry, a processor, and transmitter circuitry. The receiver circuitry is configured to receive RA resource allocation information via one of a system information message or a downlink control information (DCI) message. The processor is operably coupled to the receiver circuitry and configured to: select a RA preamble sequence; generate a payload; and spread the payload via a spreading sequence. The transmitter circuitry is configured to transmit, based on the RA resource allocation information, a RA message comprising the RA preamble sequence and the payload, wherein the RA message is transmitted in a RA slot. The receiver circuitry is further configured to receive a response comprising a device identity of the UE and one of an uplink (UL) grant or a RA reject message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kathiravetpillai Sivanesan, Yaser M. Fouad, Vesh Raj Sharma Banjade, Joonbeom Kim, Balkan Kecicioglu, Rath Vannithamby
  • Patent number: 11924055
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display system and control circuitry. The user's environment may be presented on the display system. The environment on the display system may be a captured image of the environment, may be the actual real world viewed through an optical combiner, or may be a completely virtual image representing the environment. The control circuitry may gather information about external electronic devices in the user's environment, including determining a type and location of each external electronic device and a status of wireless communications links between external electronic devices. The display system may overlay computer-generated display elements onto the user's environment to indicate the status of wireless communications links between the external electronic devices. In response to touch or gesture input, the control circuitry may send control signals to the external electronic devices to establish or break wireless communications links between external electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Colin M. Ely, Erik G. de Jong, Stephen Brian Lynch, Fletcher R. Rothkopf
  • Patent number: 11918324
    Abstract: A pulse transit time is measured non-invasively and used to calculate a blood pressure value. A method of determining one or more blood pressure values includes propagating an alternating drive current through a thorax of a subject via electrodes located on a wrist-worn device. Resulting voltage levels of the subject are sensed by the wrist-worn device. The voltage levels are processed to detect when a volume of blood is ejected from the left ventricle. Output from a pulse arrival sensor coupled to the wrist-worn device is processed to detect when a blood pressure pulse generated by ejection of the volume of blood from the left ventricle arrives at the wrist. A pulse transit time (PTT) for transit of the blood pressure pulse from the left ventricle to the wrist is calculated. One or more blood pressure values for the subject are determined based on the PTT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Sullivan, Wren Nancy Dougherty, Richard C. Kimoto, Erno Klaassen, Ravi K. Narasimhan, Stephen J. Waydo, Todd K. Whitehurst, Derek Park-Shing Young, Santiago Quijano, Zijing Zeng
  • Patent number: 11923621
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array on an antenna module. The array may include low band antennas and high band antennas that radiate at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The module may include antenna layers, transmission line layers, and ground traces that separate the antenna layers from the transmission line layers. The low band antennas and the high band antennas may have radiators patterned onto the antenna layers. The radiators may be fed by transmission lines on the transmission line layers. The antenna layers may have a dielectric permittivity that is greater than the dielectric permittivity of the transmission line layers. This may serve to reduce the lateral footprint of the low band and high band antennas, which allows the antennas to be interleaved along a common linear axis in the phased antenna array, thereby minimizing the lateral footprint of the antenna module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jiangfeng Wu, Siwen Yong, Simon G. Begashaw, Yi Jiang, Lijun Zhang
  • Patent number: 11924732
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for emergency communications (e.g., voice calls and/or SMS messages) for UE's without cellular coverage (e.g., in non-cellular coverage). A UE may establish, while out of range of cellular service, a peer-to-peer communication session with a relay UE using a channel in an unlicensed frequency band. The UE may transmit, using the peer-to-peer communication session, an emergency notification to the relay UE. The emergency notification may include an approximate location of the UE. Further the UE may communicate with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), where the communications may be relayed between the UE and the PSAP by the relay UE. The approximate location of the UE may be based, at least in part, on a location of the relay UE and determining the approximate location of the UE may include performing a ranging procedure with the relay UE.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Babar Qaisrani, Biljana Badic, Gaurav Lamba, Krisztian Kiss, Mona Agnel, Rafael L Rivera-Barreto, Rohan C Malthankar, Sudeep Manithara Vamanan, Vijay Venkataraman
  • Patent number: 11921980
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for displaying notifications received from multiple applications. In some embodiments, an electronic device can monitor notifications that are received from the multiple applications. Responsive to receiving the notifications, the electronic device can control the manner in which the notifications are displayed while the device is operating in a locked or an unlocked state. In some embodiments, the electronic device can allow users to customize how notifications are to be displayed while the device is in the locked and/or unlocked states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Imran Chaudhri, Eliza Block
  • Patent number: 11922588
    Abstract: To reduce this amount of bandwidth needed to share 3D map images between mobile devices, according to some embodiments, a user's mobile device (i.e., a host device) may identify its origin in a 3D map and a current virtual camera position relative to the origin based on the physical position of the mobile device. The mobile device may send both the origin and the virtual camera position to another mobile device (i.e., a client device) for use in rendering a corresponding image. Separately, the client device may download the 3D map images from a server, e.g., in preparation for a meeting. In this manner, the host device may send the origin to the client device once, as well as send a data stream of the current virtual camera position for use in accessing the corresponding 3D map images at the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan L. Fillhardt, Syed Mohsin Hasan, Adrian P. Lindberg
  • Patent number: 11922590
    Abstract: A computer system displays a first view of a three-dimensional environment, including a first user interface object having a first surface at a first position in the three-dimensional environment. While displaying the first view of the three-dimensional environment, the computer system detects a change in biometric data of a first user, and in response, changes an appearance of the first surface in the first user interface object in accordance with the change in biometric data of the first user. While displaying the first user interface object with the appearance that has been changed based on the change in the biometric data of the first user, the computer system detects first movement of the first user, and in response, changes the appearance of the first user interface object in accordance with the first movement of the first user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Philipp Rockel, Dorian D. Dargan, Gary I. Butcher
  • Patent number: 11924132
    Abstract: A communication device comprises a receiver including at least two receive antennas and configured to receive at least one reference signal of a plurality of reference signals, each reference signal being transmitted from at least one base station at a predefined reference signal transmission time; a controller configured to switch between at least two receive configurations of the at least two antennas during a reception period of the at least one reference signal; and a signal quality determiner configured to determine a parameter indicative of a first signal quality of the received reference signal for each receive configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhibin Yu, Michael Ruder, Holger Neuhaus, Yeong-Sun Hwang, Bertram Gunzelmann
  • Patent number: 11924317
    Abstract: A method performed by a first electronic device. The method generates, at the first electronic device that is sharing a global clock with a second electronic device, a first timebase information that includes a first timebase that defines a relationship between the shared clock and an internal clock of the first electronic device, the first timebase information for synchronizing playback of a first piece of media content associated with a first application between the first and second electronic devices. The method receives, from a second application, a second timebase information that includes a second timebase that defines a relationship between the first timebase and a second piece of media content, generates a third timebase information that includes the first timebase and the second timebase, and transmits the third timebase information to the second electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen E. Pinto, Yasser Rihan
  • Patent number: 11921368
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display. The display may be overlapped by an antiglare film. The antiglare film may have a rough surface to diffuse incident light, thereby reducing glare. Additionally, the antiglare film may have a smooth portion that forms a transparent window and allows light to pass through undiffused. The electronic device may include a light-based component, such as a camera, that receives undiffused light through the transparent window. By overlapping the light-based component with the transparent window, the light-based component may receive the light in an unimpeded manner, thereby making more accurate measurements of the light. The display may have one or more display layers, such as opaque masking layers or polarizers, with openings that are aligned with the transparent window. The light-based component may receive the light through these openings so that the light is not absorbed or polarized before reaching the component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhijian Lu, Jun Qi, Xiangtong Li, Xinyu Zhu
  • Patent number: 11923845
    Abstract: A level shifter circuit is disclosed. The level shifter includes an input circuit configured to receive an input signal generated using a first power supply voltage level and generate, using the first power supply voltage level, a first control signal and a second control signal using the input signal. The level shifter further includes a shifter circuit configured to generate a first shifted signal and a second shifted signal using the first control signal, the second control signal, and second power supply voltage level different than the first power supply voltage level, and a selection circuit configured to select, using a value of a previous output signal and the second power supply voltage level, one of the first shifted signal or the second shifted signal to generate a current output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Frank M. Kronmüller, Mahir Uka, Amedeo Bertone
  • Patent number: 11922518
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to contact management and communication with contacts. On a portable electronic device having a display a plurality of affordances associated with a plurality of contacts are displayed. A first user input is received selecting a first affordance of the plurality of affordances for a first contact of the plurality of contacts. In response to receiving the first user input and in accordance with a determination that a first communication application is in a set of communication applications installed on the portable electronic device, a contact information interface is displayed for the first contact. The contact information interface includes a first contact identification field for the first contact. The first contact identification field is associated with the first contact and the first communication application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marcel Van Os, Sebastian Bauer, Tiffany S. Jon, Nicole R. Ryan
  • Patent number: 11923702
    Abstract: Methods and devices useful in performing magneto-inductive charging and communication in the absence of a cellular and/or internet network connection are provided. By way of example, an electronic device includes inductive charging and communication circuitry configured to receive a signal configured to induce a charging function based at least in part on an inductive coil coupled to the inductive charging and communication circuitry. Inducing the charging function includes charging an energy storage component of the electronic device. The inductive charging and communication circuitry is also configured receive an indication to switch from the charging function to a communication function. The communication function is based at least in part on the inductive coil. The inductive charging and communication circuitry is further configured establish a communication link between the electronic device using the inductive coil to transmit and receive communication signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andro Radchenko, Federico P. Centola, Vaneet Pathak
  • Patent number: 11921259
    Abstract: An electronic device includes electrical components in a housing. The components may include optical components such as a display. Protective structures may be used to protect the optical components. The protective structures may include one or more protective transparent layers such as layers of glass or crystalline material such as sapphire. The protective transparent layers may be coated with an oleophobic coating. To enhance coating durability, catalyst may be used to help bond the oleophobic coating. An adhesion promotion layer such as a silicon oxide layer may be deposited on the transparent protective layer. A catalyst layer such as a layer of sodium fluoride may be deposited on the adhesion promotion layer. The oleophobic material may be evaporated or otherwise deposited on the catalyst layer. Heat and moisture may help the oleophobic material form chemical bonds with the adhesion promotion layer, thereby forming a durable oleophobic coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Manish Mittal, Feng Liu, Kenji Ishizeki, Matthew S. Rogers, Naoto Matsuyuki, Wolf Oetting
  • Patent number: D1016842
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Lee Broughton, Kevin Will Chen, Alan C. Dye, Christopher Wilson, Eric Lance Wilson