Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 11617039
    Abstract: A planar magnetic driver including a radiating surface having a trace-free central region is described. The driver has a magnet defining an acoustic opening on a central axis. A diaphragm of the planar magnetic driver is held by mounts having a mounting profile around the central axis, and the diaphragm includes a radiating surface facing the acoustic opening. An innermost conductive trace on the diaphragm extends around a central region of the radiating surface within a magnetic flux of the magnet such that no conductive traces are on the central region. A radial distance between the innermost conductive trace and the mounting profile is less than another radial distance between the innermost conductive trace and the central axis. Accordingly, an excursion range of the diaphragm along the central axis is greater than a gap distance between the conductive trace and the magnet. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Onur I. Ilkorur, Miikka O. Tikander, Christopher Wilk, Bonnie W. Tom
  • Patent number: 11615579
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that changes a surface attribute of a first object to include a surface attribute of a second object at an intersection of the two objects. For example, changing a surface attribute may include identifying an intersection between a displayed first object and a displayed second object in a graphical environment, determining whether the graphical environment is operating in a first mode or a different second mode in accordance with a determination that the graphical environment is operating in the first mode, responsive to the intersection between the displayed first object and the displayed second object identifying a portion of the first object where in the identified portion is intersecting the second object and changing a surface attribute of the portion of the first object to include a surface attribute of the second object at the intersection including the surface attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Eric G. Thivierge
  • Patent number: 11617026
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to processing of pixels captured by a quadra image sensor. A quadra image sensor includes a plurality of pixel tiles, each having a plurality of pixels corresponding to the same color. A lens shading correction (LSC) circuit receives, for each of a plurality of colors, a set of gain tables. Each gain table corresponds to a different channel associated with the color. Each gain table includes a set of gain values, each associated with a location. The LSC circuit determines a pixel gain value for each pixel in a pixel tile and scales the pixels in the pixel tile based on the determined pixel gain values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chihsin Wu, David R Pope, Sheng Lin
  • Patent number: 11614674
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a camera with folded optics and lens shifting capabilities. In some examples, a folded optics arrangement of the camera may include one or more lens elements and one or more light path folding elements (e.g., a prism). Some embodiments include voice coil motor (VCM) actuator arrangements, carrier arrangements, and/or suspension arrangements to provide autofocus (AF) and/or optical image stabilization (OIS) movement. Furthermore, some embodiments include position sensor arrangements for position sensing with respect to AF and/or OIS movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alfred N. Mireault, Scott W. Miller
  • Patent number: 11616596
    Abstract: A cellular modem processor can include dedicated processing engines that implement specific, complex data processing operations. To implement physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) decoding, a cellular modem can include a pipeline having multiple processing engines, with the processing engine including functional units that execute instructions corresponding to different stages in the PDSCH decoding process. Flow control and data synchronization between instructions can be provided using a hybrid of firmware-based flow control and hardware-based data dependency management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thirunathan Sutharsan, Mohanned Omar Sinnokrot
  • Patent number: 11615727
    Abstract: In an embodiment, an electronic device includes an electronic display. The electronic display provides a programmable latency period in response to receiving a first image frame corresponding to first image frame data. The electronic display also displays the first image frame after the programmable latency period and during display of the first image frame, receives a second image frame corresponding to second image frame data. The electronic display also repeats display of the first image frame in response to receiving the second image frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin W. Sliech, Jason N. Gomez, David A. Hartley, Chengrui Le, Paolo Sacchetto, Arthur L. Spence
  • Patent number: 11614839
    Abstract: In some examples, a touch screen can include touch electrodes that can function as drive (Tx) electrodes and sense (Rx) electrodes during a touch sensing operation of the electronic device. The drive electrodes can include +Tx electrodes and ?Tx electrodes that can receive drive signals that can have the same amplitude and frequency and opposite phases, for example. In some examples, the surface areas of the +Tx electrodes and the ?Tx electrodes can be the same and the distances of the +Tx electrodes and ?Tx electrodes from the Rx electrodes can be different. In some examples, the total charge coupled to a proximate or touching object can be zero, which can mitigate problems associated with ungrounded or poorly grounded objects in contact with the touch screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: William Matthew Pender Paul, Christoph H. Krah, Bin Huang, Stanley Bo-Ting Wang
  • Patent number: 11615388
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a method for determining whether a subscription for using digital content on a user device has elapsed. The method compares a first collision free image of a first set of entities in the user device with a second collision free image for a second set of entities in the user device at a second instance in time. Based on the comparison, the method determines whether the subscription has elapsed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Augustin J. Farrugia, Gianpaolo Fasoli
  • Patent number: 11614819
    Abstract: A system may include a display driven using display driving circuitry to present an image via pixels. The display driving circuitry may include a sensor core compatible with one or more strain sensing circuits. The same sensor core may be used by a control system of the display to sense a stress applied to a strained region of a display using a current divider sensing circuit and/or a Wheatstone bridge sensing circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhen Zhang, Baris Cagdaser, Chieh-Chien Lin, Derek Keith Shaeffer, Jesse Aaron Richmond, Suoming Zhang
  • Patent number: 11616899
    Abstract: A camera system may include one or more controllers to perform in-field monitoring of autofocus performance and instability mitigation. The controllers may monitor one or more parameters associated with adjustment of a relative position between a lens group and an image sensor and/or one or more images. The controllers may analyze the parameters and/or images to calculate various metrics. The controllers may evaluate the metrics with respect to corresponding thresholds. The controllers may detect, based at least in part of the evaluation the metrics, one or more instability events associated with controller performance degradation. In response to detecting the instability events, the controllers may perform one or more remedial actions to mitigate the controller performance degradation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Abhishek Dhanda, Yunfeng Li, Santiago Alban, Andrew D. Fernandez
  • Patent number: 11616765
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide a privacy mechanism to protect user data when transmitting the data to a server that estimates a p-th frequency moment, Fp for p?[1, 2] and p low-rank approximation for p?[1, 2). The privacy mechanism uses an encode-shuffle then analyze (ESA) framework that provides a compromise between the central and local model of privacy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Jalaj Kumar Upadhyay
  • Patent number: 11612226
    Abstract: A case for a round electronic device may have a device holding portion and an attachment portion for attaching the case to an item such as a suitcase or a key chain. The case may include upper and lower case portions that form a pocket. On a first side of the pocket, the upper and lower case portions may be stitched together or may be integrally formed. On a second side of the pocket, a snap may attach the upper case portion to the lower case portion and may be opened to provide access to the pocket. The attachment portion may have an opening for attaching the case to a key ring, suitcase, or other item. The case may include leather, polymer, and/or fabric. Openings may be surrounded by reinforcement material such as strands of non-elastic material. Snaps may be flush with surrounding portions of the case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tirshathah A. Hunter, Seul Bi Kim, Nicholas A. Treadwell, Johan E. Lyon, Erik G. de Jong
  • Patent number: 11614922
    Abstract: The subject technology transforms a machine learning model into a transformed machine learning model in accordance with a particular model specification when the machine learning model does not conform to the particular model specification, the particular model specification being compatible with an integrated development environment (IDE). The subject technology generates a code interface and code for the transformed machine learning model, the code interface including code statements in the object oriented programming language, the code statements corresponding to an object representing the transformed machine learning model. Further, the subject technology provides the generated code interface and the code for display in the IDE, the IDE enabling modifying of the generated code interface and the code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander B. Brown, Michael R. Siracusa, Gaurav Kapoor, Elizabeth Ottens, Christopher M. Hanson, Zachary A. Nation, Vrushali Mundhe, Srikrishna Sridhar
  • Patent number: 11616896
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, a portable electronic device is described. The portable electronic device includes a housing member defining an external sidewall, a first glass cover and a second glass cover, where the second glass cover includes a first region having a first exterior surface, a second region having a second exterior surface vertically displaced from the first exterior surface, where the second region includes a first opening, a second opening, and a third opening, and a transition region having an exterior surface that extends between the first exterior surface to the second exterior surface. The portable electronic device further includes a first camera module disposed within the first opening, a second camera module disposed within the second opening, a strobe module disposed within the third opening, and a trim structure having an edge that overlays the second region of the second glass cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jody R. Akana, Molly Anderson, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Marine C. Bataille, Jeremy Bataillou, Markus Diebel, M. Evans Hankey, Julian Hoenig, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Julian Jaede, Duncan Robert Kerr, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Mikael Silvanto, Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Patent number: 11615595
    Abstract: A first electronic device with one or more processors, memory, one or more cameras, and a display generation component captures, with the one or more cameras, an image of a second electronic device that includes position information displayed via a display generation component of the second electronic device. The position information indicates a location of the second electronic device within an augmented reality environment that includes a physical environment in which the first electronic device and the second electronic device are located. The first electronic device, after capturing the image of the second electronic device that includes the position information, displays, via the display generation component of the first electronic device, one or more virtual objects within the augmented reality (AR) environment using the position information captured from the second electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Praveen Sharma, Fiona P. O'Leary, Joseph A. Malia
  • Patent number: 11612975
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a glass housing structures. The glass housing structures may be used to cover a display and other internal electronic device components. The glass housing structure may have multiple glass pieces that are joined using a glass fusing process. A peripheral glass member may be fused along the edge of a planar glass member to enhance the thickness of the edge. A rounded edge feature may be formed by machining the thickened edge. Raised fused glass features may surround openings in the planar glass member. Multiple planar glass members may be fused together to form a five-sided box in which electronic components may be mounted. Raised support structure ribs may be formed by fusing glass structures to a planar glass member. Opaque masking material and colored glass may be used to create portions of the glass housing structures that hide internal device components from view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Peter N. Russell-Clarke, Jonathan P. Ive, Michael K. Pilliod
  • Patent number: 11616680
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to techniques for supporting narrowband device-to-device wireless communication, including possible techniques for providing synchronization sequences. A first wireless device may transmit a preamble of a device-to-device wireless communication with a second wireless device. The preamble may include a first synchronization sequence. The first synchronization sequence may include multiple repetitions of a basis sequence, multiplied by a cover code. The basis sequence may span multiple orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbols.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yang Li, Tianyan Pu, Li Su, Zhu Ji
  • Patent number: 11617022
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to user interfaces for displaying representations of media (an image, video).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Behkish J. Manzari, Graham R. Clarke, Andre Souza Dos Santos, Mani Amini, Alan C. Dye
  • Patent number: D982005
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Molly Anderson, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Marine C. Bataille, Jeremy Bataillou, Abidur Rahman Chowdhury, Clara Geneviève Marine Courtaigne, Markus Diebel, Jonathan Gomez Garcia, M. Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Julian Jaede, Duncan Robert Kerr, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Joe Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang
  • Patent number: D982006
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Molly Anderson, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Marine C. Bataille, Jeremy Bataillou, Abidur Rahman Chowdhury, Clara Geneviève Marine Courtaigne, Markus Diebel, Jonathan Gomez Garcia, M. Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Julian Jaede, Duncan Robert Kerr, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Joe Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang