Abstract: An example method includes, at an electronic device: receiving an indication of a notification; in accordance with receiving the indication of the notification: obtaining one or more data streams from one or more sensors; determining, based on the one or more data streams, whether a user associated with the electronic device is speaking; and in accordance with a determination that the user is not speaking: causing an output associated with the notification to be provided.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 19, 2019
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
William M. York, Rebecca P. Fish, Gagan A. Gupta, Xinyuan Huang, Heriberto Nieto, Benjamin S. Phipps, Kurt Piersol
Abstract: A head-mounted device can effectively manage heat while also managing noise output levels in a manner that preserves the user's desired experience with the head-mounted device. The head-mounted device can manage sound levels of a cooling system based on detected a sound level of ambient noise in a vicinity of the head-mounted device. For example, the head-mounted device can operate a fan at a speed that produces noise at a sound level that is low enough to be masked by the ambient noise perceived by the user. By further example, the sound level of a cooling system can be based on a sound level of a speaker of the head-mounted device providing audio to the user. By further example, other operational parameters of a cooling system can be controlled to manage noise at a sound level that is sufficiently low.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 24, 2020
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Edward S. Huo, Trevor J. Ness, Sivesh Selvakumar, Anna V. Mirabella, Phil M. Hobson
Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for secure authentication for accessing remote resources are disclosed. In some implementations, a user is authenticated for a first time on an interface using a first communications channel; the user is authenticated a second time on the interface using a second communications channel; access privileges are determined based on authenticating the user for the second time; and a random Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is generated based on the access privileges, where the random URL is single-use and indirectly associated with a requested resource.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 10, 2018
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Anton Franz Linecker, Yuval Kossovsky, Martin Libich
Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe configuration and use of sub-physical resource block allocation for physical uplink shared channel and demodulation reference signals. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
Abstract: An accessory device for a portable electronic device is described. The accessory device includes a front cover connected to a back cover. The front cover includes multiple segments rotatable with respect to each other. The segments include magnets that allow the segments, through magnetic coupling, to couple with another segment or with the portable electronic device. When the front cover engages the back cover, a user may remove, or pull away, a segment from the back cover, causing the remaining segments to sequentially fall away from the back cover. In some instances, when the front cover at least partially engages the back cover, one of the segments includes magnets designed to couple with magnets in the back cover, but not with magnets in another segment. The accessory device may further include an opening that receives a camera assembly of the portable electronic device and forms a mechanical interlock.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 15, 2019
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
James A. Stryker, Caitlin M. Mclain, Travis C. Pedley, Nicholas A. Treadwell, Hao Zhu, Yang Zhou
Abstract: Various implementations provided herein provide content on an optical see-through display using enhanced local contrast. In some implementations, the enhanced local contrast may be used to provide an apparent reduction in brightness (e.g., a shadow) or other visual effect. For example, the appearance of a virtual shadow of a virtual cup on a real table of a physical environment can be provided even though the brightness of the table cannot be reduced. The appearance of the shadow may be provided by selectively enhancing contrast that the user cognitively interprets to see a relatively “darker” area where the shadow should be (e.g., via an optical illusion/effect).
Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to wireless transmission energy budgets. In some embodiments, an apparatus is configured to determine wireless transmission energy budget for a plurality of time periods. In some embodiments, the apparatus determines budget differently depending on whether it is in a thermal mode or a peak power mode. In some embodiments, the apparatus blanks scheduled wireless transmissions that intersect with the battery signal. In some embodiments, for a time interval subsequent to assertion of the battery signal, the apparatus operates in the peak power mode and determines energy budget for periods based on an amount of energy used for wireless transmissions in a most recent period in which transmissions were blanked in response to the battery signal. In some embodiments, in the thermal mode, the energy budget is based on thermal information for the apparatus, but may also allow carryover of unused budget from previous periods.
Abstract: An apparatus includes an integrated circuit that includes an in-circuit power switch coupled to a power supply node, a functional circuit coupled between the in-circuit power switch and a ground node, a test circuit, and a test power switch coupled to the test circuit, wherein the test power switch is a replica of the in-circuit power switch. The test circuit is configured to determine characteristics of the test power switch, and to measure a voltage difference across the in-circuit power switch. The test circuit is also configured to use the characteristics of the test power switch and the voltage difference to determine a power consumption of the functional circuit.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
June 19, 2020
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Ke Yun, Weibiao Zhang, Bruno W. Garlepp, Gin S. Yee
Abstract: A circuit for generating a radio frequency signal is provided. The circuit includes an amplifier configured to generate a radio frequency signal based on a baseband signal. Further, the circuit includes a power supply configured to generate a variable supply voltage based on a control signal indicating a desired supply voltage, and to supply the variable supply voltage to the amplifier. The circuit further includes an envelope tracking circuit configured to generate the control signal based on a bandwidth of the baseband signal, and to supply the control signal to the power supply.
Abstract: This application relates to an enclosure for a portable electronic device. The enclosure includes an aluminum alloy substrate and an anodized layer overlaying and formed from the aluminum alloy substrate, wherein the anodized layer has an external surface that has a concentration of zinc that is between about 3 wt % to about 7 wt %.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
March 21, 2019
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
James A. Curran, Rohit G. Puranik, Shi Hua Zhang, James A. Dean, Karin H. Rasmussen
Abstract: A digital signal processing method for ambient sound acoustic dosimetry. Strength of a microphone signal generated by a watch worn by a user is determined and converted into a sound sample having units for sound noise exposure. This is repeated multiple times to produce a time sequence of sound samples that is written to a secure database access to which is authorized by the user. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 11, 2020
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
APPLE INC.
Inventors:
Jakub Mazur, Tyrone T. Chen, Hang Zhang
Abstract: An electronic device with a fan assembly is disclosed. The fan assembly includes an impeller and an insert separated from the impeller by a gap. The fan assembly increases airflow by rotationally driving the impeller. For a sufficient rotational speed of the impeller, the airflow reaches a level that provides a force that displaces the insert. The displacement may include movement and/or compression of the insert. As a result of the displacement, the gap between the impeller and the insert increases. The increased gap reduces the pressure and associated noise that is otherwise caused by the airflow. When the rotational speed of the impeller reduces or ceases, the insert returns to its initial position. In this manner, the fan assembly includes a self-adjusting gap that changes based on the airflow.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 14, 2020
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Halil Berberoglu, Cheng Ping Tan, Arash Naghib Lahouti, Richard A. Herms, Jesse T. Dybenko, Ashkan Rasouli
Abstract: This application relates to techniques that adjust the sleep states of a computing device based on user proximity detection procedures. The technique includes detecting a first pattern, using a first subset of sensors of one or more sensors coupled to the computing device, to determine if the object is proximate to the computing device. Provided the first pattern is not indicative of the object being proximate to the computing device, the technique detects a second pattern, using a second subset of sensors of the one or more sensors, to determine if the object is proximate to the computing device. Furthermore, provided either the first pattern or the second pattern is indicative of the object being proximate to the computing device and provided a first portion of a computer system within the computing device is operating within a low-power sleep state, the technique causes the first portion to enter into a high-power sleep state.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 20, 2019
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Joshua P. de Cesare, Jonathan J. Andrews, Jeffrey R. Wilcox
Abstract: Systems and processes for operating an intelligent automated assistant to provide extension of digital assistant services are provided. An example method includes, at an electronic device having one or more processors, receiving, from a first user, a first speech input representing a user request. The method further includes obtaining an identity of the first user; and in accordance with the user identity, providing a representation of the user request to at least one of a second electronic device or a third electronic device. The method further includes receiving, based on a determination of whether the second electronic device or the third electronic device, or both, is to provide the response to the first electronic device, the response to the user request from the second electronic device or the third electronic device. The method further includes providing a representation of the response to the first user.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 16, 2017
Date of Patent:
January 4, 2022
Assignee:
Apple Inc.
Inventors:
Yoon Kim, Charles Srisuwananukorn, David A. Carson, Thomas R. Gruber, Justin G. Binder
Abstract: Reconstructed 3DIC structures and methods of manufacture are described. In an embodiment, one or more dies in each package level of a 3DIC are both functional chips and/or stitching devices for two or more dies in an adjacent package level. Thus, each die can function as a communication bridge between two other dies/chiplets in addition to performing a separate chip core function.
Inventors:
Megan J. Burmeister, Vijay Karthik Koneru, Christopher Wiita, Duy P. Le, Hamish Thain, Bart Jansen, Michael Rodriguez, Christopher Kuh, Guillaume Raoult, Elvin Chu, Martin Gschwandtl, Robert Brunner
Inventors:
Jody 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