Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Publication number: 20210409475
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and storage media are described for providing codec mode notification (CMN) messages for speech to be signaled from a sender to a receiver. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ozgur OYMAN, Thomas LUETZENKIRCHEN, Usharani AYYALASOMAYAJ U LA, Sudhir Shankar POLA, Fabrice PLANTE, Ganesh VIJAYAN
  • Publication number: 20210409604
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a camera with image sensor shifting capabilities and a flexure arrangement. In various embodiments, the flexure arrangement may include an upper flexure and a lower flexure. The upper flexure may include a suspension wire that extends between two sheets. The lower flexure may include one or more flexure arms that connect a moveable platform to a stationary platform.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Shashank Sharma
  • Publication number: 20210407148
    Abstract: An encoder is configured to compress point cloud geometry information using an octree geometric compression technique that utilizes node groups. Nodes within a node group are scanned according to a breadth first scan order. Sequential node groups to evaluate may be selected according to a breadth first scan order or a depth first scan order based on whether or not the breadth first scan order or the depth first scan order is indicated in a flag in a preceding node group evaluated. In some embodiments, evaluation orders for node groups may be implicit without being signaled via flags. A decoder is configured to reconstruct a point cloud based on a bit stream encoded by the encoder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: David Flynn
  • Publication number: 20210409582
    Abstract: A lighting module which provides adjustably controllable illumination of a camera field of view of a camera module includes an adjustable collimator which can be adjustably positioned such that the emitted light beam is adjustably directed to illuminate various regions of various camera fields of view. The collimator can be adjusted via an actuator which adjustably positions the collimator relative to static components of the lighting module, including the light emitter. The light beam can be directed to illuminate a selected limited region of a camera field of view, based on identification of a subject within the limited region. The light beam can be adjustably directed based on user interactions with a user interface, including adjusting the light beam according to user-commanded beam angle, intensity, and direction. The light beam can be adjustably directed to illuminate a region according to different fields of view of different camera modules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Miodrag Scepanovic, Angelo M. Alaimo, Florian R. Fournier, Andreas G. Weber, Simon S. Lee
  • Publication number: 20210410165
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for transmission of physical uplink channels and signals scheduled for simultaneous transmission. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gang XIONG, Bishwarup MONDAL, Guotong WANG, Yushu ZHANG
  • Patent number: 11210884
    Abstract: An electronic device having at least one operational setting, such as a power setting, with at least a first state and a second state. The electronic device may also include an access controller that can receive state data and authorization data from an external source such as a remote control. The access controller may enable a state of the operational setting upon receipt of proper authorization data received from or related to the output from at least one biometric sensor associated with the remote control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael DiVincent, Nicole J. Hollopeter, Ruben Caballero
  • Patent number: 11209870
    Abstract: Accessory units for electronic devices are described. The accessory units can include a panel that has a flexible substrate with a network of structural elements that are arranged to fold the panel into different forms and shapes similar to origami. For example, the panel can be bent along one or more fold lines that are defined by adjacent structural elements. In some cases, the panels are configured to fold at preferred fold lines, sometimes in non-parallel orientations with respect to each other. In one case, the accessory can be unfolded into a flat configuration and serve as a cover for the electronic device. In some cases, the accessory units can be brought behind and support an electronic device at different angles with respect to a support surface. The accessory units can also include features such as keyboards, touch pads, or other input devices for the electronic devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhengyu Li, Chia Chi Wu, Qiliang Xu
  • Patent number: 11210520
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes: obtaining image data from an image sensor; recognizing a portion of an object within the image data; obtaining synthesized reality (SR) content—such as mixed reality, augmented reality, augmented virtuality, or virtual reality content—associated with the portion of the object; and displaying the SR content in association with the portion of the object. In some implementations, the SR content is dependent on the orientation of an electronic device or the user relative to the object. In some implementations, the SR content is generated based on sensor data associated with the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Ian M. Richter, Mohamed Selim Ben Himane, Peter Meier
  • Patent number: 11211587
    Abstract: A display may have an array of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) pixels that each have OLED layers interposed between a cathode and an anode. Voltage may be applied to the anode of each pixel to control the magnitude of emitted light. The conductivity of the OLED layers may allow leakage current to pass between neighboring anodes in the display. To reduce leakage current and cross-talk, the thickness of at least one of the OLED layers may be reduced. To maintain the optical cavity of the pixels, transparent optical spacer structures may be inserted. Alternatively, the thickness of the anodes can be increased. To accommodate a common prime layer within the OLED layers, the optical spacers or anodes may be separately patterned to have different thicknesses. Grating structures and photonic crystal structures may be embedded as part of the optical spacers to help control emission at selected viewing angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kwang Ohk Cheon, Aleksandr N. Polyakov, Chen-Yue Li, Chuan-Jung Lin, KiBeom Kim, Nai-Chih Kao, Rui Liu, Wendi Chang
  • Patent number: 11212464
    Abstract: A method of generating at least one image of a real environment comprises providing at least one environment property related to at least part of the real environment, providing at least one virtual object property related to a virtual object, determining at least one imaging parameter according to the at least one provided virtual object property and the at least one provided environment property, and generating at least one image of the real environment representing information about light leaving the real environment according to the determined at least one imaging parameter, wherein the light leaving the real environment is measured by at least one camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sebastian Knorr, Daniel Kurz
  • Patent number: 11210761
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed relating to selecting a number of candidates based on priority. In some embodiments, position determination circuitry receives an input vector that orders a set of potential candidates from a highest-priority position within the input vector to a lowest priority position. In some embodiments, it determines, starting from a first end of the input vector and based on non-overlapping groups of candidates, a particular position within the input vector at which a threshold number of available candidate are found. This may include to generate respective count values within the groups of candidates, identify a transition group in which the particular position is located based on accumulation of the respective count values, and identify the particular position within the transition group. Output circuitry may generate, based on the particular position, an output vector that indicates the threshold number of available candidates from the input vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Liang-Kai Wang, Vinod Reddy Nalamalapu
  • Patent number: 11212642
    Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for allowing a mobile device (e.g., a key fob or a consumer electronic device, such as a mobile phone, watch, or other wearable device) to interact with a vehicle such that a location of the mobile device can be determined by the vehicle, thereby enabling certain functionality of the vehicle. A device may include both RF antenna(s) and magnetic antenna(s) for determining a location of a mobile device relative to the vehicle. Such a hybrid approach can provide various advantages. Existing magnetic coils on a mobile device (e.g., for charging or communication) may be re-used for distance measurements that are supplemented by the RF measurements. Any device antenna may provide measurements to a machine learning model that determines a region in which the mobile device resides, based on training measurements in the regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brent M. Ledvina, Robert W. Brumley, Robert William Mayor, William J. Bencze, Alejandro J. Marquez, Shang-Te Yang, Xu Chen, Indranil S. Sen, Mohit Narang
  • Patent number: 11211020
    Abstract: A display may have rows and columns of pixels. Gate lines may be used to supply gate signals to rows of the pixels. Data lines may be used to supply data signals to columns of the pixels. The data lines may include alternating even and odd data lines. Data lines may be organized in pairs each of which includes one of the odd data lines and an adjacent one of the even data lines. Demultiplexer circuitry may be configured dynamically during data loading and pixel sensing operations. During data loading, data from display driver circuitry may be supplied, alternately to odd pairs of the data lines and even pairs of the data lines. During sensing, the demultiplexer circuitry may couple a pair of the even data lines to sensing circuitry in the display driver circuitry and then may couple a pair of the odd data lines to the sensing circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shinya Ono, Zino Lee, Gihoon Choo, Hassan Edrees, Chin-Wei Lin
  • Patent number: 11212449
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to user interface for capturing and managing media (e.g., photo media, video media). In some examples, user interfaces for capturing media (e.g., photo media, video media) are described. In some examples, user interfaces for displaying camera controls and indicators are described. In some examples, user interfaces for adjusting media (e.g., photo media (e.g., a sequence of images, a single image), video media) are described. In some examples, user interfaces for managing the file format of media (e.g., photo, video media) are described. In some examples, user interfaces for storing media (photo media (e.g., a sequences of image, a single still image), video media) are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Behkish J. Manzari, Morten Poulsen, Richard John Henry Shields, Nicholas D. Lupinetti
  • Patent number: 11211030
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display that displays virtual reality content. Control circuitry may estimate a brightness adaptation state of a user that is wearing the electronic device. The control circuitry may select a tone mapping curve and brightness level for the virtual reality content based on the user's adaptation state. To estimate the user's adaptation state, the control circuitry may gather ambient light information from an ambient light sensor, may gather physiological attributes of the user such as blink rate, pupil size, and eye openness from a camera, and may gather gaze position information from gaze detection circuitry. The control circuitry may optimize the brightness of the display based on the user's current adaptation state, or the control circuitry may shift the brightness of the display away from the user's adaptation level to help guide the adaptation state to the desired level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicolas P. Bonnier, Teun R. Baar, Christina G. Gambacorta, Jiaying Wu
  • Patent number: 11209944
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a display and a rear housing. A coating may be formed on an inner surface of a display cover layer for the display or on an inner surface of the rear housing. The coating may include one or more inorganic layers such as inorganic layers in a thin-film interference filter or other layer of material. A buffer layer having a polymer with adhesion promotion additive and embedded silicon oxide particles may be interposed between the coating and a glass layer forming the rear housing or between a patterned indium tin oxide coating on a display cover layer and an adhesive layer that attaches a pixel array to the display cover layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marta M. Giachino, Manish Mittal, Matthew S. Rogers, Que Anh S. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11210047
    Abstract: An accessory device application executes on an accessory device of limited resources. The accessory device application includes an accessory device stub application and an interface definition. When a user interacts with the accessory device application, display changes are generated in response, in accordance with the interface definition, and are sent to a companion extension at an associated companion device. The companion extension receives the changes, and generates updated display values for the accessory device display. The updated display values are sent from the companion device daemon to the daemon of the accessory device, which displays the updated display values at the accessory device display. The functionality and operation of the accessory device application permit an accessory device of limited resources to leverage data processing and computational power of the companion device, to provide a more involving user experience at the accessory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul D. Marcos, Andrew E. Platzer
  • Patent number: 11212846
    Abstract: Enhanced random access procedures for link-budget-limited user equipment (UE) devices are disclosed. A user equipment device may transmit a first message containing a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). The PRACH contains instances of a Zadoff-Chu sequence, and may be transmitted repeatedly as part of a single random attempt, to facilitate correlation data combining at the base station. The available Zadoff-Chu sequences may be partitioned among a plurality of sets, each set being associated with a respective Doppler shift range (or frequency hop pattern or time repetition pattern). A UE device may signal Doppler shift (or other information) to the base station by selection of one of the sets. The first PRACH transmission and the following PRACH transmission may occur in consecutive subframes. A UE device may select from a special set of Zadoff-Chu sequences (different from a conventional set of sequences), to signal its status as a link-budget-limited device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tarik Tabet, Youngjae Kim, Syed Aon Mujtaba
  • Patent number: D939496
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Jeremy Bataillou, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, M. Evans Hankey, Julian Hoenig, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Duncan Robert Kerr, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Mikael Silvanto, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Patent number: D939534
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aurelio Guzmán, Jason D. Rickwald, Christopher I. Wilson