Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 11115154
    Abstract: In general, to provide acknowledgment information by a first wireless device, the first wireless device sends repeated instances of acknowledgment information in respective first and second frame structures, in response to receipt of first information from a second wireless device. In addition, the first wireless device also sends further acknowledgment information in the second frame structure that is responsive to second information received from the second wireless device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Li, Lai King Tee
  • Patent number: 11115099
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and system for supporting a beamforming antenna system in a mobile broadband communication network with an improved beam pattern, beam sweep pattern, pilot channel design with feedback and reporting rules, and control signaling design. Specifically, the improved beam pattern includes a method of supporting wireless communications in a wireless network forming at least two spatial beams within a cell segment where the at least two spatial beams are associated with different power levels, and separately, where at least two spatial beams can be moved across the cell segment according to a unique sweep pattern. The pilot channel design improves network bandwidth performance and improves user mobility tracking. Feedback and reporting rules can be established using a particular field designator, CQI, in the preferred embodiment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Song, Lai King Tee, Jun Li
  • Patent number: 11112827
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a glass housing member that includes an upper portion defining a display area, a lower portion defining an input area, and a transition portion joining the upper portion and the lower portion and defining a continuous, curved surface between the upper portion and the lower portion. The electronic device may include a display coupled to the glass housing member and configured to provide a visual output at the display area. The electronic device may include an input device coupled to the glass housing member and configured to detect inputs at the input area. The electronic device may include a support structure coupled to the glass housing member and configured to support the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Keith J. Hendren, Paul X. Wang, Adam T. Garelli, Brett W. Degner, Christiaan A. Ligtenberg, Dinesh C. Mathew
  • Patent number: 11114109
    Abstract: A device implementing a system for mitigating noise includes at least one processor configured to receive a first audio signal corresponding to a first microphone, and determine whether wind noise is present based at least in part on the first audio signal. The processor is configured to select, based on the determining, a second audio signal from between second and third microphones. The second microphone is disposed at a location that experiences less echo coupling when the device is in a particular orientation with respect to a user. The third microphone is disposed at another location that experiences less wind noise. The processor is configured to determine voice and noise reference values based on the first and the selected second audio signals, and perform noise suppression with respect to at least one of the first or the selected second audio signal, based on the voice or the noise reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas J. Bryan, Qing Yang, Vasu Iyengar
  • Patent number: 11115138
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for detecting obstruction of a device's antenna(s) and then changing an operation of the device. A transmission time at which an antenna of an electronic device transmitted a signal can be identified. A response signal can be detected that was received at a receiver of the electronic device subsequent to the transmission time. Based on the response signal and on the transmission time, one or more response-signal characteristics can be determined. Based on the one or more response-signal characteristics, it can be determined that the antenna or that another antenna of the electronic device is at least partly blocked from emitting or receiving signals. In response to determining that the antenna is at least partly blocked, a changed type of operation can be identified, and the changed type of operation can be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Celalettin U. Bas, Joachim S. Hammerschmidt, Ming Lei, Pengcheng Zhan
  • Patent number: 11115803
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods to improve compatibility between a primary wireless device including multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) and a cellular capable secondary wireless device are disclosed. The cellular capable secondary wireless device pairs with the primary wireless device, which provides a configurable option to allow mobile terminated connections and/or messages to be received at the cellular capable secondary wireless device for multiple SIMs when the cellular capable secondary wireless device is not within proximity of the primary wireless device and is being worn. The primary wireless device indicates conditional forwarding to a second wireless network associated with a second SIM and adjusts notification alerts to reduce time for forwarding when the cellular capable secondary wireless device is separated from the primary wireless device and in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wanping Zhang, Faraz Faheem, Jianxiong Shi, Madhusudan Chaudhary, Sachin J. Sane, Longda Xing
  • Patent number: 11112963
    Abstract: An electronic device displays a messaging user interface on the display, the messaging user interface including a conversation transcript of a messaging session between a user of the electronic device and at least one other user. The device receives a first message within the messaging session from an electronic device that corresponds to another user included in the messaging session; in response to receiving the first message, the device displays the first message in a first message region in the conversation transcript on the display. The device detects a first input by a first contact at a location on the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to a location of the first message region in the conversation transcript; in response to detecting the first input, the device displays an acknowledgement selection affordance at a location in the messaging interface that corresponds to the first message region. The acknowledgement selection affordance displays a plurality of acknowledgement options.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Imran A. Chaudhri, Freddy A. Anzures, Chanaka G. Karunamuni, Nicholas V. King, William M. Tyler, Wan Si Wan, Giancarlo Yerkes, Darin B. Adler, Justin N. Wood, Roberto Garcia, Soin Shedlosky, Bethany Bongiorno
  • Patent number: 11113299
    Abstract: A new approach is proposed that contemplates systems and methods to ascribe or transfer metadata from one search-related entity to another, where each entity can be one of subject or source, citation, and object or target. First, one or more complete or incomplete attributes associated with one or more of entities across source, citation and target are identified with a high degree of probable accuracy, wherein such metadata or attributes include but are not limited to, time, language, and location of the entities. The identified attributes are then ascribed or transferred from one entity where the metadata is available to other search entities. Finally, the transferred attributes can be utilized to facilitate the selection and ranking of the cited targets for the search result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, Vipul Ved Prakash
  • Patent number: 11115241
    Abstract: Described herein is a channel state information (CSI) calculation method for non-coherent joint transmission by using a dependency between CSI reported for each CSI. In one embodiment, configuration of CSI reporting is such that CSI calculated for one CSI process (denoted as the reference CSI process) can be used for interference calculation for another CSI process (denoted as the dependent CSI process).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Alexei Vladimirovich Davydov
  • Patent number: 11113802
    Abstract: An adaptive approach to image bracket determination and a more memory-efficient approach to image fusion, which are designed to generate low noise and high dynamic range (HDR) images in a wide variety of capturing conditions, are described. An incoming preview image stream may be obtained from an image capture device. When a capture request is received, an analysis may be performed on an image from the preview image stream that has a predetermined temporal relationship to the image capture request. Based on the analysis, a set of images (and their respective capture parameters, e.g., exposure time) may be determined for the image capture device to capture. As the determined set of images are captured, they may be registered and fused in a memory-efficient manner that, e.g., places an upper limit on the overall memory footprint of the registration and fusion operations—regardless of how many images are captured in total.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Sun, Giancarlo Todone, Farhan A. Baqai, Gijesh Varghese, Morten Poulsen
  • Patent number: 11115820
    Abstract: A host device can establish a verified session with a wearable device. The host device can determine whether the verified session is in progress. In accordance with a determination that the verified session is in progress, the host device can provide a user interface to request confirmation that the identifier is to be provided to the wearable device. The host device can receive an input at the user interface and, in accordance with a determination that the input indicates a confirmation that the identifier is to be provided to the wearable device, the host can identify a user identifier to provide to the wearable device, and transmit the user identifier to the wearable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jesse W. Boettcher, Craig M. Federighi, Bryan J. James, James Eric Mason
  • Patent number: 11115746
    Abstract: A charging case for a pair of earbuds that comprises: a body having one or more cavities configured to receive the pair of earbuds; a lid attached to the body and operable between a closed position where the lid is aligned over the one or more cavities covering the pair earbuds and an open position that allows a user to remove the pair of earbuds from the body; one or more sensors that generates sensor data; a controller coupled to receive the sensor data from the sensor and operable to detect when the charging case is in freefall and/or suffers an impact event based, at least in part, on the sensor data and generate a trigger signal in response to detecting the impact event; and an earbud protection mechanism responsive to the trigger signal and operable to retain the pair of earbuds within the charging case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Scott D. Morrison, Kirill Kalinichev, Ali N. Ergun
  • Patent number: 11112904
    Abstract: A multi-touch capacitive touch sensor panel can be created using a substrate with column and row traces formed on either side of the substrate. To shield the column (sense) traces from the effects of capacitive coupling from a modulated Vcom layer in an adjacent liquid crystal display (LCD) or any source of capacitive coupling, the row traces can be widened to shield the column traces, and the row traces can be placed closer to the LCD. In particular, the rows can be widened so that there is spacing of about 30 microns between adjacent row traces. In this manner, the row traces can serve the dual functions of driving the touch sensor panel, and also the function of shielding the more sensitive column (sense) traces from the effects of capacitive coupling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steven P. Hotelling, Brian Richards Land
  • Patent number: 11113510
    Abstract: When a device is successfully unlock using a facial recognition authentication process, feature vectors generated from images obtained during the facial recognition authentication process may be stored as temporary templates on the device. After a period of time, one of the temporary templates may be selected to be used as a “virtual” template for the device. For example, a median temporary template in the temporary templates may be selected as the virtual template. The performance of the virtual template may then be assessed over time and compared to the performance of templates generated from an enrollment process to determine if and how the virtual template is implemented on the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Eslam A. Mostafa, Kelsey Y. Ho
  • Patent number: 11109797
    Abstract: An electronic device includes a translucent layer that forms a portion of an exterior of the electronic device, an opaque material positioned on the translucent layer that defines micro-perforations, and a processing unit operable to determine information about a user via the translucent layer. The processing unit may be operable to determine the information by transmitting optical energy through a first set of the micro-perforations into a body part of the user, receiving a reflected portion of the optical energy from the body part of the user through a second set of the micro-perforations, and analyzing the reflected portion of the optical energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Qiliang Xu, Richard G. Huizar
  • Patent number: 11115773
    Abstract: An audio system and a method of using the audio system to generate a head-related transfer function (HRTF) map, are described. The audio system can determine one or more HRTF and corresponding HRTF locations along an azimuthal path of an azimuth extending around a head of a user. The HRTFs or HRTF locations can be measured, and other HRTFs or HRTF locations can be interpolated or extrapolated. The HRTF map can include the HRTFs assigned to HRTF locations along the azimuth. HRTFs from the HRTF map are used to render spatial audio to the user. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Darius A. Satongar, Martin E. Johnson, Peter Victor Jupin, Jonathan D. Sheaffer
  • Patent number: 11115457
    Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for a wireless device to perform methods for mitigating HTTP transaction errors for a data connection. The wireless device may establish a data connection over a first network interface of the wireless device at an HTTP layer of the wireless device. A transport connection may support the data connections and may support multiple HTTP transactions. An advisory signal may be received at the HTTP layer and, responsive to the advisory signal including first information, the HTTP layer may determine that at least a portion of the HTTP transactions can be (safely) retried. The HTTP layer may terminate, without notifying the application layer, the portion of HTTP transactions and may initiate, via a second transport connection established over a second network interface, retries of the first portion of HTTP transactions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Scott M. Marshall, Franco Travostino, Darren S. Litzinger, Vijay Venkataraman
  • Patent number: 11113494
    Abstract: An electronic device is provided, the electronic device having a keyboard including a biometric input device. The biometric input device may be a biometric key or button. A cap of a biometric key or button may include a textured ceramic cover, such as a textured sapphire cover. The cap may further include a rear decorative coating and a front antireflective coating disposed on or over the textured ceramic cover. The cap may have one or more visual and or tactile properties which resemble those of an adjacent key of the keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Vivek Gupta, Nicholas A. Renda, Chi Xu, Stephen V. Jayanathan
  • Patent number: 11113801
    Abstract: Devices, methods, and computer-readable media describing an adaptive approach to reference image selection are disclosed herein, e.g., to generate fused images with reduced motion distortion. More particularly, an incoming image stream may be obtained from an image capture device, which image stream may comprise a variety of different image captures, e.g., including “image frame pairs” (IFPs) that are captured consecutively, wherein the images in a given IFP are captured with differing exposure settings. When a capture request is received at the image capture device, the image capture device may select two or more images from the incoming image stream for fusion, e.g., including at least one IFP. In some embodiments, one of the images from the at least one IFP will be designated as the reference image for a fusion operation, e.g., based on a robust motion detection analysis process performed on the images of the at least one IFP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Wu Cheng
  • Patent number: D929972
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    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, Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer