Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Systems and methods for object detection by radio frequency systems
    Patent number: 11194032
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are provided for detecting the presence of an object near an electronic device. A radio frequency (RF) system of an electronic device may include a first circuit that includes one or more transmission paths for transmitting a reference signal external to the electronic device. The RF system may include a second circuit that includes one or more receiving paths for receiving a reflection signal based on the reference signal. The RF system may also include a processor that may instruct the RF system to perform a comparison between the reference signal and the reflection signal, determine whether the object is in proximity based at least in part on whether comparison results exceed a comparison threshold, and decrease power output by the RF system below the comparison threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Berke Cetinoneri, Ioannis Sarkas, Qishan Yu
  • Wireless charging device with sinusoidal pulse-width modulation
    Patent number: 11196298
    Abstract: A wireless power system has a wireless power transmitting device and a wireless power receiving device. The wireless power transmitting device may include an inverter configured to drive a resonant circuit and may further include a sinusoidal pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal generator configured to generate a corresponding sinusoidal PWM control signal. The inverter may have an input that receives the sinusoidal PWM control signal. The sinusoidal PWM control signal may exhibit a plurality of different pulse widths summing to the target duty cycle of the sinusoidal PWM control signal. Operated in this way, the wireless power transmitting device exhibits reduced harmonic distortions, which mitigates undesired radiated spurious emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Soumya Mantha, Manjit S. Walia, Rahul A. Sabnani
  • Crown assembly for an electronic watch
    Patent number: 11194298
    Abstract: An electronic watch may include a housing defining a side wall having a through-hole and a crown assembly including an actuation member. The actuation member may include a crown shaft extending through the through-hole and having an exterior portion defining an input surface and a crown ring coupled to the exterior portion of the crown shaft and electrically isolated from the crown shaft. The crown assembly may further include an optical encoder component attached to the actuation member and defining a group of optical features. The electronic watch may further include an optical detector configured to detect rotation of the crown assembly by detecting motion of the group of optical features and an electrocardiograph sensor comprising a sensing component. The sensing component may be conductively coupled to the actuation member via a conductive path at least partially defined by the crown shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Steven C. Roach, Sameer Pandya, Erik G. de Jong, Erik L. Wang, Peter J. Kardassakis, Steven P. Cardinali
  • Handheld device enclosure having an outer periphery member and front and rear cover assemblies
    Patent number: 11194362
    Abstract: This is directed to an electronic device enclosure. The enclosure includes an outer periphery member forming an outer surface of a device, and to which an internal platform is connected. Electronic device components can be assembled to one or both surfaces of the internal platform. The enclosure can include front and back cover assemblies assembled to the opposite surfaces of the outer periphery member to retain electronic device components. One or both of the cover assemblies can include a window through which display circuitry can provide content to a user of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Scott Myers, Matthew Theobald, Richard Heley, Adam Stagnaro, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, David Pakula, Tang Yew Tan
  • Acoustically effective room volume
    Patent number: 11197119
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to techniques for generating physically accurate auralization of sound propagation in complex environments, while accounting for important wave effects, such as sound absorption, sound scattering, and airborne sound insulation between rooms. According to some embodiments, techniques may be utilized to determine more accurate, e.g., “acoustically-effective” room volumes that account for open windows, open doors, acoustic dead space, and the like. According to other embodiments disclosed herein, techniques may be utilized to perform optimized hybrid acoustical ray tracing, including grouping coherent rays by processing core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Dirk Schroeder, Soenke Pelzer
  • Handwritten message input for electronic devices
    Patent number: 11194599
    Abstract: A system for processing a handwritten message received by a messaging app can modify playback over time of the handwritten message based on a set of rules to determine how to modify the playback. In one embodiment, graphics data (e.g. vector graphics data) that represents the handwritten message is processed using the rules to determine how to modify the playback such that the resulting playback includes at least one modification over a portion of time of the playback.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon M. Tennant, Conrad R. Carlen, Bradley Griffin
  • Electronic devices including laser-textured glass cover members
    Patent number: 11192823
    Abstract: A laser-textured glass cover member suitable for use in an electronic device is disclosed. The laser-textured surface of the glass cover member may provide a smooth feel to an external surface of the electronic device without introducing a perceptible visual texture. Methods for making the laser-textured glass cover members are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Michael M. Li, Jairam Manjunathaiah, Palaniappan Chinnakaruppan
  • Handling of user equipment coverage enhancement mode B radio capability mismatch due to change in user equipment usage setting
    Patent number: 11197230
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and storage media are provided for user equipment (UE) that supports enhanced coverage and may operate with a voice centric usage setting or a data centric usage setting. When the UE's usage setting is set to voice centric, the UE may not operate in coverage enhancement (CE) mode B. When the UE's usage setting is set to data centric, then the UE may operate in CE mode B. The UE may indicate the UE's usage setting in an Attach or Tracking Area Update (TAU) request message, and a mobility management entity (MME) may indicate to an evolved NodeB that CE mode B is restricted or not restricted based on the usage setting. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Puneet Jain, Robert Zaus, Ahmed Soliman, Marta Martinez Tarradell, Stefania Sesia
  • Reference picture management and list construction
    Patent number: 11196988
    Abstract: Techniques for encoding video with motion compensation include a compressed bitstream syntax that includes a list of all motion prediction reference frames without distinguishing between short-term reference frame and long-term reference frames. The list of reference frames may be provided in a slice header and may apply to encoded data video data within the corresponding slice. The list may be prefaced with a single number indicating the total number of reference frames. In an aspect delta POC reference numbers may be encoded with a flag indicating the sign of the delta POC when the absolute value of the POC is not equal to zero. In another aspect, a flag may be encoded for every reference frame indicating if POC information should be used when scaling prediction references, and a weighting parameter may be included when POC information should be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alexandros Tourapis, Jungsun Kim, Krishnakanth Rapaka, David W. Singer
  • Low latency streaming media
    Patent number: 11197052
    Abstract: Methods and systems for discovering or tuning-in to near live or current playlists used to stream media content, particularly for live events during which the media content is streamed. The methods and systems can reduce the time required to tune-in to such live events. In one embodiment, a client device can receive an age data in a header of a message that returns a first playlist that was requested by an unattributed playlist request from the client device. The age data can be used to determine how many partial media segments to skip to tune-in to the live event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Roger N. Pantos
  • Keyboard management user interfaces
    Patent number: 11194467
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to user interfaces for receiving handwriting input, accessing predictive text candidates, and accessing keyboards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Botao Zhu, Jiabao Li, Karan Misra, Julian Missig, Chun Kin Minor Wong
  • Scheduling device for customizable electronic notifications
    Patent number: 11194294
    Abstract: Sleep alerts associated with an alarm can be scheduled using a first electronic device. Once scheduled, data can be collected from a second electronic device. This data can be used to determine an appropriate device, other than the first electronic device, at which the sleep alert can be presented. Once determined, the information can be sent to the appropriate device for presenting the sleep alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Roy J. E. M. Raymann, Jay Kriz Blahnik, Stephanie M. Greer, Aroon Pahwa, Jonathan T. Varbel, Kevin M. Lynch
  • Finger beam for generating haptic feedback
    Patent number: 11194393
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, a haptic feedback component is configured to generate haptic feedback in accordance with movement of a user. The haptic feedback component includes a frame having a size and shape for receiving an appendage of a user, a flexible beam member coupled to the frame, and a haptic feedback element that is coupled to the flexible beam member, wherein the haptic feedback element actuates in response to receiving an electrical signal so as to cause the flexible beam member to displace from an initial configuration to a modified configuration such as to direct the haptic feedback towards the appendage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paul X. Wang, Alex Lehmann, Michael Y. Cheung
  • Retail fixture
    Patent number: D937612
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alice Marlin Brugger, Manuel Dejesus, Joshua Robert Edwards, Jean-Marc Gady, Wesley Bryan Hamm, Russell John Kaaihue Heirakuji, Allison Inouye, Moritz Wilsberg
  • Retail display
    Patent number: D937613
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alice Marlin Brugger, Richard Coward, Joshua Robert Edwards, Tracey Adam Finger, Jean-Marc Gady, Gabriel Lamb, Gregory Guillaume Lespinard, Adam John Oestreicher, Constantino Siampos, Moritz Wilsberg, Stephen Yustiono, Mi Zou
  • Packaging with a band
    Patent number: D937686
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alissa Anderson, Jonathan Berk, Margaret Madigan Burke, Jack Wanderman, Kevin Scott Fetterman
  • Electronic device
    Patent number: D937826
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bartley K. Andre, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Steven P. Jobs, Duncan Robert Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Douglas B. Satzger, Calvin Q Seid, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface
    Patent number: D937858
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Richard R. Dellinger, Alan C. Dye, Vitalii Kramar, Stephen O. Lemay, Gregg S. Suzuki
  • Electronic device with graphical user interface
    Patent number: D937890
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Arian Behzadi, Alan C. Dye, Robert Garcia, III
  • Transaction card with label
    Patent number: D937930
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy Vanslette