Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 11109136
    Abstract: Ear buds are provided that communicate wirelessly with an electronic device. To determine the current status of the ear buds and thereby take suitable action in controlling the operation of the electronic device and ear buds, the ear buds may be provided with sensor circuitry. The sensor circuitry may include proximity sensors. The ear buds may each have a housing with a main body portion that is configured to be inserted into the ear of the user and an elongated stem portion that extends from the main body portion. The proximity sensors may include sensors on the main body and sensors on the stem. The proximity sensors may be light-based sensors that emit light that passes through the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ashley N. Saulsbury, Travis J. McQueen
  • Patent number: 11106504
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus that execute a parallel computing program in a programming language for a parallel computing architecture are described. The parallel computing program is stored in memory in a system with parallel processors. The parallel computing program is stored in a memory to allocate threads between a host processor and a GPU. The programming language includes an API to allow an application to make calls using the API to allocate execution of the threads between the host processor and the GPU. The programming language includes host function data tokens for host functions performed in the host processor and kernel function data tokens for compute kernel functions performed in one or more compute processors, e.g., GPUs or CPUs, separate from the host processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aaftab Munshi, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Patent number: 11106265
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a device may include an attention detection service. The attention detection service may monitor various peripheral devices in the device for indications that a user is paying attention to the device. Various clients may register for notification of attention detection and attention lost (attention no longer detected) events, or may poll the service for the events. If a user is not paying attention to the device, it may be possible to take various actions to permit reduced energy consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Biron, Ronnie G. Misra, Christopher K. Thomas, Weijie Zhang, Roberto G. Yepez, Anthony J. Guetta, Kelsey Y. Ho, Paul W. Chinn, Myra Haggerty, Curtis Rothert, Peter D. Anton, Jonathan E. Drummond, Andrew B. Cato
  • Patent number: 11109216
    Abstract: One or more wireless stations operate to configure direct communication with neighboring mobile stations, e.g., direct communication between the wireless stations without utilizing an intermediate access point. A wireless station may be configured to perform a method to accelerate discovery of a peer device after an out-of-band triggering event. For example, a wireless device may detect an out-of-band triggering event and activate a wireless interface capable of peer-to-peer communications in response. The wireless device may transmit one or more discovery messages (e.g., discovery beacons, active subscribe messages, and/or unsolicited publish messages) over the wireless interface immediately after activation of the wireless interface to aid in discovery of the peer device. The one or more discovery messages may be transmitted as service discovery frames. The wireless device may perform service discovery over the wireless interface with the peer device post discovery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yong Liu, Christiaan A. Hartman, Lawrie Kurian, Tashbeeb Haque
  • Patent number: 11109500
    Abstract: The disclosure provides textured glass components as well as electronic device cover assemblies and enclosures which include the textured glass components. In some cases, a protruding portion of the glass component includes a textured region provided over a camera assembly of the electronic device. One or more openings may be provided in the textured region. The textured region may be configured to provide a translucent or hazy appearance to the electronic device while providing a desirable “feel” to the electronic device and level of cleanability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jason P. Shannon, Andi M. Limarga
  • Patent number: 11106352
    Abstract: While displaying the wake screen user interface, in response to detecting a first input that is directed to a portion of the wake screen user interface: if the first input includes first movement in a first direction, the computer system displays of a home screen user interface; and the first movement is in a second direction, the computer system displays a widget screen user interface that is different from the wake screen user interface and the home screen user interface, wherein the widget screen user interface includes a plurality of user interface objects corresponding to different applications, wherein a respective user interface object of the plurality of user interface objects contains application content from an application corresponding to the respective user interface object, and when selected, causes display of an application corresponding to the respective user interface object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: William M. Tyler
  • Patent number: 11107424
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to control circuitry for light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The control circuitry may include an LED timing controller integrated circuit configured to operate groups of rows of the LEDs with a common randomized row order that mitigates acoustic noise. The LEDs may be implemented in a backlight of a liquid crystal display and the common randomized row order that mitigates acoustic noise may be generated and/or executed to synchronize the LED operation with the operation of the pixels of the liquid crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Vehbi Calayir, James E. Brown
  • Patent number: 11109360
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for frequency hopping in the unlicensed band are described. A NB-IoT UE receives a MIB from a RAN. The MIB includes a DL/UL configuration for communication with the RAN. Frequency hopping information is preconfigured in the UE. The MIB is received in an anchor segment of a fixed NB anchor channel in the unlicensed band. The frequency hopping sequence is determined based on timing information carried in a PBCH on the anchor channel. Data is communicated between the NB-IoT UE and the RAN in data segments on the data channels in accordance with the frequency hopping sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wenting Chang, Huaning Niu, Salvatore Talarico, Rongrong Sun
  • Patent number: 11107367
    Abstract: A device implementing an adaptive assembly guidance system includes an image sensor and a processor configured to capture, using the image sensor, an image of a set of connectable components. The processor is further configured to process the captured image to detect individual connectable components of the set of connectable components and to detect a current configuration of the set of connectable components. The processor is further configured to determine, based at least in part on the detected individual connectable components of the set of connectable components, a recommended configuration of the set of connectable components. The processor is further configured to display information for assembling the set of connectable components into the recommended configuration from the current configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler L. Casella, Edwin W. Foo, Norman N. Wang, Ken Wakasa
  • Patent number: 11107282
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to using user biometric characteristics measured while the user is viewing virtual reality content to provide suggestions for downloadable virtual reality content in a virtual reality content store. An exemplary user device determines a criterion based on the user characteristics to filter the virtual reality content so that only virtual reality content that meets the criterion are displayed to the user. The virtual reality content displayed in the virtual reality content store has a corresponding activity level score.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Clément Pierre Nicolas Boissière
  • Patent number: 11104267
    Abstract: A vehicle may have vehicle controls that are used in steering, braking, and accelerating the vehicle. The vehicle may have sensors that gather information on vehicle speed, orientation, and position. The sensors may also gather information on relative speed between the vehicle and a following vehicle, information on risks of a collision between a vehicle and an external object, and other vehicle status information and vehicle operating environment information. Control circuitry may use light-based devices to display braking information, information on vehicle speed, the relative speed between a vehicle and a following vehicle, autonomous driving mode status information, custom brake light information or other user-selected information, or other information on vehicle status and the operating environment of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Albert J. Golko, Bivin J. Varghese, Christopher P. Child, Collin J. Palmer, Daniel E. Potter, Thaddeus Stefanov-Wagner
  • Patent number: 11107071
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for validating online access to secure device functionality are provided that may use shared secrets between different subsystems and limited use validation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Karl Anders Carlsson, Anton K. Diederich, Christopher Sharp, Gianpaolo Fasoli, Maciej Stachowiak, Matthew C. Byington, Nicholas J. Shearer, Samuel M. Weinig
  • Patent number: 11108155
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry for conveying radio-frequency signals greater than 10 GHz. The wireless circuitry may include a phased antenna array that transmits a steerable signal beam and independent antennas that are separate from the array. The array may be coupled to a first transceiver and the independent antennas may be coupled to a second transceiver. Power amplifier stages may be coupled between the second transceiver and the independent antennas to boost the gain of the independent antennas. If desired, the array and the independent antennas may be coupled to ports of the same transceiver. In this arrangement, each independent antenna may include an antenna feed that is coupled to a respective pair of ports on the transceiver. This may serve to boost the gain of the independent antennas without power amplifier circuitry. The independent antennas may have smaller footprints than the phased antenna array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rodney A. Gomez Angulo, Simone Paulotto, Harish Rajagopalan, Jennifer M. Edwards, Hao Xu
  • Patent number: 11106280
    Abstract: Calibration of eye tracking is improved by collecting additional calibration pairs when user is using apps with eye tracking. A user input component is presented on a display of an electronic device, detecting a dwelling action for user input component, and in response to detecting the dwelling action, obtaining a calibration pair comprising an uncalibrated gaze point and a screen location of the user input component, wherein the uncalibrated gaze point is determined based on an eye pose during the dwelling action. A screen gaze estimation is determine based on the uncalibrated gaze point, and in response to determining that the calibration pair is a valid calibration pair, training a calibration model using the calibration pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey P. Bigham, Mingzhe Li, Samuel C. White, Xiaoyi Zhang, Qi Shan, Carlos E. Guestrin
  • Patent number: 11108139
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a rear housing wall, antenna resonating element, coil, sensor board, and antenna grounding ring structures. The coil may receive wireless charging signals through the grounding ring structures and the rear housing wall. The grounding ring structures may include concentric ring-shaped traces. The ring-shaped traces may be separated by at least one gap. The ring-shaped traces and the gaps may configure the grounding ring structures to short antenna currents at relatively high frequencies from the antenna resonating element to a ground trace on the sensor board while blocking currents at relatively low frequencies. This may allow the ground trace to form part of an antenna without substantially impairing wireless charging efficiency of the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Jorge Da Costa Bras Lima, Andrea Ruaro, Dimitrios Papantonis, Jayesh Nath, Jiaxiao Niu, Mario Martinis, Mattia Pascolini, Michael R. Parker, Rex T. Ehman
  • Patent number: 11109208
    Abstract: Methods for aggregating Bluetooth profiles for faster connection and configuration are disclosed, including transmitting, subsequent to establishing a connection, a request message to a peer device that indicates support of a fast connection protocol for Bluetooth profiles configuration and receiving a response message from the peer device that indicates the peer device supports the fast connection protocol. After pairing with the peer device, a first list of profile descriptors for a plurality of Bluetooth profiles supported by the device may be transmitted to the peer device and a second list of profile descriptors for a plurality of Bluetooth profiles supported by the peer device may be received. A configuration of a plurality of Bluetooth profiles base, at least in part, on a comparison of the first list of profile descriptors to the second list of profile descriptors may be determined and transmitted to the peer device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Akshay Mangalam Srivatsa, Ariane Cotte, Craig P. Dooley, Duy N. Phan, Ganesha Adkasthala Ganapathi Batta, Hyundoo Shin, Kang Sun, Matt I. Gillette, Michael Jason Giles, Robert D. Watson, Sean P. Wilson, Sriram Hariharan, Sujatha Viswanathan, Todd Wheeler, Yilok L. Wong, David John Shaw, Sarang S. Ranade
  • Patent number: 11107345
    Abstract: Intuitive methods of automatically configuring a remote control for multiple electronic devices are disclosed. The remote control can be automatically configured with the help of a first electronic device that is connected to one or more additional electronic devices. The first electronic device aids in the configuration of the remote control by gathering information about the one or more additional electronic devices and configuring the remote control in accordance. The information about the one or more additional electronic devices may be gathered from the devices themselves, from additional remote controls associated with the devices, and/or from a user, among other possibilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher J. Sanders
  • Patent number: D929253
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Jeremy Bataillou, Daniel J. Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, M. Evans Hankey, Julian Hoenig, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Duncan Robert Kerr, Marc A. Newson, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Mikael Silvanto, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Patent number: D929328
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 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, Mikael Silvanto, Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Patent number: D929374
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 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