Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 12199576
    Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry with a processor, a transceiver, an antenna, and a front-end module coupled between the transceiver and the antenna. The front-end module may include one or more radio-frequency amplifiers for amplifying a radio-frequency signal. The radio-frequency amplifier may include input transistors cross-coupled with capacitance neutralization transistors and/or coupled to cascode transistors. One or more n-type gain adjustment transistors may be coupled to source terminals of the capacitance neutralization transistors. One or more p-type gain adjustment transistors may be coupled to source terminals of the cascode transistors. One or more processors in the electronic device can selectively activate one or more of the gain adjustment transistors to reduce the gain of the radio-frequency amplifier without degrading noise performance and without altering the in-band frequency response of the radio-frequency amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nitesh Singhal, Mark G. Forbes
  • Patent number: 12197817
    Abstract: This relates to systems and processes for using a virtual assistant to arbitrate among and/or control electronic devices. In one example process, a first electronic device samples an audio input using a microphone. The first electronic device broadcasts a first set of one or more values based on the sampled audio input. Furthermore, the first electronic device receives a second set of one or more values, which are based on the audio input, from a second electronic device. Based on the first set of one or more values and the second set of one or more values, the first electronic device determines whether to respond to the audio input or forego responding to the audio input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kurt W. Piersol, Ryan M. Orr, Daniel J. Mandel
  • Patent number: 12196860
    Abstract: Depth sensing apparatus includes a radiation source, which emits a first array of beams of light pulses through a window toward a target scene. Objective optics image the target scene onto a second array of sensing elements, which output signals indicative of respective times of incidence of photons. A first calibration, which associates the beams in the first array with respective first locations on the second array onto which the beams reflected from the target scene are imaged, is used in processing the signals in order to measure respective times of flight of the light pulses. A second calibration indicates second locations on which stray radiation is incident on the second array due to reflection of the beams from the window. Upon detecting a change in the second locations relative to the second calibration, the first calibration is corrected so as to compensate for the detected change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Moshe Laifenfeld, Zeev Roth
  • Patent number: 12197020
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to the layout of optical components included in a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) and the routing of optical traces between the optical components. The optical components can include light sources, a detector array, and a combiner. The optical components can be located in different regions of a substrate of the PIC, where the regions may include one or more types of active optical components, but also may exclude other types of active optical components. The optical traces can include a first plurality of optical traces for routing signals between light sources and a detector array, where the first plurality of optical traces can be located in an outer region of the substrate. The optical traces can also include a second plurality of optical traces for routing signals between the light sources and a combiner, where the second plurality of optical traces can be located in regions between banks of the light sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Alfredo Bismuto, Mark Arbore, Jason Pelc, Hooman Abediasl, Andrea Trita
  • Patent number: 12197809
    Abstract: A computer system displays an audio settings user interface that includes a first user interface element that is activatable to change a current audio output mode of a set of one or more audio output devices. The computer system receives a second set of one or more inputs including an input directed to the first user interface element. In response, the computer system transitions the set of one or more audio output devices from a first audio output mode to a different second audio output mode. In the first audio output mode, audio is output based on a first frame of reference that is a three-dimensional physical environment surrounding the set of one or more audio output devices. In the second audio output mode, audio is output based on a different second frame of reference that is fixed relative to the set of one or more audio output devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Taylor G. Carrigan
  • Patent number: 12198267
    Abstract: A method is performed at an electronic device including one or more processors and a non-transitory memory. The method includes obtaining a first spherical Gaussian (SG) lobe that characterizes ambient light from a physical environment. The method may include determining the first SG lobe based on a 360 degree image of the physical environment. The first SG lobe indicates a first directional characteristic associated with the ambient light. The method includes determining a first plurality of sampling rays based on the first directional characteristic. The method includes obtaining a depth value that is associated with a computer-generated object. The depth value may be from a depth buffer, which is populated with the depth value during rendering of the computer-generated object. The method includes generating a shadow that is associated with the computer-generated object, based on the depth value and a first sampling ray of the first plurality of sampling rays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Gabor Nagy
  • Patent number: 12199817
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for establishing a secure home ecosystem such that the one or more installers only have access to set-up accessories. A mobile device may identify a home device using a first wireless protocol. The mobile device may enable a secure channel between the home device and the mobile device via a second wireless protocol. The mobile device may authenticate access for the mobile device using an identification code. The mobile device may validate a home device certificate via a secure server. The mobile device may send a mobile device certificate to the home device via the secure channel. The mobile device may receive a signed mobile device certificate from the home device via the secure channel and receive accessory information corresponding to one or more accessory devices from the home device. The mobile device can be configured to connect to the one or more accessory devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Oren Segal, Manuel Roman Cuesta, Andreas I. Gal
  • Patent number: 12198389
    Abstract: A system comprises an encoder configured to compress and encode data for a three-dimensional mesh using a video encoding technique. To compress the three-dimensional mesh, the encoder determines sub-meshes and for each sub-mesh: texture patches and geometry patches. Also the encoder determines patch connectivity information and patch texture coordinates for the texture patches and geometry patches. The texture patches and geometry patches are packed into video image frames and encoded using a video codec. Additionally, the encoder determines boundary stitching information for the sub-meshes. A decoder receives a bit stream as generated by the encoder and reconstructs the three-dimensional mesh.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Khaled Mammou, Alexandros Tourapis, Jungsun Kim
  • Patent number: 12197268
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a system may include a plurality of component circuits. The plurality of component circuits may include rate control circuits the control power consumption in the component circuits based on indications of power allocated to the component circuits. In an embodiment, the rate control circuits may transmit power requests for the component circuits and a floor request representing a minimum amount of power that may ensure reliable operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Doron Rajwan, Inder M. Sodhi, Keith Cox, Jung Wook Cho, Kevin I. Park, Tal Kuzi
  • Patent number: 12198313
    Abstract: Managing the display of an electronic device includes receiving an instruction to activate an enhanced state of the display and obtaining a current operating value of the display operating in a base state. An enhanced operating value is determined for the display based on the current operating value and a power budget allocated to the display. The enhanced operating value may be greater than the current operating value and is less than a maximum operating value of the display in the enhanced state. The display is instructed to operate in the enhanced state at the enhanced operating value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth I. Greenebaum, Robert L Ridenour
  • Patent number: 12200332
    Abstract: A camera module with sticky epoxy and method for dislodging particles from a corresponding IR filter. Particles, formed during manufacture or use of the camera, may accumulate in the camera (e.g., on an infrared filter) causing blemishes in camera images. A sticky epoxy with characteristics for attracting and capturing particles is located in the camera. The epoxy may be located in a gap between a substrate and an outside edge of an infrared filter coupled to the substrate. The epoxy and the gap may surround the infrared filter and the epoxy may also be located on other surfaces of the camera. A process for loosening particles from the infrared filter includes driving an actuator that moves the substrate/infrared filter assembly (perhaps striking a base assembly) to loosen the particles from the infrared filter such that the particles are moved to, and trapped by, the epoxy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Paulom Shah, Bumsuk Kim, Yunfeng Li
  • Patent number: 12198875
    Abstract: Keyboards and other electronic input devices have a key or keys with glyphs that are invisible to an unaided human eye in a first condition, such as when an underlying display attached to the key is not emitting light. The glyphs are visible through the key or keys when the display emits light. A one-way visibility layer or structure obscures the visibility of the display when viewed from above, but when the display emits light, the light penetrates through the one-way visibility layer, such as by passing through an array of microperforations in the key, and is visible to an onlooker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Shravan Bharadwaj
  • Patent number: 12194366
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to user interfaces for managing, modifying, and/or outputting workout content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Craig D. Bolton, Julie A. Arney, Jay K. Blahnik, Edward Chao, Lance Wilson
  • Patent number: 12197716
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to user interfaces for navigating and providing physical activity information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Julie A. Arney, Brett L. Lareau, Chandler S. Bachman, Jay K. Blahnik, Edward Chao, David S. Clark, Emily Pedersen, Matthew M. Sun, Eduardo Valencia Paz, George R. Dicker, Zachary K. Recolan, Lynne Devine
  • Patent number: 12199893
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to techniques for configuring physical uplink shared channel transmissions with improved reliability in a wireless communication system. A cellular base station may establish a wireless link with a wireless device. The cellular base station may provide uplink data transmission configuration information to the wireless device. The uplink data transmission configuration information may configure an uplink data transmission to multiple transmission-reception-points. The cellular base station may receive at least a portion of the uplink data transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Haitong Sun, Yushu Zhang, Hong He, Wei Zeng, Dawei Zhang, Chunxuan Ye, Oghenekome Oteri, Sigen Ye, Weidong Yang, Chunhai Yao, Jie Cui, Yang Tang
  • Patent number: 12198306
    Abstract: Some embodiments relate to sharpening segments of an image differently based on content in the image. Content based sharpening is performed by a content image processing circuit that receives luminance values of an image and a content map. The content map identifies categories of content in segments of the image. Based on one or more of the identified categories of content, the circuit determines a content factor associated with a pixel. The content factor may also be based on a texture and/or chroma values. A texture value indicates a likelihood of a category of content and is based on detected edges in the image. A chroma value indicates a likelihood of a category of content and is based on color information of the image. The circuit receives the content factor and applies it to a version of the luminance value of the pixel to generate a sharpened version of the luminance value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ching E. Ho, D. Amnon Silverstein
  • Patent number: 12197684
    Abstract: Touch screens with ultra-thin stack-ups can provide for a lower profile device, can improve the optical image on the display by reducing the display to cover glass distance, and can reduce the weight of the device. In some examples, the thickness of the touch screen stack-up can be reduced and/or the border region reduced, by removing the flex circuit connection from the stack-up. A flexible substrate can be used to enable routing of touch electrodes to touch circuitry. In some examples including a shield layer, the thickness of the touch screen stack-up can be reduced by routing the shield layer to a shield electrode on the touch sensor panel. The shield layer can then be routed to touch sensing circuitry via the flexible substrate. In some examples, the touch sensor panel or a portion of thereof can be integrated with the polarizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey M. Weisse, Chun-Hao Tung, Ji Hun Choi, Wenqing Dai
  • Patent number: 12201004
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a display and a sensor under the display. The display may include an array of subpixels for displaying an image to a user of the electronic device. At least a portion of the array of subpixels may be selectively removed in a pixel removal region to improve optical transmittance to the sensor through the display. The pixel removal region may include a plurality of pixel free regions that are devoid of thin-film transistor structures, that are devoid of power supply lines, that have continuous open areas due to rerouted row/column lines, that are partially devoid of touch circuitry, that optionally include dummy contacts, and/or have selectively patterned display layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Warren S. Rieutort-Louis, Woo Shik Jung, Abbas Jamshidi Roudbari, Shin-Hung Yeh, Christopher E. Glazowski, Jean-Pierre S. Guillou, Yuchi Che
  • Patent number: 12198260
    Abstract: A computer system displays a first view of a three-dimensional environment including a first representation of a first portion of a physical environment. While displaying the first view, the computer system detects movement of a first user from a first location to a second location of the physical environment, and in response: if the second location corresponds to a first type of exercise, the computer system replaces at least a portion of a second representation of a second portion of the physical environment that includes the second location with virtual content corresponding to the first type of exercise; and if the second location corresponds to a second type of exercise, the computer system replaces at least a portion of a third representation of a third portion of the physical environment that includes the second location with virtual content corresponding to the second type of exercise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: William A. Sorrentino, III, Gary I. Butcher, Wan Si Wan, Richard R. Dellinger, Giancarlo Yerkes, Stephen O. Lemay, Peter D. Anton, Alan C. Dye
  • Patent number: D1057663
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2025
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Molly Anderson, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Marine C. Bataille, Jeremy Bataillou, Abidur Rahman Chowdhury, Clara Geneviève Marine Courtaigne, Markus Diebel, Alexandre B. Girard, Jonathan Gomez Garcia, M. Evans Hankey, Richard P. Howarth, Julian Jaede, Duncan Robert Kerr, Kainoa Kwon-Perez, Nicolas Pedro Lylyk, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang