Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 10667294
    Abstract: Carrier-sensing techniques for LTE-based transmissions over unlicensed carriers are described. In one embodiment, for example, an apparatus may comprise at least one memory and logic for user equipment (UE), at least a portion of the logic comprised in circuitry coupled to the at least one memory, the logic to cause the UE to receive an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmit subframe, the transmit subframe to comprise a subframe during which the UE is authorized to perform UL transmission via an unlicensed carrier, the logic to cause the UE to determine whether the UL grant comprises a listen-before-talk (LBT)-contingent UL grant and in response to a determination that the UL grant comprises an LBT-contingent UL grant, identify an LBT interval for the transmit subframe and perform an LBT procedure during the LBT interval to determine whether the unlicensed carrier is idle. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Youn Hyoung Heo, Hwan-Joon Kwon
  • Patent number: 10665959
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with millimeter wave transceiver circuitry and an antenna having a ground and a resonating element. The resonating element may include first and second patches symmetrically distributed about an axis. The antenna may be fed using an antenna feed having a first feed terminal coupled to both the first and second patches and a second feed terminal coupled to the ground. The first feed terminal may be coupled to the first patch at a side closest to the second patch and may be coupled to the second patch at a side closest to the first patch. The first and second patches may be shorted to the ground if desired. Antenna currents on the first patch may be 180 degrees out of phase with antenna currents on the second patch. The antenna may be arranged in an array of antennas with different polarizations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Simone Paulotto, Basim H. Noori, Matthew A. Mow
  • Patent number: 10666628
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media may be provided for securely authenticating device identification and/or user identification for low throughput device-to-device wireless communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Julien F. Freudiger, Andrew J. Ringer, Yannick L. Sierra, Farouk Belghoul, Samuel D. Post
  • Patent number: 10664007
    Abstract: Techniques for bonding structural features together in an enclosure of an electronic device are disclosed. A structural feature may be ultrasonically soldered to the enclosure to provide structural support and form a magnetic circuit within the device. Also, ultrasonic welding can bond various features to an interior region of the enclosure without leaving a mark or trace to an exterior region of the enclosure in a location corresponding to the various features. Further, one or more features can be actuated against the enclosure to bond the one or more features by friction welding. In addition, a rotational friction welding machine can rotate a feature having a relatively small diameter at relatively high speeds against the enclosure to drive the feature into the enclosure and frictionally weld the feature with the enclosure. Also, the friction welding does not leave any an appearance of cosmetic deformation on the exterior region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Steven J. Osborne, Joss N. Giddings, Adam T. Garelli, William F. Leggett, Sarah J. Montplaisir, Eric T. Corriveau, Tyler J. Ewing
  • Patent number: 10665250
    Abstract: An audio appliance can include a microphone transducer configured to receive sound from an environment and to convert the received sound into an audio signal and a display. The audio appliance can include an audio analytics module configured to detect an audio-input impairment by analyzing the audio signal and output a detection signal identifying the audio-input impairment in real-time. The audio-input impairment can include, for example, a poor-intelligibility impairment, a microphone-occlusion impairment, a handling-noise impairment, a wind-noise impairment, or a distortion impairment. The audio appliance can also include an impairment module configured to identify and emit a user-perceptible alert corresponding to the identified audio-input impairment in real-time; and an interactive guidance module configured to present a suggested action to address the audio-input impairment in real-time. Related aspects also are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan D. Sheaffer, Peter A. Raffensperger, Ashrith Deshpande
  • Patent number: 10666491
    Abstract: In a communication device and corresponding methods to determine a phase offset imbalance, an input signal (e.g. oscillator signal) is phase shifted to generate a set of phase-shifted values. The set of phased-shifted values and the input signal are mixed to generate a respective set of mixed signals. The phase offset imbalance (e.g. phase error) is calculated based on the set of mixed signals and a gradient value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Florian Mrugalla
  • Patent number: 10667418
    Abstract: Various components of an electronic device housing and methods for their assembly are disclosed. The housing can be formed by assembling and connecting two or more different sections together. The sections of the housing may be coupled together using one or more coupling members. The coupling members may be formed using a two-shot molding process in which the first shot forms a structural portion of the coupling members, and the second shot forms cosmetic portions of the coupling members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Bryan P. Kiple, Charles B. Woodhull, David A. Pakula, Tang Y. Tan, Michael P. Coleman, Thomas Johannessen, Richard W. Heley
  • Patent number: 10667078
    Abstract: An application can specify a location service authorization type to be enforced by a mobile device. After the user authorizes the location service through an authorization dialog, the application can receive location service according to the authorization type. A first authorization type allows the application to receive continuous location updates and location events from a location service on the mobile device only when the application is in use. A second authorization type allows the application to always receive continuous location updates and location events when the application is running in a foreground or background. The text of the authorization dialog can be customized by the application to provide more detail on how the location data will be used by the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen J. Rhee, Adam M. Driscoll, Jeffrey Michael Bartunek, Ronald K. Huang, Erik Neuenschwander, Patrick Coffman, Guy L. Tribble
  • Patent number: 10667426
    Abstract: A structure can include a body having a first surface and a second opposing surface. The three-dimensional structure can include the body defining a first pattern of first cavities extending into the body from the first surface and the body defining a second pattern of second cavities extending into the body from the second surface. One or more first cavities can eccentrically intersect with one or more second cavities to define a pattern of apertures in the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Richard P. Howarth, Nicholas A. Rundle, Bartley K. Andre, Sung-Ho Tan, Lauren M. Farrell, Kevin J. Ryan, David H. Narajowski
  • Patent number: 10662676
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body that defines an opening, a vehicle door that is movable between a closed position and an open position with respect to the opening, a first surface, and a second surface. The first surface is defined on one of the vehicle body and the door and the second surface is defined on the other of the vehicle body and the door. A first latch portion is concealed behind the first surface. A second latch portion is concealed behind the second surface in an unlatched position and is movable to a latched position in which the second latch portion extends into the first latch portion and engages the first latch portion. A locking structure restrains disengagement of the second latch portion from the first latch portion in the latched position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Donald R. Monroe, Phil M. Hobson, John Raff, Albert J. Golko, Matthew L. Brown, David J. Donohue
  • Patent number: 10664058
    Abstract: Sensor data is obtained regarding an environment around a guidance device. A model of the environment is generated based on the data. The model is mapped at least to an input/output touch surface of the guidance device. Tactile output is provided to a user of the guidance device via the input/output touch surface based at least on the mapping. Other output based on the model may also be provided. The guidance device may include a variety of different components such as sensors that obtain data regarding the environment, input/output mechanisms for receiving input from and/or providing input to the user, processing units and/or other components for generating the model and/or mapping the model to various input/output mechanisms, and so on. Additionally, the guidance device may cooperate and/or communicate with a variety of different electronic devices that have one or more such components in order to perform such functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Chananiel Weinraub
  • Patent number: 10666334
    Abstract: In one example, an apparatus of an e-NodeB (eNB) capable to establish a communication connection with a user equipment (UE) in a communication network, the eNB comprising processing circuitry to transmit a downlink (DL) beamforming training reference signal (BF-TRS) to a user equipment (UE) using transmit beamforming weights that are the same. Other examples are also disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Gang Xiong, Yushu Zhang, Yuan Zhu, Ralf Bendlin, Jong-Kae Fwu, Seunghee Han
  • Patent number: 10661748
    Abstract: Occupant safety systems suitable for use in both traditional and opposed seating systems include various combinations of passive safety components: sensors that provide an output signal indicative of an imminent collision, inflatable restraints that deploy from opposing interior surfaces of a passenger compartment of a vehicle based on the output signal, and inflators disposed within door cavities that selectively inflate an airbag or vent the inflator to an exterior of a vehicle based on the output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander M. Zoellner, Jorge C. Fialho, Nathaniel J. Dennis, Rikard Fredriksson
  • Patent number: 10664113
    Abstract: Power consumption of touch sensing operations for touch sensitive devices can be reduced by implementing a coarse scan (e.g., banked common mode scan) to coarsely detect the presence or absence of an object touching or proximate to a touch sensor panel and the results of the coarse scan can be used to dynamically adjust the operation of the touch sensitive device to perform or not perform a fine scan (e.g., targeted active mode scan). In some examples, the results of the coarse scan can be used to program a touch controller for the next touch sensing frame to idle when no touch event is detected or to perform a fine scan when one or more touch events are detected. In some examples, the results of the coarse scan can be used to abort a scheduled fine scan during the current touch sensing frame when no touch event is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Shahrooz Shahparnia, Vivek Pant, Marduke Yousefpor, Christoph H. Krah
  • Patent number: 10667140
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for an electronic device to perform a dynamic frequency selection (DFS) proxy function are described. An interface circuit of the electronic device receives, from an access point associated with the electronic device, a frame with DFS information that indicates a presence of interference associated with a higher priority user in a shared band of radio frequencies. The frame can include an action frame with a channel switch announcement (CSA) or a beacon with a CSA. In response to receiving the DFS information, the electronic device forwards, to a third electronic device, the DFS information, where the third electronic device is not associated with and does not have a connection to the access point. In this way, the electronic device functions as a DFS proxy for the third electronic device with respect to the shared band of radio frequencies used by the access point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrie Kurian, Tashbeeb Haque, Saravanan Balasubramaniyan, Anand Rajagopalan
  • Patent number: 10666920
    Abstract: A method of altering audio output from an electronic device based on image data is provided. In one embodiment, the method includes acquiring image data and determining one or more characteristics of the image data. Such characteristics may include sharpness, brightness, motion, magnification, zoom setting, and so forth, as well as variation in any of the preceding characteristics. The method may also include producing audio output, wherein at least one characteristic of the audio output is determined based on one or more of the image data characteristics. Various audio output characteristics that may be varied based on the video data characteristics may include, for instance, pitch, reverberation, tempo, volume, filter frequency response, added sound effects, or the like. Additional methods, devices, and manufactures are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aram Lindahl, Kelvin Chiu
  • Patent number: 10665157
    Abstract: Systems and methods reduce likelihood of hysteresis that reduces perceived image quality of a subsequent image frame by toggling the display pixels to relax the display pixels by overwriting previous image frame data. During non-emission periods of the pixels, the pixels may be pre-toggled or exercised to improve response time and accuracy of the pixel. Data for pixels being programmed may also be used to pre-toggle other pixels reducing overhead but increasing cross-talk. Since the amount of cross-talk is related to content of the pixels being pre-toggled, a line buffer may be used to store image data for the pixels being pre-toggled. This stored image data may be used to determine how much pre-compensation is to be applied to data for the pixels being programmed. In other words, an amount of compensation applied is based at least in part on the content (e.g., greyscale levels) of the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hung Sheng Lin, Shengkui Gao, Yingying Tang, Sean C. Chang, Mohammad B. Vahid Far, Kasra M. Omid-Zohoor, Chumin Zhao, Jingyu Huang, Mohammad Ali Jangda, Hyunwoo Nho, Chaohao Wang, Marc J. DeVincentis, Marc Albrecht, Warren S. Rieutort-Louis
  • Patent number: 10664943
    Abstract: The disclosed concepts provide a method to generate and use a compound shader object. A compound shader object includes a shader's intermediate representation (IR) and one or more binary modules; each binary module configured to execute on one type of graphics processing unit (GPU) with a specific input state. One method includes receiving, through a public application programming interface (API), a request to execute a shader from an user-level application. At the framework level, if the request corresponds to one of the prior compiled binary modules, that module may be passed to a GPU for immediate execution via a system private interface. If the request does not correspond to one of the binary modules, the shader's IR module may returned to the requesting user-level application (which module would then have to be compiled before it may be sent to the GPU).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kelvin C. Chiu, Charles Brissart, Gokhan Avkarogullari, Lloyd A. Cunningham, Rahul U. Joshi
  • Patent number: D885348
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Molly Anderson, Bartley K. Andre, Shota Aoyagi, Anthony Michael Ashcroft, Marine C. Bataille, Jeremy Bataillou, Robert Y. Cao, James M. Cuseo, Daniele De Iuliis, Markus Diebel, Kevin Scott Fetterman, M. Evans Hankey, Julian Hoenig, Richard P. Howarth, Jonathan P. Ive, Julian Jaede, Duncan Robert Kerr, Dinesh Mathew, Sabrina Paseman, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Mikael Silvanto, Christopher J. Stringer, Joe Sung-Ho Tan, Clement Tissandier, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer
  • Patent number: D885398
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jody Akana, Molly Anderson, 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, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Benjamin Andrew Shaffer, Mikael Silvanto, Christopher J. Stringer, Eugene Antony Whang, Rico Zörkendörfer