Patents Assigned to Apple
  • Patent number: 10609473
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to speakers and more specifically to an array speaker for distributing music uniformly across a room. A number of audio drivers can be radially distributed within a speaker housing so that an output of the drivers is distributed evenly throughout the room. In some embodiments, the exit geometry of the audio drivers can be configured to bounce off a surface supporting the array speaker to improve the distribution of music throughout the room. The array speaker can include a number of vibration isolation elements distributed within a housing of the array speaker. The vibration isolation elements can be configured to reduce the strength of forces generated by a subwoofer of the array speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Craig M. Stanley, Simon K. Porter, John H. Sheerin, Glenn K. Trainer, Jason C. Della Rosa, Ethan L. Huwe, Sean T. McIntosh, Erik L. Wang, Christopher J. Stringer, Molly J. Anderson
  • Patent number: 10608002
    Abstract: A system for object reconstruction includes an illuminating unit, comprising a light source and a generator of a non-periodic pattern. A diffractive optical element (DOE) is disposed in an optical path of illuminating light propagating from the illuminating unit toward an object, thereby projecting the non-periodic pattern onto an object. An imaging unit detects a light response of an illuminated region and generating image data indicative of the object within the projected pattern. A processor reconstructs a three-dimensional (3D) map of the object responsively to a shift of the pattern in the image data relative to a reference image of the pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zeev Zalevsky, Alexander Shpunt, Aviad Maizels, Javier Garcia
  • Patent number: 10608321
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a substrate and a conductive layer on the substrate. The conductive layer may be patterned to form a first region and a second region that surrounds and defines the shape of the first region. The first region may be formed from a continuous portion of the conductive layer. The second region may include a grid of openings that divides the conductive layer into an array of patches. The first region may form an antenna resonating element for an antenna. The second region may block antenna currents from the antenna resonating element and may be transparent to radio-frequency electromagnetic waves. The openings may have a width that is too narrow to be discerned by the human eye. This may configure the first and second regions to appear as a single continuous conductive layer despite the fact that an antenna resonating element is formed therein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yi Jiang, Jiangfeng Wu, Lijun Zhang, Siwen Yong, Mattia Pascolini
  • Patent number: 10607373
    Abstract: A system comprises an encoder configured to compress attribute information and/or spatial for a point cloud and/or a decoder configured to decompress compressed attribute and/or spatial information for the point cloud. To compress the attribute and/or spatial information, the encoder is configured to convert a point cloud into an image based representation. Also, the decoder is configured to generate a decompressed point cloud based on an image based representation of a point cloud. A closed-loop color conversion process is used to improve compression while taking into consideration distortion introduced throughout the point cloud compression process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Khaled Mammou, Yeping Su, David W. Singer, Alexandros Tourapis, Fabrice A. Robinet, Hsi-Jung Wu
  • Patent number: 10609761
    Abstract: In some embodiments, 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. Embodiments of the disclosure relate to adapting a signal strength metric threshold. In some embodiments, the signal strength metric may be adapted (or adjusted) to establish or maintain data communications with peer devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrie Kurian, Anand Rajagopalan, Saravanan Balasubramaniyan, Tashbeeb Haque
  • Patent number: 10606611
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for performing dynamic linking at a computing device. According to some embodiments, the techniques can involve receiving a request to perform a dynamic linking of a software application. The request can be issued in conjunction with installing the software application, launching the software application for a first time, and so on. In response to the request, a closure file can be generated based on different properties associated with the software application (e.g., environment variables, object files, etc.). Notably, the closure file is generated “out-of-process” relative to the execution environment of the software application. Additionally, the techniques can involve caching the closure file such that the closure file is accessible to the software application. In turn, the software application can utilize the closure file at launch/execution times to reduce a number of dynamic linking operations that otherwise are required to take place using conventional approaches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Louis G. Gerbarg, Dallas Blake De Atley, Nick Kledzik, Peter Cooper
  • Patent number: 10607377
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method includes: determining an intensity of a visual effect to be applied to a user interface element; adjusting the intensity of the visual effect based on a characteristic feature of a background area; and rendering the user interface element based on the adjusted intensity of the visual effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Elizabeth Caroline Furches Cranfill, Mike Matas
  • Patent number: 10609595
    Abstract: A mobile terminal device may include a radio processing circuit and a baseband processing circuit adapted to interact with the radio processing circuit. The mobile terminal device may be configured to transmit or receive a data sequence using a first channel and a second channel according to a data allocation ratio, wherein the data sequence is allocated between frequency division duplexing (FDD) transmission or reception and time division duplexing (TDD) transmission or reception according to the data allocation ratio, and concurrently to transmitting or receiving the data sequence, recurrently adjust the data allocation ratio to re-allocate the distribution of the data sequence between FDD transmission or reception and TDD transmission or reception on the first channel and the second channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Markus Dominik Mueck, Michael Heimlich, Pierce Rixon, Beeshanga Jayawickrama, Eryk Dutkiewicz, Christian Drewes, Gengfa Fang
  • Patent number: 10607961
    Abstract: A method of transferring a micro device and an array of micro devices are disclosed. A carrier substrate carrying a micro device connected to a bonding layer is heated to a temperature below a liquidus temperature of the bonding layer, and a transfer head is heated to a temperature above the liquidus temperature of the bonding layer. Upon contacting the micro device with the transfer head, the heat from the transfer head transfers into the bonding layer to at least partially melt the bonding layer. A voltage applied to the transfer head creates a grip force which picks up the micro device from the carrier substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Bibl, John A. Higginson, Hung-Fai Stephen Law, Hsin-Hua Hu
  • Patent number: 10608474
    Abstract: A wireless power receiving device may have wireless power receiving circuitry with a coil and rectifier. The wireless power receiving circuitry receives wireless power signals and uses the rectifier to supply a corresponding output. The output is characterized by a current, a voltage, and a power equal to a product of the current and voltage. The output of the rectifier is supplied to a direct-current-to-direct-current power regulator integrated circuit, which supplies direct-current power to a system load and battery. A controller integrated circuit directs the power regulator circuit to dither the current while monitoring for a peak in the power. If the power regulator circuit dithers the current satisfactorily, the wireless power receiving circuitry may be operated at the peak power. If the power regulator circuitry does not dither the current in response to being directed to dither the current, a wireless power transmission level may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel B. Schaevitz, Cortland S. Tolva, James R. Walker
  • Patent number: 10608069
    Abstract: A display may have an array of organic light-emitting diodes that form an active area on a flexible substrate. Display driver circuitry such as a display driver integrated circuit may be coupled to an inactive area of the flexible substrate. Metal traces may extend across a bent region of the flexible substrate between the active area and inactive area. Metal traces may have zigzag shapes to reduce stress when bending. Adjacent pairs of parallel segments in the metal traces may be shorted together by a bridging segment that extends perpendicular to the two parallel segments. The bridging segment may be offset from corners to avoid clusters of stress zones in the metal trace. Neutral plane adjustment layers in the bent region may include a metal layer to help counteract the bending force of the flexible substrate and the relaxation of an upper polymer coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zhen Zhang, Terry C. Lam, Paul S. Drzaic, Izhar Z. Ahmed
  • Patent number: 10606355
    Abstract: According to some embodiments, an electronic device can include a processor and a haptic feedback system. The haptic feedback system can include a mass that is coupled to a magnetic element and variable magnetic elements capable of establishing a magnetic field in communication with the magnetic element that varies in accordance with the processor receiving a signal that indicates that a touch event is detected at a touch sensitive layer, where the magnetic field causes displacement of the magnetic element. The haptic feedback system can further include a magnetic field sensor in communication with the processor, where the magnetic field sensor is capable of (i) detecting a change in the magnetic field that is induced by the displacement of the magnetic element, and (ii) providing a detection signal to the processor that corresponds to a current position of the mass that is coupled to the magnetic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Yaocheng Zhang, Kevin M. Froese, Benjamin J. Pope, Scott A. Myers
  • Patent number: 10607419
    Abstract: An avatar editing environment is disclosed that allows users to create custom avatars for use in online games and other applications. Starting with a blank face the user can add, rescale and position different elements (e.g., eyes, nose, mouth) on the blank face. The user can also change the shape of the avatar's face, the avatar's skin color and the color of all the elements. In some implementations, touch input and gestures can be used to manually edit the avatar. Various controls can be used to create the avatar, such as controls for resizing, rotating, positioning, etc. The user can choose between manual and automatic avatar creation. The avatar editing environment can be part of a framework that is available to applications. One or more elements of the avatar can be animated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Marcel Van Os, Thomas Goossens, Laurent Baumann, Michael Dale Lampell, Alexandre Carlhian
  • Patent number: 10607395
    Abstract: System and method for rendering dynamic three-dimensional appearing imagery on a two-dimensional user interface screen of a portable computing device in dependence on a user's view-point of the screen. The method includes processing, on a portable computing device, data defining a plurality of user view-points of a user interface screen of the portable computing device. The method next includes rendering a first image of a constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a first determined user's view-point of the user interface screen of the portable computing device. The method then includes rendering a different image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen based on a subsequently determined user's view-point of the user interface screen and thereby presenting the illusion of a three-dimensional image of the constructed scene on the user interface screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple, Inc.
    Inventor: Brendan A. McCarthy
  • Patent number: 10609692
    Abstract: A communication device and a method to suspend monitoring of a first radio access network (RAN) on a frequency band shared with a second RAN, comprising receiving a signal from the second RAN on the frequency band; decoding the received signal; identifying a duration during which the second RAN occupies the frequency band based on the decoded signal; and suspending monitoring of the control channel of the first RAN on the frequency band for at least the identified duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Soumen Chakraborty, Phani Boddapati
  • Patent number: 10608468
    Abstract: A wireless power transmitting device may have control circuitry that supplies drive signals to a coil to produce wireless power signals. The wireless power receiving device may have a coil that receives the transmitted wireless power signals from the wireless power transmitting device. The wireless power receiving device may have a rectifier that rectifies signals received by the coil in the wireless power receiving device and that provides a rectified voltage to a capacitor. A charger in the wireless power receiving device may charge a battery in the device using the rectified voltage. When it is desired to convey information to the wireless power transmitting device, the wireless power transmitting device may cease the transmission of wireless power and the wireless power receiving device may modulate transistors in the rectifier to transmit data to the wireless power transmitting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Rohan Dayal, Weihong Qiu, Zaki Moussaoui
  • Patent number: 10607386
    Abstract: Various embodiments provide for techniques to facilitate online communication. In one embodiment, the communication is facilitated by providing a framework to enable the transmission of customized avatars across the messaging platform. The avatars may be recipe based, such that a receiving client device can receive the avatar recipe and render an avatar based on the recipe. In one embodiment the recipe includes set of components and a parameters associated with the set of components. An expression identifier associated with an expression to represent via the avatar can be received via the messaging platform and an animation of the avatar can be displayed to convey the intended expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Goossens, Aymeric Bard, Alexandre Carlhian, Thomas Deniau, Raphaël Mor
  • Patent number: D879628
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    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: D879810
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sebastian Boltz, Thorsten Quandt, Melanie Siemers
  • Patent number: D879829
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Mani Amini, Gary Butcher, Matthew J. Sundstrom, Marco Triverio