Patents Assigned to Apples Inc.
  • Patent number: 10055048
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an electronic device having a force sensing device. The force sensing device receives a continuous force input which is translated into a discrete event. In order to more accurately determine the type of discrete event intended by a user, the electronic device is able to determine an amount of noise present in the electronic device and dynamically adjust force threshold values associated with the force sensing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: John Stephen Smith
  • Patent number: 10057939
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a UE is configured to, in response to detecting an absence of received packets associated with a voice call over a first time interval of a pre-determined length, initiate transmission of a first control packet to a base station. In some embodiments, the UE is further configured, based on a response to the first control packet, not to drop the packet-switched voice call at least until expiration of a second time interval of a pre-determined length after transmission of the first control packet. In some embodiments, the absence of received packets is an absence of both voice and silence packets. In some embodiments, based on absence of a response to the first control packet, the UE is configured to drop the packet-switched call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Prateek Sharma, Sanjay K. Verma, Deepankar Bhattacharjee, Sreevalsan Vallath
  • Patent number: 10057062
    Abstract: A relay service can relay messages between controllers and electronically controllable accessory devices that may be located remotely from the controllers. Relaying of messages by the relay service can be decoupled from any knowledge of the functionality of the accessory or the content of the messages. Device identification and relaying of messages can be managed using “relay aliases” that are meaningful only to the relay service and the endpoint devices (the controller and accessory). The endpoint devices can implement end-to-end security for messages transported by the relay service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anush G. Nadathur, Gokul P. Thirumalai, Kevin P. McLaughlin, Matthew C. Lucas, Andrew Burks
  • Patent number: 10055897
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are provided for placing an asset on a three-dimensional model. Each asset can be associated with a pivot point and with an asset normal. A contact point on the surface of a model where an asset is to be positioned may be identified, and a surface normal that may be perpendicular to the surface at the contact point may also be identified. Then, the asset can be placed on the model such that the position of the pivot point of the asset may coincide with the position of the identified contact point on the surface of the model, and such that the orientation of the asset normal may match the orientation of the identified surface normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Thomas Goossens
  • Patent number: 10055419
    Abstract: An application-centric model is employed for the storage, searching and retrieval of documents. By entering a command directed to a particular application program, such as clicking on an icon for that program, a user interface panel displays documents stored on the computing device that are associated with that application. From the panel, the user can perform various actions with respect to the displayed documents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Pavel Cisler, David A. Lyons, Loic E. Vandereyken, Lindsey E. Schramm, Yan Arrouye, Ali Ozer, Laurent Baumann, Nathan Codding, Patrick Coffman, Todd Schomer
  • Patent number: 10054720
    Abstract: A Fresnel lens can be adhered to a window in an optical apparatus by liquid optically clear adhesive (LOCA). However, during adhesion the LOCA may spill over into grooves of the Fresnel lens, and the grooves can carry the LOCA into an active area of the lens potentially causing visual artifacts and altering the functional and cosmetic optical qualities of the lens. In examples of the disclosure, one or more grooves along the circumference of a surface of the lens surrounding inner grooves of the Fresnel lens can form a barrier ring that prevents the LOCA from reaching the inner grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ueyn L. Block, Tobias J. Harrison-Noonan, David Nazzaro
  • Patent number: 10056327
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method and/or a system may include an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit may include a semiconductor die. The integrated circuit may include a plurality of wiring layers. At least one metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitor may be formed within the plurality of wiring layers. The integrated circuit may include a circuit. The circuit may include at least an inductor and a voltage regulator which, with the MIM capacitor, forms a voltage regulator for the semiconductor die. The circuit may be coupled substantially below at least a portion of the MIM capacitor in the plurality of layers. The circuit may be electrically coupled to the capacitor through the plurality of wiring layers. The integrated circuit may include a plurality of electrical connectors, the plurality of electrical connectors coupled to the second surface at points separate from an area of the second surface that is occupied by the circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jun Zhai, Kunzhong Hu
  • Patent number: 10057928
    Abstract: Embodiments include an improved tethering system in which a handheld device may be used by a user to reach the same network that the handheld device also provides access to for a tethering machine. Some embodiments include performing the following on a hand held device concurrently with the hand held device providing a user of the handheld device with access to a data network: receiving a packet from a tethering machine, replacing the packet's source address with a new source address, and transmitting the packet into a wireless network. Some embodiments include receiving from the wireless network a response packet, replacing the response packet's destination address with the packet's source address, and transmitting the response packet to the tethering machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Cahya Masputra
  • Patent number: 10055951
    Abstract: An electronic device may include a device housing, a haptic actuator carried by the device housing, and an audio input transducer carried by the device housing. The electronic device may also include a controller coupled to the audio input transducer and the haptic actuator. The controller may be capable of determining a sound level of the haptic actuator, attempting to drive the haptic actuator to operate within a desired sound level range, and when unable to drive the haptic actuator within the desired sound level range, then generating a warning indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Xuefeng Wang, Sungchang Lee, Wei Guang Wu, Yuanyuan Song
  • Patent number: 10058016
    Abstract: A compensation coil placed at least partially underneath a magnetic field sensor package in an electronic system provides attenuation of electromagnetic interference (EMI). In an embodiment, the compensation coil attenuates EMI in a frequency band which overlaps with an operating frequency band of the magnetic field sensor. This allows the magnetic field sensor to make accurate magnetic field measurements in the presence of system level alternating current (AC) EMI. In an embodiment, a system comprises: a magnetic field sensor; a compensation coil placed at least partially underneath the magnetic field sensor; and a reverse current generator coupled to the compensation coil and to a power supply that is coupled to an electromagnetic interference (EMI) source, the reverse current generator operable to generate a reverse current in the compensation coil to generate a counter magnetic field for compensating the EMI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jian Guo, Sean M. Gordoni
  • Patent number: 10056059
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments provide a system that drives a first display and a second display with a higher pixel density than the first display from a computer system. During operation, the system provides a set of backing stores for windows in the computer system. Next, the system enables a first set of clients to draw to the backing stores using a virtual coordinate system. Finally, the system uses the backing stores to drive the first and second displays so that a given distance in the virtual coordinate system is substantially the same size on the first and second displays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew R. Barnes
  • Patent number: 10056695
    Abstract: An electronic device may have wireless circuitry with antennas. An antenna resonating element arm for an antenna may be formed from conductive housing structures running along the edges of a device. The antenna may have a pair of switchable return paths that bridge a slot between the antenna resonating element and an antenna ground. An adjustable component and a feed may be coupled in parallel across the slot. The adjustable component may switch a capacitor into use or out of use and the return paths may be selectively opened and closed to compensate for antenna loading due to the presence of external objects near the electronic device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Enrique Ayala Vazquez, Hongfei Hu, Nanbo Jin, Matthew A. Mow, Liang Han, Ming-Ju Tsai, Erica J. Tong, Erdinc Irci, Salih Yarga, Mattia Pascolini, Benjamin Shane Bustle, Ruben Caballero
  • Patent number: 10057712
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a mobile computing device that includes a number of applications having a common display area to display data relating to a location. In some embodiments, the common display area is a unified display area to display different types of data. The different types of data can include information regarding the location, multimedia associated with the location, user feedbacks regarding the location, a catalog associated with the location, social network data, etc. In some embodiments, the unified common display area is also referred to as a place card because it presents data relating to a place.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nathaniel R. Rivard, Marcel van Os, Emanuele Vulcano, Srichand Pendyala
  • Patent number: 10055394
    Abstract: Various features and processes related to document collaboration are disclosed. In some implementations, animations are presented when updating a local document display to reflect changes made to the document at a remote device. In some implementations, a user can selectively highlight changes made by collaborators in a document. In some implementations, a user can select an identifier associated with another user to display a portion of a document that includes the other user's cursor location. In some implementations, text in document chat sessions can be automatically converted into hyperlinks which, when selected, cause a document editor to perform an operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Keng Fai Lee, Wang Chiu Chan, Charles J. Migos, M. Frank Emanuel
  • Patent number: 10052848
    Abstract: Various sapphire and laminate structures are discussed herein. One embodiment may take the form of a sapphire structure having a first sapphire sheet with a first sapphire plane type forming the major surface and a second sapphire sheet having a second different sapphire plane type forming the major surface. The first and second sapphire sheets are fused together to form the sapphire structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christopher D. Prest, Dale N. Memering, David A. Pakula, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Vincent Yan, Jason Huey
  • Patent number: 10056443
    Abstract: An electronic device may have a flexible portion that allows the device to be folded. The device may have a flexible display. The flexible display may have edge portions that are joined along a flexible middle portion. The flexible middle portion may overlap a bend axis and may be bent about the bend axis. Flexibility enhancement regions may be formed in a backing layer, polarizer layer, organic-light-emitting display layer, and other display layers to enhance flexibility for the middle portion. The device may have a display with a flexible tail that is bent about a bend axis. Metal trace on the flexible display may include metal trace strips that serve as power lines. Flexibility enhancement regions such as slot-shaped openings or other openings may be formed in the metal trace strips to enhance flexibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Terry C. Shyu, Paul S. Drzaic, Zhen Zhang
  • Patent number: 10052061
    Abstract: In some implementations, a mobile device can adjust an alarm setting based on the sleep onset latency duration detected for a user of the mobile device. For example, sleep onset latency can be the amount of time it takes for the user to fall asleep after the user attempts to go to sleep (e.g., goes to bed). The mobile device can determine when the user intends or attempts to go to sleep based on detected sleep ritual activities. Sleep ritual activities can include those activities a user performs in preparation for sleep. The mobile device can determine when the user is asleep based on detected sleep signals (e.g., biometric data, sounds, etc.). In some implementations, the mobile device can determine recurring patterns of long or short sleep onset latency and present suggestions that might help the user sleep better or feel more rested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Roy J. Raymann, Wren N. Dougherty, Divya Nag, Deborah M. Lambert, Stephanie Greer, Thomas R. Gruber
  • Patent number: 10055096
    Abstract: A content list panel displays a list of article representations. In response to a selection of an article representation from the content list panel, the content application loads an article associated with the selected article representation in addition to one or more second articles. By preloading the second articles, the user can continuously read through different articles in the main window of the content application without having to select an article representation from the content list panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Falkenburg, Kevin W. Decker, Darin Benjamin Adler, Ada Y. Chan
  • Patent number: 10057860
    Abstract: A link-budget-limited wireless communication device (UE) may implement improved radio link monitoring procedures for enhancing the link-budget of the UE. The UE may monitor the radio link and may determine whether the radio link can support a lowest acceptable link quality according to a hysteresis-based comparison that uses threshold values to determine error rates associated with a physical control channel. The UE may also identify itself to the network as a link-budget-limited device, and the network may enable special link-budget enhancing features for the UE, including boosting the power of the resource elements (REs) carrying physical channel signaling/data to the UE. The UE may detect the presence of power boost and may estimate/determine the power boost level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Tarik Tabet, Samy Khay-Ibbat, Awais M. Hussain
  • Patent number: 10055030
    Abstract: An input device for providing input to a computing device. The input device includes a body, a visual element, and a processing element in communication with the visual element. The processing element dynamically changes a graphic displayed by the visual element to correspond to presentation data corresponding to the input device as presented to the computing device. The dynamic changes in the graphic provide indication to a user regarding the current state of the input device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher J. Stringer