Apple Patents

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, tablets and personal computers, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac. It also produces the iPod, Apple Watch and Apple TV, as well as the operating systems and applications that support these devices. The company also sells digital content and applications through its iTunes Store, App Store, Mac App Store, iBooks Store and Apple Music.

Apple Patents by Type
  • Apple Patents Granted: Apple patents that have been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Apple Patent Applications: Apple patent applications that are pending before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
  • Patent number: 11956341
    Abstract: An electronic device may include wireless circuitry clocked using an electro-optical phase-locked loop (OPLL) having primary and secondary lasers. A frequency-locked loop (FLL) path and a phase-locked loop (PLL) path may couple an output of the secondary laser to its input. A photodiode may generate a photodiode signal based on the laser output. A digital-to-time converter (DTC) may generate a reference signal. The FLL path may coarsely tune the secondary laser based on the photodiode signal until the secondary laser is frequency locked. Then, the PLL path may finely tune the secondary laser based on the reference signal and the photodiode signal until the phase of the secondary laser is locked to the primary laser. The photodiode signal may be subsampled on the PLL path. This may allow the OPLL to generate optical local oscillator signals with minimal jitter and phase noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zdravko Boos, Alfredo Bismuto, Bertram R Gunzelmann
  • Patent number: 11956740
    Abstract: Embodiments of a User Equipment (UE), Generation Node-B (gNB) and methods of communication are disclosed herein. The UE may attempt to decode sidelink synchronization signals (SLSSs) received on component carriers (CCs) of a carrier aggregation. In one configuration, synchronization resources for SLSS transmissions may be aligned across the CCs at subframe boundaries in time, restricted to a portion of the CCs, and restricted to a same sub-frame. The UE may, for multiple CCs, determine a priority level for the CC based on indicators in the SLSSs received on the CC. The UE may select, from the CCs on which one or more SLSSs are decoded, the CC for which the determined priority level is highest. The UE may determine a reference timing for sidelink communication based on the one or more SLSSs received on the selected CC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ajit Nimbalker, Debdeep Chatterjee, Jeongho Jeon, Fatemeh Hamidi-Sepehr, Sergey Panteleev, Gang Xiong, Alexey Vladimirovich Khoryaev, Mikhail Shilov, Sergey Sosnin, Andrey Chervyakov
  • Patent number: 11955908
    Abstract: An energy storage system can include a battery, a power converter comprising a first plurality of switching devices coupled to the battery and a second plurality of switching devices coupled between the first plurality of switching devices and an AC power system, and control circuitry that determines whether the AC power system is a single/split phase system or a three phase system and operates the first and second pluralities of switching devices accordingly. The control circuitry can include a microcontroller and a plurality of voltage sensors each configured to monitor a magnitude and a phase of a voltage to allow the control circuitry to determine whether the AC power system is a single/split phase system or a three phase system and whether the AC power system is connected with a line to line or line to neutral fault condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ashish K. Sahoo, Brandon Pierquet
  • Patent number: 11956544
    Abstract: A camera includes a camera actuator having autofocus (AF) voice coil motor (VCM) with a lens carrier mounting attachment moveably mounted to a base, magnets mounted to the base, and an AF coil fixedly mounted to the lens carrier mounting attachment for producing forces for moving a lens carrier in a direction of an optical axis of a lens of the lens carrier. The magnets may include a pair of first magnets laterally spaced along a first side of the camera and a pair of second magnets laterally spaced along a second side of the camera opposite the first side. The optical image stabilization (OIS) VCM includes an image sensor carrier moveably mounted to the base, and OIS coils moveably mounted to the image sensor carrier within the magnetic fields of the magnets, for producing forces for moving the image sensor carrier in directions orthogonal to the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Seyed Mohammad Javid Mahmoudzadeh, Aurelien R Hubert, Phillip R Sommer
  • Patent number: 11956375
    Abstract: A digital letter of approval (DLOA) is used by a subscription manager (SM) server to determine whether a device is compliant with requirements for an application to be provisioned. If the device is compliant, the application is provisioned to the device or to an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) included in the device. To increase the security of the device DLOA, the device DLOA is linked to the eUICC, in some embodiments. The linkage may be based on one or more platform label fields in the device DLOA. A database is consulted, in some embodiments, to confirm a relationship between the device and the eUICC identified in the device DLOA. In some embodiments, the eUICC signs the device DLOA and the device DLOA with eUICC signature is sent to the SM server. In some embodiments, the device provides a device signature on the DLOA independent of the eUICC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Xiangying Yang
  • Patent number: 11956609
    Abstract: A context-aware voice guidance method is provided that interacts with other voice services of a user device. The voice guidance does not provide audible guidance while the user is making a verbal request to any of the voice-activated services. Instead, the voice guidance transcribes its output on the screen while the verbal requests from the user are received. In some embodiments, the voice guidance only provides a short warning sound to get the user's attention while the user is speaking on a phone call or another voice-activated service is providing audible response to the user's inquires. The voice guidance in some embodiments distinguishes between music that can be ducked and spoken words, for example from an audiobook, that the user wants to pause instead of being skipped. The voice guidance ducks music but pauses spoken words of an audio book in order to provide voice guidance to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan A. Bennett, Stephen O. Lemay, Marcel Van Os, Scott Forstall, Bradford A. Moore, Emanuele Vulcano, Seejo K. Pylappan
  • Patent number: 11956057
    Abstract: User equipment includes one or more antennas, a receiver coupled to the one or more antennas, and processing circuitry coupled to the receiver and configured to cause the user equipment to receive downlink signals at each communication cycle using a predetermined beam in a beam time slot. Based on processed downlink signals and other relevant information the user equipment may determine a desired beam for the next communication cycle. If the desired beam is the same as the predetermined beam, the user equipment may continue using the predetermined beam at the next communication cycle. If the desired beam is different from the predetermined beam, the user equipment may switch to the desired beam at the next communication cycle. In this way, the user equipment may continue tracking a desired beam to maintain reliable data communications with a communication node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sudhir K Baghel, Sudeep Bhattarai, Amol P Bhatkar, Seshu Tummala, Venkateswara Rao Manepalli, Mehran T Baghaei, Lohit Sarna, Nishant Pattanaik, Jay P Shah
  • Patent number: 11956594
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to a device comprising a moving-coil speaker including a diaphragm to play low-frequency signals from an audio-signal source, and a piezoelectric transducer coupled to the diaphragm to play high-frequency signals from the audio-signal source. A coupler couples the diaphragm to a housing of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Aneesh R. Kudekar, Onur I. Ilkorur, Pablo Seoane Vieites, Stuart M. Nevill
  • Patent number: 11956670
    Abstract: A user equipment (UE) is configured to communicate with a further UE via a sidelink (SL). The UE encodes traffic for transmission to the further UE, wherein the traffic comprises a payload and a medium access control (MAC) subheader, wherein the MAC subheader indicates whether the payload corresponds to non-routed traffic between the UE and the further UE or routed traffic between either one of the UE or the further UE and a base station, wherein an other one of the UE or the further UE functions as a relay for the routed traffic and transmits the traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yuqin Chen, Dawei Zhang, Fangli Xu, Haijing Hu, Longda Xing, Murtaza A. Shikari, Sethuraman Gurumoorthy, Sree Ram Kodali, Srinivasan Nimmala, Srirang A Lovlekar
  • Patent number: 11956646
    Abstract: An apparatus of user equipment (UE) includes processing circuitry coupled to a memory, where to configure the UE for uplink (UL) beam selection in a New Radio (NR) network, the processing circuitry is to decode a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from a base station. The MAC CE identifies a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource set and a plurality of spatial relationship reference signals. An SRS is selected from the SRS resource set. A beam direction associated with a spatial relationship reference signal of the plurality of spatial relationship reference signals is derived. The spatial relationship reference signal corresponds to the selected SRS. The SRS is encoded for beamforming to transmit the selected SRS in the derived beam direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Honglei Miao
  • Patent number: 11956611
    Abstract: A portable electronic device can include a housing at least partially defining an internal volume. The device can include a venting module including a membrane, a porous member, and a support structure. The membrane and porous member can define a fluid path extending a width of the porous member and placing the internal volume in fluid communication with an ambient environment adjacent the housing. The support structure can be coupled to the porous member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jiahui Liang, Kahn C. Wu, Stephen L. Frey
  • Publication number: 20240114418
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for NR cell prioritization based on carrier bandwidths. An embodiment operates by storing a plurality of neighboring cell frequencies and respective carrier bandwidths of the plurality of neighboring cell frequencies. The embodiment determines whether a carrier bandwidth corresponding to a neighboring cell frequency of the plurality of neighboring cell frequencies is less than a serving cell carrier bandwidth. In response to a determination that the carrier bandwidth corresponding to the neighboring cell frequency is less than the serving cell carrier bandwidth, the embodiment determines a biased signal strength measurement by adding an offset to a signal strength measurement corresponding to the neighboring cell frequency, where the offset is determined based at least in part on a data throughput requirement of the UE.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Vijayant KUMAR, Prasad P. ASHTEKAR, Munish JINDAL
  • Publication number: 20240114369
    Abstract: The present application relates to devices and components including apparatus, systems, and methods to dynamically adjust a scanning duration for packets. In some embodiments, a device can extend a scanning duration for advertising packets based at least in part on a detected scanning interruption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2023
    Publication date: April 4, 2024
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Dongwoon Hahn, Chen Ganir, Duy N. Phan
  • Patent number: 11950354
    Abstract: This application relates to a layout of components within an electronic device. The electronic device includes a circuit board and one or more thermal components located on or proximate to each surface of the circuit board. As a result, thermal energy generated by components of the circuit board are drawn away from the circuit board in a more efficient manner. Additionally, the electronic device may include one or more air movers designed to draw ambient air into the electronic device in a manner that causes the ambient air to cool components upstream from the air movers. Further, the electronic device includes a fin stack that is thermally coupled to the aforementioned thermal components, and further receives air driven in by the air mover(s). Also, the electronic device is designed to receive the ambient air through openings that define a 360-degree air inlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Kristopher P. Laurent, Brett W. Degner, Jay S. Nigen, Eric R. Prather, David H. Narajowski
  • Patent number: 11950223
    Abstract: In a general aspect, a User Equipment (UE) in a cellular communications network receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling message from a base station communicatively coupled to the UE over a communications channel. The UE accesses a search space in the RRC signaling message. The UE identifies a fallback Downlink Control Information (DCI) Information Element (IE) included in the search space. The UE determines whether an aggregation factor is indicated in the fallback DCI IE for shared channel communications with the base station, over multiple slots in the communications channel. The UE determines an uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configuration for transmission on the communications channel. The UE schedules an aggregated transmission over multiple slots in the communications channel based on the aggregation factor and the uplink/downlink configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sergey Panteleev, Debdeep Chatterjee
  • Patent number: 11947792
    Abstract: An electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface displays, on the display, a first visual indicator. The electronic device receives a first single touch input on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the first visual indicator; and, in response to detecting the first single touch input on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the first visual indicator, replaces display of the first visual indicator with display of a first menu. The first menu includes a virtual touches selection icon. In response to detecting selection of the virtual touches selection icon, the electronic device displays a menu of virtual multitouch contacts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Eric T. Seymour, Christopher B. Fleizach
  • Patent number: 11947731
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology provide for intention-based user interface control for electronic devices. For example, an electronic device may utilize multiple indirect engagement indicators performed by a user of the electronic device, to confirm which of several displayed user interfaces with which the user intends to engage. Once the electronic device determines which of the multiple user interfaces the user intends to engage with, the electronic device may provide a user input to the application or other process underlying that user interface. The user input may be based, in whole or in part, one or more of the multiple indirect engagement indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: James T. Turner, Peter L. Hajas
  • Patent number: 11947457
    Abstract: A scalable cache coherency protocol for system including a plurality of coherent agents coupled to one or more memory controllers is described. The memory controller may implement a precise directory for cache blocks from the memory to which the memory controller is coupled. Multiple requests to a cache block may be outstanding, and snoops and completions for requests may include an expected cache state at the receiving agent, as indicated by a directory in the memory controller when the request was processed, to allow the receiving agent to detect race conditions. In an embodiment, the cache states may include a primary shared and a secondary shared state. The primary shared state may apply to a coherent agent that bears responsibility for transmitting a copy of the cache block to a requesting agent. In an embodiment, at least two types of snoops may be supported: snoop forward and snoop back.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: James Vash, Gaurav Garg, Brian P. Lilly, Ramesh B. Gunna, Steven R. Hutsell, Lital Levy-Rubin, Per H. Hammarlund, Harshavardhan Kaushikkar
  • Patent number: 11946969
    Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods for implementing a multi-die clock stop trigger are described. A computing system includes a plurality of semiconductor dies connected together and sharing a global clock stop trigger signal which is pulled high via a resistor tied to a supply voltage. Each semiconductor die has a clock generation unit which generates local clocks for the die. Each clock generation unit monitors for local clock stop triggers, and if one of the local triggers is detected, the clock generation unit stops local clocks on the die and pulls the global clock stop trigger signal low. When the other clock generation units on the other semiconductor dies detect the global clock stop trigger at the logic low level, these clock generation units also stop their local clocks. Captured data is then retrieved from the computing system for further analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Charles J. Fleckenstein, Tal Lazmi, Ori Isachar
  • Patent number: 11947005
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes: obtaining a first depth estimation characterizing a distance between the device and a surface in a real-world environment, wherein the first depth estimation is derived from image data including a representation of the surface; receiving, using the audio transceiver, an acoustic reflection of an acoustic wave, wherein the acoustic wave is transmitted in a known direction relative to the device; and determining a second depth estimation based on the acoustic reflection, wherein the second depth estimation characterizes the distance between the device and the surface in the real-world environment; and determining a confirmed depth estimation characterizing the distance between the device and the surface based on resolving any mismatch between the first depth estimation and the second depth estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christopher T. Eubank, Ryan S. Carlin
  • Patent number: 11950259
    Abstract: To extend a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) in wireless communications, an extended physical broadcast channel (EPBCH) transmission is generated with one or more legacy PBCH blocks and one or more EPBCH blocks within an extension window. A size of the extension window is determined based at least in part on a PBCH repetition number and a number of the legacy PBCH blocks relative to a number of the EPBCH blocks. The EPBCH transmission is transmitted by a base station (BS) to one or more user equipment (UE).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Hong He, Dawei Zhang, Wei Zeng, Chunhai Yao, Haitong Sun, Yuchul Kim, Yushu Zhang, Chunxuan Ye, Oghenekome Oteri, Weidong Yang, Yang Tang, Jie Cui, Haijing Hu, Zhibin Wu, Fangli Xu
  • Patent number: 11948043
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that use a marking on a transparent surface (e.g., a prescription lens insert for an HMD) to identify information (e.g., prescription parameters) about the transparent surface. In some implementations, the markings do not interfere with eye tracking through the transparent surface or using the transparent surface to view virtual content or a physical environment. In some implementations, image data is obtained from an image sensor of an electronic device, the image data corresponding to a transparent surface attached to the electronic device. Then, a code is identified in the image data, wherein the code is detectable on the transparent surface by the image sensor without interfering with a function of the electronic device involving the transparent surface. In some implementations, content is provided at the electronic device based on the identified code, wherein the content is viewable through the transparent surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Kurz, Anselm Grundhoefer, Tushar Gupta
  • Patent number: 11947733
    Abstract: Techniques for displaying a virtual object in an enhanced reality setting in accordance with a physical muting mode being active are described. In some examples, a system obtains context data for one or more physical elements in a physical setting, wherein the context data includes first context data and second context data that is different from the first context data. In some examples, in response to obtaining the context data for the one or more physical elements in the physical setting, a system causes display of a virtual object that represents the one or more physical elements using the first context data without using the second context data, in accordance with a determination that a physical muting mode is active.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Clément Pierre Nicolas Boissière, Shaun Budhram, Tucker Bull Morgan, Bruno M. Sommer, Connor A. Smith
  • Patent number: 11947873
    Abstract: An exemplary method for identifying media may include receiving user input associated with a request for media, where that user input includes unstructured natural language speech including one or more words; identifying at least one context associated with the user input; causing a search for the media based on the at least one context and the user input; determining, based on the at least one context and the user input, at least one media item that satisfies the request; and in accordance with a determination that the at least one media item satisfies the request, obtaining the at least one media item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan M. Orr, Daniel J. Mandel, Andrew J. Sinesio, Connor J. Barnett
  • Patent number: 11948261
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for generating variations of an object. In various implementations, a device includes a display, a non-transitory memory and one or more processors coupled with the display and the non-transitory memory. In some implementations, a method includes obtaining a request to populate an environment with variations of an object characterized by at least one visual property. In some implementations, the method includes generating the variations of the object by assigning corresponding values for the at least one visual property based on one or more distribution criterion. In some implementations, the method includes displaying the variations of the object in the setting in order to satisfy a presentation criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Stuart Harl Ferguson, Richard Ignatius Punsal Lozada, James Graham McCarter
  • Patent number: 11948380
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method of determining an estimate of a position of a camera is performed at a device including one or more processors and non-transitory memory. The method includes obtaining a point cloud of a physical environment including a plurality of points, wherein each of the plurality of points is associated with set of three-dimensional coordinates in a three-dimensional coordinate system of the physical environment, wherein the plurality of points includes a first cluster of points associated with a first semantic label. The method includes obtaining a two-dimensional image of the physical environment associated with a point-of-view set of three-dimensional coordinates in the three-dimensional coordinate system of the physical environment. The method includes detecting, in the two-dimensional image of the physical environment, a representation of a first object corresponding to the first semantic label.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Payal Jotwani
  • Patent number: 11948339
    Abstract: According to an example method, a system receives first data representing a polygon mesh. The polygon mesh includes a plurality of interconnected vertices forming a plurality of triangles. The system generates second data representing the polygon mesh. Generating the second data includes traversing the vertices of the polygon mesh according to a traversal order, partitioning the plurality of triangles into a set of ordered triangle groups in accordance with the traversal order, and encoding, in the second data, the set of ordered triangle groups. The system outputs the second data. A position each of the vertices in the transversal order is determined based on (i) a number of previously encoded triangles that are incident to that vertex, and/or (ii) a sum of one or more angles formed by the previously encoded triangles that are incident to that vertex.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Khaled Mammou
  • Patent number: 11948030
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for verifying that an image includes a complete code of a time-varying visual marker that displays codes sequentially on a display. In some implementations, the verification determines that the image include a complete code rather than combinations of sequentially-displayed codes that may be included in an image based on use of a rolling shutter (e.g., in a camera of a detecting electronic device). In some implementations, the verification involves comparing a first verification portion of an image to a second opposing verification portion of an image. Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for modifying image capture parameters (e.g., frame rate) to ensure capture of all codes of a time-varying visual marker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anselm Grundhoefer, Arun Srivatsan Rangaprasad
  • Patent number: 11950022
    Abstract: A head-mounted device may have a head-mounted support structure with a left side portion, a right side portion, and a transparent front portion forming a lens. The lens may extend across the front of a user's face between the left and right side portions. The lens may have a mirror coating or other optical coating that helps obscure objects on the inner side of the lens when viewed from an exterior region surrounding the head-mounted device. Left and right forward-facing cameras with overlapping fields of view may be used to capture visible-light images through the lens. The cameras may also be used for gaze tracking. Left and right light sources may provide eye illumination that reflects from the lens into left and right eye boxes. Images from the eye boxes may reflect from the lens towards the left and right forward-facing cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Kalinowski, Brian S. Lau
  • Patent number: 11950084
    Abstract: An audio engine is provided for acoustically rendering a three-dimensional virtual environment. The audio engine uses geometric volumes to represent sound sources and any sound occluders. A volumetric response is generated based on sound projected from a volumetric sound source to a listener, taking into consideration any volumetric occluders in-between. The audio engine also provides for modification of a level of detail of sound over time based on distance between a listener and a sound source. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: David Thall, Christopher A. Wolfe, James E. McCartney
  • Patent number: 11948332
    Abstract: A system for determining the gaze endpoint of a subject, the system comprising: a eye tracking unit adapted to determine the gaze direction of one or more eyes of the subject; a head tracking unit adapted to determine the position comprising location and orientation of the eye tracker with respect to a reference coordinate system; a 3D Structure representation unit, that uses the 3D structure and position of objects of the scene in the reference coordinate system to provide a 3D structure representation of the scene; based on the gaze direction, the eye tracker position and the 3D structure representation, calculating the gaze endpoint on an object of the 3D structure representation of the scene or determining the object itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jan Hoffmann, Tom Sengelaub, Denis Williams
  • Patent number: 11950040
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for volume control of ear devices. In an embodiment, a method comprises: determining a reference attitude of the ear device based on sensor data collected by motion sensors of the ear device; storing the reference attitude; receiving, with at least one processor, a first user input indicating a user request for a volume control mode of the ear device; receiving a rotation input; determining, with the at least one processor, an amount of volume level increase/decrease based on attitude change relative to the reference attitude due to the rotation input; adjusting a volume level of the ear device in accordance with the volume level increase/decrease; and receiving second user input indicating a second user request to release the volume control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thayne M. Miller, John Greer Elias, Jacob L. Matlick
  • Patent number: 11948338
    Abstract: An encoder encodes three-dimensional (3D) volumetric content, such as immersive media, using video encoded attribute patch images packed into a 2D atlas to communicate the attribute values for the 3D volumetric content. The encoder also uses mesh-encoded sub-meshes to communicate geometry information for portions of the 3D object or scene corresponding to the attribute patch images packed into the 2D atlas. The encoder applies decimation operations to the sub-meshes to simplify the sub-meshes before mesh encoding the sub-meshes. A distortion analysis is performed to bound the level to which the sub-meshes are simplified at the encoder. Mesh simplification at the encoder reduces the number of vertices and edges included in the sub-meshes which simplifies rendering at a decoder receiving the encoded 3D volumetric content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Khaled Mammou, Fabrice A. Robinet, Maneli Noorkami, Afshin Taghavi Nasrabadi
  • Patent number: 11950036
    Abstract: An electronic device can include a housing defining an aperture and a display positioned in the aperture. The display and the housing can define an internal volume in which a speaker assembly is positioned. The speaker assembly can include a speaker module and a speaker enclosure in fluid communication, with the speaker enclosure at least partially defining a speaker volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Paul X. Wang, Chanjuan Feng, Christopher Wilk, Dinesh C. Mathew, Keith J. Hendren, Stuart M. Nevill, Daniel K. Boothe, Nicholas A Rundle, Simon S. Lee, Xiang Zhang, Thomas H. Tsang, Rebecca J. Mikolajczyk
  • Patent number: 11949474
    Abstract: Apparatuses of a user equipment (UE), a cellular base station, and radio access network (RAN) nodes are disclosed. An apparatus of a wireless communication device includes circuitry configured to measure reference signals received from a plurality of antennas of an other wireless communication device, and circuitry configured to cause one or more antennas of the wireless communication device to transmit information regarding the received reference signals back to the other wireless communication device to enable the other wireless communication device to estimate a utility function for different transmit parameter sets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Jan Schreck, Nageen Himayat, Hosein Nikopour, Feng Xue, Ehsan Aryafar, Oner Orhan, Mustafa R. Akdeniz, Wook Bong Lee, Jing Zhu
  • Patent number: 11949529
    Abstract: The subject technology receives, at a local device, a requested camera format based on specifications of a display associated with a remote device. The remote device and the local device are devices participating in a video conference. The requested camera format includes a first resolution. Camera formats supported by a camera associated with the local device are determined. If a second resolution of a first camera format matches among the supported camera formats matches with the first resolution, the first camera format is selected for capturing the video stream by the camera. Otherwise, a second camera format among the supported camera formats is determined for capturing the video stream so as to maximize a field of view of the video stream relative to other camera formats supported by the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Karthick Santhanam, Eric L. Chien, Christopher M. Garrido, Kyle W. Horn, Ian J. Baird, Qian Sun, David L. Biderman
  • Patent number: 11950083
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed for head tracking state detection based on correlated motion of a source device and a headset communicatively coupled to the source device. In an embodiment, a method comprises: obtaining, using one or more processors of a source device, source device motion data from a source device and headset motion data from a headset; determining, using the one or more processors, correlation measures using the source device motion data and the headset motion data; updating, using the one or more processors, a motion tracking state based on the determined correlation measures; and initiating head pose tracking in accordance with the updated motion tracking state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaoyuan Tu, Margaret H. Tam, Halil Ibrahim Basturk, Alexander Singh Alvarado, Adam S. Howell
  • Patent number: 11949769
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein relate to improving a power output of a transmitter of an electronic device. To do so, the transmitter may include signal selection circuitry to adjust a sign selection signal to accurately transition between polarities of a quadrature (e.g., I or Q) component signal stored in or for which an indication is stored in a storage cell of a radio frequency digital-to-analog converter. The sign selection signal may generate a separate adjusted sign selection signal for each polarity of each quadrature component signal such that a transition of the selection signal between a first value and a second value (e.g., logic high and low) occurs when the respective quadrature (e.g., +/? and I/Q) component signal is a logic low. In this way, the signal selection circuitry reduces an error pulse in the output of the transmitter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Voravit Vorapipat, Morteza Nick, Krishna Chaitanya Reddy Gangavaram, Antonio Passamani
  • Patent number: 11950106
    Abstract: An apparatus of a New Radio (NR) User Equipment (UE), a method, and a system. The apparatus includes a Radio Frequency (RF) interface, and processing circuitry coupled to the RF interface. The processing circuitry is to: generate a signal including capability information of the UE, wherein a time period for intra-frequency cell detection and measurement for the UE is based on the capability information; and cause a transmission of the signal within a cellular network to include the UE using the RF interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Manasa Raghavan, Jie Cui, Yang Tang
  • Patent number: 11948815
    Abstract: Mass transfer tools and methods for high density transfer of arrays of micro devices are described. In an embodiment, a mass transfer tool includes a micro pick up array with an array of transfer heads arranged in clusters. The clusters of transfer heads can be used to pick up a high density group of micro devices followed by sequential placement onto a receiving substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Antoine Manens, Dariusz Golda, Hyeun-Su Kim
  • Patent number: 11950141
    Abstract: An electronic device discussed herein may include radio frequency communication circuitry for communication on a radio frequency network according to a communication configuration, a processor, and memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform operations including receiving, a first muting configuration indicating when the radio frequency communication circuitry is to communicate using a first type of communication on a first frequency band and when the radio frequency communication circuitry is to communicate using a second type of communication on a second frequency band, where the first frequency band may overlap with the second frequency band. The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform operations including transmitting or receiving a data packet using the radio frequency communication circuitry according to the communication configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Anatoliy Sergey Toffe, Lydi Smaini, Rastislav Vazny, Ronald William Dimpflmaier, Alexander Sayenko
  • Patent number: 11949721
    Abstract: A communication device may include a message generator configured to generate a message in accordance with a command set to use a communication service provided by a communication session setup protocol; and a modem circuit coupled to the message generator and configured to operate in accordance with the message generated by the message generator; wherein the message generator is configured to generate the message comprising a command to at least one of control or establish an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Frank Kowalewski
  • Patent number: 11950182
    Abstract: Embodiments of a User Equipment (UE) and methods of communication are generally described herein. The UE may be configurable to operate as an initiating UE for a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) application that includes PCS communication between the initiating UE and a receiving UE. The initiating UE may receive, from a base station, control signaling that indicates a default PCS radio access technology (RAT) for the V2X service. The default PCS RAT may be either a Long Term Evolution (LTE) PCS RAT or a New Radio (NR) PCS RAT. Based on the default PCS RAT and/or PCS RATs supported by the initiating UE, the initiating UE may select either the LTE PCS RAT or the NR PCS RAT. The selected PCS RAT may be proposed, in a negotiation with the receiving UE, for the V2X service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alexandre Saso Stojanovski, Chang Hong Shan, Meghashree Dattatri Kedalagudde
  • Patent number: 11949613
    Abstract: An apparatus of a network (NW) configured to: encode a new radio (NR) Discovery Reference Signal (DRS) transmission, the NR DRS transmission including a synchronization signal block (SSB) and channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) (CSI-RS). The apparatus is further configured to configure the NW to transmit the NR DRS transmission. The RS-CSI may be a fragmented RS-CSI including a first fragmented portion and a second fragmented portion, where the apparatus is configured to encode a symbol of the NR DRS transmission to comprise the first fragmented portion, a symbol of the SSB, and the second fragmented portion, where the symbol of the SSB is encoded on a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) portion of the NR DRS transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bishwarup Mondal, Salvatore Talarico, Seau S. Lim, Dae Won Lee, Jeongho Jeon
  • Patent number: 11949938
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure present devices, methods, and computer readable medium for enabling controller device to control proprietary digital media players, network accessories, and virtual assistants, providing an overall improved user experience. The techniques disclosed herein reduce clutter because a single controller can control various different devices and accessories. The techniques discloses also can include identifying a change in the configuration information for the computing device. The technique for accessory control can include transmitting updated configuration information for the controller, the configuration information associating a function for the computing device with a user interface element value for the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Zaka Ur Rehman Ashraf, Anush G. Nadathur, Jared S. Grubb, Srinivas Rama
  • Patent number: 11949334
    Abstract: A power converter is disclosed. The power converter includes a switching circuit configured to source current to a switch node that is coupled, via an inductor, to a regulated power supply node. A DC resistance sensing circuit includes a first filter and a second filters. The first filter circuit is configured to filter a voltage level of a first terminal of the inductor to generate a first filtered signal, while the second filter circuit is configured to filter a voltage level of a second terminal of the inductor to generate a second filtered signal. A control circuit is configured to adjust the operation of the switching circuit using a voltage level of the regulated power supply node, the first filtered signal, and the second filtered signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan F. Bolus, Alberto Alessandro Angelo Puggelli, Fabio Gozzini, Hao Zhou
  • Patent number: 11949462
    Abstract: A communication system may an optical signal generator and a signal path. The generator may generate one or more optical local oscillator (LO) signals and an optical frequency comb. Optical paths and an optical demultiplexer may distribute the optical LO signal(s) and the frequency comb to photodiodes in one or more access points. The photodiodes may be coupled to antenna radiating elements. The optical paths may illuminate each photodiode using a signal pair that includes one of the optical LO signals and one of the carriers from the frequency comb. The photodiodes may convey wireless signals using the antenna radiating elements at frequencies given by the differences in frequency between the signals in the signal pairs. The radiating elements may concurrently convey the wireless signals with different external devices at different frequencies, with different devices at the same frequency, and/or with the same device at the same frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Bertram R Gunzelmann, Zdravko Boos
  • Patent number: 11950512
    Abstract: An acoustic imaging system coupled to a sensing plate to define an imaging surface. The acoustic imaging system includes an array of piezoelectric acoustic transducers coupled to the sensing plate opposite the imaging surface and formed using a thin-film manufacturing process over an application-specific integrated circuit that, in turn, is configured to leverage the array of piezoelectric actuators to generate an image of an object at least partially wetting to the imaging surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ehsan Khajeh, Aaron S. Tucker, Andrew W. Joyce, Brian M. King, Giovanni Gozzini, Jason S. Griesbach, Marcus C. Yip, Mohammad Yeke Yazdandoost, Gordon S. Franza, Henry H. Yang
  • Patent number: D1020773
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alan C. Dye, Daniel Satoru Hamaguchi, Wan Si Wan
  • Patent number: D1020799
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Christie, Elizabeth Caroline Cranfill, Bas Ording, Raymond Sepulveda