Patents by Inventor Akifumi Kobashi

Akifumi Kobashi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11647321
    Abstract: Ear buds may have optical proximity sensors and accelerometers. Control circuitry may analyze output from the optical proximity sensors and the accelerometers to identify a current operational state for the ear buds. The control circuitry may also analyze the accelerometer output to identify tap input such as double taps made by a user on ear bud housings. Samples in the accelerometer output may be analyzed to determine whether the samples associated with a tap have been clipped. If the samples have been clipped, a curve may be fit to the samples. Optical sensor data may be analyzed in conjunction with potential tap input data from the accelerometer. If the optical sensor data is ordered, a tap input may be confirmed. If the optical sensor data is disordered, the control circuitry can conclude that accelerometer data corresponds to false tap input associated with unintentional contact with the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Adam S. Howell, Hung A. Pham, Akifumi Kobashi, Rami Y. Hindiyeh, Xing Tan, Alexander Singh Alvarado, Karthik Jayaraman Raghuram
  • Patent number: 11451931
    Abstract: Immersive audio can be generated and/or updated in real-time as an accessory device presenting the audio is moved with respect to a computing device presenting accompanying video content. This real-time immersive audio is enabled by determining positions of the accessory device with respect to the computing device, based on real-time analysis of sensor information from the accessory device and the computing device. Accurate positions can be determined by synchronizing timestamped sensor data from the multiple devices through the use of a clock of a common wireless communication link (e.g., a Bluetooth connection), which may have lower drift than the global clocks of the devices themselves. Calculated offsets associated with differences between the clock of the wireless communication link and the global clocks of the multiple devices can be used to account for inaccuracies in the global clocks of the multiple devices with respect to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sriram Hariharan, John D. Blackwell, Jonathan C. Shavit, Jay N. Bruins, Carter B. Peterson, Daniel E. Loffgren, Akifumi Kobashi, Jacob S. Weiss, Todd Wheeler
  • Publication number: 20190342651
    Abstract: Ear buds may have optical proximity sensors and accelerometers. Control circuitry may analyze output from the optical proximity sensors and the accelerometers to identify a current operational state for the ear buds. The control circuitry may also analyze the accelerometer output to identify tap input such as double taps made by a user on ear bud housings. Samples in the accelerometer output may be analyzed to determine whether the samples associated with a tap have been clipped. If the samples have been clipped, a curve may be fit to the samples. Optical sensor data may be analyzed in conjunction with potential tap input data from the accelerometer. If the optical sensor data is ordered, a tap input may be confirmed. If the optical sensor data is disordered, the control circuitry can conclude that accelerometer data corresponds to false tap input associated with unintentional contact with the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Adam S. Howell, Hung A. Pham, Akifumi Kobashi, Rami Y. Hindiyeh, Xing Tan, Alexander Singh Alvarado, Karthik Jayaraman Raghuram
  • Patent number: 10291975
    Abstract: Ear buds may have optical proximity sensors and accelerometers. Control circuitry may analyze output from the optical proximity sensors and the accelerometers to identify a current operational state for the ear buds. The control circuitry may also analyze the accelerometer output to identify tap input such as double taps made by a user on ear bud housings. Samples in the accelerometer output may be analyzed to determine whether the samples associated with a tap have been clipped. If the samples have been clipped, a curve may be fit to the samples. Optical sensor data may be analyzed in conjunction with potential tap input data from the accelerometer. If the optical sensor data is ordered, a tap input may be confirmed. If the optical sensor data is disordered, the control circuitry can conclude that accelerometer data corresponds to false tap input associated with unintentional contact with the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Adam S. Howell, Hung A. Pham, Akifumi Kobashi, Rami Y. Hindiyeh, Xing Tan, Alexander Singh Alvarado, Karthik Jayaraman Raghuram
  • Publication number: 20180070166
    Abstract: Ear buds may have optical proximity sensors and accelerometers. Control circuitry may analyze output from the optical proximity sensors and the accelerometers to identify a current operational state for the ear buds. The control circuitry may also analyze the accelerometer output to identify tap input such as double taps made by a user on ear bud housings. Samples in the accelerometer output may be analyzed to determine whether the samples associated with a tap have been clipped. If the samples have been clipped, a curve may be fit to the samples. Optical sensor data may be analyzed in conjunction with potential tap input data from the accelerometer. If the optical sensor data is ordered, a tap input may be confirmed. If the optical sensor data is disordered, the control circuitry can conclude that accelerometer data corresponds to false tap input associated with unintentional contact with the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Inventors: Adam S. Howell, Hung A. Pham, Akifumi Kobashi, Rami Y. Hindiyeh, Xing Tan, Alexander Singh Alvarado, Karthik Jayaraman Raghuram