Patents by Inventor Alec H. Little

Alec H. Little 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: 10083678
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure can provide systems, methods, and computer-readable medium for implementing user interfaces and user interface elements for interacting with a virtual instrument. For example, a user interface for a virtual instrument may be presented on a display of a device. The user interface may have any suitable number of strings having a first spacing. Each string may correspond to an associated audio file. User mode input may be received at the user interface. In response to receiving the user mode input, a user interface element (e.g., a corresponding enhanced selection area) may be presented. The presented user interface element may include a subset of the plurality of strings and may have a second spacing that is greater than the first spacing. By utilizing the user interface element, a user is enabled to make more accurate input than conventional techniques allow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Patent number: 9418645
    Abstract: A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the touch zones are configured to provide different harmonic configurations of a base chord associated with the chord touch region. Some harmonic configurations provide progressively wider harmonic ranges across each adjacent touch zone. Other harmonic configurations can provide chords with a progressively higher relative pitch across each adjacent touch zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Patent number: 9224378
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method including generating a user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display configured to generate a virtual dual flywheel system for modulating a lifecycle of a musical note or chord. The dual flywheel system (DFS) includes a first VFS and a second VFS, where the first virtual flywheel system series connected to the second virtual flywheel system such that an output of the first virtual flywheel system is coupled to an input of the second virtual flywheel system. Upon receiving a user input on the user interface, the dual flywheel system determines a virtual momentum for the first virtual flywheel based on the user input and a predetermined mass coefficient of the first virtual flywheel system, and determines a virtual momentum for the second virtual flywheel based on the virtual momentum of the first virtual flywheel system and a predetermined mass coefficient of the second virtual flywheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Publication number: 20150348526
    Abstract: A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the touch zones are configured to provide different harmonic configurations of a base chord associated with the chord touch region. Some harmonic configurations provide progressively wider harmonic ranges across each adjacent touch zone. Other harmonic configurations can provide chords with a progressively higher relative pitch across each adjacent touch zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Patent number: 9129584
    Abstract: A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the touch zones are configured to provide different harmonic configurations of a base chord associated with the chord touch region. Some harmonic configurations provide progressively wider harmonic ranges across each adjacent touch zone. Other harmonic configurations can provide chords with a progressively higher relative pitch across each adjacent touch zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Publication number: 20150154949
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method including generating a user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display configured to generate a virtual dual flywheel system for modulating a lifecycle of a musical note or chord. The dual flywheel system (DFS) includes a first VFS and a second VFS, where the first virtual flywheel system series connected to the second virtual flywheel system such that an output of the first virtual flywheel system is coupled to an input of the second virtual flywheel system. Upon receiving a user input on the user interface, the dual flywheel system determines a virtual momentum for the first virtual flywheel based on the user input and a predetermined mass coefficient of the first virtual flywheel system, and determines a virtual momentum for the second virtual flywheel based on the virtual momentum of the first virtual flywheel system and a predetermined mass coefficient of the second virtual flywheel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2014
    Publication date: June 4, 2015
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Patent number: 8940992
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method including generating a user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display configured to generate a virtual dual flywheel system for modulating a lifecycle of a musical note or chord. The dual flywheel system (DFS) includes a first VFS and a second VFS, where the first virtual flywheel system series connected to the second virtual flywheel system such that an output of the first virtual flywheel system is coupled to an input of the second virtual flywheel system. Upon receiving a user input on the user interface, the dual flywheel system determines a virtual momentum for the first virtual flywheel based on the user input and a predetermined mass coefficient of the first virtual flywheel system, and determines a virtual momentum for the second virtual flywheel based on the virtual momentum of the first virtual flywheel system and a predetermined mass coefficient of the second virtual flywheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Patent number: 8937237
    Abstract: A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. Each of the plurality of touch zones is configured to detect one or more of a plurality of touch gesture articulations including at least one of a legato articulation, a pizzicato articulation, or a staccato articulation. The one or more of the plurality of touch gesture articulations determines the preselected MIDI file associated with each of the plurality of separate touch zones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez
  • Publication number: 20140137721
    Abstract: A user interface implemented on a touch-sensitive display for a virtual musical instrument comprising a plurality of chord touch regions configured in a predetermined sequence, each chord touch region corresponding to a chord in a musical key and being divided into a plurality of separate touch zones, the plurality of chord touch regions defining a predetermined set of chords, where each of the plurality of separate touch zones in each region is associated with one or more preselected MIDI files stored in a computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the touch zones are configured to provide different harmonic configurations of a base chord associated with the chord touch region. Some harmonic configurations provide progressively wider harmonic ranges across each adjacent touch zone. Other harmonic configurations can provide chords with a progressively higher relative pitch across each adjacent touch zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Alec H. Little, Eli T. Manjarrez