Patents by Inventor Benjamin S. Turner

Benjamin S. Turner 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).

  • Publication number: 20230397269
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure include a method for communicating between a controller device and resident device. An example method includes detecting, by a controller, the resident device and an accessory connected to a local network. Establishing, by the controller, a first direct connection with the accessory. Receiving, by the controller, an input that identifies a control instruction for controlling the accessory. Determining, by the controller, whether to transmit a message comprising the control instruction to the accessory via the first direct connection with the accessory or the second direct connection with the resident device. Transmitting, by the controller, the message comprising the control instruction to the resident device via the second direct connection, the resident device configured to relay the message comprising the control instruction to the accessory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Publication date: December 7, 2023
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Turner, Andreas I. Gal, Hung Q. Le, Karsten Sperling, Keith W. Rauenbuehler
  • Publication number: 20230239734
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for managing message redundancy for one or more devices. In one example, a device receives a message from a second device using a transmission protocol, the message comprising a control instruction for an accessory device and a message identifier. The device can transmit using the transmission protocol, a second message to the accessory device, the second message comprising the control instruction and a second message identifier. The device can receive a third message from the second device using a second transmission protocol, the second message comprising a second control instruction for the accessory device and a third message identifier. The device can compare the third message identifier with the message identifier to determine whether the second control instruction is a duplicate of the control instruction. The device can determine whether to transmit the third message to the accessory device based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2022
    Publication date: July 27, 2023
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin S. Turner, Blake S. Kaplan, Toshiro Yamada, Keith W. Rauenbuehler, Justin N. Wood, Nicholas J. Circosta, Bhaskar P. Sarma
  • Publication number: 20230020855
    Abstract: A wireless access device can be configured to determine a list of accessory groups corresponding to accessories connected to a network managed by the wireless access device. The wireless access device may also be configured to identify at least one firmware update that corresponds to at least one accessory group of the list of accessory groups and request all firmware updates that correspond to the at least one accessory group. The wireless access device can also be configured to receive one or more firmware updates that corresponds to at least one of the accessories of the at least one accessory group for which a respective firmware update is available and transmit at least one firmware update of the received one or more firmware updates to at least one corresponding accessory of the at least one accessory group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2022
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Lee, Zaka Ur Rehman Ashraf, Daniel R. Borges, Kyle C. Brogle, Srinivas Rama, Benjamin S. Turner, Hung Q. Le, Devin E. Gund, Keith W. Rauenbuehler, Praveen Chegondi
  • Patent number: 11483708
    Abstract: A controller device within a home network (or any suitable network) can be configured to manage network access tokens for various accessory devices within the home network. These network access tokens can be used by the accessory devices to access the home network without needing the network owner's network password. The network access tokens can be revocable and/or for a limited time. The controller device can generate the network access tokens, and can provide them to the accessory devices (or other user devices) as well as to an access device on the home network. Once the access device is provisioned with the accessory device's network access token, the router can control whether the accessory device is to be granted access to the home network and for how long.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Lee, Zaka Ur Rehman Ashraf, Daniel R. Borges, Kyle C. Brogle, Srinivas Rama, Benjamin S. Turner, Hung Q. Le, Devin E. Gund, Keith W. Rauenbuehler, Praveen Chegondi
  • Publication number: 20200267552
    Abstract: A controller device within a home network (or any suitable network) can be configured to manage network access tokens for various accessory devices within the home network. These network access tokens can be used by the accessory devices to access the home network without needing the network owner's network password. The network access tokens can be revocable and/or for a limited time. The controller device can generate the network access tokens, and can provide them to the accessory devices (or other user devices) as well as to an access device on the home network. Once the access device is provisioned with the accessory device's network access token, the router can control whether the accessory device is to be granted access to the home network and for how long.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Publication date: August 20, 2020
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne A. Lee, Zaka Ur Rehman Ashraf, Daniel R. Borges, Kyle C. Brogle, Srinivas Rama, Benjamin S. Turner, Hung Q. Le, Devin E. Gund, Keith W. Rauenbuehler, Praveen Chegondi