Patents by Inventor Jeffrey Traer Bernstein
Jeffrey Traer Bernstein 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).
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Patent number: 9400582Abstract: Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2015Date of Patent: July 26, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi Cieplinski, Brett W. Degner, Duncan Kerr, Patrick Kessler, Paul Puskarich, Marcelo H. Coelho, Aleksandar Pance
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Publication number: 20160209982Abstract: Improved capacitive touch and hover sensing with a sensor array is provided. An AC ground shield positioned behind the sensor array and stimulated with signals of the same waveform as the signals driving the sensor array may concentrate the electric field extending from the sensor array and enhance hover sensing capability. The hover position and/or height of an object that is nearby, but not directly above, a touch surface of the sensor array, e.g., in the border area at the end of a touch screen, may be determined using capacitive measurements of sensors near the end of the sensor array by fitting the measurements to a model. Other improvements relate to the joint operation of touch and hover sensing, such as determining when and how to perform touch sensing, hover sensing, both touch and hover sensing, or neither.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2016Publication date: July 21, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer BERNSTEIN, David AMM, Omar S. LEUNG, Christopher Tenzin MULLENS, Brian Michael KING, Brian R. LAND, Reese T. CUTLER
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Publication number: 20160210025Abstract: An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface, a display, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts displaying a lower-level user interface that is part of a user interface hierarchy, where the hierarchy includes at least three levels, including the lower-level user interface, an intermediate-level user interface and a higher-level user interface. The device also, while displaying the lower-level user interface, detects an input on a portion of the device that is associated with user interface hierarchy navigation and, in response to detecting the input, in accordance with a determination that the input meets first transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the intermediate-level user interface and in accordance with a determination that the input meets second transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the higher-level user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2016Publication date: July 21, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi E. Cieplinski
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Publication number: 20160188103Abstract: Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 7, 2016Publication date: June 30, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi Cieplinski, Brett W. Degner, Duncan Kerr, Patrick Kessler, Paul Puskarich, Marcelo H. Coelho, Aleksandar Pance
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Patent number: 9335868Abstract: Devices having one or more sensors located outside a viewing area of a touch screen display are disclosed. The one or more sensors can be located behind an opaque mask area of the device; the opaque mask area extending between the sides of a housing of the device and viewing area of the touch screen display. In addition, the sensors located behind the mask can be separate from a touch sensor panel used to detect objects on or near the touch screen display, and can be used to enhance or provide additional functionality to the device. For example, a device having a sensor located outside the viewing area can be used to detect objects in proximity to a functional component incorporated in the device, such as an ear piece (i.e., speaker for outputting sound). The sensor can also output a signal indicating a level of detection which may be interpreted by a controller of the device as a level of proximity of an object to the functional component.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2008Date of Patent: May 10, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Steve Porter Hotelling, Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, David T. Amm, Omar S. Leung
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Patent number: 9323442Abstract: User interface changes related to moving items in a user interface are disclosed. An operation (e.g., a drag operation) can be initiated on selected items by moving a cursor or pointing device in the user interface, and an animation can be presented illustrating representations of the selected items moving from their respective original locations toward a current location of the cursor or pointing device and forming a cluster in proximity to the current location of the cursor or pointing device. As the cluster of items is moved over a container object in the user interface, the representations of the items can adopt the appearance style defined by that container object. The representations of the items can also be shown to depart from the cluster and move toward anticipated locations of the items in the container object as a preview of a drop operation into the container object.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2010Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Raleigh Joseph Ledet, Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, B. Michael Victor, Avi E. Cieplinksi, Kristin Forster, Craig Federighi
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Patent number: 9323398Abstract: Improved capacitive touch and hover sensing with a sensor array is provided. An AC ground shield positioned behind the sensor array and stimulated with signals of the same waveform as the signals driving the sensor array may concentrate the electric field extending from the sensor array and enhance hover sensing capability. The hover position and/or height of an object that is nearby, but not directly above, a touch surface of the sensor array, e.g., in the border area at the end of a touch screen, may be determined using capacitive measurements of sensors near the end of the sensor array by fitting the measurements to a model. Other improvements relate to the joint operation of touch and hover sensing, such as determining when and how to perform touch sensing, hover sensing, both touch and hover sensing, or neither.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2009Date of Patent: April 26, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, David T. Amm, Omar Leung, Christopher Tenzin Mullens, Brian Michael King, Brian Richards Land, Reese T. Cutler
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Patent number: 9280248Abstract: Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2015Date of Patent: March 8, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi Cieplinski, Brett W. Degner, Duncan Kerr, Patrick Kessler, Paul Puskarich, Marcelo H. Coelho, Aleksandar Pance
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Patent number: 9274660Abstract: Electronic devices may use touch pads that have touch sensor arrays, force sensors, and actuators for providing tactile feedback. A touch pad may be mounted in a computer housing. The touch pad may have a rectangular planar touch pad member that has a glass layer covered with ink and contains a capacitive touch sensor array. Force sensors may be mounted under each of the four corners of the rectangular planar touch pad member. The force sensors may be used to measure how much force is applied to the surface of the planar touch pad member by a user. Processed force sensor signals may indicate the presence of button activity such as press and release events. In response to detected button activity or other activity in the device, actuator drive signals may be generated for controlling the actuator. The user may supply settings to adjust signal processing and tactile feedback parameters.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2013Date of Patent: March 1, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi Cieplinski, Brett W. Degner, Duncan Kerr, Patrick Kessler, Paul Puskarich, Marcelo H. Coelho, Aleksandar Pance
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Patent number: 9268431Abstract: Touch and hover switching is disclosed. A touch and hover sensing device can switch between a touch mode and a hover mode. During a touch mode, the device can be switched to sense one or more objects touching the device. During a hover mode, the device can be switched to sense one or more objects hovering over the device. The device can include a panel having multiple sensors for sensing a touching object and/or a hovering object and a touch and hover control system for switching the device between the touch and hover modes. The device's touch and hover control system can include a touch sensing circuit for coupling to the sensors to measure a capacitance indicative of a touching object during the touch mode, a hover sensing circuit for coupling to the sensors to measure a capacitance indicative of a hovering object during the hover mode, and a switching mechanism for switching the sensors to couple to either the touch sensing circuit or the hover sensing circuit.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2010Date of Patent: February 23, 2016Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Brian Michael King, Omar Leung, Paul G. Puskarich, Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Andrea Mucignat, Avi E. Cieplinski, Muhammad U. Choudry, Praveen R. Subramani, Marc J. Piche, David T. Amm, Duncan Robert Kerr
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Publication number: 20160004429Abstract: An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface, a display, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts displaying a lower-level user interface that is part of a user interface hierarchy, where the hierarchy includes at least three levels, including the lower-level user interface, an intermediate-level user interface and a higher-level user interface. The device also, while displaying the lower-level user interface, detects an input on a portion of the device that is associated with user interface hierarchy navigation and, in response to detecting the input, in accordance with a determination that the input meets first transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the intermediate-level user interface and in accordance with a determination that the input meets second transition criteria, the device replaces display of the lower-level user interface with display of the higher-level user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Julian Missig, Avi E. Cieplinski
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Publication number: 20160004431Abstract: An electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface and one or more intensity sensors displays content. While a focus selector is over the content, the device detects a gesture on the touch-sensitive surface, the gesture including a first contact on the touch-sensitive surface and movement of the first contact across the touch-sensitive surface that corresponds to movement of the focus selector on the display. In response to detecting the gesture, when the contact has an intensity below a selection intensity threshold, the device scrolls the content on the display in accordance with the movement of the focus selector on the display without selecting the content. In response to detecting the gesture, when the contact has an intensity above the selection intensity threshold, the device selects at least a portion of the content in accordance with the movement of the focus selector over the content.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Julian Missig
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Publication number: 20160004432Abstract: An electronic device includes a touch-sensitive surface and a display. The device displays, on the display, a first user interface. The device detects a gesture on the touch-sensitive surface. The gesture includes movement of a contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface. In response to detecting the gesture: in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is entirely on a first portion of the touch-sensitive surface, the device performs an operation in the first user interface that corresponds to the gesture; and in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is entirely on a second portion of the touch-sensitive surface, the device replaces display of the first user interface with display of a second user interface different from the first user interface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 17, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi E. Cieplinski
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Publication number: 20160004427Abstract: An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface and a display, that includes one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface, displays a plurality of application icons, where the plurality of application icons include a respective application icon corresponding to a respective application. While a focus selector is over the respective application icon, the device detects a gesture that includes a contact on the touch-sensitive surface; and in response to detecting the gesture: when the contact had a maximum intensity during the gesture that was below a respective intensity threshold, the device displays an application window of the respective application; and when the contact reached an intensity during the gesture that was above the respective intensity threshold, the device displays a plurality of user interface objects that correspond to the respective application.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Inventors: Nicholas Zambetti, Jeffrey Traer Bernstein
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Publication number: 20160004428Abstract: An electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface and a display, that includes one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface, displays a plurality of application icons, where the plurality of application icons include a respective application icon corresponding to a respective application. While a focus selector is over the respective application icon, the device detects a gesture that includes a contact on the touch-sensitive surface; and in response to detecting the gesture: when the contact had a maximum intensity during the gesture that was below a respective intensity threshold, the device displays an application window of the respective application; and when the contact reached an intensity during the gesture that was above the respective intensity threshold, the device displays a plurality of user interface objects that correspond to the respective application.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2015Publication date: January 7, 2016Inventors: Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Avi E. Cieplinski, May-Li Khoe
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Publication number: 20150378519Abstract: An electronic device, with a touch-sensitive surface and a display, includes one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface. The device detects a contact on the touch-sensitive surface while a focus selector corresponding to the contact is at a respective location on the display associated with additional information not initially displayed on the display. While the focus selector is at the respective location, upon determining that the contact has an intensity above a respective intensity threshold before a predefined delay time has elapsed with the focus selector at the respective location, the device displays the additional information associated with the respective location without waiting until the predefined delay time has elapsed; and upon determining that the contact has an intensity below the respective intensity threshold, the device waits until the predefined delay time has elapsed to display the additional information associated with the respective location.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 3, 2015Publication date: December 31, 2015Inventors: Matthew I. Brown, Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Julian Missig, Avi E. Cieplinski, May-Li Khoe, Nicholas Zambetti, Bianca C. Costanzo, Myra Haggerty, David J. Hart, B. Michael Victor
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Publication number: 20150378602Abstract: A device with a display and a touch-sensitive keyboard with one or more character keys: displays a text entry area; detects a first input on the touch-sensitive keyboard; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to activation of a character key, enters a first character corresponding to the character key into the text entry area; in accordance with a determination that the first input corresponds to a character drawn on the touch-sensitive keyboard: determines one or more candidate characters for the drawn character, and displays a candidate character selection interface that includes at least one of the candidate characters; while displaying the candidate character selection interface, detects a second input that selects a respective candidate character within the candidate character selection interface; and in response to detecting the second input, enters the selected respective candidate character into the text entry area.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 11, 2015Publication date: December 31, 2015Applicant: APPLE INC.Inventors: Jeffrey Traer BERNSTEIN, Julian MISSIG, Nicholas ZAMBETTI
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Publication number: 20150370323Abstract: In some embodiments, an electronic device optionally identifies a person's face, and optionally performs an action in accordance with the identification. In some embodiments, an electronic device optionally determines a gaze location in a user interface, and optionally performs an action in accordance with the determination. In some embodiments, an electronic device optionally designates a user as being present at a sound-playback device in accordance with a determination that sound-detection criteria and verification criteria have been satisfied. In some embodiments, an electronic device optionally determines whether a person is further or closer than a threshold distance from a display device, and optionally provides a first or second user interface for display on the display device in accordance with the determination. In some embodiments, an electronic device optionally modifies the playing of media content in accordance with a determination that one or more presence criteria are not satisfied.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 3, 2014Publication date: December 24, 2015Inventors: Avi E. CIEPLINSKI, Jeffrey Traer BERNSTEIN, Julian MISSIG, May-Li KHOE, Bianca Cheng COSTANZO, Myra Mary HAGGERTY, Duncan Robert KERR, Bas ORDING, Elbert D. CHEN
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Patent number: 9207838Abstract: While in a first mode, a first electronic device displays on a touch-sensitive display a first application view that corresponds to a first application. In response to detecting a first input, the electronic device enters a second mode, and concurrently displays in a first predefined area an initial group of application icons with at least a portion of the first application view adjacent to the first predefined area. While in the second mode, in response to detecting a first touch gesture on an application icon that corresponds to a second application, the electronic device displays a popup view corresponding to a full-screen-width view of the second application on a second electronic device. In response to detecting one or more second touch gestures within the popup view, the electronic device performs an action in the second application that updates a state of the second application.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2014Date of Patent: December 8, 2015Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: May-Li Khoe, Daniel John Coster, Julian Missig, Jeffrey Traer Bernstein, Nicholas Zambetti, Imran Chaudhri
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Publication number: 20150338964Abstract: Detecting a signal from a touch and hover sensing device, in which the signal can be indicative of concurrent touch events and/or hover events, is disclosed. A touch event can indicate an object touching the device. A hover event can indicate an object hovering over the device. The touch and hover sensing device can ensure that a desired hover event is not masked by an incidental touch event, e.g., a hand holding the device, by compensating for the touch event in the detected signal that represents both events. Conversely, when both a hover event and a touch event are desired, the touch and hover sensing device can ensure that both events are detected by adjusting the device sensors and/or the detected signal. The touch and hover sensing device can also detect concurrent hover events by identifying multiple peaks in the detected signal, each peak corresponding to a position of a hovering object.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 3, 2015Publication date: November 26, 2015Inventors: Brian Michael KING, Omar S. LEUNG, Paul G. PUSKARICH, Jeffrey Traer BERNSTEIN, Andrea MUCIGNAT, Avi E. CIEPLINSKI, Muhammad U. CHOUDRY, Praveen R. SUBRAMANI, Marc J. PICHE, David AMM, Duncan Robert KERR