Patents by Inventor John S. Harper

John S. Harper 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: 20230367442
    Abstract: Dynamically resizable UI views for electronic devices are disclosed. The dynamically resizable UI views may be UI views for widgets. In one or more implementations, an application provides, to a system process, multiple states for a user interface (UI) view for the application, and one or more transition definitions each defining a transition between two of the multiple states. When a user, or content of the UI view, triggers a change from one of the multiples states to another of the multiple states of the UI view, the system process may animate the change according to the one or more transition definitions. In one or more implementations, an application provides system animated transitions between application UI States, and provides application data to be displayed in the rendered UI view.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: John S. HARPER, Jacob A. XIAO, Neil N. DESAI, Patrick R. METCALFE
  • Patent number: 11567658
    Abstract: An electronic device detects an input via an input device. In response to detecting the input, the device monitors the input using a gesture recognition tree having a plurality of nodes. Each respective node of the gesture recognition tree corresponds to a respective gesture recognizer or a respective component gesture recognizer, and one or more nodes include one or more parameters that describe the input. Monitoring the input using the gesture recognition tree includes: processing the input using a first node of the plurality of nodes, including determining a value of a first parameter of the one or more parameters; conveying the first parameter from the first node to a second node of the plurality of nodes; and processing the input using the second node, including determining, based on the first parameter, whether the input satisfies a gesture recognition requirement defined by the second node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Jacob A. Xiao
  • Patent number: 11550601
    Abstract: The subject technology receives a command to initiate an application. The subject technology, in response to the command, generates a root node related to a root view of a first hierarchy of views representing a user interface (UI). The subject technology generates a child node of the root node for including in the first hierarchy of views, the child node corresponding to a first type of view. The subject technology generates a first child node of the child node for including in the first hierarchy of views, the first child node corresponding to a second type of view. The subject technology generates a graph including nodes, each node corresponding to a different attribute of the UI, wherein the root node, the child node, and the first child node have relationships with respective nodes from the graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob A. Xiao, Kyle S. Macomber, Joshua H. Shaffer, John S. Harper
  • Patent number: 11531556
    Abstract: The subject technology sends, from a parent node of a hierarchy of views, information related to a preference list, the preference list include preference keys corresponding to respective attributes of a UI, where the hierarchy of views represents the UI. The subject technology receives, at a child node of the parent node, the information related to the preference list. The subject technology updates, by the child node, a particular preference key from the preference list to a particular value, the particular preference key related to an attribute of the UI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob A. Xiao, Kyle S. Macomber, Joshua H. Shaffer, John S. Harper
  • Publication number: 20220229547
    Abstract: An electronic device detects an input via an input device. In response to detecting the input, the device monitors the input using a gesture recognition tree having a plurality of nodes. Each respective node of the gesture recognition tree corresponds to a respective gesture recognizer or a respective component gesture recognizer, and one or more nodes include one or more parameters that describe the input. Monitoring the input using the gesture recognition tree includes: processing the input using a first node of the plurality of nodes, including determining a value of a first parameter of the one or more parameters; conveying the first parameter from the first node to a second node of the plurality of nodes; and processing the input using the second node, including determining, based on the first parameter, whether the input satisfies a gesture recognition requirement defined by the second node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Jacob A. Xiao
  • Patent number: 11294564
    Abstract: An electronic device displays, on a display, a user interface of an application. The user interface includes a plurality of views arranged in a view hierarchy that defines a first relationship between a first view and a second view. The first view includes a first gesture recognizer, and the second view includes a second gesture recognizer. The device detects, via the input device, an input at a first location that corresponds to the displayed user interface, and processes the input using a gesture recognition hierarchy that includes the first gesture recognizer and the second gesture recognizer. A second relationship between the first gesture recognizer and the second gesture recognizer is determined based on the first relationship between the first view and the second view in the view hierarchy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Jacob A. Xiao
  • Patent number: 11042388
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide a framework to support creating user interfaces (UI) and animations within the UIs. The subject technology receives first information related to an animation, the first information including an initial state, a destination state, and an animation function. The subject technology generates a copy of the destination state, the copy of the destination state comprising a record for the animation based at least in part on the first information related to the animation and further information related to the animation function. The subject technology updates a value related to an intermediate state of the animation in the copy of the destination state, the intermediate state being between the initial state and the destination state. Further, the subject technology provides the copy of the destination state that includes the value related to the intermediate state for rendering the animation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob A. Xiao, Kyle S. Macomber, Joshua H. Shaffer, John S. Harper
  • Publication number: 20210072891
    Abstract: An electronic device displays, on a display, a user interface of an application. The user interface includes a plurality of views arranged in a view hierarchy that defines a first relationship between a first view and a second view. The first view includes a first gesture recognizer, and the second view includes a second gesture recognizer. The device detects, via the input device, an input at a first location that corresponds to the displayed user interface, and processes the input using a gesture recognition hierarchy that includes the first gesture recognizer and the second gesture recognizer. A second relationship between the first gesture recognizer and the second gesture recognizer is determined based on the first relationship between the first view and the second view in the view hierarchy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Jacob A. Xiao
  • Patent number: 10877660
    Abstract: An electronic device detects an input via an input device. In response to detecting the input, the device monitors the input using a gesture recognizer. The gesture recognizer includes a plurality of component gesture recognizers that define requirements for recognition of a gesture. A first component gesture recognizer from the plurality of component gesture recognizers defines a first requirement for recognition of the gesture, and a second component gesture recognizer from the plurality of component gesture recognizers defines a second requirement for recognition of the gesture. In accordance with a determination that the input satisfies first gesture recognition criteria that include the first requirement of the first component gesture recognizer and the second requirement of the second component gesture recognizer, the device recognizes a first gesture using the gesture recognizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Jacob A. Xiao
  • Publication number: 20190369864
    Abstract: An electronic device detects an input via an input device. In response to detecting the input, the device monitors the input using a gesture recognizer. The gesture recognizer includes a plurality of component gesture recognizers that define requirements for recognition of a gesture. A first component gesture recognizer from the plurality of component gesture recognizers defines a first requirement for recognition of the gesture, and a second component gesture recognizer from the plurality of component gesture recognizers defines a second requirement for recognition of the gesture. In accordance with a determination that the input satisfies first gesture recognition criteria that include the first requirement of the first component gesture recognizer and the second requirement of the second component gesture recognizer, the device recognizes a first gesture using the gesture recognizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Jacob A. Xiao
  • Publication number: 20190371040
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide a framework to support creating user interfaces (UI) and animations within the UIs. The subject technology receives first information related to an animation, the first information including an initial state, a destination state, and an animation function. The subject technology generates a copy of the destination state, the copy of the destination state comprising a record for the animation based at least in part on the first information related to the animation and further information related to the animation function. The subject technology updates a value related to an intermediate state of the animation in the copy of the destination state, the intermediate state being between the initial state and the destination state. Further, the subject technology provides the copy of the destination state that includes the value related to the intermediate state for rendering the animation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Jacob A. XIAO, Kyle S. MACOMBER, Joshua H. SHAFFER, John S. HARPER
  • Publication number: 20190370030
    Abstract: The subject technology receives a command to initiate an application. The subject technology, in response to the command, generates a root node related to a root view of a first hierarchy of views representing a user interface (UI). The subject technology generates a child node of the root node for including in the first hierarchy of views, the child node corresponding to a first type of view. The subject technology generates a first child node of the child node for including in the first hierarchy of views, the first child node corresponding to a second type of view. The subject technology generates a graph including nodes, each node corresponding to a different attribute of the UI, wherein the root node, the child node, and the first child node have relationships with respective nodes from the graph.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Jacob A. XIAO, Kyle S. MACOMBER, Joshua H. SHAFFER, John S. HARPER
  • Publication number: 20190370031
    Abstract: The subject technology sends, from a parent node of a hierarchy of views, information related to a preference list, the preference list include preference keys corresponding to respective attributes of a UI, where the hierarchy of views represents the UI. The subject technology receives, at a child node of the parent node, the information related to the preference list. The subject technology updates, by the child node, a particular preference key from the preference list to a particular value, the particular preference key related to an attribute of the UI.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Inventors: Jacob A. Xiao, Kyle S. Macomber, Joshua H. Shaffer, John S. Harper
  • Patent number: 9864560
    Abstract: A data processing system composites graphics content, generated by an application program running on the data processing system, to generate image data. The data processing system stores the image data in a first framebuffer and displays an image generated from the image data in the first framebuffer on an internal display device of the data processing system. A scaler in the data processing system performs scaling operations on the image data in the first framebuffer, stores the scaled image data in a second framebuffer and displays an image generated from the scaled image data in the second framebuffer on an external display device coupled to the data processing system. The scaler performs the scaling operations asynchronously with respect to the compositing of the graphics content. The data processing system automatically mirrors the image on the external display device unless the application program is publishing additional graphics content for display on the external display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Kenneth C. Dyke, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Publication number: 20170017452
    Abstract: A data processing system composites graphics content, generated by an application program running on the data processing system, to generate image data. The data processing system stores the image data in a first framebuffer and displays an image generated from the image data in the first framebuffer on an internal display device of the data processing system. A scaler in the data processing system performs scaling operations on the image data in the first framebuffer, stores the scaled image data in a second framebuffer and displays an image generated from the scaled image data in the second framebuffer on an external display device coupled to the data processing system. The scaler performs the scaling operations asynchronously with respect to the compositing of the graphics content. The data processing system automatically mirrors the image on the external display device unless the application program is publishing additional graphics content for display on the external display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Publication date: January 19, 2017
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Kenneth C. Dyke, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Patent number: 9411550
    Abstract: A data processing system composites graphics content, generated by an application program running on the data processing system, to generate image data. The data processing system stores the image data in a first framebuffer and displays an image generated from the image data in the first framebuffer on an internal display device of the data processing system. A scaler in the data processing system performs scaling operations on the image data in the first framebuffer, stores the scaled image data in a second framebuffer and displays an image generated from the scaled image data in the second framebuffer on an external display device coupled to the data processing system. The scaler performs the scaling operations asynchronously with respect to the compositing of the graphics content. The data processing system automatically mirrors the image on the external display device unless the application program is publishing additional graphics content for display on the external display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Kenneth C. Dyke, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Patent number: 9189253
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer readable media for implementing reentrant compositing window manager applications are described. In general, techniques are disclosed for using a second application to composite portions of hierarchically structured objects and the window manager to composite certain other portions of the same object. More particularly, a window manager application may be used to composite objects of a first type (e.g., application backing store bitmaps) and then call or invoke a second application to composite objects of a second type (e.g., hierarchically structured objects). The second type of object includes information (e.g., a reference) of the composite window manager's output buffer at the time the second application was invoked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Geoffrey Stahl, Assana M. Fard
  • Patent number: 9092911
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a predictive rendering component that may generate a rendering of a character based at least in part on predictive information regarding the background into which the character is to be rendered. Using such predictive information, the predictive rendering component may produce a rendering of a character that blends into the character background more smoothly than if the predictive background information were not used. In this way, the predictive rendering component improves upon previous implementations of font smoothing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Craig M. Federighi, Geoffrey Stahl
  • Publication number: 20150130842
    Abstract: A data processing system composites graphics content, generated by an application program running on the data processing system, to generate image data. The data processing system stores the image data in a first framebuffer and displays an image generated from the image data in the first framebuffer on an internal display device of the data processing system. A scaler in the data processing system performs scaling operations on the image data in the first framebuffer, stores the scaled image data in a second framebuffer and displays an image generated from the scaled image data in the second framebuffer on an external display device coupled to the data processing system. The scaler performs the scaling operations asynchronously with respect to the compositing of the graphics content. The data processing system automatically mirrors the image on the external display device unless the application program is publishing additional graphics content for display on the external display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventors: John S. Harper, Kenneth C. Dyke, Jeremy Sandmel
  • Patent number: 9019309
    Abstract: Shadows, reflections, and other image effects for use with high-resolution display screens may be quickly and efficiently generated to maximize resources available for other applications and programs. These effects may be quickly and efficiently created by identifying a region surrounding an image, distorting the image in the region, applying a uniform blur and/or other effect to the distorted image, and then undoing the distortion. By selectively applying effects to distorted images, it is possible to create the appearance of a non-uniformly applied blur and other effects without using the computing resources required to actually calculate and apply a non-uniform blur on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Systems, methods, and media are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Chad E. Jones, John S. Harper, Richard R. Dellinger