Patents by Inventor Matthew E. LAST

Matthew E. LAST 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: 11914259
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a transparent structure. The structure may include at least one light source, a transparent light-carrying guide layer optically coupled with the at least one light source. The structure may include refractive layers where a light absorbing feature is operably associated with the light-carrying guide layer to absorb any light not internally reflected in the light guide layer, at least adjacent the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Matthew E. Last, Ryan J. Garrone, Budhadipta Dan, Khadijeh Bayat, Gregory A. Cohoon, Jack E. Graves
  • Publication number: 20230409691
    Abstract: A method of unlocking a locked device includes receiving a device identifier over a wireless communication protocol, determining if the device identifier is associated with a list of trusted devices, transmitting a request to generate an acoustic signal over the wireless communication protocol based on the determination, receiving the acoustic signal as an audio sound generated external to the locked device, estimating a distance between a source of the audio sound and the locked device, and unlocking the locked device based on the estimation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Inventor: Matthew E. LAST
  • Patent number: 11833959
    Abstract: A lighting module comprising lighting elements and a controller configured to receive a control signal that identifies a user as present. In response to the control signal associated with user presence, the lighting module is configured to send a command to one or more of the lighting elements to illuminate a first zone where the user is present. The lighting module is configured to receive a control signal that identifies that illumination of a second zone was previously requested by the user at a current location, and in response to the control signal associated with the current location, send a command to one or more of the lighting elements to illuminate the second zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Matthew E. Last, Budhadipta Dan, Christy F. Cull, Ryan J. Garrone
  • Patent number: 11820285
    Abstract: Lighting may be provided using light sources such as lighting systems with arrays of light-emitting diodes. A lighting system may be integrated into interior portions of a system. The interior portions may be illuminated using lighting systems to provide ambient light, to provide custom surface textures and other decorative patterns, to provide icons, text, and other information, and to provide other illuminated regions. Illuminated regions may overlap sensors such as capacitive touch sensors, force sensors, and other sensors. The light-emitting diodes in a lighting system may supply light that passes through openings in a cover layer. The layer may be formed from fabric, leather, or other materials. Lens structures may guide light through the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Matthew E. Last
  • Patent number: 11768928
    Abstract: A method of unlocking a locked device includes receiving a device identifier over a wireless communication protocol, determining if the device identifier is associated with a list of trusted devices, transmitting a request to generate an acoustic signal over the wireless communication protocol based on the determination, receiving the acoustic signal as an audio sound generated external to the locked device, estimating a distance between a source of the audio sound and the locked device, and unlocking the locked device based on the estimation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew E. Last
  • Publication number: 20230079840
    Abstract: Lighting may be provided using light sources such as lighting systems with arrays of light-emitting diodes. A lighting system may be integrated into a seat, a door panel, a dashboard, or other interior portions of a system such as a vehicle. The interior portions of the vehicle may be illuminated using lighting systems to provide ambient light, to provide custom surface textures and other decorative patterns, to provide icons, text, and other information, and to provide custom gauges and other illuminated regions. Illuminated regions may overlap sensors such as capacitive touch sensors, force sensors, and other sensors. The light-emitting diodes in a lighting system may supply light that passes through openings in a cover layer. The layer may be formed from fabric, leather, or other materials. Lens structures may guide light through the openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Publication date: March 16, 2023
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Matthew E. Last
  • Patent number: 11579506
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a transparent structure. The structure may include at least one light source, a transparent light-carrying guide layer optically coupled with the at least one light source. The structure may include refractive layers where a light absorbing feature is operably associated with the light-carrying guide layer to absorb any light not internally reflected in the light guide layer, at least adjacent the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Matthew E. Last, Ryan J. Garrone, Budhadipta Dan, Khadijeh Bayat, Gregory A. Cohoon, Jack E. Graves
  • Publication number: 20220373338
    Abstract: An autonomous navigation system which enables autonomous navigation of a vehicle along one or more portions of a driving route based on monitoring, at the vehicle, various features of the route as the vehicle is manually navigated along the route to develop a characterization of the route. The characterization is progressively updated with repeated manual navigations along the route, and autonomous navigation of the route is enabled when a confidence indicator of the characterization meets a threshold indication. Characterizations can be updated in response to the vehicle encountering changes in the route and can include a set of driving rules associated with the route, where the driving rules are developed based on monitoring the navigation of one or more vehicles of the route. Characterizations can be uploaded to a remote system which processes data to develop and refine route characterizations and provide characterizations to one or more vehicles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad Al-Dahle, Matthew E Last, Philip J. Sieh, Benjamin Lyon
  • Patent number: 11505119
    Abstract: Lighting may be provided using light sources such as lighting systems with arrays of light-emitting diodes. A lighting system may be integrated into a seat, a door panel, a dashboard, or other interior portions of a system such as a vehicle. The interior portions of the vehicle may be illuminated using lighting systems to provide ambient light, to provide custom surface textures and other decorative patterns, to provide icons, text, and other information, and to provide custom gauges and other illuminated regions. Illuminated regions may overlap sensors such as capacitive touch sensors, force sensors, and other sensors. The light-emitting diodes in a lighting system may supply light that passes through openings in a cover layer. The layer may be formed from fabric, leather, or other materials. Lens structures may guide light through the openings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Matthew E. Last
  • Publication number: 20220242343
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve projecting an interactive scene onto a surface from a projecting object. In one particular embodiment, the interactive scene is projected from a vehicle and may be utilized by the vehicle to provide a scene or image that a user may interact with through various gestures detected by the system. In addition, the interactive scene may be customized to one or more preferences determined by the system, such as user preferences, system preferences, or preferences obtained through feedback from similar systems. Based on one or more user inputs (such as user gestures received at the system), the projected scene may be altered or new scenes may be projected. In addition, control over some aspects of the vehicle (such as unlocking of doors, starting of the motor, etc.) may be controlled through the interactive scene and the detected gestures of the users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Daniel E. Potter, Bivin J. Varghese, Christopher P. Child, Mira S. Misra, Clarisse Mazuir, Malcolm J. Northcott, Albert J. Golko, Daniel J. Reetz, Matthew E. Last, Thaddeus Stefanov-Wagner, Christopher J. Sataline, Michael A. Cretella, Collin J. Palmer
  • Patent number: 11402221
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide an autonomous navigation system which enables autonomous navigation of a vehicle along one or more portions of a driving route based on monitoring, at the vehicle, various features of the route as the vehicle is manually navigated along the route to develop a characterization of the route. The characterization is progressively updated with repeated manual navigations along the route, and autonomous navigation of the route is enabled when a confidence indicator of the characterization meets a threshold indication. Characterizations can be updated in response to the vehicle encountering changes in the route and can include a set of driving rules associated with the route, where the driving rules are developed based on monitoring the navigation of one or more vehicles of the route. Characterizations can be uploaded to a remote system which processes data to develop and refine route characterizations and provide characterizations to one or more vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Ahmad Al-Dahle, Matthew E. Last, Philip J. Sieh, Benjamin Lyon
  • Patent number: 11383649
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a vehicle body and storage compartments that are located in the vehicle body. Each of the storage compartments has a cavity and a closure that selectively secures the cavity. A respective authorization input is associated with each of the storage compartments. The closure of each of the storage compartments is operable to unsecure the cavity upon receipt of the respective authorization input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Malcolm J. Northcott, Matthew E. Last, Kan Zhou, David P. Perner
  • Patent number: 11372303
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve a transparent structure. The structure may include at least one light source, a transparent light-carrying guide layer optically coupled with the at least one light source. The structure may include refractive layers where a light absorbing feature is operably associated with the light-carrying guide layer to absorb any light not internally reflected in the light guide layer, at least adjacent the light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Matthew E. Last, Ryan J. Garrone, Budhadipta Dan, Khadijeh Bayat, Gregory A. Cohoon, Jack E. Graves
  • Publication number: 20220105864
    Abstract: Light-based devices may be provided that emit light. The light-based devices may be incorporated into systems such as vehicles. The light-based devices may include light sources such as light-emitting diodes and lasers. Mirrors may be used to collimate light from the light sources. Light modulators may be used to pattern light from the light sources. The light sources may include light sources of different colors. Arrays of pixels may be used to provide dynamically varying patterns of emitted light. A light source may produce light that is diffracted by an array of diffractive elements on a window. Mechanical and electrical shutters may obscure light sources, mirrors, and light-emitting components mounted on windows.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Publication date: April 7, 2022
    Inventors: Thaddeus Stefanov-Wagner, Albert J. Golko, Sawyer I. Cohen, Ibuki Kamei, Ryan J. Garrone, Matthew E. Last, Clarisse Mazuir
  • Patent number: 11230225
    Abstract: Light-based devices may be provided that emit light. The light-based devices may be incorporated into systems such as vehicles. The light-based devices may include light sources such as light-emitting diodes and lasers. Mirrors may be used to collimate light from the light sources. Light modulators may be used to pattern light from the light sources. The light sources may include light sources of different colors. Arrays of pixels may be used to provide dynamically varying patterns of emitted light. A light source may produce light that is diffracted by an array of diffractive elements on a window. Mechanical and electrical shutters may obscure light sources, mirrors, and light-emitting components mounted on windows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Thaddeus Stefanov-Wagner, Albert J. Golko, Sawyer I. Cohen, Ibuki Kamei, Ryan J. Garrone, Matthew E. Last, Clarisse Mazuir
  • Publication number: 20210383569
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide localization systems and methods using surface imaging. In one implementation, a raw image of a target surface is captured using at least one imager. The raw image is encoded into a template using at least one transform. The template specifies a course direction and an intensity gradient at one or more spatial frequencies of a pattern of the target surface. The template is compared to a subset of reference templates selected from a gallery stored in one or more storage media. A location of the target surface is identified when the template matches a reference template in the subset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Matthew E. Last, Ricardo da Silveira Cabral, Daniel E. Potter, Paul Furgale
  • Publication number: 20210382977
    Abstract: A method of unlocking a locked device includes receiving a device identifier over a wireless communication protocol, determining if the device identifier is associated with a list of trusted devices, transmitting a request to generate an acoustic signal over the wireless communication protocol based on the determination, receiving the acoustic signal as an audio sound generated external to the locked device, estimating a distance between a source of the audio sound and the locked device, and unlocking the locked device based on the estimation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventor: Matthew E. LAST
  • Publication number: 20210370824
    Abstract: Lighting may be provided using light sources such as lighting systems with arrays of light-emitting diodes. A lighting system may be integrated into a seat, a door panel, a dashboard, or other interior portions of a system such as a vehicle. The interior portions of the vehicle may be illuminated using lighting systems to provide ambient light, to provide custom surface textures and other decorative patterns, to provide icons, text, and other information, and to provide custom gauges and other illuminated regions. Illuminated regions may overlap sensors such as capacitive touch sensors, force sensors, and other sensors. The light-emitting diodes in a lighting system may supply light that passes through openings in a cover layer. The layer may be formed from fabric, leather, or other materials. Lens structures may guide light through the openings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Clarisse Mazuir, Arthur Y. Zhang, Matthew E. Last
  • Patent number: 11130391
    Abstract: A vehicle may have optical structures such as windows and mirrors that have the potential to allow glare from external objects to shine into the eyes of a driver or other vehicle occupant. A control circuit may gather information on where the eyes of the driver are located using a camera mounted in the vehicle and may gather information on where the sun or other source of glare are located outside of the vehicle. Based on this information, the control circuit may direct a light modulator on a window or mirror to selectively darken an area that prevents the glare from reaching the eyes of the driver. The light modulator may have a photochromic layer that is adjusted by shining light onto the photochromic layer, may be a liquid crystal modulator, an electrochromic modulator, or other light modulator layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Inventors: Hyungryul J. Choi, Arthur Y. Zhang, Cheng Chen, Graham B. Myhre, Malcolm J. Northcott, Matheen M. Siddiqui, Russell Y. Webb, Matthew E. Last
  • Patent number: 11117535
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure involve projecting an interactive scene onto a surface from a projecting object. In one particular embodiment, the interactive scene is projected from a vehicle and may be utilized by the vehicle to provide a scene or image that a user may interact with through various gestures detected by the system. In addition, the interactive scene may be customized to one or more preferences determined by the system, such as user preferences, system preferences, or preferences obtained through feedback from similar systems. Based on one or more user inputs (such as user gestures received at the system), the projected scene may be altered or new scenes may be projected. In addition, control over some aspects of the vehicle (such as unlocking of doors, starting of the motor, etc.) may be controlled through the interactive scene and the detected gestures of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel E. Potter, Bivin J. Varghese, Christopher P. Child, Mira S. Misra, Clarisse Mazuir, Malcolm J. Northcott, Albert J. Golko, Daniel J. Reetz, Matthew E. Last, Thaddeus Stefanov-Wagner, Christopher J. Sataline, Michael A. Cretella, Collin J. Palmer