Patents by Inventor Michael E. Buerli

Michael E. Buerli 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: 20240019982
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for indicating a distance to a selectable portion of a virtual surface. In various implementations, a device includes a display, a non-transitory memory and one or more processors coupled with the display and the non-transitory memory. In some implementations, a method includes displaying a graphical environment that includes a virtual surface, wherein at least a portion of the virtual surface is selectable. In some implementations, the method includes determining a distance between a collider object and the selectable portion of the virtual surface. In some implementations, the method includes displaying a depth indicator in association with the collider object. In some implementations, a visual property of the depth indicator is selected based on the distance between the collider object and the selectable portion of the virtual surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Inventors: Adam Michael O'Hern, Mark Alan Ebbole, Justin Timothy Voss, Charles Magahern, Peter Louis Hajas, Michael E. Buerli
  • Publication number: 20240005611
    Abstract: According to various implementations, a method is performed at a first electronic device with a non-transitory memory and one or more processors. The method includes determining a reference location in a three-dimensional space based on a feature. The feature is generated by a second electronic device. The method includes obtaining, for the reference location, first reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device and second reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device. The method includes determining a coordinate transformation based on a function of the first reference coordinates and the second reference coordinates. The method includes synchronizing an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device with an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device using the coordinate transformation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2023
    Publication date: January 4, 2024
    Inventors: Michael E. Buerli, Andreas Moeller, Michael Kuhn
  • Publication number: 20230359425
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide a small, portable physical object for use in an extended reality system. The system may include a device that allows a user/wearer to interact with virtual representations of content such as stored data and/or applications overlaid on the user’s physical environment. The object has a unique identifier that is obtainable by the device or another device. The object may be an inactive device without any internal circuitry, a passive device with circuitry that is activated by another device, or an active device having its own processing circuitry and/or a display housed in the body of the object. The object can be associated with content displayed by the device to provide a user with a physical object that can be moved or manipulated to move, modify, transport, or store the content generated, stored, and/or displayed in an extended reality environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Samuel L. IGLESIAS, Michael E. BUERLI, Tyler R. CALDERONE, Andrew P. RICHARDSON
  • Patent number: 11789584
    Abstract: Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods for indicating a distance to a selectable portion of a virtual surface. In various implementations, a device includes a display, a non-transitory memory and one or more processors coupled with the display and the non-transitory memory. In some implementations, a method includes displaying a graphical environment that includes a virtual surface, wherein at least a portion of the virtual surface is selectable. In some implementations, the method includes determining a distance between a collider object and the selectable portion of the virtual surface. In some implementations, the method includes displaying a depth indicator in association with the collider object. In some implementations, a visual property of the depth indicator is selected based on the distance between the collider object and the selectable portion of the virtual surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Adam Michael O'Hern, Mark Alan Ebbole, Justin Timothy Voss, Charles Magahern, Peter Louis Hajas, Michael E. Buerli
  • Patent number: 11733959
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide a small, portable physical object for use in an extended reality system. The system may include a device that allows a user/wearer to interact with virtual representations of content such as stored data and/or applications overlaid on the user's physical environment. The object has a unique identifier that is obtainable by the device or another device. The object may be an inactive device without any internal circuitry, a passive device with circuitry that is activated by another device, or an active device having its own processing circuitry and/or a display housed in the body of the object. The object can be associated with content displayed by the device to provide a user with a physical object that can be moved or manipulated to move, modify, transport, or store the content generated, stored, and/or displayed in an extended reality environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Samuel L. Iglesias, Michael E. Buerli, Tyler R. Calderone, Andrew P. Richardson
  • Patent number: 11727648
    Abstract: According to various implementations, a method is performed at a first electronic device with a non-transitory memory and one or more processors. The method includes determining a reference location in a three-dimensional space based on a feature. The feature is generated by a second electronic device. The method includes obtaining, for the reference location, first reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device and second reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device. The method includes determining a coordinate transformation based on a function of the first reference coordinates and the second reference coordinates. The method includes synchronizing an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device with an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device using the coordinate transformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Inventors: Michael E. Buerli, Andreas Moeller, Michael Kuhn
  • Publication number: 20230221830
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology provide for various user interface modes for a user interface of an application. The user interface modes may include one or more bounded modes, a single application mode such as an exclusive mode, and/or one or more full screen modes. In one or more implementations, access to various types of information by the application may be constrained based on the user interface mode of the user interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2023
    Publication date: July 13, 2023
    Inventors: Olivier GUTKNECHT, Peter L. HAJAS, Raffael HANNEMANN, Michael E. BUERLI, Mark L. MA
  • Publication number: 20230040610
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology provide a real-time system for positioning and/or arranging application content anchored to locations in a physical environment. The subject technology may include a placement system that facilitates placement of application content relative to the anchors, according to application and/or system preferences and/or requirements for display of the content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Publication date: February 9, 2023
    Inventors: Michael E. BUERLI, Pavel V. DUDRENOV
  • Publication number: 20220244903
    Abstract: Application casting is provided, in which an application running on an electronic device is casted to another electronic device that does not have access to the application. The application is casted by providing sufficient information for rendering of a user interface of the application, at the device that does not have access to the application, with applied modifications such as user preferences for the device that does not have access to the application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Publication date: August 4, 2022
    Inventors: Joshua J. TAYLOR, Pablo P. CHENG, Michael E. BUERLI, Naveen K. VEMURI
  • Publication number: 20210327146
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide virtual anchoring for extended reality (XR) display devices. A device may generate an XR environment that includes computer-generated (CG) content for display relative to various physical objects in a physical environment. In order to position the CG content, an XR application may request a physical anchor object to which the CG content can be anchored. In circumstances in which the physical anchor object is not available in the physical environment, a virtual anchor and/or a virtual anchor object corresponding to the physical anchor object can be provided to which the CG content can be anchored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Michael E. BUERLI, Samuel L. IGLESIAS, Tyler R. CALDERONE, Mark A. EBBOLE, Andrew P. RICHARDSON
  • Publication number: 20210325960
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to gaze-based control of an electronic device. The gaze-based control can include enabling an option to provide user authorization when it is determined that the user has viewed and/or read text associated with a request for the user authorization. The gaze-based control can also include modifying a user interface or a user interface element based on user views and/or reads. The gaze-based control can be based on determining whether a user has viewed and/or read an electronic document and/or a physical document.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Samuel L. IGLESIAS, Mark A. EBBOLE, Andrew P. RICHARDSON, Tyler R. CALDERONE, Michael E. BUERLI, Devin W. CHALMERS
  • Publication number: 20210326091
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide a small, portable physical object for use in an extended reality system. The system may include a device that allows a user/wearer to interact with virtual representations of content such as stored data and/or applications overlaid on the user's physical environment. The object has a unique identifier that is obtainable by the device or another device. The object may be an inactive device without any internal circuitry, a passive device with circuitry that is activated by another device, or an active device having its own processing circuitry and/or a display housed in the body of the object. The object can be associated with content displayed by the device to provide a user with a physical object that can be moved or manipulated to move, modify, transport, or store the content generated, stored, and/or displayed in an extended reality environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Samuel L. IGLESIAS, Michael E. BUERLI, Tyler R. CALDERONE, Andrew P. RICHARDSON
  • Publication number: 20210326094
    Abstract: Implementations of the subject technology provide continuous transfer of content editing and/or control between various devices in an extended reality system. The extended reality system includes at least one device that is capable of determining the locations of other devices in the system. This device can manage continuous transfer of control between other devices in the system responsive to three-dimensional location-based user inputs, and/or can manage continuous transfer of control between one or more of the other devices and the device itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2021
    Publication date: October 21, 2021
    Inventors: Michael E. BUERLI, Andrew P. RICHARDSON, Samuel L. IGLESIAS, Tyler R. CALDERONE, Mark A. EBBOLE
  • Publication number: 20200394847
    Abstract: According to various implementations, a method is performed at a first electronic device with a non-transitory memory and one or more processors. The method includes determining a reference location in a three-dimensional space based on a feature. The feature is generated by a second electronic device. The method includes obtaining, for the reference location, first reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device and second reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device. The method includes determining a coordinate transformation based on a function of the first reference coordinates and the second reference coordinates. The method includes synchronizing an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device with an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device using the coordinate transformation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: Michael E. Buerli, Andreas Moeller, Michael Kuhn
  • Patent number: 10803666
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method, performed at a first electronic device with one or more processors, a display, and one or more input devices, includes obtaining, for a reference location in a three-dimensional space, first reference coordinates in an augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device. The method includes obtaining, for the reference location in the three-dimensional space, second reference coordinates based on transformation data received from a second electronic device. The method includes determining a coordinate transformation based on the first reference coordinates and the second reference coordinates. The method includes synchronizing the augmented reality coordinate system of the first electronic device with an augmented reality coordinate system of the second electronic device using the coordinate transformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Michael E. Buerli, Andreas Moeller, Michael Kuhn