Here is our roundup of some of the patents granted to Apple by the USPTO today. The list include – Camera as input interface, Media content and chat integration, Push notification service, Top search hits based on learned user preferences and Invertible ear tips for an ear piece.
Camera as input interface
This a very cool patent by Apple here. It mightnot be super useful for everyone, however, it will definitely be useful to me. In this patent, Apple is allowing users of iPhones to rewind and fast forwards voicemails without looking at your phone. That is, you can do those things while the phone is still held at your ears.
A portable handheld electronic device contains a camera lens and accelerometer to allow a user to control voicemail and call features by swiping his finger across the camera lens and/or tapping the device. Therefore, the user can comfortably input commands into the device with a single hand and without needing to move the phone away from his ear to apply these inputs. In another embodiment, the camera lens can also be used to control navigation of the display screen or a displayed document of the device. For example, if a user wishes to shift a scrollbar for a page displayed on the screen downwards to view the bottom of the page, the user should move his finger over the camera lens in an analogous downward direction.
Chaining information card selectors
This patent relating to online payment may very well be a part of Apple’s iWallet system.
A machine includes card stores to store information cards. For each card store, one or more card selectors can be provided. When performing a transaction involving information cards, a generic card selector, using a selector policy engine, can identify a card selector to use for the transaction. The identified card selector can be used to identify an information card in a card store to use in performing the transaction, which can be used to provide a security token to the relying party.
Media content and chat integration
In various embodiments, a method includes receiving a request to initiate recording of media content of an event. The method also includes controlling capturing of the media content by a capture machine in response to the received request. The method includes opening a chat session among one or more persons that are listeners or viewers of the event being captured, wherein the opening is in response to the request to initiate recording of the media content. The chat session comprises one or more entries that include a chat input from the one or more persons and a timecode of the chat input. The method includes receiving a request to stop recording of the media content of the event. The method also includes combining at least a subset of the one or more entries of the chat session with the media content using the time code of the one or more entries.
Dark wake
What can you say about this one other than nice name.
Exemplary embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for powering up select components of a computer from a sleep state, maintaining a network state, and powering down the select components of the computer to return the computer to the sleep state are described. For one embodiment, a network interface and a fan controller receive power during the network state maintenance but a display or audio components do not receive power during the network state maintenance.
Top search hits based on learned user preferences
At least certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a method to identify top hits in search result based on learned user preferences. In one embodiment, a user search query for records is received from a user. The user search query may contain an alphanumerical string. Records in a multifunctional device are searched to find those that match the alphanumerical string. Based on records previously selected by the user, records in the search result are ranked to identify one or more top hits for the user.
Push notification service
Gateway devices maintain presence information for various mobile devices. Each gateway is associated with a zone and manages presence information only for mobile devices associated with that zone. Courier devices back-propagate presence information for the mobile devices to respective gateways based at least on the respective zone associated with each mobile device. The gateways and couriers are dynamically configured such that messages can be pushed from a provider application to a mobile device via any gateway and any courier.
External light illumination of display screens
Another great patent in which Apple is looking to improve the viewing experience of users of LCD devices especially in sunlight.
Apparatus and methods for harnessing external light to illuminate a display screen of an electronic device are provided. The display screen may be illuminated using a light harness, a reflector, a translucent surface, or any combination thereof. The light harness may be cylindrical or hexahedral. The light harness may be coupled to an external light input or a collector. The reflector may be repositioned toward or away from the display screen to reflect external light toward the display screen. The translucent surface may allow external light to pass through it to illuminate the display screen. The translucent surface may protect the rear face of the display screen, or the rear face of the display screen may itself be translucent.
Multiple function inline controller with buttons extending along different axes
Methods, apparatus and systems which provide buttons oriented at angles relative to each other as a part of a multiple function switch are described. In one embodiment, the multiple function switch is part of an inline controller that is suitable for use to control features or functions of a portable electronic device. A multiple function switch may be incorporated in a cable associated with an earpiece arranged to be interfaced with a portable electronic device.
Invertible ear tips for an ear piece
An ear piece for providing audio (e.g., from an electronic device) to the user is provided. The ear piece may include a compliant element operative to be inserted in the user’s ear such that the compliant element deforms to retain the ear piece in the user’s ear. The compliant element may include a connector portion coupling the compliant element to the ear piece housing, and an outer portion folded over the ear piece housing. To improve the user’s comfort, the parting lines and other manufacturing defects may be hidden from view and from touch (e.g., the parting lines are on the inner surface of the outer portion).
Source: USPTO
