Apple Inc.

Adam S Meyer

Duncan Robert Kerr

Peter C Tsoi

John B Morrell

James H Foster

Martha Evans Hankey

Eric Lance Wilson

Lawrence Yuan Yang

Jeffrey Traer Bernstein

Camille Moussette

Stuart John Wood

Per Haakan Linus Persson

Sean Boland Kelly

Seung Wook Kim

Brent Michael Ledvina

Karlin Y Bark

Brian T Gleeson

David H Bloom

Mitchell R Lerner

Matthew W Brown

Marcel Van Os

Christopher Patrick Foss

Nicholas V King

Arian Behzadi

Nicole R Ryan

Robert W Brumley

Marco Triverio

Peter M Arnold

Corey Keiko Wang

Tunc Ertan

Stuart J Wood

Durrell Bishop

Systems are provided that include electronic equipment and electronic devices. A system may include electronic equipment such as a thermostat or other equipment in a vehicle or home, vehicle navigation equipment, networking equipment, computer equipment, equipment with speakers for playing audio, and other electronic equipment. An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may be placed in the vicinity of electronic equipment by a user. In response to detecting that the electronic device is adjacent to the electronic equipment, control circuitry in the electronic device can automatically display content of the electric device such as a user control interface for the electronic device or information related to operation of the electronic equipment. The system may monitor the position of the electronic device relative to the electronic equipment and can dynamically update the displayed content based on the current device position.

System with position-sensitive electronic device interface

An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry for locating lost items. The control circuitry may determine where an item is located and may use the display or other output device to guide a user to the item. The display may display a visual guide such as an arrow, a sphere, a circle, a compass, or other visual aid that points the user in the direction of the item. The control circuitry may change the size or other characteristic of the visual aid on the display as the distance between the electronic device and the object changes. The control circuitry may change the location of the visual aid on the display as the orientation of the electronic device relative to the object changes. The display may overlay the visual aid onto live images of the user's surroundings as they are captured by a camera.

Tracking systems for electronic devices

A computing system comprises one or more processors, memory, a first housing that includes a primary display, and a second housing at least partially containing a physical keyboard and a touch-sensitive secondary display that is distinct from the primary display. The computing system displays a first user interface on the primary display, the first user interface includes one or more user interface elements. The computing system identifies, from the one or more user interface elements, an active user interface element that is in focus on the primary display. The computer system, in accordance with a determination that the active user interface element that is in focus on the primary display is associated with the application executed by the computing system, displays, on the touch-sensitive secondary display, a second user interface that includes a first set of one or more affordances corresponding to the application.

Systems, devices, and methods for dynamically providing user interface controls at a touch-sensitive secondary device

An electronic device may use information about the location of nearby devices to make sharing with those devices more intuitive for a user. The electronic device may include control circuitry, wireless circuitry including first and second antennas, and motion sensor circuitry. The control circuitry may determine the location of a nearby electronic device by calculating the angle of arrival of signals that are transmitted by the nearby electronic device. To obtain a complete, unambiguous angle of arrival solution, the electronic device may be moved into different positions during angle of arrival measurement operations. At each position, the control circuitry may calculate a phase difference associated with the received signals. Motion sensor circuitry may gather motion data as the electronic device is moved into the different positions. The control circuitry may use the received antenna signals and the motion data to determine the complete angle of arrival solution.

Electronic devices with motion sensing and angle of arrival detection circuitry

An electronic device may use information about the location of nearby devices to make sharing with those devices more intuitive for a user. When two devices are pointed towards one another, each device may automatically present the option to share information with the other device. When a user wishes to share information with one or more devices in a group of users, an array of icons representing the nearby users may be positioned on the display according to the locations of the nearby users so that the sharing user can easily select which user he or she wishes to share with. A sharing user may broadcast a signal and nearby users may elect to receive the signal by pointing their devices towards the sharing user. A user of two devices may share information between the two devices and may use one device to manipulate the information on the other device.

Electronic devices with intuitive sharing capabilities

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and user interfaces for managing live communication between multiple participants using a computer system in accordance with some embodiments.

User interfaces for multi-participant live communication

Certain embodiments relate generally to modifying audio playing on a first device based on detection of that audio by a second device. Other embodiments relate to transferring audio between a first device and a second device. More particularly, audio playing from a first device may be muted, stopped, or adjusted in volume based on detection of that audio by, or interaction with, a second device. Likewise, audio may be transferred from a first device to a second device based on communications between the first and second devices, proximity of the first and second devices relative to one another, proximity of a user to either the first or second device, and so on.

Modifying and transferring audio between devices

An electronic device includes a housing, a display at least partially within the housing, a cover positioned over the display and defining an input surface of the electronic device, a motion sensing system configured to detect a motion of the electronic device, and a touch sensor configured to detect, within a time window after the motion of the electronic device is detected, a contact of an input member of a user on the input surface of the electronic device. The electronic device is configured to determine, for a time prior to the detection of the contact, a relative motion between the input member and the input surface. In accordance with a determination that a characteristic of the relative motion satisfies a threshold condition, the electronic device may determine a second input location based at least in part on the location of the contact and the relative motion.

Input location correction based on device motion

An electronic device may include touch input components and associated haptic output components. The control circuitry may provide haptic output in response to touch input on the touch input components and may send wireless signals to the external electronic device based on the touch input. The haptic output components may provide local and global haptic output. Local haptic output may be used to guide a user to the location of the electronic device or to provide a button click sensation to the user in response to touch input. Global haptic output may be used to notify the user that the electronic device is aligned towards the external electronic device and is ready to receive user input to control or communicate with the external electronic device. Control circuitry may switch a haptic output component into an inactive mode to inform the user that a touch input component is inactive.

Electronic devices with touch input components and haptic output components

An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry, wireless transceiver circuitry, and a display. The electronic device may be used to provide information to a user in response to being pointed at a particular object. The control circuitry may determine when the electronic device is pointed at a particular object using wireless control circuitry and/or motion sensor circuitry. In response to determining that the electronic device is pointed at a particular object, the control circuitry may take suitable action. This may include, for example, displaying information about an object when the electronic device is pointed at the object, displaying control icons for electronic equipment when the electronic device is pointed at the electronic equipment, and/or displaying a virtual object when the electronic device is pointed at real world object.

Location systems for electronic device interactions with environment

An electronic device may be provided with control circuitry, wireless transceiver circuitry, and a display. The control circuitry may determine where nearby devices are located relative to the electronic device. When a wireless communications link is established with a nearby device, the control circuitry may use the display to inform a user of the status of the wireless communications link and the location of the nearby device. The display may produce images such as a line extending in the direction of the nearby device. The line may move on the display in response to movement of the nearby device. In an environment with multiple devices that are in range for wireless communications, the display may show a notification for each nearby device. The location and size of each notification on the display may be based on the location and proximity of the nearby device.

Location systems for electronic device communications

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Adam S Meyer