Google Inc.

Kan Liu

John Nicholas Jitkoff

Dirk Balfanz

Michal Levin

Nishit Shah

Jay Pierre Civelli

Joshua Woodward

Alexei Czeskis

Marco Fucci

Alexander Friedrich Kuscher

Katie Leah Roberts-Hoffman

Alberto Martin Perez

Trond Thomas Wuellner

Benjamin Thomas Smith

Caesar Sengupta

Omri Amarilio

Zelidrag Hornung

Christopher Masone

Eric Sachs

Mayank Dutt Upadhyay

The subject technology provides for detecting, by a first computing device, a second computing device being within a predetermined distance of the first computing device, the first computing device being in a locked mode. The subject technology receives an access key from the second computing device. Additionally, the subject technology exits, by the first computing device, the locked mode based on the access key from the second computing device.

Auto-user registration and unlocking of a computing device

A computer-implemented tactile feedback method includes receiving user input on a computing device, identifying a term input by the user that does not match a term known to the device, accessing an auto-correction service in order to provide a replacement for the term, and energizing a haptic feedback device in response to identifying the term input by the user that does not match a known term.

Haptic feedback to abnormal computing events

A convertible computer includes a transparent optical element in the keyboard base that provides light pass-through for the camera but does not interfere with the user's experience. The transparent optical element may include a transparent glass or plastic element that maintains the imaging specifications of the rear-facing camera. In some implementations, the transparent optical element can maintain the f-number of the optical system that includes the camera and the transparent optical element and may not affect image quality of images captured by the camera. In some arrangements, the transparent optical element can include an optical system that can increase the light-gathering ability of the camera (e.g., decreases f-number), effectively converting the camera lens into a macro lens. In other arrangements, the transparent optical element can include an optical system that can improve the imaging of distant objects (e.g., increases f-number), effectively converting the camera lens into a telephoto lens.

Transparent lens element in convertible base for camera capture pass-through

Various features for a computer operating system include mechanisms for operating where a single native application, in the form of a Web browser, exists for an operating system, and all other applications run as Web apps of the browser application. A computer-implemented object tracking method includes instantiating, a first time, an operating system object on a computing device; automatically identifying contextual meta data that defines a state of objects that are open on the computing device, other than the instantiated operating system object, when the operating system object is instantiated; and storing the identifying contextual meta data in correlation with the operating system object, wherein the contextual meta data identifies one or more objects that are active in the operating system when the operating system object is instantiated.

Contextual history of computing objects

A first computing device provides an indication that the first computing device accepts dynamic user registration of user accounts over a wireless connection. A second computing device automatically connects to the first computing device and passes an account token to the first computing device over the wireless connection, all without physical interaction with the first computing device. The first computing device automatically contacts a remote account server to retrieve a user account associated with the account token and registers the user account with the first computing device.

A portable computing device may include a lid and a base. The lid may include a display on a front side of the lid. The base may be rotatably attached to the lid. The rotatable attachment of the base to the lid may enable the lid to rotate from an open position in which the lid is rotated away from the base to a tablet position in which a back side of the lid faces a bottom side of the base. The base may include a keyboard on a top side of the base and an elastic sheet extending over the keyboard. The keyboard may include keys configured to retract into the base in response to the lid rotating to the tablet position and extend out of the base in response to the lid rotating out of the tablet position.

Portable computing device with retracting keys for tablet use

A first computing device monitors a presence of a second computing device, and determines when the second computing device has moved out of an area proximate to the first computing device. In response to determining that the second computer moved out of the area, the first computing device is automatically configured to limit user interaction with one or more applications currently operating on the first computing device to a predetermined set of commands while preventing user interaction with other applications provided by the first computing device.

Limiting user interaction with a computing device based on proximity of a user

A computing device provides an indication that the computing device accepts dynamic user registration of user accounts over a wireless connection. A wireless mobile device automatically connects to the computing device, establishes an encrypted connection, and receives, over the encrypted connection, and passes an encrypted account token over the encrypted connection to the computing device, all without physical interaction with the computing device. The computing device automatically contacts a remote account server to retrieve a user account associated with the account token and registers the user account with the device.

A system and method for registering a client device to obtain network access from a provider device. A server receives an authorization request for a user account to provide network access from provider devices associated with the user account to client devices associated with the user account. The server receives a unique identifier for each of the client devices, and provides the unique identifier for each of the client devices to each of the provider devices. The server provides an indication to at least one provider device to monitor for a request for network access from at least one client device, the request from the client device comprising the unique identifier of the client device. The provider device is configured to provide network access information to the client device in response to the request.

Providing network access to a device associated with a user account

Various example embodiments are disclosed herein. According to an example embodiment, a method may include receiving by a second computer a customization application, the customization application including a control panel to establish user preferences for a user account of the cloud-based service and/or system settings for the first computer; receiving by the second computer an input to the customization application to establish one or more user preferences for the user account and/or one or more system settings for the first computer; and transmitting from the second computer to a server associated with the cloud-based service the one or more user preferences and a username for the user account and/or the system settings for the first computer.

Pre-configuration of a cloud-based computer

A method includes registering a web application, which is executable through a web browser, as a default file handler of a particular type of locally-stored files. A computing device provides a file manager interface that is configured to facilitate interaction, by a user, with a local filesystem of the computing device. The file manager interface receives a user selection of a file included in the local filesystem, where the file belongs to the particular type of files. Based on the user's selection, a user selectable action element is provided in the file manager interface to invoke the registered web application to handle the selected file. The file manager interface receives a user selection of the user selectable action element; and in response to the user selection of the user selectable action element the registered web application is automatically invoked to handle the selected file.

Using a web application as the default handler of local content

A method may include receiving by a current computer a customization application, the customization application including a control panel to establish user preferences for a user account of the cloud-based service and/or system settings for the second computer; receiving by the current computer an input to the customization application to establish one or more user preferences for the user account and/or one or more system settings for the second computer; and transmitting from the current computer to a server associated with the cloud-based service the one or more user preferences and a username for the user account and/or the system settings for the second computer.

Computer-implemented methods for automatically configuring a device with network settings retrieved using a web browser are provided. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a user identification associated with a user web browser profile from a web browser on a device, and retrieving network setting information associated with the user web browser profile. The method also includes providing the retrieved network setting information to the web browser of the device. The retrieved network setting information is configured to be used by the web browser to configure the device to connect to at least one network. Systems and machine-readable media are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Kan Liu