Apple Inc.

Peter T Langenfeld

Lawrence G Bolton

Emily Clark Schubert

Shailesh Rathi

Scott Peter Krueger

John Meron Ananny

Shyam S Toprani

Sylvain R Y Louboutin

David J Rempel

Mitchell David Adler

Nitin Ganatra

Paul Holden

David Scott Fisher

A graphical user interface ('GUI') for a third-party application can be presented on accessory device that has user input and display devices. The GUI can be defined and managed by a portable media device. The portable media device can define one or more GUI image types for the third-party application. The accessory can choose one of the pre-defined GUI image types and receive a remote GUI image that conforms to the selected GUI image type from the portable media device. Alternatively, the accessory can specify the layout and contents of the GUI image that it needs, and the portable media device can generate and send a GUI image according to the accessory's specification.

Pushing a user interface to a remote device

An electronic device can be coupled to an accessory that controls multiple displays. The device can receive accessory configuration information describing a configuration of the multiple displays. The device can generate one or more user interfaces for display by the multiple displays and transmit the one or more user interfaces to the accessory for display by the multiple displays. The device can receive information indicating user interaction with a user interface. In response to receiving the information, the device can generate an updated user interface and transmit the updated user interface to the accessory.

Pushing a user interface to a remote device that controls multiple displays

An electronic device can receive a request from an accessory to provide a user interface for display on a display of the accessory. In response to receiving the request, the electronic device can generate a user interface that includes a region that is reserved for displaying content provided by the accessory. The electronic device can initiate display of the user interface on the display of the accessory.

User interface including content from an accessory

A camera capable of capturing still images and video and included in a portable media device can be controlled remotely using an accessory. The accessory can register with the PMD to automatically receive notifications whenever there is a change in the camera state. The camera states can include mode, operation status, and configuration settings. The accessory can send instructions to a camera application that interfaces with the camera to control the camera. The accessory can remotely activate the camera, change camera mode, and send instructions to operate the camera. The accessory and the PMD can concurrently control the camera. The PMD can send the captured still images and recorded video to the accessory for preview and receive instructions from the accessory on disposition of the still images and the video.

Systems and methods for remote camera control

A user interface displayed by an electronic device can include a first user-interface portion generated by the electronic device and a second user interface portion generated by a remote device. The electronic device can detect received input and determine whether the input corresponds to an interactive element in the first user-interface portion or an interactive element in the second user interface portion. If the input corresponds to an interactive element in the first user-interface portion, the electronic device can generate a response to the input. If the input corresponds to an interactive element in the second user-interface portion, the electronic device can transmit information indicative of the input to the remote device.

User interface including content from a remote device

An electronic device can receive a request from an accessory to provide a user interface to be displayed by the accessory. The electronic device can determine whether an accessory has a first set of one or more user input devices or a second set of one or more user input devices. In accordance with a determination that the accessory has a first set of one or more user input devices, the electronic device can provide to the accessory a first user interface configured to be controlled with the first set of user input devices. In accordance with a determination that the accessory has a second set of one or more user input devices, the electronic device can provide to the accessory a second user interface, different from the first user interface, the second user interface configured to be controlled with the second set of user input devices.

A method for identifying an application usable with an accessory is provided. The method includes receiving an accessory identifier associated with the accessory, identifying an application protocol associated with the accessory identifier, identifying an application that supports the application protocol, and providing information about the application to a user device. A method for identifying an accessory usable with an application is also provided. The method includes receiving information about an application, determining an application protocol associated with the application, determining an accessory that supports the application protocol, and providing information about the accessory to a user device.

Method and system for locating an accessory and an application for use with a user device

Techniques for facilitating communication between a portable media device (PMD) and an accessory via multiple communication paths. The accessory has a unique accessory identifier that it can send to the PMD upon establishing a connection via each communication path. The PMD can determine whether the same accessory is connected via multiple communication paths based on the accessory identifier received via each communication path. The PMD can route information to the accessory and control routing of information from the accessory based on the set of communication paths that are currently connected and can dynamically change the routing as communication paths are connected and disconnected.

Communication between a host device and an accessory using multiple-endpoint identification

Embodiments of the present invention provide various communication techniques for communication between a mobile computing device and an accessory. An accessory protocol that is generic to the mobile computing device can be used for some communication. An application executing at the mobile computing device can communicate with the accessory using an application communication protocol. In some embodiments, the application communication protocol can be different from the accessory communication protocol. In other embodiments the application protocol may only be recognized by the application and the accessory. In some embodiments, messages conforming to an application protocol can be communicated between the application and the accessory by packaging the messages inside a message conforming to the accessory communication protocol.

Automatic identification of compatible applications and accessories

Techniques for facilitating communication between a portable media device (PMD) and an accessory via multiple communication paths. In one set of embodiments, an accessory can be coupled with a PMD via a first connection, thereby establishing a first control communication path. The accessory can send to the PMD, via the first control communication path, an enumeration of the communication paths supported by the accessory. The enumerated communication paths can include control communication paths and data (e.g., audio or video) communication paths. The accessory can further send, to the PMD via the first control communication path, an availability status of each data communication path. In response, the PMD can select, based on a routing policy, one or more of the data communication paths and can notify the accessory of the selected data communication path. The PMD and accessory can then interoperate by exchanging data signals over the selected data communication path.

Techniques for facilitating communication between a portable media device and an accessory using multiple communication paths

A host device and an accessory exchange information (e.g., commands and data) via an intermediate device. The host device and accessory can each connect to the intermediate device. The host device can exchange commands and data with the intermediate device, while the accessory device can serially exchange data with the intermediate device. The host device and the accessory can also 'tunnel' information to each other through the intermediate device, by packaging the tunneled information as a payload of a command recognizable by the intermediate device; the intermediate device can repackage and forward the payload. In some embodiments, the intermediate device can control serial communication parameters between the intermediate device and the accessory in response to commands received from the host.

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Belmont, CA, United States of America

Peter T Langenfeld