Apple Inc.

Other

Wing Kong Low

Duncan Robert Kerr

Nicholas V King

Steven Porter Hotelling

Liquan Tan

Thai Quoc La

Benjamin B Lyon

Li-Quan Tan

Chad Andrew Bronstein

Brian H Berkeley

Shin Nishibori

Christoph Horst Krah

Sean S Corbin

Jonah Alexander Harley

Blake R Marshall

Karan S Jain

Reza Nasiri Mahalati

Harold James Welch

Wesley William Zuber

Supratik Datta

Jeffrey Braun Doar

Henry N Tsao

Daniel R Fletcher

Nandita Venugopal

Ashwin Kumar Asoka Kumar Shenoi

Izhar Bentov

Alda Y Luong

Paul Xiaopeng Wang

Debanjan Mukherjee

Rodney Andres Gomez Angulo

John Mathew Depew

Kenneth Lawrence Staton

Ryan P Brooks

Umar Azad

Michael A Cretella

Robert Ubo Liu

Robert M Proie

Nan Wang

Touch-based input devices, such as a stylus, can receive tactile input from a user. The tactile input functions can be performed by a touch sensor, such as a capacitive sensing device. A touch sensor can be integrated into a stylus in a low profile form. Tactile input can be received at the user's natural grip location. Furthermore, the stylus can effectively distinguish between tactile inputs from a user and disregard sustained tactile inputs that are provided while the user simply holds the stylus at the user's natural grip location.

Touch-based input for stylus

A stylus or other tactile-based input device can receive different types of tactile input from a user. The tactile input sensing functions can be performed by a touch input sensor, such as a capacitive sensing device, and a compressive force sensor, such as a capacitive gap sensor. A touch input sensor can be integrated into an input device in a low profile form and overlap the compressive force sensor so that both touch input and compressive force input can be detected in the same regions of the stylus. Both types of tactile input can be received at the user's natural grip location.

Stylus with touch input and compressive force sensors

An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry that includes a radio-frequency transceiver circuit and an antenna. The antenna may be a patch antenna formed from a patch antenna resonating element and an antenna ground. The patch antenna resonating element may be formed from a metal patch on a printed circuit board. The antenna ground may be formed from a metal housing having a planar rear wall that lies in a plane parallel to the metal patch. The radio-frequency transceiver circuit may be coupled to the metal patch through traces on the printed circuit and may be coupled to rear wall of the housing through a screw and a screw boss in the housing. Buttons and other electrical components may be mounted on the printed circuit board and may be coupled to control circuitry on the printed circuit board through the metal patch.

Electronic device printed circuit board patch antenna

Remote control systems that can distinguish predetermined light sources from stray light sources, e.g., environmental light sources and/or reflections are provided. The predetermined light sources can be disposed in asymmetric substantially linear or two-dimensional patterns. The predetermined light sources also can output waveforms modulated in accordance with one or more signature modulation characteristics. The predetermined light sources also can output light at different signature wavelengths.

Remote control systems that can distinguish stray light sources

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates the use of an electronic device. The electronic device may be a keyboard, a mouse, a trackpad, a remote control, a mobile phone, a wireless phone, a toy, a portable media player, a game controller, and/or a camera. During operation, the system monitors a state-of-charge of a battery used to power the electronic device. Next, the system calculates a charge threshold associated with a low-battery warning for the battery based on the monitored state-of-charge. If the state-of-charge of the battery reaches the charge threshold, the system generates the low-battery warning.

Adaptive low-battery warnings for battery-powered electronic devices

Utilizing remote control profile information for configuration of a remote control device. A media processing device may store a remote control profile, locally or on a server accessible via a wide area network, which may include information for configuring a remote control device to utilize one or more wireless remote control commands for controlling the media processing device. The media processing device may also detect one or more wireless remote control commands for controlling one or more other electronic devices and update the remote control profile to include information for configuring a remote control device to utilize those commands. It may be determined to configure a remote control device according to the remote control profile based at least in part on proximity of the remote control device to the media processing device. The remote control device may then be configured according to the remote control profile.

Remote control configuration using a remote control profile

A method and apparatus for monitoring battery life in a human input device powered by replaceable batteries includes repeatedly measuring battery charge by use of a measuring arrangement forming part of the input device. Battery charge is measured while the input device is in a relatively inactive condition and when it is in an active condition, and a time value is associated with each battery charge measurement. A usage model may be constructed based on the battery charge measurements, and calculation of an expected battery life may be based at least in part on the usage model.

Method and apparatus for monitoring battery life

An input device for an electronic device. The input device includes a power source, a processor in communication with the power source. Additionally, the input device includes a main sensor in communication with processor and configured to detect a user input and an auxiliary sensor in communication with the processor and configured to detect a user input. When the input device is in a normal power mode or active state, the main sensor is activated and when the input device is in a low power state the main sensor is deactivate and the auxiliary sensor is activated.

Operating input device in low power mode with auxiliary sensor calibrated to main sensor

The present invention can include three-dimensional remote control systems that can detect an absolute location to which a remote control is pointing in first and second orthogonal axes and an absolute position of the remote control in a third orthogonal axis. Remote control systems of the present invention can employ absolute position detection with relative position detection. Absolute position detection can indicate an initial absolute position of the remote control and relative position detection can indicate changes in the position of the remote control. By combining absolute and relative position detection, remote control systems of the present invention can track remote controls more precisely than systems that only employ absolute position detection. The present invention also can include methods and apparatus for zooming in and out of an image shown on a display based on the absolute position of the remote control in the third axis.

3D remote control system employing absolute and relative position detection

Multiple-pole single-throw dome switch assemblies for electronic devices and methods for creating the same are provided. For example, a switch assembly may include a deformable dome that may have a conductive inner surface. The switch assembly may also include three conductive pads, at least two of which may be positioned underneath the dome. When the dome is deformed, each one of the three conductive pads may be electrically coupled to the conductive inner surface of the dome. When the dome is not deformed, at least one of the three conductive pads may be electrically isolated from the conductive inner surface of the dome.

Multiple-pole single-throw dome switch assemblies

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Wing Kong Low