Apple Wins iPod/iPhone Related Patent Amongst Six

On October 9, the US Patent & Trademark Office published six of Apple’s newly granted patents which were titled as follows: Automatically updating user programmable input sensors to perform user specified functions, Object selection using hit test tracks, Depopulation of a ball grid array to allow via placement, Method and apparatus for border node behavior on a full-duplex bus and a design patent win for a Modem . This report provides you with individual patent abstracts and their respective references.

Patent: Automatically updating user programmable input sensors to perform user specified functions

Apple’s patent generally relates to remote client devices such as the iPod, iPhone and PDA’s. More specifically, the invention describes a method and apparatus for automatically updating user programmable input sensors (such as buttons) to perform any of a suite of user supplied functions.

Apple’s Abstract: In a portable multimedia device, a method, apparatus, and system for automatically updating programmable buttons on a remote client device using a set of user preferences is described. A remote client device is coupled (either wired or wirelessly) to the host computer and the preference file is passed to the remote client device which uses the preference file to automatically update any programmable buttons included therein to execute the desired suite of functions. In some cases, a combination of buttons can be used to perform a particular function whereas in other cases, a single button can be associated with a particular function.

Apple lists Anthony M. Fadell (Portola Valley, CA) as the sole inventor of patent 7,281,214.

Patent: Object selection using hit test tracks

Apple’s patent generally relates to methods for selecting objects from a moving image sequence of digitized or synthesized images, and more particularly, to a technique for storing auxiliary data in an item buffer, along with a video track, so as to precisely identify objects which can be selected from within each frame of the video track.

Apple’s Abstract: A method for labeling the pixels within a selected visual area of at least one image frame containing that visual area from a sequence of image frames stored in memory and operative to be displayed on an interactive display so that a user may subsequently select the selected visual area on a pixel accurate, frame accurate basis. To label the selected visual area within an image frame, the scene within that image frame is segmented to identify the selected visual area, each pixel within that selected visual area is then labeled with an area identifier which is unique to that selected visual area, and the pixels containing the area identifiers are mapped into an item buffer. The item buffer is then compressed and stored within a labeled portion of memory linked with the stored frame image from which the item buffer was derived. When a user subsequently selects a pixel within any frame image of the sequence of frame images the pixel is decompressed within the labeled portion of memory corresponding to the pixel in the selected frame image to determine the area identifier for the selected pixel. This area identifier is then used for a number of purposes, such as to identify an area within the frame image corresponding to the selected pixel, or to cause some action related to the selected pixel to be performed.

Apple lists Gavin Stuart Peter Miller (Los Altos, CA), Eric Michael Hoffert (South Orange, NJ) and James Batson (Saratoga, CA) as the inventors of patent 7,281,212.

Patent: Depopulation of a ball grid array to allow via placement

Apple’s patent relates to packages for integrated circuits having ball grid arrays. More particularly, the present invention provides a ball grid array having open spaces in which vias are positioned.

Apple’s Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus and methods for the functionality of an integrated circuit. An exemplary embodiment according to an aspect of the present invention includes a ball grid array having open spaces therein. Within the open spaces, pairs of opposite polarity vias are clustered to minimize current path inductance by exploiting mutual inductance between vias of opposite current flow. In an illustrative embodiment, capacitors are coupled to the vias to further reduce current path inductance.

Apple lists Bill Cornelius (Los Gatos, CA) and Paul Baker (Los Altos, CA) as the inventors of patent 7,279,356.

Patent: Method and apparatus for border node behavior on a full-duplex bus

Apple’s Abstract: A method and apparatus relating to the behavior of border nodes within a high performance serial bus system is disclosed. A method is disclosed for determining a path to a senior border during the Self-ID process in a full-duplex communications system having at least one border node comprising the acts of: marking the border node as the senior border; determining whether the border node has received a Self-ID packet that does not contain a Speed Code on a parent beta port of the border node; marking the port on said border node as the path to the senior border node if the border node has received a Self-ID packet that does not contain a Speed Code on a parent beta port of the border node; and canceling the border node’s own status as a senior border node.

Apple lists Jerrold V. Hauck (Fremont, CA), Colin Whitby-Strevens (Bristol GB) as the inventors of patents 7,280,490 and 7,280,491

Patent: Modem

Apple has won a modem design win under patent D552,604. Apple lists the following engineers as the inventors of this patent: Andre; Bartley K. (Menlo Park, CA), Coster; Daniel J. (San Francisco, CA), De Iuliis; Daniele (San Francisco, CA), Howarth; Richard P. (San Francisco, CA), Ive; Jonathan P. (San Francisco, CA), Kerr; Duncan Robert (San Francisco, CA), Nishibori; Shin (San Francisco, CA), Rohrbach; Matthew Dean (San Francisco, CA), Satzger; Douglas B. (Menlo Park, CA), Seid; Calvin Q. (Palo Alto, CA), Stringer; Christopher J. (Portola Valley, CA), Whang; Eugene Antony (San Francisco, CA), Zorkendorfer; Rico (San Francisco, CA)

NOTICE: MacNN presents only a brief summary of patents with associated graphic(s) for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application and/or grant is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent applications and/or grants should be read in its entirety for further details.

Written and researched by Neo.