Macsimum News - Apple patents involve iPhone gloves, mobile device integration

Apple patents involve iPhone gloves, mobile device integration

Posted by Dennis Sellers Apple ico Jan 2, 2009 at 8:00am

The new year kicks off with a plethora of Apple patents appearing at the US Patent & Trademark Office. One involves winter gloves for the iPhone and iPod touch. The rest involve mobile apps, mobile devices and vehicle integration.

Patent number 2009000010 is for a high tactility glove system. The invention is directed to a glove system including an inner liner and an outer liner operative to transmit user inputs to the input mechanism of an electronic device.

This invention is directed to a glove system for operating an electronic device. The glove system may include an inner liner and an outer shell. The liner may be formed from any suitable material, including a material that is thin, electrically conductive, has low thermal conductivity, and/or has an “anti-sticky” finish. The outer shell may include at least one aperture through which the inner liner may extend to operate the input mechanism of an electronic device (e.g., on at least one finger tip). In some embodiments, the aperture may be at a finger tip of the outer shell.

In some embodiments, a closing mechanism may be used to maintain the aperture closed when the user is not operating the electronic device. For example, an elastic ring may surround the aperture such that, in its non-deformed state, the aperture is substantially closed. The user may elastically deform the ring to allow the liner to pass through the outer shell.

The inventors are Ashwin Sunder and Steven P. Hotellling. The graphic below is a schematic view of an illustrative liner for use in a glove in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

Patent number 2009000931 is for switch assembly constructions. The invention relates to apparatus and methods for improving the construction of switch assemblies of electronic devices.

Electronic devices are provided with switch assembly input components that can have adhesives adhered to the side and/or bottom surfaces of support plates for retaining switches between the adhesives and the tops of the support plates. The switch assembly input components can include buttons with one or more absorption elements for receiving impact energy, reducing the impact energy, and transferring the reduced impact energy onto the switches. The inventors are Adam Duckworth Mittleman, Tang Yew Tan, Erik L. Wang, Dihn Richard Hung Minh, Philip Michael Hobson and Kenneth A. Jenks.

Patent number 20090002361 is for generating low resolution interfaces for transmission to mobile devices. The invention relates to generating low resolution user interfaces for displaying digital images, and transmitting such user interfaces to a mobile device.

A computer-implemented method includes generating a user interface for displaying one or more images, receiving a request from a remote device to view the user interface, determining whether the remote device is a mobile device communicating over a wireless network, depending on a result of the determination, generating a low resolution version of the user interface that is computationally less intensive to render compared to the previously generated user interface, and transmitting the low resolution version of the user interface to the requesting device. The inventors are Brian Dote, Stephane Lunati, Ken Goto and Seejo Pylappan.

Patent number 20090005005 involves a mobile device base station. A mobile device can be configured as a base station to be used by other mobile devices and non-mobile devices to gain access to network services.

The mobile device can be configured to provide and manage secure access to variety of networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, WiMax, Internet, cellular) and network services (e.g., map services, web services, syncing services). The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005018 is for route sharing and location. A first mobile device can transmit data related to a route. A second mobile device can receive the route data from the first mobile device. The route data can be a route map displayed on a multi-touch-sensitive display of the second mobile device. A route engine can determine whether the second mobile device is at a location defined by a route locus based on the route data and location data of the second mobile device.

The route engine can provide an indication at the first mobile device for a route location of the second mobile device based on the determination. The provided indication can be a route map with the route location of the second mobile device. The route map can include the route location of the second mobile device, directions to the route location, and an estimated travel time to the route location. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005077 involves location-based services. Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, for location-based services. An event or device condition is detected at a device. A current geographic location of a device is determined.

Location-based information based on the determined current geographic location is received. The location-based information includes information relevant to the event or device condition. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005070 is for synchronizing mobile and vehicle devices. Location information is received at a mobile device from the memory of a vehicle device. The mobile device is updated based on the location information.

Sensor data is received from at least one sensor measuring movement of the mobile device, and an estimated location of the mobile device is calculated based at least in part on the location information and the sensor data.The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005072 is for integration of user applications in a mobile device. User-applications provided by mobile devices are integrated. In one aspect, an email message is received at a mobile device from an email address and a representation of the email message is displayed on a graphical user interface. An input is received from a user indicating a selection of the email address.

Contact information corresponding to a set of contacts is searched for a contact having a contact email address matching the email address. Contact information for the contact includes a geographic location for the contact. A display of a map is provided to the user. The display includes a graphical representation indicating the geographic location for the contact having a contact email address matching the email address. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005082 involves disfavored route progressions or locations. Adaptive route guidance can include analyzing route progressions associated with one or more routes based on multiple user preferences. The adaptive route guidance can provide one or more preferred routes based on the user preferences, which can be presented to a user for navigation purposes. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005964 is for intelligent route guidance. Adaptive route guidance can include analyzing route progressions associated with one or more routes based on multiple user preferences. The adaptive route guidance can provide one or more preferred routes based on the user preferences including those derived from historical selection or use, which can be presented to a user for navigation purposes. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005975 is for adaptive mobile device navigation. Adaptive mobile device navigation system, methods, and apparatus provide location information for a mobile device performing location estimation using dead reckoning. Multiple estimation modes can be selected including a mode for restricting measured movements to surrounding streets. Updated location fixes can be obtained through turn comparison with surrounding map information and user feedback. User feedback prompts can include photographs having geographic tag information corresponding to locations near an estimated location of the device. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005978 is for adaptive route reference. A user input is received on a wireless device specifying a starting location. The position of the wireless device is tracked from the starting location in response to the user input. A user input is received on the wireless device specifying an ending location, and a route is generated from the tracking of the wireless device from the starting location to the ending location. A first reference is associated with the route, wherein the route is retrievable by a selection of the first reference. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090005981 is for integration of map services and user applications in a mobile device. A location is specified, e.g., a current location of a mobile device or a user-specified location. A representation of the location is represented on a map displayed by the mobile device. A set of contacts having a corresponding address in proximity to the location is determined. A graphical representation of the set of contacts is provided on the map proximate to the one or more corresponding addresses. If the location is a current location of a mobile device, the map can be updated in response to the current location changing with a representation of an updated current location and a representation of an updated set of contacts. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

Patent number 20090006336 is for location-based media devices. Media items can be distributed to mobile devices based on the location of the media device. The media items can be associated with location information, which can be examined and distributed to those devices whose proximate area includes the location information associated with the media items. The inventors are Scott Forstall, Gregory N. Christie, Robert E. Borchers and Kevin Tiene.

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Dennis Sellers

Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 10,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.