Apple patents range from touch pad electrode design to microcontroller clock calibration

Posted by Dennis Sellers Jun 25, 2009 at 9:30am

A variety of Apple patents have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Here’s a summary of them.

Patent number 20090159344 is for a touch pad electrode design. According to the patent, a multi-touch capacitive touch sensor panel can be created using a substrate with column and row traces formed on separate layers of the substrate. The column and row traces can include sections extending from a central trace and forming a rectilinear trace pattern with sections of the columns and rows interdigitated with one another. The trace pattern can comprise a plurality of pixels arranged continuously across the sensor panel. In this manner, the sensor panel can provide a linear or near linear response to touches across the touch sensor panel. The inventors are Steve Porter Hotelling and Kenneth Lawrence Staton.

Patent number 20090164035 is for a handheld computing device. A handheld computing device and handheld music player are disclosed. The handheld computing device includes a seamless enclosure formed from an extruded tube. The extruded tube includes open ends and internal rails which serve as a guide for slidably assembling an operational assembly through the open ends of the extruded tube, a reference surface for positioning the operational assembly relative to an access opening in the seamless enclosure, and a support structure for supporting the operational assembly during use. The handheld music player includes an elongated extruded tube extending along a longitudinal axis. The elongated extruded tube has a first open end and a second open end opposite the first open end, and defines an internal lumen which is sized and dimensioned for slidable receipt of operational components of the handheld music player. The lumen includes rails for guiding the operational components to their desired position within the lumen. The inventors are Stephen Paul Zadesky and Stephen Brian Lynch.

Patent number 200901588495 is for a method and apparatus for checking an acoustic test fixture. Per the patent, a body has a first portion whose exterior surface is similar to that of a corresponding, first portion of a portable media device. An acoustic aperture is formed at a location that is similar to that of a built-in earpiece, speaker, or microphone aperture in the media device. An acoustic port is formed in the exterior surface of the body, and is adapted to be coupled to a sound test tool. An internal cavity acoustically couples the acoustic port to the acoustic aperture. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. The inventors are Justin Gregg and Michael M. Lee.

Patent number 20090158584 involves cable termination methods and apparatus. It involves termination for a multi-conductor cable is made by providing a metal structure that includes a plurality of parallel but spaced apart fingers that are joined together by a connecting member adjacent at least one end of each finger. Each of the conductors in the cable is connected to a respective one of the fingers at a location that is spaced from the connecting member. The cable and the fingers are then over-molded with an insulating material where the conductors are connected to the fingers. This over-molding leaves a portion of the length of each finger exposed. The connecting member is then severed and removed. The inventor is Christopher D. Prest.

Patent number 20090164883 is for multi-source web clips. Methods, computer program products, and systems are described to assist a user in identifying a number of potential areas of interest (sometimes referred to as clippings or web clips) and presenting the areas in a uniform display environment. In some implementations, the user clippings are presented to the user in a clipview according to user preferences. The inventors are Kevin Decker and John Sullivan.

Patent number 20090160762 involves a user input device with expanded functionality (the Apple Remote). The present invention can include systems and methods for expanding the functionality of user input devices. In particular, the present invention can expand the functionality of user input devices by changing the functions assigned to hardwired user input mechanisms responsive to user actuation of a function-change user input mechanism and/or responsive to automatic detection of an application change. Each hardwired user input mechanism can have an associated function indicator that visually indicates the function assigned to the hardwired user input mechanism. The present invention also can change the function indicated by the function indicators when there is a change in the functions assigned to the hardwired user input mechanisms. The inventor is Jesse L. Dorogusker.

Patent number 20090160346 involves a method and apparatus for providing high speed, low EMI switching circuits. The methods and apparatus include switching circuits that utilize two groups of parallel circuit traces, each of which is coupled to one end a switching device. The two groups of traces are configured to be interleaved with each other such that no two traces from either group are next to any other traces from the same group. When the switching device is activated, current flows through the circuit and charges an energy storage element. When the switching device is deactivated, the energy storage element discharges a portion of its energy to a second energy storage element and to the driver circuits. In another embodiment, and additional circuit trace is provided which is only connected on one end and is free floating on the other end to capture the majority of EMI remaining that was generated by the switching circuit. The inventor is Yongman Lee.

Patent number 20090161806 is for a microcontroller clock calibration using data transmission from an accurate third party. Systems and methods are provided for calibrating the internal oscillator of a microcontroller from a remote clock source. In some embodiments, an electronic device can request timing information from a third party device using a timing independent signal. The timing information received from the third party device may be used to calibrate the microcontroller clock of the electronic device. In some embodiments, the internal oscillator may be calibrated based on timing information received from multiple third party devices. Once calibrated, the microcontroller may initiate timing dependent communication with other electronic devices using a timing dependent protocol, such as a serial protocol. The inventors are John M. Ananny, Nicholas R. Kalayjian, Stanley Rabu and Terry Tikalsky.

For more info on patents, check out Patents.com, a free patent search site.

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