2008-06-26 Newly Published Apple Patent Applications

1
20080155459
ASSOCIATING KEYWORDS TO MEDIA
2
20080155438
Graduated Visual and Manipulative Translucency for Windows
3
20080155421
Fast Creation of Video Segments
4
20080155420
ANCHOR POINT IN MEDIA
5
20080155413
Modified Media Presentation During Scrubbing
6
20080155232
Sharing a Data Buffer
7
20080152299
Regular Sampling and Presentation of Continuous Media Stream
8
20080152298
Two-Dimensional Timeline Display of Media Items
9
20080152297
Select Drag and Drop Operations on Video Thumbnails Across Clip Boundaries
10
20080150898
MOUSE HAVING AN OPTICALLY-BASED SCROLLING FEATURE
11
20080149417
Acoustic assembly for personal media device

2008-06-24 Newly Issued Apple Patents

1
7,392,286
Accessories for teleconference component
2
7,391,812
Adaptively post filtering encoded video
3
7,391,110
Apparatus for providing capacitive decoupling between on-die power and ground conductors

Clear With Computers, LLC v. Apple, Inc., et al

[via 9 to 5 Mac http://www.9to5mac.com/apple_legal_store_problem]

Filing: http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/texas/txedce/6:2008cv00243/110468/1/


Patents:
5,615,342
("This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 07/878,602, filed May 5, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,490, which application are incorporated herein by reference.")

1. A computer assisted method of generating a customized proposal for selling products to particular customers, the method comprising the steps of:

presenting to a user of the computer a plurality of questions relating to features and uses of the products;

inputting into the computer a plurality of customer answers to the questions, the answers specifying a customer's desired product features and uses; storing in the computer product pictures, product environment pictures and text segments;

selecting a particular product picture in response to at least one of the customer answers;

selecting a particular product environment picture in response to at least one of the customer answers;

selecting a particular text segment in response to at least one of the customer answers;

and generating a customized proposal for the customer using the particular product picture, the particular product environment picture and the particular text segment.



5,367,627
("This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/959,525, filed Oct. 13, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,865 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/435,809, filed Nov. 13, 1989, now abandoned. ")

1. A computerized method of selling parts for particular equipment specified by a customer, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving information identifying a customer's parts requirements for the equipment, comprising the step of receiving equipment application information, comprising an identification of the equipment with which one or more parts are to be used;

b) electronically specifying information identifying a plurality of parts and specifications for the parts;

c) gathering parts-related information for one or more parts within the plurality of parts which meets the customer's requirements, comprising the step of electronically associating at least one of the parts within the plurality of parts with the received equipment application information; and

d) receiving the gathered parts-related information and compiling the parts-related information into a proposal meeting the customer's requirements.

2008-06-19 Newly Published Apple Patent Applications

1
20080143683
Pet-based touch pad (that's polyethylene terephthalate, not some component of an iDog)
2
20080143566
FOR EXTERNALLY CLOCKED DIGITAL AUDIO INPUT, DETERMINING A VALID CLOCK AND MUTING AUDIO DURING SYNCHRONIZATION

2008-06-17 Newly Issued Apple Patents

1
D571,375
Media device (iPod nano 1G)
2
D571,364
Computing device (Macbook Pro)
3
D571,360
Stand (iPhone dock)
4
7,389,371
Method and apparatus for loop breaking in a data bus

2008-06-12 Newly Published Apple Patent Applications

June 5 publications also included here:


1
20080140737
DYNAMIC MEMORY MANAGEMENT
2
20080133956
POWER CONSUMPTION MANAGEMENT FOR FUNCTIONAL PRESERVATION IN A BATTERY-POWERED ELECTRONIC DEVICE
3
20080131093
CONVERGENCE-ENABLED DVD AND WEB SYSTEM
4
20080130923
System and method for dynamic control of audio playback based on the position of a listener
5
20080129520
ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH ENHANCED AUDIO FEEDBACK
6
20080128182
SENSOR ARRANGEMENT FOR USE WITH A TOUCH SENSOR

2008-06-10 Newly Issued Apple Patents

1
7,385,821
Cooling method for ICS
2
7,384,295
Universal serial bus connector and socket coupling arrangements

Good vibrations...

On June 3, Apple was issued a patent related to simulation of the vibration of a string. This is likely related to a physical-model approach to sound generation for GarageBand or Logic virtual instruments. Such an approach can be superior to sample-based instruments, especially in terms of allowing user-adjustment of characteristics of the instrument and sound using a UI that has the appearance of an actual instrument. Physical modeling for sound generation is not new, of course, having been commercialized most successfully by Korg, Roland (e.g., V-Drums, V-Guitar lines), and others.

The unique aspect here appears to be that "the force acting on the string simulates a stream of a fluid medium flowing relative to the string"



United States Patent
7,381,881
Sapp
June 3, 2008
Simulation of string vibration
Abstract
A method of simulating a string using a wave equation relates movement of the string in time to force acting on the string, wherein the force acting on the string simulates a stream of a fluid medium flowing relative to the string. The simulated string is supported between two supports and is aligned at rest in a first direction between the two supports, a first of which allows movement in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and a second of which does not allow movement. The string is then caused from rest to vibrate in a plane, which includes the first and second directions, by turbulence in the fluid flow causing the stream of fluid medium to exert a pressure on the string in the second direction. Movement of the string out of alignment with the first direction causes the stream of fluid medium flowing in the first direction to exert a force on the string in the second direction.



Claim 1. A method, comprising: simulating a string using a wave equation that relates movement of the string in time to force acting on the string, wherein the string has a longitudinal axis in a first direction and is moveable in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the force acting on the string simulates a stream of a fluid medium flowing relative to the string in a direction having a component in a third direction orthogonal to both the first and second directions; and creating sounds using the wave equation.

2008-06-03 Newly Issued Apple Patents

1
D570,372
Media device
2
D570,335
Dock insert
3
7,383,457
Adaptive power-reduction mode
4
7,383,453
Conserving power by reducing voltage supplied to an instruction-processing portion of a processor
5
7,383,400
Method and apparatus for evaluating and improving disk access time in a RAID system
6
7,383,291
Method for sharing groups of objects
7
7,381,881
Simulation of string vibration