7,240,223 Method and apparatus for dynamic power management in a processor system 
(11 pages)
Select processor run state (related to power consumption by the processor based on processor load. Can also predict future anticipated processor load based on historical use.
7,239,721 Adaptive motion estimation (14 pages)
Motion estimation for MPEG encoding.
20070150686 Accessing data storage systems without waiting for read errors (14 pages)
20070150628 USB device notification (11 pages)
Relates to hot-pluggable USB devices and communicating with the system once connected.
20070147698 Image sharpening using diffusion (10 pages)
Seven iPhone-related applications were all published on June 28, 2007.
20070150842 Unlocking a device by performing gestures on an unlock image (29 pages)
Unlocking an iPhone by moving an unlock image, either to a predetermined location or along a predetermined path.
Related to Application No. 20070150826, described below.
20070150830 Scrolling list with floating adjacent index symbols (29 pages)
Scrolling through a list on an iPhone. While the user scrolls through the list, index symbols (e.g., “B”, “E”, “X”) appear on the display as the user scrolls through that portion of the list.
Related to Application No. 20070146337, described below.
20070150826 Indication of progress towards satisfaction of a user input condition (28 pages)
Changing the “optical intensity” of UI objects to show progress toward a second state. For example, when unlocking the iPhone, the screen gets brighter during the unlock gesture.
20070149252 Account information display for portable communication device (13 pages)
Real-time display of account information for an iPhone. For example, this method can be used to display the remaining minutes in a calling or data plan or the portion of the monthly alloted minutes that have been used.
20070146337 Continuous scrolling list with acceleration (29 pages)
Claims are directed to acceleated scrolling through a list based on an acclerated gesture on the iPhone and reversing the direction of scrolling (slowly) if the user scrolls past the end of the list.
20070146336 Soft key interaction indicator (16 pages)
How on-screen buttons on the iPhone change appearance when touched (by changing the brightness of the outer edge of the button). See Figure 2 of the application for an example.
20070146133 Acceleration-based theft detection system for portable electronic devices (12 pages)
This application is a divisional of Patent No. 7,218,226 (see AIPW’s discussion of that patent). The claims here are directed to using an acceleration signal to determine a characteristic movement of the device and compare that signal to a stored profile to determine if the device has been stolen.
Here I was, thinking I was being original by coming up with this headline. Too bad for me that a writer at the Australian paper The Age beat me to it – with a damn good article, too!
I had closely followed Le Tour since about 1989 or 1990, I forget when exactly. Spent way too much time in front of the TV. And that was before OLN (now Versus) took over, with several hours of coverage every day.
After last year’s doping scandals, I vowed to not watch it this year. I have been following online and in the paper – and admittedly sneaking a small glimpse on the TV once in a while. But no more than about five minutes a pop. I almost can’t believe how dirty the sport of cycling is. Is nobody clean?
That rhetorical question leads me to a real question: how much of an advantage do these riders get by cheating? Is it even quantifiable? How could you even realistically check? You’d have to have the same rider under the same conditions, both clean and doped up. The chances of someone being able to perform at exactly the same level on two different days (likely to be spaced far apart so the dope would have time to work its “magic”) is highly unlikely. Oh, well. It’s not a problem that I have to solve, luckily for me.
7,237,135 Cyclemaster synchronization in a distributed bridge (11 pages)
Synchronizing devices over a FireWire connection.
7,236,528 System and method for processing time-based media (16 pages)
7,236,154 Computer light adjustment (25 pages)
Adjust the light level output of a computer based on the measured ambient light around the computer. For example, used with lighting a laptop keyboard.
20070143762 Assigning tasks in a distributed system based on ranking (12 pages)
Performing distributed computing on an Xgrid. A utility program is sent to several systems, which run the utility and report back a value. A coordinating process selects the system that returned the highest value to perform a task.
20070140505 Method and apparatus for masking acoustic keyboard emanations (8 pages)
Mask typing noises from a keyboard to provide security, such that what a user types cannot be determined based on the typing sounds. Apparently, the sound generated by typing can be analyzed to determine what keys on a keyboard were pressed and in what order. See the researchers’ Web site (not much there) and the paper (a PDF) on which this is all based. Claims are directed to outputting a masking signal to cover the typing sounds.
20070140504 Method and apparatus for masking acoustic keyboard emanations (8 pages)
Same as the previous publication. There don’t appear to be many differences in the claims, just that this publication has fewer claims than the previous one. Not really sure why that was done; I may have missed something on my review.
20070138999 Protecting electronic devices from extended unauthorized use (13 pages)
Disables the recharging circuit of a device if its use is unauthorized.
20070138806 Magnetic latching mechanism (17 pages)
Magnetic latch for a laptop display. Opens (magnets repel) and closes (magnets attract) by magnet positioning.
7,234,067 Autonomous thermal management (9 pages)
Managing the temperature of peripherals by regulating power consumption.
7,234,026 Media player with instant play capability (13 pages)
Playing a media file before it is fully loaded into memory, using caching.
7,233,985 Providing a reliable operating system for clients of a net-booted environment (23 pages)
One example is a network computer booting from a boot image stored on a server. See Figure 3.
Claims priority back to October 1999.
7,233,972 Method and apparatus for coordination of client/server processes (16 pages)
Making sure that processes, including I/O requests, are completed. Claims priority back to September 1998.
7,233,832 Method and apparatus for expanding audio data (19 pages)
Time stretching methods for audio. Useful for creating sound effects in movies, for example.
7,233,318 Multi-button mouse (24 pages)
Structure for providing multi-button mouse functionality in a unibody mouse. For example, the Mighty Mouse (but without the track nub). Various button arrangements are possible; see Figure 6.
The claims are all directed to a unibody mouse.
20070136695 Graphical user interface (GUI), a synthesiser and a computer system including a GUI (7 pages)
20070132789 List scrolling in response to moving contact over list of index symbols (29 pages)
Scrolling through a list of items on a touch-sensitive screen (like an iPhone). Includes scrolling through a group of items if the user touches an index item.
20070132764 System and method for displaying text (21 pages)
About drawing fonts on a screen.
I thought I would take things nice and slow today, since it’s been my longest run in weeks. The hardest before that was last Sunday’s G5K3. That would be the Third (more or less) Annual Guerilla 5K. See the posts from race organizer Some Guy, co-winners JDubs and Seebo, and post-race brunch sponsor Jim (which I couldn’t attend). Super short report on that: No street closures. Course is likely not accurately measured. There is no entry fee. The “prizes” are whatever Some Guy finds around the office. The T-shirts are hand-made (which is really cool). Basically, everything you want in a race and nothing you don’t.
Anyway… the week before that, my fastest pace was the Disney Shuffle. I ran 3 or 4 times the week of the G5K3 and three times this week. I was planning on doing about 10 miles today. Slow from the house to the Art Museum, onto Kelly Drive for a little bit, turn around, head down to the Schyulkill Banks trail, then back through the city streets to home. Things started off well – I was moving at a comfortable pace. I didn’t care about the time, so I left the watch at home. I get onto the SBT and I’m feeling just beat. My legs were kinda dead. So I walked [gasp!] for a little bit. Then I ran to 23rd & Locust and walked [gasp!] again. And then I walked a third time [gasp! somebody fainted] on Broad St. between Lombard and Bainbridge. Then I finshed trudging home. [amen!]
OK, so I hadn’t set out to imitate a Southern Baptist preacher, it just happened. At least in my head it did. I felt it and went with it. I think I should stop now.
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