Several Apple patents have appeared at the US Patent & Trademark Office. Following is a summary of each.

Patent number 20100238344 is for an electronic device having a camera flash redirector. An electronic camera device has an imaging sensor to capture an image of a scene, a flash to illuminate the scene for capture by the sensor, and an evaluator to detect a condition in the scene. A redirector shifts the peak of a spatial energy profile of light from the flash. The peak is shifted from being aimed at one region in the scene to being aimed at another region in the scene, in response to the evaluator having detected the condition in the scene. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. The inventor is Richard Tsai.

Patent number 20100244701 involves temperature based, white point control in backlights. Systems, methods, and devices are provided for maintaining a target white point on a light emitting diode based backlight. In one embodiment, the backlight may include two or more strings of light emitting diodes, each driven at a respective driving strength. Each string may include light emitting diodes from a different color bin, and the respective driving strengths may be adjusted, for example, through pulse width modulation or amplitude modulation, to maintain the target white point. In certain embodiments, the driving strengths may be adjusted to compensate for shifts in the white point that may occur due to temperature or aging. A controller may adjust the driving strengths based on feedback from a temperature sensor, from an optical sensor, from a user input, or from calibration data included within the backlight or system. The inventors are Cheng Chn, Jun Qi, John Z. Zhong, Victor H. Yin and Wei Chen.

Patent number 20100245224 is for a LCD electrode arrangement. Systems, devices, and methods for reducing direct current bias and/or enabling a simplified manner of polarity inversion in liquid crystal display (LCD) devices are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a device may include a processor, a memory device, and a liquid crystal display having a pixel array including rows and columns of pixels. Each pixel of the pixel array may include a pixel electrode separated from a common electrode by a dielectric passivation layer, and may include a transistor to provide a data signal when the transistor is activated. The pixel array is configured such that a neutral amount of direct current bias is generated on the passivation layer when each row of pixels is activated. The common electrodes of certain pixels may be disposed above their respective pixel electrodes, while the common electrodes of certain other pixels may be disposed below their respective pixel electrodes. The inventors are Ming Xu, Cheng Chen, Shih Chang Chang, Mingxia Gu and John Z. Zhong.

Patent number 20100245227 involves white point control in backlights. Systems, methods, and devices are provided for maintaining a target white point on a light emitting diode based backlight. In one embodiment, the backlight may include two or more strings of light emitting diodes, each driven at a respective driving strength. Each string may include light emitting diodes from a different color bin, and the respective driving strengths may be adjusted, for example, through pulse width modulation or amplitude modulation, to maintain the target white point. In certain embodiments, the driving strengths may be adjusted to compensate for shifts in the white point that may occur due to temperature or aging. A controller may adjust the driving strengths based on feedback from a temperature sensor, from an optical sensor, from a user input, or from calibration data included within the backlight or system. The inventors are Cheng Chen, Jun Qi, John Z. Zhong, Victor H. Yin and Wei Chen.

Patent number 20100245227 is for aging based, white point control in backlights. Systems, methods, and devices are provided for maintaining a target white point on a light emitting diode based backlight. In one embodiment, the backlight may include two or more strings of light emitting diodes, each driven at a respective driving strength. Each string may include light emitting diodes from a different color bin, and the respective driving strengths may be adjusted, for example, through pulse width modulation or amplitude modulation, to maintain the target white point. In certain embodiments, the driving strengths may be adjusted to compensate for shifts in the white point that may occur due to temperature or aging. A controller may adjust the driving strengths based on feedback from a temperature sensor, from an optical sensor, from a user input, or from calibration data included within the backlight or system. The inventors are the same as those above.

Patent number 20100245723 involves a LCD panel with improved response. A liquid crystal display (LCD) having a liquid crystal layer is provided. In one embodiment, the liquid crystal layer includes a nematic liquid crystal material having liquid crystal molecules in an untwisted state. A chiral dopant is dispersed within the liquid crystal layer and configured to bias the liquid crystal molecules toward a twisted state. Furthermore, a polymer network is disposed among the liquid crystal molecules and configured to bias the liquid crystal molecules toward the untwisted state. Various additional devices and methods are also provided. The inventors are Cheng Chen, John Z. Zhong, Ming Xu and Mingxia Gu.

Patent number 20100246855 is fordynamic audio parameter adjustment using touch sensing. An audio communications device has a handset in which a touch sensing ear piece region is coupled to an acoustic leakage analyzer. The acoustic leakage analyzer is to analyze signals from the touch sensing ear piece region and on that basis adjust an audio processing parameter. The latter configures an audio processor which generates an audio receiver input signal for the device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. The inventor is Shaohai Chen.