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Apfel, WA

Darren Apfel, Redmond, WA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090108055PERSONALIZABLE CARDS SHARED VIA A COMPUTERIZED CARD SERVICE - Systems and methods for sharing personalizable cards via a computerized card service are provided. One disclosed method includes, at a card client program executable on a computing device, creating a personalizable card having extensible data, and sending a first instance of the personalizable card to a card service program. The method may further include, at the card service program, propagating the first instance of the personalizable card to a peer of the user, and at the card client program, updating the extensible data of the personalizable card. Upon updating the extensible data, the method may further include sending a second instance of the personalizable card to the card service program, and propagating the second instance of the personalizable card to the peer of the user. The personalizable card may be propagated according to propagation permissions set by the user.04-30-2009

Darren A. Apfel, Redmond, WA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090186605Creating a Communication Group - This document describes tools capable of enabling users of mobile communication devices to create communication groups quickly and easily. With such a communication group a user may call, text, or instant message all persons in the group at once by selecting the communication group rather than each person in the group. In one embodiment, the tools enable a user to build a communication group by dragging and dropping indicators for persons he or she knows from one area of a screen into another area. In another embodiment, the tools automatically collect persons from those that the user knows based on one or more criteria. The user may then easily create a communication group of those collected persons, such as by tapping on an area of a mobile device's display.07-23-2009
20090187621Current Updates - This document describes tools capable of differentiating a superset of entities from which a user may receive current updates effective to provide current updates for only some of the entities of the superset. In one embodiment, for example, the tools enable a user of a mobile device to select a set of entities from which the user will automatically receive updates that are current, easily accessible, and visible at-a-glance. The tools may forgo providing current updates for entities that are not selected by the user, though the tools may provide these updates when explicitly requested by the user or at particular times or events.07-23-2009
20100105370Contextual Search by a Mobile Communications Device - Contextual search by a mobile communications device is described. In an implementation, a search query is a received and a context is detected of a user interface currently being displayed on a display device of a mobile communications device. One or more search results are displayed on a display device of a search performed in the detected context using the search query.04-29-2010
20100105440Mobile Communications Device Home Screen - A mobile communications device home screen is described. In one or more implementations, a method is performed by a mobile communications device that includes receiving status updates of contacts from a social network service. A home screen of the mobile communications device is configured to include the status updates.04-29-2010
20100159966Mobile Communications Device User Interface - A mobile communications device user interface is described. In an implementation, a method is implemented by a mobile communications device that includes outputting a user interface having a portion that is configured to accept content. When an option is selected in relation to the portion to initiate a communication and the content includes one or more contacts, the communication is formed that includes the content and is automatically addressed to the one or more contacts.06-24-2010
20100248787Chromeless User Interface - Techniques are described to implement a user interface for a display of a mobile device. In an implementation, the user interface may include a chromeless menu configured to be displayed when menu-based user input to the mobile device is available; a system tray configured to be displayed on the display when a notice containing status information affecting operability of the mobile device is available; and a task switcher module operable to cause a chromeless overlay be displayed over an active application being executed by the mobile device to allow selection of one or more applications of the mobile device.09-30-2010

Patent applications by Darren A. Apfel, Redmond, WA US

Richard I. Apfel, Seattle, WA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20100100355IN-FLIGHT DETECTION OF WING FLAP FREE WHEELING SKEW - A method for detecting freewheeling skew failures in the wing flaps of an aircraft includes measuring the outputs of flap skew sensors when the aircraft is in flight (IF) and the flaps are extended to a selected position, and when the aircraft is next on the ground (OG) and the flaps are extended to the selected position. The respective differences between the IF and OG outputs of symmetrical pairs of the flap skew sensors are computed, and then the respective difference between the computed IF output difference and the computed OG output difference of each symmetrical pair of the sensors is computed. The computed IF and OG difference of each symmetrical pair of the sensors is then compared with each of predetermined maximum and minimum threshold value to determine whether a freewheeling skew failure exists in any of the flaps of the aircraft.04-22-2010