Finger-wearable devices and associated systems

• US 10,037,052 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2017
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: Smart Patents LLC
• Inventors: Stotler, James G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Amadiz, Rodney
• Application Number:
  US15/481,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20170212552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 9/0053 having special functions
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 9/02 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/165 the additional display being small, e.g. for presenting status information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1654 the display being detachable, e.g. for remote use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0216 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0393 Accessories for touch pads or touch screens, e.g. mechanical guides added to touch screens for drawing straight lines, hard keys overlaying touch screens or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 : for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 : for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 : for image or video messaging

Abstract

A finger-wearable computing device may comprise a processor, a ring base, and a display screen. The display screen is coupled to the ring base and coupled to the processor to display an output. The display screen includes a command area configured to receive user input from a wearer'"'"'s thumb while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on a wearer'"'"'s finger. The ring base may be resiliently flexible and may define an overlapping loop with a central opening that expands and contracts to fit the wearer'"'"'s finger. The display screen may be flexibly coupled to the ring base and may have a vertical axis that is canted at an angle relative to a central axis of the ring base to ergonomically position the display screen while the wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand.

Claims

1. A finger-wearable computing device comprising:

a processor;

a resiliently flexible ring base, configured to be worn on a finger of a wearer'"'"'s hand, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base defines an overlapping loop with a central opening that expands and contracts to fit the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand, and wherein the processor is housed within the resiliently flexible ring base; and

a display screen coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base and coupled to the processor to display an output, wherein the display screen includes a command area configured to receive user input from a thumb of the wearer'"'"'s hand while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand;

wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end along a length of the resiliently flexible ring base, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a finger-engagement portion at the first end, extending along the length toward the second end, and includes a display portion along the length between the finger-engagement portion and the second end, wherein the display screen is housed within the display portion of the resiliently flexible ring base, and wherein the command area of the display screen is distal from the second end; and

wherein the overlapping loop of the resiliently flexible ring base includes an open release area adjacent to the first end of the resiliently flexible ring base and the display portion of the resiliently flexible ring base extends across the open release area and over the first end of the resiliently flexible ring base when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand.

2. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the command area of the display screen corresponds to an area reachable by the thumb while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger.

3. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, further comprising a user control button coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base and positioned at an edge of the command area of the display screen.

4. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to control a remote electronic device.

5. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 4, wherein the remote electronic device is one or more of an augmented reality device, a gaming device, a remote interactive display, and electronic glasses.

6. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the display screen is resiliently flexible.

7. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the command area of the display screen is positioned to overlie the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand.

8. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the display screen includes an active area that is configured to display images and wherein the command area is a portion of the active area.

9. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a ring conformation in which the finger-engagement portion defines the central opening to fit the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand and includes a flat conformation in which the display portion and the finger-engagement portion are folded flat together.

10. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, further comprising a detachable display that is coupled to the processor to display a primary output, wherein the detachable display is mechanically coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base by a pivotal coupler configured to pivot the detachable display between an open position in which the primary output on the detachable display and the output on the display screen are viewable by the wearer while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand and a closed position in which the detachable display overlies the resiliently flexible ring base.

11. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 1, further comprising an interface device configured to communicate over a computer network.

12. A finger-wearable computing device comprising:

a processor;

a ring base, configured to be worn on a finger of a wearer'"'"'s hand, wherein the ring base defines a central opening to fit the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand along a central axis of the central opening, wherein the processor is housed within the ring base; and

a display screen pivotally coupled to the ring base and coupled to the processor to display an output, wherein the display screen includes a command area configured to receive user input from a thumb of the wearer'"'"'s hand while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand;

wherein the display screen is configured to pivot about a hinge between an open position in which the output on the display screen is viewable by the wearer and a closed position in which the display screen overlies the ring base, wherein the hinge is generally parallel to the central axis of the central opening of the ring base and wherein when the display screen is in the open position the display screen has a vertical axis that is canted at an angle relative to the central axis of the central opening of the ring base to ergonomically position the display screen while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand.

13. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, wherein the display screen is resiliently flexible and configured to conform to the ring base in the closed position.

14. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, wherein the finger is an index finger, wherein the display screen has a rectangular profile with at least one notched corner that is positioned to permit the finger-wearable computing device to be worn on a middle phalanx of the index finger without causing the display screen to impinge into a proximal phalanx of the index finger.

15. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, further comprising a user control button coupled to the ring base and positioned at an edge of the command area of the display screen.

16. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to control a remote electronic device.

17. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 16, wherein the remote electronic device is one or more of an augmented reality device, a gaming device, a remote interactive display, and electronic glasses.

18. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, wherein the command area of the display screen is positioned to overlie the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand.

19. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, wherein the display screen includes an active area that is configured to display images and wherein the command area is a portion of the active area.

20. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, wherein the display screen comprises a first microphone-speaker and a second microphone-speaker at opposite ends of the display screen, wherein the first microphone-speaker is at a first end of the display screen, when worn on a wearer'"'"'s left hand, that is toward a proximal end of a wearer'"'"'s left index finger and, when worn on a wearer'"'"'s right hand, that is toward a distal end of a wearer'"'"'s right index finger, wherein the second microphone-speaker is at a second end of the display screen, when worn on the wearer'"'"'s left hand, that is toward a distal end of the wearer'"'"'s left index finger and, when worn on the wearer'"'"'s right hand, that is toward a proximal end of the wearer'"'"'s right index finger, and wherein the processor is configured to operate the first microphone-speaker as a microphone and the second microphone-speaker as a speaker when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the wearer'"'"'s left hand for up-to-the-ear phone use, and is configured to operate the first microphone-speaker as a speaker and the second microphone-speaker as a microphone when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the wearer'"'"'s right hand for up-to-the-ear phone use.

21. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 20, further comprising a directional sensor configured to determine which of the first microphone-speaker and the second-microphone-speaker is positioned upward.

22. The finger-wearable computing device of claim 12, further comprising a transceiver configured for cellular telephone communication.

23. A finger-wearable computing device comprising:

a processor;

a resiliently flexible ring base, configured to be worn on a finger of a wearer'"'"'s hand, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base defines an overlapping loop with a central opening that expands and contracts to fit the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand, and wherein the processor is housed within the resiliently flexible ring base;

a display screen coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base and coupled to the processor to display an output, wherein the display screen includes a command area configured to receive user input from a thumb of the wearer'"'"'s hand while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand; and

a detachable display that is coupled to the processor to display a primary output, wherein the detachable display is mechanically coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base by a pivotal coupler configured to pivot the detachable display between an open position in which the primary output on the detachable display and the output on the display screen are viewable by the wearer while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer'"'"'s hand and a closed position in which the detachable display overlies the resiliently flexible ring base;

wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end along a length of the resiliently flexible ring base, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a finger-engagement portion at the first end, extending along the length toward the second end, and includes a display portion along the length between the finger-engagement portion and the second end, wherein the display screen is housed within the display portion of the resiliently flexible ring base, and wherein the command area of the display screen is distal from the second end.