Wearable phone and method of using the same

• US 20050009584A1
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Published: 01/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Tae-suh, Lee, Sang-goog
• Granted Patent: US 7,254,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/575.600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3861 carried in a hand or on fingers

Abstract

A wearable phone and a method of using the same is provided. The phone includes a glove; a display mounted on the glove and including a user interface, the display on which a virtual key pad is displayed; a sensor on the glove disposed under the display, the sensor for sensing the movement of the entire hand; sensors on the glove disposed at interfaces between the fingers and the back of the hand, the sensors for sensing the movements of the fingers; a speaker on the glove disposed under the root of the little finger; a microphone spaced apart from the speaker by a predetermined distance below the speaker; a wireless communication module on the glove for outputting information selected and displayed on the display and voice information input through the microphone and for transmitting information received from the exterior to the display and the speaker; and a battery for supplying power to the wireless communication module and the display.

Claims

1. A wearable phone comprising:

a glove;

a display mounted on the glove and including a user interface, wherein a virtual key pad is displayed on the display;

a sensor disposed under the display and mounted on the glove, the sensor for sensing the movement of a hand;

finger sensors mounted on the glove and so as to be disposed at interfaces between fingers and a back of the hand, the finger sensors for sensing the movements of the fingers;

a speaker mounted on the glove so as to be disposed under a root of a little finger;

a microphone spaced apart from the speaker by a predetermined distance below the speaker;

a wireless communication module for outputting information selected and displayed on the display and voice information input through the microphone and for transmitting information received from an exterior to the display and the speaker; and

a battery for supplying power to the wireless communication module and the display,

wherein all the elements excluding the glove are disposed at other portions than a palm of the glove.

2. The phone of claim 1, wherein the glove has a shape in which the fingers are exposed when the glove is worn.

3. The phone of claim 1, wherein the finger sensors for sensing the movements of the fingers are a second sensor, a third sensor, a fourth sensor, and a fifth sensor for sensing the movements of the ring finger, the middle finger, the index finger, and the big finger, respectively.

4. The phone of claim 3, further comprising a sixth sensor disposed at an interface between the little finger and the back of the hand, the sixth sensor for sensing the movement of the little finger.

5. The phone of claim 1, wherein the microphone is disposed at a wrist portion of the glove.

6. The phone of claim 1, wherein the battery is disposed at the wrist portion of the glove or at a portion between the display and the wireless communication module.

7. The phone of claim 1, wherein the speaker is embedded in the glove.

8. The phone of claim 7, wherein a plurality of holes are disposed at a portion of the glove, in which the speaker is embedded, to expose portions of the speaker.

9. The phone of claim 1 or 5, wherein the microphone is embedded in the glove.

10. The phone of claim 9, wherein a plurality of holes are disposed at a portion of the glove, in which the microphone is embedded, to expose portions of the microphone.

11. The phone of claim 6, wherein the battery is disposed at an inside portion of the wrist portion of the glove.

12. The phone of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication module includes one of an embedded antenna and an external antenna.

13. The phone of claim 1, wherein the sensor for sensing the movement of the hand is an inertial sensor.

14. The phone of claim 1, wherein the finger sensors for sensing the movements of the fingers are inertial sensors such as gyrometers and accelerometers.

15. A method of using a wearable phone comprising a glove, a display for displaying a virtual key pad on the glove, a sensor on the glove for sensing the movement of an entire hand, finger sensors on the glove for sensing the movements of fingers, a speaker, a microphone, a wireless communication module on the glove, and a battery on the glove, the method comprising:

(a) wearing the glove on the hand;

(b) displaying on the display the virtual key pad including a plurality of virtual buttons; and

(c) selecting one of the virtual buttons by moving the hand wearing the glove.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein operation (c) comprises:

(c1) selecting one of a plurality of rows including the virtual buttons by moving the entire hand; and

(c2) selecting one of the virtual buttons from the selected row by moving one of the fingers.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein operation (c) comprises:

(c1) selecting one of a plurality of rows including the virtual buttons by moving the entire hand; and

(c2) selecting a wanted virtual button from the selected row by rotating the entire hand.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising (c3) selecting one of a plurality of characters included in the selected virtual button by moving one of the fingers.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein operation (c2) is followed by converting modes by moving a big finger.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the virtual buttons are selected by moving one of the fingers once.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the virtual buttons are selected by varying the number of movements of one of the fingers.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of characters included in the virtual button are selected by moving one of the fingers once.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of characters included in the virtual button are selected by varying the number of movements of one of the fingers.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein operation (c2) is followed by converting modes by moving a big finger.