Wearable Device Assembly Having Athletic Functionality

• US 20140266731A1
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Malhotra, Vikram
• Granted Patent: US 9,720,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: A44C 5/0015 providing information, e.g. bracelets with calendars identification bracelets G09F3/005
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt

Abstract

A wearable device assembly has a housing supporting a controller and a display. The display may comprise one or more light guides, where each guide is operatively coupled to an LED. Each LED may light the edge of a guide such that a refraction surface is illuminated. The controller may selectively illuminate the one or more light guides using the LEDs to indicate a level of activity of the user.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a processor;

a display comprising of a plurality of light guides each operatively coupled to an LED, wherein each light guide includes a refracting surface, the light guides being layered such that the refracting surfaces are aligned in a series enabling the refracting surfaces to display a gradient; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the apparatus to illuminate one or more of the LEDs such that at least one refracting surface is illuminated.

2. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the computer readable instructions, when executed, further cause the apparatus to:

receive activity information from a wearable activity monitoring device, the activity information corresponding to recorded activity of a user of the wearable activity monitoring device;

determine a difference between the activity information and a predetermined threshold; and

display at least a portion of a gradient on the display based on the determining.

3. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein each of the LEDs coupled to each of the plurality of light guides is individually controllable and each LED comprises a different color.

4. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light guides are layered such that at least a portion of two refracting surfaces for two light guides overlap.

5. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light guides are layered such that illuminating a plurality of the refracting surfaces displays a gradient.

6. The wearable device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of refracting surfaces comprise painted surfaces.

7. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light guides are flexible.

8. The wearable device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light guides comprise transparent silicone films.

9. A device comprising:

an accelerometer that senses movement;

a display comprising of a plurality of light guides each operatively coupled to an LED, wherein each light guide includes a refracting surface, the light guides being layered such that the refracting surfaces are aligned in a series enabling the refracting surfaces to display a gradient; and

a processor programmed to receive an input from the accelerometer and determine and energy expenditure level and cause the display to display the energy expenditure level.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein each of the LEDs coupled to each of the plurality of light guides is individually controllable and each LED comprises a different color.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of light guides are layered such that at least a portion of two refracting surfaces for two light guides overlap.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of light guides are layered such that illuminating a plurality of the refracting surfaces displays a gradient.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of refracting surfaces comprise painted surfaces.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of light guides are flexible.

15. The device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of light guides comprise transparent silicone films.

16. The device according to claim 9, wherein the accelerometer comprises a 3-axis accelerometer.

17. A device comprising:

a sensor that senses movement;

a display comprising of a plurality of light guides and a plurality of light sources operatively coupled to the plurality of light guides, wherein each light guide includes a refracting surface, the light guides being layered such that the refracting surfaces are aligned in a series enabling the refracting surfaces to display a gradient; and

a processor programmed to receive an input from the sensor, determine an energy expenditure level and cause the display to display the energy expenditure level.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein each of the LEDs coupled to each of the plurality of light guides is individually controllable and each LED comprises a different color.

19. The device according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of light guides are layered such that at least a portion of two refracting surfaces for two light guides overlap.

20. The device according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of light guides are layered such that illuminating a plurality of the refracting surfaces displays a gradient.