PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AS HEALTH COMPANION

• US 20170079583A1
• Filed: 08/02/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cardinali, Steven P., Lukens, William C., Tong, Katherine E., Ness, Trevor J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,617,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0064 for taking sweat or sebum samples measuring sweat production A61B5/4266
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14517 for sweat
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4266 sweat secretion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6813 Specially adapted to be attached to a specific body part A61B5/6802 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6887 mounted on external non-worn devices, e.g. non-medical devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A wearable consumer electronic product includes at least a housing arranged to catty operational components comprising a processor and a band having a pliable band body and a securing means arranged to secure the band body to the housing. In one embodiment, the pliable band body has a size and shape suitable for wrapping around an individual appendage and that includes an opening that leads to a cavity within the band body suitable for accumulating an amount of water and a band sensor embedded within the band body in communication with the cavity.

Claims

1. A wearable consumer electronic product, comprising:

a housing arranged to carry operational components comprising a processor; and

,

an interconnected group of sensors at least one of which is carried by the housing and operable as a sensor engine in communication with the processor and comprising a first sensor capable of detecting a threshold amount of water and a second sensor capable of detecting a property of the water, wherein detection of the threshold amount of water by the first sensor causes the second sensor to detect the property of the water.

2. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a band coupled to the housing and arranged to secure the housing to an individual appendage.

3. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the first sensor and second sensor are carried by the housing.

4. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 2, wherein only one of the first sensor and the second sensor is carried by the housing and the other sensor being carried by the band.

5. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the property is selected from a group that includes a pH level of the water, a salinity of the water, a biological content of the water, a particulate level of the water, a chemical content of the water, a temperature of the water.

6. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor engine further comprises a third sensor that is activated based upon the property of the water detected by the second sensor.

7. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 1, wherein the operational components comprise a circuit in communication with the sensor engine that is operable based upon the property of the water detected by the sensor engine.

8. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 2, wherein the threshold amount of water comprises perspiration originating from the individual appendage.

9. A method carried out by a wearable consumer electronic product, comprising:

detecting at least a threshold amount of water by a first sensor;

detecting a property of the water by a second sensor in communication with the first sensor; and

,

providing a notification in accordance with the detected property.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

detecting another property of the water by another sensor in communication with at least the second sensor.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the notification comprises a warning based upon detected properties of the water.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, the consumer electronic product further comprising a geo-location circuit arranged to determine a geo-location of the wearable consumer electronic product.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the property detected by the second sensor is based at least in part upon the geo-location of the wearable consumer electronic product.

14. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:

detecting a physical condition of a person currently wearing the wearable consumer electronic product; and

,

using the detected physical condition to modify the notification.

15. A wearable consumer electronic product, comprising:

a housing arranged to carry operational components comprising a processor; and

,

a band having a pliable band body and a securing mechanism arranged to secure the band body to the housing, wherein the pliable band body has a size and shape suitable for wrapping around an individual appendage, the band body comprising;

an opening that leads to a cavity within the band body suitable for accumulating an amount of water, and

a band sensor embedded within the band body in communication with the cavity and capable of determining that the amount of accumulated water is at least a threshold amount of water.

16. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 15, wherein when the band sensor detects the threshold amount of water within the cavity, the band sensor sends information to the processor.

17. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 15, wherein when the band sensor detects the threshold amount of water within the cavity, the band sensor sends information to an electronic circuit carried by the band body.

18. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 17, wherein the electronic circuit is another sensor.

19. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 15, wherein the band sensor is capable of communicating with the processor via a wireless communication channel.

20. The wearable consumer electronic product as recited in claim 15, wherein the band sensor is capable of communicating with another sensor carried by the housing.