Molded wristband case

• US 9,110,498 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Fitbit, Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Martinez, Mark Manuel, Berlinger, Michael Hans, Wilcox, Keeline Burdick, Francisco, Michael Joseph, Axley, Andrew Cole, Park, James, Friedman, Eric Nathan, Yuen, Shelten Gee Jao
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Downey, John R
• Application Number:
  US14/027,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 600/300, 600/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0443 Modular apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/04 for supporting on, or holding steady relative to, a person, e.g. by chains , e.g. rifle butt or pistol grip supports, supports attached to the chest or head apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs or for projecting or viewing them G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/00 Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A biometric monitoring device and multiple carrying cases for same are provided. In some implementations, the case may be made from a flexible viscoelastic material and the biometric monitoring device may be slipped into a receptacle in the case through an opening in the case; the opening may become distended during the insertion of the biometric monitoring device. In some implementations, the case may feature a display window that, in combination with materials of the biometric monitoring device, may mask a display of the biometric monitoring device from view when the display is off and may allow the display to be seen when the display is displaying content.

Claims

1. A band configured to be worn on an organism'"'"'s limb or neck, the band comprising:

injection-molded portions including;

a molded body;

a first molded strap extending away from a first end of the molded body;

a second molded strap extending away from a second end of the molded body opposite the first end, wherein the molded body, the first molded strap, and the second molded strap are configured to completely or partially encircle the organism'"'"'s limb or neck;

a cavity within the molded body, the cavity sized to receive a biometric tracking device and to hold the biometric tracking device securely with respect to the molded body when the biometric tracking device is fully inserted into the cavity;

an opening in the molded body leading to the cavity, the opening sized such that the opening must be stretched or deformed during insertion of the biometric tracking device into the cavity through the opening, and

a window portion that is co-molded with the molded body, wherein;

the molded body is made from a compliant viscoelastic material,

the window portion is made from a translucent plastic material,

the window portion forms a band that encircles all or part of the biometric tracking device and that separates the first molded strap from the molded body,

the window portion is located such that a display of the biometric tracking device is located beneath the window portion when the biometric tracking device is fully inserted into the cavity, and

the window portion is sized to allow data displayed on the display of the biometric tracking device to be seen through the window portion when the biometric tracking device is fully inserted into the cavity and the display of the biometric tracking device is displaying the data.

2. The band of claim 1, wherein the organism'"'"'s limb or neck is a person'"'"'s forearm.

3. The band of claim 1, wherein the organism'"'"'s limb or neck is a feline or canine neck.

4. The band of claim 1, wherein:

the cavity has an interior surface spanning between opposing ends of the opening,

the opposing ends of the opening are located along an axis spanning between the first end of the molded body and the second end of the molded body, and

all of the interior surface spanning between the opposing ends of the opening contacts an exterior surface of the biometric tracking device when the biometric tracking device is fully inserted into the cavity.

5. The band of claim 1, wherein:

the cavity has an interior surface, and

all of the interior surface contacts an exterior surface of the biometric tracking device when the biometric tracking device is inserted into the cavity.

6. The band of claim 1, wherein:

the molded body is designed such that the opening may be elastically stretched to permit the biometric tracking device to be fully inserted into the cavity.

7. The band of claim 1, wherein the viscoelastic compliant material is selected from the group of materials consisting of thermoplastic polyurethanes, thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic vulcanizates, polyurethanes, silicones, and combinations thereof.

8. The band of claim 1, wherein the viscoelastic compliant material has a Young'"'"'s modulus between 1 MPa and 690 MPa.

9. The band of claim 6, wherein the display of the biometric tracking device is an illuminable display and the window portion that overlays the illuminable display of the biometric tracking device when the biometric tracking device is fully inserted into the cavity is made of a translucent plastic material that, in combination with any materials of the biometric tracking device interposed between the window portion and the illuminable display when the biometric tracking device is fully inserted into the cavity, has an opacity that causes the illuminable display to not be visible through the window portion when the biometric tracking device is inserted into the cavity and the illuminable display is in an off state or is not displaying content and that causes the illuminable display to be visible through the window portion when the biometric tracking device is inserted into the cavity and the illuminable display is in an on state and displaying content.

10. The band of claim 1, wherein the window portion is made from a translucent plastic material selected from the group consisting of:

a tinted translucent material, a frosted translucent material, and a translucent material with a reflective coating applied.

11. The band of claim 10, wherein the tinted translucent material has a light transmittance of between 15% and 50%.

12. The band of claim 1, wherein the opening faces towards the organism'"'"'s limb or neck when the molded band is worn on the organism'"'"'s limb or neck.

13. The band of claim 1, wherein the opening faces away from the organism'"'"'s limb or neck when the molded band is worn on the organism'"'"'s limb or neck.

14. The band of claim 1, further comprising a removable peg component, the removable peg component including:

a base; and

at least one peg protruding from the base along a peg axis, wherein;

the at least one peg is configured to be inserted through a corresponding hole located on the first molded strap and then into a corresponding hole located on the second molded strap, and

the base has a larger maximum cross-sectional area when viewed along the peg axis than the maximum cross-sectional area of the at least one peg when viewed along the peg axis.

15. The band of claim 14, wherein each peg of the at least one peg includes:

a head portion;

a stem portion; and

a rib portion, and wherein;

the stem portion is interposed between the head portion and the base,

the rib portion is located along the stem portion, and

the head portion and the rib portion both have cross-sectional areas in a plane generally parallel to the base that are larger than the cross-sectional area of the stem portion in a plane generally parallel to the base.

16. The band of claim 15, wherein:

the rib portion has a first surface facing the end of the peg having the head portion and a second surface facing the base,

the first surface is sloped at a 45 degree angle with respect to the peg axis, and

the second surface is perpendicular to the peg axis.

17. The band of claim 16, wherein:

the head portion is rounded along edges bordering a surface of the head portion that is furthest from the base.

18. The band of claim 15, wherein each peg has an obround cross-sectional profile in a plane perpendicular to the peg axis and the obround profile is more than twice as long as the obround profile is wide.

19. The band of claim 14, wherein:

the first molded strap includes a recessed area having nominally the same shape and size as the base,

the recessed area includes each hole in the first molded strap through which each peg is configured to be inserted, and

the recessed area is recessed into the first molded strap at a depth nominally equal to the thickness of the base along the peg axis.