Wearable Computer Display Devices for the Forearm, Wrist, and/or Hand

• US 20160349790A1
• Filed: 07/17/2016
• Published: 12/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medibotics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Medibotics, LLC
• Inventors: Connor, Robert A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,429,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

This invention is a wearable computer display device for the wrist and/or forearm with an upper distal-to-proximal extension and one or more forearm-extending computer displays. It has a gap or opening below the upper distal-to-proximal extension into which a garment sleeve can be inserted. This enables a person to the see the computer displays even when the person is wearing a long-sleeve garment.

Claims

1. A wearable computer display device for the forearm, wrist, and/or hand comprising:

(a) an arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff, wherein this arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff further comprises;

a distal portion which is configured to encircle at least 50% of the circumference of a person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm with a maximum first distance from the person'"'"'s elbow;

a proximal portion which is configured to encircle at least 50% of the circumference of the person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm with a minimum second distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, wherein the second distance is at least 2″

less than the first distance; and

a connecting portion which connects the distal portion to the proximal portion;

(b) an upper distal-to-proximal extension;

wherein the distal portion of the upper distal-to-proximal extension is connected to the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff;

(c) at least one computer display which is connected to, or part of, the upper distal-to-proximal extension; and

(d) a gap or opening with a proximal-to-distal length of at least 1″

;

wherein this gap or opening is at least partially between the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff and the proximal end of the upper distal-to-proximal extension and/or wherein this gap or opening is at least partially between the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff and the at least one computer display; and

wherein a sleeve of a long-sleeve garment can be inserted into this gap or opening.

2. The device in claim 1 wherein there is one computer display.

3. The device in claim 1 wherein there are two or more computer displays.

4. The device in claim 3 wherein two or more computer displays are arranged in a longitudinal distal-to-proximal series or sequence.

5. The device in claim 3 wherein four or more computer displays comprise an array or matrix of computer displays, wherein a first set of displays have centroids which are aligned along the same longitudinal distal-to-proximal vector and wherein a second set of displays have centroids which are along the same circumference line around a person'"'"'s arm.

6. The device in claim 1 wherein the combined surface area of one or more computer displays in this device is within the range of 4 square inches to 16 square inches.

7. The device in claim 1 wherein the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff encircles the entire circumference of a person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm.

8. The device in claim 1 wherein the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff encircles more than 50% and less than 100% of the circumference of a person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm.

9. The device in claim 1 wherein the upper distal-to-proximal extension has a distal portion which is first distance from a person'"'"'s elbow and a proximal portion which is a second distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, wherein the second distance is at least 2″

less than the first.

10. The device in claim 1 wherein the upper distal-to-proximal extension has a distal portion which is first distance from a person'"'"'s elbow and a proximal portion which is a second distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, wherein the second distance is at least 4″

less than the first.

11. The device in claim 1 wherein the distal portion of an upper distal-to-proximal extension is permanently connected to an arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff but the proximal portion of the upper distal-to-proximal extension is not permanently connected to the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff.

12. The device in claim 1 wherein the distal portion of an upper distal-to-proximal extension is connected to an arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff by a hinge or joint which allows the proximal end of the upper distal-to-proximal extension to pivot or rotate.

13. The device in claim 12 wherein the hinge or joint has a first unlocked configuration in which the proximal end of the upper distal-to-pivotal extension is free to pivot or rotate and a second locked configuration in which the proximal end of the upper distal-to-proximal extension is not free to pivot or rotate.

14. The device in claim 1 wherein the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff is configured to be worn a first average distance from the surface of a person'"'"'s arm and the upper distal-to-proximal extension is configured to be worn a second average distance from the surface of a person'"'"'s arm, and wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance.

15. The device in claim 1 wherein a gap or opening between an upper distal-to-proximal extension and an arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff has a height measured along a vector which extends radially outward from the center of the arm in the range of 1/32″

to ½

″

.

16. The device in claim 15 wherein the height is changed by an adjustable-height connecting mechanism which connects a distal portion of the upper distal-to-proximal extension to the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff.

17. The device in claim 1 wherein there is a gap or opening between an upper distal-to-proximal extension and an arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff which spans at least 1″

in a distal direction from the proximal end of the distal-to-proximal extension.

18. The device in claim 1 wherein the device further comprises at least one magnet on the upper distal-to-proximal extension, on the arm-worn band, strap, bracelet, bangle, armlet, sleeve, and/or cuff, or both.

19. A wearable computer display device for the forearm, wrist, and/or hand comprising:

(a) an arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff which is configured to encircle a person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm, wherein the sleeve and/or cuff has distal edge that is configured to be worn a first distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, wherein the sleeve and/or cuff has a proximal edge that is configured to be worn a second distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, and wherein the second distance is at least 2″

less than the first distance;

(b) an upper distal-to-proximal extension, wherein the distal portion of the upper distal-to-proximal extension is connected to the sleeve and/or cuff;

(c) at least one computer display which is connected to, or part of, the upper distal-to-proximal extension; and

(d) a gap or opening with a proximal-to-distal length of at least 1″

;

wherein this gap or opening is at least partially between the arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff and the proximal end of the upper distal-to-proximal extension and/or wherein this gap or opening is at least partially between the arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff and the at least one computer display; and

wherein a sleeve of a long-sleeve garment can be inserted into this gap or opening.

20. A wearable computer display device for the forearm, wrist, and/or hand comprising:

(a) a lower arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff which is configured to encircle a person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm, wherein the lower sleeve and/or cuff has distal edge that is configured to be worn a first distance from the person'"'"'s elbow and a proximal edge that is configured to be worn a second distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, wherein the second distance is at least 2″

less than the first distance, and wherein the lower arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff is configured to be worn a third average distance from the surface of a person'"'"'s arm;

(b) an upper arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff which is configured to encircle at least a portion of the circumference of a person'"'"'s wrist and/or forearm, wherein the upper sleeve and/or cuff has distal edge that is configured to be worn a fourth distance from the person'"'"'s elbow and a proximal edge that is configured to be worn a fifth distance from the person'"'"'s elbow, wherein the fourth distance is at least 2″

less than the fifth distance, wherein the lower arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff is configured to be worn a sixth average distance from the surface of a person'"'"'s arm, wherein the sixth average distance is greater than the fifth average distance, and wherein a distal portion of the upper arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff is connected to the lower arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff;

(c) at least one computer display which is connected to, or part of, the upper arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff; and

(d) a gap or opening with a proximal-to-distal length of at least 1″

;

wherein this gap or opening is at least partially between the lower arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff and the upper arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff and/or wherein this gap or opening is at least partially between the lower arm-worn sleeve and/or cuff and the computer display, and wherein a sleeve of a long-sleeve garment can be inserted into this gap or opening.