Patents on the soles of your shoes...

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Oh, patents! The Ōura ring potting compound (2)

What’s a potting compound got to do with electronics, specifically the Ōura ring wearable computing device (WCD)? According to the US utility patent US11850069B, titled Wearable device and methods of manufacturing, the Ōura ring potting compound is preferably made of epoxy resin that is overmolded over the Ōura ring flexible circuit board and its electronic components. Thus, the Ōura ring potting compound encapsulates the miniaturized electronic components, preventing them from moving or being damaged by the environment. The potting compound also makes the smart ring impervious to water, which means you can wash dishes or swim without removing your ring. Fiinally, the potting compound forms a transparent window through which the tiny LED, red, green and infrared lights of the optical sensor can be concentrated and emitted, through finger skin into blood vessels, and re-captured by tiny photodiodes (PDs), to measure blood oxygen levels and variations in heart rate. Indeed, the Ōura ring potting compound and its particular embodiments, inside the exterior Ōura ring shell, is a patented invention.*

The included patent Figure 2 depicts an exploded view of an Ōura ring embodiment 200. Specifically, the patent Figure 2 depicts, the exterior ring shell 202, with alignment frames 204 and 206, made of a nickel, iron or cobalt alloy, attracted to the magnets of a charging base (undepicted on this figure drawing). The Figure 2 further depicts the electronic assembly 210, including a flexible circuit board 208, an antenna 222, a pressure sensor 216, a temperature sensor 214, and a near field communication (NFC) interface for connecting the ring via Bluetooth, wifi, Zigbee, ultra-wideband (UWB) or other wireless transmission. The Figure 2 also depicts the power source 220, and material 218 wedged between the power source 220 and the electronic assembly 210. Finally, the Figure 2 depicts the overmolded material 224 (the potting compound), encapsulating all the electronics and the power supply, within the exterior shell 202.

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*Note: The US utility patent US11850069B, titled Wearable device and methods of manufacturing, was awarded on December 26, 2023, to Denis Mars (US), Simon Ratner (US), and Curt C. von Badinski (US), one of the original Motiv Inc. , co-founders and smart ring inventors. In fact, the Motiv Inc., smart ring was the first comfortably and conveniently wearable computing device (WCD), which Ōuraring Inc., has continuously worked on improving, since Motiv Inc., was acquired via Proxy Inc.

References
Hughes, L. (Oct. 3, 2024). Inside the Ōura ring. Ōura Blog.
https://ouraring.com/blog/inside-the-ring-oura-ring-4/
Ōura Smart Ring (website)
https://ouraring.com/US11850069B

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Oh, patents! The Ōura smart ring (1)

Françoise © Herrmann

The Ōura smart ring captures body messages and translates them into actionable information. For example, the Ōura smart ring records your heart rate, blood oxygen level, temperature, the number of steps you take, the number of calories you burn, and how you sleep, plus lots more. Indeed, the Ōura smart ring not only tracks and monitors body messages, it also synthesizes and summarizes them into meaningful daily, weekly, or monthly information, giving you feedback that allows you to make improvements to your health and fitness, in consultation with your healthcare providers. The heart rate data collected has even been evaluated with 99% accuracy, compared to heart rate measured via electrocardiogram (Ōura Science & Research).

The Ōura smart ring is a patented invention. For example, the following US design patent, USD79764S, titled Wearable computing device, was awarded on July 11th, 2017 to Curt C. vo Badinski (US) and Michael J. Strasser (US). The patent was assigned to Motiv Inc., in San Francisco, CA, a competitor that was eventually acquired by Ōuraring Inc., in 2023.*

Below, an image of the patent Figure 1, showing a perspective view of the wearable computing device. An image of one of the latest, generation 5, Ōura ring embodiments of the patented design is also included below. A short YouTube marketing video of the Ōura smart rings 5 is also included beneath.

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Note*: Motiv Inc., including its patent portfolio, was first acquired by Proxy, Inc., in 2020. Then Ōuraring Inc., acquired Proxy Inc., in 2023.

Reference

Ōura Science and Research

https://ouraring.com/science-and-research

Ōura Smart Ring (website)

https://ouraring.com/

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

European Inventor Awards - The 2026 trophy. (5)

Each year, the European Inventor Award winners receive a trophy in the shape of a sail. Pun intended in English, although when the power of the wind was first harnessed for sailing, circa 5000 BC, on Egypt’s River Nile, the invention is certainly assumed to have promoted new trade routes. In any event, the sail design holds up well across cultures as a symbol of adventure or discovery, and by extension, innovation.

The stunning sail trophy was designed by the German industrial Product Designer, Prof. Miriam Irle. Most importantly, the sail trophy was also designed with the insight that it would be fabricated each year in a material significant to the location of the awards ceremony. Thus, for example, when the European Inventor Awards ceremony was held in Venice, Italy, the trophies were made of Murano glass. Likewise, when the European Inventor Awards were held in Lisbon, Portugal, the sail trophies were made of azulejo porcelain. Whereas, when the ceremony was held in France, the sail trophies were fabricated using computer-aided parametric modeling for 3D stereolithographic printing. As a result, each of the 2018 sail trophies featured different and intricate latticework. Six lattice designs, for the six award categories, each evoking the landmark Eiffel Tower's revolutionary, open-lattice ironwork, created using 18,000 pre-cut iron pieces, and built from 1887 to 1889.

The year 2026 was no exception in Berlin, Germany. However, the fabricator’s name and the materials used for the trophies were both withheld at the EPO website.* An image of the 2026 Inventor Awards Trophy, which appears to be crafted of metal, is inset above.

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*Note: According to Pr. Miriam Irle (personal communication), the early agreed-upon trophy designer was the well-known Berlin jewelry maker Luise Zücker. A selection which could not be confirmed at the time of the Ceremony.

References
European Inventor Award
https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/european-inventor-award
Miriam Irle
https://www.miriam-irle.com/

Monday, July 6, 2026

European Inventor Awards - The 2026 winners! (4)

On July 2nd, 2026, the winning European Inventors were announced during a ceremony held in Berlin, Germany. The winners in the four categories of Industry, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Research, and Non-EPO Countries, plus the Popular Prize, and a Lifetime Achievement Award were the following:

• Industry: Angeliki Triantafyllou (Greece/Sweden)
• SMEs: Franck Zal (France)
• Research: Sir Adrian V.S. Hill (Ireland, United Kingdom)
• Non-EPO Countries: Yu Haijun and Xie Yinghao (China)
• Lifetime Achievement: Rainer Marquardt (Germany)
• Popular Prize: Yu Haijun and Xie Yinghao (China)

In 2027, the European Patent Office (EPO) will be honoring Young Inventors < 30 years old. The ceremony will take place in Vienna (Austria), at a date yet to be announced. The nomination period is now open, until September 30th, 2026. Please click here to access the EPO nomination platform.

If you missed the Awards Ceremony on July 2nd, 2026, a link to the YouTube video recording of the event is included below the group picture. The ceremony lasts about 80 minutes.

Link to July 2, 2026 European Inventor Awards Ceremony held in Berlin, Germany

References

European Patent Office
www.epo.org

Sunday, June 28, 2026

Oh, patents! HOKA (4) - Midsole design.

Like the brand name HOKA, the 2017 Arahi running shoes also have a Maori name. Arahi in the Maori language of New Zealand means “to lead” or “to guide”, consonant with “pathfinder”. Additionally, the 2017 HOKA One One* Arahi midsole is a patented design.

The US design patent USD790174, titled Footwear midsole was awarded on June 27, 2017, to Kyle Pulli (US), and assigned to Deckers Outdoor Corporation in California. As a reminder, a US design patent covers the ornamental properties of an invention, or what the object looks like. In contrast, a US utility patent covers the functional properties of the design, or how an invention works and/or is manufactured (USPTO – MPEP).

The below patent Figure 1 depicts a front perspective view of the patented design, together with an image of a marketed 2017 HOKA One One Arahi women’s running shoe. The broken lines on the drawing indicate those parts of the design that are excluded from patent protection.

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*Note - Originally, the brand name HOKA, meaning "to fly" in Maori, was called HOKA One One - "to fly over the earth", pronounced "Oh-nay, Oh-nay", a term which means "earth" in Maori. Thus, some of the early models are prefixed with the original brand name HOKA One One.

References

Deckers (website)

https://www.deckers.com/

HOKA (website)

https://www.hoka.com/en/us/

USPTO MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent.

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Friday, June 26, 2026

Oh, patents! HOKA (3) - Midsole design.

The HOKA Speedgoat 6 trail-running shoe also features a patented midsole. The US design patent, USD992249, titled Footwear midsole, was awarded on July 18, 2023, to three inventors: Matthew James Head (US), Tom Matic (GB) and Tom Weightman(GB). The patent is assigned to Deckers Outdoor Corporation, in California.

Below the patent Figure 3 depicts a side elevation view of the patented design. Broken lines at the junction of the midsole and upper indicate the portions of the design that are unclaimed in the patent. As a reminder, a US design patent covers the ornamental properties of an invention, or what the object looks like. In contrast, a US utility patent covers the functional aspects of an invention, or how an invention works and/or is manufactured (USPTO – MPEP).

The image of a HOKA Speedgoat 6 GTX sports shoe is also included below, showing a marketed embodiment of the patented midsole design.

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Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fastest goat?

Reference
HOKA (website)
https://www.hoka.com/en/us/

USPTO MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent.

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Oh, patents! HOKA (2) - Midsole design.

Midsoles are at the heart of HOKA footwear innovation. Embedded with varying support structures, HOKA midsoles provide foam cushioning and variable curves, carefully calculated to harness more or less propulsion, depending on the user’s purposes (e.g., running, jogging or walking).

The US design patent, USD790175S, titled Footwear midsole, was awarded on June 27th, 2017, to Kyle Pulli, and assigned to Deckers Outdoor Corporation, the company that acquired HOKA in 2013. As a reminder, a US design patent covers the ornamental properties of an invention, or what the invention looks like. In contrast, a US utility patent covers the functional properties of an invention, or how an invention works and/or is manufactured (USPTO – MPEP).

The patent Figure 1 below depicts a front perspective view of the midsole design. The broken lines on the drawing indicate those parts of the design that are excluded from patent protection. The image of a 2017 HOKA One One* Gaviota women’s shoe, depicting a marketed embodiment of the patented midsole design, is also included below.

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References

Deckers (website)

https://deckers.com/

HOKA (website)
https://www.hoka.com/en/us/
USPTO MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent.
https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html