Oh, patents! Withings thermo design

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Withings’ connected thermometer was also awarded the US design patent, USD793255S1, titled Thermometer. The patent was granted to two French designers, Elise Berthier and Pierre Garnier, on August 1st, 2017. The patent was then assigned to Withings, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. 

As a reminder, a US design patent covers the ornamental aspects of an invention, or how the invention looks. By contrast a US utility patent covers how an invention works, or is manufactured (USPTO).

Below the patent Figure 1, shows a perspective view of the invention design. The surface shading represents contour, rather than any claimed ornamentation. Likewise, the broken lines depict unclaimed parts of the design. An image of the marketed Withings Thermo is also included.

References

Withings Thermometer

https://www.withings.com/us/en/thermo 

USPTO MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent.
https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Oh, patents! Withings’ Thermo

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Need a new thermometer? Withings’ connected Thermo takes 2000 measurements per second, using 16 infrared sensors, with clinically-tested accuracy.  Temperature is taken on the forehead, more precisely using the proprietary Hot Spot Sensor to measure peak temperature of core blood running through the temporal artery. 

Just sweep Thermo across the forehead temporal area. A color-coded core body temperature will be displayed in just two seconds on the handle, and on the Withings Thermo app. An app where additional information might be entered, such as reminders, symptoms and medications taken, once Thermo has been paired to a smartphone. Up to eight family members can use a connected Withings Thermo. 

The Withings connected core body temperature thermometer is a patented invention. The European patent EP3397930B1, titled Compact forehead thermometer, was awarded on January 27th, 2021 to several inventors:  Thomas Bedetti, Roger Yu,  Edouard Wauttier, Nadine Buard, Cédric Hutchings and Capucine Bodin. The patent was assigned to Withings SAS. 

Below, the patent Figure 1, showing the invention thermometer in use, together with an image of the marketed Withings connected Thermo and app. Specifically, the patent Figure 1 depicts an individual using the thermometer device 10. The user is applying the thermometer to the temporal area TA of the forehead FH. The position of the thermometer 10 defines a sensing region SR corresponding to the path of the temporal artery. The device is activated using the switch 8. Two seconds, and 4000 computed measurements later, the body core temperature BCT appears on the display 9, and on the app (not shown). 

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Body core temperature (BCT) is calculated, according to a formula that infers the maximum value of the captured measurements. The processor performs corrections taking into account room temperature and the temperature of the device 10. The formula also takes into account vascularization (the amount of blood diffusion) in the region sensed, using the measurements' standard deviation (SD). In cases of high vascularization, measurements capture many warm areas, thus resulting in a low SD. Conversely, in cases of low vascularization, the SD is high.

The Youtube video below is a Withings advertisement for Thermo the hottest thermometer with the coolest technology.

The abstract of the invention is also included below.

A thermometer device (10) for temporal artery area measurement, configured to be used in a skin-touching stationary position, comprising an elongated body (1) and a front portion (4) having an end border (6) arranged on a sensing plane (P), an array of N infra-red sensors (2), with N greater than 8, a sensing region (SR) extending in the sensing plane over an area denoted SRA, at a distance denoted LF from a plane P2 containing the infra-red sensors, the sensing region being encompassed within the border of the front end, an optical lens (3), interposed between the infra-red sensors and the sensing region, to deviate light rays, wherein LF2 < K x SRA, with K =3. [Abstract EP3397930B1]

Reference 

Withings Thermometer

https://www.withings.com/us/en/thermo

Oh, patents - Withings connected hairbrush

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Why an IoT* connected hairbrush?  Because hair has plenty to do with health. Indeed, this is precisely the reason why Withings, a French consumer electronics company specialized in health devices, has designed a connected hairbrush, in collaboration with Kérastase, a French company specialized in hair care products. 

Hair factors such as dryness, lackluster, brittleness, dry scalp, thinning, excess shedding, and premature graying are all indicators of health that may send you promptly to see a physician. Such factors, especially hair loss, are also tightly bound to self-image, confidence and mood (Dhami, 2021). As a result, thanks to a variety of advanced sensors, the award-winning** Withings connected hairbrush was designed to provide users a host of insights on hair quality, manageability and brushing technique. Personalized information on how to improve and optimize hair care that the user then receives on a Withings app. 

The Withings connected hairbrush invention is recited in a family of European (EP2945509B1), World (WO2014111646A1), French (FR3000877B1) and US patents. The US utility patent member, US10426397B2, titled Informative system using and instrumented and connected hairbrush, was granted on October 1st 2019. The patent was awarded to Cedric Hutchings and Eric Careel, and assigned to Withings, in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.

The patent discloses a hairstyling tool, equipped with a variety of sensors (movement, gyroscope, optical, tilt, force, electric field, humidity and temperature), a camera, LED lights, and a microphone, together able to collect data on styling gestures, vibration and friction data, magnified scalp and hair data. The hairstyling tool has further means to transmit the collected data via Bluetooth or Wifi, to a smartphone or directly to a server, where the raw, or pre-processed data collected is analyzed, relative to a database of hair/scalp data and the user’s own history. In turn, the hairbrush will provide analysis and feedback to the user via smartphone app.

Specifically, the patent Figure 1, included below, depicts a hairstyling tool 10, comprising a handle or “grip” 11, a body 12, bristles 17, and a transition region 13, between the handle 11, and the body 12. The handle 11 comprises a battery 8 for powering the electronic and electric components of the hairstyling tool 10. The body 12 comprises an electronic control unit 4. The electronic control unit comprises a controller for processing the input/output sensor data, the camera and microphone data. The electronic control unit also comprises a clock to time-stamp data, and a memory for recording raw or pre-processed data collected during hairstyling, prior to sending data to a smartphone or server.

The accelerator and force sensors enable to measure the speed and regularity of hairstyling gestures, as well as the rotation of the brush during gestures, the length of the curve followed from top to bottom of scalp, and the time taken to travel the curve. Thus, the hairbrush measures the variable resistances encountered during hairstyling gestures, assumed to indicate health and/or deficiencies of the hair. The patent Figure 1 further depicts the three dimensional axes X (longitudinal), Y (transverse) and Z (radial) used by the accelerometer and gyroscopes to respectively measure linear accelerations on each of the orthogonal planes, and rotational movement on and about the three orthogonal directions X, Y and Z.

Below, the abstract of the invention is also included, together with an above image of the elegant connected hairbrush and smartphone app. 

Hairstyling tool of the comb or hairbrush type, comprising a handle and a body, an electric battery a force sensor, an electronic unit configured to capture and format signals provided by the sensors, a wireless communication means for transmitting data to a remote entity, by means of which information about the movements executed by the tool and the forces it undergoes can be transmitted to the remote entity, the remote entity being able to send information back to the user of the tool about the hair being styled. (Abstract US10426397B2)

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* IoT = Internet of Things. (Marc Weiser in Goetzman, 2023)

** Upon release, the Withings connected hairbrush won the 2017 If Design Award, among many subsequent accolades.  

References
Dhami, L. (2021). Psychology of hair loss patients and importance of counseling. Indian Journal of Plastic  Surgery. Dec 31;54(4):411-415.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1741037. PMID: 34984078; PMCID: PMC8719979.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8719979/  
Goetzman, A. (Sept. 12, 2023). Mark Weiser and the Origins of the Internet of Things. Connector Supplier™.
If Design Award 2017 -  Withings smart hair brush. If Design.
https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/withings-smart-hairbrush/203749  
Kérastase (website)
https://www.kerastase-usa.com/  
Withings (website)
https://www.withings.com/us/en/

https://connectorsupplier.com/mark-weiser-and-the-origins-of-the-internet-of-things/

Oh, zzzz! World Sleep Day - Withings Sleep Tracking Mat

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

If you missed World Sleep Day, on March 14th, 2025, a celebration dedicated to bringing awareness of the importance of sleep, organized jointly by the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) and the World Sleep Federation (WSF), you might shoot for the World Sleep Congress. The biennial World Sleep Society meeting to be held in Singapore, on September 4-5, 2025, bringing together an international group of professionals and researchers, dedicated to the topic of sleep health.

In the interim, you might consider Withings Sleep Tracking Mat. A sleep monitoring device that you do not have to wear.

Measuring approximately 8x24x.19 inches, this powerful and ultra-thin mat slips horizontally at chest level under your mattress. The rectangular Withings Sleep Tracking Mat is USB wired. Once connected to an outlet, the mat synchs automatically to the free HealthMate Withings app (iOS or Android-compatible), equipped with proprietary learning algorithms designed by sleep professionals to analyze your sleep. Specifically, the Withings Sleep Tracking Mat measures: sleep cycles (light, deep, and rapid eye movement [REM]), heart rate, and breathing patterns, using a combination of pneumatic and microphone sensors, to give you real-time feedback on the quality of your sleep. The pneumatic (air-filled) sensors are designed to measure movement, heart rate, and breathing. The microphone sensors measure snoring and breathing sounds.

The app delivers a sleep quality score based on depth of sleep and interruptions. The app also delivers cardiovascular data, based on your average heart rate. Thus, the app also provides general feedback on such items as: how long it took for you to fall asleep, how long you sleep, how many times your sleep was interrupted, the regularity of your sleep patterns, and how much you snore. Data that might be aggregated per week and month, and exported to a professional sleep clinician to address suspected issues of sleep apnea (obstructions in breathing during sleep) or other concerns.

The Withings Sleep Tracking Mat is patent-pending in the United States*. Withings, a French company headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, has filed a US patent application US2022202360A1, titled Sleep Sensing and Monitoring Device, at the USPTO. The inventors on record are Nicolas Aimon, Thomas Bedetti, Paul Edouard, Pierre Bartet, Varoun Sanath Koumar Radja and Paul-Edouard Juan. The Assignee is Withings.

Below, the patent Figure 1, depicts a diagram perspective of the sensing device 9, according to the invention. Specifically, according to the patent specification, the sensing device 9, comprises a removable and washable strip of fabric 13, that encloses a pneumatic chamber 3, functioning as sensing means for detecting relevant parameters during a user’s sleep, and a housing 6 for the device’s electronic means 4. The sensing device 9 is stowable (folded or rolled). Once installed under the user’s mattress, the sensing device 9 is undetectable because its total thickness (TZ) measures 20 mm (10 to 20 mm when in use). The mat is rectangular, measuring approx. 200 mm in width (LY), and approx. 600 mm in length (LX). The pneumatic chamber 3 comprises interconnected chambers 30, forming comfortable inflated tubes. The device's electronic means 4 essentially comprise an electronic processor, adapted to communicate with a smartphone 5, as shown with the dotted arrow 45. The sensing device 9 is wired, using the connection cable 7. 

Below, an image of the sleep monitoring device with feedback screenshots (left to right) for:

1. Respiratory health, showing mild to normal for the previous night’s sleep.
2. A sleep quality score, showing awake, light, deep and REM sleep for a particular night.
3. Sleep heart rate for a period of three months, including both a graph showing distribution in the normal range, and a measure of average bpm (beats per minute).

The abstract of the invention is also included below. 

The disclosure is directed to a sensing device, configured to be installed in a bedding, for monitoring a user's sleep, the device comprising: a sensing part, for acquiring/determining a value representative of an a force or pressure and/or a value representative of a variation of a force or pressure, a housing comprising at least a pressure transducer and an electronic processing unit, a microphone connected to the electronic processing unit, wherein the electronic processing unit is configured to process first and second electrical signals delivered respectively by the microphone and the pressure converter, wherein the electronic processing unit is either configured to deduce locally at least a breathing disturbance therefrom or configured to send data representative of the first and second electrical signals to a remote device. [US2022202360A1]

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* The European patent, EP3763290A1, also titled Sleep Sensing and Monitoring, was granted on Dec. 7th, 2019.   

References

Withings - Sleep analyzer

https://www.withings.com/eu/en/sleep-analyzer#:~:text=Under%2Dmattress%20sleep%20tracker,n%20%7C%20WEP/WPA/WPA2 

World Sleep Day (website) 

https://worldsleepday.org/

World Sleep Society (website)

https://worldsleepsociety.org/ 

World Sleep Congress (Sept. 5-10, 2025)

https://worldsleepcongress.com/