Copyright
© Françoise Herrmann
Apple’s “iTime”
patent made headlines on July 22, 2014, with a couple of surprises. The first
is that this is an application that was filed already way back in 2012 as US 20120194976 A1, under the same title as the Patent awarded to Apple
(but before it was assigned to Apple
Inc.) so one wonders why there is so much delayed hype concerning the disclosures.
And, the second surprise is that, oddly, there is very little comment on the
watch’s primary function, which is to give you the time! Indeed, it seems that all
the excitement generated by the watches’ connectivity, and additional circuitry
board afforded by the strap, serves to completely obscure the watches’ usual
and primary function, which would be keeping time!. So, perhaps that this patent would be better
described as the Apple iStrap patent, which converts a time keeping device into
a connected and connectable device.
Well… maybe
that’s just the point! No one wants just the time anymore! And if you did, you
could get it the old fashioned way, without Apple’s assistance!
Maybe this is also the reason why you cannot find this patent anywhere
when you search for “watch”! Watch is
already an outdated “keyword”, a descriptor that no longer corresponds to, or
adequately describes, such a multi-functional device as the one disclosed. Apple’s
patent, US8787006, is titled: Wrist-worn
electronic device and methods therefor. And because the drawings
indicate “iTime” on the display, even the term “iWatch” was ditched for this
wrist-worn electronic device.
There are two embodiments of the
invention. In the first embodiment, the “iTime” central piece is built into the
wristband, which serves as a circuitry board to augment its functionality and wireless
connectivity to other devices. In the
second embodiment, the “iTime” central piece can be removed (like a mini iPod) from
the wristband serving to augment its functionality, and used as an independent
wireless device. So, one way or another, the time piece includes wireless
circuitry to enable the multiplication of functions and the device’s wireless
connectivity.
This means, for example, that the
electronic wrist device can be used as a portable media storage device [0021]. The electronic wrist device can
also contain an antenna for GPS functions [0026], and it can be designed as a haptic device with touchscreen functions [0027-27]. The electronic wrist device could also be designed
as an I/O device for an Iphone so that it could alert users with incoming call
messages [0037]. Similarly the electronic
wrist device could also display incoming messages from social media [0038].
And of course no electronic
device comes without time related functions, and the iTime, in this respect, is
no exception…as it discloses all the possibilities of calendar functions and
personal assistance, or stock alerts and weather notifications [0041]. The electronic wrist device also discloses the
possibility of gesture-driven commands using sensors to control the wrist
device [0055], for example
declining an incoming call with a horizontal wrist movement or accepting it with
a vertical wrist movement; or declining and accepting calls with various wrist
shakes, a single shake for accepting, two shakes for declining. Plus many more such functions, part mobile device,
part computer, that could be designed, or added which would all fall within the
scope of the electronic wrist device, integrated as a single piece of wearable
hardware, or as two interconnected pieces of wearable hardware .
Indeed, there is plenty to be excited about with this
multi-function wearable wrist device that morphs in and out of traditional watch
functions. And it looks like the future may hold yet another amazing Apple product,
and competition in the emerging wearable computer market! Wouldn’t you like to wear iTime?
The abstract
for US8787006/ US 20120194976 A1 titled Wrist-worn electronic device and methods
therefor is included below as well as one of the figure drawings. And we shall
see what the actual product looks like, when (and if) it is in the Apple
production line agenda. For my part I wouldn’t mind some details about the time-keeping
function, and how accurate to the billionth of a second it might be, using a
satellite that defies the curvature of space. You know… something really special
about measuring time… since after all this is supposed to be worn as a “watch”,
even if it is so much more.
Embodiments of electronic
wristwatches are disclosed. According to one embodiment, an electronic
wristband can provide additional electrical circuitry or devices that can be
made available for use as or with an electronic device. In one embodiment, the
electronic device can be a mobile electronic device that can be removably
coupled to the electronic wristband which provides the additional circuitry or
devices. Advantageously, the electronic device can utilize the additional electrical
circuitry or devices provided within the electronic wristband to augment the
capabilities of the electronic device. In another embodiment, the electronic
device can be integrally formed with the electronic wristband which provides
the additional circuitry or devices. Abstract US8787006/
US 20120194976 A1
References
Goldman, D. (2014) Is this Apple’s
new iWatch ? CNNMoney, July 22, 2014
Etherington, D. (2014) Apple gets and extensive iWatch patent.
TechCrunch.com, July 22, 2014.
