Apple has been working on a next-gen blood pressure measurement system since at least 2017 and we've covered several patents on this possible future health device that differs from an Apple Watch (01, 02 and 03). Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published yet another patent application relating to this future device that may also provide Apple Watch Functionality in some embodiments.

Elevated blood pressure (a.k.a. hypertension) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. As a result, blood pressure measurement is a routine task in many medical examinations. Timely detection of hypertension can help inhibit related cardiovascular damage via accomplishment of effective efforts in treating and/or controlling hypertension.

Blood pressure is a continuously changing vital parameter. As a result, sporadic office blood pressure measurements may be insufficient to detect some forms of hypertension.

Apple's patent covers ambulatory blood pressure measurement cuff and related methods that employ a support band that is reconfigured via a control unit between a flexible standby configuration for between blood pressure measurements and a measurement configuration for constraining an inflatable bladder during a blood pressure measurement.

In some embodiments, the support band includes one or more reinforcement sheets embedded within a flexible band. One or more electrodes are formed on the one or more reinforcement sheets. In the flexible standby configuration, the electrodes are not energized and the one or reinforcement sheets are free to move so as to accommodate changes in circumference of the flexible band to limit the pressure applied by the blood pressure cuff to a user's limb to a comfortable level during movement and/or flexing of the user's limb.

In the measurement configuration, the electrodes are energized so as to electrostatically bind the electrodes together, thereby constraining the reinforcement sheets to inhibit changes in the circumference of the flexible band to provide suitable support to the inflatable bladder during an inflation of the inflatable bladder during a blood pressure measurement.

Following completion of the blood pressure measurement, the electrodes are de-energized, thereby returning the support band back to the flexible standby configuration. In some embodiments, an inflatable support band is employed that is inflated to reconfigure the inflatable support band from a flexible standby configuration for between blood pressure measurements and a measurement configuration for constraining an inflatable bladder during a blood pressure measurement.

Accordingly, an ambulatory blood pressure measurement cuff as described in Apple's patent filing can provide increased user comfort between blood pressure measurements and be automatically reconfigured, via a control unit, to a measurement configuration for use during a blood pressure measurement, and then automatically reconfigured back to the flexible standby configuration following the blood pressure measurement.

The ambulatory blood pressure measurement cuffs, devices, and approaches described in the filing can be configured for use on any suitable limb of a user including, but not limited to, a user's wrist, a user's thigh, a user's leg, a user's arm, and a user's upper arm.

Apple's patent FIG. 1A below shows an embodiment of an ambulatory blood pressure measurement device configured to be worn on a wrist of a user; FIG. 1B shows another embodiment of the ambulatory blood pressure measurement device of FIG. 1A configured to be worn on a wrist of a user; FIG. 1D shows an embodiment of the ambulatory blood pressure measurement device of FIG. 1A configured to be worn on an upper arm of a user.

Apple's patent FIG. 5 below is a cross-sectional view of an ambulatory blood pressure cuff that includes a reinforcement sheet with surface electrodes that are energized to reconfigure the reinforcement sheet into a continuous reinforcement band to reconfigure the blood pressure cuff from a flexible standby configuration to a measurement configuration;
FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the blood pressure cuff of FIG. 5 that includes isolated circumferentially extending end portions.

Apple's patent FIG. 12 below shows an ambulatory blood pressure cuff that includes two-dimensional patterns of reinforcement sheet segments with surface electrodes that are energized to bind the reinforcement sheet segments together to form a continuous reinforcement band to reconfigure the blood pressure cuff from a flexible standby configuration to a measurement configuration.

Apple's patent FIG. 16 above shows an inflatable side chamber and associated electrostatic inflation vents and electrostatic deflation vents for an embodiment of the blood pressure cuff.

Lastly, Apple reveals that in some embodiments, the wrist-worn ambulatory blood pressure measurement device can be configured with watch and/or smart-watch functionality.

Apple Inventors

Erno Klaassen: Director, Health Technologies

Derek Young: Electrical Engineer, Health Technology

Joe Schmitt: Health Technology

Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.