Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Apple relating to their future Mixed Reality Headset that may initially or eventually offer users slip-on finger sensor accessory devices that provides accurate hand feedback allowing users to work with content seen on the display of a headset using three-dimensional air gestures and more and/or work on a virtual workspace projected in front of them, as noted in our cover graphic that represents patent FIG. 28.

In the big picture, Apple's invention covers a finger-mounted device that may include finger-mounted units coupled to control circuitry. The control circuitry may wirelessly transmit information gathered with the finger mounted units to an external device to control the external device.

The control circuitry may also use the finger-mounted units to provide a user's fingers with feedback such as haptic feedback. The slip-on finger sensor devices that will provide accurate hand feedback allowing users to work with content seen on the display of a headset using three-dimensional air gestures and more.

 Apple's patent FIG. 1 below is a schematic diagram of an illustrative device such as a finger-mounted device; FIG. 2 is top view of a user's hand and illustrative finger-mounted device components on fingertips of the user's hand; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an illustrative finger-mounted device; FIGS. 14 and 15 are views showing illustrative mounting arrangements for finger-mounted devices.

Apple's patent FIG. 26 below is a side view of an illustrative finger-mounted device being worn on a finger at a location other than the tip of the finger; FIG. 27 is a side view of an illustrative finger-mounted device with optical sensors for gathering touch input from the upper surface of a user's finger; and FIG. 28 is a diagram showing how markers may be used in calibrating a system in which a finger-mounted device is used.

Apple's patent FIG. 29 below is a diagram showing how visual elements can be manipulated by a user who is wearing a finger-mounted device; FIG. 30 is a diagram in which a user is selecting an item in a list using a finger-mounted device; and FIG. 31 is a perspective view of an illustrative finger-mounted device with visual markers. 

Apple's patent FIG. 3 below is an alternative ring style device design. Apple notes that FIG. 3 may, as an example, be formed from a soft elastomeric material, fabric, or other flexible material that allows the user to feel surfaces through the ring (unit #22). If desired, sensors, haptic devices, and or other components may be mounted under the pad of finger #32 in locations such as location #36.

Apple has listed 19 Technical Points about this invention as follows:

• A finger-mounted electronic device, comprising: a body having first and second side body portions coupled by an upper body portion; a force sensor in the first side body portion, wherein the force sensor comprises multiple components each of which produces a separate respective force sensor measurement based on different amounts of finger compression along the first side body portion; a haptic output device coupled to the body; and control circuitry configured to: gather finger input using the force sensor; provide haptic output using the haptic output device in response to the finger input; and send control signals to an external electronic device based on the finger input.
• The finger-mounted electronic device further comprising an accelerometer coupled to the body, wherein the control circuitry is configured to gather finger tap input with the accelerometer, and wherein the control circuitry includes wireless communications circuitry configured to wirelessly transmit the finger tap input to the external electronic device.
• The finger-mounted electronic device further comprising: an optical sensor coupled to the body; and a light-emitting diode coupled to the body.
• The finger-mounted electronic device further comprising a biasing structure coupled between the first and second side body portions that is configured to pull the first and second side body portions together.
• The finger-mounted electronic device body comprises magnetic portions that couple the first and second side body portions together.
• The finger-mounted electronic device further comprising visual markers with which the external electronic device tracks a location of the finger-mounted device.
• The finger-mounted electronic device includes visual markers that comprise passive visual markers.
• The visual markers comprise infrared light-emitting diodes.
• The finger mounted electronic device force sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a piezoelectric force sensor, a capacitive force sensor, and a strain gauge.
• The haptic output device comprises a piezoelectric haptic output device.
• The haptic output comprises haptic output selected from the group consisting of: virtual reality haptic output and augmented reality haptic output.
• A finger-mounted electronic device, comprising: a body having first and second side body portions coupled by an upper body portion; visual markers on the body with which an external electronic device tracks a location of the finger-mounted electronic device; a force sensor; a haptic output device; an accelerometer; and control circuitry configured to: gather finger input with the force sensor and the accelerometer; and provide haptic output with the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output is based on the finger input and the tracked location of the finger-mounted electronic device.
• The finger-mounted electronic devices comprise passive visual markers.
• The finger-mounted electronic device comprises multiple components each of which produces a separate respective force sensor measurement based on different amounts of finger compression along first side body portion.
• The control circuitry comprises wireless communications circuitry with which the control circuitry wirelessly transmits control signals to the external electronic device based on the finger input.
• A finger-mounted device comprises a U-shaped housing having first and second side housing portions coupled by an upper housing portion; a force sensor in the first side housing portion that is configured to measure finger compression; infrared light-emitting diodes on the U-shaped housing with which an external electronic device tracks a location of the finger-mounted electronic device; and control circuitry configured to gather finger input with the force sensor and to send control signals to the external electronic device based on the finger input.
• The force sensors comprise multiple components each of which produces a separate respective force sensor measurement based on different amounts of finger compression along first side housing portion.
• The force sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a piezoelectric force sensor, a capacitive force sensor, and a strain gauge.
• The haptic output device, wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide haptic output using the haptic output device, and wherein the haptic output is based on the finger input and the tracked location of the finger-mounted electronic device.

For more details, review Apple's patent application number US 20220382376 A1.