Last Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially granted Apple two patents that relate to Apple Vision Pro or a future version thereof in respect to light seal elements having convertible configurations with folding and or extending side arms and more.

Head-mountable Device With Convertible Light Seal Element

Apple's granted patent covers a head-mountable device with various configurations that can alternately be achieved to provide different user experiences and/or to manage conditions for the user during use.

For example, a user can be provided with either an immersive experience that focuses on the visual content output by the head-mountable device or a partially open experience that includes a view of an external environment. Such a view can be provided without requiring removal of the head-mountable device.

The various configurations that can further be used to enhance both usage and storage of the device. For example, in use the display elements of a head-mountable device can be desirably positioned with respect to the user's eyes while engaging the head and/or face of the user. At other times, it can be desirable to store the head-mountable device in a more compact form to reduce space occupancy and/or to engage with other devices, such as a charging station.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a head-mountable device that provides convertible components that selectively engage the face of the user to exclude light from an external environment or open to provide a direct view to the external environment. A head-mountable device can include a light seal element that includes peripheral portions that transition between extended and collapsed configurations while the head-mountable device is worn by a user. Such peripheral portions can also transition between configurations to facilitate compact storage of the head-mountable device.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates a top view of a head-mountable device with a light seal in an extended configuration and arms in a deployed configuration; FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a user wearing a head-mountable device with a light seal element in an extended configuration; FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of a user wearing a head-mountable device with a light seal element in a collapsed configuration.

Apple's patent FIG. 6 above illustrates a flow chart for a process having operations performed by a head-mountable device; FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a head-mountable device with a light seal element in a collapsed configuration and arms in a stowed configuration.

Apple's patent FIG. 7 is clearly illustrating a lighter form of HMD that would appear to be a hybrid between a full blown HMD and smartglasses that could easily have arms that fold for easier portability. Whether this is a possible future configuration or one that Apple rejected is unknown at this time. Yet whether it is or not, Apple now has this form of headset as a patented concept.

For more details, review Apple's granted patent 11733526.

HMD having Light Seal Element with Adjustable Opacity

Another HMD patent with a different twist than the one above, includes an extendable arm system as presented below.  For more details, review Apple's granted patent 11733530.