As we all know by now, Apple Vision Pro is protected by more than 5,000 patents. To cover each in depth would simply be impossible without a team of 20 or more. And so, Patently Apple tries each week to zero in on a few of the patents and cover them in-depth. For the rest, we try to at least provide developers, engineers and enthusiasts with a list of patents that you could explore at your leisure. Today's report covers 12 patents published this week by the U.S. Patent Office and WIPO in Europe.

HMD Patents This Week

Support For Head-mountable Device

Apple's patent covers Vision Pro that distributes forces along the user's head. A head-mountable device can include head securement element with a support element to engage the head of the user. The support element can be coupled to the frame or light seal module of the head-mountable device. The support element can be attachable or deployable from the head-mountable device. A head-mountable device can also distribute forces with a support portion extending from a band.

In Apple's patent FIG. 26 below, the cap element #700 may be collapsible. In some applications, the cap element can be collapsed when not in use, allowing for storage or transportation. The cap element  can have a cell-like construction, allowing cells #702 to collapse by folding the structure of the cap element. As can be appreciated, while the cap element can collapse in a circumferential direction, the cap element may remain rigid in a radial direction. For more, review Apple's granted patent 11906748

Display Backing

Display backing components for head-mounted devices (HMDs) are described that reduce eddy currents in magnetic fields generated by a coil. A HMD may include a coil that is used to generate a magnetic field that may be used to track position of other devices with respect to the HMD. Display backing components, used to provide rigidity, are modified with holes or other gaps to interrupt the path of the eddy currents and reduce the interference with the magnetic field, thus improving the power efficiency of the coil and of the HMD. These modifications may be formed by casting, drilling, cutting or otherwise perforating the display backing during manufacture.

Apple's patent FIG. 1A below illustrates an example head-mounted device (HMD) that includes a coil for generating a magnetic field and a display backing component. For more, review granted patent 11906745.

Three-Tier Display System for Future Smartglasses

Apple's patent relates to future smartglasses and, more specifically, to methods and techniques for managing smartglasses having additive displays for use in computer-generated reality environments.

Patently Apple originally covered this patent in November 2021. This week a continuation patent was published wherein Apple added 20 new patent claims that you could review at the end this granted patent.

Cameras for Multiple View

Apple's patent covers a head-mountable device (Vision Pro current or future version) can have multiple cameras, which may be used to generate graphical content, provide a video passthrough of the environment, and/or sense objects, people, or events in the environment. The cameras of the head-mountable device can capture views that are output to a display. Other sensors and/or detectors can detect the presence or motion of objects and/or events in an environment of the user and provide outputs that call the user's attention to such objects and/or events. The outputs can include notifications, selectable features of a visual display output, and/or a view that includes the objects and/or events. The cameras can be integrated in a way that provides a low profile, such as by incorporation with other features of the head-mountable device. For more review patent application 20240064420.

The remaining HMD related patents published this Week

• 01: Comfortable Facial Interface
• 02: Face Engaging Structure
• 03: Optical Assemblies for Shared Experience
• 04: Devices, Methods, And Graphical User Interfaces For Improving Accessibility Of Interactions With Three-Dimensional Environments
• 05: Haptic Output System
• 06: Head-Mounted Device With Optical Module Illumination Systems
• 07: Techniques For Participation In A Shared Setting, and lastly 
• 08, that was published in Europe this week titled "Devices, Methods, and Graphical User Interfaces for Improving Accessibility of Interactions with Three-Dimensional Environments."