Today the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 51 newly granted utility patents for Apple Inc. In this particular report we briefly cover patents relating to finger devices that could be used with virtual keyboards plus another patent for AssistiveTouch for Apple Watch and other bands that could also add ECG electrodes and more in the future. Our report also covers an Apple Watch Ultra design patent. And, as always, we wrap up this week's granted patent report with our traditional listing of the remaining granted patents that were issued to Apple this week.

Systems For Modifying Finger Sensations During Finger Press Input Events

Apple's granted patent 12056346 notes that The surfaces of touch sensitive displays are generally rigid. As a result, a user's finger motion will be abruptly halted upon contact with a display surface. If care is not taken, finger impact events, such as when using a virtual keyboard on a future dual display notebook and/or tablet may be jarring and fatiguing.

The electronic device may also have an array of components that repel the finger-mounted device and/or the finger in response to detection of the motion of the finger towards the input surface. These components may produce repulsive force using electrostatics, magnetic repulsion or attraction, ultrasonic output, and mechanical output.

The components may, as an example, include an array of electromagnetics overlapping the input surface that magnetically repel a component such as a permanent magnet in the finger-mounted device.

Apple's patent FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 below are diagrams showing how a finger may contact an input surface such as a touch sensitive input surface in an electronic device in a system; FIGS. 9, 10, and 11 are diagrams of illustrative examples of finger-mounted device styles or forms for a system.

Apple's patent FIG. 13 above is a side view of yet another illustrative finger-mounted device style. 

As shown in FIG. 14 above, device #26B may have an array of force-modifying components such as components #52B and device #26A may have one or more force-modifying components such as component #52A. Control circuitry #40A may control the operation of component #52A and control circuitry #40B may control the operation of components #52B (e.g., using control signal paths #54). In some arrangements, the operation of control circuitry #40A and the operation of control circuitry #40B may be coordinated (e.g., using wired or wireless communications).

For full details, review Apple's granted patent 12056346.

Electrodes For Gesture Recognition

In 2020 Patently Apple covered two patents relating to Apple Watch's AssistiveTouch (01 and 02). Today, Apple was granted a new patent #12056285 for this feature covering electrodes that can be formed in a flexible band of a wrist-worn device to detect hand gestures are disclosed.

Multiple rows of electrodes can be configured to detect electromyography (EMG) signals produced by activity of muscles and tendons. The band can include removable electrical connections (e.g., pogo pins) to enable the electrode signals to be routed to processing circuitry in the housing of the wrist-worn device.

Measurements between signals from the active electrodes and one or more reference electrodes can be obtained to capture EMG signals at a number of locations on the band. The measurement method and mode of operation (lower power coarse detection or higher power fine detection) can determine the location and number of electrodes to be measured. These EMG signals can be processed to identify hand movements and recognize gestures associated with those hand movements.

Apple's patent FIG. 1 below illustrates various hand movements that can be performed as part of a hand gesture;  FIG. 2 illustrates various muscles and tendons that can be activated to perform the various hand movements of FIG. 1.

Apple's patent FIGS. 3A-3D above illustrate example devices in which electrodes can be formed in a flexible band to detect hand movements and gestures.

Apple Watch Ultra – Action Button Design Patent

This Week's Remaining Granted Patents