On June 14, 2022, Apple announced a partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) wherein the Apple TV app would  be the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match beginning in 2023. It was a historic first for sports where soccer fans would be able to stream every single MLS match through the Apple TV app, without any local blackouts or restrictions.

Prior to making that announcement, Apple's engineers were hard at work patenting a "Method and Device for Visual Augmentation of Sporting Events."

In Apple's granted patent background they note that "People have become accustomed to supplemental information being displayed while watching a sporting event on television. For example, a yellow first-down line may be displayed over the field during broadcast of a football game. As another example, the score may be displayed in the lower right corner during broadcast of a basketball game. However, when physically present at a sporting event, a person watching the sporting event live does not receive the same experience."

This is what Apple's granted patent issued yesterday intends to remedy.  In particular, a person may desire to know the supplemental information without ceasing to watch the sporting event to look at a smartphone for stats. In this way, in various implementations, a device obtains and displays such supplemental information over a view of the sporting event.

In one implementation, Apple's engineers have devised a method of displaying sports data onto the display of a future HMD that includes an image sensor, a display, one or more processors, and non-transitory memory.

The method includes obtaining, using the image sensor, an image of a physical environment including a sporting event. The method includes detecting, in the image of the physical environment, an object.

The method includes obtaining data regarding a current state of the sporting event with respect to the object. The method includes displaying, on the display in association with the physical environment, a representation of the data.

Apple notes that the system could be associated with future smartglasses, smart contact lenses and more.

Apple's patent FIG. 3 below is a block diagram of an example electronic device like smartglasses. In some implementations, the XR presentation module #340 is configured to present XR content to the user via the one or more XR displays #312. To that end, in various implementations, the XR presentation module includes a data obtaining unit #342, a sports data unit #344, an XR presenting unit #346, and a data transmitting unit #348.

Apple's patent FIGS. 4A-4C above illustrate an XR environment based on a physical environment including a soccer game.

It's very clear that Apple wants to advance their Major League sport experience for users in the future with next-generation vision-wear devices.   

To review the full details of this invention, check out patent application 12094206.