Today the U.S. Patent Office published six HMD related patent application from Apple's that relate to flexible speaker, Light Output, GUI'S for Interacting with 3D Environments and more.

Flexible Speakers

One focus of Apple's invention centers in on an Apple XR headset including smartglasses. The flexible speaker would be integrated into the display of the HMD. The speaker includes a housing defining a cavity and a diaphragm covering the cavity and configured to vibrate under application of a magnetic field. The vibration produces sound waves. The head support and the housing of the speaker are configured to deform under bending stress. The speaker is configured produce the sound waves both in an undeformed state and in a deformed state.

Apple's patent FIG. 2 below is a schematic sectional view through a speaker (#200); FIG. 4A is a schematic sectional view of a speaker in an undeformed state; FIG. 4B is a schematic sectional view through the speaker of FIG. 4A with the speaker in a deformed state.

Apple never likes to narrow the application of an invention and in this case they extend their invention possibly applying to Apple Watch, clothing, a backpack, laptops and "small phones" (Hmm, how small?). 

Apple's patent US20240414462 lists Paul Wang, Senior Manager, Product Design as the lead inventor.

Light Output

Apple's invention relates to a wearable electronic device that can include optical assemblies for providing visual output to a user. The optical assemblies can include a central display as well as a light track that surrounds at least a portion of the central display. Primary information and images can be provided at the central display to be received at a center region of a user's vision. Supplemental content and/or information can be provided by operation of the light track, which can be operated with relatively simple controls. The supplemental content and/or information can be received at a peripheral region of the user's vision. Accordingly. the inner and outer images produced by the separate mechanisms of the optical assembly can provide a single continuous image for observation by the user.

In Apple's patent FIG. 2 below, each optical assembly #200 can include a display #250 and a light track #270 that can extend about a periphery of the display such that the display occupies a central region of the optical assembly. The light track can have a number of light emitters #272 that are individually operable to output light with a controllable color, intensity, and/or activity.

In some embodiments, the light emitters can extend to and/or be positioned on a curtain #116 that is coupled to one or both of the optical assemblies. For example, the light emitters can be positioned on the curtain to maintain a position near the displays without being movably mounted to the optical assemblies.

For full details, review Apple's patent application 20240412669

Four Other HMD Patents Published Today 

• 20240411361 Head Mountable Display (994 Pages)
• 20240411421 GUI'S for Interacting with 3D Environments
• 20240411422 Object-Based Glint Grouping
• 20240414308 Applications of Mono to Stereo Conversion