In an October report we noted that "Apple introduces us to the Apple Ring in all its Glory." Apple's patent revealed how a smart ring could be integrated with voice recognition, a camera, microphone and sensors including gesture sensors, biometric sensors and more. Last month we noted that Microsoft had filed a patent for a smart ring that could work with surface sounds and action gestures. Today Patently Mobile has posted a report on Microsoft's second smart ring patent that was very interesting. One of the sensors that their ring could incorporate is that of a depth sensor. The same technology that was once a part of their Kinect system could be miniaturized to fit into a smartwatch or in smart glasses (perhaps HoloLens). Considering that Apple acquired Israel's PrimeSense whose depth sensor technology was behind Kinect, it would stand to reason that depth sensors may be something that Apple could likewise use in future smart devices and/or wearables like their Apple Watch. The technology would allow users to make in-air gestures in front of the Apple Watch face to control the UI without having to touch its display surface. For more on this invention, check out our new Patently Mobile report.

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