In 2016 Patently Apple covered two of Apple's inventions relating to possible future hand and wrist gesturing features for Apple Watch. Today the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple revealing their third invention relating to hand gesturing for Apple Watch covering the 'Hand Clench' and 'Hand Flap' gestures. Apple's filing describes the science behind the gesturing methodology but never reveals what any particular gesture will actually perform. That will only be revealed if and when Apple launches gesturing capabilities for the Apple Watch in the future.

Apple notes that some existing portable electronic devices accept voice or touch input to control functionality of the devices. For example, a voice command system can map specific verbal commands to operations such as initiating a voice call with a particular contact in response to speaking the contact's name. In another example, a touch input system can map specific touch gestures to operations such as zooming out in response to a pinch gesture on a touch sensitive surface. However, there may be situations where the user's ability to speak a verbal command or perform a touch gesture may be limited.

Therefore Apple's invention introduces yet more hand gesturing combinations that could be recognized by an Apple Watch that has multiple photodiodes at the bottom of the watch, each sensing light at a different position on a surface of the device that faces skin of a user. Due to this positioning, the sensor data from the photodiodes can capture movement of anatomical features in the tissue of the user during a hand gesture.

Further, different light emitters on the device can emit light at different wavelengths (e.g., infrared light, green light, etc.), which penetrate to different depths in the tissue of the user before reflecting back to the photodiodes on the device. Accordingly, sensor data from the photodiodes can capture expansion and contraction in the tissue of the user during a hand gesture. Examples of the disclosure detect hand gestures by recognizing patterns in sensor data that are characteristic of each hand gesture, as the tissue expands and contracts and anatomical features in the tissue move during the gesture.

As illustrated in Apple's patent FIG. 1B above, each photodiode #101 can sense light at a different position on a surface of the device 100 that faces the tissue #200 of a user. Due to this positioning, the sensor data from the photodiodes can capture movement of anatomical features in the tissue of the user during a hand gesture.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, different light emitters #105 on the device (Apple Watch) can emit light at different wavelengths (e.g., infrared light #600, green light #602, etc.), which penetrate to different depths in the tissue of the user before reflecting back to the photodiodes on the device. Accordingly, sensor data from the photodiodes can capture expansion and contraction in the tissue of the user during a hand gesture.

In some examples, a hand can perform a hand clench or hand flap gesture as illustrated above. Variations of these gestures and other gestures could be trained.

Apple's patent application was filed back in Q4 2015. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

Patently Apple presents a detailed summary of patent applications with associated graphics for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application should be read in its entirety for full and accurate details. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.