Apple patent involves a ‘Band Identifier System’ for the Apple Watch
Apple has been granted a patent for a “Band Identifier System” for the Apple Watch. It’s another indicator that the tech giant is working on “smart watchband” technology.
About the patent
In the patent, Apple notes that a variety of wearable electronic devices, including smart watches, have been developed that include components to provide a variety of functions. For example, some wearable electronic devices include one or more sensors to measure various characteristics of the user and/or the environment in which the device operates.
Such devices may include a display to indicate the time, date, or other device features. The devices may also include accelerometers and one or more sensors that enable a user to track fitness activities and health-related characteristics, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, among other information. The devices also typically include a rechargeable battery that powers the electronics within the device, and a mechanical strap or band for securing the device to a user.
What Apple wants to do offer Apple Watch bands that users can replace for various reasons. For example, a user may remove a band of one color to replace the band with a band of another color (e.g., to match the user’s outfit or mood), or may replace a band of one type with a band of another type (e.g., to replace a fashion band worn during the workday with sport band for a workout).
Another type of Apple Watch band could include a display to indicate the time, date, or other device features. Bands may also include accelerometers and one or more sensors that enable a user to track fitness activities and health-related characteristics, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, among other information. Smart watch bands could even include a rechargeable battery that powers the electronics within the device, and a mechanical strap or band for securing the device to a user.
Summary of the patent
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent: “Wearable electronic devices, such as smart watches, can be provided with a band for securing the device to a wearer. The device and the band can include near-field communications (NFC) components that allow the device to uniquely identify the band. Device operations such as the color, theme, or content displayed on the device can be based, in part, on the identification of a particular band.
“The band may include a miniature NFC tag in an attachment portion of the band that is configured to be received in a recess in a housing of the device. An NFC module for reading the NFC tag can be provided within the recess of the housing, so that the attachment portion of the band and the recess in the device housing position and align the NFC tag with the NFC module when the band is attached to the device.”
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