Apple’s Long-Standing iPhone ‘Glasses’ Accessory Patent Continues to add new Features to Protect

On Thursday the US Patent & Trademark Office published a continuation patent from Apple relating to an iPhone accessory that allows video content to be played using a glasses style device. While Apple has been working on advanced HMDs for some time now, according to our archives, this entry style video headset accessory has been ongoing since to 2008 or 12 years this month, according to Apple’s history of this patent.

Each year that Apple updates this invention we think this should be the last update, but it never is. On one hand it’s an outdated idea. On the other hand, now that Apple has Apple TV+, Arcade, and other TV shows, movies, keynotes and more, the accessory kind of makes sense again.

Watching video content on your iPhone in public, at a beach, on the porch of a country cabin, or on your long bus or train ride home, watching the content on your iPhone in a “Glasses” accessory would be like watching content on your home 42″ – 57″ HDTV but on your face. It would provide a deeper experience.

For some, that holds some appeal. Obviously, Apple thinks so too.

Whether the iPhone is slipped into the glasses or is wirelessly supporting a sleeker pair of AR Glasses, Apple is using this patent filing to add protection for future features associated with Glasses.   

So, what’s New this time around?

Apple has added Twenty new Patent claims to protect another round of features and capabilities. I’ve highlighted the main feature additions found in the first 8 patent claims. Some of the claims seem to repeat the same points after claim 8. For interest sake I’ve included all 20 claims below for your review:

1. An electronic device configured to be worn by a user, the electronic device comprising: a housing; a speaker in the housing that is configured to play audio into an ear of the user; an accelerometer in the housing that is configured to detect head movement; and control circuitry configured to identify an input command based on the detected head movement.
2. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the audio in response to the input command.
3. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a system operation based on the input command.
4. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the detected head movement comprises a head tilt.
5. The electronic device defined in claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide options allowing the user to associate the head movement with a particular input command.
6. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the input command comprises a volume command.
7. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: a touch sensor that is configured to receive touch input from the user, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a function based on the touch input.
8. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: a microphone that is configured to receive voice input from the user, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a function based on the voice input.
9. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising a battery in the housing.
10. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: a proximity sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a function based on information from the proximity sensor.
11. The electronic device defined in claim 1, further comprising: communications circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with an additional device.
12. The electronic device defined in claim 1, wherein the speaker is positioned proximate to the ear of the user.
13. A wearable electronic device comprising: a housing; a speaker in the housing that is configured to play audio; an accelerometer in the housing; and control circuitry configured to adjust the audio played by the speaker in response to head movement information from the accelerometer.
14. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 13, wherein the control circuitry is configured to identify a head movement associated with a command based on the head movement information.
15. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 14, wherein the head movement comprises a head tilt.
16. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 15, further comprising: a proximity sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a function based on information from the proximity sensor.
17. The wearable electronic device defined in claim 15, further comprising: battery in the housing; a microphone that is configured to receive voice input, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a function based on the voice input; and communications circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with an additional device.
18. An electronic device configured to be worn by a user, the electronic device comprising: a housing; a speaker in the housing; a touch sensor that is configured to receive touch input from the user; a microphone in the housing; a battery in the housing; communications circuitry configured to wirelessly communicate with an additional device; an accelerometer in the housing that is configured to detect a head movement; and control circuitry configured to control an operation based on the head movement.
19. The electronic device defined in claim 18, wherein controlling the operation based on the head movement comprises controlling the operation of the speaker based on the head movement.
20. The electronic device defined in claim 18, wherein the head movement comprises a head tilt.

Apple’s continuation patent 20200300996 that was published Thursday by the U.S. Patent Office was originally filed back in Q1 2019. Considering that this is a continuation patent, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.

Article Source: https://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2020/09/apples-long-standing-iphone-glasses-accessory-patent-continues-to-add-new-features-to-protect.html