Wearable Computing Device
Patent No. US12422889 (titled "Wearable Computing Device") was filed by Jpmorgan Chase Bank Na on Mar 14, 2025.
What is this patent about?
’889 is related to the field of wearable electronic devices, specifically those designed for continuous wear and monitoring of various physiological parameters. Existing wearable devices often suffer from bulkiness, discomfort, and inconsistent data collection due to poor skin contact. This patent addresses these issues by proposing a compact, ring-shaped device suitable for prolonged use.
The underlying idea behind ’889 is to create a comfortable and unobtrusive wearable device by leveraging the ring form factor. This involves miniaturizing the necessary electronics and sensors and arranging them within a ring-shaped housing to maintain consistent skin contact for accurate data acquisition. A key aspect is the use of a curved battery and a flexible circuit board to conform to the ring's shape.
The claims of ’889 focus on a wearable ring device comprising an external housing made of a metallic material with flanges defining an internal space, and an internal potting that at least partially surrounds a curved battery, a printed circuit board, and one or more components. The internal potting forms the interior surface of the ring that contacts the user. The components include an accelerometer , a temperature sensor , visible and infrared/near-infrared LEDs , and light sensors for measuring heart rate and blood oxygenation.
In practice, the device works by emitting light from the LEDs through the internal potting towards the user's skin. The light sensors then detect the reflected light to measure heart rate and blood oxygenation levels. The accelerometer tracks physical activity, while the temperature sensor monitors skin temperature. All these components are powered by the curved battery and controlled by the circuitry on the flexible printed circuit board, all sealed within the metallic housing and internal potting.
This design differentiates itself from prior approaches by integrating multiple sensors and a power source into a small, comfortable ring form factor. The use of a metallic housing provides durability, while the internal potting ensures that the components are protected from moisture and physical shock. The specific arrangement of the curved battery and flexible circuit board maximizes space utilization within the ring, enabling a comprehensive set of monitoring capabilities in a compact design.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2010s when ’889 was filed, wearable computing devices were at a time when systems commonly relied on miniaturized components and low-power designs to achieve extended battery life. At that time, integrating multiple sensors and communication interfaces into a small form factor, such as a ring, was typically implemented using custom circuit boards and specialized packaging techniques. Furthermore, when hardware or software constraints made biometric data processing and wireless communication non-trivial in such devices.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner approved the patent because the prior art neither discloses nor suggests a wearable ring device with the specifically claimed structure. This structure includes internal potting that partially surrounds a curved battery within the device, along with electronic components like LEDs for emitting visible and infrared light, and a sensor for detecting light to determine heart rate and blood oxygenation. While the closest prior art, Mastandrea (US 20130027341), discloses an electronic ring device, it lacks the claimed structure and sensing elements. The examiner also noted that there was no double patenting rejection with the parent application because that application dealt with communicating with an external device, not sensing heart rate or blood oxygenation levels.
Claims
This patent includes 20 claims, with independent claims 1 and 11. The independent claims focus on a wearable ring device comprising an external housing and internal potting that encloses a curved battery, printed circuit board, and components such as an accelerometer, temperature sensor, LEDs, and light sensors for measuring heart rate and blood oxygenation. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific features, dimensions, materials, and functionalities of the wearable ring device described in the independent claims.
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Date
Description
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US12422889
- Application Number
- US19080604
- Filing Date
- Mar 14, 2025
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Nov 28, 2034
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents