Apple Patent | Fabric straps for electronic devices
Patent: Fabric straps for electronic devices
Patent PDF: 20250009079
Publication Number: 20250009079
Publication Date: 2025-01-09
Assignee: Apple Inc
Abstract
A fabric strap may be used to attach a wearable electronic device to a user's body. The fabric strap may include a stretchable inner fabric layer formed from mesh fabric. A first set of ribs may be formed on a first side of the inner fabric layer and a second set of ribs may be formed on a second opposing side of the inner fabric layer. Load-modifying structures may be located in the ribs and may be used to increase the initial force required to stretch the strap, while allowing additional elongation to occur without requiring increasing force once a certain elongation percentage is reached. The load-modifying structures may be located in upper portions of the ribs and/or may span across openings in the ribs, and may include stitching, stiffeners, fabric layers, metal or plastic materials, spring members, and/or other structures.
Claims
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Description
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/512,047, filed Jul. 5, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD
This relates generally to fabric straps and, more particularly, to fabric straps for wearable electronic devices.
BACKGROUND
Fabric straps may be used to attach wearable electronic devices to the body of a user. For example, a fabric head strap may be used to attach a head-mounted device to a user's head. A fabric wrist band may be used to attach a watch to a user's wrist. Conventional fabric bands for wearable devices can be uncomfortable and cumbersome to wear.
SUMMARY
A fabric strap may be used to attach a wearable electronic device to a user's body. For example, a fabric head strap may be used to attach a head-mounted device to a user's head, a fabric wrist strap may be used to attach a wristwatch to a user's wrist, and/or fabric straps may be used to attach other types of electronic devices to a user's body.
The fabric strap may include a stretchable inner fabric layer formed from mesh fabric. A first set of ribs may be formed on a first side of the inner fabric layer and a second set of ribs may be formed on a second opposing side of the inner fabric layer. Load-modifying structures may be located in the ribs and may be used to increase the initial force required to stretch the strap, while allowing additional elongation to occur without requiring increasing force once a certain elongation percentage is reached.
The load-modifying structures may be located in upper portions of the ribs and/or may span across openings in the ribs, and may include stitching, stiffeners, fabric layers, metal or plastic materials, spring members, and/or other structures. The load-modifying structures may allow the fabric strap to accommodate a larger range of diameters without applying excessive force during wear.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top view of an illustrative wearable electronic device having a strap in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative wearable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative knitting system in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a front view of an illustrative layer of knit fabric in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a front view of an illustrative fabric strap in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap in an unstretched state in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap in a stretched state in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a graph showing illustrative force-to-elongation curves for a fabric strap in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a side view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures on the ribs in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures that at least partially fill openings in the ribs in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures formed from stitches that span across openings in the ribs in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures such as flat strips of material that span across openings in the ribs in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures formed from springs that span across openings in the ribs in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an illustrative fabric strap having ribs with load-modifying structures formed from a first material in an upper portion of the ribs and a second material spanning across openings in the ribs in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a side view of an illustrative fabric strap having a flexible layer and a stiffener separated by a compressible layer in accordance with an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Electronic devices such as wearable electronic devices may be provided with fabric. Fabric may be used to form a strap, band, or other attachment structure that attaches the wearable electronic device to a user's body. For example, a fabric head strap may attach a head-mounted device to a user's head. A fabric wrist strap may attach a wristwatch to a user's wrist. The fabric may be knit fabric, woven fabric, braided fabric, and/or any other suitable type of fabric. Illustrative configurations in which fabric straps are used for head-mounted devices, wristwatch devices, fitness bands, and/or other wearable electronic devices may sometimes be described herein as an example. In general, any suitable portable electronic device may be provided with a strap and the strap may be formed from any suitable fabric material. The straps or other fabric structures may be used to attach the portable electronic device to an arm, leg, head, torso, wrist, or other portion of a user's body.
A fabric strap may include a stretchable inner layer such as a mesh fabric layer. First and second sets of ribs may be formed on respective first and second opposing sides of the stretchable inner layer. The ribs may provide cushion against the user's body (e.g., wrist, head, etc.) while also allowing airflow through the fabric strap. Load-modifying structures may be incorporated into the ribs to alter the force-to-elongation characteristics of the fabric strap. The load-modifying structures may allow the fabric strap to accommodate a wider range of sizes without applying excessive force during wear. The load-modifying structures may serve as parallel springs within the ribs that are parallel to the stretchable inner layer and that are initially separated from the stretchable inner layer by a distance when the strap is in an unstretched state. As the stretchable inner layer is elongated, the distance between the load-modifying structures and the stretchable inner layer reduces, thereby allowing additional elongation to occur without requiring excessive force. The fabric strap can therefore accommodate a wider range of wrist sizes and/or head sizes while remaining comfortable during wear.
A top view of an illustrative wearable electronic device that may include a fabric strap is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, wearable electronic devices such as electronic device 10 may include one or more straps such as strap 46. In some configurations, device 10 may be a head-mounted device. For example, device 10 may include head-mounted support structures that help support device 10 on a user's head. The head-mounted support structures may support electronic components such as displays, integrated circuits, actuators, batteries, sensors, and/or other circuits and structures for device 10. The head-mounted support structures may form glasses, a hat, a helmet, goggles, and/or other head-mounted device.
Device 10 may have left and right optical modules. Each optical module may include a respective display, lens, and support structure such as a lens barrel. For example, a left lens barrel may support a left display and a left lens, and a right lens barrel may support a right display and a right lens. The displays may include arrays of pixels or other display devices to produce images. For example, the displays may include organic light-emitting diode pixels formed on substrates with thin-film circuitry and/or formed on semiconductor substrates, pixels formed from crystalline semiconductor dies, liquid crystal display pixels, scanning display devices, and/or other display devices for producing images. Lenses may include one or more lens elements for providing image light from the displays to respective eyes boxes. Lenses may be implemented using refractive glass lens elements, using mirror lens structures (catadioptric lenses), using holographic lenses, and/or other lens systems. When a user's eyes are located in the eye boxes, the displays (display panels) operate together to form a display for device 10 (e.g., the images provided by respective left and right optical modules may be viewed by the user's eyes in the eye boxes so that a stereoscopic image is created for the user). The left image from the left optical module fuses with the right image from a right optical module while the display is viewed by the user.
In other arrangements, device 10 may be a wrist-mounted device such as a wristwatch, a health monitoring device, a media player, a wireless key, or other electronic device and/or equipment that includes the functions of two or more of these devices or other suitable devices. The wrist-mounted device may include a housing (e.g., a housing formed from metal, ceramic, plastic, glass, sapphire or other crystalline materials, and/or other suitable materials) and a display such as a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, or other suitable display.
Other configurations may be used for device 10. In general, device 10 may be any suitable wearable electronic device.
Strap 46 may have portions attached to opposing sides of device 10. Strap 46 may be configured to wrap around a user's head, wrist, or other body part.
To allow strap 46 to stretch and fit snugly but comfortably around the user's body, strap 46 may incorporate one or more stretchable materials such as stretchable polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate, silicone, elastomeric silicon, and/or other elastomeric materials. Due to the presence of stretchable materials in strap 46, strap 46 may return to its original length after being stretched to fit onto the user's body. This allows a user to stretch strap 46 around the user's body. If desired, the fabric forming strap 46 may contain non-stretchable strands of material (e.g., polyester, etc.). Non-stretchable strands of material may, for example, be used to provide strap 46 with strength and/or moisture management capabilities. Arrangements in which strap 46 is formed from post-consumer recycled plastics such as post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate drawn textured yarn may sometimes be described herein as an illustrative example.
A schematic diagram of an illustrative electronic device such as a head-mounted device or other wearable device is shown in FIG. 2. Device 10 of FIG. 2 may be operated as a stand-alone device and/or the resources of device 10 may be used to communicate with external electronic equipment. As an example, communications circuitry in device 10 may be used to transmit user input information, sensor information, and/or other information to external electronic devices (e.g., wirelessly or via wired connections). Each of these external devices may include components of the type shown by device 10 of FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, a wearable device such as device 10 may include control circuitry 20. Control circuitry 20 may include storage and processing circuitry for supporting the operation of device 10. The storage and processing circuitry may include storage such as nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. Processing circuitry in control circuitry 20 may be used to gather input from sensors and other input devices and may be used to control output devices. The processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processors and other wireless communications circuits, power management units, audio chips, application specific integrated circuits, etc. During operation, control circuitry 20 may use display(s) 14 and other output devices in providing a user with visual output and other output.
To support communications between device 10 and external equipment, control circuitry 20 may communicate using communications circuitry 22. Circuitry 22 may include antennas, radio-frequency transceiver circuitry, and other wireless communications circuitry and/or wired communications circuitry. Circuitry 22, which may sometimes be referred to as control circuitry and/or control and communications circuitry, may support bidirectional wireless communications between device 10 and external equipment (e.g., a companion device such as a computer, cellular telephone, or other electronic device, an accessory such as a point device, computer stylus, or other input device, speakers or other output devices, etc.) over a wireless link. For example, circuitry 22 may include radio-frequency transceiver circuitry such as wireless local area network transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over a wireless local area network link, near-field communications transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over a near-field communications link, cellular telephone transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over a cellular telephone link, or transceiver circuitry configured to support communications over any other suitable wired or wireless communications link. Wireless communications may, for example, be supported over a Bluetooth® link, a WiFi® link, a wireless link operating at a frequency between 10 GHz and 400 GHz, a 60 GHz link, or other millimeter wave link, a cellular telephone link, or other wireless communications link. Device 10 may, if desired, include power circuits for transmitting and/or receiving wired and/or wireless power and may include batteries or other energy storage devices. For example, device 10 may include a coil and rectifier to receive wireless power that is provided to circuitry in device 10.
Device 10 may include input-output devices such as devices 24. Input-output devices 24 may be used in gathering user input, in gathering information on the environment surrounding the user, and/or in providing a user with output. Devices 24 may include one or more displays such as display(s) 14. Display(s) 14 may include one or more display devices such as organic light-emitting diode display panels (panels with organic light-emitting diode pixels formed on polymer substrates or silicon substrates that contain pixel control circuitry), liquid crystal display panels, microelectromechanical systems displays (e.g., two-dimensional mirror arrays or scanning mirror display devices), display panels having pixel arrays formed from crystalline semiconductor light-emitting diode dies (sometimes referred to as microLEDs), and/or other display devices.
Sensors 16 in input-output devices 24 may include force sensors (e.g., strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, resistive force sensors, etc.), audio sensors such as microphones, touch and/or proximity sensors such as capacitive sensors such as a touch sensor that forms a button, trackpad, or other input device), and other sensors. If desired, sensors 16 may include optical sensors such as optical sensors that emit and detect light, ultrasonic sensors, optical touch sensors, optical proximity sensors, and/or other touch sensors and/or proximity sensors, monochromatic and color ambient light sensors, image sensors, fingerprint sensors, iris scanning sensors, retinal scanning sensors, and other biometric sensors, temperature sensors, sensors for measuring three-dimensional non-contact gestures (“air gestures”), pressure sensors, sensors for detecting position, orientation, and/or motion (e.g., accelerometers, magnetic sensors such as compass sensors, gyroscopes, and/or inertial measurement units that contain some or all of these sensors), health sensors such as blood oxygen sensors, heart rate sensors, blood flow sensors, and/or other health sensors, radio-frequency sensors, depth sensors (e.g., structured light sensors and/or depth sensors based on stereo imaging devices that capture three-dimensional images), optical sensors such as self-mixing sensors and light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors that gather time-of-flight measurements, humidity sensors, moisture sensors, gaze tracking sensors, electromyography sensors to sense muscle activation, facial sensors, and/or other sensors. In some arrangements, device 10 may use sensors 16 and/or other input-output devices to gather user input. For example, buttons may be used to gather button press input, touch sensors overlapping displays can be used for gathering user touch screen input, touch pads may be used in gathering touch input, microphones may be used for gathering audio input, accelerometers may be used in monitoring when a finger contacts an input surface and may therefore be used to gather finger press input, etc.
If desired, electronic device 10 may include additional components (see, e.g., other devices 18 in input-output devices 24). The additional components may include haptic output devices, actuators for moving movable housing structures, audio output devices such as speakers, light-emitting diodes for status indicators, light sources such as light-emitting diodes that illuminate portions of a housing and/or display structure, other optical output devices, and/or other circuitry for gathering input and/or providing output. Device 10 may also include a battery or other energy storage device, connector ports for supporting wired communication with ancillary equipment and for receiving wired power, and other circuitry.
A knitting machine or other equipment may be used in forming strap 46. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative knitting system. As shown in FIG. 3, strand source 66 in knitting system 64 may be used in supplying strands 68 to guide and needle structures 70. Structures 70 may include strand guide structures (e.g., a system of movable guide bars with eyelets that guide strands 68) and needle systems (e.g., needle guide systems that guide sets of individually adjustable needles so that the needles may interact with the strands dispensed by the guide bars). During operations, a controller may control electrically adjustable positioners in system 64 to manipulate the positions of guide bars and needles in system 70 and thereby knit strands 68 into fabric 12. Take down 74 (e.g., a pair of mating rollers or other equipment forming a take down system) may be used to gather fabric 12 that is produced during knitting.
A layer of illustrative knit fabric 12 is shown in FIG. 4. A knit fabric is made up of courses 78 (e.g., rows of loops formed by strands 68) and wales 76 (e.g., columns of loops formed by strands 68). In a weft knit fabric of the type shown in FIG. 4 (sometimes referred to as a flat knit fabric), strands 68 form loops that extend horizontally across the fabric. An illustrative strand 68′ among strands 68 has been highlighted to show the horizontal path taken by each strand 68 in fabric 12. In contrast, a warp knit fabric includes wales 76 formed from strands 68 that follow zig-zag paths vertically down the fabric.
The example of FIG. 4 is merely illustrative. Fabric 12 of strap 46 may include warp knit fabric, weft knit fabric, flat knit fabric, circular knit fabric, braided fabric, woven fabric, spacer fabric (e.g., inner and outer warp knit fabric layers joined by a spacer layer), and/or fabric formed using any other interlacing technique. Arrangements in which fabric 12 of strap 46 is a knit fabric are sometimes described herein as an example.
FIG. 5 is a front view of an illustrative strap formed from fabric. As shown in FIG. 5, strap 46 may include fabric 12. To accommodate the user's body (e.g., head, wrist, etc.), strap 46 may include different regions with different properties such as different amounts of stretch and cushioning. Some regions of strap 46 may include pockets whereas other regions of strap 46 may be free of pockets. Some regions of strap 46 may include ribs whereas other regions of strap 46 may be free of ribs. In the example of FIG. 5, strap 46 includes one or more ribbed regions such as ribbed region 50 and one or more smooth regions (e.g., regions without ribs) such as smooth end portions 48. Ribbed region 50 may be formed from a ribbed fabric and may include ribs 52 (e.g., elongated strip-shaped protrusions extending parallel to the Z-axis of FIG. 5 or extending along any other suitable direction). Ribs 52 of ribbed region 50 may extend across the entirety of strap 46 except for smooth regions 48, if desired. In other arrangements, smooth regions 48 may be omitted and ribs 52 may extend from edge-to-edge on strap 46.
Ribbed region 50 may be used in portions of strap 46 where extra cushion is needed such as portions contacting the back of a user's head. Smooth regions 48 may be used in portions of strap 46 that connect to other support structures in device 10. For example, smooth regions 48 may be coupled to rigid support structures near the user's ears or temples and/or may be coupled directly to main housing portion of device 10. Ribbed region 50 and smooth regions 48 may be formed from a single piece of fabric or may be formed from multiple pieces of fabric that are attached together using stitching, adhesive, hook-and-loop fasteners, and/or any other suitable attachment structure.
Smooth regions 48 of strap 46 may be formed from knit fabric, woven fabric, and/or any other suitable type of fabric. In the example of FIG. 5, smooth regions 48 are formed from flat knit fabric portions 56 (e.g., flat knit fabric of the type shown in FIG. 4). Ribbed region 50 may be interposed between a first flat knit portion 56 and a second flat knit portion 56. Flat knit portions 56 may be configured to attach to the housing of device 10. Ribbed region 50 may extend around the back of a user's head, over the top of a user's head, around a user's wrist, etc.
Strap 46 may include one or more pockets (e.g., gaps between portions of fabric 12). In the example of FIG. 5, strap 46 includes pockets such as pocket 62.
Pockets such as pocket 62 may be bounded by portions of fabric 12. For example, dashed line 90 may indicate an inner boundary of pocket 62, whereas the outermost perimeter 92 of strap 46 may indicate an outer boundary of pocket 62. Along lines 90 and 92, upper and lower portions of fabric 12 may be attached together to form walls that define pocket 62. In the regions between lines 90 and 92, upper and lower portions of fabric 12 may be detached from one another to form a gap or cavity.
Pocket 62 may be located in ribbed region 50, or pocket 62 may be located in a border area of strap 46 that does not have ribs. Pocket 62 may be configured to receive a cord such as cord 80. Cord 80 may be formed from braided strands of material, strands of material wrapped or twisted around a core, conductive strands, insulating strands, and/or other suitable materials. Cord 80 may be used to provide structure to the edges of strap 46 and/or may be used to provide adjustability to strap 46. For example, a user may be able to adjust how tightly strap 46 fits on the user's head or wrist by adjusting cord 80 in pocket 62. In other arrangements, cord 80 may be an electrical cable that is used to convey electrical signals.
In ribbed region 50, fabric 12 may include an inner stretchable fabric layer such as inner fabric layer 58. Inner fabric layer 58 may be formed from mesh fabric that allows layer 58 to stretch in directions 84. To provide cushioning on stretchable inner layer 58, fabric 12 may include one or more ribs such as ribs 52. Ribs 52 may be formed on one or both sides of inner fabric layer 58. For example, a first set of ribs 52 may be located on a first side of inner fabric layer 58, and a second set of ribs 52 may be located on a second opposing side of inner fabric layer 58. Ribs 52 may be formed from ottoman ribs, bengaline ribs, and/or any other suitable ribbed fabric construction. Ribs 52 may, for example, formed hollow (e.g., air-filled) protrusions on inner fabric layer 58. In other words, air pockets may be present in ribbed region 50 between the strands 68 that form ribs 52 and the strands 68 that form inner fabric layer 58. The presence of air inside of ribs 52 allows strap 46 to remain breathable and lightweight, while still having sufficient cushion to provide extra padding on the user's head.
If desired, fabric 12 that forms inner fabric layer 58 may have a lower gauge (e.g., a lower number of needles per inch) than fabric 12 that forms ribs 52. For example, the gauge of inner fabric layer 58 may be equal to one-half of the gauge of the fabric that forms ribs 52. By skipping a needle in inner fabric layer 58, larger openings may be present in inner fabric layer 58, thereby forming a stretchable mesh fabric layer that expands in directions 84 when device 10 is being worn and retracts back to its original position when device 10 is not being worn. Although ribs 52 have a higher gauge than inner fabric layer 58 and may therefore require more force to extend, ribs 52 may be formed on inner fabric layer 58 without increasing the required force needed to stretch strap 46 in directions 84. In particular, ribs 52 may have sufficient height relative to inner fabric layer 58 such that ribs 52 can freely expand and retract with inner fabric layer 58. The height of ribs 52 may be determined by the number of rows of loops that are used to form ribs 52. Each rib 52 may be formed with a higher number of rows of loops than that used to form the portion of inner fabric layer 58 under that given rib 52, so that ribs 52 can move with inner fabric layer 58 without actually requiring any stretching from ribs 52.
If desired, load-modifying structures may be incorporated into ribs 52 to increase the initial force required to extend strap 46 in directions 84, while still allowing strap 46 to remain comfortable during wear. This is described in connection with FIGS. 6-16.
Ribs 52 may extend perpendicular to the direction of desired stretch. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, ribs 52 extend parallel to the Z-axis, which allows ribs 52 to stretch in directions 84 (e.g., parallel to the X-axis) when strap 46 is placed on a user's head or wrist. This is merely illustrative, however. Ribs 52 may extend in any suitable direction (e.g., parallel to the X-axis, oriented at an angle between the X-axis and the Z-axis, etc.). Arrangements in which different ribs 52 follow different paths may also be used. Ribs 52 may be segmented, curved, zig-zagged, oriented in different angles, etc. Ribs 52 may all have the same size and be formed from the same materials and fabric construction, or ribs 52 may have one or more different characteristics such as different sizes, shapes, materials, fabric construction, etc.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective views of ribbed region 50 of strap 46, showing how strap 46 may be operable in an unstretched state (FIG. 6) and a stretched state (FIG. 7).
As shown in FIG. 6, strap 46 may include a first set of ribs 52 on a first side 58A of stretchable inner fabric layer 58 and a second set of ribs 52 on a second opposing side 58B of stretchable inner fabric layer 58. One set of ribs 52 such as ribs 52 on first side 58A may contact the user's head or wrist when device 10 is being worn, while the other set of ribs 52 on second side 58B may face away from the user's head or wrist when device 10 is being worn. Ribs 52 on first side 58A may be offset from the ribs 52 on second side 58B, if desired.
Ribs 52 may be filled with air pockets. In particular, openings 82 may be formed in ribs 52 and may be partially or completely filled with air. Openings 82 may extend parallel to ribs 52 (e.g., perpendicular to the direction of elongation) and may be located between the fabric that forms ribs 52 and the fabric that forms inner fabric layer 58. This allows strap 46 to remain breathable and lightweight while still providing sufficient cushion and padding on the user's head or wrist.
When forming strap 46, strands 68 may be knitted into rows of loops such as loops 88. Each rib 52 may be supported by a portion of inner fabric layer 58. During knitting operations, knitting equipment 64 may knit a first set of rows of loops 88 to form a given one of ribs 52. The number of rows of loops 88 that are used to form each rib 52 will determine the height of that rib relative to inner fabric layer 58. After forming a first rib 52 on a first side 58A, knitting equipment 64 may then knit rows of loops 88 to form a given portion of inner fabric layer 58 that will support the first rib 52. Knitting equipment 64 may then knit rows of loops 88 to form a second rib 52 on second side 58B, followed by knitting rows of loops 88 to form another portion of inner fabric layer 58 that will support the second rib 52. This process may continue in an alternating fashion, with knitting equipment 64 knitting rows of loops 88 for a rib on one side, then knitting rows of loops 88 to form a portion of inner fabric layer 58 for supporting that rib, then knitting rows of loops 88 for a rib 52 on the other side, then knitting rows of loops 88 to form a portion of inner fabric layer 58 for supporting that rib, etc. When strap 46 is in the unstretched state of FIG. 6, inner fabric layer 58 may not be visible between ribs 52 (or may be barely visible between ribs 52).
Ribs 52 may have sufficient height relative to inner fabric layer 58 so that ribs 52 can accommodate stretching of inner fabric layer 58 without increasing or significantly increasing the force needed to extend inner fabric layer 58. The height of ribs 52 relative to inner fabric layer 58 may be determined by the number of rows of loops 88 that are used to form ribs 52 and the number of rows of loops that are used to from inner fabric layer 58. To provide ribs 52 with sufficient height relative to inner fabric layer 58, the number of rows of loops 88 that are used to form a given rib 52 may be greater than the number of rows of loops 88 that are used to form the portion of inner fabric layer 58 that supports that given rib 52. This allows ribs 52 to move with inner fabric layer 58 as inner fabric layer 58 is stretched in directions 84. For example, when device 10 is not being worn and strap 46 is in the unstretched state of FIG. 6, ribs 52 are at a maximum height of H1 relative to inner fabric layer 58 and ribbed region 50 may have a first length L1 along the X-axis. When device 10 is being worn and strap 46 is in the stretched state of FIG. 7, ribs 52 are at a lower height H2 (e.g., a height lower than height H1 of FIG. 6) relative to inner fabric layer 58 and ribbed region 50 may have a second length L2 along the X-axis (e.g., a length greater than length L1). Stretching strap 46 from length L1 to length L2 may also expose more of inner fabric layer 58 between ribs 52 than when strap 46 is unstretched (see exposed width X of inner fabric layer 58 between adjacent ribs 52 of FIG. 7). In addition to accommodating stretching of inner fabric layer 58, ribs 52 may permit bending of inner fabric layer 58. Strap 46 may curve around the user's head, thereby bending around one or more axes that are parallel to the direction of ribs 52. The raised height of ribs 52 relative to inner fabric layer 58 may allow ribs 52 to move with inner fabric layer 58 as it bends, rather than inhibiting bending movement.
It may be desirable to incorporate load-modifying structures into ribs 52 to modify the force-to-elongation profile of strap 46. For example, strap 46 may include load-modifying elements such as load-modifying structures 106 in ribs 52. Load-modifying structures 106 may serve as parallel springs that are parallel to stretchable inner fabric layer 58. Load-modifying structures 106 may be located in some or all of ribs 52 on one or both sides of fabric layer 58. For example, load-modifying structures 106 may be located only on side 58A of layer 58, may be located only on side 58B of layer 58, may be located on both sides 58A and 58B of layer 58, may be located in every other rib 52, every rib 52, every 3-5 ribs 52, only in one, two, three, or more than three ribs 52 on a given side of fabric layer 58, and/or may be located in any other suitable pattern.
Load-modifying structures 106 may be used to increase the initial force required to stretch strap 46, while allowing additional elongation to occur without requiring increasing force once a certain elongation percentage is reached. Load-modifying structures 106 (sometimes referred to as springs, spring members, elastic members, stiffeners, stiffening structures, etc.) may be located at a non-zero distance D from inner fabric layer 58 when strap 46 is in the unstretched state of FIG. 6. This allows load-modifying structures 106 to only be loaded when strap 46 is stretched to a given degree. When strap 46 starts being stretched, load-modifying structures 106 may increase the initial force required to stretch strap 46. As elongation of strap 46 increases, however, distance D between load-modifying structures 106 and inner fabric layer 58 reduces and load-modifying structures 106 approach the same plane as inner fabric layer 58. This allows additional elongation to occur while the load remains unchanged.
Load-modifying structures 106 may be formed from a cross-stitch across opening 82 of rib 52, a cross-stitch across the top of rib 52, an elastomeric material that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, that is located on top of rib 52 (e.g., a rubber cap on top of rib 52), and/or that is otherwise integrated into rib 52, a fabric layer (e.g., a strip of knit fabric, woven fabric, braided fabric, etc.) or other strip of material that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a metal or plastic rod that runs around an inside edge of rib 52, a plasticized or fused portion of rib 52, a coating on inner and/or outer surfaces of rib 52 (e.g., an elastic film, a layer of adhesive, and/or other stiffening layer on rib 52), a spring that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a permanently or removably attached layer (e.g., a fabric layer, plastic layer, etc.) in rib 52 containing a parallel spring, and/or any other suitable load-modifying element. Load-modifying structures 106 may be permanently integrated into ribs 52 or may be removably coupled to ribs 52 to allow for a modular approach to modifying the force-to-elongation profile of strap 46. Illustrative examples of load-modifying structures 106 are described in connection with FIGS. 9-15.
FIG. 8 is a graph showing illustrative force-to-elongation profiles for fabric straps such as fabric strap 46. Curve 104 illustrates a linear force-to-elongation profile, which may represent the stretch behavior of a fabric strap such as fabric strap 46 that does not include load-modifying structures 106 (e.g., when load-modifying structures 46 have been removed and/or are otherwise absent from strap 46). As illustrated by curve 104, increasing elongation of strap 46 results in increasing force in the absence of load-modifying structures 106. In contrast, curve 102 illustrates a stepwise force-to-elongation profile, which may represent the stretch behavior of a fabric strap such as fabric strap 46 that includes load-modifying structures 106. As illustrated by curve 102, an initial force F1 is applied during the initial stretching of strap 46, as load is applied to load-modifying structures 106. As strap 46 is stretched further, however, the distance D between load-modifying structures 106 and inner fabric layer 58 approaches zero, thereby allowing additional elongation to occur while force F1 remains unchanged. This may result in strap 46 being able to stretch to longer lengths (e.g., to accommodate larger heads and/or larger wrists) while strap 46 remains comfortable during wear.
FIG. 9 is a side view of a portion of strap 46 illustrating how a given rib may include multiple load-modifying structures located at different distances from the main inner fabric layer 58. As shown in FIG. 9, rib 52 may include multiple load-modifying structures 106 such as first and second parallel spring members 110. Each spring member 110 may span across opening 82 of rib 52 and may have a first end coupled to a first sidewall 52P of rib 52 and a second opposing end coupled to a second opposing sidewall 52P of rib 52. Spring members 110 may be located at different heights relative to inner fabric layer 58. A first spring member 110 may be located at distance D1 relative to inner fabric layer 58, while a second spring member 110 may be located at distance D2 relative to inner fabric layer 58 (e.g., a distance greater than distance D1). Both spring members 110 may increase the initial load required to stretch strap 46, but the required load may flatten out (as illustrated by curve 102 of FIG. 8) as the distance between spring members 110 and inner fabric layer 58 approaches zero when strap 46 is stretched in directions 84.
Spring members 110 may be formed from a cross-stitch across opening 82 of rib 52, an elastomeric material that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a fabric layer (e.g., a strip of knit fabric, woven fabric, braided fabric, etc.) or other strip of material that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a spring that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a permanently or removably attached layer (e.g., a fabric layer, plastic layer, etc.) spanning across opening 82 of rib 52 and containing a spring, and/or any other suitable load-modifying element. Spring members 110 may be permanently or removably attached to sidewalls 52P of rib 52.
The example of FIG. 9 in which load-modifying structures 106 include first and second spring members 110 is merely illustrative. If desired, fewer than two or more than two (e.g., three, four, five, etc.) spring members may span across opening 82 in rib 52. Spring members 110 may have the same construction and/or may be formed from the same material, or spring members 110 may have different construction and/or may be formed from different materials. Spring members 110 may be formed in ribs 52 on one or both of sides 58A and 58B of inner fabric layer 58, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
FIGS. 10-15 show illustrative examples of load-modifying structures 106 that may be incorporated into or otherwise coupled to ribs 52 on one or both sides of inner fabric layer 58.
In the example of FIG. 10, load-modifying structures 106 include material 112 integrated into the upper portions of ribs 52. In some arrangements, material 112 may be a portion of fabric 12 that forms an upper portion of ribs 52. Material 112 may be formed from the same material as the rest of ribs 52 or may be formed from a different material. For example, material 112 may be formed from fused strands of material, a plasticized portion of ribs 52 (e.g., material 112 may include heat-treated plastic), may be formed from elastomeric material (e.g., rubber), metal, adhesive, epoxy, film, and/or any other suitable material that increases the bending stiffness of the upper portion of rib 52 and/or at least a portion of sidewalls 52P of ribs 52. Material 112 may be a portion of rib 52 or may be a material that is attached to, coated onto, or otherwise located an outer surface of rib 52. Material 112 may span across some or all of width W of strap 46.
In the example of FIG. 11, load-modifying structures 106 include material 114 that fills some or all of opening 82 in ribs 52. Material 114 may be formed from metal, plastic, elastomer (e.g., rubber), fabric (e.g., fused fabric, multiple layers of fabric, spacer fabric, braided fabric, knit fabric, woven fabric, etc.), metal rods, plastic rods, adhesive, epoxy, and/or other suitable structures and/or materials. Material 114 may be directly attached to rib 52 or may be coupled to rib 52 via one or more attachment structures or materials such as a layer of adhesive. Material 114 may be permanently or removably attached to rib 52. In the example of FIG. 11, material 114 only partially fills openings 82 in ribs 52, thereby allowing air to flow between material 114 and inner fabric layer 58 (e.g., so that inner fabric layer 58 remains breathable). Material 114 may span across some or all of width W of strap 46.
In the example of FIG. 12, load-modifying structures 106 include stitching 116. Stitching 116 may be formed from one or more strands of material (e.g., a monofilament thread, a multifilament yarn, a cord, a braided strand, a twisted strand, a strip of fabric, etc.) that spans across opening 82 in ribs 52. If desired, stitching 116 may span back and forth between sidewalls 52P of ribs 52 along some or all of width W of strap 46, as shown in the example of FIG. 12. In other arrangements, stitching 116 may include separate, parallel strand segments that span across opening 82 at different locations along width W of strap 46.
In the example of FIG. 13, load-modifying structures 106 include strips of material 118 that span across respective openings 82 in ribs 52. Material 118 may be a layer of fabric (e.g., knit fabric, woven fabric, braided fabric, spacer fabric, fused fabric, etc.), a layer of elastic material (e.g., rubber or other elastomer), a layer of metal, a layer of plastic, and/or a layer of any other suitable material. Strip 118 may include a first side coupled to first sidewall 52P of rib 52 and a second opposing side coupled to second opposing sidewall 52P of rib 52. If desired, strip 118 may span across the entire width W of strap 46, as shown in the example of FIG. 13. In other arrangements, strip 118 may only span across a portion of width W and/or may include multiple parallel strip segments that span across opening 82 at different locations along width W of strap 46. Strips 118 may be permanently or removably attached to ribs 52.
In the example of FIG. 14, load-modifying structures 106 include springs 120 that span across respective openings 82 in ribs 52. Each spring 120 may have a first end coupled to first sidewall 52P of rib 52 and a second opposing end coupled to second opposing sidewall 52P of rib 52. There may be one, two, three, four, eight, more than eight, or less than eight springs 120 located at different positions along width W of strap 46. Springs 120 may be permanently or removably attached to ribs 52.
In the example of FIG. 15, load-modifying structures 106 include material 124 that forms part of and/or is located on an upper portion of rib 52 and material 126 that spans across opening 82 of rib 52. In some arrangements, material 124 may be a portion of fabric 12 that forms an upper portion of ribs 52. Material 124 may be formed from the same material as the rest of ribs 52 or may be formed from a different material. For example, material 124 may be formed from fused strands of material, a plasticized portion of ribs 52 (e.g., material 124 may include heat-treated plastic), may be formed from elastomeric material (e.g., rubber), metal, adhesive, epoxy, film, and/or any other suitable material that increases the bending stiffness of the upper portion of rib 52 and/or at least a portion of sidewalls 52P of ribs 52. Material 124 may be a portion of rib 52 or may be a material that is attached to, coated onto, or otherwise located on an outer or inner surface of rib 52. Material 124 may span across some or all of width W of strap 46.
Material 126 may span across opening 82 of rib 52 and may have a first side coupled to first sidewall 52P of rib 52 and a second opposing side coupled to second opposing sidewall 52P of rib 52. Material 126 may be formed from a cross-stitch across opening 82 of rib 52, an elastomeric material that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a fabric layer (e.g., a strip of knit fabric, woven fabric, braided fabric, etc.) or other strip of material that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a spring that spans across opening 82 of rib 52, a permanently or removably attached layer (e.g., a fabric layer, plastic layer, etc.) spanning across opening 82 of rib 52 and containing a spring, and/or any other suitable load-modifying element. Material 126 may be permanently or removably attached to sidewalls 52P of rib 52.
If desired, two or more layers of material 126 may be located at different heights relative to inner fabric layer 58. For example, a first layer of material 126 may be located at a first distance relative to inner fabric layer 58, while a second layer of material 126 may be located at a second distance D2 relative to inner fabric layer 58 (e.g., as in the example of FIG. 9).
In the example of FIG. 16, strap 46 includes an elastic layer such as stretchable layer 130 (e.g., a mesh layer which may form inner fabric layer 58 of FIGS. 6, 7, and 9-15), a compressible layer 132 (e.g., a layer of foam, spacer fabric, and/or other compressible material), and outer stiffening layer 134. Layers 134, 132, and 130 may be attached using attachment structures 136 at the edges of strap 46. Attachment structures 136 may include stitching, adhesive, welding, clasps, clips, and/or any other suitable attachment structures.
Stiffening layer 134 may be a layer of fabric, metal, plastic, or other suitable material having less elasticity than inner fabric layer 130. As fabric strap 46 is stretched in directions 84, compressible layer 132 may compress and the distance between outer stiffening layer 134 and inner stretchable layer 130 may decrease. Similar to load-modifying structures 106, stiffening layer 134 may increase the initial force required to stretch strap 46, but the required force to elongate further may flatten out past a given elongation percentage as stiffening layer 134 approaches the same plane as stretchable inner fabric layer 130.
As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of information such as information from input-output devices. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, data may be gathered that includes personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID's, home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, username, password, biometric information, or any other identifying or personal information.
The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to deliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users to calculated control of the delivered content. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user's general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals.
The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the United States, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country.
Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide certain types of user data. In yet another example, users can select to limit the length of time user-specific data is maintained. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an application (“app”) that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app.
Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods.
Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of information that may include personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data.
The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.
