14 DAY TRIAL // The USPTO has published a patent application with Apple’s name on it which describes a “slap bracelet” with a video display and the ability to transmit and receive information. Sounds like an iWatch to us.
As if the endless rumors weren’t enough, the United States’ Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent application by Apple Inc. titled “BI-STABLE SPRING WITH FLEXIBLE DISPLAY.”
The abstract description mentions that said invention is “a wearable accessory device [which] includes a flexible display coupled to a bi-stable spring.”
“Coupling the display to the bi-stable spring allows the accessory device to be easily worn in a number of convenient locations,” Apple says.
The graphics accompanying the invention show how said device can be worn on your wrist, like a watch. Apple doesn’t describe it as a watch, and neither should it. In all senses, Apple is talking about a new type of personal computer.
“The most recent widespread use of such a device was the slap bracelet, also called the slap wrap. The slap bracelet consists of layered flexible steel bands sealed within a fabric cover,” the filing reads.
“Typical slap bracelets are roughly one inch in width by nine inches in length. In a first equilibrium position they can be flat.”
“The second equilibrium is typically reached by slapping the flat embodiment across the wrist, at which point the bracelet curls around the wrist and stays relatively secure in a roughly circular position,” it adds.
The documentation also includes references to data transfer, with Apple stating, “A method for passing information between an accessory device disposed on one surface of a bi-stable spring substrate and a portable electronic device is disclosed.”
Rumor has it that Apple is working on this wearable computer with a team of 100 technicians.