USPTO issued Apple's ring patent on October 1

Oct 2, 2015 12:11 GMT  ·  By

According to an Apple patent just published by The United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Cupertino tech giant might be working on a device smaller than the Apple Watch, a possible "Apple Ring" that would allow users to control other electronic devices using a touchscreen mounted on a ring.

"A user controls an external electronic device with a finger-ring-mounted touchscreen that includes a computer processor, wireless transceiver, and rechargeable power source," as described in the "Apple Ring" patent.

The patent goes on to detail the components used to build such a device, a processor, a touchscreen, a wireless transceiver and a rechargeable power source being just some of them.

Moreover, the "Devices and Methods for a Ring Computing Device" patent discloses that a future "Apple Ring" might also include a microphone that would allow the user to control using voice commands, a diminutive Siri possibly being involved.

Another way to use an "Apple Ring" would be to write using gestures with the help of a built-in motion sensor and a wireless transceiver that would transmit the characters to a paired device.

The ring-sized device incorporates most of the components of a full-scale computer

On the whole, the patent describes a ring-sized full-blown computer with its own processor and a multitude of sensors, ranging from biometric sensors for monitoring the user's pulse and heart-rate, to pressure and perspiration sensors, as well as a fingerprint reader which would make controlling Apple Pay one flick of a finger away.

Furthermore, Apple might use all sorts of materials for its ring computer's case, from plastic to gold or platinum, with some embodiments being built from expandable or stretchable material such as silicone.

The "Devices and Methods for a Ring Computing Device" patent was filed in April 2015, Marcel van Os and Marcos Regis Vescovi being listed as the device's inventors, and Apple Inc. as the patent's applicant.

The "Apple Ring" (7 Images)

The Apple Ring
The Apple RingThe Apple Ring
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