Apple Advances their HMD

Apple has been working on an entry HMD system since at least 2010, well ahead of any competitor. In June, Apple was granted a patent for a simple entry HMD-Styled iPhone case. Today, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that's an update to this patent that focuses on new patent claims exclusively aimed at this one HMD-Styled accessory for iPhone. More specifically, Apple focuses on an authentication process to activate the headset accessory.

Communication and Authentication Between Head-Mounted Devices & Electronic Devices

Although Apple's patent covers a series of of possible future device accessories such as folios, the title of the patent clearly focuses on a headset and an authentication process for it. Apple buried the focus on the patent deep inside this patent, as if to hide its importance.

Further into the patent Apple notes that accessory devices other than cases and folios may include wireless circuitry used to communicate with electronic devices. For example, Apple's patent FIG. 11 below illustrates an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of an accessory device #800 that is compatible with an iPhone (#850). As shown, the accessory device may include a head mounted device that can take the form of a virtual reality headset or an augmented reality headset.

As shown, the accessory device includes a receptacle #802 that is designed to receive an electronic device 850. The accessory device 800 further includes a band #803 that can wrap around a user's head to secure the receptacle and the electronic device to the user.

In today's patent update, Apple adds 20 new patent claims. All of them are deadly focused on the Headset accessory, illustrating Apple's seriousness about this invention. Below are a few of the new patent claims:

Claim #1: "A head mounted device, comprising: a target; a memory circuit configured to store: authentication information related to the head mounted device; and electronic device authentication information related to an electronic device; and wireless circuitry configured to: establish, in response to the target being detected by the electronic device, a communication channel with the electronic device; provide, to the electronic device, the authentication information in response to establishment of the communication channel; and obtain, from the electronic device, electronic the authentication information to authenticate the electronic device.

Claim #5: "The head mounted device of claim 1, wherein: the wireless circuitry is inactive prior to establishing communication with the electronic device; and the wireless circuitry is active based on a request from the electronic device."

Claim #6: "The head mounted device of claim 1, wherein the head mounted device comprises a virtual reality headset."

Claim #7: "The head mounted device of claim 1, wherein the head mounted device comprises an augmented reality headset."

Claim #12: "The processor of the electronic device is further configured to instruct the wireless circuitry to provide an authentication request to the head mounted device."

Claim #13: "The electronic device of claim 12, wherein subsequent to the wireless circuitry i) providing the electronic device authentication information and ii) receiving a response to the authentication request, the processor instructs the display assembly to present the visual information."

Claim #14: "The electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a sensor configured to detect a target of the head mounted device."

Claim #15: "The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to provide, based on the sensor detecting the target, a request to active wireless circuitry of the head mounted device."

Claim #16: "The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the sensor comprises a magnetic field sensor."

To review the remaining 11 new patent claims that reside at the bottom of the patent filing, review patent application 20230275611.

It's abundantly clear that the focus of this invention is the HMD-Styled iPhone case and Apple's 20 new patent claims confirms this to be the case.

Posted by Jack Purcher on August 31, 2023 at 06:18 AM in 1A. Patent Applications, 1B. Continuation Patents, Apple Accessories, HMDs, Apple Vision Pro, Smartglasses + | Permalink | Comments (0)