Patent Application
20170255029
It has become increasingly important to monitor the health and activities of individuals. Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices that make monitoring these aspects of an individual easier and more convenient to use. Additionally, since such devices may comprise one or more computer processors and/or sensors, may require power to operate, and may be powered by one or more rechargeable batteries, there is also a need for improved systems and methods for charging such devices. For example, there is a need for convenient and discrete ways to charge such devices. Various embodiments of the present charging systems and methods recognize and address the foregoing considerations, and others, of prior art devices.
Computerized eyewear, according to various embodiments, comprises (1) a frame having a first end, a second end, a top surface, a front surface and a rear surface; (2) a first temple comprising (i) a first end having a surface, wherein the first temple first end is pivotally coupled to the frame first end, and (ii) a second end configured to rest on an ear of the wearer of the computerized eyewear; (3) a second temple comprising (i) a first end that is pivotally coupled to the frame second end, and (ii) a second end configured to rest on another ear of the wearer of the computerized eyewear; (4) at least one processor coupled to one of the first temple or the frame; (5) a power source coupled to one of the first temple or the frame, wherein the at least one processor is operatively coupled to the power source; and (6) a charging socket positioned in the first temple, first end surface, wherein the charging socket is operatively coupled to the power source, wherein the charging socket is hidden from view when the first temple is positioned substantially perpendicular to the frame's rear surface.
In various embodiments, the charging socket is a micro universal serial bus female socket. In particular embodiments, the charging socket comprises a magnetic material that is configured to retain a charging connector in the charging socket. In some embodiments, the magnetic material is a paramagnetic material that possesses magnetization in the presence of a magnetic field. In various embodiments, when the temple is positioned substantially parallel to the frame rear surface, the charging socket is accessible to allow the wearer to insert a charging cable into the charging socket. In various embodiments, the computerized eyewear further comprises a charging cable that comprises a magnetic tip.
Computerized eyewear according to certain embodiments comprises: (1) a frame having a first side, a second side, an upper surface and a lower surface; (2) at least one temple comprising a first end configured to be coupled to the first side of the frame, a second end configured to rest on an ear of a wearer, and a longitudinal axis that extends from the first end to the second end; (3) a processor coupled to at least one of the frame and the at least one temple; (4) a rechargeable power source coupled to at least one of the frame and the at least one temple and operatively coupled to the processor; and (5) a charging port positioned on the first end of the at least one temple, where the charging port is configured to releasably receive a charging cable connector so that the rechargeable power source can be recharged when the charging cable is connected to the charging port.
In various embodiments, the at least one temple first end is pivotally coupled to the frame first side so that when the at least one temple longitudinal axis is positioned perpendicular to a plane that extends between the frame first side and the frame second side, the charging port is hidden from view. In various embodiments, the charging port is a socket selected from a group consisting of (i) a micro universal serial bus female socket, (2) a mini universal serial bus female socket, and (3) a Lightning® female socket. In some embodiments, the charging port further comprises a magnetic material that retains the charging cable in the charging port. In some of these embodiments, the magnetic material comprises and/or consists of a plate that is mounted in the charging port. In some embodiments, the magnetic material is a paramagnetic material.
In certain embodiments, a computerized eyewear retrofit kit for use with an eyewear frame comprises: (1) an elongated body having (i) a first end comprising a first end surface and a connector that is configured to pivotally couple to an eyewear frame, and (ii) a second end configured to rest on an ear of a wearer wearing the eyewear frame; (2) at least one processor mounted in the elongated body; (3) a rechargeable power source mounted in the elongated body and operatively coupled to the at least one power source; (4) at least one sensor coupled to the elongated body and operatively coupled to the at least one processor; and (5) a charging port formed in the elongated body first end surface that is configured to receive a charging cable, wherein when the computerized temple is coupled to an eyewear frame using the connector and (a) the elongated body is substantially perpendicular to a rear surface of the eyewear frame, the charging port is hidden, and (b) the elongated body is substantially parallel to the rear surface of the eyewear frame, the charging port is accessible so that the wearer can connect the charging cable to the charging port to recharge the rechargeable power source.
Various embodiments of a computerized replacement temple for assessing a user's health and activities are described below. In the course of this description, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and wherein:
Various embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
As shown in
Eyewear Frame
Referring still to
The eyewear frame 108 includes a first nose pad 122 and a second nose pad 124, which may be configured to maintain the eyewear 100 adjacent the front of a wearer's face such that the lenses 118, 120 are positioned substantially in front of the wearer's eyes while the wearer is wearing the eyewear 100. In particular embodiments, the nose pads 122, 124 may comprise a material that is configured to be comfortable when worn by the wearer (e.g., rubber, polymer, etc.). In other embodiments, the nose pads 122, 124 may include any other suitable material (e.g., plastic, metal, etc.). In still other embodiments, the nose pads 122, 124 may be integrally formed with the frame 108 and made from the same material as the eyewear frame 108.
The eyewear frame 108 includes a first connection receiving end 112 that attaches the computerized temple 102 to the frame first end 110, and a second connection receiving end 128 that attaches the second temple 114 to the frame second end 116. In various embodiments, the connection receiving ends 112, 128 may be releasably coupled to the computerized temple 102 and the second temple 114, respectively, by any suitable connection (e.g., tongue and groove, ball and socket, spring hinge, friction fit, screw, spring loaded ball and catch, spring loaded pin and catch, spring tab and catch, hinge and screw, etc.). In particular embodiments, the first and second connection receiving ends 112, 128 may be welded to, or integrally formed with, the eyewear frame 108. In some embodiments, the computerized temple 102 is pivotally coupled to the frame first end 110 by a hinge as described in more detail in
Computerized Temple
As shown in
Referring to
Referring again to
As a further example, the at least one processor 132 and the power source 134 may be embedded into the computerized temple 102. In some such embodiments, at least one of the one or more sensors 130 may be embedded or coupled to the computerized temple 102, another of the one or more sensors 130 may be coupled to the frame 108, and still another of the one or more sensors 130 may be operatively coupled to the nose piece 122 (
In particular embodiments, the computerized temple 102 may further include one or more user interfaces for communicating with a wearer of the computerized temple 102. For example, the computerized temple 102 may include one or more speakers, microphones, displays, and/or other user interface devices that are operatively coupled to facilitate the transfer of information between the wearer of the temple and the temple's one or more processors (e.g., while the wearer is wearing the temple). The computerized temple 102 may further include one or more wireless communications devices (e.g., a Bluetooth chip, a near field communications chip, or a cellular communications chip) for facilitating communication between the computerized temple 102 and one or more remote computing devices (e.g., a central server or the wearer's handheld computing device, laptop computer, etc.).
In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 130, the at least one processor 132, and the power source 134 may be formed in any shape. In particular embodiments, the one or more sensors 130, the at least one processor 132, and the power source 134 may be formed on the inner (back) surface of the frame 108, the computerized temple 102, the second temple 114, the first and second lenses 118, 120, or any other portion of the eyewear 100. In other embodiments, the one or more sensors 130 may be formed on the outer (front) surface of the frame 108, the computerized temple 102, the second temple 114, the first and second lenses 118, 120, or any other portion of the eyewear 100.
Sensors
Still referring to
The one or more sensors 130 may include, for example: (1) one or more heart rate monitors; (2) one or more electrocardiograms (EKG); (3) one or more electroencephalograms (EEG); (4) one or more pedometers; (5) one or more thermometers; (6) one or more transdermal sensors; (7) one or more front-facing cameras; (8) one or more eye-facing cameras; (9) one or more microphones; (10) one or more accelerometers; (11) one or more blood pressure sensors; (12) one or more pulse oximeters; (13) one or more respiratory rate sensors; (14) one or more blood alcohol concentration (BAC) sensors; (15) one or more near-field communication sensors; (16) one or more motion sensors; (17) one or more gyroscopes; (18) one or more geomagnetic sensors; (19) one or more global positioning system (GPS) sensors; (20) one or more impact sensors; (21) one or more wireless communication sensors (e.g., a Bluetooth chip); (22) one or more tear sensors; (23) one or more olfactory sensors; and/or (24) any other suitable one or more sensors. In particular embodiments, the one or more sensors comprise a pulse oximeter, a front-facing camera, an eye-facing camera, an accelerometer and a gyroscope.
In particular embodiments, the one or more sensors 130 are configured to gather data, for example, about the wearer such as the wearer's heart rate, heart electrical activity, brain electrical activity, transdermal activity, tear composition, blood pressure, blood oxygen level, respiratory rate, perspiration level, or blood alcohol concentration, and transmit a signal representative of the data to the at least one processor 132. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 130 are configured to gather data about the distance traveled by the wearer, the steps taken by the wearer, the acceleration of the wearer, and/or an impact sustained by the wearer. The one or more sensors 130, in particular embodiments, may also be configured to gather data such as one or more images, one or more sounds, one or more near-field communications, one or more motions, and/or one or more GPS locations. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 130 are configured to, for example, store the gathered data and transmit the data (e.g., a signal representative of the data) to the at least one processor, which may analyze the data and determine information based on the gathered data. The information may be: (1) provided to one or more medical professionals, for example, to aid in the diagnosis and/or treatment of the wearer; (2) used to predict one or more medical issues associated with the wearer (e.g., the illness or death of the user); and/or (3) used by a third party to take any other suitable action based at least in part on the information.
In particular embodiments, the system is configured to receive input from a user (e.g., a wearer of the eyewear) via one or more gestures, for example, using at least one of the sensors described immediately above. In various embodiments, the system may, for example, be configured to: (1) identify a gesture performed by the user; and (2) at least partially in response to identifying the gesture, perform a function associated with the gesture. In particular embodiments, the system may be configured to perform a particular function in response to identifying a particular gesture, where the particular gesture is associated with the particular function. In particular embodiments, the system may be configured to enable the user to provide one or more gestures for performing a particular function. In such embodiments, the system may, for example: (1) receive a selection of a particular function from the user; (2) receive input of one or more gestures from the user; and (3) associate the particular function with the one or more gestures.
In various embodiments, the one or more gestures may include, for example: (1) one or more hand gestures (e.g., a thumbs up, a wave, two thumbs up, holding up any particular number of fingers, making one or more fists, performing a particular movement with one or more hands, etc.); (2) one or more head movements (e.g., shaking of the user's head, a nod, etc.); (3) one or more eye movements (e.g., looking in a particular direction for a particular period of time, a wink, blinking, blinking in a particular pattern, etc.); (4) one or more facial movements (e.g., a smile, a frown, sticking out of a tongue, etc.); and/or (5) any suitable combination of these or any other suitable gestures.
In particular embodiments, the system is configured to identify the one or more gestures, for example, using a suitable imaging device (e.g., a camera) that is part of the system. In particular embodiments, the imaging device may be directed toward an area in front of the user while the user is wearing the eyewear 100 and configured to identify gestures performed by the user's hands, arms, feet, legs, etc. In other embodiments, the system may include an imaging device directed toward the user's face and/or eyes while the user is wearing the eyewear 100 that is configured to identify gestures performed by the user's face and/or eyes. In other embodiments, the system comprises one or more gyroscopes and/or accelerometers configured to determine a position or change in position of the eyewear 100 while the user is wearing the eyewear. In such embodiments, the one or more gyroscopes and/or accelerometers are configured to identify one or more gestures performed by the user that include one or more gestures that include movement of the user's head. In still other embodiments, the system comprises one or more gyroscopes and/or one or more accelerometers disposed on any other portion of the user's body configured to identify any gesture performed by the user using the other portion of the user's body (e.g., arm, hand, leg, foot, etc.). In various embodiments, the system comprises any other suitable sensor for identifying one or more gestures performed by the user.
Second Temple
In various embodiments, the second temple 114 substantially mirrors the shape of the computerized temple 102. Thus, for purposes of ease of understanding and clarity, only certain parts will be discussed to highlight the differences in the structure and operation of the embodiment shown in
The second temple hinge connection 206 is adapted to be releasably coupled to the eyewear frame second connection receiving end 128 by any suitable second hinge connection 204 (e.g., ball and socket hinge connection, friction fit hinge, screw hinge, spring loaded ball and catch hinge, spring loaded pin and catch hinge, or spring tab and catch hinge). Thus, the second temple 114 is releasably coupled to the eyewear frame 108 at the eyewear frame second end 116 by the coupling of the second hinge connection receiving end 128 to the second temple hinge connection 206 (
Recharging Port
In various embodiments and as described above, the computerized temple 102 contains a power source 134 (
Referring to
In particular embodiments, the charging port recess 217 contains a plate 218 formed from a magnetic, ferromagnetic or paramagnetic material. In embodiments where a magnetic or paramagnetic material is used for the plate 218, the charging connector male portion 214 may be formed from a magnetic material. In this way and referring to
In various embodiments, the plate 218 may be made from a polymer material that forms a front wall of a chamber that is located in the charging port recess 217. A rear wall (not shown) is spaced apart from the sidewall thereby defining a chamber therebetween. The chamber (not shown) can be filled with a paramagnetic fluid. Thus, when the fluid is in the presence of the magnetic force from the magnet on the charging cable connector 210, the paramagnetic fluid exhibits magnetic properties that assist in retaining the charging cable connector 210 in the charging port recess 217.
In various embodiments, use of a paramagnetic material is beneficial since it only exhibits magnetic properties when it is in the presence of a magnetic field (e.g., the magnetic field from male portion 214). Therefore, if the computerized temple contains sensitive magnetic sensors, the paramagnetic material in the charging port 216 will not interfere with the operation of the various sensors since the paramagnetic material loses its magnetism as soon as the magnetic male portion 214 is removed. In various embodiments, the plate 218 may also be formed from a material that turns magnetic when coupled to an electrical source (e.g., an electromagnetic material). In these embodiments, the plate 218 becomes magnetic when the charging cable is couple to the charging port 216 as electricity is passed through the plate 218.
Referring to
Referring to
An exemplary computer device 620 includes a processing device 602, a main memory 604 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) or Rambus DRAM (RDRAM), etc.), a static memory 606 (e.g., flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM), etc.), and a data storage device 618, which communicate with each other via a bus 623.
The processing device 602 represents one or more general-purpose or specific processing devices such as a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), or the like. More particularly, the processing device 602 may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or processor implementing other instruction sets, or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing device 602 may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor, or the like. The processing device 602 may be configured to execute processing logic 626 for performing various operations and steps discussed herein.
The computing device 620 may further include a network interface device 608. The computing device 620 may also include a video display unit 610 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), an alpha-numeric input device 612 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 614 (e.g., a mouse), and a signal generation device 616 (e.g., a speaker).
The data storage device 618 may include a non-transitory computing device-accessible storage medium 630 (also known as a non-transitory computing device-readable storage medium, a non-transitory computing device-readable medium, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium) on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g., software 622) embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The one or more sets of instructions may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory 604 and/or within the processing device 602 during execution thereof by the computing device 620—the main memory 604 and the processing device 602 also constituting computing device-accessible storage media. The one or more sets of instructions may further be transmitted or received over a network 615 via a network interface device 608.
While the computing device-accessible storage medium 630 is shown in an exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term “computing device-accessible storage medium” should be understood to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computing device-accessible storage medium” should also be understood to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the computing device and that causes the computing device to include any one or more of the methodologies of the present invention. The term “computing device-accessible storage medium” should accordingly be understood to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic media, etc.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example, as will be understood by one skilled in the relevant field in light of this disclosure, the invention may take form in a variety of different mechanical and operational configurations. For example, the computerized eyewear temple described in these embodiments may include any other suitable eyewear temple for eyewear, such as, for example, ski or swim goggles, sunglasses, safety goggles or glasses, etc. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and that the modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended exemplary concepts. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purposes of limitation.
