The present invention relates to jewellery, and more particularly, to a wireless connected jewellery device.
Jewellery is a personal decorative ornament that is used by a person to enhance appearance of the person. The jewellery can be worn on the body of the person or on clothes of the person. Different types of jewellery are worn at different parts of the body. For example, a necklace is worn over a neck to enhance the appearance of the neck and face, an earring is worn in ears to enhance the appearance of the ears and face, and a bracelet is worn on the hand to improve the appearance of the hand. Similarly, a brooch is worn on the clothes near to a chest of the person to improve the overall appearance of the person.
In recent past, people have attempted to use jewellery for different or additional applications. In some applications, people have attempted to design an electronic device as a jewellery. In other applications, people have attempted to incorporate different systems in the jewellery to use the jewellery for additional applications. Some of such applications having the different systems include a bracelet that operates as an activity tracker, and rings on the finger that can operate as a notification or alert device by buzzing. However, such jewellery can have limited function, be large, heavy, uncomfortable, and unattractive to wear, creating barriers to adoption by the consumer and not delivering on the full potential of the device.
One such example is a pair of earring incorporating a wireless earphone that includes an in-ear speaker earbud, a casing including components of the wireless earpiece and hanging from the ear, a fastener to couple the wireless earpiece to the ear, a main body to couple the fastener to the in-ear speaker earbud, and a microphone portion at one end of the casing. However, such earphone isolates the person from the surroundings and results in accident. Furthermore, wearing such earrings with the in-ear speaker earbuds results in ear pain for the person. Different people have different ear sizes, due to which the in-ear placement of the speaker earbuds leads to improper fit of the in-ear speaker buds in different people. Additionally, due to the in-ear placement of the Bluetooth earbuds, the Bluetooth wireless wave source is closer to the brain of the person, which may lead to prolonged exposure to electro-magnetic waves resulting in health issues. Positioning of the microphone in such wireless earpiece requires the person to move the microphone closer to the mouth each time for speaking and maintain such position during the call. Such positioning and movement of the microphone requires human intervention that is uncomfortable and awkward.
Hence, the one or more aforementioned issues prevent people from using the wireless earpiece when needed, due to which these issues need to be addressed.
In accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure, a wireless connected jewellery device is provided. The wireless connected jewellery device includes a pair of earrings. The pair of earrings includes a first earring. The first earring includes a first casing. The first casing physically coupled with a first earlobe of a first ear through a hook or post with backing. The first casing includes a sound production system located outside a first ear canal on the first earlobe and proximate to an intertragical notch of the first ear. The first earring also includes a second casing operatively coupled with the first casing using a first conducting material. The second casing includes a first microphone device located proximate to the first ear and configured to receive voice signals. The first earring further includes a transceiver antenna proximate to the first ear and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The transceiver antenna can be located in a third smaller casing which resides between the first and second casing. The pair of earrings also includes a second earring. The second earring includes a third casing coupled with a second earlobe of a second ear and a fourth casing coupled with the third casing using a second conducting material. The third casing and the fourth casing includes a plurality of transducers is configured to perform a corresponding one or more functions.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wireless connected jewellery device is provided. The wireless connected jewellery device includes one or more earrings, each earring comprising one or more casings coupled with a first earlobe of an ear. The one or more casings in the one or more earrings includes a sound production system located outside a first ear canal and proximate to an intertragical notch or proximate to the tragus of the ear. The one or more casings in the one or more earrings also includes a microphone device located proximate to the ear and is configured to receive voice signals. The one or more casings in the one or more earrings further includes a transceiver antenna located proximate to the ear and is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The one or more casings in the one or more earrings further includes a plurality of transducers. Each of the plurality of transducers is configured to perform a corresponding function.
To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will follow by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the appended figures.
The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:
Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present invention.
The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures or components preceded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional sub-systems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting.
In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a wireless connected jewellery device is provided. The wireless connected jewellery device includes a pair of earrings. The pair of earrings includes a first earring. The first earring includes a first casing. The first casing physically coupled with a first earlobe of a first ear. The first casing includes a sound production system located outside a first ear canal on the first earlobe and proximate to an intertragical notch of the first ear.
The first earring also includes a second casing operatively coupled with the first casing using a first conducting material. The second casing includes a first microphone device located proximate to the first ear and is configured to receive voice signals. The first earring further includes a transceiver antenna proximate to the first ear and is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. The pair of earring also includes a second earring. The second earring includes a third casing coupled with a second earlobe of a second ear and a fourth casing coupled with the third casing using a second conducting material. The third casing and the fourth casing includes a plurality of transducers is configured to perform a corresponding one or more functions.
The first earring 50 also includes a second casing 110, where the second casing 110 is operatively coupled with the first casing 70 using a first conducting material 120. The pair of earrings 40 also includes a second earring 60. The second earring 60 includes a third casing 130 coupled with a second earlobe 140 of the second ear 20 and a fourth casing 150 coupled with the third casing 130 using a second conducting material 160. Conductive material 120 and 160 connecting the casings in the two earrings may include components on conducting material such as wireless antenna and the conductive material may be enclosed in a smaller casing.
In some embodiments, the first casing 70 may include an audio channel design 180 configured to contain and direct a plurality of sound waves generated by the sound production system 170 to the intertragical notch 100 as shown in
Referring back to
In some embodiments, the second casing 110 of the first earring 50 may include a rechargeable battery 210 and an onboard charging circuit 220. In such embodiments, the onboard charging circuit 220 may be operatively coupled to the rechargeable battery 210 and may be configured to transfer power from a power source to the rechargeable battery 210. In one embodiment, the rechargeable battery 210 may be recharged independent of the first earring 50. In another embodiment, the onboard charging circuit 220 may include a universal serial bus (USB) port 225 or a pin charging system 225. In a specific embodiment, the rechargeable battery 210 may be positioned behind the onboard charging circuit 220.
In one embodiment, the second casing 110 of the first earring 50 may include a Bluetooth device 230. The Bluetooth device 230 may be communicatively coupled to an external communication device. In one embodiment, illustrated by
In addition, the first earring 50 also includes a transceiver antenna 240 proximate to the first ear 10. The transceiver antenna 240 is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals. In one embodiment, the transceiver antenna 240 may be located proximate to the first ear 10 at a distance of at least 1 inch from the brain. In another embodiment, the transceiver antenna 240 may be located on the first conducting material 120. In yet another embodiment, the transceiver antenna 240 may be located on the flexible board. In yet another embodiment, the transceiver antenna 240 may be enclosed in one or more casings to avoid disturbances.
Furthermore, the second earring 60 includes a third casing 250 coupled with a second earlobe 140 of the second ear 20 and a fourth casing 270 coupled with the third casing 250 using the second conducting material 160. In one embodiment, the second conducting material 160 may include a litz wire or a flexible board. In a specific embodiment, the first conducting material 120 and second conducting material 160 may include a ring shape or a bead shape to reduce twisting and movement of the pair of earrings 40 during walking and may house the antenna.
The third casing 250 and the fourth casing 270 includes a plurality of transducers 280 configured to perform corresponding one or more functions. In one embodiment, the plurality of transducers 280 may include one or more biometric sensors. The one or more biometric sensors convert a biometric measurement of a person into an electrical signal. In a specific embodiment, the one or more biometric sensor may include a face recognition sensor, a fingerprint sensor, a hand geometry sensor, an Iris recognition sensor and a voice recognition sensor.
In another embodiment, the plurality of transducers 280 may include one or more environmental sensors. The one or more environmental sensors convert environmental parameters such as air, temperature, humidity or pressure to an electrical signal. In a specific embodiment, the one or more environmental sensors may include such a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a CO2 level sensor or an accelerometer.
In yet another embodiment, the plurality of transducers 280 may include a haptic sensor configured to enable the connection between the wireless connected jewellery device and the external communication device. In such embodiments, the haptic sensor may be located at any of the casings of the pair earrings 40. In one embodiment, the plurality of transducers 280 includes a heart rate sensor, a skin sensor or an activity monitoring sensor.
In some embodiments, the fourth casing 270 of the second earring 60 may include a low energy Bluetooth device 290. The low energy Bluetooth device 290 is configured to enable the communication between the pair of earrings 40.
In a specific embodiment, the second casing 270 may include a memory 300 configured to store data from a duration of time obtained from the plurality of transducers 280. In another embodiment, the second casing 270 may include a processor 310 configured to process data obtained from the plurality of transducers 280.
In some embodiments, one or more components of the second casing 110 of the first earring 50 may be located in the first casing 70 of the first earring 50. Similarly, in another embodiment, one or more components of the fourth casing 270 of the second earring 60 may be located in the third casing 250 of the second earring 60.
In one embodiment, the first casing 70 and the second casing 110 of the first earring 50 and the third casing 250 and the fourth casing 270 of the second earring 60 may be composed of a specially formulated plastic with custom optimized coatings.
Also, the one or more casings include a transceiver antenna 390 substantially similar to the transceiver antenna 240 of
Furthermore, the one or more casings includes a plurality of transducers 420 substantially similar to the plurality of transducers 280 of
The second casing 480 includes a microphone device 510, a plurality of transducers 520, a transceiver antenna 530, a memory 540, a processor 550, a Bluetooth device 560, a rechargeable battery 570 and a charging circuit 580 which is substantially similar to the first microphone device 190, the plurality of transducers 280, the transceiver antenna 240, the memory 300, the processor 310, the Bluetooth device 230, the rechargeable battery 210 and the onboard charging circuit 220 of
The various embodiments of the wireless connected jewellery device described above enable the audio channel design to directly transfer the plurality of sound waves to the ear canal. Hence, the device has less potential to cause health issues due to the prolonged exposure to electro-magnetic waves very close to the brain.
Also, the device is very light weight, and permeable to the wireless electromagnetic waves. The small spherical or cuboidal shape of device makes the casing area smaller and the device lighter and is easier to wear anchored to the earlobe.
Furthermore, the third casing of the one or more earrings may be used to house a transceiver antenna which reduces the overall weight of the earring and increases the range of the Bluetooth.
Moreover, the wireless connected jewellery device is wearable on the earlobes and has no connection to the ear canal. Hence, the device does not cause ear canal pain for the wearer. Further, such device does not isolate the person from the surroundings. Surrounding sound being blocked off by the earbuds have caused traffic accidents and other types of accidents.
The wireless connected jewellery device is wearable on the earlobes and has no connection with the ear sizes of different people. Hence, such device has no size constraint for different people of different ear canal sizes.
Additionally, the microphone in the one or more casings is located facing forward towards the mouth to receive spoken sound waves. Hence, there is no need to move the microphone closer to the mouth each time for speaking and maintain such position during the call.
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.
While specific language has been used to describe the invention, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.
The present invention claims priority to a U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/452,915 filed on Jan. 31, 2017, disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety at least by reference.
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Number | Date | Country |
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102016110347 | Jun 2016 | DE |
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English machine translation of DE 102016110347 (Year: 2016). |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20190222914 A1 | Jul 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62452915 | Jan 2017 | US |