Another Apple Watch patent includes a battery band; oddly, shows the round watch design
Donald E. McNamara
2 min read
With multi-day battery life on the wishlist of many Apple Watch owners, it’s no surprise that Apple is at least considering making available a battery strip that could potentially allow the laptop to spend several days between. the charges. This would be especially useful for those who want to use the watch to track sleep in addition to their usual daytime tasks.
The company recently obtained a patent for a multi-function band that could include power, and AI spotted a new patent application – filed in 2015 but published only today – that deals specifically with power …
The patent describes a battery system integrated into a band that could power the watch via the existing inductive charging coils.
A portable electrical device for a portable electronic device includes one or more conductors, one or more batteries connected to the conductor, and / or an inductive coil that attaches to the portable electronic device to inductively transmit battery energy to the portable electronic device. , such as when the portable electronic device is worn. The electrical apparatus may have attachment mechanisms that attach to a strap coupled to the portable electronic device. Alternatively or additionally, the feed apparatus may be at least partially embedded in the web.
The patent illustration above shows something similar to the existing charging washer, but in the much thinner form factor that would be required to make it comfortable to wear under the watch. The openings inside would allow the existing heart rate monitor to continue to function.
As a neat design feature, the bracelet itself is also inductively charged using the same charger as the watch itself. As always, it’s unclear whether or not the idea will become an actual product.
A peculiarity of the patent application is that the illustration represents a round watch rather than the square form factor of the existing product. Apple frequently uses very generic illustrations of things like smartphones and laptops, rather than emulating specific products, in line with its policy of making its parent apps as broad as possible. In other cases, patent applications predate the launch of the products for which they are intended, when the final form factor may not have been decided.
In this case, however, the claim was filed after the launch of the Apple Watch, and specifically addresses – and illustrates – the actual watch’s heart rate sensor. It is therefore particularly strange that the company shows a design that is different from the real thing.
Chances are this is just a generic image that was then supposed to meet a specific design feature of the current model, but the shape can still cause speculation. What are your opinions? A meaningless quirk, or a sign that Apple is considering different Watch form factors in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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