Patent Publication Number: US-2020281332-A1

Title: Wearable electronic device with predetermined locations intended to exceed material stress limits to reduce injury.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a regular U.S. application claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/815,271, entitled Apparatus To Reduce Injury By Dissipating Physical Energy Through Pre-determined Locations Intended To Exceed Material Stress Limits, filed on Mar. 7, 2019, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to wearable electronic devices, and methods of use thereof. Particularly, the disclosure is directed to wearable electronic devices with at least one member formed to rigidly, semi-rigidly, and/or flexibly couple with a portion of the body of a user. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Wearable electronics are an emerging technology with many applications for the wearer. Often these wearables are intended to directly interact with the wearer&#39;s body to help monitor activity within the wearer&#39;s body. Sensors, input devices, or output devices in these wearable electronic devices often require proximity to specific locations on the user to perform the intended function of the wearable. Many of these wearables are manufactured to be formed on specific portions of the user&#39;s body by overlapping or partially overlapping said specific portion of said user. Often, these wearables require sufficient coupling strength or force to prevent inadvertent slippage or movement from the desired location on said user and therefore employ hard or semi-rigid materials. These wearables are intended to be worn for extended periods of time and during various activities. External forces may be applied to the wearable as the user interacts with physical surroundings. If these external forces are sufficiently high, the user may experience injury such as degloving. Degloving may occur when a watch or ring is hooked or snagged with excessive force which transfers the force into the body where the wearable is attached. Similarity, a person wearing a ring may incur a minor injury that elicits an inflammation response whereby the inflammation causes the finger swells against the ring, increasing pressure and restricting blood flow through the finger. In both causes, more severe injury is likely to occur due to the ridge materials used to manufacture these wearables. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a wearable electronic device having at least one pre-formed stress point that is readily broken when subjected to an excessive external force, thereby causing the wearable to separate, preventing said force being transferred to the wearer. 
     In one embodiment, the wearable comprises a hard or semi-rigid member, an electronic device housed within, and a first axial pre-formed stress point such that the member will break at said pre-formed stress point when said member is subjected to a predetermined load. 
     In one embodiment, the wearable comprises a hard or semi-rigid annual member, an electronic device housed within, and a first axial pre-formed stress point such that the member will break at said pre-formed stress point when said member is subjected to a predetermined load. 
     In one embodiment, the wearable comprises a hard or semi-rigid member, an electronic device housed within, and a first radial pre-formed stress point such that said member will break at said pre-formed stress point when said member is subjected to a predetermined load. 
     In one embodiment, the wearable comprises a hard or semi-rigid annual member, an electronic device housed within, and a first radial pre-formed stress point such that said member will break at said pre-formed stress point when said member is subjected to a predetermined load. 
     In one embodiment, the wearable comprises a first interior bounding annual member formed of sufficiently low-strength hard or semi-rigid material, a second exterior bounding annual member formed of sufficiently high-strength hard or semi-rigid material, an electronic device housed within, and a first axial pre-formed stress point formed in said second member such that both first and second members will break at said pre-formed stress point when first or second member is subjected to a predetermined load. 
     In one embodiment, the wearable comprises a first interior bounding annual member formed of hard or semi-rigid material, a second exterior bounding annual member formed of hard or semi-rigid material, an electronic device housed within, and a first axial pre-formed stress point formed in said first member, a second axial pre-formed stress point formed in said second member, such that second pre-formed stress point is planarity aligned with first pre-formed stress point, such that when said first or said second member is subjected to a predetermined load, both said first member and said second member will experience material stress greater than the ultimate strength of said first member material and said second member material, causing the annual members to separate at the said first pre-formed stress point and said second pre-formed stress point, simultaneously. 
     In accordance with yet a further aspect of the present invention, the pre-formed stress point comprises a cross-sectional area of reduced material. 
     Further, the reduction in cross-sectional area may be formed with sufficiently small radii thereby selectively increasing localized material stress when said pre-formed stress point is subjected to bending forces. 
     The embodiments of the invention may be formed during the creation of the device, including but not limited to, forging, molding, stamping, and 3D printing. Further, the embodiments of the invention may be added during subsequent manufacturing processing, including but not limited to sawing, milling, and shaping. 
     Additionally, variation in wearer&#39;s body and portions of the wearer&#39;s body, may require adjustment to the pre-formed stress point locations and a multiplicity of pre-formed stress point locations. Example, a user with more fragile fingers may require a very low predetermined load able to separate a wearable device when compared to a user with relatively less fragile fingers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 1B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 1C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line A-A of  FIG. 1B ; 
         FIG. 2A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line B-B of  FIG. 2B ; 
         FIG. 3A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 3B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 3C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line C-C of  FIG. 3B ; 
         FIG. 4A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 4B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 4C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line D-D of  FIG. 4B ; 
         FIG. 5A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 5B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 5C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line E-E of  FIG. 5B ; 
         FIG. 6A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 6B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 6C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line F-F of  FIG. 6B ; 
         FIG. 7A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 7B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 7C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line G-G of  FIG. 7B ; 
         FIG. 8A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 8B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 8C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line H-H of  FIG. 8B ; 
         FIG. 9A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 9B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 9C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line J-J of  FIG. 9B ; 
         FIG. 10A  is a top side view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 10B  is a front view of the wearable according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
         FIG. 10C  is a cross section of the wearable along the line K-K of  FIG. 10B ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention substantially coupled to a portion of the body of a user according to one or more aspects of the disclosure; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A detailed description of the hereinafter described embodiments of the disclosed apparatus are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures. Although certain embodiments are shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of embodiments of the present invention. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1A ,  FIG. 1B , and  FIG. 1C , a wearable device  100  includes a member  101  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, an electronic device  102  housed within, an interior surface  120  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  101  having formed within, a first axial pre-formed V-channel  111  such that internal stress of member  101  will exceed the ultimate material stress at pre-formed V-channel  111  when member  101  is subjected to external load which imparts tensile stresses in pre-formed channel  111 , such as bending moment aligned to the axial orientation of interior surface  120 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2A ,  FIG. 2B , and  FIG. 2C , a wearable device  200  includes an annual member  201  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, an electronic device  202  housed within, an interior surface  220  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  201  having formed within, a first axial pre-formed V-channel  211 , a second axial pre-formed V-channel  212 , a third axial pre-formed V-channel  213 , a fourth axial pre-formed V-channel  214 , such that internal stress of member  201  will exceed the ultimate material stress limit at pre-formed V-channel  211 ,  212 ,  213 ,  214  when member  201  is subjected to external load which imparts tensile stresses in pre-formed channel  211 ,  212 ,  213 ,  214 , such as bending moment aligned to the axial orientation of interior surface  220 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 3A ,  FIG. 3B , and  FIG. 3C , a wearable device  300  includes a member  301  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, an electronic device  302  housed within, an interior surface  320  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  301  having formed within, a first radial pre-formed V-channel  311 , a second radial pre-formed V-channel  312 , such that internal stress of member  301  will exceed the ultimate material stress limit at pre-formed V-channel  311 ,  312 , when member  301  is subjected to external load which imparts tensile stresses in pre-formed channel  211 ,  212 , such as bending moment orthogonal to the axial orientation of interior surface  320 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4A ,  FIG. 4B , and  FIG. 4C , a wearable device  400  includes an annual member  401  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, an electronic device  402  housed within, an interior surface  420  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  401  having formed within, a first radial pre-formed V-channel  411 , a second radial pre-formed V-channel  413  planarly aligned to  411 , a third radial pre-formed V-channel  412 , such that internal stress of member  401  will exceed the ultimate material stress limit at pre-formed V-channel  411 ,  412 ,  413 , when member  401  is subjected to external load which imparts tensile stresses in pre-formed channel  411 ,  412 ,  413 , such as bending moment orthogonal to the axial orientation of interior surface  320 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5A ,  FIG. 5B , and  FIG. 5C , a wearable device  500  includes a first annual member  501  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, a second annual member  503  made of a hard or semi-rigid material, an electronic device  502  housed within, an interior surface  520  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  501  having formed within, a first axial pre-formed V-channel  511 , a second axial pre-formed V-channel  512 , a third axial pre-formed V-channel  513 , a fourth axial pre-formed V-channel  514 , such that internal stress of member  501  will exceed the ultimate material stress at pre-formed V-channel  511 ,  512 ,  513 ,  514 , and that internal stress of member  503  will exceed the ultimate material stress limit in close proximity to at pre-formed V-channel  511 ,  512 ,  513 ,  514 , when member  501  is subjected to external load which imparts tensile stresses in pre-formed channel  511 ,  512 ,  513 ,  514 , such as bending moment aligned to the axial orientation of interior surface  520 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 6A ,  FIG. 6B , and  FIG. 6C , a wearable device  600  includes a first annual member  601  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, a second annual member  603  made of a hard or semi-rigid material, at least one electronic device  602  housed within, an interior surface  620  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  601  having formed within, at least one axial pre-formed V-channel  612 , Member  603  having formed within, at least one axial pre-formed V-channel  614  planarly aligned with pre-formed V-channel  612 , such that internal stress of member  501  will exceed the ultimate material stress at pre-formed V-channel  612 , and that internal stress of member  603  will exceed the ultimate material stress limit at pre-formed V-channel  614 , when member  601  or member  603  is subjected to external load which imparts tensile stresses in pre-formed channels  612 , and pre-formed channel  614 , such as bending moment aligned to the axial orientation of interior surface  620 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 7A ,  FIG. 7B ,  FIG. 7C , a wearable device  700  includes a first annual member  701  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, a second annual member  703  made of a hard or semi-rigid material with lower ultimate strength relative to member  701 , at least one electronic device  702  housed within, an interior surface  720  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  701  having formed within, a first channel  712 , a second channel  711  aligned to channel  712  to form a cross-sectional area of reduced material  716 . Cross-sectional area  716  is sufficiently small, such that predetermined external tensile forces, bending forces, compressive forces, and torsional forces acting on member  701  or member  703  will impart internal stress in close proximity to reduced cross-sectional area  716 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 8A ,  FIG. 8B ,  FIG. 8C , a wearable device  800  includes a first annual member  801  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, a second annual member  803  made of a hard or semi-rigid material with lower ultimate strength relative to member  801 , at least one electronic device  802  housed within, an interior surface  820  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  801  having formed within, a first channel  812 , a second channel  811  aligned to channel  812  to form a cross-sectional area of reduced material  816 . Reduced cross-sectional area  816  is relatively smaller compared to reduced cross-sectional area  716 , such that wearable device  800  will separate at lower external forces compared to similar forces applied to device  700 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 9A ,  FIG. 9B ,  FIG. 9C , a wearable device  900  includes a first annual member  901  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, a second annual member  903  made of a hard or semi-rigid material, at least one electronic device  902  housed within, an interior surface  920  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  901  having formed within, a first channel  912 , a second channel  911  aligned to channel  912  to form a cross-sectional area of reduced material  916 . Further, channels  911  and  912  are formed with relatively small radii  913  and  914  when compared to radii  813  and  814 , such that internal stress of member  901  will exceed the ultimate material stress limit at pre-formed  913  and  914 , when member  901  is subjected to a predetermined external load that would otherwise not exceed the ultimate material stress limit at pre-formed  813  and  814 , when member  801  is subjected to a similar predetermined external load. 
     With reference to  FIG. 10A ,  FIG. 10B ,  FIG. 10C , a wearable device  1000  includes a first annual member  1001  made of a hard or semi-rigid material such as metal or plastic, a second annual member  1003  made of a hard or semi-rigid material, at least one electronic device  1002  housed within, an interior surface  1020  intended to substantially couple with a portion of the body of a user. Member  1001  having formed within, a first channel  1012 , forming a cross-sectional area of reduced material  1016 , a second channel  1013 , radially opposed to channel  1012 , forming a cross-sectional area of reduced material  1015 , such that 
     when member  1001  or member  1003  is subjected to a predetermined external load which imparts tensile stresses in channels  1012 , internal material stress of member  1003  will exceed the ultimate material stress of member  1003  allowing the device  1000  to separate. 
     With reference to  FIG. 11 , a wearable device  100  is substantially coupled to a portion of the body of the user  2001 , such that the device  100  grips the portion of the body with sufficient strength or force without inadvertent slippage.