Apple has filed for a patent (number 20210304938) for a “headband for head-mounted device.” It involves the rumored “Apple Glasses,” an augmented reality/virtual reality heads-mounted display (HMD).
About the patent filing
Head-mounted devices that display computer-generated reality content may include a housing and a structure that allows the housing to be held in place near the eyes of the user. One example of such a structure is, not surprisingly, a headband.
Apple wants a headband on its Apple Glasses to be comfortable. The tech giant also wants it to be easily movable between a connected position and a disconnected position.
Summary of the patent filing
Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “A head-mounted device includes a device housing, a display device, an optical system, and a headband. The head-mounted device also includes a first headband connector that includes a headband-side connector portion that is connected to the headband at a first end of the headband and a device-side connector portion that is connected to the device housing.
“The first headband connector is movable between a disconnected position, in which the headband-side connector portion is disconnected from the device-side connector portion, and a connected position, in which the headband-side connector portion is connected to the device-side connector portion. The first headband connector also includes paired magnetic components that are configured to attract the headband-side connector portion and the device-side connector portion to one another to urge the first headband connector to move to the connected position.”
About Apple Glasses
When it comes to Apple Glasses, such a device will arrive in 2022 or 2023, depending on which rumor you believe. It will be a head-mounted display. Or may have a design like “normal” glasses. Or it may be eventually be available in both. The Apple Glasses may or may not have to be tethered to an iPhone to work. Other rumors say that Apple Glasses could have a cU.S.tom-build Apple chip and a dedicated operating system dubbed “rOS” for “reality operating system.”
FIG. 2 is a top view illustration that shows the head-mounted device with a headband in a disconnected position with respect to a device housing.
