Apple has filed for a patent for “Watch Bands With Adjustable Fit.” It’s for Apple Watch bands that can be provided with an ability to dynamically adjust the fit of a watch against a wrist of a user. One or more of a variety of tensioners can be provided with a shape-memory alloy that responds to a stimulus to adjust a fit of the band. Such stimulus can be from user or actively applied by the watch.
In the patent filing Apple says that many cases, watch bands may have limited fit adjustment increments available. For example, some bands have an incrementally user-adjustable size (e.g., a buckling clasp, pin and eyelet, etc.) whereas other bands have a substantially fixed size, adjustable only with specialized tools and/or expertise (e.g., folding clasp, deployment clasp, snap-fit clasp, etc.). Still other bands may be elasticated expansion-type bands that stretch to fit around a user’s wrist.
Apple says that, in many cases, conventional watch bands may catch, pinch, or pull a user’s hair or skin during use if the band is overly tight. In other cases, watch bands may slide along a user’s wrist, turn about a user’s wrist, or may be otherwise uncomfortable or bothersome to a user if the band is overly loose.
These problems can be exacerbated during periods of heightened activity, such as while running or playing sports. What’s more, adjusting the size or fit of conventional watch bands often requires multiple steps, specialized tools, and/or technical expertise. In other cases, sizing options available to a user may be insufficient to obtain a proper fit.
In still further examples, the fit may be different and/or may be perceived to be different given certain environmental (e.g. temperature, humidity) or biological conditions (e.g., sweat, inflammation). As a result, users of conventional wristwatches and/or fitness/health tracking devices may select a tolerable (although not optimally comfortable) fit, reserving tight bands for fitness/health tracking devices and loose bands for conventional wristwatches.
For these reasons, Apple says there’s a need for systems and methods for dynamic adjustment of the fit of smart watch bands.
