Earlier this month, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Google regarding a graphical user interface for portables and wearables in particular. Google's patent application states that "A portable computer terminal, such as a wristwatch having a processor and memory, may be operatively coupled to a computing device, such as a smart phone, tablet, etc., using wireless communication via Bluetooth or NFC." The device is obviously touch based to control the UI. The inventors are all noted as coming from Zurich, Switzerland, home of the greatest watch brands in the world. Whether Google acquired the patent from these inventors or hired experts from Zurich to design a watch for them is unknown at this time.
Google Introduces Android Wear
Yesterday, Google introduced their Android Wear Developer Preview.
The Android Wear Related Patent
Google's patent FIG.1 provides us with an overview of the portable/wearable system. According to Google's filing, the "Portable Computer Terminal #12" shown above is that of a smartwatch which could include 3 or 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC radios for communication.
Google notes that the watch will be able to receive input from users through tactile, visual or audio feedback as it may utilize a voice response system. This feature is noted in Google's video.
Google further notes that a "horizontal swipe gesture may be a different type of gesture than a vertical swipe gesture. In some examples, a horizontal swipe gesture in a first direction may be a different type of gesture than a horizontal swipe gesture in a second direction that is different than the first direction. Thus, different types of gestures may vary based on the motion, speed, direction, etc.
Prioritized Apps
Considering that a smartwatch has little display real-estate, apps will be restrictive to some degree. To better organize watch apps, Google introduces the concept of priority apps.
Google notes that "In some examples, applications executing on a smartwatch (portable computer terminal 12) may be arranged as a prioritized group of applications or a "stack" of applications.
In some examples, applications may be associated with priority values that are specified by a user or by another application. In some examples, the priority values may indicate a relevance of information received by the smartwatch.
In one example, the applications may be prioritized based at least in part on priority values associated with information for each of the applications. Therefore, the priority of applications may change as new information is received from an Android smartphone (e.g., information indicating higher and lower priorities such as severe weather, an urgent email, etc.).
Obviously if you have your smartphone set to display weather for 7 days, the watch will prioritize the data for a single day rather than a 7 day period.
Google's patent FIG. 3 noted below is a conceptual diagram illustrating navigation of information to display different degrees of specificity of information, in accordance with techniques of the invention using horizontal and vertical swipes.
The Possible use of a Magnet
Another tiny detail related to the watch is that Google or their Android alliance OEM's may be able to design the watch with a magnetized back plate that could be affixed to an appliance, such as a refrigerator, washing machine or other appliance and/or metal device. Alternatively, Google states that the watch may also be able to be pinned to clothing and/or used as a button for clothing.
The US Patent Office published Google's patent application earlier this month. Google originally filed their patent application in the US back in Q3 2012. Interestingly, all of the inventors noted in the patent application are from Zurich, Switzerland – the home of the great watch makers of the world.
Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a product to market is unknown at this time.
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