Invented by von Badinski; Curt C., Strasser; Michael J., Twiss; Peter

Wearable technology is changing how we track our health and interact with our devices. Today, let’s take a close look at a new patent for a wearable ring device. We’ll break down what’s happening in this space, the science behind the invention, and what makes this ring device so special. By the end, you’ll have a clear, simple understanding of why this smart ring is important and what it could mean for the future.

Background and Market Context

Wearable technology has become a big part of daily life. From smartwatches that count steps to fitness bands that track sleep, people want to know more about their health and want easy ways to interact with technology. But most of these devices are still worn on the wrist or clipped to clothes. They can be big, sometimes awkward, and not always comfortable for long-term use.

The market for wearables is booming. People want devices that are small, stylish, and packed with features. Health and wellness are at the center of this trend. More people want to track things like heart rate, body temperature, sleep quality, and blood oxygen. On top of health, there’s a growing appetite for devices that work as keys, payment methods, or remote controls for smart homes and cars.

But there’s a problem: the wearables we use now have limits. Fitness bands and smartwatches can get in the way, especially when you’re working, sleeping, or playing sports. Many don’t fit well under tight sleeves or gloves. They also need to be charged often, and their sensors sometimes lose contact with the skin, making their readings less accurate.

That’s why companies are looking for new ways to make wearables smaller, smarter, and easier to wear all the time. The finger is a great place for sensors: it has steady blood flow, is always moving, and is usually uncovered. A ring-shaped device gives constant contact with the skin and can be worn day and night without getting in the way. It can track health data better, stay charged longer, and still look like a normal ring.

In short, the market wants a wearable that is small, stylish, accurate, and always ready to go. This is where the new wearable ring device comes in. It aims to solve the problems of current wearables by putting powerful sensors and smart features into a simple ring.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

To understand why this new ring device is important, let’s first talk about what came before it and the science behind how these devices work.

Older wearables, like wristbands and watches, use sensors to measure heart rate, skin temperature, and movement. They usually use light sensors (like LEDs and photodiodes) to shine light into the skin and measure how much comes back. This helps figure out the heart rate and blood oxygen. But these devices often bounce around on the wrist, so the readings can be off. Also, the wrist isn’t the best place to track certain health signals. The skin is thicker, and the blood vessels are deeper than on the finger.

Researchers have found that the finger is a better spot for these measurements. The skin is thinner and there are more tiny blood vessels close to the surface. This makes it easier for the sensors to “see” the blood as it moves, giving better data for things like pulse and blood oxygen. But it’s hard to fit all the needed parts—battery, sensors, circuit boards—into a tiny ring that’s still comfortable to wear.

Older smart rings tried to do this, but they often had trade-offs. Some could measure heart rate but not skin temperature, or they had to be big and heavy to fit in a battery. Others couldn’t be worn in the shower or while swimming, so people had to take them off, losing data and risking damage. Most rings couldn’t recharge easily, and some had open seams that let in water or sweat.

The science behind these rings is also tricky. LEDs need to be close to the skin, and the light sensors must be shielded from outside light. The battery has to be curved to fit the ring shape, and the circuit board must bend without breaking. Potting materials (like special epoxies) are used to seal the electronics and keep them safe from water, but they have to be safe for skin contact and clear enough to let light through.

Other patents in this area have tried different solutions. Some used windows in the ring to let light in or out, but these could be weak points that break or let in water. Others used flat batteries, but these didn’t fit well or didn’t last long. Some tried using inductive charging (like wireless phone chargers), but the metal ring could block the signals and make charging slow.

So, the main problems in earlier designs were:

• Getting accurate health readings in a small, wearable device
• Making the device comfortable enough to wear all the time
• Protecting the sensors and electronics from water, sweat, and bumps
• Making the device easy to charge, preferably without wires
• Keeping the device stylish and customizable

The new wearable ring device patent builds on all this science and past work. It brings together the best ideas and adds new ways to solve the old problems. Let’s see how.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

The patented wearable ring device is a leap forward in smart wearable design. It is meant to be worn on a finger, just like a normal ring, but it packs complex technology in a slim, stylish form.

The heart of the invention is the way it puts together all its parts: a curved battery, a printed circuit board, and a set of tiny sensors, all sealed inside a strong metal housing and surrounded by a special potting material. Here’s how it works—and why it’s smart:

1. Housing and Potting: How Everything Fits

The ring has an external metal shell, which gives it the look and feel of a real ring. Inside, there are small flanges that help hold everything in place. The inside is filled with a potting material—like a clear epoxy—that covers the battery, circuit board, and sensors. This potting acts like a shield, keeping out water and dust, and making the ring very strong. The potting is also safe for skin contact, so it won’t cause irritation.

This potting is more than just glue. It also forms the inside surface of the ring, which touches your skin. It’s smooth and comfortable, and because it’s clear, it lets light from the sensors pass through without changing the readings.

2. Curved Battery: Power in a Small Space

One big challenge in smart rings is fitting a battery inside. This invention uses a curved battery that matches the ring’s shape. It hugs the inside of the ring, saving space and allowing the other electronics to fit neatly. The battery lasts a long time and can be recharged in several ways.

3. Flexible Printed Circuit Board (PCB): The Brain of the Ring

The ring uses a flexible PCB, which is like a bendy version of the boards inside your phone or computer. The PCB wraps around the inside of the ring, so all the electronic parts fit in the curved space. Special stiffener pieces help hold the board in place, and folding parts let it fit different ring sizes.

4. Sensors: Smart Health Tracking

The ring has several tiny sensors, including:

• An accelerometer for detecting movement and gestures
• A temperature sensor for checking skin temperature
• Two LEDs—one for visible light, one for infrared or near-infrared—to shine light into your finger
• Light sensors to catch the light that bounces back, helping measure your heart rate and blood oxygen

The light from the LEDs goes through the clear potting and into your skin. The light sensors measure how much light comes back, which changes as your heart beats and blood flows. The ring can also measure blood oxygen by looking at how different colors of light are absorbed by your blood.

5. Smart Processing and Feedback

Tiny processors inside the ring handle all the data from the sensors. They can process light readings to get heart rate and blood oxygen, analyze motion to detect gestures (like pointing, snapping, or knocking), and even adjust how often they take readings to save battery. If you’re just sitting still or sleeping, the ring slows down its sampling. If you start running, it speeds up.

The ring can also have small actuators inside to give haptic (vibration) feedback. This way, it can nudge you if you get a message or alert, or guide you with a gentle buzz.

6. Wireless Communication

The ring has a built-in wireless chip, often using Bluetooth, so it can talk to your phone, watch, or computer. It sends health data, alerts, or gesture commands. For example, you can point your finger to control a smart home device, or snap your fingers to unlock a phone or door.

The ring can also store data for a whole week, so if you leave your phone at home, it will still keep track of your health. When you reconnect, it syncs everything automatically.

7. Charging and Power Management

Charging is easy and clever. The ring can use:

• Concentrated light charging: A special base station shines focused light into the ring, and tiny solar cells inside turn it into power.
• Inductive charging: Like a wireless phone charger, but specially designed so the metal ring doesn’t block the signal.
• Thermoelectric charging: It can harvest a little power from the difference between your body heat and the air.

The ring can also have a small port for wired charging, or use a clip-on charger. All these methods are made easy by the way the ring is built, with windows and clear potting that let energy in and out.

8. Security and Personalization

The ring can identify you by scanning the small blood vessels in your finger with its sensors, creating a “capillary map.” This is a secure way to make sure only you can use the ring for unlocking doors, making payments, or controlling devices. It can even use gestures as a second password—like a secret hand signal.

If you take off the ring, it can sense the change in temperature and light and lock itself, keeping your data safe. If you want to reset the ring, you can spin it or do a special movement to wipe your info.

9. Customization and Comfort

The ring comes in many sizes, just like real jewelry. There are tools and even smartphone apps that help you measure your finger for a perfect fit. The metal housing can be made from safe, skin-friendly materials like stainless steel, titanium, or even gold. The outside can be plain, shiny, or decorated, and the potting can be clear or tinted for style.

10. Integration with Other Devices

The ring can work with a companion app on your phone, showing you health stats, sleep patterns, or alerts. It can also connect with smart home systems, car locks, payment terminals, or fitness equipment.

Special features include:

• Using gestures to control lights, appliances, or even your TV
• Sending alerts to loved ones if you fall or your health data is outside normal ranges
• Pairing with other rings worn by friends or family for proximity alerts or sharing data

11. Waterproof, Durable, and Always On

Because the electronics are sealed in tough potting and a metal shell, the ring is waterproof, dustproof, and tough enough for sports, showers, and sleep. You never have to take it off, so it collects continuous, high-quality data.

12. Modular and Future Ready

The design makes it easy to add new sensors or swap out parts for upgrades. As new health sensors or communication chips come out, the ring can be updated with new features.

What Sets This Invention Apart?

The genius of this wearable ring is in how it brings everything together. It solves the big problems of earlier devices: fitting all the needed parts into a small, stylish ring, keeping the sensors in close contact with the skin, protecting everything from water and bumps, making charging simple, and allowing for lots of new health and gesture features.

By combining a curved battery, a flexible PCB, clever use of potting materials, and a smart sensor layout, this ring is comfortable, stylish, and packed with features. It can track your health, act as a key, control other devices, and keep your data safe—all in a small, everyday ring.

Conclusion

Wearable technology is moving fast, and the ring device described in this patent is a big step forward. It takes the best of smartwatches, fitness bands, and medical monitors, and puts them in a form that’s easy to wear all day, every day. With its clever design, advanced sensors, and strong focus on comfort, security, and style, this ring could become the new standard for what wearables can do.

As more people look for ways to track their health, control their world with simple gestures, and keep their data safe, inventions like this will play a key role. The future of wearables is small, smart, and always with you—and this ring shows just how close we are to making that future real.

If you’re interested in wearable tech, keep an eye on smart rings like this one. They are more than just gadgets—they’re the next big thing in how we connect with ourselves and the world around us.

Click here https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/ and search 20250216900.