Wireless enabled cap for a data-capable device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9258670-B2
Application number	US-201414181595-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2014
Priority date	Jun 10, 2011
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A housing (e.g., a wearable structure) includes one or more sensors operative to capture sensor data and a plug operative to electrically communicate data (e.g., the sensor data) to another device via a hard wired connection. A wirelessly enabled cap may be removably coupled with the housing and may include: a cavity operative to house the plug; a RF chip disposed within the housing; and one or more antennas electrically coupled with the chip. The chip is operative to wirelessly communicate data (e.g., the sensor data) in accordance with one or more wireless communication protocols (e.g., short-range, long-range, near field). The one or more antennas may form an exterior portion(s) of the housing and/or may be embedded in a portion(s) of the housing. The chip may be passive powered from an external RF source (e.g., an externally generated RF signal electrically coupled with the chip through one or more antennas).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a housing including a plurality of sensors, circuitry for capturing and storing sensor data from the plurality of sensors, and a plug operative to electrically couple with an external device, the circuitry operative to electrically communicate data, the sensor data or both with the external device using the plug;
a wirelessly enabled cap operative to be removably coupled with the housing and including a cavity operative to house the plug when the cap and housing are coupled with each other, the cap including
a microchip operative to wirelessly communicate the data, the sensor data or both in accordance with at least one short-range wireless communication standard and/or protocol, and
an antenna electrically coupled with the microchip.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises an electrically conductive ink formed on an electrically non-conductive material of the cap.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is disposed in an interior of the cap and is positioned between a first electrically non-conductive material in which the cavity is formed and a second electrically non-conductive material that forms a body of the cap.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors include biometric sensors and accelerometry sensors.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna is embedded in an electrically non-conductive material of the cap.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the antenna comprises an electrically conductive material that forms an exterior surface of the cap.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plug comprises a connector selected from the group consisting of a 3.5 mm TRRS-type connector, a TRRS-type connector, a TS-type connector, a 2.5 mm connector, a 3.5 mm connector, a TRS-type connector, an analog audio connector, and a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plug when inserted into the cavity, is operative to electrically couple the microchip with the circuitry in the housing.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microchip is disposed in another cavity formed in the cap.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the least one short-range wireless communication standard and/or protocol comprises a near field communication (NFC) standard and/or protocol, a Bluetooth Low Energy standard and/or protocol or both.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microchip and the antenna are electrically coupled with each other by soldering.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is operative to exchange the data, the sensor data or both with the microchip.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microchip is operative to wirelessly communicate the data, the sensor data or both to another wireless device, and the data, the sensor data or both are operative to cause the another wireless device to open an application.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microchip is operative to wirelessly communicate the data, the sensor data or both to another wireless device, and the data, the sensor data or both are operative to cause the another wireless device to sync with the circuitry in the housing.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microchip is further operative to wirelessly communicate the data, the sensor data or both to another wireless device, and the data, the sensor data or both are operative to cause the another wireless device to enable wireless data exchange between the circuitry and the another wireless device.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the microchip is passively electrically powered by a radio frequency (RF) signal external to the cap.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the antenna is operative to electrically couple the RF signal with the microchip to electrically power the microchip.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the antenna is operative to transmit, to receive or both, a radio frequency (RF) signal associated with one or more of an external wireless device, the data, or the sensor data.

19. The device of claim 1 wherein the cap includes a plurality of antennas that are electrically coupled with the microchip.

20. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a wearable device operative to be worn on a body of a user.

Assignees

• Goyal Dileep
• Subramanian Shanky
• Chakravarthula Hari N
• Aliphcom

Inventors

• Goyal Dileep
• Subramanian Shanky
• Chakravarthula Hari N

Classifications

• H04W4/008 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/02

  Constructional features of telephone sets · CPC title

• H04B1/385

  Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets · CPC title

• H01Q1/24

  with receiving set · CPC title

• H01Q1/40

  Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material · CPC title