Apple patents fabric headbands for head-mounted devices
Apple describes a head-mounted device supported by a fabric headband made of flat knit ends and a stretchable ribbed middle section. The design includes hidden pockets along the edges to hold a cord for adjusting the fit and a pocket at the end to store a user input device or electronic component.
In the filing’s own words
A head-mounted device may include a main housing portion and a fabric head band for supporting the head-mounted device on a user's head. The fabric head band may include first and second flat knit end portions without ribs and a ribbed fabric extending between the first and second flat knit end portions. The ribbed fabric portion may include a stretchable inner fabric layer formed from mesh fabric. A first set of ribs may be formed on a first side of the inner fabric layer and a second set of ribs may be formed on a second opposing side of the inner fabric layer. The head band may include one or more pockets. A pocket along the border of the head band may receive a cord. A pocket at one of the end portions may receive a user input device or other electronic component.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A head band for supporting a head-mounted device, the head band comprising: first and second flat knit portions; a ribbed fabric extending between the first and second flat knit portions, wherein the ribbed fabric is configured to stretch in a first direction and has ribs extending in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction; a pocket located along an edge of the ribbed fabric; a cord located in the pocket and configured to adjust a fit of the head band; and an additional pocket located in the first flat knit portion, wherein the ribbed fabric has a pocket-free region overlapping the ribs and extending between the pocket and the additional pocket.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Electronic devices with fabric bands
- Patent number
- US12736821B2
- Application number
- 18346726
- Filed
- Jul 3, 2023
- Granted
- Sep 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 18
Classified under
G02B 27/0176 Physics & computingA41D 20/00 Human necessitiesMore from Apple in Wearables
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.