Apple received a patent earlier this month from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) titled “A Release Mechanism to Watch.” According to the method described in the patent (US-11571048-B1), users of the Apple Watch will be able to access the device’s bottom-mounted camera. According to the patent, a unique watch band with a quick-release feature would enable the user to quickly detach the watch from the band and use the rear-facing camera to take pictures and videos.
After using the camera, the user places the watch back in the base of the band, where it locks in. This Apple Watch camera system differs significantly from the one for which the company was granted a patent back in June 2019 (US-10331083-B1). That patent covered an Apple Watch band’s flexible optical sensor. The band could bend to assist in aiming the optical sensor at the subject of a picture or video.
A releasable attachment, such as a latch or a magnet, is described in the patent as being used to secure the watch to the band’s nest portion. This would allow “the watch housing to be removed from the nest portion without a need to remove the entire watch band from the wrist…”
If you’re wondering whether a smartwatch has ever been equipped with a camera out of the box, the Samsung Gear 2 featured a 1.9MP camera which didn’t impress those who owned the timepiece. With any of its subsequent watches, Samsung has yet to include a camera.
Regarding the Apple Watch, an add-on called Wristcam replaces the band on the Series 3 through Series 8, SE models, and Ultra models and comes equipped with two cameras. For selfies, one camera faces the user, while the other is pointed outward at the outside world. We told you about the original Wristcam, which had one camera, a little more than two years ago.
As with any patent received by Apple, there is no guarantee that the technology protected by the USPTO certification will ever see the light of day. However, this patent is a good sign that Apple is still working on the idea of an integrated camera for the Apple Watch, which will hopefully come someday.
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Source: phonearena
