Apple Researching Gloves for Use with Multi-Touch Devices

MacRumors · Jan 1, 2009, 06:15 PM

The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today released a patent application from Apple describing research into gloves that allow the wearer to operate electronic devices. The patent application was filed on June 28th, 2007.

The invention, credited to Ashwin Sunder and Steven Hotelling at Apple, is a cold-weather glove
consisting of two layers: a thin inner shell and a heavier outer shell. While Apple clearly intends for the glove to be used in conjunction with Multi-Touch devices such as the iPhone and iPod touch, the patent is written to cover a much broader class of electronic devices.

Apple describes several methods by which the wearer could operate electronic devices while wearing the gloves. One method involves using electrically conductive materials for both the inner and outer shells to allow the signal from the wearer's finger to be transmitted to the input mechanism on the electronic device. Apple acknowledges, however, that the thickness of the outer glove may hinder the tactile response to the wearer. Additional methods include removable caps covering the fingertips, or an elastic ring in the outer shell that would remain nearly closed until pressure from the finger inside the glove forces the ring open and allows the finger to access the device's input mechanism.

While many of the inventions disclosed in Apple's patent applications have yet to appear in commercial products, this application at a minimum demonstrates Apple's awareness of the difficulty of using Multi-Touch devices in cold-weather environments and documents some of their efforts to address the issue. Apple is also certainly not the only vendor to attempt to develop Multi-Touch-compatible gloves, as several other companies, including Dots Gloves, The North Face, and Freehands, have introduced their own solutions.

Article Link: Apple Researching Gloves for Use with Multi-Touch Devices

wx4svr · Jan 1, 2009, 06:18 PM

Future Apple clothing line?! That would be AWESOME!!! I would buy the HECK out of an Apple clothing line!

product26 · Jan 1, 2009, 06:18 PM

nintendo anyone?

entropys · Jan 1, 2009, 06:20 PM

But, but, what if you live in a hot climate? Or don't want to channel MJ?

NT1440 · Jan 1, 2009, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by entropys

But, but, what if you live in a hot climate? Or don't want to channel MJ?

Why would you be wearing gloves in a hot climate?

Anyway, im almost entirely certain Ive seen people with special gloves that allow them to use an ipod before....

sphoenix · Jan 1, 2009, 06:26 PM

I would probably never need those.

MovieCutter · Jan 1, 2009, 06:27 PM

I have those North Face gloves. They work great with my iPhone and are actually really warm. I LOVE em!

BigD58 · Jan 1, 2009, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MovieCutter

I have those North Face gloves. They work great with my iPhone and are actually really warm. I LOVE em!

Ah im jealous. I have so much trouble controlling my iphone when im snowboarding

.

Rot'nApple · Jan 1, 2009, 06:33 PM

Will it be just as sparkly as this???

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ts/mjglove.jpg

MovieCutter · Jan 1, 2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigD58

Ah im jealous. I have so much trouble controlling my iphone when im snowboarding

.

Probably not a good idea to be texting and boarding at the same time in the first place....

BigD58 · Jan 1, 2009, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MovieCutter

Probably not a good idea to be texting and boarding at the same time in the first place....

This is true

.

Rhosfelt · Jan 1, 2009, 06:38 PM

haven't posted in a while but I figured I'd show Apple this...

http://www.geardiary.com/2008/09/16/...h-screen-woes/

!¡ V ¡! · Jan 1, 2009, 06:39 PM

Apple copying Nintendo, get out of here.

NT1440 · Jan 1, 2009, 06:41 PM

Im not really sure where the connection between this idea (thats been done already) and the nintendo glove is.....

muskratboy · Jan 1, 2009, 06:42 PM

my golf gloves work fine on my iPhone. maybe because they are leather (on the fingers) and so work the same as skin?

and yes, you are already wearing your original hot-weather iPhone gloves.

NT1440 · Jan 1, 2009, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muskratboy

my golf gloves work fine on my iPhone. maybe because they are leather (on the fingers) and so work the same as skin?

and yes, you are already wearing your original hot-weather iPhone gloves.

Yup, leather, being skin, has about the same conductivity as our skin which is why it works.

Auzburner · Jan 1, 2009, 06:47 PM

Living in Central New York I would love these. I have been aware other gloves with these abilities exist, but they are not attractive or not feel worth the money yet. I would hope Apple can produce a great glove providing warmth, functionality and a competitive price tag.

fishmoose · Jan 1, 2009, 06:58 PM

Oh boy do I need this right now!!

It's getting really cold in Sweden and my hands feels like ice after a couple of minutes with the iPhone right now!

ChrisA · Jan 1, 2009, 07:02 PM

For all those people who ask "What will we do with 16 CPU cores?" My answer is "Gid rid of silly things like multi-touch pads and gloves. The little web cam in the LCD monitor will just look at your hands. Then you can play "air touch pad".

And, yes, it will require a pile of CPU power to interpret "air touch pad". That why all current system use the pad because it is computationally simpler.

powers74 · Jan 1, 2009, 07:03 PM

New tab for patent applications?

SnowLeopard2008 · Jan 1, 2009, 07:06 PM

Apple keeps themselves very busy...

Prof. · Jan 1, 2009, 07:09 PM

They already have those gloves. I saw one in a christmas catalog.

Little late there, Apple.

kastenbrust · Jan 1, 2009, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigD58

Ah im jealous. I have so much trouble controlling my iphone when im snowboarding

.

you can play with your iphone and snowboard at the same time?

xDYLANx · Jan 1, 2009, 07:36 PM

this is dumb.

REEL IT IN APPLE, REMEMBER YOU ARE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, A COMPUTER COMPANY

trule · Jan 1, 2009, 07:37 PM

sorry Apple, you wasted another 5000+ on a silly patent...

I'm sure that Apple is using these patents to stop innovation from competitors. They (Apple) have no intention of developing these crap ideas but it only costs them a few thousand to stop anyone else...just incase one of these patents turns out to be useful.

It is a valid approach to business, but if you want to predict what comes next I would suggest you will have more luck reading tea leaves

Jan 1, 2009, 06:15 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Apple Researching Gloves for Use with Multi-Touch Devices The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today released a patent application from Apple describing research into gloves that allow the wearer to operate electronic devices. The patent application was filed on June 28th, 2007. The invention, credited to Ashwin Sunder and Steven Hotelling at Apple, is a cold-weather glove consisting of two layers: a thin inner shell and a heavier outer shell. While Apple clearly intends for the glove to be used in conjunction with Multi-Touch devices such as the iPhone and iPod touch, the patent is written to cover a much broader class of electronic devices. Apple describes several methods by which the wearer could operate electronic devices while wearing the gloves. One method involves using electrically conductive materials for both the inner and outer shells to allow the signal from the wearer's finger to be transmitted to the input mechanism on the electronic device. Apple acknowledges, however, that the thickness of the outer glove may hinder the tactile response to the wearer. Additional methods include removable caps covering the fingertips, or an elastic ring in the outer shell that would remain nearly closed until pressure from the finger inside the glove forces the ring open and allows the finger to access the device's input mechanism. While many of the inventions disclosed in Apple's patent applications have yet to appear in commercial products, this application at a minimum demonstrates Apple's awareness of the difficulty of using Multi-Touch devices in cold-weather environments and documents some of their efforts to address the issue. Apple is also certainly not the only vendor to attempt to develop Multi-Touch-compatible gloves, as several other companies, including Dots Gloves, The North Face, and Freehands, have introduced their own solutions. Article Link: Apple Researching Gloves for Use with Multi-Touch Devices

Jan 1, 2009, 06:18 PM	#2
wx4svr macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Louisville, KY	Future Apple clothing line?! That would be AWESOME!!! I would buy the HECK out of an Apple clothing line! __________________ MacPro,(2)3.0 GHz Xeon,32 GB RAM,(3)1TB HD,Nvidia Quadro FX 5600,(4)30"Cinema Displays(MY WORK MACHINE) MacBook Air White iPhone 3G New MacBook Pro

Jan 1, 2009, 06:18 PM	#3
product26 macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2005	nintendo anyone? __________________ insert randomness here

Jan 1, 2009, 06:20 PM	#4
entropys macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane, Australia	But, but, what if you live in a hot climate? Or don't want to channel MJ? __________________ 20 inch G5 imac 2.0 Ghz

Jan 1, 2009, 06:27 PM	#7
MovieCutter macrumors 68020 Join Date: May 2005 Location: DC, NYC, LA, Hong Kong, London, Dubai, Singapore, wherever the wind takes me and I happen to be filming/editing	I have those North Face gloves. They work great with my iPhone and are actually really warm. I LOVE em! __________________ "Remember, the enemy's gate is down."

Jan 1, 2009, 06:26 PM	#6
sphoenix macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: London, England	I would probably never need those.

Jan 1, 2009, 06:33 PM	#9
Rot'nApple macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: R-O-C-K 'n the USA	Will it be just as sparkly as this??? http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...ts/mjglove.jpg __________________ Global Warming, Carbon Dioxide, Greenhouse Gases, Shrinking Ice Caps, Carbon Neutral, Carbon Credit, Generation Investment Management - Al Gore - "Beware the Prophet seeking Profit!" - Dennis Miller

Jan 1, 2009, 06:38 PM	#12
Rhosfelt macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: I don't want to be raped :(	haven't posted in a while but I figured I'd show Apple this... http://www.geardiary.com/2008/09/16/...h-screen-woes/ __________________ MRoogle! - Because you'll click anything! Actually no, use it to search.

Jan 1, 2009, 06:39 PM	#13
!¡ V ¡! macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2007	Apple copying Nintendo, get out of here.

Jan 1, 2009, 06:41 PM	#14
NT1440 macrumors 601 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rochester	Im not really sure where the connection between this idea (thats been done already) and the nintendo glove is.....

Jan 1, 2009, 06:42 PM	#15
muskratboy macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2007	Golf gloves... my golf gloves work fine on my iPhone. maybe because they are leather (on the fingers) and so work the same as skin? and yes, you are already wearing your original hot-weather iPhone gloves.

Jan 1, 2009, 06:47 PM	#17
Auzburner macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Syracuse, NY - USA	Living in Central New York I would love these. I have been aware other gloves with these abilities exist, but they are not attractive or not feel worth the money yet. I would hope Apple can produce a great glove providing warmth, functionality and a competitive price tag. __________________ White MacBook+2.0GHz C2D+2GB+320GB 7200RPM-G3PowerPC-8GB iPhone -8GB iPod Touch-W iPhone 3G 16GB -160GB TV-2iPod Mini's-White iPhone 3G S⃣

Jan 1, 2009, 06:58 PM	#18
fishmoose macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Sweden	Oh boy do I need this right now!! It's getting really cold in Sweden and my hands feels like ice after a couple of minutes with the iPhone right now! __________________ MacBook 2.2 GHz 2 gig ram 120 GB HD; iPhone 3G 16 GB; iPod Video 30 GB

Jan 1, 2009, 07:02 PM	#19
ChrisA macrumors 601 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Redondo Beach, California	For all those people who ask "What will we do with 16 CPU cores?" My answer is "Gid rid of silly things like multi-touch pads and gloves. The little web cam in the LCD monitor will just look at your hands. Then you can play "air touch pad". And, yes, it will require a pile of CPU power to interpret "air touch pad". That why all current system use the pad because it is computationally simpler.

Jan 1, 2009, 07:03 PM	#20
powers74 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Tennessee	Patent Applications New tab for patent applications? __________________ Time flies when you're on MacRumors.

Jan 1, 2009, 07:06 PM	#21
SnowLeopard2008 macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: California	Apple keeps themselves very busy... __________________ 13" MacBook L07 \| 15" MacBook Pro M09 \| 24" Samsung 2443BWX \| iPod touch 32GB 3G YouTube twitter

Jan 1, 2009, 07:09 PM	#22
Prof. macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: My head	They already have those gloves. I saw one in a christmas catalog. Little late there, Apple. __________________ GayForMarriage • twitter • facebook

Jan 1, 2009, 07:36 PM	#24
xDYLANx macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: 541/503	this is dumb. REEL IT IN APPLE, REMEMBER YOU ARE, FIRST AND FOREMOST, A COMPUTER COMPANY __________________ MB ICD 1.83, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD; 5.5G iPod Video 30GB Twitter

Jan 1, 2009, 07:37 PM	#25
trule macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2007	sorry Apple, you wasted another 5000+ on a silly patent... I'm sure that Apple is using these patents to stop innovation from competitors. They (Apple) have no intention of developing these crap ideas but it only costs them a few thousand to stop anyone else...just incase one of these patents turns out to be useful. It is a valid approach to business, but if you want to predict what comes next I would suggest you will have more luck reading tea leaves

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