Wristband having a user interface and method of using thereof

Abstract

A user input system that includes a wristband sized for at least partly encircling a wearer's wrist and having an outer surface, a touch surface operative to detect at least one movement vector of at least one fingertip which slide contiguously against the outer surface, a touch controller for analyzing the at least one movement vector to identify a computing device operation command, and a wireless communication unit for wirelessly transmitting the computing device operation command to the computing device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A user input system, comprising:
 a wristband structure sized for at least partly encircling a central wrist axis of a wearer's wrist and having an outer surface;   a curved touch surface operative to detect at least one finger touch event of a fingertip against said outer surface;   a touch controller adapted to analyze said at least one finger touch event to identify a data query; and   a wireless communication unit adapted to wirelessly transmit said data query to a computing device external to said wristband and to receive wirelessly a response to said data query from said computing device;   at least one vibrating element located to provide a plurality of different haptic feedbacks on said wearer's wrist and a controller which is adapted to operate said at least one vibrating element according to said response to provide at least one of said plurality of different haptic feedbacks in response to said reception of said response.   
     
     
         2 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one vibrating element comprises a plurality of vibrating elements which are distributed to be in a plurality of different location around said central wrist axis. 
     
     
         3 . The user input system of  claim 2 , wherein said controller is adapted to operate at least two of said plurality of vibrating elements to vibrate simultaneously with different intensities or different frequencies according to said at least one provided haptic feedback. 
     
     
         4 . The user input system of  claim 2 , wherein each of said plurality of vibrating elements is positioned in a different quarter of said wristband. 
     
     
         5 . The user input system of  claim 2 , wherein said plurality of vibrating elements are sequentially operable according to various vibrating sequences. 
     
     
         6 . The user input system of  claim 1 , further comprising a wristband communication module installed in said computing device and adapted to forward said data query as an input to an active application executed on said computing device. 
     
     
         7 . The user input system of  claim 6 , wherein said wristband communication module is adapted to automatically identify said active application among a plurality of optional applications and to select said application operation accordingly. 
     
     
         8 . The user input system of  claim 6 , wherein said wristband communication module is adapted to automatically identify a status of said active application and to select said application operation accordingly. 
     
     
         9 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one finger touch event is at least one finger swipe along said curved touch surface. 
     
     
         10 . The user input system of  claim 9 , wherein said at least one finger swipe comprises a plurality of simultaneous finger swipes which are generated by a plurality of fingertips which slide contiguously against one another along said outer surface. 
     
     
         11 . The user input system of  claim 9 , wherein said at least one finger swipe comprises a plurality of simultaneous finger swipes which are moved toward each other or away from each other while touching said curved touch surface. 
     
     
         12 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said curved touch surface completely encircles said outer surface. 
     
     
         13 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said wristband is sized for encircling at least 40% of the perimeter of said wearer's wrist. 
     
     
         14 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said curved touch surface comprises a plurality of touch sensors positioned below said outer surface. 
     
     
         15 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said wireless communication unit is adapted to wirelessly receive an operation command from said computing device; said user input system further comprising a presentation unit and a controller which is adapted to operate said presentation unit according to said operation command. 
     
     
         16 . The user input system of  claim 1 , wherein said curved touch surface includes a plurality of sensing surfaces arranged along the length of the wristband structure, and wherein said wristband structure encircles at least 50% of the outer surface. 
     
     
         17 . The user input system of  claim 16 , wherein said wristband structure encircles 100% of the outer surface. 
     
     
         18 . A computerized method for using a device having wristband structure for transmitting a data query and for receiving a response to the data query, comprising:
 detecting at least one finger touch event of at least one fingertip which touch at least one curved portion of a curved touch surface mounted along a curved surface of a wristband structure sized for at least partly encircling a central wrist axis of a wearer's wrist;   wirelessly transmitting a data query identified by an analysis of said at least one finger touch event to a computing device which is external to said wristband structure;   wirelessly receiving a response to said data query from said computing device,   in response to said reception of said response, selecting to provide one of a plurality of different haptic feedbacks on said wearer's wrist using at least one vibrating element located in at least one curved portion of said wristband structure; and   operating said at least one vibrating element to vibrate for providing said selected haptic feedback on said wearer's wrist in response to said detection of said at least one finger touch event so that said at least one vibrating element vibrates said at least one curved portion.   
     
     
         19 . A method of pulling data from a communication device, comprising:
 recording, using a curved touch surface of a wristband device, at least one finger touch event of a fingertip which touches at least one curved portion of an outer surface of said curved touch surface of said wristband device, said curved touch surface is sized for at least partly encircling a central wrist axis of a wearer's wrist;   analyzing said at least one finger touch event on said wristband device to identify a data query;   wirelessly transmitting said data query to a communication device from said wristband device;   receiving at said wristband device, a response to said data query from said communication device,   selecting one of a plurality of possible different haptic feedbacks on said wearer's wrist according to said response, each one of said plurality of possible different haptic feedbacks comprises instructions to operate at least one vibrating element installed in said wristband device,   operating at said at least one vibrating element to vibrate for providing said selected haptic feedback.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said response is indicative of a member of a group consisting of: a missing call documented on said communication device, a voice mail documented on said communication device, a short message service (SMS) documented on said communication device, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) documented on said communication device, an instant messaging (IM) message documented on said communication device, and an application notification documented on said communication device.