Finger-wearable computing devices

Abstract

A finger-wearable computing device comprises a ring base configured to be worn on a finger of a wearer's hand, a processor housed within the ring base, and a display screen.

1 . A finger-wearable computing device comprising:
 a processor;   a resiliently flexible ring base, configured to be worn on a finger of a wearer's hand, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base defines an overlapping loop with a central opening that expands and contracts to fit the finger of the wearer's hand, and wherein the processor is housed within the resiliently flexible ring base; and   a display screen coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base and coupled to the processor to display an output, wherein the display screen includes a command area configured to receive user input from a thumb of the wearer's hand while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer's hand.   
     
     
         2 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the command area of the display screen corresponds to an area reachable by the thumb while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger. 
     
     
         3 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising a user control button coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base and positioned at an edge of the command area of the display screen. 
     
     
         4 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to control a remote electronic device. 
     
     
         5 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 4 , wherein the remote electronic device is one or more of an augmented reality device, a gaming device, a remote interactive display, and electronic glasses. 
     
     
         6 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen is resiliently flexible. 
     
     
         7 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the command area of the display screen is positioned to overlie the finger of the wearer's hand when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer's hand. 
     
     
         8 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the display screen includes an active area that is configured to display images and wherein the command area is a portion of the active area. 
     
     
         9 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end, wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a finger-engagement portion at the first end and a display portion between the finger-engagement portion and the second end, wherein the display screen is within the display portion, and wherein the command area of the display screen is distal from the second end. 
     
     
         10 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 9 , wherein the resiliently flexible ring base includes a ring conformation in which the finger-engagement portion defines the central opening to fit the finger of the wearer's hand and includes a flat conformation in which the display portion and the finger-engagement portion are folded flat together. 
     
     
         11 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising a detachable display that is coupled to the processor to display a primary output, wherein the detachable display is mechanically coupled to the resiliently flexible ring base by a pivotal coupler configured to pivot the detachable display between an open position in which the primary output on the detachable display and the output on the display screen are viewable by the wearer while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer's hand and a closed position in which the detachable display overlies the resiliently flexible ring base. 
     
     
         12 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 1 , further comprising an interface device configured to communicate over a computer network. 
     
     
         13 . A finger-wearable computing device comprising:
 a processor;   a ring base, configured to be worn on a finger of a wearer's hand, wherein the ring base defines a central opening to fit the finger of the wearer's hand along a central axis of the central opening, wherein the processor is housed within the ring base; and   a display screen flexibly coupled to the ring base and coupled to the processor to display an output, wherein the display screen includes a command area configured to receive user input from a thumb of the wearer's hand while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer's hand;   wherein the display screen has a vertical axis that is canted at an angle relative to the central axis of the central opening of the ring base to ergonomically position the display screen while the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer's hand.   
     
     
         14 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , wherein the display screen is configured to pivot between an open position in which the output on the display screen is viewable by the wearer and a closed position in which the display screen overlies the ring base. 
     
     
         15 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 14 , wherein the display screen is resiliently flexible and configured to conform to the ring base in the closed position. 
     
     
         16 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , wherein the finger is an index finger, wherein the display screen has a rectangular profile with at least one notched corner that is positioned to permit the finger-wearable computing device to be worn on a middle phalanx of the index finger without causing the display screen to impinge into a proximal phalanx of the index finger. 
     
     
         17 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , further comprising a user control button coupled to the ring base and positioned at an edge of the command area of the display screen. 
     
     
         18 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to control a remote electronic device. 
     
     
         19 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 18 , wherein the remote electronic device is one or more of an augmented reality device, a gaming device, a remote interactive display, and electronic glasses. 
     
     
         20 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , wherein the command area of the display screen is positioned to overlie the finger of the wearer's hand when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the finger of the wearer's hand. 
     
     
         21 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , wherein the display screen includes an active area that is configured to display images and wherein the command area is a portion of the active area. 
     
     
         22 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , wherein the display screen comprises a first microphone-speaker and a second microphone-speaker at opposite ends of the display screen, wherein the first microphone-speaker is at a first end of the display screen, when worn on a wearer's left hand, that is toward a proximal end of a wearer's left index finger and, when worn on a wearer's right hand, that is toward a distal end of a wearer's right index finger, wherein the second microphone-speaker is at a second end of the display screen, when worn on the wearer's left hand, that is toward a distal end of the wearer's left index finger and, when worn on the wearer's right hand, that is toward a proximal end of the wearer's right index finger, and wherein the processor is configured to operate the first microphone-speaker as a microphone and the second microphone-speaker as a speaker when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the wearer's left hand for up-to-the-ear phone use, and is configured to operate the first microphone-speaker as a speaker and the second microphone-speaker as a microphone when the finger-wearable computing device is worn on the wearer's right hand for up-to-the-ear phone use. 
     
     
         23 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 22 , further comprising a directional sensor configured to determine which of the first microphone-speaker and the second microphone-speaker is positioned upward. 
     
     
         24 . The finger-wearable computing device of  claim 13 , further comprising a transceiver configured for cellular telephone communication.