Cross-cut: ring

Axis: form_factor

13 corpus entries disclose this tag.

Earliest disclosure: 1937-09-21

Listed in chronological order. Each entry’s prior_art_notes and disclosure_citation constitute the citeable prior art material.

  • The One Ring (Tolkien) (1937-09-21) — lotr-one-ring [fictional] — Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. George Allen & Unwin, 1937 (its nature elaborated in The Lord of the Rings, 1954-1955) — a finger-worn ring that renders the wearer invisible (alters the wearer’s perceptua…
  • Green Lantern power ring (1940-07) — green-lantern-power-ring [fictional] — All-American Comics #16 (cover date July 1940), DC Comics; the finger-worn ‘power ring’ that responds to the wearer’s will and must be periodically recharged from a separate power source (‘the lantern…
  • The Flash’s costume ring (compacted-garment storage ring) (1959-10) — flash-costume-ring [fictional] — The Flash #105 (cover date Feb-Mar 1959; on sale October 1959), DC Comics — a finger-worn ring containing the wearer’s full bodysuit compressed inside, ejected and self-expanding on a button press, an…
  • The Ten Rings (Marvel — the Mandarin / Wenwu) (1964-02) — mandarin-ten-rings [fictional] — Tales of Suspense #50 (cover date February 1964), Marvel Comics — a set of finger-worn rings (depicted as forearm bands in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, 2021), each an energy-projecting d…

    Peñáz (1973) — the volume-clamp (vascular unloading) method of continuous finger blood pressure (1973)

  • id: penaz-1973-volume-clamp-finger-bp
  • corpus: academic
  • form factor: other
  • creator: Jan Peñáz
  • disclosure: Peñáz J. ‘Photoelectric measurement of blood pressure, volume and flow in the finger.’ Digest of the 10th International Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering, Dresden, 1973, p. 104. (Basis of the Finapres / volume-clamp continuous BP monitors.)
  • ip status: public-domain
  • sensors: sensor-ppg, sensor-cuffless-bp-volume-clamp, sensor-pressure-skin
  • algorithms: algo-pwv-bp-estimation
  • prior art notes: Discloses the volume-clamp / vascular-unloading method: a finger cuff servo-controlled by a photoplethysmographic feedback loop to hold the arterial volume constant, so the applied counter-pressure tracks the arterial pressure waveform continuously and non-invasively. Any cuffless/continuous-BP wearable claim reciting ‘a photoplethysmographic feedback loop controlling an applied pressure to maintain constant vascular volume’ reads on Peñáz 1973. Anchor for the volume-clamp cuffless-BP cross-cut (the finger/ring form-factor variants are obvious combinations under [[obviousness-template]]).

MIT wearable ring sensor (Rhee, Yang, Asada) — finger-ring PPG for ambulatory monitoring (2001-07)

  • id: asada-mit-wearable-ring-sensor-2003
  • corpus: academic
  • form factor: ring
  • creator: Sokwoo Rhee / Boo-Ho Yang / Haruhiko Harry Asada (MIT d’Arbeloff Lab)
  • disclosure: Rhee S, Yang B-H, Asada HH. ‘Artifact-resistant power-efficient design of finger-ring plethysmographic sensors.’ IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 2001;48(7):795-805 (and Asada HH, Shaltis P, Reisner A, Rhee S, Hutchinson RC. ‘Mobile monitoring with wearable photoplethysmographic biosensors.’ IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine 2003;22(3):28-40).
  • ip status: patented
  • sensors: sensor-ppg, sensor-accelerometer
  • algorithms: algo-hr, algo-spo2-estimation
  • prior art notes: Discloses a finger-ring-form-factor wearable PPG sensor with motion-artifact-resistant optical/mechanical design, low-power operation, on-body processing, and wireless telemetry of heart rate and SpO2 for ambulatory monitoring — i.e. the smart-ring physiological monitor, ~14 years before the commercial smart-ring wave. Directly anticipates ring-form claims combining ‘a ring body’, ‘a PPG emitter/detector at the inner ring surface’, ‘motion-artifact compensation’, and ‘wireless transmission of derived vitals’. Anchor for the ring × PPG cross-cut; [[oura-ring-gen1-2015]] and similar products descend from it.

Kingsman signet ring (electroshock ring) (2014-12-13)

  • id: kingsman-signet-ring
  • corpus: fictional
  • form factor: ring
  • creator: Matthew Vaughn / Marv Films
  • disclosure: Kingsman: The Secret Service (20th Century Fox / Marv Films), 2014; the agency signet ring that delivers a high-voltage electric shock on hand contact.
  • ip status: fictional
  • prior art notes: Discloses a finger-worn ring whose function is to deliver an electrical stimulus through the wearer’s hand on contact — a ring-form electrical-output device. Relevant to ring-form-factor claims combining ‘a ring body’, ‘electrodes exposed at the ring surface’, and ‘circuitry configured to apply an electrical stimulus’ (defensive personal-shock rings; ring-form neuromuscular-stimulation devices). § 103 motivation that the electrical-output ring was an articulated objective by 2014. Thin: no sensing element.

Oura Ring (Gen 1, 2015) — finger-ring PPG, skin-temperature and accelerometer for HRV, sleep and body temperature (2015-08)

  • id: oura-ring-gen1-2015
  • corpus: private
  • form factor: ring
  • creator: Oura Health Oy
  • disclosure: Oura Health Oy. ‘Oura Ring’ (1st generation), crowdfunded 2015, shipped 2016 — a titanium finger ring with infrared photoplethysmography, an NTC skin-temperature sensor, and a 3-axis accelerometer, deriving resting heart rate, heart-rate variability, respiratory rate, sleep staging, and body-temperature trend.
  • ip status: patented
  • sensors: sensor-ppg, sensor-skin-temperature, sensor-accelerometer
  • algorithms: algo-hr, algo-hrv, algo-respiratory-rate, algo-sleep-staging
  • prior art notes: Discloses a finger-ring wearable with infrared PPG, a skin-temperature sensor, and an accelerometer, deriving resting HR, HRV, respiratory rate, sleep stages, and a body-temperature trend, with companion-app readout. A commercial realization, ~12-16 years later, of the MIT ring-sensor concept ([[asada-mit-wearable-ring-sensor-2003]]); to the extent later claims recite ring-form PPG + skin-temperature + HRV/sleep, both Asada 2003 and Oura 2015 are prior art. Product-side anchor for the ring × PPG × HRV and ring × skin-temperature cross-cuts.

Mukkamala et al. (2015) — ‘Toward Ubiquitous Blood Pressure Monitoring via Pulse Transit Time: Theory and Practice’ (2015-08)

  • id: mukkamala-2015-ptt-cuffless-bp-review
  • corpus: academic
  • form factor: other
  • creator: Ramakrishna Mukkamala et al.
  • disclosure: Mukkamala R, Hahn J-O, Inan OT, Mestha LK, Kim C-S, Töreyin H, Kyal S. ‘Toward Ubiquitous Blood Pressure Monitoring via Pulse Transit Time: Theory and Practice.’ IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering 2015;62(8):1879-1901.
  • ip status: public-domain
  • sensors: sensor-ecg, sensor-ppg, sensor-cuffless-bp-ptt, sensor-cuffless-bp-tonometry
  • algorithms: algo-pwv-bp-estimation
  • prior art notes: Canonical 2015 review of cuffless blood-pressure estimation by pulse transit time / pulse arrival time / pulse wave velocity: the physiological models, the practical sensor configurations (ECG+PPG, dual PPG, ballistocardiogram+PPG), the calibration strategies, and the accuracy limitations. Prior art for cuffless-BP wearable claims reciting any of the configurations or calibration approaches surveyed here — they were collected, modeled, and published by 2015. Combined with watch/ring/patch form-factor disclosures, makes wearable PTT-based BP an obvious combination under [[obviousness-template]].

Tap Strap (Tap Systems, 2018) — finger-mounted gesture and keyboard input device (2018)

  • id: tap-systems-tap-strap-2018
  • corpus: private
  • form factor: other
  • creator: Tap Systems Inc. (founder: Dovid Schick)
  • disclosure: Tap Systems Inc. (founded 2014, Sherman Oaks, CA). ‘Tap Strap’ wearable input device, shipped 2018 — five finger-loops connected by a flexible band across the back of the hand, with accelerometers on each finger detecting tapping and gesture; mapped onto a virtual keyboard, mouse, and gesture commands via BLE. Successor ‘Tap Strap 2’ (2019) and ‘TapXR’ (a wrist version, 2023). https://www.tapwithus.com
  • ip status: patented
  • sensors: sensor-accelerometer
  • algorithms: algo-hand-gesture-emg
  • prior art notes: Discloses a hand-worn device of multiple finger-loops linked by a back-of-hand band, with motion sensors on each finger detecting per-finger tap and swipe events and mapping them via BLE to a virtual keyboard / mouse / gesture protocol — wearable per-finger gesture input by motion sensing alone (no EMG). Directly relevant prior art for any finger/hand gesture-input wearable, including [[ctrl-labs-meta-wrist-emg-2018]] (EMG route), [[myo-armband-2014]] (forearm-EMG route), and ring-form gesture input devices. Anticipates per-finger-motion-sensor gesture-recognition wearable claims from 2018.

Heikenfeld et al. (2018) — ‘Wearable sensors: modalities, challenges, and prospects’ (2018-01-16)

  • id: heikenfeld-2018-wearable-sensors-lab-on-chip-review
  • corpus: academic
  • form factor: other
  • creator: Jason Heikenfeld et al.
  • disclosure: Heikenfeld J, Jajack A, Rogers J, Gutruf P, Tian L, Pan T, Li R, Khine M, Kim J, Wang J, Kim J. ‘Wearable sensors: modalities, challenges, and prospects.’ Lab on a Chip 2018;18(2):217-248.
  • ip status: public-domain
  • sensors: sensor-ppg, sensor-ecg, sensor-eeg, sensor-glucose-cgm, sensor-lactate, sensor-cortisol, sensor-skin-temperature, sensor-bioimpedance
  • prior art notes: Authoritative 2018 review collecting wearable sensing across modalities — physical (motion, BCG/SCG, mechanoacoustic), electrophysiological (ECG/EMG/EEG), optical (PPG/SpO2, near-IR), thermal, electrochemical (sweat, saliva, tears, interstitial), and stimulation-coupled — across form factors (patch, watch, tattoo, contact lens, garment) and the challenges of body-fluid sampling, calibration, motion-artifact handling, and skin-electronics interfacing. Prior art establishing that the modality/form-factor combinations enumerated here were collected and surveyed by 2018; useful against later claims to those combinations. General anchor.

Ultrahuman Ring AIR (2023) — smart ring with metabolic-focus tracking (PPG, skin temperature, IMU) (2023)

  • id: ultrahuman-ring-air-2023
  • corpus: private
  • form factor: ring
  • creator: Ultrahuman Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
  • disclosure: Ultrahuman Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. ‘Ultrahuman Ring AIR’, launched 2023 — a titanium smart ring with infrared photoplethysmography, IR skin-temperature, and a 6-axis IMU, deriving HR, HRV, skin temperature, sleep staging, activity, and metabolic-health framing (paired with the company’s CGM-based metabolism platform).
  • ip status: patented
  • sensors: sensor-ppg, sensor-skin-temperature, sensor-accelerometer, sensor-gyroscope
  • algorithms: algo-hr, algo-hrv, algo-sleep-staging, algo-respiratory-rate
  • prior art notes: Discloses a smart ring with IR PPG, skin-temperature, and a 6-axis IMU, deriving HR/HRV, sleep, and activity, packaged with a metabolic-health platform (CGM-linked). Product-side reference in the ring × PPG cross-cut alongside [[oura-ring-gen1-2015]] and [[samsung-galaxy-ring-2024]].

Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) — smart ring with PPG, skin temperature and accelerometer for HR/HRV, sleep and cycle tracking (2024-07-10)

  • id: samsung-galaxy-ring-2024
  • corpus: private
  • form factor: ring
  • creator: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
  • disclosure: Samsung Electronics. ‘Samsung Galaxy Ring’, announced July 2024 — a finger ring with infrared photoplethysmography, an IR skin-temperature sensor, and a 3-axis accelerometer, deriving heart rate, heart-rate variability, skin temperature, sleep staging, activity, snore detection, and (with cycle-tracking) menstrual-cycle predictions.
  • ip status: patented
  • sensors: sensor-ppg, sensor-skin-temperature, sensor-accelerometer
  • algorithms: algo-hr, algo-hrv, algo-respiratory-rate, algo-sleep-staging, algo-snore-detection, algo-step-count
  • prior art notes: Discloses a smart ring with infrared PPG, IR skin-temperature, and accelerometer, deriving HR/HRV, sleep, snore detection, activity, and menstrual-cycle prediction — a Samsung entry directly in the wake of [[oura-ring-gen1-2015]] and the [[asada-mit-wearable-ring-sensor-2003]] academic root. Product-side reference in the ring × PPG × HRV cross-cut alongside Oura.

Public domain (CC0 1.0). The corpus IS the prior art commons.

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