蘋果公司近日遞交的一項最新專利很有可能將給蘋果手表（Apple Watch）帶來重大變革。

這項專利又叫“可穿戴設備的模塊化功能性表帶連接技術”。顧名思義，是指智能手表的表帶可以搭載若干“電子元件”，比如額外的電池以及可以用來監測健康狀況的傳感器等等。更有趣的是，這種表帶還能充當觸控顯示屏甚至是攝像頭，因此大大擴展了它的功能性。

和其他公司一樣，蘋果也在不停地申報各種新技術的專利。雖然有些專利技術有可能會出現在未來的某款產品上，但也有一部分專利可能并不會得到實際應用。因此，外界基本上無法斷言該項專利最終會出現在哪種型號上。

這項專利是前不久被一家專門研究蘋果公司動態的網站AppleInsider發現的。不過它至少表明，蘋果正在考慮對Apple Watch進行重大革新。Apple Watch是蘋果于2015年推出的一款智能手表產品，它搭載了一塊觸摸屏，可以支持蘋果和第三方研發的應用程序。除了可以像傳統手表一樣顯示時間，它還具有顯示通知、監測健康以及打電話等功能，可以說是一種集智能手表和健康追蹤器于一身的產品。

Apple Watch搭配了多款表帶，但沒有一款具備能夠提升用戶體驗的額外功能。它們要么是純功能性的，比如讓用戶出汗后仍然可以佩戴，不必擔心受損；要么是純設計性的，主要著重于審美。

不過，蘋果最新注冊的這個專利表明，蘋果正在想方設法在表帶上添加各種功能。蘋果顯然認為Apple Watch的用戶是需要這些附加功能的，而這些功能又需要硬件來驅動。由于表殼本身能承載的元件就那么多，因此利用表帶來搭載附加功能就成了一個必要的選項。

蘋果的這一新專利也預示著Apple Watch走定制化道路的可能性。這些表帶完全可以搭載不同的元件以滿足不同用戶的需求。比如有些用戶可能對健康追蹤功能有更高的需求，他們的表帶就可以更注重這方面的功能。還有些用戶可能想要更大的顯示面積。換句話說，Apple Watch的功能將可以根據顧客的偏好實現定制。

蘋果公司在該專利文件中寫道：“單一的表帶功能模塊可以組合起來運行。比如，包含了電池和LED功能的模塊可以通過點亮的LED燈的數量來顯示所有電池的剩余電量。再比如，包含了攝像頭和麥克風功能的兩個功能模塊可以并行錄制視頻。”

美國專利與商標局最近還公布了蘋果公司的另一項專利，該專利將Apple Watch的通知振動功能轉移到了表帶上。這一專利將使Apple Watch的表殼變得更薄，同時也將進一步提高表帶的實用性。 （財富中文網）

譯者：樸成奎

Apple has secured a patent that could bring major changes to the company's Apple Watch wearable.

The patent, called "Module functional band links for wearable devices," describes a technology in which a wearable's watchband links could come with several "electronic components," including additional batteries and sensors that can track a person's health. Perhaps more interestingly, the band links could feature touch displays and even cameras, allowing the wearable's watchband to enhance the device's functionality.

Like other companies, Apple is always filing patents on new technologies. And while it's possible its patented technologies could come to a future device, it's also possible they won't. It's impossible to say in which pile this latest patent might land.

Regardless, the patent, which was earlier discovered by Apple-tracking site AppleInsider, suggests Apple is at least considering a major innovation to its Apple Watch. The wearable, which launched in 2015, comes with a touch display and support both Apple and third-party apps. While it can tell the time, it's also capable of displaying notifications, tracking a person's health, and even take calls. The device is equal parts smartwatch and health tracker.

Apple Watch comes with a slew of bands, but none of them come with additional features that could enhance the user experience. Instead, the bands are either functional, allowing users to wear them while they sweat and workout without worry of damage, or designed for style.

The latest Apple wearable patent, however, finds Apple looking for ways to bundle additional features into those bands. Apple apparently reasons that Apple Watch owners might be looking for additional functionality that would require hardware to drive those features. Since the Apple Watch case itself can only house so many components, utilizing the band to bundle additional components could be necessary.

Apple's patent also highlights the possibility of customization. The band links would come with different components that could be attached to each other. So, customers who wanted more health-tracking could get band links focused on activity and attach those to the Apple Watch, while others who want an additional display could attach that. Apple Watch's features, in other words, could be customized to customer taste.

"Separate modular functional band links may work in combination," Apple wrote in the patent. "For example, modular functional band links that include batteries and light emitting diodes (LEDs) may illustrate total power remaining among all batteries by the number of LEDs lit. By way of another example, camera and microphone included in separate modular functional band links that cooperate to record video."

Recently, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple patent application that would move the Apple Watch's vibration effect that alerts users to a notification or other information to the band. The move would make the Apple Watch case thinner and make the watchband more useful.