Smart Clothing That Compares Pulse Signals from Both Sides of Your Body
This patent describes a piece of clothing, like a t-shirt, with built-in sensors in its sleeves or legs to measure and compare pulse characteristics from different limbs, helping to detect subtle health differences.
Original patent title: “An apparatus for monitoring the pulse of a person and a method thereof”
This patent describes a piece of clothing, like a t-shirt, with built-in sensors in its sleeves or legs to measure and compare pulse characteristics from different limbs, helping to detect subtle health differences. Owned by Well Being Digital with 20 claims and 9 forward citations, and it is expected to expire in 2038.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes an apparatus for monitoring a person's pulse using smart clothing. The clothing, such as a t-shirt, has sleeves with 'stretchable necks' (claimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1) or 'resilient necks' (claim 2) that hug the wearer's limbs. These necks contain sensors like electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes (claim 1), photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensors (claim 2), or ballistocardiogram (BCG) sensors (claim 5). The clothing is designed to keep these sensors in firm contact with the skin. A key aspect is the ability to obtain a 'left pulse' and a 'right pulse' from the same heartbeat (claim 9) and then observe differences in characteristics like 'pulse-transit-time', 'spread', 'trough to peak amplitude', or 'shape' between the two sides. For example, a smart t-shirt could measure the pulse in both wrists simultaneously and a tiny computer inside the shirt would compare how quickly the pulse wave reaches each wrist.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover pulse monitoring devices that only measure pulse from a single limb without comparing it to another limb (claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → 1, 3, 9 emphasize 'two sleeves' or 'left pulse' and 'right pulse').
- Does not cover sensors that are not integrated into the 'neck' of a sleeve or leg opening (claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → 1, 2).
- Does not cover pulse monitoring without specifically comparing characteristics like pulse-transit-time, spread, amplitude, or shape between the left and right limbs (claimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 9).
- Does not cover devices where the electrodes or sensors are not actively urged into contact with the skin by a 'stretchable' or 'resilient' part of the clothing (claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → 1, 2).
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in integrating multiple types of pulse sensors (ECG, PPG, BCG) into the sleeves or leg openings of a piece of clothing, specifically designed to compare pulse characteristics between opposite limbs from the same heartbeat. This allows for detecting subtle asymmetries in blood flow that might indicate underlying health conditions.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Smart t-shirts for continuous health monitoring
Compression sleeves with integrated biometric sensors
Smart socks for bilateral leg pulse analysis
Wearable health trackers that provide comparative limb data
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Comparing pulse characteristics between left and right limbs can reveal early signs of cardiovascular issues or other health problems that might affect blood flow unevenly. This approach could offer continuous, non-intrusive monitoring, potentially aiding in early detection of conditions like peripheral artery disease or even stroke risk. It moves beyond simple heart rate tracking to more nuanced physiological insights.
Filed
June 20, 2018
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies like Hexoskin, Sensoria, and other smart apparel manufacturers are active in the smart clothing space, integrating various biometric sensors into garments. Major health tech companies and startups are also exploring continuous, non-invasive health monitoring solutions that could incorporate bilateral pulse comparison for more advanced diagnostics.
Market impact
This patent addresses the growing demand for continuous, unobtrusive health monitoring. By enabling comparison of bilateral pulse data, it could lead to more sophisticated diagnostic capabilities in everyday wearables, potentially influencing the development of next-generation smart clothing for early disease detection and personalized health management. It offers a path to move beyond simple heart rate monitoring to more complex physiological insights.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes an apparatus for monitoring a person's pulse using smart clothing. The clothing, such as a t-shirt, has sleeves with 'stretchable necks' (claim 1) or 'resilient necks' (claim 2) that hug the wearer's limbs. These necks contain sensors like electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes (claim 1), photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensors (claim 2), or ballistocardiogram (BCG) sensors (claim 5). The clothing is designed to keep these sensors in firm contact with the skin. A key aspect is the ability to obtain a 'left pulse' and a 'right pulse' from the same heartbeat (claim 9) and then observe differences in characteristics like 'pulse-transit-time', 'spread', 'trough to peak amplitude', or 'shape' between the two sides. For example, a smart t-shirt could measure the pulse in both wrists simultaneously and a tiny computer inside the shirt would compare how quickly the pulse wave reaches each wrist.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in integrating multiple types of pulse sensors (ECG, PPG, BCG) into the sleeves or leg openings of a piece of clothing, specifically designed to compare pulse characteristics between opposite limbs from the same heartbeat. This allows for detecting subtle asymmetries in blood flow that might indicate underlying health conditions.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover pulse monitoring devices that only measure pulse from a single limb without comparing it to another limb (claims 1, 3, 9 emphasize 'two sleeves' or 'left pulse' and 'right pulse').
- Does not cover sensors that are not integrated into the 'neck' of a sleeve or leg opening (claims 1, 2).
- Does not cover pulse monitoring without specifically comparing characteristics like pulse-transit-time, spread, amplitude, or shape between the left and right limbs (claim 9).
- Does not cover devices where the electrodes or sensors are not actively urged into contact with the skin by a 'stretchable' or 'resilient' part of the clothing (claims 1, 2).
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
20/40
Early citations
Claim breadth
13/20
Broad claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$114K – $366K
Midpoint $229K · 11.9 yr remaining · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
20 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
WONG, M. Y. W. Smart Clothing That Compares Pulse Signals from Both Sides of Your Body (U.S. Patent No. 20,200,281,484). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/20200281484/an-apparatus-for-monitoring-the-pulse-of-a-person-and-a-method-thereof
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Smart Clothing That Compares Pulse Signals from Both Sides of Your Body cover?
This patent describes a piece of clothing, like a t-shirt, with built-in sensors in its sleeves or legs to measure and compare pulse characteristics from different limbs, helping to detect subtle health differences.
Who owns patent US 20200281484?
This patent is owned by Well Being Digital.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on June 20, 2038, when the invention enters the public domain.
What is patent US 20200281484 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 9 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
Comparing pulse characteristics between left and right limbs can reveal early signs of cardiovascular issues or other health problems that might affect blood flow unevenly. This approach could offer continuous, non-intrusive monitoring, potentially aiding in early detection of conditions like peripheral artery disease or even stroke risk. It moves beyond simple heart rate tracking to more nuanced physiological insights.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover pulse monitoring devices that only measure pulse from a single limb without comparing it to another limb (claims 1, 3, 9 emphasize 'two sleeves' or 'left pulse' and 'right pulse').
Patent monitoring