#0 Trademark & Patent Filing: September 2026

This founding issue covers the September 2026 trademark and patent filings for the sports watch and sensor brands this site covers; later issues are weekly. Trademarks come first, because a registered name usually becomes a product or feature and the name itself is often the clue. Patents follow as evidence of direction, and most never reach a product.

Other sites push out an alert for every patent and trademark the moment it is published. This roundup gathers the month into a single read and keeps your inbox clear. The weekly Deep Dive Digest email covers the wider sports technology news for those who want it.

Also in the Deep Dive series: Regulatory Filing, Legal Files, Fix Files, Feature Files and the Deep Dive Digest.

Whoop dominates the month. It applied to protect the names of its three membership tiers and filed a separate mark, WHOOP CONNECTED CARE, in the medical services class with blood pressure named in the description. On the patent side, Whoop was granted a patent for an optical muscle oxygen sensor, Oura published an application for a ring with a removable battery, and Google published a cuffless blood pressure method that pairs a radar device with a wearable.

Trademarks

Whoop: WHOOP CONNECTED CARE

Whoop, Inc. filed WHOOP CONNECTED CARE at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 22 September 2026 under serial number 50122438. The application sits in class 44, which covers medical services. The description lists health assessment services, medical analysis services relating to the treatment of persons, medical information and advisory services, wellness consulting, and health care services for treating blood pressure conditions, including health counselling on blood pressure management. The application claims first use on 6 August 2026 and is awaiting an examiner.

The class and description suggest a clinical- or clinician-linked service that sits on top of the band, not a new piece of hardware. The repeated reference to blood pressure implies that the service may be tied to the blood pressure feature Whoop already offers. For an athlete, this likely means a paid route from wearable data to a human or regulated health assessment. That is an inference from the filing’s wording, and the record does not say how the service is delivered or in which countries.

Evidence: Trademark filed. Likelihood: Likely to ship. Source: uspto.gov

Whoop: WHOOP ONE

Whoop, Inc. filed WHOOP ONE at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 8 September 2026 under serial number 50094988. The application is in class 35 and describes membership club services that provide tiered benefits to members in the field of biometric, health, wellness, fitness, coaching, and activity tracking. It claims first use on 8 May 2025 and is awaiting an examiner.

The name matches the entry membership tier that Whoop already sells, and the claimed first use date supports that reading. The filing therefore appears to protect an existing name and, on its face, does not point to a new product. For athletes, the inference is that Whoop intends to keep its three-tier subscription structure for some time.

Evidence: Trademark filed. Likelihood: Likely to ship. Source: uspto.gov

Whoop: WHOOP PEAK

Whoop, Inc. filed WHOOP PEAK at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 8 September 2026 under serial number 50094987. The application is in class 35 and includes the same description of tiered membership club services in biometric, health, wellness, fitness, coaching, and activity tracking. It claims first use on 8 May 2025 and is awaiting an examiner.

The name matches the middle membership tier already on sale. As with WHOOP ONE, the filing reads as protection for a name in use, not a new feature. The practical inference for subscribers is continuity of the current tier names.

Evidence: Trademark filed. Likelihood: Likely to ship. Source: uspto.gov

Whoop: WHOOP LIFE

Whoop, Inc. filed WHOOP LIFE at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on 8 September 2026 under serial number 50094984. The application is in class 35 with the same description of tiered membership club services. It claims first use on 8 May 2025 and is awaiting an examiner. Whoop has an earlier application for the same words, filed in June 2025, covering downloadable mobile application software.

The name matches the top membership tier already on sale, which is the tier associated with the medical-grade band. The new filing appears to extend protection from the software to the membership service itself. Read together with WHOOP CONNECTED CARE, it suggests that Whoop is putting legal weight behind the health end of its range, although that is an inference and not something the records state.

Evidence: Trademark filed. Likelihood: Likely to ship. Source: uspto.gov

Patents

Whoop: an optical sensor that reads muscle oxygen during exercise

United States patent 12727796, “Tissue oxygen saturation detection and related apparatus and methods”, was granted on 8 September 2026 and is listed among the patents assigned to Whoop, Inc. The filing date is October 2020. The abstract describes a wearable optical device with light sources and several detectors set at different distances that measures muscle oxygen saturation, oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin, and total haemoglobin at rest or during activity. It states that the readings may be used to assess whether a muscle is working aerobically or anaerobically, and that the device can be built into fitness wearables or garments.

Muscle oxygen is one of the few direct measures of what a working muscle is doing, and it is currently the preserve of specialist sensors. If Whoop built this into a band or a garment pod, an athlete could in principle see local muscle load during intervals and judge recovery between efforts without relying on heart rate alone. The filing date suggests the technology was acquired or developed years ago, so a product is possible but not implied by the grant.

Evidence: Patent granted. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov

Whoop: finding the start of each breath from pulse data

United States application 20260283479, “Respiratory cycle onset detection”, was published on 24 September 2026 and was filed on 19 March 2025. The abstract describes a method that converts heart pulse samples into a form that encodes the breathing-cycle stage, builds an estimated breathing waveform from them, and derives each breath onset from the peaks and troughs of that waveform. Motion sensor data can be added. The stated uses include assessing recovery state and sleep stage without medical equipment.

Most wearables report an average breathing rate. Timing individual breaths would be a finer measurement, and it could support breath-by-breath analysis in sleep and recovery scoring. For an athlete, the likely benefit would be earlier and more reliable signs of illness or accumulated fatigue, if the method reached the app.

Evidence: Patent application published. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Whoop: a sleep planner that shows the trade-offs between goals

United States application 20260283548, “Data-driven sleep planning”, was published on 24 September 2026 and was filed on 20 March 2026. The abstract describes a framework that combines continuous biometric data, personal goals and context to recommend bedtimes and wake times. It calculates sleep duration against individual need and the consistency of sleep timing, and presents an interface where the user adjusts the recommendation and sees the predicted performance indicators recalculated.

The interesting part for someone in training is the adjustable trade-off. An athlete with an early session could move the wake time and see the estimated cost before deciding. The short gap between filing and publication, and the fact that Whoop already ships a sleep planner, suggest this describes a feature that is close to the current product.

Evidence: Patent application published. Likelihood: Likely to ship. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Oura: a ring with a battery the wearer can remove

United States application 20260283549, “Detachable battery in a wearable ring device”, was published on 24 September 2026. The record gives a filing date of 10 March 2026 for this continuation and refers back to an earlier filing of June 2022. The abstract describes a two-part ring. One part carries the sensors and electrical contacts, and a removable battery couples to it so that the contacts align and a waterproof seal forms. The design also includes deliberate break points so that the ring comes away from the finger under excessive force.

A swappable battery would address the main limit of smart rings: a tiny sealed cell sets both the charging routine and the device’s useful life. In principle, an athlete could change the battery and keep wearing the ring through a multi-day event. A related Oura application published on 1 October, which falls in the next issue, suggests the company is still working on the idea. The underlying filing is four years old, however, so a product is far from certain.

Evidence: Patent application published. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Oura: a flat sensor band that bends to fit the body and holds its shape

United States patent 12727822, “Conformable wearable device with deformable shape”, was granted on 8 September 2026 and was filed on 24 August 2023. The abstract describes a sensor module joined to a deformable material and encased in a flexible cover. The device is flat when not worn, bends to match a body part so that the sensors touch the skin, and then keeps that shape.

The description does not read like a ring. It suggests that Oura has considered a sensor worn elsewhere on the body, such as the arm or wrist, for athletes who cannot wear a ring when lifting, climbing or riding; a second form factor would remove a real obstacle. That reading is an inference from the abstract alone.

Evidence: Patent granted. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov

Oura: angled light emitters and detectors inside a ring

United States patent 12733105, “Techniques for adjusting optical paths via angling of optoelectronic components”, was granted on 8 September 2026 and was filed on 14 May 2024. The abstract describes a ring circuit board with two wings set at chosen angles. A light emitter sits on one wing and a detector on the other, so that the angles define the path the light takes through the finger.

Optical accuracy in a ring depends heavily on how light travels through tissue, and it tends to suffer when the ring rotates or the hand grips something. Controlling the optical path should improve the signal in those conditions. If so, athletes would get more dependable heart rate and oxygen readings during activity, where rings are weakest.

Evidence: Patent granted. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov

Oura: switching optical measurement settings from one reading to the next

United States patent 12727832, “Techniques for optimal parameter tuning for a wearable device”, was granted on 8 September 2026 and was filed on 17 October 2022. The abstract describes taking physiological data through one optical channel, made up of a light emitter and a photodetector, using a first measurement profile, and then taking a second set of data through the same channel with a different profile.

The apparent purpose is to let the device change its own sensor settings as conditions change. That could balance signal quality against battery use, for example by using a light setting at rest and a stronger one during movement. For the wearer, the likely result would be longer battery life without a loss of data quality, although the abstract does not state that aim.

Evidence: Patent granted. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov

Google: cuffless blood pressure from a radar device and a wearable

United States application 20260283485, “Sensor-fusion-based blood pressure measurement”, was published on 24 September 2026 and was filed on 28 April 2023. The abstract describes a stationary device with radar that detects the pulse pressure wave at the aortic valve, while a mobile device records vital sign data at a limb. The system compares the two waveforms to calculate pulse transit time and derives blood pressure from it, without a cuff.

The arrangement implies a bedside or desk device working with a watch or band, which in Google’s range would suggest a Nest product paired with a Pixel Watch or Fitbit. That would provide resting or overnight blood pressure trends, not exercise readings. For athletes, the value would lie in long-term cardiovascular monitoring, and the need for a second device makes it a less direct route than the wrist-only methods used by rivals.

Evidence: Patent application published. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Samsung: a wearable that sets its own assistance or resistance from exercise data

United States application 20260284465, “Control method for controlling wearable device on basis of exercise data of user and electronic device for performing same”, was published on 24 September 2026. It derives from an international application filed on 30 December 2024. The abstract describes a system that takes the user’s exercise goal, uses a machine learning model on motion data to predict measures such as heart rate and stride length, and then calculates the size and timing of the torque the wearable applies, either to assist or to resist movement.

This describes a powered walking-assist wearable, not a watch. For runners and walkers, it automatically adds resistance or support to maintain a target effort. It signals where Samsung’s fitness hardware may go, and it has no clear link to the Galaxy Watch.

Evidence: Patent application published. Likelihood: Unlikely. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Amazfit: a method for generating a breathing signal

United States patent 12745927, “Method and device that generates a respiration signal”, is listed as granted to Zepp, Inc. on 29 September 2026 under application number 17475730. The abstract could not be read for this issue, so the description here rests on the title alone.

The title suggests a way of deriving breathing from the sensors a watch already carries. If so, it would support measuring respiration rate during sleep and possibly during exercise on Amazfit watches, which already report breathing metrics. No more can be said until the full text is read.

Evidence: Patent granted, not independently checked. Likelihood: Possible. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Apple: a sample testing accessory for a smartwatch

United States patent 12748037, “Wearable sample testing accessory for a smartwatch”, is listed as granted to Apple Inc. on 29 September 2026 under application number 18789487. The abstract could not be read for this issue, so the description here rests on the title alone.

The title suggests an add-on that tests a physical sample and works with the Apple Watch. For endurance athletes, the obvious candidates would be sweat or a similar fluid, which could inform hydration and electrolyte decisions. Still, the title does not say which sample is meant, and this reading is speculative. Apple patents a great deal that never reaches a product.

Evidence: Patent granted, not independently checked. Likelihood: Unlikely. Source: uspto.gov, reported from around the web

Ultrahuman: a device that monitors cardiovascular and brain health

European publication EP4813285A1, “Device for monitoring physiological, cardiovascular and brain health parameters of users and method thereof”, is listed for Ultrahuman Healthcare Private Limited under application number EP25208934, dated 30 September 2026. The abstract could not be read for this issue, so the description here rests on the title alone. A United States application with the same title appeared on 1 October and falls in the next issue.

The reference to brain health is unusual for a ring maker and suggests sensing beyond the heart rate, temperature and movement data that the Ultrahuman Ring records today. The title doesn’t make clear whether that means a new sensor or a new set of derived metrics. Parallel filings in Europe and the United States suggest the company regards the idea as worth protecting in its main markets.

Evidence: Patent application published, not independently checked. Likelihood: Possible. Source: epo.org, reported from around the web

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Last Updated on 2 October 2026 by tfk the5krunner