NEW YORK (MarketWatch)—Apple Inc. on Tuesday won a patent for a Google Glasslike head-mounted digital device that would wirelessly interact with the iPhone and potentially provide 3-D and augmented reality functionality.

The patent, initially filed in September 2008, calls for a mountable device that could be designed in the form of glasses, goggles, or strapped onto helmets and hats.

While the patent doesn't specifically mention augmented or virtual reality, it does present a potential device that would be capable of splitting its screen into multiple image frames to create stereoscopic imaging, which creates 3D-like depth for images.

It also gives a scenario where one or more optical modules may be adjusted to display media beyond the lenses themselves—at four meters instead of 20 millimeters, for example--which is the idea behind augmented reality.

Apple AAPL, -3.17% , of course, could always integrate more-advanced virtual- or augmented-reality functions within the device if it decides to move forward with development. The company declined to comment.

While the Cupertino-based Apple hasn't publicly expanded on plans to build its own smart goggles outside of this patent, and while it applies for hundreds of patents that never see the light of day, the market for wearables has been heating up and augmented- and virtual-reality goggles have found a place in the enterprise and entertainment spaces.

Apple

In January, Google Inc. GOOGL, -2.41% shut down its two-year-old Explorer Program for Google Glass, put Nest CEO and former Apple executive Tony Fadell in charge of its redevelopment, and said it would continue to sell to enterprise customers.

Sony Corp. SNE, +1.73% unveiled its own augmented-reality device that could clip onto a person’s existing eyewear, while Microsoft Corp. MSFT, -1.24% announced the prototype of its new hologram-based 3-D goggles, Hololens.

Samsung Electronics Co. 005930, -0.33% will begin developing 360-degree films and shows through its Milk Video that will be consumed through its Oculus-powered virtual reality headset, Gear VR.

Last year, Facebook Inc. FB, -0.89% bought Oculus, a virtual reality headset manufacturer that got its start on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, for $2 billion, popularizing virtual reality and moving it a step closer to mainstream adoption. This week at Recode’s Code Media conference, Facebook’s head of product, Chris Cox, said the company will start developing virtual-reality apps.

Apple offers various scenarios for the potential embodiment of its patented head-mounted display in the filing, including integrating cameras and microphones to take videos.

The company, which ended 2014 with $178 billion in cash, will launch its first wearable device, Apple Watch, in April. It also won a patent this year for a GoPro Inc.-like GPRO, wearable digital camera that could be mounted and controlled with a remote control.

Also Read: Should GoPro investors fears Apple?

Shares of Apple rose 0.2% to $128.04 in recent trade, pushing them up 64% over the last 12 months.