Google has been granted a patent for a wearable device that doesn't resemble traditional glasses - it has the form of a monocle. A patent entitled "Wearable device with input and output structures" describes an electronmic device that includes a display and a band configured to be worn on the head of a user. The device appears to rest on one side of the face, tucking over one ear with the display perched just above the eye.

The patent describes a device that could adjust to each user's head and recall that configuration for later use. The device would offer a heads-up display for playing video that could even be viewable in the other eye via a prism.

As with all patents, there is no guarantee that the technology pictured in this new patent, granted Tuesday, will ever see the light of day.

The first generation of Google Glass, announced in 2012, failed despite initial excitement and endorsements from the tech world. Glass connected to the Internet and overlaid images and graphics over what people could see with their non-computer eyes.

Google stopped selling Google Glass in January and said it needed to reset its plans. Tony Fadell, the brains behind the iPod and the Nest smart thermostat, is now in charge of the project, and there have been rumors that it will relaunch as an enterprise device.