Google has been issued a patent for a new version of Google Glass from the US Patent Office.

It's never a good idea to stick solely to patents when it comes to predicting a company's product release, but Thursday's filing could provide insight into what Google is planning for the consumer version of Google Glass.  

The Google Glass shown in the patent filing carries a larger frame than the Glass Explorer edition currently available to developers in the program. The bulky design coupled with dual headphones built into the back of the patented wearable headset could be perfect for fitness junkies who want to listen to music on the go. 

Google has remained relatively quiet about the features of the Glass version headed to customers, so essentially, we're left to speculate. Could the fitness-esque design of the Glass shown in the patent filing indicate multiple versions of the wearable headset for different use cases? 

Steve Lee, product director for Google Glass, revealed during the Google I/O 2013 conference that the consumer version of Glass will be much more polished than the version currently on the heads of developers, but didn't get anymore specific past that. Google has said the consumer version will be available at some point in 2014 for "significantly less" than the Explorer edition. It's supposedly "cool".

To complement the release of Google Glass in 2014, the Mountain View-based company also has plans for an app store. There are several apps available pre-loaded on Project Glass, but Google wants developers to make apps like it does for smartphones, tablets, and PCs. It was previously reported that Google Glass had popped up as a device option on the existing Play store, but the company has not revealed whether that will be the case next year or whether the intriguing gadget will get its own portal.