Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090040294 | Holographic video display system - A holographic video display comprises a monochromatic light source, a video signal generator, guided-wave acousto-optic modulators for diffracting light according to signals received from the video signal generator, a vertical scanning subsystem, and an optical path between the acousto-optic modulator and the vertical scanning subsystem. The optical path preferably comprises a Bravais lens system, first and second Fourier transform lens systems, and at least one holographic optical element or stationary mirror of continuous helical shape. In a method for generating a holographic image, monochromatic light is provided to at least one guided-wave acousto-optic modulator, the received light is diffracted according to a video signal, the guided-wave modulator aperture is scanned to produce a holo-line, the motion of the diffraction pattern is undone to render the holo-line stationary, the guided-wave modulator aperture is demagnified to create a wide field of view, and the holo-lines are tiled vertically to create the image. | 02-12-2009 |
20090307592 | Tangible Social Network - A tangible social network system comprises at least two interactive physical objects adapted for communicatively linking with each other, a visualization application for providing a visual representation of a user's tangible social network, and an object communication frame. An interactive physical object comprises a controller for forming a communicatively linked relationship with another interactive physical object and for receiving and responding to commands and data received from a linked object, and an audio or visual response subsystem. An object communication frame comprises a housing adapted to receive interactive physical objects, a communications subsystem for managing communications with installed objects and with interactive physical objects communicatively linked with installed objects, a controller, and a power subsystem for powering installed objects. The frame or objects may interact with a visualization application, comprising subsystems for receiving information about the user's tangible social network and deriving a representation of it, and a graphical user interface for providing the visual representation to the user. | 12-10-2009 |
20110271318 | SYNCHRONIZATION AND AUTOMATION IN AN ITV ENVIRONMENT - A synchronization mechanism embeds synchronization triggers into a television signal or stream at regular intervals. The triggers include an accurate representation of the time in which the triggers were embedded. A receiving device decodes the triggers and synchronizes its internal timer based on the triggers. In this regard, the receiving device obtains a reference time from the internal timer and computes an offset between the reference time and the trigger time. The computed offset is then applied to the reference time. With the receipt of each new trigger, the application compares the trigger time to a new reference time with the most recently computed offset value applied. If there is any variance between these two values, the application creates a new smoothed offset. | 11-03-2011 |
20120194638 | Holographic Video Display System - A holographic video display employs at least one light source adapted to produce at least one wavelength of monochromatic light, a video signal generator, at least one guided-wave acousto-optic modulator for diffracting light received from the light source according to signals received from the video signal generator, a vertical scanning subsystem, and an optical path between the acousto-optic modulator and the vertical scanning subsystem. The optical path may preferably include a Bravais lens system, at least one Fourier transform lens system, and at least one moving horizontal mirror. | 08-02-2012 |
20130170816 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTERACTION WITH HYPERLINKS IN A TELEVISION BROADCAST - A system and method of adding hyperlinked information to a television broadcast in which an interactive content icon is used. The broadcast material is analyzed and one or more regions within a frame are identified. Additional information can be associated with a region, and can be transmitted in encoded form, using timing information to identify the frame with which the information is associated. The system comprising a video source and an encoder that produces a transport stream in communication with the video source, an annotation source, a data packet stream generator that produces encoded annotation data packets in communication with the annotation source and the encoder, and a multiplexer system in communication with the encoder and the data packet stream generator. The encoder provides timestamp information to the data packet stream generator and the data packet stream generator synchronizes annotation data from the annotation source with a video signal from the video source in response to the timestamp information. The multiplexer generates a digital broadcast signal that includes an augmented transport stream from the transport stream and the encoded data packets. A receiver displays the annotation information associated with the video signal in response to a viewer request on a frame by frame basis. A viewer can respond interactively to the material, including performing commercial transactions, by using a backchannel that is provided for interactive communication. The interactive content icon can be used to inform a viewer of the presence of hyperlinked information, for teaching the viewer how to use the system, and for informing the viewer about the hyperlinked information. | 07-04-2013 |
20140300694 | Anisotropic Leaky-Mode Modulator for Holographic Video Displays - An anisotropic spatial acousto-optic modulator for a holographic display system includes a substrate, an anisotropic waveguide that guides light into a single polarization, and a transducer that generates surface acoustic waves that propagate linearly with the guided, polarized light, converting at least some of the polarized light into a leaky mode of orthogonally polarized light. The acoustic waves may be encoded with holographic information. The modulator may include coupling devices for coupling light into the waveguide, which may have multiple channels. A holographic video display system includes at least one anisotropic spatial acousto-optic modulator. The pattern of the surface acoustic waves, encoded with holographic information, acts as a diffraction pattern that causes the modulator output to form a wavefront that becomes at least part of a holographic image. The system may have multiple channels in multiple waveguides, wherein each waveguide writes one or more lines of the holographic image. | 10-09-2014 |
20140300695 | Full-Parallax Acousto-Optic/Electro-Optic Holographic Video Display - A full-parallax acousto-optic/electro-optic holographic video display includes a control layer and a piezo-electric layer, which includes a substrate and an array of anisotropic waveguide elements. Each waveguide element guides light into a single polarization and includes a horizontal grating, which diffracts light horizontally and comprises surface acoustic waves, and vertical grating, which diffracts light vertically and includes an electro-optic phased array. The surface acoustic waves propagate linearly with the guided, polarized light in the waveguide, converting the polarized light into a leaky mode of orthogonal polarized light. The combination of the horizontal and vertical gratings allows the waveguide element to focus light to multiple points and steer it in order to form a holographic image. The horizontal grating may be generated by interdigital acousto-optic transducers and the vertical grating may be controlled by electro-optic transducers. Each waveguide element may be subdivided into sub-waveguides that form the electro-optic phased array. | 10-09-2014 |