1、苹果很早前就申请了这些专利，申请日期为 2006 年 10 月 13 日iGlass 产品概念图A detail from Apples patent filling, showing near-eye display for head-mounted deviced.introducing the world to Apple patent 8,212,859Every Tuesday comes with a risk of drama because, like clockwork, thats the day the US Patent and Trademark Office pub
2、lishes newly-issued patents for the general public and Apple is frequently in the mix. This last Tuesday was no exception: introducing the world to Apple patent 8,212,859. With a title like “Peripheral Treatment for Head-Mounted Displays“ and a description that proclaims a system for “projecting a s
3、ource image in a head-mounted display apparatus for a user,“ its no real surprise that many are predicting Apple will use the 859 patent to shut down Googles Project Glass. We can all exhale in relief, because thats not going to happen. The 859 patent was filed in 2006 and the issued claims which al
4、one define and limit the applicable scope of the patent are for a device very different than Project Glass. Lets take a look at the broadest claim:17. A computer-implemented method for projecting a source image in a head-mounted display apparatus for a user, the head-mounted display apparatus having
5、 a first display operable to project a first image viewable by a first eye of the user and a first peripheral light element positioned to emit light of one or more colors in close proximity to the periphery of the first display and, the method comprising:receiving data representing a source image;di
6、viding the source image into a left image and a right image;determining periphery colors for the left image and periphery colors for the right image;combining the left image and the determined periphery colors for the left image by directing the first peripheral light element to display the determin
7、ed left image periphery colors only in a peripheral region of the first image;combining the right image and the determined periphery colors for the right image by directing the second peripheral light element to display the determined right image periphery colors only in a peripheral region of the s
8、econd image;and projecting the combined left image only to the first display and the combined right image only to the second display to create an enhanced viewing experience for the user.The sheer number of words and details in that claim alone imply that this isnt a blanket patent on all head-mount
9、ed display gear. However, we can never rely on gut feelings to define patent coverage, so lets take a few of the claim elements in context and see what weve got here. You can see right off the bat that the claim requires two displays, with each projecting a unique image to the user. That by itself t
10、akes Project Glass out of the running. However, the claim further requires specific image and color combination processing on a headset with two distinct displays and separate peripheral light elements. Again, something the single-display Glass device doesnt include. In response to a Patent Office r
11、ejection of its pending patent claims, Apple even emphasized its two-display construct as a unique feature, admitting the claim “requires that the source image be divided in to left and right images which are then processed separately and ultimately displayed separately to a left eye and a right eye
12、 independent of each other.“Does this mean Apple cant, or wont try to, expand its patent coverage in the future? No. In fact, its worth noting that before the 859 patent was issued, Apple filed a continuation application a related child application that shares the same disclosure details, and 2006 p
13、riority date, but can issue into a new patent that it will surely use to go after broader coverage on head-mounted display devices. However, Apples ability to get the kind of patent coverage needed to go after Googles Glass technology is seriously limited by the experimentation and innovation in thi
14、s area that predated the 2006 filing date of its patent. Everything done in the years and decades before 2006 serves as prior art to limit the potential scope of future patents. You can check out our in-depth feature on the topic, Project Glass and the epic history of wearable computers, to see just
15、 how much is already out there.Outlined in a filing published by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office yesterday, Apples patent application refers to a technology that increases the resolution on a display without increasing the number of pixels. Such technology could be used in a portable heads-up displ
16、ay, Apple explained, where limiting the number of pixels is especially useful.Illustration from Apples patent filing. | Source: USPTO Apple proposes a mechanism that can shift a specially-synchronized digital display assembly fast enough to create a higher perceived resolution without upping the num
17、ber of physical pixels.The filing explains:In particular, an actuator is implemented to shift physical pixels between multiple positions within a prescribed time period so that a single physical pixel appears to a viewer as multiple pixels. Hence, the pixel density is effectively multiplied by the n
18、umber of positions to which the physical pixels may be displayed.Supporting claims include methods for storing and displaying image data, feeding said data to corresponding pixels at the correct time during actuation and using lens and mirror configurations to achieve optimal output. Fig.7Display ac
19、tuation and data synchronization results in pixel multiplication. | Source: USPTO Apple offers two separate methods by which pixel multiplication can be achieved. The first solution, described above, actuates the display itself while a second method involves adding an array of optics between the dis
20、play and the users eye. This lens and mirror assembly can be shifted in synchronization with physical pixel output to “give the appearance of multiple pixels per physical pixel.“ Shifting of a lens array can alternately be used for pixel multiplication. Source: USPTO The filing notes the cost of act
21、uators and circuitry should “generally be much less than the cost of physically representing the pixels independently, especially when the single physical pixel is scaled to represent four or more pixels.“It is unlikely that the technology will be used in a commercial application any time soon if at all, however the filing signals Apples intent to remain a tech industry innovator.
