3D Glasses and Related Systems

• US 20130001306A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Healy, Andrew, Hovanky, Thao D., Long, Gregory J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,746,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/008 Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images

Abstract

3D glasses having an RFID tag (embedded in one or more temples) are rented to theater or other venue operators. The glasses are shipped to a venue for distribution to patrons and collected from patrons in the trays. Inventory and other measures are implemented by RFID scanning while the glasses are in the trays (e.g., upon delivery to a theater, on collection from the theater, upon inspection at the 3D rental company, etc). Data gathered from RFID scanning and inspections allows the rental company to properly allocate rental costs to various venues based on shrinkage which includes, for example, extraordinary wear, breakage, or theft which is attributable and traceable to the specific venues. The theater or venue may also independently scan the trays upon delivery and pick-up to maintain their own records. The invention includes 3D glasses with RFID, a washing rack, and rental systems.

Claims

1-21. -21. (canceled)

22. A pair of glasses configured for viewing 3D images and having an RFID tag.

23. The glasses according to claim 22, further comprising an auxiliary antenna that boosts a range in which the RFID tag may be scanned.

24. The glasses according to claim 22, wherein the auxiliary antenna is part of more than one frame member of the glasses.

25. The glasses according to claim 22, wherein the auxiliary antenna is attached to or embedded in a temple of the glasses.

26. The glasses according to claim 22, further comprising an anti-shoplifting device.

27. The glasses according to claim 26, wherein the RFID tag is embedded in a first temple of a frame of the glasses, and the anti-shoplifting device is embedded in one of a same and/or second temple of the frame of the glasses.

28. A system for monitoring usage of 3D rental glasses, comprising:

a plurality of 3D glasses each having an RFID tag;

a delivery, collection, and washing infrastructure configured to deliver the 3D glasses to a 3D venue for use by patrons of the 3D venue, collect used 3D glasses from the 3D venue, wash the 3D glasses;

wherein the delivery, collection, and washing performed by the infrastructure is done with the aid of scanning the RFID tags of the glasses for inventory control and efficiency metrics; and

a plurality of storage and washing racks each configured to hold at least a portion of the plurality of 3D glasses vertically in position with nearly vertical orientation of lenses of the 3D glasses.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein the efficiency metrics includes data necessary to calculate a shrinkage factor attributable to a particular 3D venue.

30. The system according to claim 28, wherein scanning of the RFID tags occurs at least at delivery and collection of the glasses.

31. The system according to claim 28, wherein scanning of the RFID tags occurs at least at delivery, collection, and upon inspection of the glasses performed either before or after washing.

32. The system according to claim 29, wherein the shrinkage factor is billed back to the 3D venue.

33. The system according to claim 29, wherein the shrinkage factor is utilized to maintain a steady profit margin of a vendor implementing the system.

34. The system according to claim 29, wherein the system is implemented by a vendor having an existing relationship that includes delivery of goods and/or services to the 3D venue.

35. The system according to claim 28, wherein each of the washing and storage racks includes an RFID device associated with the rack.

36. The system according to claim 35, wherein at least one scan of the glasses comprises a scan where the RFID of the rack can be associated with each glasses pair in that rack.

37. The system according to claim 28, further comprising 3D venue scanners configured to locate a pair of glasses inside the 3D venue.

38. The system according to claim 30, further comprising a scanning of glasses upon inspection for quality of the glasses.

39. The system according to claim 38, further comprising an electronic database configured to track usage, including identification of 3D venue, inspections, and employee handling of each pair of 3D glasses.

40. A method, comprising the steps of:

delivering a set of pairs of 3D glasses each having RFID tags to a 3D venue;

electronically and wirelessly scanning RFID tags of each pair of 3D glasses delivered to the 3D venue;

collecting pairs of 3D glasses from the 3D venue;

wirelessly and electronically scanning RFID tags of each pair of 3D glasses collected from the 3D venue; and

using the delivery and collection scans of the glasses RFID tags to determine billing for use of the 3D glasses by the 3d venue.

41. The method according to claim 40, wherein the billing includes a standard rental rate plus a shrinkage factor attributable to the 3D venue.

42. A 3D glasses system, comprising:

a plurality of 3D glasses each having an RFID tag;

a distribution, collection, and washing infrastructure configured to deliver the 3D glasses to patrons at a 3D venue for use by the patrons at the 3D venue, collect used 3D glasses, wash the used 3D glasses;

collecting efficiency metrics about the 3D glasses during operation of the distribution, collection, and washing infrastructure by scanning the RFID tags of the glasses; and

linking the efficiency metrics to at least one of an inventory, cost, accounting, payment, and replacement system.

43. The 3D glasses system according to claim 42, wherein the distribution collection and washing infrastruction comprises a transportation rack configured to stack glasses on top of other glasses, one over another, while holding lenses of the stacked glasses in a vertical orientation.

44. The 3D glasses system according to claim 42, further comprising a washing machine configured to washing the used 3D glasses while stacked in the transportation rack.

45. The 3D glasses system according to claim 44, wherein the delivery of the 3D glasses comprises delivery of used 3D glasses from the transportation rack directly to the patrons after having been washed and sanitized in the washing machine while stacked in the transportation rack.

46. The 3D glasses system according to claim 43, wherein the temples of the glasses are not folded and the 3D glasses are further positioned in the rack such that the temples of stacked glasses are also arranged vertically one on top of the other. and delivery system comprises