Mirrored communication system
First Claim
1. A communication apparatus comprising:
- partially transparent mirror means extending continuously over a preselected area and having a distribution of reflective material which varies in optical density over the area to define a plurality of partially transparent regions different from one another in optical transmittance;
means for providing images behind the mirror means at said regions; and
means for selectively backlighting said regions so that the images become visible from the front of the mirror means.
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Abstract
A partially transparent mirrored screen extends continuously over a preselected area and contains a distribution of reflective material which varies in optical density to define regions of differing optical transmittance to light. A plurality of regions are selectively backlighted to reveal two-dimensional or three-dimensional images embodied within media behind the screen. The densities of the regions are chosen so that the images are displayed clearly when the regions are backlighted and disappear in the absence of backlighting, leaving the screen uniformly reflective of environmental light in an "off" condition. In a preferred embodiment, the reflective material includes a front layer of uniform optical density over the preselected area and a rear layer of nonuniform optical density. The front layer corresponds to the density required for a first object or image-bearing sheet located behind one region of the mirror and the rear layer provides a different density for a sheet located behind another region.
37 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A communication apparatus comprising:
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partially transparent mirror means extending continuously over a preselected area and having a distribution of reflective material which varies in optical density over the area to define a plurality of partially transparent regions different from one another in optical transmittance; means for providing images behind the mirror means at said regions; and means for selectively backlighting said regions so that the images become visible from the front of the mirror means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification