Image viewing apparatus and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for displaying a first multi-color image on a multi-color display screen exclusively to a first viewer and a second multi-color image on the display screen exclusively to a second viewer, comprising:
- control means for selectively displaying said first image and said second image on the display screen and for generating a second viewer image block signal when said first image is displayed and a first viewer image block signal when said second image is displayed;
first viewer image blocking means responsive to said first viewer image block signal generated by said control means for blocking the first viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said first viewer image block signal is received and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times; and
second viewer image blocking means responsive to said second viewer image block signal from said control means for blocking the second viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said second viewer image block signal is received and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for displaying on a display screen a first image sequence exclusively to a first viewer and a second image sequence exclusively to a second viewer, the first image sequence including a respective plurality of image frames and the second image sequence including a respective plurality of image frames. A controller alternately displays in an interlaced fashion each of the image frames of the first image sequence and each of the image frames of the second image sequence on the display screen. The controller also generates a second viewer image block signal when each of the image frames of the first image sequence are displayed and a first viewer image block signal when each of the image frames of the second image sequence are displayed. A first viewer image blocking element responsive to the first viewer image block signal generated by the controller is provided for blocking the first viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when the first viewer image block signal is received and a second viewer image blocking element responsive to the second viewer image block signal from the controller is provided for blocking the second viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when the second viewer image block signal is received.
56 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An apparatus for displaying a first multi-color image on a multi-color display screen exclusively to a first viewer and a second multi-color image on the display screen exclusively to a second viewer, comprising:
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control means for selectively displaying said first image and said second image on the display screen and for generating a second viewer image block signal when said first image is displayed and a first viewer image block signal when said second image is displayed; first viewer image blocking means responsive to said first viewer image block signal generated by said control means for blocking the first viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said first viewer image block signal is received and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times; and second viewer image blocking means responsive to said second viewer image block signal from said control means for blocking the second viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said second viewer image block signal is received and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 20)
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2. An apparatus for displaying a first image on a display screen exclusively to a first viewer and a second image on the display screen exclusively to a second viewer, comprising:
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control means for selectively displaying said first image and said second image on the display screen and for generating a second viewer image block signal when said first image is displayed and a first viewer image block signal when said second image is displayed; first viewer image blocking means responsive to said first viewer image block signal generated by said control means for blocking the first viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said first viewer image block signal is received; and second viewer image blocking means responsive to said second viewer image block signal from said control means for blocking the second viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said second viewer image block signal is received; wherein said first viewer image blocking means comprises at least a first liquid crystal lens and said second viewer image blocking means comprises at least a second liquid crystal lens, whereby said first liquid crystal lens turns from a substantially transparent state to a substantially opaque state when the first viewer image blocking means receives the first viewer image block signal and whereby said second liquid crystal lens turns from a substantially transparent state to a substantially opaque state when the second viewer image blocking means receives the second viewer image block signal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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9. An apparatus for displaying on a multi-color display screen a first image sequence exclusively to a first viewer and a second image sequence exclusively to a second viewer, said first image sequence including a respective plurality of multi-color image frames and said second image sequence including a respective plurality of multi-color image frames, comprising:
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control means for alternately displaying in an interlaced fashion each of said image frames of said first image sequence and each of said image frames of said second image sequence on the display screen and for generating a second viewer image block signal when each of said image frames of said first image sequence are displayed and a first viewer image block signal when each of said image frames of said second image sequence are displayed; first viewer image blocking means responsive to said first viewer image block signal generated by said control means for blocking the first viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said first viewer image block signal is received and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times; and second viewer image blocking means responsive to said second viewer image block signal from said control means for blocking the second viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said second viewer image block signal is received and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 21)
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10. An apparatus for displaying on a display screen a first image sequence exclusively to a first viewer and a second image sequence exclusively to a second viewer, said first image sequence including a respective plurality of image frames and said second image sequence including a respective plurality of image frames, comprising:
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control means for alternately displaying in an interlaced fashion each of said image frames of said first image sequence and each of said image frames of said second image sequence on the display screen and for generating a second viewer image block signal when each of said image frames of said first image sequence are displayed and a first viewer image block signal when each of said image frames of said second image sequence are displayed; first viewer image blocking means responsive to said first viewer image block signal generated by said control means for blocking the first viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said first viewer image block signal is received; and second viewer image blocking means responsive to said second viewer image block signal from said control means for blocking the second viewer'"'"'s view of the display screen when said second viewer image block signal is received; wherein said first viewer image blocking means comprises at least a first liquid crystal lens and said second viewer image blocking means comprises at least a second liquid crystal lens, whereby said first liquid crystal lens turns from a substantially transparent state to a substantially opaque state when the first viewer image blocking means receives the first viewer image block signal and whereby said second liquid crystal lens turns from a substantially transparent state to a substantially opaque state when the second viewer image blocking means receives the second viewer image block signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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17. An apparatus for displaying on a multi-color display screen, exclusively to each of n number of viewers, a respective one of n number of image sequences, each of said n number of image sequences including a respective plurality of multi-color image frames and each of said n number of image sequences being assigned to a respective one of said n number of viewers, comprising:
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display means for alternately displaying on the display screen an image frame from each of said n image sequences in an interlaced fashion, whereby at any one time there is a single presently displayed image frame from one of said n number of image sequences which is viewed by the one of said n number of viewers to which the image sequence including the single presently displayed image frame is assigned; signal generation means for generating image frame view block signals in response to the display by the display means of the presently displayed frame, whereby the generated image frame view block signals correspond to all of the n number of viewers except for the one of said n number of viewers to which the image sequence including the single presently displayed image frame is assigned; and n number of viewer image blocking means, each corresponding to one of said n number of viewers, responsive to the image frame view block signals for selectively blocking all of said n number of viewer'"'"'s views of the display screen except for the one of said n number of viewers to which the image sequence including the single presently displayed image frame is assigned and for permitting substantially unattenuated passage of multi-color light therethrough at other times. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 22)
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Specification