3D glasses and related systems

• US 8,746,558 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/634,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20130001306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385, 235/375, 235/381, 235/492
• 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. 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.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the efficiency metrics includes data necessary to calculate a shrinkage factor attributable to a particular 3D venue.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the shrinkage factor is billed back to the 3D venue.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the shrinkage factor is utilized to maintain a steady profit margin of a vendor implementing the system.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the system is implemented by a vendor having an existing relationship that includes delivery of goods and/or services to the 3D venue.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein scanning of the RFID tags occurs at least at delivery and collection of the glasses.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a scanning of glasses upon inspection for quality of the glasses.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising an electronic database configured to track usage, including identification of 3D venue, inspections, and employee handling of each pair of 3D glasses.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein scanning of the RFID tags occurs at least at delivery, collection, and upon inspection of the glasses performed either before or after washing.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the washing and storage racks includes an RFID device associated with the rack.

11. The system according to claim 10, 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.

12. The system according to claim 1, further comprising 3D venue scanners configured to locate a pair of glasses inside the 3D venue.

13. 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.

14. The 3D glasses system according to claim 13, 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.

15. The 3D glasses system according to claim 14, 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.

16. The 3D glasses system according to claim 13, further comprising a washing machine configured to washing the used 3D glasses while stacked in the transportation rack.

17. The 3D glasses system according to claim 16, 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.