Digital eyewear

• US 10,527,847 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2018
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Percept Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Percept Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Lewis, Scott W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Darryl J
• Application Number:
  US16/236,349
• Time in Patent Office: 374 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/00 Optical parts characterised by the material G02B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/101 having an electro-optical light valve electro-optical elements per se G02F
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/12 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/00 Arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received correcting synchronisation H04L7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0016 involving special memory structures, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0026 Transmission of channel quality indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0077 : Cooperative coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 : Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/001 : the frequencies being arranged in component carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0035 : Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 : allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0069 : Allocation based on distance or geographical location allocation based on terminal or device properties in general, H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 : Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 : Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1469 : using time-sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/0335 : Earpiece support, e.g. headbands or neckrests for monophonic headphones H04R1/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0278 : using buffer status reports dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 : in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1268 : of uplink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1273 : of downlink data flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 : using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 : WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Improved eyewear is disclosed. The eyewear comprises a frame member and a lens. The eyewear also includes circuitry within the frame member for enhancing the use of the eyewear. A system and method in accordance with the present invention is directed to a variety of ways to enhance the use of eyeglasses. They are: (1) media focals, that is, utilizing the eyewear for its intended purpose and enhancing that use by using imaging techniques to improve the vision of the user; (2) telecommunications enhancements that allow the eyeglasses to be integrated with telecommunication devices such as cell phones or the like; and (3) entertainment enhancements that allow the eyewear to be integrated with devices such as MP3 players, radios, or the like.

Claims

1. Eyewear including

a frame member;

circuitry coupled to the frame member, disposed to enhance use of the eyewear;

an eye sensor coupled to the frame member, the eye sensor disposed to activate the circuitry in response to a sequence of two or more eye voluntary eye gestures by a user, using activity of the eye itself of a user;

wherein the eye sensor is responsive to voluntary eye gestures by the user without presentation of an image for the user to review;

wherein each voluntary eye gesture includes one or more of;

intentional blinking more than once in succession, facial and eye movements, squinting, or combinations of intentional blinking and facial or eye movements;

wherein the circuitry provides one or more functions of;

receiving, recording, playing, or presenting, audio information.

2. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

downloading and billing for selected music or audio is authorized;

simultaneous access to a plurality of libraries for music or audio selections is provided,

wherein the access can be free of charge, or in response to a payment.

3. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to access audio media using one or more of:

computer networks, external audio players, external devices, or wireless technology.

4. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to access one or more of:

computer networks, streaming audio media, music or audio selection libraries, or multimedia libraries.

5. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide access in response to a payment, to one or more of:

streaming audio media, music or audio selection libraries, or multimedia libraries.

6. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to download or select audio or music input in response to one or more of:

scrolling, or voice recognition.

7. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to network a plurality of users in an audio or music player environment.

8. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide audio information in one or more of:

a wired environment, or a wireless environment.

9. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide a plurality of user with free, purchased, or billed, access to one or more of:

song lyrics, song melodies, song notes, song names, or information with respect to a song.

10. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide access to a virtual network library.

11. Eyewear as in claim 10, wherein

the virtual network library includes one or more of:

association with a hotspot, association with a wi-fi hotspot, providing enrollment of users upon entering a hotspot, providing location information for users using the hotspot, providing streaming audio associated with a hotspot, providing downloading audio associated with a hotspot, or providing purchasing audio using the eyewear.

12. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide information from one or more of:

a radio station, or a music or audio player.

13. Eyewear as in claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide selection of the information from one or more of:

audio libraries, or multimedia libraries.

14. Eyewear including

a wearable element;

circuitry coupled to the wearable element, disposed to enhance use of the eyewear;

a wearable sensor coupled to the wearable element, the wearable sensor disposed to activate the circuitry in response to a sequence of two or more voluntary eye gestures by a user, using activity of the eye, face, or head, of a user;

wherein the eye sensor is responsive to voluntary eye gestures by the user without presentation of an image for the user to review;

wherein each voluntary eye gesture includes one or more of;

intentional blinking more than once in succession, facial and eye movements, squinting, or combinations of intentional blinking and facial or eye movements;

wherein the circuitry is disposed to provide one or more functions of;

receiving, recording, playing, or presenting, one or more of;

audio, visual, or digital, information.

15. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to access audio media using one or more of:

simultaneous access to a computer network, an external audio player, an external device, or wireless technology.

16. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to access one or more of:

computer networks, streaming audio media, one or more music or audio selection libraries, or one or more multimedia libraries,

wherein the access can be free of charge, or in response to a payment.

17. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to authorize one or more of:

downloading selected music or audio, billing for selected music or audio, or free or billed access to one or more libraries from which music or audio is selectable.

18. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to control or to provide audio information in one or more of:

a wired environment, or a wireless environment.

19. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to download or select audio or music input in response to one or more of:

scrolling, or voice recognition.

20. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to network a plurality of users in an audio or music player environment.

21. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide a plurality of user with simultaneous participation in one or more of:

joint singing, or karaoke singing.

22. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide a plurality of users with free or billed access to one or more of:

song lyrics, song melodies, song notes, song names, or information with respect to a song.

23. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide access to a virtual network library,

free of charge or in response to a payment.

24. Eyewear as in claim 23, wherein

the virtual network library includes one or more of:

association with a hotspot, association with a wi-fi hotspot, providing enrollment of users upon entering a hotspot, providing location information for users using the hotspot, providing streaming audio associated with a hotspot, providing downloading audio associated with a hotspot, or providing purchasing audio using the eyewear.

25. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide information from an external device.

26. Eyewear as in claim 25, wherein

the external device includes one or more of:

a computer network, a music or audio player, a radio station, or a server.

27. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide one or more of:

linking to a multimedia network, or receiving information to one or more libraries of selections therefrom,

for selected music or audio information.

28. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to provide selection of the information from one or more of:

music or audio libraries, or multimedia libraries.

29. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to select among the

one or more music or audio selection libraries, or one or more multimedia libraries.

30. Eyewear as in claim 14, wherein

the circuitry is disposed to use wireless technology to access one or more of:

music, audio, or live audio sources.