Patent Application
20230320505
The present invention relates to a beverage entertainment glass that projects a three-dimensional image having depth onto a beverage glass using only one image display device, and a storage medium used in the beverage entertainment glass.
Glasses with various functions other than a function of containing beverages therein have been developed.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a beverage entertainment glass invented by the inventor of the present application. The beverage entertainment glass is equipped with an image display device fixed to a side of the glass and a reflecting mirror arranged inside a glass body, and the image of the image display device is simulated to be projected inside the glass.
Patent Document 2 discloses another beverage entertainment glass invented by the inventor of the present application. The entertainment glass is equipped with a video display device fixed to a side of the glass and a beam splitter placed inside a glass body, and is configured to simulate the image of the video display device by projecting it inside the glass.
However, the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 had a difficulty that a three-dimensional image having depth was not projected onto an upper opening of the glass that is a drinking spot by using only one image display device or one image display screen (or image display surface).
In view of the above problem(s), the present invention provides a beverage entertainment glass that is configured to project a three-dimensional image having depth onto an upper opening of a glass body using only one image display device or one image display screen.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage medium storing a program to be used for the beverage entertainment glass.
A beverage entertainment glass body of the present invention includes a glass body that is a bottomed and cylindrical body, having an upper opening; a fixing mechanism that fixes an image display device attached to a side surface of the glass body, a transparent part that is provided on the side surface of the glass body, a first reflecting mirror that is arranged inside the glass body, a second reflecting mirror that is arranged inside the glass body, having light transmittance, and an image control part that controls images displayed on an image display screen of the image display device, wherein the image control part that displays a first image in a lower area of the image display screen and a second image in an upper area of the image display screen, the first reflecting mirror is fixed in the glass body in an inclined state with respect to the image display screen, the second reflecting mirror is fixed in the glass body in an inclined state with respect to the image display screen, the second reflecting mirror is fixed in a space between the first reflecting mirror and the upper opening, the second image, which is transmitted through the beverage in the glass body and the transparent part, is reflected in a direction to the upper opening due to the second reflecting mirror, the first image, which is transmitted through the beverage in the glass body and the transparent part, is reflected in the direction to the upper opening due to the first reflecting mirror, and the first image, which is reflected on the first reflecting mirror, reaches the upper opening after transmitted through the second reflecting mirror.
Further, either the first reflecting mirror or the second reflecting mirror may be configured to be detachable from the glass body, all the side surfaces of the glass body are transparent, the image control part displays either the first image or the second image in a vertically inverted state on the image display screen such that one of the first image and the second image is displayed upside down
Further, a first angle that is formed between the first reflecting mirror and the image display screen may be set 45 degrees or less, and the image control part displays one of the first image and the second image on the image display screen, the one of the first image and the second image being extended or enlarged in a vertical direction that corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the glass body.
Further, a second angle that is formed between the second reflecting mirror and the image display screen may be set 45 degrees or less, and the image control part displays one of the first image and the second image on the image display screen, the one of the first image and the second image being extended or enlarged in a vertical direction that corresponds to a longitudinal direction of the glass body.
Further, a first angle is formed between the first reflecting mirror and the image display screen, a second angle is formed between the second reflecting mirror and the image display screen, and the first angle may have an amount that is different from an amount of the second angle.
Further, when a first angle that is formed between the first reflecting mirror and the image display screen is set 45 degrees or less, the image control part may display the first image on the image display screen, the first image being extended or enlarged in the vertical direction.
Further, the first image may be extended or enlarged only in the vertical direction.
Further, when a second angle that is formed between the second reflecting mirror and the image display screen is set 45 degrees or less, the image control part may display the second image on the image display screen, the second image being extended or enlarged in the vertical direction
Further, the second image may be extended or enlarged only in the vertical direction.
Further, the image control part may be a computer software or a computer program.
Further, the second reflecting mirror may have a supporting rod having two ends, an end of the second reflecting mirror is joined to one end of the supporting rod, and the other end of the supporting rod is provided with a U-shaped frame having a U-shape to be combined with an end of the upper opening, and the second reflecting mirror may be fixed inside the glass body by inserting the end of the upper opening into the U-shaped frame.
Further, the first reflecting mirror may have a supporting rod having two ends, an end of the first reflecting mirror is joined to one end of the supporting rod, and the other end of the supporting rod is provided with a U-shaped frame having a U-shape to be combined with an end of the upper opening, and the first reflecting mirror may be fixed inside the glass body by inserting the end of the upper opening into the U-shaped frame.
Further, the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror may be configured such that the distance between the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror is variable.
A storage medium of the present invention stores a computer program for use in the beverage entertainment glass discussed above, wherein the computer program executes steps following: obtaining the first image and the second image from a computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the lower area on the image display screen from the computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the upper area on the image display screen from the computer memory, displaying the first image in the lower area with reference to the position and/or the side of the lower area obtained from the computer memory, and displaying the second image in the upper area with reference to the position and/or the side of the upper area obtained from the computer memory.
Further, the computer program discussed above may execute steps following: obtaining the first image and the second image from a computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the lower area on the image display screen from the computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the upper area on the image display screen from the computer memory, executing vertically inverting process to the first image, displaying the first image in the lower area with reference to the position and/or the side of the lower area obtained from the computer memory, and displaying the second image in the upper area with reference to the position and/or the side of the upper area obtained from the computer memory.
Further, the computer program discussed above may execute steps following: obtaining the first image and the second image from a computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the lower area on the image display screen from the computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the upper area on the image display screen from the computer memory, executing vertically inverting process to the second image, displaying the first image in the lower area with reference to the position and/or the side of the lower area obtained from the computer memory, and displaying the second image in the upper area with reference to the position and/or the side of the upper area obtained from the computer memory.
Further, the computer program may execute steps following: obtaining the first image and the second image from a computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the lower area on the image display screen from the computer memory, obtaining the position and/or the size of the upper area on the image display screen from the computer memory, executing extension or enlargement process to the first image in a vertical direction, displaying the first image in the lower area with reference to the position and/or the side of the lower area obtained from the computer memory, and displaying the second image in the upper area with reference to the position and/or the side of the upper area obtained from the computer memory.
Further, the computer program may execute steps following: obtaining the first image and the second image from a computer memory, obtaining a position and/or a size of the lower area on the image display screen from the computer memory, obtaining the position and/or the size of the upper area on the image display screen from the computer memory, executing extension or enlargement process to the second image in a vertical direction, displaying the first image in the lower area with reference to the position and/or the side of the lower area obtained from the computer memory, and displaying the second image in the upper area with reference to the position and/or the side of the upper area obtained from the computer memory.
The beverage entertainment glass of the present invention is configured to project a three-dimensional image(s) having depth, which is composed with two images, one image being on the side closer to the user (or closer image) and the other image being on the side farther from the user (or father image), using only one image display device or only one image display screen onto the upper opening of the glass body. Also, by turning ON/OFF only the closer image to the user, it is possible to switch between a three-dimensional image having depth and a non-three-dimensional image not having depth at any timing (or arbitrary timing of the user).
The beverage entertainment glass of the present invention is provided with an image control part that is configured to display an image that is vertically inverted (or upside down) so that both the vertically inverted image and the normal image that are not vertically inverted are simultaneously projected onto the upper opening of the glass. With such a projection, the image or character image projected to the upper opening of the beverage entertainment glass can be recognized from both sides of two users sitting facing each other.
The beverage entertainment glass of the present invention is provided with an image control part that is configured to display an image that is stretched (or enlarged) in the vertical direction so that, even if an angle between a reflecting mirror and a transparent part (more strictly speaking, an image display screen) arranged in the glass is equal to or less than 45 degrees, the user can see an image, which is not distorted, through the upper opening of the glass.
The beverage entertainment glass of the present invention is equipped with an image control part that is configured to display an image that is stretched (or enlarged) in the vertical direction so that, even if an angle between a reflecting mirror and a transparent part (more strictly speaking, an image display screen) arranged in the glass is less than 45 degrees, the user can see an image (or distortion free image) through the upper opening of the glass. With this structure, when the user drinks the beverage in the glass, a flow of the beverage in the glass is not disturbed by the reflecting mirror in the glass.
The beverage entertainment glass of the present invention projects a three-dimensional image having depth in the direction of the upper opening of the glass. Therefore, when the user drinks the beverage in the glass, the user can visually recognize the three-dimensional image developed in the beverage in the glass through the upper opening of the glass.
The first embodiment of the beverage entertainment glass of the present invention is shown with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
Glass body 10 is the bottomed cylindrical body having upper opening 11. Examples of the shape of glass body 10 include a normal cup shape as shown in
Fixing mechanism 15 is a fixing mechanism that is configured to fix image display device 80 to glass body 10. In the example of
Transparent part 12 is a transparent area provided on the side surface of glass body 10 to transmit an image displayed on image display screen 81 of image display device 80 to the inside of glass body 10. Examples of materials for transparent part 12 include transparent glass and transparent resin such as acrylic or the like. Transparent portion 12 may be formed on the entire side surface of glass body 10 like a normal glass cup (in the example of
Image control part 100 is used to control the image displayed on the image display screen 81 of image display device 80. Image control part 100 displays first image 92 in lower area 82 of image display screen 81 of image display device 80 and second image 93 in upper area 83 of image display screen 81. Image control part 100 may be embedded in the bottom surface of glass body 10 or inside the housing of image display device 80 in the form of a specified IC, ASIC, or the like. Moreover, it may be implemented in a computer inside or outside the housing of image display device 80 as computer software or a computer program. In extreme cases, image control part 100 may be implemented as cloud software or application service provider (ASP) in a remote server computer. Image control part 100 may include a computer memory for storing first image 92, second image 93, and coordinate data of upper area 83 and lower area 82 in image display screen 81 thereinside.
First reflecting mirror 30 is disposed inside glass body 10 and used to reflect first image 92 displayed in lower area 82 of image display screen 81 toward upper opening 11 of glass body 10. The dashed arrow extending from first image 92 in
As an example of first reflecting mirror 30, a normal mirror using stainless steel, aluminum, or the like is considered.
Second reflecting mirror 31 is arranged inside glass body 10, and is used to reflect second image 93 displayed in upper area 83 of image display screen 81 of image display device 80 toward upper opening 11 of glass body 10. The dashed arrows extending from second image 93 in
Since the second reflecting mirror 31 is positioned in a space between first reflecting mirror 30 and upper opening 11 and has light transmittance, user U can see composite image 90 of first image 92 (or lower area 82) and second image 93 (or upper area 83) through upper opening 11 as shown in
In beverage entertainment glass 1 of the present invention, as shown in
Distance d is defined as a distance between the top of the first reflecting mirror and the bottom of the second reflecting mirror. Distance d is measured along the longitudinal direction of the glass body. When distance d is small, the risk of contact between the upper edge of the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror increases. On the other hand, when distance d is large, it becomes difficult to create a space for accommodating the reflecting mirror in the glass. Therefore, the amount of distance d is preferably in a range of 2 to 10% of the length of the glass body.
Since the color and the refractive index of light are different for each type of beverage L (or each beverage having different the color and the refractive index of light), it is possible to change the appearance of composite image 90 by changing the type of beverage L in beverage entertainment glass 1 of the present invention.
Further, as a method of fixing first reflecting mirror 30 and second reflecting mirror 31 with respect to image display screen 81 in an inclined state inside glass body 10, a fixing method using a hook mechanism, heat welding, or the like is available.
When the area of the reflecting mirrors placed in the glass is too small, composite image 90 will be too small and the user will not be able to recognize the shape and color of composite image 90. Considering the point, as shown in
In beverage entertainment glass 1 of the present invention, as shown in
Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the beverage entertainment glass of the present invention will be shown with reference to the drawings. Parts and elements having the same configuration as the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and explanations thereof are omitted.
As shown in
Additionally, when first image 92 and second image 93 have the same color and there are many overlapping portions of first image 92 and second image 93 in composite image 90, it may be difficult for user U1 to recognize first image 92 (or user U2 recognizing second image 93). Therefore, it is preferable to select images having different colors for first image 92 and second image 93 as much as possible.
As shown in
Since second image 93 is vertically inverted with respect to first image 92 as shown in
Not only first reflecting mirror 30 but also second reflecting mirror 31 may be detachable from glass body 10. When first reflecting mirror 30 is removed from glass body 10, first image 92 can be canceled. When second reflecting mirror 31 is removed from glass body 10, second image 93 can be canceled.
The physical reflection positions of second image 93 and first image 92 are separated by elongating distance d between first reflecting mirror 30 and second reflecting mirror 31. Accordingly, the stereoscopic effect of composite image 90 that is projected onto upper opening 11 varies. Therefore, a plurality of second reflecting mirrors 31 (or first reflecting mirrors 30) having different fixed positions in the glass may be prepared in advance and exchanged to change distance d.
As shown in
Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the beverage entertainment glass of the present invention will be shown with reference to the drawings. Parts and elements having the same configuration as the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and explanations thereof are omitted.
In beverage entertainment glass 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in
In order not to disturb the flow of beverage L when the user tilts glass body 10 and drinks beverage L, as shown in
The extension ratio in the vertical direction is calculated from 1/tan θ, where θ is an angle between the reflecting mirror and the image display screen. In other words, when θ=30 degrees, the image should be stretched 1.73 times in the vertical direction. Namely, the magnification rate in the vertical direction is 1/tan θ times. When θ=45 degrees, the extension ratio is 1 time (or 100%), so magnification in the vertical direction is not necessary. Assuming, for example, that the design is to be variable from θ=45 degrees to ±1 degree, it is ideal to be able to adjust the expansion ratio within a range of at least ±4% (strictly speaking, +3.4311 [%] to −3.553 [%]).
Note that the magnification in the horizontal direction is not necessary/undesirable because it causes distortion of the image reflected in the reflecting mirror. In this embodiment, the magnification is executed only in the vertical direction. Putting it another way, the aspect ratio of the image is not the same after the enlargement process.
Furthermore, angle a1 formed between first reflecting mirror 30 and image display screen 81 (or transparent part 12) and angle a2 formed between second reflecting mirror 31 and image display screen 81 (or transparent part 12) may be different. Because the stretch or enlargement process of the image in the vertical direction puts a load on the computer, and the flow of beverage L near upper opening 11 is important to be considered when the user drinks beverage L, the load of the computer due to the stretch or enlargement process of the image in the vertical direction may be reduced to ½ by setting only angle a2 45 degrees or less and by setting angle a1 45 degrees (that is, only second image 93 may be processed by the vertical direction enlargement process of the image).
In step 1, first image 92 is obtained from a computer memory, second image 93 is obtained from the computer memory, and positions and/or sizes of lower area 82 and upper area 83 on image display screen 81 are obtained from the computer memory. In step 3, first image 92 is displayed in lower area 82 and second image 93 is displayed in upper area 83, after which the program ends.
In step 1, first image 92 is obtained from a computer memory, second image 93 is obtained from the computer memory, and positions and/or sizes of lower area 82 and upper area 83 on image display screen 81 are obtained from the computer memory. In step 2A, the vertically inverting process is executed to either first image 92 or second image 93. In step 3, first image 92 is displayed in lower area 82 and second image 93 is displayed in upper area 83, after which the program ends.
As for an algorithm for the vertically inverting process of the image, a known algorithm used in photo retouching software or the like may be used.
In step 1, first image 92 is obtained from a computer memory, second image 93 is obtained from the computer memory, and positions and/or sizes of lower area 82 and upper area 83 on image display screen 81 are obtained from the computer memory. In step 2B, first image 92 and/or second image 93 are processed with the extension or enlargement process in the vertical direction. In step 3, first image 92 is displayed in lower area 82 and second image 93 is displayed in upper area 83, after which the program ends.
As for an algorithm for the stretch or enlargement process of the image in the vertical direction, a known algorithm used in photo retouching software or the like may be used.
The present invention uses only one image display device or only one image display screen to project a three-dimensional image having depth, which is composed of an image closer to the user and an image farther from the user, onto the upper opening of the glass body. Also, it is realized to switch between a three-dimensional image having depth and a non-three-dimensional image at an arbitrary timing by turning only the image on the side closer to the user ON or OFF. In addition, it is used by two users at the same time, and even when if the reflecting mirror tilts so that the flow of the beverage in the glass body is not disturbed by the reflecting mirror in the glass body, the image seen from the user(s) is not distorted. As described above, the present invention has industrial applicability.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-039717 | Jan 2021 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT application No. PCT/JP2021/48587 filed on Dec. 27, 2021, which is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Applications No. 2021-039717 filed on Jan. 20, 2021, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/JP2021/048587 | Dec 2021 | US |
| Child | 18334570 | US |
