Patent Application
20210100383
The present invention relates to a drinking dramatization glass that lets an individual enjoy oneself together with others in remote locations and presents many different dramatizing effects. Additionally, it relates to a drinking dramatization glass that allows an image display device to be fixed with ease on the glass body and the orientation of an image display part of the image display device to be changed with ease, and further allows multiple people to view an image at the same time. Additionally, it relates to a drinking dramatization system and a remote toast counter system, both using such drinking dramatization glasses, as well as a storage medium for use therewith. Additionally, it relates to a drinking dramatization glass and a drinking dramatization system, both designed to use a beam splitter constituted by drinking water to spectrally disperse or reflect an image from the image display device on the side face of the glass, as well as a storage medium and a drink freeze container, both for use with such drinking dramatization glass and drinking dramatization system.
At parties, receptions, and other events, oftentimes the participants toast by clinking their glasses containing drinks, to share their joy with one another.
In the past, glasses have been developed that offer various functions in addition to containing drinks.
For example, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose an art of using a sensor to detect that a glass has been raised, and then outputting various sounds from a speaker provided in the lower part of the glass.
Patent Literature 3 discloses an art, pertaining to a glass equipped with a means for detecting its tilt angle, of producing voices according to the tilt angle of the glass.
Patent Literature 4 discloses an art of placing a light-emitting piece in an intermediate layer between the interior wall and the exterior wall of a glass, with the light-emitting piece emitting light when the glass is shaken.
Patent Literatures 5 and 6 disclose an art of placing a display device on the surface of a glass and allowing the image displayed on the display device to be changed manually or according to the output of a motion sensor that detects the state of the glass.
Patent Literature 7 discloses an art of placing a display device on the surface of a glass, while placing a control module and connection terminals in a space at the bottom of the glass. By hardwiring it to an external computer via the connection terminals, the control module can download multiple types of image data and display them on the display device.
Patent Literatures 8 to 10 disclose a drinking dramatization glass invented by the inventor of the invention under the present application for patent. This drinking dramatization glass comprises: a glass body; a storage part extending from the bottom part, toward the interior side, of the glass body and used for storing a mobile communication device; and a waveguide part extending from the side face, toward the interior side, of the glass body and used for letting the radio waves from the mobile communication device pass through. This drinking dramatization glass can let the radio waves from the mobile communication device pass through to the exterior to enable wireless communication, even when a drink is filled inside the glass body.
Patent Literatures 11 and 12 disclose a drinking dramatization glass invented by the inventor of the invention under the present application for patent. This drinking dramatization glass comprises an image display device fixed on the side face of the glass using the storage part, and a reflective mirror or half mirror placed inside the glass body, and the glass allows for dramatization based on pseudo-projection of the image from the image display device onto the interior of the glass.
Background Art Literature Patent Literature
However, Patent Literatures 1 to 6 mentioned above involve outputting voices, images, etc., that have been pre-recorded in a memory, etc., or causing a light-emitting piece to emit light, which presents a problem of lack of variations in, and limitations of, dramatizing effects.
Patent Literature 7 requires hardwire connection with an external computer via the connection terminals, which presents a problem of cumbersome operations, as well as a problem of malfunction if the connection terminals get wet.
Also, Patent Literatures 1 to 7 cater to the enjoyment of only the people in the sole space where the glass is placed, which presents a problem that they cannot share their joy with others in remote locations.
Also, Patent Literature 8 has a storage part and a waveguide part provided inside the glass body, which presents a problem that the capacity of the glass body will decrease, as well as a problem that the manufacturing steps will increase. Additionally, because the insertion opening of the storage part is located at the bottom part of the glass body, the glass body must be lifted when the mobile communication device is inserted or removed through this insertion opening, which presents a problem of difficulty answering an unexpected incoming call. Also, the mobile communication device in the glass body has a fixed orientation, which presents a problem that the orientation of the image display part cannot be changed, as well as a problem of difficulty creating a simultaneous viewing experience among multiple people.
Also, Patent Literatures 11 and 12 mentioned above pose a risk of damage to the metal or glass reflective mirror or beam splitter (spectroscope) placed in the glass when ice is dropped into the glass or the drink in the glass is stirred with a spoon, etc., which in turn presents a safety issue that the user may accidentally swallow the broken pieces of the damaged reflective mirror or beam splitter. Another problem is that the weight of the glass itself will increase by the weight of the reflective mirror or beam splitter. Also, a problem arises in that the user will have difficulty controlling or fine-tuning the image reflectivity and transmissivity by himself/herself.
In light of the aforementioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a drinking dramatization glass that lets an individual enjoy oneself together with others in remote locations, and presents many different dramatizing effects. Another object to provide a drinking dramatization glass that allows an image display device to be fixed with ease on the glass body and the orientation of an image display part of the image display device to be changed with ease, and further allows multiple people to view an image at the same time. Yet another object is to provide a drinking dramatization system and a remote toast counter system, both using such drinking dramatization glasses, as well as a storage medium for use therewith. Yet another object is to provide a drinking dramatization glass which is safe and permits easy control of image reflectivity, a drinking dramatization system using such drinking dramatization glass, as well as a storage medium and a drink freeze container, both for use with such drinking dramatization glass and drinking dramatization system.
The drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention comprises: a glass body being a bottomed cylinder with a top opening; a fixing mechanism for fixing an image display device on the side face of the glass body; a transparent part for viewing, from the exterior of the glass body, an image displayed on an image display part of the image display device; and a beam splitter placed inside the glass body; which is characterized in that the image displayed on the image display part is spectrally dispersed into two images—a reflected image and a transmitted image—by the beam splitter, and the reflected image and transmitted image pass through the transparent part and reach the exterior of the glass body.
Also, it is characterized in that the image display device is a part of a mobile communication device.
Also, it is characterized in that a part or all of the transparent part constitutes a lens so that the image display part can be magnified for viewing from the exterior of the glass body.
Also, it is characterized in that the orientation of the beam splitter can be changed in the horizontal direction and/or the vertical direction.
Also, it is characterized in that the beam splitter has a detachable light-blocking layer and, when the light-blocking layer is attached to the beam splitter, the beam splitter can be utilized as a reflective mirror.
Also, it is characterized in that the glass body has a transparent handle.
Also, it is characterized in that the fixing mechanism comprises an insertion opening through which to insert the image display device, and a storage part for storing the image display device, and the storage part is made of a flexible material so that, by applying an external force, the storage part can be deformed to operate the image display device in the storage part.
Also, it is characterized in that it has a lid for closing off the top opening.
Also, it is characterized in that the image display device is a part of a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device has a user operation detection part and an acceleration sensor, and the user operation detection part detects, based on output data from the acceleration sensor, whether the user has moved or tilted the glass body or clinked it against other object (hereinafter referred to as “user operation”) and transmits an output signal to the exterior.
Also, it is characterized in that the image display device is a part of a mobile communication device, the mobile communication device has a vibrator, and the vibrator vibrates at the timing of communication performed by the mobile communication device via radio waves, thereby causing the glass body to vibrate.
Also, it is characterized in that the mobile communication device has a camera, and the camera captures an image at the timing of detection of the user operation by the user operation detection part and transmits the captured image data to the exterior.
Also, it is characterized in that the beam splitter is constituted by a drink inside the glass body, and the drink has, at the position of incidence of the image, an inclined plane that is flat and inclines with respect to the image display part.
Also, it is characterized in that the ratio of brightness between the reflected image and the transmitted image can be adjusted by adjusting the color and/or optical transparency of the drink.
Also, it is characterized in that the beam splitter is constituted by a drink that has been frozen into a shape having the inclined plane.
Also, it is characterized in that it has a flat part that inclines with respect to the image display part, at the position of incidence of the image on the side face of the glass body.
Also, it is characterized in that the angle of inclination of the inclined plane with respect to the image display part is variable.
Also, it is characterized in that it has a curved part that curves convexly toward the outer side of the glass body, at the position of the transparent part where the transmitted image passes through.
Also, it is characterized in that it has a lid for closing off the top opening.
The drinking dramatization system proposed by the present invention comprises the aforementioned drinking dramatization glass, an external computer, and an exterior image display device; which is characterized in that the exterior computer, upon receiving the output signal, generates prescribed image data and transmits it to the external image display device, and the external image display device displays the image data as image content.
Also, it is characterized in that the drink with a color is used as the beam splitter to emphasize a specific color in the reflected image.
The remote toast counter system proposed by the present invention comprises the aforementioned drinking dramatization glass, and an external server computer; which is characterized in that the external server computer receives the output signal, counts the number of times the signal has been received, and records the result as a cumulative number of toasting operations, so that the user can view the cumulative number of toasting operations.
The storage medium proposed by the present invention is a storage medium in which a computer program for use with the aforementioned drinking dramatization glass is saved; which is characterized in that the computer program horizontally flips the image.
Also, it is a storage medium in which a computer program for use with the aforementioned drinking dramatization glass is saved; which is characterized in that the computer program horizontally flips and/or vertically flips the image.
The drink freeze container proposed by the present invention is a drink freeze container for use with the aforementioned drinking dramatization glass; which is characterized in that it freezes a drink into a shape having the inclined plane.
Skin depth is an indicator of the level of attenuation of the amplitude (strength) of a radio wave as determined by solving a wave motion equation derived from Maxwell's equation of electromagnetism, and represents a distance in which an electromagnetic field (radio wave) incident to a material attenuates to a strength of 1/e (≈1/2.718≈37 [%]) (e is a natural logarithm).
Assuming that a radio wave with a frequency of 1 [GHz] is made incident to sea water, which is a representative example of liquid; in this case, a skin depth of 7.9 [mm] is obtained. This means that the distance in which the amplitude (strength) of the radio wave incident to sea water attenuates to 1/e (≈37 [%]) is 7.9 [mm], and that, when a radio wave of 1 [GHz] (frequency ranges currently used by mobile phones in Japan are approx. 800 [MHz] to 3 [GHz]) is made incident to sea water in a glass cup, for example, it will attenuate to 37 [%] or less before making its way by no more than 1 [cm] from the surface of the cup. (In reality, it will attenuate more because of attenuation not only due to the sea water, but also due to the glass cup, etc. Also, with sea water taken from the waters with high concentrations of impurities and salt, the levels may far exceed the aforementioned sea water attenuation because of these impurities.) Other liquids, such as thick juices as well as cocktails and other alcoholic drinks made therewith, may contain more impurities than sea water, in which case they will naturally cause greater attenuations compared to sea water.
Also, the higher the frequency of a radio wave, the shorter its skin depth becomes. In recent years, frequencies of 1 [GHz] to 3 [GHz] or even higher are used by high-speed packet communication services, etc., for mobile phones and other mobile communication terminals; however, radio waves of these frequencies as well as 2.4 [GHz], 5 [GHz] (IEEE 802.11n), 60 [GHz] (IEEE 802.11ad) and other Wi-Fi wireless LANs, etc., are subject to much greater attenuation than those of a frequency of 1 [GHz].
As described above, city water, soft drinks, alcoholic drinks and other liquids containing impurities have a property of blocking radio waves, unlike air.
When a liquid is poured in the glass body while the mobile communication device—which is a communication device equipped with an image display part and a voice output part capable of outputting image contents and voice contents, respectively, or specifically a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet terminal, etc.—is stored inside the glass body, the periphery of the mobile communication device is entirely or partially enclosed by the liquid, and therefore the liquid serves as a blocking material. As a result, problems will arise such as loss of communication function that utilizes radio waves, disabled communication of image data, voice data, etc., and significant lowering of baud rate [bps].
The drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention has an image display device fixed on the side face of the glass body, and uses a beam splitter placed in the glass body to spectrally disperse the image on the image display part into a reflected image and an incident image. The reflected image and incident image pass through two different areas of the transparent part of the glass body and reach the exterior of the glass body to be viewed by multiple users. This has an advantage that multiple people can view an image at the same time. The image display device may be a part of a mobile communication device.
By attaching a light-blocking layer to the beam splitter, the beam splitter can also be utilized as a reflective mirror. This allows for switching between a mode where the transmitted image can be viewed by the user (ON), and a mode where it cannot be viewed by the user (OFF), at any timing as desired by the user.
The drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention does not let a drink hinder communication, because the mobile communication device does not follow the convention of being stored inside the glass body, but it is fixed on the side face of the glass body instead. Accordingly, the mobile communication device can receive data from the exterior and output image content at the image display part even when a drink is filled in the glass body.
Also, there is no longer a need, against convention, to provide a storage part or waveguide part inside the glass body, which allows for ensuring of sufficient capacity for the glass body as well as reduction of the manufacturing steps.
When the side face of the glass body is made of an entirely transparent material, the entire side face of the glass body becomes the transparent part, which means that the orientation of the image on the image display part can be changed at will to the horizontal direction by changing the orientation of the beam splitter to the horizontal direction. Also, the orientation of the image can be changed at will to the vertical direction by changing the orientation of the beam splitter to the vertical direction. This way, the user can enjoy the image not only from the side face of the glass, but also from the top opening through the drink.
Also, fixing the image display device (mobile communication device) on the side face of the glass body using a fixing mechanism eliminates the need, against convention, to lift the glass body when inserting or removing the image display device (mobile communication device), the result of which is the ability to answer an unexpected incoming call.
Insertion and removal will be made easier when an insertion opening through which to insert the image display device, and a storage part for storing the image display device, are used as the fixing mechanism.
Constituting the storage part 20 with a flexible material allows the image display device to be operated with the user's hand 50, etc., from the exterior of the storage part 20.
A majority of commercially available smartphones, mobile phones, and other communication devices have an acceleration sensor inside. Because an acceleration sensor is capable of capturing acceleration along three axes, the data acquired by the acceleration sensor can be used to detect user operations performed on the glass body. Furthermore, an output signal can be transmitted to an external computer at the timing of detection of a user operation. This makes it possible to change the image displayed on the image display part, or change the voice output from the voice output part, of a personal computer, server, mobile phone, smartphone, etc., in a remote location at the timing of performance, by the user, of an operation of tilting the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention or clinking it against other objects (toasting operation). Also, the number of toasting operations can be tallied and published by a remote server.
If the mobile communication device has a camera, images captured by the camera can also be forwarded to remote locations.
If the mobile communication device has a vibrator, the vibrator may be vibrated at the timings of transmitting and receiving data. If the drink filled in the glass body is a carbonated drink, this vibration can produce the dramatizing effect of fizzing.
The drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention has an image display device fixed on the side face of the glass body, and uses a spectroscope (beam splitter in a stricter sense) placed in the glass body to spectrally disperse the image on the image display part into an incident wave and a reflected wave. The two images resulting from the spectral dispersion by the beam splitter pass simultaneously through two different areas of the transparent part of the glass body and reach the exterior of the glass body to be viewed by two or more users. The image display device may be a part of a mobile communication device.
With the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention, there is no need, against convention (refer to Japanese Patent No. 6488049 and Japanese Patent No. 6528162 for details), to place a breakable reflective mirror, spectroscope, beam splitter, etc., inside the glass body, which eliminates the danger of any of these getting damaged when the drink in the glass body is stirred, while also allowing for reduction of weight of the glass body by the weight of the metal reflective mirror, glass beam splitter, etc., which is no longer necessary.
Also, the beam splitter in the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is a drink and thus drinkable.
Also, the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention, as it uses a drink itself as a reflective mirror or beam splitter, allows for adjustment, at will, of the ratio of brightness between the reflected image and the transmitted image resulting from the spectral dispersion inside the glass, through adjustment of the color or optical transparency of the drink (that is, a drink also functions as a beam splitter or reflective mirror depending on the color and degree of optical transparency of the drink).
If it is desired to conceal from third parties around the glass body the transmitted image of the image from the mobile communication device, then black coffee, dark beer or other drink with lower optical transparency can be used as a beam splitter to cancel the transmitted image and project only the reflected image to the user.
Since the beam splitter in the glass body is constituted by a frozen drink, the user can eat, or let it melt and drink, the beam splitter. Also, beam splitters having various angles of reflection, reflectivities, and transmissivities can be made from desired soft drinks in a home refrigerator.
Since the reflected image and the transmitted image are horizontally or vertically and horizontally flipped versions of each other, allowing the flipped state of an image to be changed instantly using an image flipping program, etc., depending on whether the user primarily views the reflected image or primarily views the transmitted image, can achieve a greater convenience to the user. A curved part that curves convexly toward the outer side of the glass body can be provided at the position of the transparent part on the side face of the glass where the transmitted image passes through, so as to make a part of the drink L function as a convex lens to magnify the transmitted image for display. Dramatization is possible, whereby the magnification factor of the transmitted image is changed according to the type of the drink L.
With the drinking dramatization system proposed by the present invention, the reflected image can be reflected so that letters and objects of specific colors are emphasized or made invisible, by switching between drinks of various colors.
A first embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is described below using drawings.
As shown in
The glass body 10 is a bottomed cylinder with a top opening 11, allowing a drink or other liquid L to be filled inside. The material for the glass body 10 may be glass, resin, ceramic, porcelain, etc., just like for general glasses.
The fixing mechanism 16 is a member for fixing an image display device 80 on the side face of the glass body 10. In this embodiment, an insertion opening 21 through which to insert the image display device 80, and a storage part 20 for storing the image display device 80, are provided as the fixing mechanism 16.
It should be noted that, while this embodiment assumes the image display device 80 is a smartphone or other mobile communication device 100, the image display device 80 is not limited to the foregoing and may be one without communication function but with a function to display an image 81 on an image display part 85. Details of the mobile communication device 100 will be explained in the second embodiment.
The beam splitter 30 is placed inside the glass body 10 and used for spectrally dispersing the image 81 (the letter “A” in this embodiment) displayed on the image display part 85 of the image display device 80 into a reflected image 83 and a transmitted image 84. The transmitted image and reflected image, as obtained by the spectral dispersion, pass through the transparent part, and reach the exterior of the glass body.
The beam splitter 30 is an optical device that splits a flux of light (light incident on the beam splitter 30) into two (or three or more). A part of the light incident on the beam splitter 30 reflects, while a part of it transmits through. In general, it is used for optical pickups, reflective liquid crystal projectors, optical communication equipment, photon random number generators, etc. Under the present invention, the spectral function of the beam splitter 30 is used to spectrally disperse the light forming the image 81 displayed on the image display part 85 of the image display device 80, into a reflected image 83 and a transmitted image 84.
The transparent part 12 is provided on the side face of the glass body 10 to allow multiple (two, in this embodiment) users U to view the image 81 (reflected image 83 and transmitted image 84) from the exterior. Each user U can view the image 81 (reflected image 83 and transmitted image 84) on the image display device 80 as stored in the storage part 20, from the side face of the glass body 10 via the beam splitter 30 and through the transparent part 12. It should be noted that, if the glass body 10 is a mug type with a handle 13, a handle 13 made of a transparent material should be used so that the viewing of the image 84 transmitting through the beam splitter 30 will not be obstructed by the handle 13.
The optical path connecting the image display device 80 and the beam splitter 30, and the one connecting the beam splitter 30 and the transparent part 12, travel through the drink L in the glass body 10. If the drink L is whiskey or otherwise amber in color, the image viewed by the user U through the transparent part 12 takes on the color of this drink L, which achieves the dramatizing effect of coloring the image according to the color of the drink L filled in the glass body 10. It should be noted that the arrows in
Based on the basic law of physics in optical science that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection for any given light, an ideal angle is obtained as 45 degrees for both the angle formed by the image display part 85 of the image display device 80 and the beam splitter 30, and the angle formed by the beam splitter 30 and the transparent part 12, as shown in
It should be noted that the reflected image 83 actually seen through the transparent part 12 has been reflected on the beam splitter 30 and thus horizontally flipped (as a mirror copy); however, this can be resolved by horizontally flipping the image 81 beforehand through image processing on the image display device 80 side. Still, the flipping also flips the transmitted image 84, and therefore flipping is not required if the transmitted image 84 is the primary target of viewing. Similarly, flipping is not required for face photographs and images not containing horizontally asymmetrical letters that are little affected by a horizontal flipping of the image 81 as shown.
The user U cannot view the image if an optically non-transparent blocking object, such as a seal, sticker, fabric screen, etc., attached on the side face of the glass body 10, is present between the beam splitter 30 and the transparent part 12 to block off the optical path. Accordingly, consideration must be given to the shape of the glass body and the placement of any such blocking object so as not to block off the optical path between the reflected image 83 and the transmitted image 84 that have resulted from the spectral dispersion at the beam splitter 30.
By using the beam splitter 30, there is no longer a need, against convention, to place the image display device 80 inside the glass body 10. As a result, the image display device 80 can be easily removed and reinstalled from the side face of the glass body 10. Also, if the image display device 80 is a part of a smartphone or other mobile communication device 100, as is the case of this embodiment, the mobile communication device 100 is not placed in the drink L and therefore the mobile communication device 100 can always communicate regardless of whether the drink L is present or not. Accordingly, the user U can view, through the transparent part 12, various image contents that utilize the communication. It should be noted that the radio waves transmitted by mobile base stations around the world are vertically polarized waves that are vertical to the ground, which means that the radio wave reception sensitivity will improve when the mobile communication device 100 is placed vertically (or roughly vertically) to the liquid surface of the drink L, as shown in
A structure may be provided, pertaining to a supporting mechanism 31 for supporting the beam splitter 30 inside the glass body 10, that allows the orientation of the beam splitter 30 to be changed the horizontal direction and/or the vertical direction. This way, the angle formed by the beam splitter 30 and the image display device 80 (image display part 85) can be adjusted arbitrarily, as shown in
As shown in
Besides being a so-called mug type with a handle 13 as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
A second embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is explained below using drawings; it should be noted, however, that locations constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass 1 in the aforementioned first embodiment are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As shown in
The mobile communication device 100, which has an antenna 111, is a general term for devices that permit exchange of sound and image data (radio waves) among multiple such devices via a communication line A, such as mobile phones, smartphones, mobile tablet terminals, and PDAs, for example.
An image display part 101 outputs image content 150 and other images. A voice output part 102 is a so-called speaker for outputting voice content 151 and other sounds, as well as voices during calls, from the mobile communication device 100. A microphone 103 is a voice input device used during calls through the mobile communication device 100.
The communication line A may be the Internet or other network, or a telephone line and, as shown in
A majority of models of mobile phones, smartphones, and other mobile communication terminals have a built-in acceleration sensor. An acceleration sensor allows for acquisition, based on the acceleration of the object into which the acceleration sensor is built, of the amount of movement or tilting of the object, as well as whether or not the object has contacted another object.
The drinking dramatization glass in this embodiment has a user operation detection part 106 for monitoring the values of sensor-acquired data 160 of an acceleration sensor 105 in the mobile communication device 100, as shown in
The algorithm for detecting whether or not a user operation has been performed could conceivably be the simplest algorithm of detecting a moving operation, tilting operation, or clinking against another object based on whether or not the pre-determined threshold of acceleration generated by such operation has been exceeded; however, the algorithm is not limited to the foregoing, and other algorithm may be used. Also, the user operation detection part 106 may be installed in the internal computer 200 for control of the mobile communication device 100 as software, or built into the interior of the mobile communication device 100 as a dedicated IC.
This way, the image or sound on the external mobile communication device 202 can be controlled according to the user U's operation of the glass body 10. Also, operations of clinking the glass body 10 against other object (that is, toasting operations) can be monitored and tallied using the remote server computer 203, and the count published to the world in real time. It should be noted that, at the timing of detecting a user operation, an image near the glass body 10 may be captured using a camera 104 in the mobile communication device 100 so that it can be transmitted together with an operation detection signal 161 or sensor-acquired data 160.
Also, by outputting a vibrator control signal 162 to vibrate a vibrator 130 (commonly known as vibrator) in the mobile communication device 100 at the timing of transmitting an operation detection signal 161 or sensor-acquired data 160, the user can be notified of the transmission of operation detection signal 161 or sensor-acquired data 160.
A third embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is explained below using drawings; it should be noted, however, that locations constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass in each of the aforementioned embodiments are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As shown in
Two problems arise when a beam splitter 30 is used as described in each of the aforementioned embodiments.
The first problem stems from the fact that the beam splitter 30 is constituted by an optically transparent object (dielectric material in a stricter sense) for the sake of splitting into two the light made incident on the beam splitter 30, and therefore light such as stray light from the illumination around the glass body 10, other image display devices, high-illumination light sources, and LEDs of other electronic devices, etc., is also made incident on the beam splitter 30 from behind to wash out the reflected image 83, which makes the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention unsuitable for use other than in a completely dark environment or low-illumination environment.
The second problem relates to privacy because the transparent part 12 showing the reflected image 83 and transmitted image 84 means that the image display part 101 becomes unintentionally visible to third parties around the glass body 10.
To solve these problems, a detachable light-blocking layer 40 should be attached behind the beam splitter 30, as shown in
A first embodiment of the drinking dramatization system proposed by the present invention is explained below. Elements constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass in each of the aforementioned embodiments are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As explained in the second embodiment of a drinking dramatization glass, the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention can detect a user operation performed on the glass body 10 using an acceleration sensor 105 in the mobile communication device 100, and transmit it as an output signal 161 to a remote server computer 203, etc. This system comprises, as shown in
A user operation detected by the acceleration sensor 105 in the mobile communication device 100 is transmitted to the exterior through the wireless communication device 110, over the communication line A, as an output signal 161. The external computer 204 receives this output signal 161, and outputs an image content 152 according to the output signal 161 (the letters “go” in this embodiment) to the external image display device 205. This way, an operation of tilting or moving the glass or clinking it against other object (toasting operation) can be utilized to control the image currently output on the external image display device 205 such as a projector, large-screen display, etc. Also, the image output to the drinking dramatization glass 1 on which the operation was detected, and the image output to other drinking dramatization glass 2, can be synchronized using the glass tilting or moving operation, etc., as a trigger.
A second embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass-based system proposed by the present invention is explained below. Elements constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass in each of the aforementioned embodiments are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As explained in the aforementioned first embodiment, it is such that, while the user U is viewing an image via the beam splitter 30, the image 81 on the mobile communication device 100 is reflected via the beam splitter 30 and therefore the reflected image 83 entering the user U's eyes is horizontally flipped (as a mirror copy), as shown in
In STEP1, an original un-flipped image 81 is loaded from the memory of the internal computer 200. In STEP2, a known horizontal image flipping process (such as a process to swap the left and right coordinates of all pixels in the image) is performed, to create a horizontally flipped image 86. Then, in STEP3, this horizontally flipped image 86 is output.
An embodiment of the remote toast counter system proposed by the present invention is explained below. Elements constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass in each of the aforementioned embodiments are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As explained in the second embodiment of drinking dramatization glass, the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention can detect a user operation performed on the glass body 10 using an acceleration sensor 105 in the mobile communication device 100, and transmit it to a remote server computer 203, etc. As shown in
A fifth embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is described below using drawings.
As shown in
The glass body 310 is a bottomed cylinder with a top opening 311, allowing a drink or other liquid L to be filled inside. The material for the glass body 310 may be glass, resin, ceramic, porcelain, etc., just like for general glasses.
The fixing mechanism 316 is a member for fixing an image display device 380 on the side face of the glass body 310. In this embodiment, an insertion opening 321 through which to insert the image display device 380, and a storage part 320 for storing the image display device 380, are provided as the fixing mechanism 316.
It should be noted that, for the image display device 380, an image display device built into a smartphone or other mobile communication device may be used.
The beam splitter 330 is constituted by the drink L, placed inside the glass body 310 and used for spectrally dispersing an image 381 (the letter “A” in this embodiment) displayed on an image display part 385 of the image display device 380 into a reflected image 383 and a transmitted image 384. The transmitted image and reflected image, as obtained by the spectral dispersion, pass through the transparent part, and reach the exterior of the glass body.
The beam splitter 330 is an optical device that splits a flux of light (light incident on the beam splitter 330) into two (or three or more). A part of the light incident on the beam splitter 330 reflects, while a part of it transmits through. In general, beam splitters are used for optical pickups, reflective liquid crystal projectors, optical communication equipment, photon random number generators, etc. Under the present invention, the spectral function of the beam splitter 330 is used to spectrally disperse the light forming the image 381 displayed on the image display part 385 of the image display device 380, into a reflected image 383 and a transmitted image 384. While a beam splitter is normally made of transparent glass or resin (acrylic, etc.), the drink dramatization glass 301 in this embodiment uses the drink L inside the glass body 310 itself as a beam splitter.
The drink L is positioned inside the glass body 310 and used as the beam splitter 330. This allows for adjustment of the ratio of brightness between the reflected image 383 and the transmitted image 384 resulting from spectral dispersion inside the glass, by adjusting the color or optical transparency of the drink L (the user only needs to adjust the color or color density of the drink), which is different from any normal beam splitter. For example, using coffee or other virtually optically non-transparent drink as the drink L allows only the transmitted image 384 to be made invisible. Also, there is no longer a need to place a normal beam splitter using glass, resin, etc., separately inside the glass body 310, which can make the glass lighter by the weight of the beam splitter and also safer. It should be noted that, because the optical refraction index of water is approx. 1.333 while the optical refraction index of glass is approx. 1.43 to 1.47, a normal (solid) beam splitter made of glass, acrylic, etc., is more advantageous to a beam splitter constituted by a drink L when maximum enhancement of reflectivity is desired (to make the reflected image 383 as clear as possible). If the top priority is safety and light weight in consideration of use by children, etc., a beam splitter constituted by a drink L or liquid should be used, as shown in
The inclined plane 317, positioned in the area on which the image 381 of the drink L is made incident, is a flat surface that inclines with respect to the image display part 385 of the image display device 380 and is used as a surface on which the reflected image 383 reflects. Because the inclined plane 317 is inclined with respect to the image display part 385, the angle of incidence I of the image 381 on the drink L does not become 0 degrees, and therefore the user U can view the reflected image 383 from around the glass body 310. If there is no inclined plane 317 (if the angle of incidence I is 0 degrees), the image 381 projected from the image display part 385 ricochets and reflects off the drink L in the direction of the image display part 385 because the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, which means that the reflected image 383 is blocked by the image display device 380 and becomes difficult to view by the user U. For this reason, the inclined plane 317 is essential in viewing the reflected image 383. It should be noted that, in the example of
The transparent part 312 is provided on the side face of the glass body 310 to allow multiple (two, in this embodiment) users U to view the image 381 (reflected image 383 and transmitted image 384) from the exterior. Each user U can view the image 381 (reflected image 383 and transmitted image 384) on the image display device 380 as stored in the storage part 320, from the side face of the glass body 310 via the beam splitter 330 and through the transparent part 312. It should be noted that the glass need not be entirely transparent so long as the user U can view the reflected image 383 and transmitted image 384. It should be noted that the glass body 310 may be a mug type with a handle 313 for ease of holding.
The drink L itself serves as the beam splitter 330, and therefore, if the drink L is whiskey or otherwise amber in color, the image viewed by the user U through the transparent part 312 takes on the color of this drink L, which achieves the dramatizing effect of coloring the image according to the color of the drink L filled in the glass body 310. It should be noted that the arrows in
It should be noted that, since the reflected image 383 has been reflected on the beam splitter 330, it is a horizontally flipped version or vertically and horizontally flipped version (or mirror copy) of the image 381 or transmitted image 384; however, this can be resolved by horizontally or vertically and horizontally flipping the image 381 beforehand through image processing on the image display device 380 side. Still, the flipping also flips the transmitted image 384, and therefore flipping is not required if the transmitted image 384 is the primary target of viewing. It should be noted that, while applicable only to vertical flipping, the image display device 380 may be fixed beforehand to the storage part 320 in a vertically flipped state, as shown in
As for the shape of the drinking dramatization glass 301, any shape may be used without any limitation so long as the drink L inside the glass body 310 is shaped to have an inclined plane 317.
For example, in
In
The sixth embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is explained below using drawings; it should be noted, however, that locations constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass 301 in the aforementioned fifth embodiment are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As shown in
Since the drink L3 gradually melts the drink L2, the dramatization where the reflected image 383 disappears over time is possible and, being ice, the drink L2 can cool the drink L3.
It should be noted that, in a use mode where the user U looks into the reflected image 383 inside the glass body 310 from the image display device 380 side, as shown in
As shown in
The seventh embodiment of the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention is explained below using drawings; it should be noted, however, that locations constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass in each of the aforementioned embodiments are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As shown in
Since the optical refraction index of ethyl alcohol or the refraction index of 20[%] sugar solution is approx. 1.36, the magnification factor increases when the drink L is a liquid to which alcohol or sugar has been added, compared to when regular water or city water is used. Accordingly, the dramatization is possible where the magnification factor of the transmitted image 384 is adjusted by changing the alcohol concentration or sweetness of the drink L.
First, in STEP 1, data of the image 381 is acquired; next, in STEP 2, the image 381 is horizontally flipped or vertically and horizontally flipped as necessary; finally, in STEP 3, the flipped image is output to the image display device 380, and the program ends. It should be noted that, for the sake of greater convenience, an image flipping button may be provided on the image display device 380 so that image flipping is performed at the timings of pressing the button. Also, for the sake of even greater convenience, an acceleration sensor may be provided in the image display device 380 so that flipping is performed at the timing of detecting a tilting of the glass body, or specifically at the timing when the user U is assumed to be tilting the glass and viewing the reflected image through the top opening or nearby transparent part 312 when drinking. The computer on which to run this image flipping program may be a dedicated IC, a computer in a mobile communication device, or a computer in a remote server.
The image flipping algorithm may be any known algorithm that swaps the X-direction and Y-direction coordinates of pixels in an image.
[Third Embodiment of Drinking Dramatization System]
A third embodiment of the drinking dramatization system proposed by the present invention is explained below. Locations constitutionally identical to those in the drinking dramatization glass in each of the aforementioned embodiments are denoted with the same symbols and not explained.
As shown in
As explained in the aforementioned fifth embodiment of drinking dramatization glass, the drinking dramatization glass proposed by the present invention uses a drink L as a beam splitter 330 and thus allows the reflected image 383 to be colored by various drinks L, which means that, by using this feature, the dramatization where a specific color of the reflected image 383 is emphasized becomes possible. As shown in
The present invention relates to a drinking dramatization glass that lets an individual enjoy oneself together with others in remote locations and presents many different dramatizing effects. Additionally, the present invention relates to a drinking dramatization glass that allows an image display device to be fixed with ease on the glass body and the orientation of an image display part of the image display device to be changed with ease, and further allows multiple people to view an image at the same time. Additionally, the present invention relates to a drinking dramatization system and a remote toast counter system, both using such drinking dramatization glasses, as well as a storage medium for use therewith. Additionally, the present invention relates to a drinking dramatization glass and a drinking dramatization system, both designed to use a beam splitter constituted by drinking water to spectrally disperse or reflect an image from the image display device on the side face of the glass, as well as a storage medium and a drink freeze container, both for use with such drinking dramatization glass and drinking dramatization system. Based on the above, the present invention has industrial applicability.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-234173 | Dec 2018 | JP | national |
| 2019-164942 | Aug 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2019/048539 | 12/11/2019 | WO | 00 |
