1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to visual presentations. More particularly, the present invention relates to visual presentations revealed in a selective manner.
2. Background Art
Providing customized and personalized visual presentations for users is an effective approach for enhancing user enjoyment and providing emotional bonds to content that may otherwise be generic and less compelling. For example, personalized signs and displays can proclaim a special personal occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, marriage proposal, or another event. Personalized content could also tie-in to user preferences, such as a favorite character. Customized messages and images directed to select audiences can also support various scripted walkthroughs and targeted activities, such as secret messages and clues for a kid's detective game, unique encouraging messages or awards for individual players, and global tie-ins with popular characters, entertainment personalities, and media programs.
Although publicly viewable customized and personalized visual presentations may be appropriate for some situations, other situations may call for more discreet or selective presentations, viewable only by a select person or group of people. However, it is often difficult to achieve this goal in a cost effective and practical manner, particularly if accommodating a large group of people, or if supporting several customized variations and different groups of people.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing an efficient way to reveal visual presentations in a selective manner.
There are provided systems and methods for selective viewing of a hidden presentation, such as still images, colors, animated images, movie clips, streaming video, real-time rendered video games and/or live feeds, within a displayed presentation, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
a presents a system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
b presents a system of logical relationships between presentation elements, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
a presents an exemplary system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
b presents, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a timeline for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, the timeline showing projection screen content and polarization states against time;
c and 2d present human perceptions by naked eye or by using a visual aid for perceiving an exemplary system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
The present application is directed to a system and method for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation. The following description contains specific information pertaining to the implementation of the present invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention may be implemented in a manner different from that specifically discussed in the present application. Moreover, some of the specific details of the invention are not discussed in order not to obscure the invention. The specific details not described in the present application are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely exemplary embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention, which use the principles of the present invention, are not specifically described in the present application and are not specifically illustrated by the present drawings.
a presents a system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Diagram 100 of
Memory 110 may comprise any type of digital storage media, such as flash memory, DRAM, a hard disk drive, optical media, or another storage device. Display device 130 may comprise any device capable of displaying a visual presentation, such as a projector, a video screen, printed materials, and other visual presentation devices. Memory 110 is shown in
Additionally, since composite presentation 125 is actually comprises a combination of elemental presentations 120a-120b, display device 130 can use a filtering technique to make at least a portion of elemental presentation 120a unrecognizable to a human eye viewing composite presentation 125 without using visual aid 140. In other words, display device 130 is configured such that visual aid 140 is enabled to mask some portion of elemental presentation 120a that comprises composite presentation 125, where the mask can be revealed through visual aid 140. To accomplish this, display device 130 may utilize filtering techniques such as one or more of optical polarization, shuttering, depth of field alteration, light intensity alteration, light angle alteration, anaglyph filters, and other filtering techniques. Using one of these filtering techniques, display device 130 can distinctly present elemental presentations 120a-120b even though they visually combine into composite presentation 125 to the naked eye. For example, by applying opposite orthogonal polarization angles to elemental presentations 120a-120b outputting from display device 130, visual aid 140 can isolate a desired elemental presentation by only allowing a particular polarization angle to pass light through and blocking opposite orthogonal polarization angles. For example, visual aid 140 may comprise a head-mounted element, such as glasses, goggles, or visors, or a stationary installation such as a specially treated transparent wall, window, windshield, or viewing portal.
While abstract static shapes are used to illustrate the present example, alternative embodiments may use other presentations, such as still images, photographs, artwork, written messages, solid colors and patterns. For example, a composite presentation matching a projected surface might be utilized, effectively creating a pattern indistinguishable from the surrounding background to the human eye. To give a further example, a pattern of a solid white color might be projected onto a background of a solid white colored wall, effectively blending into the wall. Since the pattern is actually part of a composite presentation, by using a properly configured visual aid, a hidden presentation might be viewable. Otherwise, to the naked human eye, the solid white colored wall may seem completely featureless, even though a composite presentation is being projected onto the wall.
Presentations may be one of more of still images, colors, animated images, movie clips, streaming video, real-time rendered video games and live feeds. Since composite presentation 125 relies on elemental presentations 120a-120b having a certain logical relationship as shown in
b presents a system of logical relationships between presentation elements, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Diagram 100 of
As shown by
However, the relationship shown by
a presents an exemplary system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Diagram 200 of
Diagram 200 of
Controller 231 may comprise a processor or microcontroller for accessing memory 210, driving digital projector system 230, and switching polarization states for liquid crystal selective polarizer 232. As shown in memory 210, elemental presentations 220a-220b are available for reading by controller 231. Controller 231 can transfer a particular elemental presentation to digital projector system 230 for displaying on projection screen 235, and can also concurrently change the polarization state for liquid crystal selective polarizer 232. An example sequence of images and polarization states are illustrated by the timeline of
b presents, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a timeline for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, the timeline showing projection screen content and polarization states against time. Diagram 200 of
As shown by diagram 200 of
c and 2d present human perceptions by naked eye or by using a visual aid for perceiving an exemplary system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Diagram 200 of
As shown by
In this manner, a general purpose presentation for the public can be shown to all viewers as the displayed presentation, whereas a particular person or group of people having the proper visual aids can see the hidden presentation, which may be customized and personalized especially for that particular person or group of people. In this manner, after an initial setup and investment in an equipment system similar to that shown in
Additionally, this concept might be extended to be applicable for several different groups of people by having several elemental presentations comprise a composite presentation rather than using only two elemental presentations. As long as a suitable filtering technique is utilized, corresponding visual aids can be provided for each of the several groups of people, where each visual aid is configured to perceive only a single elemental presentation. Alternatively, each visual aid may perceive only portions of an elemental presentation, or a particular grouping of elemental presentations, as there is no limitation that the visual aid must show a single elemental presentation in its entirety.
In this manner, by matching a particular visual aid to a particular presentation for a particular group of people, presentations can be personalized and customized to any number of different groups, with a publicly viewable presentation also concurrently viewable by the naked eyes of the general public. As previously discussed, this capability can be leveraged to provide a broad range of possibilities, such as personalized messages, character or personality tie-ins, scripted walkthroughs, and other events. Moreover, by utilizing a system for selective viewing of a hidden presentation within a displayed presentation as described above, implementation costs can be reduced by using low cost commodity visual aids for the users of the system, rather than creating a custom and potentially expensive presentation system for each separate audience.
Although
Presentation processor 350 may comprise, for example, a general-purpose processor executing a presentation manipulation program, or a special purpose microcontroller for manipulating presentations. As shown in
Starting from the top, both image 360a or the third presentation and image 361a or the first presentation are pre-processed through level preprocessing 355 to generate image 360b or a pre-processed third presentation and image 361b or a pre-processed first presentation. Level preprocessing 355 may, for example, adjust brightness, contrast, gamma, value levels, bit depth, and other image properties such that the resulting pre-processed images, when processed through subtraction 356, result in a plurality of pixel values greater than or equal to zero, or in other words zero or positive pixel values. This step may be considered a form of normalization to prepare the images for the eventual subtraction 356 such that negative values will not result. If negative values do result, they would need to be clipped to zero, adversely affecting image dynamics and quality.
Next, the actual subtraction 356 is carried out by subtracting image 361b, or the pre-processed first presentation, from image 360b, or the pre-processed third presentation, to generate image 360c, or a second presentation. This step can be carried out by subtracting color elements pixel-by-pixel for each pixel of image 361b from corresponding pixels of image 360b. Since level preprocessing 355 was already previously applied to image 360b and image 361b, there is no risk of negative underflows resulting from subtraction 356. The output result is image 360c, or the second presentation. As previously discussed, the subtraction of image 361b is represented by the reversed direction of the shading lines within image 360c.
Next, image 360c or the second presentation is processed through color balancing 357 pixel-by-pixel for adjusting visible color and brightness of the second presentation. Due to non-linear effects in the display system or the human eye, viewers may perceive incorrect colors. Color balancing 357 may adjust image 360c to compensate for these non-linear effects, restoring original color fidelity. Although this step may not be strictly necessary, it may enhance the viewing experience by providing the most accurate color reproduction. The result of color balancing 357 is image 360d, which corresponds to elemental presentation 120b from
Additionally, while the steps performed by presentation processor 350 including level processing 355, subtraction 356, and color balancing 357 are shown as discrete steps in
Referring to step 410 of flowchart 400 in
Referring to step 420 of flowchart 400 in
Referring to step 430 of flowchart 400 in
Referring to step 440 of flowchart 400 in
Referring to step 450 of flowchart 400 in
From the above description of the invention it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while the invention has been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skills in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. As such, the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.
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