HRP20100036A2 - Device in the form of book for displaying and storing stereoscopic images without using special glasses or additional devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is intended for storing and displaying stereoscopic photographs and does not require the use of any 3D glasses or other accessories. It has the shape of a book or box for digital media, such as CDs or DVDs, 4 parts of which open like an accordion. In the middle are two mirrors (3) with a reflective surface on the front, and pairs of photographs (7L and 7D) are placed on the inside of the cover of the book or box. In the reusable version, the pockets (6) on the cover of the book allow the replacement of a set of pairs of photographs. The experience of a stereoscopic image is true to reality, without distortion or other visual disturbances. There are also no unpleasant side effects for the viewer, such as headaches and dizziness that occur when using a stereoscope and 3D glasses. It can be used for collections of private photographs and in publishing books, textbooks, and as a promotional and educational contribution to periodicals such as magazines with artistic or scientific photographs, and special editions of digital media in boxes.

Description

Technical field to which the invention relates

This invention belongs to special technical equipment or devices with mirrors for displaying 3D publications of various types of printed materials and their preservation, such as books, catalogs, advertising materials, user manuals, magazines, etc. This includes displaying photos or texts , or their combinations, as needed. The invention can be classified in G 03B 35/24 according to the International Patent Classification.

Technical problem

Standard two-dimensional photographs (2D) printed in color cannot faithfully depict a three-dimensional image from the real world. That is why it is desirable to observe three-dimensional photographs (3D) that were taken using known technical procedures and materials. However, due to the relatively expensive and complicated equipment, its use is neither practical nor accessible to many users, so it is not in mass use.

The technical problem to be solved by this invention is how to construct and design equipment in which 3D photographs can be stored and which contains everything necessary for viewing them with the naked eye without the use of additional technical equipment for the observer, such as 3D glasses or special stereoscopic devices. The invention should enable the application of 3D photos on digital media boxes (eg CD and DVD). The use should be simple and at the same time should not create unpleasant side effects on the observer, such as headache and dizziness. The shape, construction and selected materials in this invention should ensure the lowest possible production costs and the total price of the equipment for storing and viewing 3D-photos.

State of the art

Of all the known technical solutions for displaying 3D photographs, the most famous are displays in books and magazines in the form of anaglyphs, which are visible with the help of 3D glasses with polarized glasses. Stereoscopes are also widely used - devices with or without additional optics for displaying various types of 3D photos. There are several types of reflecting stereoscopes in the version with mirrors as well as with lenses, and their combinations.

However, the fact is that all existing solutions have in common that the functional assembly consists of at least two physically separate units:

1) the photograph itself – the object being observed (anaglyph in the form of one photograph, i.e. stereo-pair: two photographs that are physically joined or separated)

2) a device with which a photograph is viewed - any type of stereoscopic glasses or device.

Due to the aforementioned separation of these two entities, there are a number of practical difficulties that complicate use, require specific training, and cause some undesirable side effects (e.g. headache, dizziness, eye fatigue, etc.). Because of all this, 3D-photography has remained relatively unknown and has no application in everyday life, starting from private use, through educational and state institutions (e.g. faculties, police and judiciary), to application in industry and entertainment for the masses.

Presentation of the essence of the invention

The essence of this invention is that the device itself in the form of a book for storing 3D-photos simultaneously contains two special mirrors as equipment for their observation and thus forms a single whole, and is portable and easy to use. The mirrors have a reflective surface on the front of the glass to avoid the appearance of a double image.

Compared to existing solutions, the advantages are as follows:

- no adjustment of the "septum" and accompanying difficulties such as the appearance of the side parts of the image in the field of view

- there is no need for a long and laborious explanation of how to use it to every new user (which has been noticed in my own experience)

- there is no occurrence of the so-called "ghosts" (double images as when viewing anaglyphs)

- no losing and then looking for 3D-glasses (a common occurrence in practice)

- there is no problem of "perfectly still hands", which is the case when using some manual stereoscopes

- there are no lenses, the spacing of which would otherwise have to be adjusted due to the different spacing of the pupils in each individual observer

- there is no eye strain and fatigue during observation

- there is no interaction between the lenses of ordinary dioptric glasses (or dioptric vision lenses) and the lens of the stereoscope device, which otherwise makes it impossible to obtain a sharp image

- there are no colorations, aberrations and similar side effects known when using stereoscopes with lenses

- there is no need for any energy for drive or power supply (no motors, lighting, etc.)

- the basic assembly of the book with additional covers and observation equipment is very simple, so it can also be used for periodical publications such as magazines, where sets of bound 3D photos can be replaced

- the tolerance of the angle between the mirror and the photos during observation is very large

- in the last resort (funny or not?) the book can also serve as an ordinary mirror

List of images

Sl. 1 – Book assembly with 3D-photographs in viewing position

Sl. 2 – Digital media box with 3D photos in viewing position

Sl. 3 – Advanced book assembly with 3D photos and pockets for interchangeable sets of photos

Sl. 4 – Basic support with mirrors and permanently fixed 3D photos

Sl. 5 – Left and right book with pairs of 3D photos

Sl. 6 – Forming the pocket for the 3D-photo set(s) and mounting the protective sheet

Sl. 7 – Mounting the mirror

Sl. 8 – Installation of the limiter

Sl. 9 – Phases of assembly and disassembly

Detailed description

The invention itself or the 3D book consists of two parts:

a) basic support (1) in the form of a book or box for digital media (fig. 2), which opens like an accordion with rectangular fields A, B, C, D flexibly connected with 3 transverse folds, so that on the central fields B and C a fixed pair of mirrors (3) with a reflective layer on the front side, and 3D-photo pairs are attached to the end fields A and D,

b) two books – sets of 3D photographs (fig. 5), with left (7L) and right (7D) pairs of 3D photographs, which are attached to the end fields A and D.

Of course, photo sets include possible combinations of image and text, but with a note that images of stereo pairs must be on the lower sides of the book pages. This is important due to the fact that the pages of books in the viewing position must be in an approximately vertical position with respect to a flat horizontal surface, i.e. at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to the mirrors.

In this case, the left photographs of the stereo-pairs are located on the lower sides of the leaves of the left book of the set (7L) and have a binding on the right side (fig. 4), and the text is located on the upper pages.

Analogously, the right-hand photographs of the stereo-pairs are located on the lower pages of the right book of the set (7D) and have the binding on the left (fig.4), and the text on the upper pages. It is important that the 3D-photographs must be printed inverted horizontally by an angle of 180° due to the fact that the mirror itself performs a left-right replacement in the image, so that the final image corresponds to the original sides of the captured object.

Also, of all the possible ways of binding books, spiral binding is the best for 3D photo sets. In practice, the spiral binding is the only way to flatten each page of the book completely and keep it in the viewing position, which is a prerequisite for obtaining a clean and undistorted 3D photo. With all other ways of binding books, a smaller or larger bending of the sheets closer to the middle of the book is inevitable, which in such an application would result in smaller or larger deformations in the final 3D image.

A stop (8) in the form of a strip of flexible material (eg paper or PVC) is glued to the bottom of the basic mirror support (1) (fig. 8), which, when stretched, allows the mirror (3) to be placed at an angle of approximately 45°. This ensures the stability of the mirror during observation. When the book is not in use, this strip is folded at the crease in the middle and fits between the undersides of the mirror supports (1). Its role is very important, as it enables smooth browsing of pages and almost instant finding of the 3D object that one wants to observe. While reading a book, analogous to reading standard books with sheets, the stopper (8) is in a folded state and is therefore imperceptible. On the upper sides of the basic mirror support (1) (fig. 6) on surfaces A and D, there are protective sheets (5) fixed by gluing, the size of a book page, so that they cover the associated mirror (3) (fig. 4) and protect it from dirt fingers when reading or from impurities such as dust and smoke. Each protective sheet (5) is turned to the position in which it protects the mirror (3) during reading, and during the observation of 3D images, this sheet is simply turned to the opposite position under all other pages of the book. When closing the book, it is completely understood that the protective sheet (5) should be returned to the position above the mirror (3). This is actually not mandatory, but otherwise there is a much greater possibility of dirtying the mirror when opening a book to look at photos or read.

In this invention, there are 3 variants of the basic support (1) with regard to the purpose:

Variant A) for permanent use of the same 3D photos (fig. 4)

The right cover of the left book (7L) and the left cover of the right book (7D) are simply glued or, for example, mechanically fixed to the base support (1) in such a way that the right cover of the left book (7L) is fixed to surface A, and the left the cover of the right book (7D) is fixed to surface D. In this case, the sets of 3D photos contained in the left and right books remain permanently.

Variant B) for permanent use of the same 3D photos in a box for digital media (fig. 2)

The basic carrier in this variant is a box for digital media (e.g. for CD or DVD discs) with 4 fields A, B, C, D, on which the digital media discs are placed in fields A and D. Instead of special mirrors from variant A) on a thin reflective metal layer (e.g. as in car headlights and flashlights) or any kind of reflective material on the front side is placed on top of fields B and C, thereby freeing up space for 3D-photo sets. The left and right sets of 3D photos are fixed on one side to fields A and D by gluing or lining them under the CD or DVD media holder.

Variant C) for replaceable 3D-photo sets (fig. 3)

On the underside of each surface A and D, one paper or cardboard strip (6) is glued to form pockets by folding. The width of the strip corresponds to the width of the book page, and the developed length of the strip corresponds to twice the height of the book increased by the thickness of the book cover. These two pockets are used to insert a set of related printed materials, primarily 3D-photos from a private collection or from periodicals in magazines. Inserted sets can be replaced with new ones if desired by simply removing them from the pockets, which is why this version of the basic support (1) ensures repeated use. Thanks to such pockets on the base carrier, changing the kit is easy and quick.

In both variants (A and C) of the basic support (1), a protective sheet (5) made of paper, foil or other protective material (fig. 6) is glued above surfaces "A" and "D" up to the folds A/ B and C/D. In order for the book to be closed without problems, in both variants between surfaces A and B, or C and D, a space of width "a" (fig. 3) is left on the support (1) that corresponds to the thickness of the book or supplement from the magazine or set 3D photography.

Only special reflective mirrors (3) of the "mirror on the front" type are mounted on surfaces B and C on the support (1) (fig. 7). There are several types of such mirrors, but for this purpose, each is suitable, and even some types of "stopsol" glass, but with a slightly darker image. It is important that such mirrors do not create a "double image" as is the case with ordinary mirrors. They have a reflective layer on the underside of the glass, which is not noticeable in everyday life when viewing two-dimensional images in a single mirror. For the purposes of this invention, ordinary mirrors are not satisfactory because of the "double image" that spoils the obtaining of a pure three-dimensional image faithful to reality. "Mirrors on the front side of the glass" are mounted independently of the type so that their replacement is possible in the event of dirt or glass breakage in the following way:

On surfaces B and C of the basic support (1), preferably made of paper or thin cardboard, inserts (2) made of cardboard the thickness of the mirror are glued, with a cutout that fully corresponds to the dimensions of the mirror (picture 7), and covers (4) are glued to the same inserts ) made of thin and strong cardboard, but with a cut a few millimeters smaller, which creates a pocket for inserting the mirror laterally. The size of the mirror is adapted to the format of the book, and the only requirement is that the mirrors are large enough in width and length to form the entire reflection of the 3D-photo.

Method of application of the invention

This invention can be applied without providing special technical conditions, the only requirement is to place the device in the form of a book or box for digital media on a flat, stable surface that should be in a horizontal position. The user should adjust the appropriate slope of the side pages with the pairs of 3D-photos in an approximately vertical position according to the instructions for handling with steady movements of the fingers. The gaze should be directed towards the junction of the two mirrors and, by simultaneously moving the surfaces A and D horizontally, adjust the angle between the mirrors to approximately 45° until the left and right images in the mirrors exactly match, thus creating a three-dimensional image faithful to reality. At the same time, the observer should adjust the distance of his chi from the mirror by moving closer or further away along the vertical bisector of the separated mirrors.

The device is portable, so its application is not tied to one specific place. The materials from which the device is built and the auxiliary materials for assembly do not have an ecologically harmful effect, and after the device is discarded, the materials should be sorted by type (paper, cardboard, glass) and then recycled in a standard way.

The invention can be applied in the form of one-time publications (eg books, textbooks, encyclopedias, atlases, catalogs, prospectuses), but also in the form of periodical publications (eg weekly or monthly editions of magazines or their supplements). In a special variant, the device can be used in combination with a box for digital media so that 3D photos related to audio-visual topics on the medium (eg concerts, exhibitions, advertisements, etc.) can be viewed with the naked eye. Most important of all, all types and embodiments of the said invention are completely independent of the use of any 3D-glasses or other additional viewing equipment.

Claims (9)

1. A device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images, characterized by the fact that it consists of two units: a) basic support (1) in the form of a book or box for digital media - CD, DVD, etc., which opens like an accordion with 4 rectangular fields A, B, C, D connected by 3 transverse folds, on the end fields of which A and D are pairs of 3D photos attached to the outer edge b) a pair of mirrors (3) on fields B and C which are longitudinally connected to each other on the central fold B/C. 2. Device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claim 1, indicated by the fact that the pair of mirrors (3) is made exclusively of special mirrors where there is no appearance of a double image at the edges of the observed object, so that: a) reflective surface must be on the upper side of the glass of the mirror placed on field B and C, or b) a reflective surface applied to the upper side of surfaces B and C on a plastic box for digital media, eg for CD or DVD discs. 3. A device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claim 1 in a disposable version, characterized in that the pairs of 3D photographs (7L and 7D) are permanently attached to the end fields A and D of the base support (1), so that the left pairs photo (7L) fixed along its right edge to field A, while the right pairs of photos (7D) are fixed along their left edge to field D, e.g. by gluing. 4. A device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claim 1 in a reusable version, characterized in that the base support (1) on the end fields A and D has pockets (6) with an opening on the outer edges of the fields, which are used for inserting replaceable sets pairs of 3D photographs (7L and 7D), which are connected, for example, by a spiral binding. 5. Device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that a stop (8) in the form of a strip of flexible material, e.g. paper, is glued to the bottom of the basic mirror support (1) on fields B and C or PVC, which when stretched allows the mirror (3) to be placed at an angle of approximately 45°, and does not interfere at all when the device is folded, thanks to the fold in the middle. 6. Device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claims 1, 2 and 4, indicated by the fact that on the underside of each surface A and D on the support (1) one pocket (6) with an opening on the outside, which is shaped by folding a paper or cardboard strip whose width corresponds to the width of the book page, while the unfolded length of that strip corresponds to twice the height of the book increased by the thickness of the book cover, so that the opening on the pocket corresponds to the dimensions of the covers of interchangeable pairs of 3D-photographs (7L and 7D). 7. A device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claims 1 and 2 in a box version for digital media, characterized in that it consists of: a) basic support (1) consisting of 2 connected standard boxes for digital media, for example for CD or DVD discs, whose 4 fields A, B, C, D open like an accordion, b) mirrors that are formed on the central fields B and C, on the upper side of which there is a thin reflective metal layer that has the function of a mirror (3) with reflection on the front side, so that thanks to the minimum thickness of the reflective layer, the maximum space required for the thickness of the set is released 3D photo when the box is closed, c) two square boxes for placing and securing standard discs for digital media on the support (1) at the position of fields A and D, d) two connected sets of pairs of 3D-photographs (7L and 7D) fixed on the outer edges of the boxes in fields A and D. 8. A device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claims 1 to 4, characterized by the fact that it is used for promotional or educational purposes in the form of: a) one-time printed publications such as books, textbooks, encyclopedias, atlases, catalogs and prospectuses, b) periodically printed publications such as weekly or monthly magazine issues, exclusively without the use of special glasses or additional devices. 9. A device for displaying and storing stereoscopic images according to claims 1, 2 and 7, characterized by the fact that it is used for promotional or educational purposes as a special design of a box for digital media, for example for CD or DVD discs, which, in addition to digital media, simultaneously contains attachments with 3D photos, exclusively without the use of special glasses or additional devices