NL2008660C2 - Docking station for a portable media player. - Google Patents

Docking station for a portable media player. Download PDF

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Publication number
NL2008660C2
NL2008660C2 NL2008660A NL2008660A NL2008660C2 NL 2008660 C2 NL2008660 C2 NL 2008660C2 NL 2008660 A NL2008660 A NL 2008660A NL 2008660 A NL2008660 A NL 2008660A NL 2008660 C2 NL2008660 C2 NL 2008660C2
Authority
NL
Netherlands
Prior art keywords
docking station
electronic device
portable electronic
background
semi
Prior art date
Application number
NL2008660A
Other languages
Dutch (nl)
Inventor
Dirk Jan Jacob Mus
Anke Veen
Original Assignee
Dutch Igloo V O F
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Dutch Igloo V O F filed Critical Dutch Igloo V O F
Priority to NL2008660A priority Critical patent/NL2008660C2/en
Priority to PCT/EP2013/058211 priority patent/WO2013156613A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of NL2008660C2 publication Critical patent/NL2008660C2/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
    • G02B27/02—Viewing or reading apparatus
    • G02B27/022—Viewing apparatus
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
    • F24C7/00—Stoves or ranges heated by electric energy
    • F24C7/002—Stoves
    • F24C7/004—Stoves simulating flames
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B27/00—Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
    • G02B27/02—Viewing or reading apparatus
    • G02B27/028—Viewing or reading apparatus characterised by the supporting structure
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B30/00—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images
    • G02B30/50—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images the image being built up from image elements distributed over a 3D volume, e.g. voxels
    • G02B30/56—Optical systems or apparatus for producing three-dimensional [3D] effects, e.g. stereoscopic images the image being built up from image elements distributed over a 3D volume, e.g. voxels by projecting aerial or floating images
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/1601—Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays
    • G06F1/1607—Arrangements to support accessories mechanically attached to the display housing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
    • G06F1/1632—External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03B—APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • G03B21/00—Projectors or projection-type viewers; Accessories therefor
    • G03B21/14—Details
    • G03B21/28—Reflectors in projection beam

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)

Description

Docking station for a portable media player
The invention relates to a docking station for a portable electronic device such as a smart-phone or tablet 5 computer.
A docking station is a housing adapted for receiving, holding and releasing a portable electronic device and that allows the device to be coupled conveniently to common peripherals such as speakers. Docking stations typically further 10 comprise means to allow charging of a battery of the portable electronic device.
An object of the present invention is to provide a docking station with improved functionality and/or as an alternative with better options in comparison with the docking 15 stations of the prior art.
In a first aspect, the invention relates to a docking station for a portable electronic device such as a smart-phone or tablet computer wherein the docking station comprises a box having a port providing a viewer with a line of sight into the 20 box, means for displaying a background and a semi-transparent mirror, wherein with the portable media player docked in the docking station, at least a portion of a screen of the portable media player is in the line of sight of the viewer and behind the semi-transparent mirror, and wherein the means for 25 displaying a background are in front of the semi-transparent mirror such that a displayed background is reflected by the semi-transparent mirror into the line of sight of the viewer.
The port is a window allowing the viewer to see into the box; the port may simply be embodied as an opening in the 30 box or may be composed of an optically transparent material, such as a material that transmits light e.g. at least 70 % of light incident on the port, wherein the light has a wavelength in the range of 400-700 nm. An example of such a material is glass; plastics such as poly(methyl methacrylate) are an al-35 ternative to glass.
A semi-transparent mirror is a mirror that transmits a proportion, e.g. about 50 %, of light incident on the semitransparent mirror and which reflects a further proportion of the incident light, e.g. about 50 %. An example of such a 2 semi-transparent mirror is a half-silvered mirror.
The means for displaying a background comprise any means that would allow an image of a background to be reflected into the line of sight of the viewer. In a preferred 5 embodiment, the means for displaying a background comprise any means for projecting an image of a background onto the semitransparent mirror so as to be reflected into the line of sight of the viewer. In a further preferred embodiment, the means for displaying a background comprises a projector.
10 Examples of suitable portable electronic devices in clude smart-phones such as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy, in addition to tablet computers such as the iPad or equivalents from other manufacturers (iPhone and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.; Galaxy is a registered trademark of 15 Samsung, Korea). The portable electronic device preferably further comprises speakers, although this is not an absolute requirement.
The imaging technique that the docking station exploits is similar to that known as Pepper's Ghost (see also 20 the Wikipedia-lemma on Pepper's ghost), which is known for the person skilled in the art. A difference between the imaging technique known as Pepper's Ghost and that used in the present invention is that the positions of the means for displaying a background and a means for displaying a foreground (in this 25 case the portable electronic device) are reversed: the background is reflected into the viewers line of sight by the semi-transparent mirror rather than being in the line of sight of the viewer and behind the semi-transparent mirror. Advantages of this arrangement are that a box of shallower depth 30 can be used and that a wider viewing angle is made possible.
Such an arrangement has the advantage that images displayed on the screen of the portable electronic device appear to be three-dimensional for the viewer viewing the image through the port.
35 In a preferred embodiment, the docking station fur ther comprises lighting means to illuminate the displayed background. The lighting means may operate independently from other components of the docking station i.e. providing predefined illumination conditions, or the lighting means may be 3 controlled by a controller, such as the portable electronic device having been provided with appropriate software, to coordinate lighting and background display. The displayed background may be illuminated either by illuminating the semi-5 transparent mirror, or in certain embodiments, by illuminating the means for displaying a background.
The lighting means advantageously permits the background to be lit so as to give the most convincing 3D experience for the viewer.
10 In one example of this preferred embodiment, the lighting means comprises a fibre optic configured for directing light from a light source of the portable media player towards the background.
In an alternative example, the lighting means com-15 prise one or more of an LED or an incandescent light bulb.
In a further preferred embodiment, the box further comprises a privacy filter placed between the semi-transparent mirror and the means for displaying a background arranged to shield from sight the means for displaying a background from 20 the viewer.
A privacy filter decreases the viewing angle of a screen and is known to a person of skill in the art.
To a viewer looking into the box through the port, the privacy filter would appear as a, preferably black, non-25 transparent surface. If one were to look through the privacy filter from the perspective of the means for displaying a background however, ones view would be unimpeded.
The purpose of the privacy filter is to give an impression to the viewer that an image displayed on the screen 30 of a portable electronic device docked in the docking station is simply hovering in the air in front of the screen, creating an effect much like the three-dimensional holographic projections familiar to viewers of the Star Wars series of films albeit limited to the confines of the box.
35 The privacy filter further serves to maintain the mystery of how the three-dimensional images are created. An experience that many users of the device would find intriguing .
In a second aspect, the invention relates to a char- 4 acter display device comprising the docking station and a portable electronic device docked therein wherein the portable electronic device further comprises a computer program loaded into a memory of the portable electronic device configured for 5 displaying one or more characters on a screen of the portable electronic device.
Advantages of the character display device are many-fold and in different embodiments could provide enjoyment for people of all ages. For example: for young children the one or 10 more characters could be embodied as an elf or elves, still or preferably animated, that read(s) a story or stories to the young children. The elf would appear to be three-dimensional creating the impression that a real elf is reading the story or stories; for older people, the character could be an indi-15 vidual with which they can interact such as a butler or a virtual friend, such could be particularly beneficial for the elderly and could serve to alleviate boredom and/or loneliness. The experienced effects could be further enhanced by embodying the background as a hologram or a lenticular picture.
20 In general the character is an image of a person, an imal or other figure, imaginary or real. In a further preferred embodiment, the character is an image of a real person provided by a video-link such as over the internet using the portable electronic device coupled through the internet to a 25 computer of the real person. Such could be used for example in combination with a voice over internet protocol service such as e.g. Skype.
The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to an exemplary embodiment of a docking station 30 with reference to the drawing of Figures 1 and 2. This exemplary embodiment is not restrictive as to the appended claims.
The drawing provides two figures showing alternate views of a docking station in accordance with the invention.
Figure 1 shows a two-dimensional side-on schematic of 35 a docking station in accordance with the invention.
Figure 2 is a three-dimensional representation of the docking station.
In the Figures, the docking station 1 is shown to comprise a box 2 having a port 3 providing a viewer (not 5 shown) with a line of sight L into the box, means for displaying a background 4 and a semi-transparent mirror 5. A portable electronic device 6 is also shown docked in the docking station 1.
5 With the portable electronic device 6 docked in the docking station 1, at least a portion of a screen 7 of the portable electronic device is in the line of sight of the viewer and behind the semi-transparent mirror 5. The means for displaying a background 4 are in front of the semi-transparent 10 mirror 5 such that a displayed background is reflected by the semi-transparent mirror 5 into the line of sight L of the viewer. The docking station further comprises means for charging the portable electronic device 8 and lighting means 9 to illuminate the displayed background. In a preferred embodi-15 ment, the lighting means comprises a fibre optic (not shown) configured for directing light from a light source of the portable electronic device. An additional feature of the docking station 1 is a privacy filter 10 placed between the semitransparent mirror 5 and the means for displaying a background 20 4 arranged to shield from sight the means for displaying a background 4 from the viewer.

Claims (7)

1. Dockingstation (1) voor een draagbaar elektronisch apparaat (6) zoals een smart-phone of tabletcomputer, met het kenmerk, dat het dockingstation (1) een doos (2) omvat met een poort (3) welke aan een toeschouwer een zichtlijn (L) verschaft 5 tot in de doos, middelen voor het weergeven van een achtergrond (4) en een half-doorlatende spiegel (5), waarin met het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) geplaatst in het dockingstation (1), ten minste een deel van een scherm (7) van het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) zich in de 10 zichtlijn (L) van de toeschouwer bevindt en achter de halfdoorlatende spiegel (5), en waarin de middelen voor het weergeven van een achtergrond (4) zich voor de half-doorlatende spiegel (5) bevinden zodat een weergegeven achtergrond gereflecteerd wordt door de half-doorlatende spiegel (5) in de zicht-15 lijn (L) van de toeschouwer.Docking station (1) for a portable electronic device (6) such as a smartphone or tablet computer, characterized in that the docking station (1) comprises a box (2) with a port (3) which has a line of sight on a viewer (L) provides 5 in-the-box, means for displaying a background (4) and a semi-transparent mirror (5), wherein with the portable electronic device (6) placed in the docking station (1), at least one part of a screen (7) of the portable electronic device (6) is located in the view line (L) of the viewer and behind the semi-transparent mirror (5), and in which the means for displaying a background (4) are located in front of the semi-transparent mirror (5) so that a displayed background is reflected by the semi-transparent mirror (5) in the line of sight (L) of the viewer. 2. Dockingstation (1) volgens conclusie 1, met het kenmerk, dat het dockingstation verder belichtingsmiddelen (9) bevat voor het belichten van de weergegeven achtergrond.Docking station (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the docking station further comprises exposure means (9) for illuminating the background shown. 3. Dockingstation (1) volgens conclusie 2, met het 20 kenmerk, dat de belichtingsmiddelen (9) een glasvezel omvatten die geconfigureerd is voor het leiden van licht van een lichtbron van het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) naar de achtergrond (4) .3. Docking station (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the exposure means (9) comprise a fiber optic configured to direct light from a light source of the portable electronic device (6) to the background (4). 4. Dockingstation (1) volgens één of meer van de voor-25 gaande conclusies, met het kenmerk, dat de doos (2) verder een privacy-filter (10) omvat dat geplaatst is tussen de halfdoorlatende spiegel (5) en de middelen voor het weergeven van een achtergrond (4) en is ingericht om de middelen voor het weergeven van een achtergrond (4) voor de toeschouwer van zicht 30 af te schermen.4. Docking station (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the box (2) further comprises a privacy filter (10) placed between the semi-transparent mirror (5) and the means for displaying a background (4) and is arranged to screen the means for displaying a background (4) for the viewer from view. 5. Dockingstation (1) volgens één der voorgaande conclusies, met het kenmerk, dat de achtergrond verschaft wordt door een hologram of een lensvormig beeld.Docking station (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the background is provided by a hologram or a lens-shaped image. 6. Een karakterweergave-inrichting omvattende een 35 dockingstation (1) volgens één of meer van de voorgaande conclusies en een draagbaar elektronisch apparaat (6) dat daarin - 7 - is geplaatst, met het kenmerk, dat het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) verder een computerprogramma omvat dat in een geheugen van het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) is geladen en geconfigureerd is voor het weergeven van één of meer karak-5 ters op een scherm (7) van het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) .A character display device comprising a docking station (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims and a portable electronic device (6) placed therein, characterized in that the portable electronic device (6) further comprises a computer program loaded into a memory of the portable electronic device (6) and configured to display one or more characters on a screen (7) of the portable electronic device (6). 7. Karakterweergave-inrichting (1, 6) volgens conclusie 6, met het kenmerk, dat het draagbare elektronische apparaat (6) video- en/of audio-verbonden is via het Internet met 10 een vooraf bepaalde website en/of met een mechanische of menselijke geluidsbron via een VOIP-verbinding.7. Character display device (1, 6) according to claim 6, characterized in that the portable electronic device (6) is video and / or audio connected via the Internet to a predetermined website and / or to a mechanical or human sound source via a VOIP connection.
NL2008660A 2012-04-19 2012-04-19 Docking station for a portable media player. NL2008660C2 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL2008660A NL2008660C2 (en) 2012-04-19 2012-04-19 Docking station for a portable media player.
PCT/EP2013/058211 WO2013156613A1 (en) 2012-04-19 2013-04-19 A housing for an electronic display screen

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL2008660 2012-04-19
NL2008660A NL2008660C2 (en) 2012-04-19 2012-04-19 Docking station for a portable media player.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
NL2008660C2 true NL2008660C2 (en) 2013-10-23

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
NL2008660A NL2008660C2 (en) 2012-04-19 2012-04-19 Docking station for a portable media player.

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NL (1) NL2008660C2 (en)
WO (1) WO2013156613A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN113325602A (en) * 2020-02-28 2021-08-31 Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 Suspension display device and electronic equipment

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FR3016974B1 (en) * 2014-01-24 2022-10-28 Abprod VISUALIZATION SYSTEM
US9892628B2 (en) 2014-10-14 2018-02-13 Logitech Europe S.A. Method of controlling an electronic device
KR102628753B1 (en) * 2022-11-25 2024-01-24 마케톤 주식회사 Mobile hologram device and method for controlling the same

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US5086354A (en) * 1989-02-27 1992-02-04 Bass Robert E Three dimensional optical viewing system
US6481851B1 (en) * 1995-09-20 2002-11-19 Videotronic Systems Adjustable contrast reflected display system
US8199185B2 (en) * 1995-09-20 2012-06-12 Videotronic Systems Reflected camera image eye contact terminal
US5913591A (en) * 1998-01-20 1999-06-22 University Of Washington Augmented imaging using a silhouette to improve contrast
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US7524197B2 (en) * 2007-04-30 2009-04-28 Brookstone Purchasing, Inc. Docking station for portable media player or storage device
GB0808593D0 (en) * 2008-05-13 2008-06-18 Activ8 3D Ltd Display apparatus
DE202011052517U1 (en) * 2011-12-28 2012-02-13 Os Outstanding Solutions Gmbh display device

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN113325602A (en) * 2020-02-28 2021-08-31 Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 Suspension display device and electronic equipment
CN113325602B (en) * 2020-02-28 2023-09-26 Oppo广东移动通信有限公司 Suspension display device and electronic equipment

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Effective date: 20150501