{
  "patent_number": "US 12386177",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Disney's Compact AR Display Uses Special Mirrors",
  "original_title": "Compact augmented reality / virtual reality display",
  "summary": "Disney's patent describes a compact augmented reality display that uses a clever arrangement of three special wavelength-splitting mirrors to efficiently show digital images layered over the real world.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes an augmented reality (AR) display device designed to show digital images layered onto a user's view of the real world. It achieves this with a specific optical arrangement of three mirror elements. First, a 'dichroic beam splitter' (Claim 1) reflects some light from a display. This reflected light then hits a second mirror, which also has a 'dichroic surface' (Claim 1) designed to reflect red, green, and blue light. Finally, a third mirror reflects this light again, sending it *through* the first mirror element and into the user's 'field of view' (Claim 1). The third mirror is also a 'see-through mirror' (Claim 9), allowing background light from the real world to pass through, combining it with the digital image. For example, a user could wear this device and see digital characters appear to stand on a real-world table.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover AR displays that use only conventional mirrors, rather than dichroic (wavelength-splitting) mirrors, for the first and second mirror elements.",
    "Does not cover AR displays where the display light is not reflected sequentially by a first, then a second, then a third mirror element.",
    "Does not cover AR displays where the final reflected display light does not pass *through the first mirror element* to the user's field of view.",
    "Does not cover virtual reality (VR) displays that completely block the user's view of the real world, as the third mirror element is 'see-through'.",
    "Does not cover AR displays that do not specifically reflect red, green, and blue wavelengths using the second dichroic surface."
  ],
  "filed": "2019-10-09",
  "granted": "2025-08-12",
  "expires": "2039-10-09",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Disney Enterprises",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/disney-enterprises",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Michael P. GOSLIN",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/michael-p-goslin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joseph L. OLSON",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/joseph-l-olson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eric C. Haseltine",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/eric-c-haseltine"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications",
    "gaming"
  ],
  "abstract": "Implementations of an augmented reality (AR)-capable display device for displaying light generated by a display onto a predefined field of view are disclosed herein. Within one implementation, the display device comprises a mount assembly configured to removably attach with a mobile computing device associated with the display, to thereby arrange the display with a predefined position. The display device further comprises an optical arrangement having a predefined arrangement relative to the predefined position and defining the field of view. The optical arrangement comprises a first mirror element configured to reflect a first portion of first incident light that is based on the light generated by the display, and a second mirror element disposed within the field of view and configured to reflect, onto the field of view, a second portion of second incident light that is based on the first portion.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12386177/compact-augmented-reality-virtual-reality-display",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12386177/compact-augmented-reality-virtual-reality-display/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12386177",
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}