The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 21, 2017
Filed:
Mar. 06, 2012
Jonathan Mather, Oxford, GB;
Nathan James Smith, Oxford, GB;
Jonathan Mather, Oxford, GB;
Nathan James Smith, Oxford, GB;
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha, Osaka, JP;
Abstract
An optical component () is switchable between a directional mode and a 2-D mode. The optical component () comprising a lens array and an electro-optic layer, for example a liquid crystal layer, disposed in the path of light through the lens array. In the 2-D display mode the lens array has an optical effect on light passing through the component and the electro-optic layer at least partially nullifies the effect. For example the electro-optic layer may, in the 2-D display mode, scatter light or diverge light so as to nullify the focusing effect of the lens array. The optical component () may be disposed in the path of light through an image display panel () to form a display that may be switched between a directional display mode, eg a 3-D display mode, and a 2-D display mode by suitably switching the optical component ().