Patents by Inventor Anthony Van Heugten

Anthony Van Heugten has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20210072547
    Abstract: A conventional head-mounted display (HMDs) can display a virtual image at a fixed focus (e.g., infinite focus). If the user looks at an object that appears closer than the virtual image, then accommodation by the user's eyes will cause the virtual image to appear blurry. The HMDs disclosed herein include a dynamic electro-active focusing element that changes the focus of the virtual image to account for accommodation by the user. This dynamic electro-active focusing element may include a curved layer of electro-active material, such as nematic or bi-stable (e.g., cholesteric) liquid crystal, disposed between a static concave mirror and a convex surface on a beam splitter or other optical element. Changing the refractive index of the electro-active material causes the focus of the dynamic electro-active focusing element, making it possible to shift the virtual image's focus in as the user's eyes change focus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2020
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Publication number: 20210003865
    Abstract: An electro-active lens is presented which utilizes a surface relief structures and an electro-active material, with a change in refractive index facilitating the change in optical properties. A molded structure and a liquid crystal are used to form a diffractive lens. In addition to the classical approach of utilizing diffractive optics and multiple Fresnel zones to form a lens, an additional structure is placed between Fresnel zones in order to improve the diffraction efficiency across the visible spectrum and reduce chromatic aberration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Harry Milton
  • Publication number: 20200400957
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via light from a light source, rendering an image on a retina.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Publication number: 20200390540
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via a device implanted in a mammal, sensing a ciliary muscle movement and/or force and/or converting the ciliary muscle movement and/or force to a signal and/or a predetermined form of power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Publication date: December 17, 2020
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Joel Zychick
  • Patent number: 10838237
    Abstract: An electro-active lens is presented which utilizes a surface relief structures and an electro-active material, with a change in refractive index facilitating the change in optical properties. A molded structure and a liquid crystal are used to form a diffractive lens. In addition to the classical approach of utilizing diffractive optics and multiple Fresnel zones to form a lens, an additional structure is placed between Fresnel zones in order to improve the diffraction efficiency across the visible spectrum, and reduce chromatic aberration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Harry Milton
  • Publication number: 20200331219
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an optic includes disposing electronic circuitry on a substrate. The method also includes depositing a first resin on the first side of the electronic circuitry and curing the first resin to form a first optical segment. The method further includes depositing a second resin on the second side of the electronic circuitry and curing the second resin to form a second optical segment. The first and second optical segments encapsulate the electronic circuitry. The first resin and the second resin can include multiple droplets of resin, thereby reducing mechanical force imposed on the electronic circuitry during printing and allowing conformal contact between the resin and the electronic circuitry. Accordingly, electronic circuitry of smaller dimension can be used to form the electronic eyewear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Publication date: October 22, 2020
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Joel D. Zychick
  • Patent number: 10782526
    Abstract: A conventional head-mounted display (HMDs) can display a virtual image at a fixed focus (e.g., infinite focus). If the user looks at an object that appears closer than the virtual image, then accommodation by the user's eyes will cause the virtual image to appear blurry. The HMDs disclosed herein include a dynamic electro-active focusing element that changes the focus of the virtual image to account for accommodation by the user. This dynamic electro-active focusing element may include a curved layer of electro-active material, such as nematic or bi-stable (e.g., cholesteric) liquid crystal, disposed between a static concave mirror and a convex surface on a beam splitter or other optical element. Changing the refractive index of the electro-active material causes the focus of the dynamic electro-active focusing element, making it possible to shift the virtual image's focus in as the user's eyes change focus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Publication number: 20200285128
    Abstract: Resistive bridges can connect many ring electrodes in an electro-active lens with a relatively small number of buss lines. These resistors are usually large to prevent excessive current consumption. Conventionally, they are disposed in the same plane as the ring electrodes, which means that the ring electrodes are spaced farther apart or made discontinuous to accommodate the resistors. But spacing the ring electrodes farther apart or making them discontinuous degrades the lens's optical quality. Placing the ring electrodes and resistors on layers separated by an insulator makes it possible for the ring electrodes to be closer together and continuous with resistance high enough to limit current consumption. It also relaxes constraints on feature sizes and placement during the process used to make the lens. And because the resistors and electrodes are on different planes, they can be formed of materials with different resistivities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Harry Milton
  • Patent number: 10732416
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via light from a light source, rendering an image on a retina.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Patent number: 10695167
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via a device implanted in a mammal, sensing a ciliary muscle movement and/or force and/or converting the ciliary muscle movement and/or force to a signal and/or a predetermined form of power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Joel Zychick
  • Publication number: 20200174338
    Abstract: A beam steering device includes a substrate with a first refractive index that defines a cavity, an electroactive material in the cavity that has a variable refractive index, and two sets of opposing overlays. The overlays in one set of opposing overlays are parallel to each other, while the overlays in the other set are tilted with respect to each other. This allows one or more electric fields between the overlays to be used to align the electroactive material in two different directions to change its refractive index, allowing for a faster speed of beam steering through refraction than conventional approaches.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Patent number: 10599006
    Abstract: Resistive bridges can connect many ring electrodes in an electro-active lens with a relatively small number of buss lines. These resistors are usually large to prevent excessive current consumption. Conventionally, they are disposed in the same plane as the ring electrodes, which means that the ring electrodes are spaced farther apart or made discontinuous to accommodate the resistors. But spacing the ring electrodes farther apart or making them discontinuous degrades the lens's optical quality. Placing the ring electrodes and resistors on layers separated by an insulator makes it possible for the ring electrodes to be closer together and continuous with resistance high enough to limit current consumption. It also relaxes constraints on feature sizes and placement during the process used to make the lens. And because the resistors and electrodes are on different planes, they can be formed of materials with different resistivities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Harry Milton
  • Publication number: 20190302545
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, apparatus, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a process, method, and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, generating a gradient in an index of refraction of a material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: October 3, 2019
    Inventors: Liwei Li, Anthony Van Heugten, Dwight P. Duston, Phil BOS, Douglas BRYANT
  • Patent number: 10345656
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, apparatus, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a process, method, and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, generating a gradient in an index of refraction of a material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventors: Liwei Li, Anthony Van Heugten, Dwight Duston, Phil Bos, Douglas Bryant
  • Publication number: 20190175334
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via a device implanted in a mammal, sensing a ciliary muscle movement and/or force and/or converting the ciliary muscle movement and/or force to a signal and/or a predetermined form of power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Publication date: June 13, 2019
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Joel Zychick
  • Publication number: 20190113757
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via light from a light source, rendering an image on a retina.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Patent number: 10247947
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via light from a light source, rendering an image on a retina.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Publication number: 20190049752
    Abstract: An electro-active lens is presented which utilizes a surface relief structures and an electro-active material, with a change in refractive index facilitating the change in optical properties. A molded structure and a liquid crystal are used to form a diffractive lens. In addition to the classical approach of utilizing diffractive optics and multiple Fresnel zones to form a lens, an additional structure is placed between Fresnel zones in order to improve the diffraction efficiency across the visible spectrum, and reduce chromatic aberration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Publication date: February 14, 2019
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Harry Milton
  • Patent number: 10054725
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, switch a diffractive first electro-active lens from a first power state corresponding to a first optical power to a second power state corresponding to a second optical power that differs from said first optical power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: e-Vision Smart Optics, Inc.
    Inventor: Anthony Van Heugten
  • Publication number: 20180153684
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via a device implanted in a mammal, sensing a ciliary muscle movement and/or force and/or converting the ciliary muscle movement and/or force to a signal and/or a predetermined form of power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Inventors: Anthony Van Heugten, Joel Zychick