Patents by Inventor Daniel Smalley

Daniel Smalley 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: 20220373969
    Abstract: A method and system for a scalable multi-sense user experience are disclosed. A three-dimensional (“3-D”) display is disposed behind a slit plane comprising slits and ultrasonic transducers. Light from the 3-D display passes through the slits in the slit plane to generate a 3-D image. The ultrasonic transducers on the front of the slit plane, i.e., opposite the side where the 3-D display is disposed, generate directed acoustic field and/or a formed tactile field. Because the generating components for all three senses, i.e., visual, audio, and tactile, are coplanar, units may be tiled and thereby scaled to generate larger multi-sense experiences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Patent number: 11428890
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for using circular symmetry to eliminate the angle limitations of an optical axis in a scanned aperture holography system. A Room-sized Holography System may be a scanned aperture holographic video display and may comprise a rotating platform, a telescope comprising a first lens and a second lens, and scanners at the Fourier plane where the focal length of the first lens and the second lens meet. The platform may rotate around an axis aligned with a spatial light modulator. When the platform rotates, the scanners rotate, thereby de-rotating a SAW image. The second lens may be a spherical reflective surface for redirecting light from the spatial light modulator, having passed through the first lens and reflected off a mirror-scanner, toward a user's eyes. The user may be on a chair above the spatial light modulator, wherein the chair is configured to rotate with the spatial light modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Brigham Young University
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Patent number: 11327437
    Abstract: A method and system for a scalable multi-sense user experience are disclosed. A three-dimensional (“3-D”) display is disposed behind a slit plane comprising slits and ultrasonic transducers. Light from the 3-D display passes through the slits in the slit plane to generate a 3-D image. The ultrasonic transducers on the front of the slit plane, i.e., opposite the side where the 3-D display is disposed, generate directed acoustic field and/or a formed tactile field. Because the generating components for all three senses, i.e., visual, audio, and tactile, are coplanar, units may be tiled and thereby scaled to generate larger multi-sense experiences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Light Field Lab, Inc.
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20210310924
    Abstract: Time multiplexing an electromagnetic trap beam may be used to generate trap shapes/geometries to trap one or more particles with one electromagnetic beam by directing the electromagnetic beam at a pattern of different locations with sufficient rapidity to form an effective shape/geometry. Additionally, multiplexing an electromagnetic trap beam may be used to shutter trapping electromagnetic radiation to protect a viewer, use the same beam for multiple functions, move and organize particles, and generate illumination effects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: Brigham Young University
    Inventors: Daniel Smalley, Braden Huffman, Stephen Griffith
  • Patent number: 11130287
    Abstract: A system for three-dimensional (3D) optical trap printing (OTP) comprises a first particle susceptible to being cured by a light beam, a first light source to generate a trapping light beam to trap the particle, and a second light source to generate a curing light beam to cure the first particle. Using scanning and other optics, the trapping light beam may move the first particle to a desired printing location at which the curing light beam may cure the first particle, thereby adding the first particle to a printed structure. Using OTP, structures may be printed in any orientation, with or without support structures. Additionally, OTP allows for printing composite materials, high resolution color printing, printing of complex structures without sacrificial filler material, simultaneous printing of multiple particles, and combining particles at a print location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20210003966
    Abstract: A method and system for a scalable multi-sense user experience are disclosed. A three-dimensional (“3-D”) display is disposed behind a slit plane comprising slits and ultrasonic transducers. Light from the 3-D display passes through the slits in the slit plane to generate a 3-D image. The ultrasonic transducers on the front of the slit plane, i.e., opposite the side where the 3-D display is disposed, generate directed acoustic field and/or a formed tactile field. Because the generating components for all three senses, i.e., visual, audio, and tactile, are coplanar, units may be tiled and thereby scaled to generate larger multi-sense experiences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2020
    Publication date: January 7, 2021
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Patent number: 10739665
    Abstract: A method and system for using laser-induced structures to direct light to exit the bottom of a leaky mode device, and further to divide leaky mode light into multiple orders, and to implement one or more pulsing/strobing patterns such that a field of view is increased for a viewer, or the view zone is increased for a viewer. A leaky mode device may comprise a substrate, a surface acoustic wave (“SAW”) transducer, a waveguide having a higher refractive index than the substrate, an input region for input light, and laser induced structures such as grating. The SAW transducer may be positioned on a top surface of the substrate, and may be configured to emit a SAW wave to propagate across the substrate. The waveguide may be positioned below the SAW. The input wave region may be configured to couple light onto the waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Patent number: 10591869
    Abstract: A method and system for a scalable multi-sense user experience are disclosed. A three-dimensional (“3-D”) display is disposed behind a slit plane comprising slits and ultrasonic transducers. Light from the 3-D display passes through the slits in the slit plane to generate a 3-D image. The ultrasonic transducers on the front of the slit plane, i.e., opposite the side where the 3-D display is disposed, generate directed acoustic field and/or a formed tactile field. Because the generating components for all three senses, i.e., visual, audio, and tactile, are coplanar, units may be tiled and thereby scaled to generate larger multi-sense experiences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: LIGHT FIELD LAB, INC.
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Patent number: 10474101
    Abstract: A method and system for recycling signals in a leaky mode device for a holographic display or other application. A leaky mode device comprises at least a first transducer, a substrate, and a second transducer. The first transducer may be configured to receive an input signal from a signal arbiter, which forwards to the first transducer as an input signal either a new input signal or a recycled input signal (or some combination of the two). The first transducer converts the received input signal to a SAW (surface acoustic wave) and transmits the SAW through the substrate to the second transducer, which converts the received SAW to an output signal, and forwards the output signal to an amplifier, which amplifies the output signal (now a “recycled” signal) and forwards to the signal arbiter. This system facilitates persistence for points in a holographic display without the need for continually rewriting to leaky mode devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20190224916
    Abstract: A system for three-dimensional (3D) optical trap printing (OTP) comprises a first particle susceptible to being cured by a light beam, a first light source to generate a trapping light beam to trap the particle, and a second light source to generate a curing light beam to cure the first particle. Using scanning and other optics, the trapping light beam may move the first particle to a desired printing location at which the curing light beam may cure the first particle, thereby adding the first particle to a printed structure. Using OTP, structures may be printed in any orientation, with or without support structures. Additionally, OTP allows for printing composite materials, high resolution color printing, printing of complex structures without sacrificial filler material, simultaneous printing of multiple particles, and combining particles at a print location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Applicant: Brigham Young University
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20190212518
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for using circular symmetry to eliminate the angle limitations of an optical axis in a scanned aperture holography system. A Room-sized Holography System may be a scanned aperture holographic video display and may comprise a rotating platform, a telescope comprising a first lens and a second lens, and scanners at the Fourier plane where the focal length of the first lens and the second lens meet. The platform may rotate around an axis aligned with a spatial light modulator. When the platform rotates, the scanners rotate, thereby de-rotating a SAW image. The second lens may be a spherical reflective surface for redirecting light from the spatial light modulator, having passed through the first lens and reflected off a mirror-scanner, toward a user's eyes. The user may be on a chair above the spatial light modulator, wherein the chair is configured to rotate with the spatial light modulator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2019
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Applicant: Brigham Young University
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20190113887
    Abstract: A method and system for recycling signals in a leaky mode device for a holographic display or other application. A leaky mode device comprises at least a first transducer, a substrate, and a second transducer. The first transducer may be configured to receive an input signal from a signal arbiter, which forwards to the first transducer as an input signal either a new input signal or a recycled input signal (or some combination of the two). The first transducer converts the received input signal to a SAW (surface acoustic wave) and transmits the SAW through the substrate to the second transducer, which converts the received SAW to an output signal, and forwards the output signal to an amplifier, which amplifies the output signal (now a “recycled” signal) and forwards to the signal arbiter. This system facilitates persistence for points in a holographic display without the need for continually rewriting to leaky mode devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2018
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: Brigham Young University
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20180375490
    Abstract: A method and system for using laser-induced structures to direct light to exit the bottom of a leaky mode device, and further to divide leaky mode light into multiple orders, and to implement one or more pulsing/strobing patterns such that a field of view is increased for a viewer, or the view zone is increased for a viewer. A leaky mode device may comprise a substrate, a surface acoustic wave (“SAW”) transducer, a waveguide having a higher refractive index than the substrate, an input region for input light, and laser induced structures such as grating. The SAW transducer may be positioned on a top surface of the substrate, and may be configured to emit a SAW wave to propagate across the substrate. The waveguide may be positioned below the SAW. The input wave region may be configured to couple light onto the waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Publication date: December 27, 2018
    Applicant: Brigham Young University
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Patent number: 10129517
    Abstract: A system includes a particle configured for emitting light in response to stimulation by a light beam, a first light source configured for generating a first light beam that traps the particle in a potential well created by the light beam in air, and a second light source configured for generating a second light beam that stimulates the particle to emit emission light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Brigham Young University
    Inventors: Daniel Smalley, Kenny Squire
  • Patent number: 9483021
    Abstract: In an illustrative implementation of this invention, an animated holographic display is created as follows: Multiple HPO holograms in the shape of horizontal strips are recorded on an H2 medium. These horizontal strips are vertically displaced from each other. An animated real image is displayed by sequentially illuminating these HPO holograms. In illustrative implementations of this invention, the vertical perspective of at least some adjacent HPO stripes are identical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Victor Michael Bove, Jr., Daniel Smalley, Quinn Smithwick
  • Publication number: 20160282808
    Abstract: A method and system for a scalable multi-sense user experience are disclosed. A three-dimensional (“3-D”) display is disposed behind a slit plane comprising slits and ultrasonic transducers. Light from the 3-D display passes through the slits in the slit plane to generate a 3-D image. The ultrasonic transducers on the front of the slit plane, i.e., opposite the side where the 3-D display is disposed, generate directed acoustic field and/or a formed tactile field. Because the generating components for all three senses, i.e., visual, audio, and tactile, are coplanar, units may be tiled and thereby scaled to generate larger multi-sense experiences.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventor: Daniel Smalley
  • Publication number: 20160161068
    Abstract: A system includes a particle configured for emitting light in response to stimulation by a light beam, a first light source configured for generating a first light beam that traps the particle in a potential well created by the light beam in air, and a second light source configured for generating a second light beam that stimulates the particle to emit emission light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Daniel SMALLEY, Kenny SQUIRE
  • Publication number: 20120050833
    Abstract: In an illustrative implementation of this invention, an animated holographic display is created as follows: Multiple HPO holograms in the shape of horizontal strips are recorded on an H2 medium. These horizontal strips are vertically displaced from each other. An animated real image is displayed by sequentially illuminating these HPO holograms. Unless corrected, this approach causes the animated image to appear to rotate vertically. The vertical parallax rotation arises because, when recording the HPO holograms, the vertical perspectives of the various HPO holograms differ. In illustrative implementations of this invention, this vertical parallax rotation may be corrected at least three different ways: (1) the content of H1 may be pre-rotated, (2) H1, H2 or both may be translated during exposures, or (3) only a thin horizontal stripe of H1 may be illuminated during holographic transfer to eliminate vertical parallax in the real image transmitted from H1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Victor Michael Bove, JR., Daniel Smalley, Quinn Smithwick