Optical: systems and elements – Projection screen
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-20
2003-01-14
Mahoney, Christopher (Department: 2851)
Optical: systems and elements
Projection screen
C359S449000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06507435
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Kokai (JP 6-237429) discloses a screen organization for allowing display of TV images both at a classic aspect ratio of 3:4 and also at a wider aspect ratio of 9:16, by shuttering lateral strips of the screen so that the narrower screen will be filled completely by the 3:4 image. This procedure will keep the image height, as well as the overall size of the screen arrangement, constant.
The inventor has recognized a need to allow using a single projection screen arrangement for generating images at different sizes, and to assign resizing facilities to a projection screen device to form images in distinctly different sizes, while resizing the physical screen dimensions in accordance with the actual image.
According to the invention, the screen proper is physically resizable in a lateral direction on at least two distinct levels. It has been found that such physical resizing is more flexible and less distracting, and more pleasing to a viewer than the prior art arrangement.
Advantageously, the apparatus is arranged for physically resizing the screen in two directions to images that have substantially uniform height-to-width ratios and substantial differences among corresponding dimensions. Now, prior art exclusively has diminished the effective screen width by only −25% with respect to the wider image. The present invention allows a much wider variation in physical screen size, that may depend on such circumstances as the size of the audience, the nature of an actual program, and the viewer's seating distance from the screen and/or other viewer activities. The invention may then use various different combinations, such as the standard aspect ratio at a smaller size, while allowing Wide Screen TV aspect ratio at a larger size. In this way, the invention allows screen area variations by factors such as 2, 4, or even more. The invention is by and large much more flexible than the prior art. On the other hand, especially for use with present-day high quality image rendering, using such quasi-screen matter as a white wall, a reversed picture or the like as a basis for projection on such wall has proved to be insufficient.
The invention also relates to screen device for use with such apparatus.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4106852 (1978-08-01), Chasins
patent: 4795946 (1989-01-01), Nishiyama
patent: 4951149 (1990-08-01), Faroudja
patent: 5343257 (1994-08-01), Kohno et al.
patent: 5461431 (1995-10-01), Takebuchi et al.
patent: 5519447 (1996-05-01), Shima et al.
patent: 5737123 (1998-04-01), Donohoe
patent: 5777697 (1998-07-01), Baek
patent: 5860721 (1999-01-01), Bowron et al.
patent: 6-237429 (1994-08-01), None
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