Patent Abstract:
A master holographic media storing large quantities of holographic media is disclosed. Holographic images may be recorded onto individual Child Plates. A Child Plate may be obtained by culling a portion of a starting or working parent holographic plate with the Child Plate portion comprising all the necessary data required for holographic image reconstruction. A series of plurality of Child Plates are arranged on and compiled to the master holographic media. The resulting information stored on the master holographic media is capable of being displayed as a continuous three-dimensional holographic image.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to the creation of a holographic media display system that combines physical media or digitally stored files with a digital holographic player hardware system. The result is the creation of a compact and portable multimedia holographic viewing experience. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    A hologram is a microscopic pattern of interference fringes, representing an interaction of two beams of coherent light. Therefore, the hologram is a photographic registration of the interference pattern formed by the two beams, with one of the beams consisting of scattered light from a physical object. Once properly illuminated, the hologram may produce a three dimensional image of the physical object. In recent years, a great deal of effort has been put forth towards developing displays using holography techniques. 
         [0005]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  depict a side and top view, respectively, of an example of a holographic film printing process. A coherent light source  101 , or laser, provides a pulsed beam  103 . The pulsed beam  103  is then split into two identical beams, an object beam  109  and a reference beam  107 , via a beam splitting cube  105 . The object beam  109  is then deflected, via a mirror  111 , onto a beam expander consisting of a lens  113  and an aperture  11   5 . The resultant diverging beam  117  is then sent through an optical system  119 , which is used to maintain a uniform intensity across the planes of coherent light  121 , at which the object will be placed. In the present example, the object is a frame from a movie film  123 . The film  123  may be held in place by transparent plates  127  and  125 . An anti-reflection exit surface  134  may be used to reduce reflections, 
         [0006]    Once the object beam  121  has passed through the film  123 , a modified object beam  129  will be emitted through the anti-reflection exit surface  134 . The modified object beam  129  carries imagining information of the object. The modified object beam  129  is then directed towards a photosensitive hologram detector strip  141 . The photosensitive hologram detector  141  is placed behind a mask  143  and is enclosed by transparent members  137  and  139 . 
         [0007]    The modified object beam  129  is combined, or interfered, with a diverging reference beam  135  at an aperture  145  of the mask  143 . The diverging reference beam  135  is obtained by directing the reference beam  107  through a lens  131 . The lens  131  brings the beam to a point focus in an aperture  133  resulting in the divergence. The interference of the diverging reference beam  135  and the modified object beam  129 , at a finite angle θ, forms a holographic pattern time the coherent light source  101  is pulsed. Therefore, for every pulse of the laser  101 , a single movie frame may be recorded as a single holographic image. 
         [0008]    An electronic control  147  may be used to advance the movie film  123  with the use of a motor  149  and rollers  153 . The electronic control  147  may also be used to advance the photosensitive hologram detector strip  141  with the use of a motor  151  and rollers  155 . Synchronization of the laser pulsing, the advancement of the movie film  123 , and the photosensitive hologram detector strip  141  may also be achieved via the electronic control  147 . 
         [0009]      FIG. 2  provides an illustrative example of a portion of the photosensitive hologram detector  200 . The detector comprises a strip  241  (or  141  in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B) consisting of a number of rows. Each row, for example row  201 , comprises a single hologram representing a movie frame. The hologram comprises luminance information as well as color information used in the image reconstruction process. 
         [0010]      FIG. 3A  depicts a hologram display apparatus  300 . A converging coherent beam  301  is passed through an aperture  303  onto the holographic detector strip  341  at a reconstruction angle θ. In holographic reconstructions, the same laser and angle employed for the recording process, is typically used. The illumination of the holographic detector strip  341  results in the reconstruction of two images, a luminance signal image  307  and a color signal image  305 . Two raster scan type image detecting tubes  309  and  311  are positioned to receive the signals  305  and  307 , respectively. The detecting tubes produce time varying electrical signal outputs based on the signals  305  and  307 . Bandpass filters  315 ,  319 , and  323  allow for the transmission of blue, red, and green carrier frequency signals, respectively, to pass. The luminance (E y ), blue (E B ), red (E R ), and green (E G ) electrical signal outputs  313 ,  317 ,  321 , and  325  are then passed on to signal processing devices and eventually sent to a receiver antenna for a two-dimensional display, similar to that of a standard television. 
         [0011]    Other forms of holographic media storage have also been explored, for example, Holographic Versatile Discs (HVD). HVDs are typically used for document storage and allow for the reconstruction of a two-dimensional holographic image. HVD systems are based on an optical disc technology that employs a technique known as collinear holography. In collinear holography two lasers, typically one red and one blue-green, are collimated in a single beam. The blue-green laser reads data encoded as laser interference fringes from a holographic layer near the top of the disc. The red laser has the dual function of being used as a reference beam, as well as to read servo information from a regular CD-style aluminum layer near the bottom. Servo information may be used to monitor the position of the read head over the disc, similar to the head, track, and sector information on a conventional hard disk drive. On a CD or DVD, this servo information is interspersed amongst the data. 
         [0012]      FIG. 3B  provides an example of how a HVD holographic media file may be recorded. The top layer of the HVD, or the volumetric recording layer  350 , is the portion of the HVD where the holographic media files  351  are stored. Each media file  351  represents a page of data  352 . As is shown in  FIG. 3B , an HVD may store holograms in overlapping patterns, while using the servo information to access a desired page. 
         [0013]    In contrast, a DVD will typically store bits of information side-by-side. An HVD makes use of a thicker recording layer than that of a HVD. The HVD also utilizes almost the entire volume of the disk, instead of just a single thin layer. Therefore, HVD systems may store approximately  200  times the amount of information a DVD is capable of storing. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    Although many advances have been made in the field of holographic media display systems, currently there are no systems which are capable of continuously displaying three-dimensional images. Current technology does not allow for the display of an entire feature film using three-dimensional imagery. 
         [0015]    Additionally, present holographic display systems do not contemplate a method whereby holographic media can be recorded, easily replicated, and exhibited in a home environment. Currently no system exists that is adaptable to large and small consumer applications. No display systems currently available are capable of using a variety of laser and fixed media sources configured with different laser strengths and lengths. Also, there are no portable systems, or systems capable of larger displays, with size of installation and/or laser strength not being a barrier in the display application. 
         [0016]    Holographic systems may be large in size and spread out over a large broadcasting area, or may be compact enough to fit in spaces smaller than a desk top. In terms of overall size, holographic technology is mainly limited by the size of the individual component parts. The idea of creating a 2-hour feature film, with approximately 432,000 individual frames of film, at a rate of 60 frames per second, in three-dimensional holographic form, has been a daunting task for holographers. Such a feature film would require creating 432,000 holographic plates, representing a respective frame of film, and displaying the plates in order at a rate of 60 plates per second. There are no systems currently available which are capable of withstanding the storage capacity or speed requirements needed to display a three-dimensional feature film. 
         [0017]    Accordingly, a system and method is presented by the present invention wherein tiny holographic plates, each plate comprising data to reconstruct an entire holographic image, are assembled on a single piece of fixed media, or a master holographic media. It should be appreciated that the master holographic media may take any form, for example a disk, square, rectangle, or any other form. The individual holographic plates enable a three-dimensional holographic video experience that can be easily replicated, transportable, and displayed in small or large venues, by holographic players of different sizes and strengths. 
         [0018]    The invention system for storing holographic media may comprise master holographic media, and a plurality of Child Plates arranged on the master holographic media. Each Child Plate may comprise a respective recorded holographic image, the holographic images may be capable of display in a three-dimensional and continuous manner. Generally a “Child Plate” is a segment cut or otherwise annexed from a master or initial hologram photographic plate. 
         [0019]    A Child Plate, of the plurality of Child Plates, may be a portion of a parent holographic plate, wherein the portion may be obtained using a nanotechnology cutting technique. The portion may also be obtained using a punch-out method. Multiple Child Plates copies, comprising a subset of the parent holographic plate data information, may be obtained from the parent holographic plate. Each Child Plate, of the multiple Child Plates, may be removed at an angle of reconstruction and in a similar location on the parent holographic plate. The plurality of Child Plates may also comprise mirrored bottoms. 
         [0020]    The plurality Child Plates may be placed on the master holographic media disk using optical tweezers. The plurality of Child Plates may also be arranged on the master holographic media in a predetermined order. The plurality of Child Plates may be placed on the master holographic media with an adhesive, and/or using a magnetic force. The plurality of Child Plates may also comprise interlocking shapes and may be placed on the master holographic media in a locked arrangement. Each Child Plate, of the plurality of Child Plates, may also be placed in a respective frame, the frame may comprise locator information. Different sections of the plurality of Child Plates may be accessed using a dynamic library link. 
         [0021]    The master holographic media may comprise a Child Plate back-up portion. The master holographic media may also comprise a contact strip, where each Child Plate, of the plurality of Child Plates, may be addressable via the contact strip. The master holographic media may also comprise a storage region for storing non-holographic data, where each Child Plate, of the plurality of Child Plates, may be individually synchronized with the non-holographic data. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]    The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIGS. 1A and 1B  are side and top views, respectively, of a two dimensional holographic recording process according to the prior art; 
           [0024]      FIG. 2  is a depiction of a holographic film strip according to the prior art; 
           [0025]      FIG. 3A  is a schematic of a two-dimensional holographic display system according to the prior art; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3B  is an illustrative example of two-dimensional data storage in Holographic Versatile Discs according to the prior art; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4A  is a schematic layout of a parent holographic plate according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4B  is an illustrative example of Child Plate processing according the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 4C  is an illustrative example of Child Plate placement using adhesives according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4D  is an illustrative example of Child Plate placement using framing technology; 
           [0031]      FIG. 4E  is an illustrative example of Child Plate placement using a locking configuration; 
           [0032]      FIG. 5  is an illustrative example of a three-dimensional holographic reading process according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0033]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are schematic illustrations of a holography media player according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0034]      FIG. 6C  is a schematic illustration of the holography media player, of  FIGS. 6A and 6B , in a viewing environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0035]    A description of example embodiments of the invention follows. 
         [0036]    Once a holographic image has been recorded, illuminating a coherent laser (of the same wavelength and angle of incidence as employed during the recording stage) on any portion of the recorded data will yield a complete three-dimensional reconstruction. Exploiting the fact that the smallest piece of a holographic photo plate will still generate the entire end image hologram, a portable and compact holographic display system may be obtained. The process of generating a moving image at a desired frame rate per second may be achieved by cutting small samples, or Child Plates, from each holographic photo plate, or parent holographic plate, comprising imaging information for the reconstruction of a movie frame. The imaging information may be a subset of the parent holographic plate data information, which may be used for reconstructing the image originally recorded on the parent holographic plate it should be appreciated that “Child Plate” as used herein is a segment cut or otherwise annexed holographic recording from a master hologram photographic plate. 
         [0037]      FIG. 4A  shows an example of a parent holographic plate  411  comprising a recorded holographic image. The writing of the parent holographic plate  411  may be achieved real time during the filming of a movie, or may be achieved using a  35 mm film. The writing process may also be achieved via  3 D modeling software. The modeling software may also be used in combination with specific display media. The display media, such as LCD or liquid background, may be used to accentuate the images dimensionality and may also incorporate real time modeling, such as the kind used in stop frame animation. 
         [0038]    A fusion of these techniques can also be used to incorporate different source elements and visual effects common in feature films and television programming. It should be appreciated that any holographic writing method known in the art may be employed in the present invention, for example the methods shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
         [0039]    Once a holographic recording has been obtained, holographic media, or Child Plates  401 , may be culled from the parent holographic plate. The Child Plates  401  may be obtained from the parent holographic plate at very small increments (i.e., in the micron range) using nanolithography cutting tools. The nanolithography cutting tools may be used to slice a tiny sample  401  of the parent holographic plate representing a frame of film, or video. For example, a laser may be employed to cut the Child Plate portions  401  from the parent holographic plate. Utilizing a cutting laser at the same angle as the angle of reconstruction, may improve the accuracy of the image reconstruction. Additionally, removing multiple Child Plates  401  in substantially the same location on the parent holographic plate  411  (i.e., the majority of the Child Plates  413  may be removed from the center of the parent holographic plate  411 ), may also improve image reconstruction accuracy. Preferably each Child Plate  401  is removed substantially from the same location and angle as other Child Plates  401  that will collectively be used to from a master holographic media  400  ( FIG. 4B  described below) and in a preferred embodiment is removed from the center of the parent holographic plate  411  so that the laser need only be calibrated to the center of each Child Plate  401 . 
         [0040]    It should be appreciated that any nano-scale technology known in the art may be employed for obtaining the Child Plates from the parent holographic plate  411 . For example, the various Child Plates  401  may be mass manufactured. Employing a “punching” technique, thousands of Child Plates may be obtained simultaneously. Such a technique will allow for easy duplication of the recorded holographic image. Whereas in the prior art holographic media storage (as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3B ), in order to duplicate a recorded holographic image, the entire holographic recording process would have to be repeated (as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B ). 
         [0041]      FIG. 4B  provides an illustrative example of a master holographic media  400 . Once the Child Plate sections  401  have been obtained, they may be placed on the writable area  403  of a master holographic media  400 . The master holographic media  400  may be prepared for recording using any number of methods well known in the art. Typically, a glass surface is treated with gelatin to make it chemically ‘sticky’. The added gelatin layer may then be hardened with chromium or formaldehyde. Once the hardened gelatin film has been established, the film may then have soaked into it a silver salt, and subsequently soaked in potassium or lithium bromide to obtain an ultra-fine grain precipitate of silver bromide. The bromide solution also incorporates a dye to make the plate photo-sensitive in the required wavelength range. A sensitizer may be added to improve the effectiveness of the holographic plate. 
         [0042]    In an example configuration, the master holographic media  400  may comprise a size dimension of 10 cm by 20 cm. This size dimension would be capable of carrying approximately 432,000 individual Child Plates. This example size dimension may be capable of storing an entire feature film, an index, table of contents, as well as a start and navigation system for the stored media elements. 
         [0043]    The different sections of the media may be tied to dynamic link library (DLL) actions in the hardware enabling the viewer to control settings, and the table of content commands from the media directory passed through to the hardware. It should be appreciated that any dimensions may be used in the fabrication of the master holographic media  400 . For example, the dimensions may be increased if it was desired to include more information on the disk. 
         [0044]    A strip  407  on the master holographic media  400  is used as a contact point that allows for a transfer of information when downloaded to a hard drive. Each Child Plate  401  may be accessed via the strip  407  with the use of software coding (e.g., SMPTES). A strip  405  may be used for flash memory storage. The flash memory may be used to store audio files which may be synchronized with the individual Child Plates via software coding (e.g., SMPTE). 
         [0045]    One technique which may be used in Child Plate  401  placement is optical trapping. Optical trapping makes use of optical, or laser, tweezers. Once light interacts with an object and undergoes changes in direction, due to reflection or refraction, a change in the light&#39;s momentum will occur. Due to the laws of physics, the object must undergo an equal and opposite momentum change. The object&#39;s momentum change results in a radiation force acting on the object. The radiation force comprises a scattering force along the direction of light propagation, and a gradient force due to the light intensity distribution around the object. 
         [0046]    An optical trap may be created when a laser beam is focused to a small spot with a high numeric aperture (NA) microscope objective lens. Since the light intensity at the center is greater than that at the edges, the gradient force drives the object positioned within the laser focal point toward the central point. Meanwhile, scattering force may act to push the particle out of the center, along the direction in which the light is traveling. If the gradient forces caused by refracted light are greater than the scattering forces caused by reflected light, the net effect with be a force which holds the particle in the center of the beam. Thus, a stable optical trap is obtained. 
         [0047]    Holographic optical trapping (HOT) may also be employed as a technique for Child Plate placement. HOT comprises replacing the single focused laser beam with a spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator may enable the light, from a single laser beam, to be sculpted into as many as  200  independently controllable optical tweezers. The optical tweezers may be positioned and moved in three directions. It should be appreciated that any nano-scale movement technique known in the art may be employed in the placement of Child Plates  401 . 
         [0048]    During the placement process, each Child Plate  401  may be aligned side by side onto the master holographic media  400  writable area  403 , and set into place with the use of an adhesive, as shown in  FIG. 4C . Alternatively, each Child Plate  401  may be placed in a thin a tiny brace, or frame  402 , as shown in  FIG. 4D . The individual frames  402  may be adhered to each other forming a single frame set  406 . This process creates a frame between each Child Plate  401 . The individual frames  402  may also comprise locator information  404  on the side of the frame. The locator information  404  may be used during the reading process of the Child Plates  401 . The Child Plates  401  may also be bonded by magnetic forces, or adhesives, surfaces along the master holographic media  400 , or between the Child Plates  401  and frames  402 . The frame  402  may be comprised of metal, carbon, glass, polymer, or any other durable material allowing for the master holographic media to easily slide into a holographic player. 
         [0049]    Additionally, the Child Plates  401  may be cut into interlocking shapes and placed in a locked arrangement, as is shown in  FIG. 4E . It should be appreciated that any other form of placement or adhesion known in the art may be employed. It should be appreciated that although  FIG. 4B  only displays three Child Plates  401 , the entire writable area  403  may be used in the placement of the Child Plates  401 . Therefore, any number of Child Plates  401  may be placed in order to reconstruct the feature film. 
         [0050]    The Child Plates  401  may be placed in a sequential order, or the Child Plates  401  may be placed in a predetermined order. Placing the Child Plates  401  in a predetermined order may allow for the use of tag and read systems, automated gates, programmable laser positioning, or any other read access method. The Child Plates  401  may also be placed in a consecutive ordering, wherein the Child Plates are aligned in relation to the sequence in which they are expected to be imaged or illuminated. 
         [0051]    Once the Child Plates  401  have been established, an efficient read access method may be used. A typically feature film requires a reading rate of approximately 60 frames per second, with the average movie or any media/content production consisting of approximately 2 hours worth of data. The total number of Child Plates  401  required for this type of data would be approximately 432,000. The master holographic media  400  is capable of storing an entire feature film, and displaying this film as a true three-dimensional holographic image. 
         [0052]      FIG. 5  depicts an example of a master holographic media reading. A laser  503  may be used to direct a coherent laser beam  504 , similar to the reference beam used during the writing process, onto an individual Child Plate  401  on the master holographic media  400 . The recorded hologram on the Child Plate  401  diffracts the beam according to the specific pattern of light inference stored on the Child Plate. The resulting light recreates the holographic image  505  of the film frame that established the light interference pattern in the first place. A light sensor may be used to detect and amplify the holographic image  505 . 
         [0053]    In operation, a laser may move among the Child Plates  401  on the master holographic media  400  in a programmed consecutive or non-consecutive order illuminating each proscribed Child Plate at a proscribed frame rate. As an example, the master holographic media  400 , which may be the size of a baseball card, may be calibrated to move one frame increment at a rate of 60 Child Plate frames per second. The incrementing of the master holographic media  400  may be performed so that the path of the laser, which may or may not pulse between frames to remove blurring, illuminates the Child Plates  401  without moving the laser. Stabilizing the laser may help reduce reading errors. 
         [0054]    In a stable laser configuration, the individual Child Plates  401  may comprise a see through or mirrored bottom. The laser may be positioned to illuminate the Child Plate  401  with a beam perpendicular to the surface of the plate  401 , with each of the mirrored bottoms being positioned to the reconstruction angle. This configuration may be ideal for reading systems comprising stable, or non-moving, lasers. Thus, the laser system does not need to be recalibrated for each master holographic media  400 , since the required angel for illumination is supplied via the mirrored bottoms of the individual Child Plates  401 . Therefore, the master holographic media  400  may simply move incrementally into place, with the laser  503  illuminating each Child Plate  401  at the necessary speed and at the necessary time. 
         [0055]    Alternatively, the laser  503  may move incrementally into place while the master holographic media  400  remains stationary, or the master holographic media  400  may also move incrementally in place. Multiple lasers may also be employed in the reading of the various Child Plates  401 . 
         [0056]    The master holographic media  400  may also comprise a backup system on the disk in the event that a Child Plate  401  is damaged. A section of the master holographic media  400  may be used to supply duplicate Child Plates  507  in the event a Child Plate  401  is damaged or lost. A scanner may be used to automatically scan the surface of the individual Child Plates  401 . In the event that a defect in one of the Child Plates  401  is detected, the DLL may be programmed to move the laser  503 , or disk  400 , to skip the damaged Child Plate  401 . Instead of imaging the damaged Child Plate, the laser may instead illuminate the backup image of the corresponding duplicate Child Plate  507 . 
         [0057]    Multiple laser reading techniques may be employed on each Child Plate to enable greater coloration, and/or depth and dimensionality of the images. (rated sequential access using programmed position or tag and read systems, for example wi-fi, may be used as Child Plate accessing techniques as well. Specifically, in a configuration where each Child Plate has a laser trained upon it, for example via use of mirrored refraction and reflection of lasers, or with the use of multiple lasers, an automated gate may be employed to allow only the Child Plate in sequence to have a window opened in the gate. 
         [0058]    Labeling techniques may also be employed in a reading scheme, for example with the use of frame locators  404 . The frame system may also be used in the communication with a holographic player CPU and software. For example, if a user wishes to skip to a certain scene, or Child Plate  401 , of the feature film, the frame system may be utilized to navigate the laser read system. Additionally, microwave transmissions or RFID tagging systems may allow the laser to read non-sequentially placed Child Plates in sequential order. 
         [0059]    As mentioned before, the angle the laser illuminates the Child Plates  401  in the prepared master holographic media  400  is preferably the same angle that the Child Plates  401  were taken from the original parent holographic plate  411  in  FIG. 4A . This maximizes accurate image reproduction. 
         [0060]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  depict a holography disk player  600  used in the reading and displaying of information stored on the master holographic media  400 . The player  600  comprises a slot  607  used in the insertion of the master holographic media  400 . The holographic player  600  may further comprise a microprocessor  609 , or semiconductor chip, employed in the reading and displaying process. For example, microprocessor  609  executes programmed ready sequence, Child Plate  401  failure recovery and the other ready/access features detailed above. Micro-mirror projectors  611 , utilizing digital light processing (DLP) technology, are used to project the three-dimensional holographic image  613 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 6C  provides an illustrative example of how the three-dimensional holographic image  613  may be viewed in a home environment. The image of the holographic media projects as a continuous hologram. The hologram may be augmented by overhead, backlighting or side lighting using halogen or other illuminating techniques. White or black backgrounds may also be mounted in the holographic area. The distance of the laser of up to 1.5 meters away from the Child Plates or any closer distance may be achieved to maximize the holographic players&#39; efficiency. Multiple lasers may be used to augment images or image components such as brightening/sharpening colors, reducing fringe, speckle and other forms of laser distortion of the image. The size of the image shall be a correlation between the original holographic plate images, and the size and accuracy of the laser in the holographic player, along with the hologram image quality of the individual Child Plate. 
         [0062]    Confirming with  FIG. 6A , holography disk paper  600  is powered through conventional power source  603  or other power sources. A networked computer  605  may provide further program instructions for ready master holographic media  400  as described above. 
         [0063]    While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention encompassed by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6