Patent ID: 8217996

Claim:
A method for displaying distinct sequences of stereoscopic image pairs to different subsets of viewers, each stereoscopic image pair including a first-eye image and a second-eye image, comprising: defining first and second distinct subsets of viewers; providing each viewer in the first subset of viewers with a first decoding device for viewing displayed stereoscopic image pairs; providing each viewer in the second subset of viewers with a second decoding device for viewing displayed stereoscopic image pairs; displaying, from a single display apparatus, a first sequence of stereoscopic image pairs to the first subset of viewers and a second sequence of stereoscopic image pairs to the second subset of viewers, wherein the first-eye images are common to both the first and second sequences of stereoscopic image pairs, and the second-eye images of the first sequence of stereoscopic image pairs are distinct from the second-eye images of the second sequence of stereoscopic image pairs, the first-eye images and second-eye images being displayed in a repeated sequence that includes: (i) displaying a first eye image common to the first and second sequences of stereoscopic image pairs during a first time interval; (ii) displaying a second eye image from the first sequence of stereoscopic image pairs during a second time interval; and (iii) displaying a second eye image from the second sequence of stereoscopic image pairs during a third time interval, wherein the first, second, and third time intervals are non-overlapping; wherein the first decoding devices are controlled in synchronization with the display apparatus such that the first eyes of the first subset of viewers are blocked from viewing images displayed on the display apparatus during the second and third time intervals, and the second eyes of the first subset of viewers are blocked from viewing images displayed on the display apparatus during the first and third time intervals; and wherein the second decoding devices are controlled in synchronization with the display apparatus such that the first eyes of the second subset of viewers are blocked from viewing images displayed on the display apparatus during the second and third time intervals, and the second eyes of the second subset of viewers are blocked from viewing images displayed on the display apparatus during the first and second time intervals.