Patent ID: 7572035

Claim:
A method, comprising: remotely controlling projection of light along an optical path to create a beam of light along said optical path; remotely controlling a digitally controllable light modulator device to shape the light into a specified shape, along the optical path, to produce a beam of light which includes a first portion that is shaped by control of said light modulator device and includes a second portion that is passed by said digitally controllable light modulator device and not shaped by said control of said digitally controllable light modulator device, said second portion being an undesired portion of light passing; at a location along the optical path separate from a location of said digitally controllable light modulator device, masking only an outer portion of a beam that has passed said digitally controllable light modulator device, to prevent said at least a portion of the beam that has been shaped by said digitally controllable light modulator device from being projected further along said optical path; and changing said light state of said digitally controllable light modulator device, and changing an amount of said masking, in 0.1 seconds or less.