Press Releases

 

HoloSpex, Inc files new provisional patent

September 9, 2014. Holospex Inc is in the process of filing a new provisional patent covering kinetic far field viewing devices. The viewer wearing such a device will find the holographic image twinkling in a variety of ways with only subtle movements of the body, head or eyes. In trials, we find that the effect can capture the viewer's attention in a significant way compared to our standard and multi lens viewers. More details can be found in the description.

Holospex, Inc puts stop to patent infringement

July 16, 2014. Holospex legal counsel has recently taken strong steps to enforce key patents. Overseas competitors have been agressively marketing products that infringe on US patent 5,546,198 as well as US patents 6,452,699 and RE39864. These products were bought and offered for sale by some United States-based internet retailers as well as a major mall retailer. After Holospex counsel informed these companies of the infringing nature of the products, all known infringers cooperated in removing the offending items from the market. Unfortunately, overseas sellers contine to create confusion in the marketplace with misleading and illegal web advertisements. We encourage customers to contact us to verify that any product offered for sale is authorized.

HOLOSPEX, INC introduces Santa glasses with new technology

In December 2003 HoloSpex released their first product using the new multilevel computer generated hologram technology. Prior technology limited the holographic images to symmetrical patterns. The Santa face presented difficult challenges for the older technology which required a mirror image version of the Santa face. The new technology enabled a Santa face with no mirror image.

HOLOSPEX, INC. awarded Patent 6,452,699

On September 17, 2002, HoloSpex was awarded US Patent 6,452,699 by the US Patent Office. A key contribution of the new patent is to allow for non-symmetric holographic images in a far field viewing device. The holographic lenses in our current HoloSpex Glasses (TM) produce a desired image in conjunction with an upside down and backwards copy of that image. The upside down and backwards copy is frequently distracting. In addition, the copy takes up valuable space. In US Patent 5,546,198, we pointed out that multilevel phase holograms could be used to remove the unwanted reversed copy of the desired image. Unfortunately, a standard multilevel hologram does not allow the background scene to be viewed in sharp focus. The effect of looking through a standard multilvel hologram is like looking through shower glass. The desired holographic image does indeed appear at each point of light, but everything else appears extremely blurry. The new patent introduces a method to reduce the blur so that the holographic image appears superimposed on a focused scene.

 

New technology for fabricating holograms perfected

Engineers at HoloSpex, Inc. in conjunction with staff members at EM Photonics have perfected a method for fabricating multilevel computer generated holograms. A direct write laser system sequentially writes the holograms one bit plane at a time. The hologram is originally written on a coated glass plate that is used as a master in a subsequent mass production step. These holograms are ideal for use as lenses in HoloSpex glasses. In addition, the fabrication technique can be employed to generate a wide variety of computer generated 3-D structures for use in optical and micro mechanical systems.

 

HOLOSPEX INC. wins patent infringement suit

On 30 March 2000, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia upheld the validity of U.S. Patent 5,546,198, Selective Generation of Visual Effects. The patent relates to a class of binocular viewing devices which present far field holograms in front of the observer's eyes to create an unusual three-dimensional viewing effect. HoloSpex, Inc., the owner of the patent, had filed a patent infringement suit on 30 April, 1999. In their suit, HoloSpex argued that the Holovision (TM) glasses and the Millennium (TM) glasses offered by a competitor for sale on the internet were directly infringing the U.S. Patent 5,546,198 and hence demanded that they stop this unauthorized sale.

In his ruling on the motion for summary judgment by HoloSpex, Inc., the honorable Judge Claude M. Hilton agreed with the plaintiff that the defendant had indeed infringed a valid U.S. patent by offering the sale of spectacles containing far field hologram lens inserts. The judge reviewed the patent and upheld each and every claim. He further ordered the defendant to immediately remove the offending products from its website and not offer it for sale.

HoloSpex, Inc. (www.holospex.com), working closely with American Paper Optics, has been involved in the design, manufacture and sale of far field viewing devices since October of 1995. These devices create a three-dimensional effect in which user-specified holographic reconstructions surround each bright point of light in a scene. The effect is particularly dramatic at fireworks programs and holiday lighting displays. The holographic reconstructions can take the form of corporate logos, text messages and simple line drawings. Popular lens patterns include images of hearts and snowflakes. To date, the HoloSpex TM Glasses product line has produced sales in excess of 10 million pairs of glasses both domestically and abroad.

Prior to the introduction of the HoloSpex(TM) Glasses product line, far field holograms were thought to have little utility as display holograms and were typically only suggested for scientific applications. Holiday retail packages and promotional giveaways at major amusement parks and outdoor productions have been key markets for this first ever mass market use of far field holography. HoloSpex, Inc. is aggressively pursuing US and foreign patent protection in related advanced technologies. The company is also involved in a variety of activities related to the use of holography and diffractive optics in the fields of entertainment, education, anticounterfitting and imaging.