Customisable wearable

Abstract

A projector system 1 comprising a housing (fig 1, 2), which comprises a lower portion 4 with a base (fig 1, 8) for positioning on a contact surface, and a projector 10 positioned adjacent the base to

Description

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a projector system, and in particular an adaptable projector system for producing predetermined floating images. Background It is important to encourage young people to learn to read and to have an enjoyment for story telling and books. One way to encourage the joy of reading is to capture a reader’s imagination. Some young reader’s can struggle with short attention spans and learning difficulties which may make the traditional way of learning to read difficult. There is therefore a need for a device which is able to captivate a young person’s attention when listening to stories or reading books. Prior Art KR10-2628753 discloses a mobile hologram device comprising: a housing having an accommodating space formed in a lower portion thereof to accommodate an external device, and having an upper surface with a predetermined inclination relative to a bottom surface of the housing; a hologram projection unit disposed on the upper surface of the housing and configured to project an image displayed on a display of the external device into an upper empty space of the housing as a hologram image; a communication unit configured to communicate with the external device; a touch control unit configured to sense a non-contact input of a user with respect to the hologram image and to convert the sensed user input into touch information; and a controller configured to control the communication unit to transmit the converted touch information to the external device, wherein the housing comprises a rear housing, a left housing, a right housing, and a lower housing, and the hologram projection unit comprises: a first housing disposed on the upper surface of the housing; and a second housing coupled to a lower portion of the first housing. CN217333008 discloses a micro-scene mixed reality 3D display system is characterized in that: the display shed comprises a display shed body, a solid model, holographic glass and a naked eye 3D display, wherein the display shed body comprises a top plate and a bottom plate, the holographic glass is obliquely arranged between the top plate and the bottom plate, the solid model is arranged in a region surrounded by the holographic glass and the bottom plate, and the naked eye 3D display is movably arranged on the top plate and is located in the region surrounded by the holographic glass and the top plate. US20220244681 discloses aholographic projection assembly for projecting a holographic image of a person along with audible words spoken by the person, said assembly comprising: a housing being positionable on a horizontal support surface, said housing being elongated thereby facilitating said housing to extend along a vertical axis when said housing is positioned on the horizontal support surface; a hologram emitter being integrated into said housing, said hologram emitter projecting a hologram outwardly from said housing when said hologram emitter is turned on wherein said hologram emitter is configured to facilitate a user to view the hologram; and a speaker being integrated into said housing wherein said speaker is configured to emit audible sound outwardly from said housing. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a projector system comprising: a housing comprising: a lower portion comprising: a base for positioning on a contact surface; and a projector positioned adjacent the base to project a projected light source outwardly from the base; and an upper transparent portion comprising: a semi-transparent, planar mirror spaced apart from the projector and positioned to receive the projected light source from the projector thereon, in which the mirror extends at an angle to an axis defined by the projected light source to produce a floating image within the upper transparent portion of the housing. The semi-transparent planar mirror preferably extends at an angle of at least 10 degrees, preferably at least 30 degrees, for example approximately 45 degrees to the axis defined by the projected light source. The system preferably further comprises an audio system configured in use to play sound (or series of sounds - either discrete series of sounds, or continuous, for example a story or music track). In one embodiment, the audio system is configured in use to play sound in response to the projected light source provided by the projector. The floating image is preferably an animated image. The system preferably further comprises a controller operable to control one or more of: the projector and / or the audio system. The controller may be is located on the lower portion of the housing. The controller may comprise one or more push buttons for use by an operator. For example, the controller may comprise one or more push buttons for: stopping the sound and / or projection of the light source; for replaying the sound and / or projection of the light source; for altering the volume of the sound; and or for altering the brightness and / or colours of the projected light source. The lower portion may further comprise a slot configured in use to receive a card comprising a unique identifier, and in which the system further comprises a processor configured in use to control one or more of: the projected light source produced by the projector and / or the sound produced by the audio system on identification of the unique identifier of a card received within the slot. The unique identifier may be a barcode or NFC tag. Each unique identifier may be associated with a different story or book. The projector may be configured in use to provide a series of images and / or in which the audio system is configured in use to provide a series of sounds. The system preferably further comprises a power source configured to provide power to the projector (and optionally the controller). The power source may be a battery, for example a rechargeable battery. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a projector system card for use with a projector system as herein described, in which the card comprises a unique identifier corresponding to a particular floating image and / or sound, or series thereof. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the Figures in which: Brief Description of Figures Figure 1 shows a schematic illustration of a perspective front view of a projector system according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of a perspective rear view of the projector system of Figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a schematic illustration of an exploded front view of the projector system of Figure 1. Detailed Description of Figures With reference to the Figures, there is provided a projector system 1 comprising a housing 2 comprising a lower portion 4 and an upper portion 6. The lower portion 4 comprises a base 8 for positioning on a contact surface; and a projector 10 positioned adjacent the base 8 to project a projected light source outwardly from the base 8. The upper portion 6 is mounted on the lower portion 4. The upper portion 6 comprises a transparent, domed portion 12 defining a cavity 14 extending between the domed portion and the lower portion 4. The upper portion 6 further comprises a semi-transparent, planar mirror 16 mounted within the cavity 14 and spaced apart from the projector 10 and positioned to receive the projected light source from the projector 10 thereon. The mirror 16 extends at an angle to an axis defined by the projected light source to produce a floating image (for example an animated image) within the upper transparent portion 6 of the housing 2. The projector system 1 further comprises an audio system (not shown) configured in use to play sound. The audio system is configured in use to play sound in response to the projected light source provided by the projector 10. The projector system 1 further comprises a controller 18 operable to control one or more of: the projector 10 and / or the audio system. The controller 18 is located on the lower portion 4 of the housing 2. The lower portion 4 further comprises a slot 20 configured in use to receive a card comprising a unique identifier (such as for example a barcode or NFC tag). Each unique identifier may be associated with a different story or book. The system 1 further comprises a processor configured in use to control one or more of: the projected light source produced by the projector 10 and / or the sound produced by the audio system on identification of the unique identifier of a card received within the slot 20. In use, the user select a predetermined card and inserts the card into slot 20. The processor identifies the unique identifier of the card and operates the projector 10 to project the predetermined light source as determined from the unique identifier; and operates the audio system to produce the required predetermined sound as determined from the unique identifier. The projector system 1 therefore brings helps to bring a story or book to life by simultaneously providing floating images and sound to provide a captivating visual and audio display to capture the user’s attention. The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of protection as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A projector system comprising:a housing comprising:a lower portion comprising:a base for positioning on a contact surface; anda projector positioned adjacent the base to project a projected light source outwardly from the base; andan upper transparent portion comprising:a semi-transparent, planar mirror spaced apart from the projector and positioned to receive the projected light source from the projector thereon, in which the mirror extends at an angle to an axis defined by the projected light source to produce a floating image within the upper transparent portion of the housing.

2. A projector system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an audio system configured in use to play sound.

3. A projector system as claimed in claim 2, in which the audio system is configured in use to play sound in response to the projected light source provided by the projector.

4. A projector system as claimed in any preceding claims, in which the floating image is an animated image.

5. A projector system as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a controller operable to control one or more of: the projector and / or the audio system.

6. A projector system as claimed in claim 5, in which the controller is located on the lower portion of the housing.

7. A projector system as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the lower portion further comprises a slot configured in use to receive a card comprising a unique identifier, and in which the system further comprises a processor configured in use to control one or more of: the projected light source produced by the projector and / or the sound produced by the audio system on identification of the unique identifier of a card received within the slot.

8. A projector system as claimed in claim 7, in which the unique identifier is a barcode or NFC tag.

9. A projector system as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the projector is configured in use to provide a series of images and / or in which the audio system is configured in use to provide a series of sounds.

10. A projector system card for use with a projector system as claimed in any 5 preceding claim, in which the card comprises a unique identifier correspondingto a particular floating image and / or sound, or series thereof.IntellectualPropertyOfficeApplication GB2412881.1Search report under Section 17 of the Patents Act 1977Date search completed: 22 August 2025Claims searched: 1-10International classificationSubclass and subgroup Valid from G03B21 / 14 01 / 01 / 2006 G03B21 / 28 01 / 01 / 2006Field of searchWorldwide search of patent documents classified in the following areas of the IPC: G02B, G03BDatabases used in the preparation of this search report:SEARCH-PATENTDocuments considered to be relevantPatent literatureCategory Relevant claims Document of relevance X 1-10 CN 1287628 A (LDT GMBH &CO), See figures 6 and 7Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Officewww.gov.uk / ipoUS 6409351 B1LIGON, See figure 4Non-patent literatureCategory Relevant claims Document of relevanceCategoriesLetter or symbolDescriptionDocument indicating lack of novelty or inventive step.Document indicating lack of inventive step, if combined with another document of the same category.& Member of the same patent family. A Document indicating technological background. P Document published on or after the priority date but before the fling date of the present application. E Earlier application published on or after the filing date of the present application.

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