While presenting and engaging in discussions with representatives from the automotive industry, the Company has gained insight into specific requests concerning the enhancement of driving safety. These requests highlight concerns about drivers becoming distracted by their infotainment displays. In cars where driving safety has top priority, the combination of personalized viewing and sound zones for the driver and passengers are highly sought after features. While Realfiction is not in the business of creating personalized sound zones, the Company has used parts of its directional ECHO LCD display technology to file a specific patent application for multi-view displays that enable the passengers to use the display for entertainment purposes, like watching TV or playing videogames, without the risk of distracting the driver, as the driver can simultaneously watch purely driving relevant information in the display such as navigation directions. The patent application addresses a simpler version of an ECHO display with no 3D image and no eye-tracking. Instead, the main feature of such a display is its capability to show either the same video image to all or two different video images in very specific directions, which in a car are well defined as the seating positions. Earlier attempts on achieving this feature have been seen, with massive downsides in image quality as resolution was split in half, brightness drastically reduced and disturbing lenticular effects introduced in the image. The invention covered in this patent application solves these issues by using Realfiction’s unique directional ECHO pixel technology to maintain full resolution, high brightness, and a crisp and clear image with natural colors for all viewers.

The notice of allowance received from the USPTO is a formal communication from the patent authority in which it indicates that the patent application has reached the status where it is allowed for issuance as a patent. This is the second formal patent office notice received by the Company that confirms the patentability of its ECHO directional display technology.

“Multi-view is an imbedded feature in all ECHO displays, as it is one of several capabilities of our directional pixel technology. However, from the commercial input received during presentations and talks with companies in the automotive industry, we have seen a demand for a simpler and lower-cost 2D ECHO display version focusing on this specific purpose and market,” says Realfiction’s CEO Clas Dyrholm. He continues: “This is another important step for Realfiction in the process of protecting the intellectual property rights of our technology portfolio, and we are particularly happy to broaden our future revenue opportunities based on market input obtained during commercial dialogues. Even though this specific multi-view display does not allow presentation of 3D, which remains our core vision, it has the potential to enhance the safety and comfort of the driving experience, and it is based on our ECHO directional pixel technology. Additionally, as always with the ECHO technology, there is NO resolution loss. Everybody will see the full screen resolution and image quality.”

Please refer to this link or the Company’s website for a video clip illustrating an example of the features in a car.