The United States Patent and Trademark office revealed a new Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) patent on Tuesday. The patent describes a way to capture stereoscopic image data. It’s a possible lead to a depth-enabled feature for mobile devices.
Apple could use tech on mobile devices
Apple Insider added, “Stereoscopic imaging is a technique designed to replicate the way humans perceive depth in real life. Because people’s eyes are offset from one another, each eye receives an image of the subject at a slightly different angle — the brain then stitches these images together, creating the appearance of depth. Most stereoscopic cameras achieve the effect using two offset lenses in a design that mimics the way a person would view the scene. Where previous Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) patents covered the integration of multiple cameras into a single device, this new patent would allow stereoscopic images to be captured from only a single camera, with the work of selecting and aligning suitable photographs performed by the device, rather than the photographer.”
One currently common form of stereoscopic imaging is the anaglyph technique. This is often used to create three-dimensional images and films. It’s used when two scenes are overlaid on top of each other in two different colored lenses. Then these images are used to filter the images to each eye which creates the 3D effect.
Patent was originally purchased from Kodak
This patent was initially filed on January 3rd, 2011. Louis Beato and Andrew C. Blose were the inventors. This was one of the several patents the California tech giant purchased from Eastman Kodak Company (OTCMKTS:EKDKQ).
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was also granted another patent for facial recognition that works similarly to Android’s face unlock option. This particular patent would protect sensitive data on a locked iPhone and determine how much information is shared on the lock screen. If a person receives a phone call and the phone recognizes the user’s face, certain information will be displayed.
