IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,498,895
Granted Patent B2
US 12,498,895 · App. 18/433,601 · Granted Dec 16, 2025

Head-mounted device with publicly viewable display

Inventors: Jonathan P. Ive (San Francisco, CA); Julian Hoenig (Lisbon, PT); Julian Jaede (San Jose, CA); Seung Wook Kim (San Jose, CA); Christopher Wilson (San Francisco, CA); William A. Sorrentino, III (Kentfield, CA); Alan C. Dye (San Francisco, CA); Stephen O Lemay (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G06F3/1423G06F3/013G06F3/147G06T11/60H04N5/44504H04N23/60
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,498,895
App. No.
18/433,601
Granted
Dec 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A head-mounted device may be worn on the face of a user. The head-mounted device may include a user-viewable display that presents inwardly directed user-viewable images such as virtual reality images to the user. The head-mounted device may also have a publicly viewable display that presents publicly viewable images to individuals near the user. The publicly viewable images may overlap facial features of the user's face. Publicly viewable images may include captured images of user facial features or other content, may include computer-generated graphics such as user facial feature graphics, may contain a mixture of captured image content and overlaid graphics such as user facial feature graphics, or may contain other publicly viewable content. User monitoring sensors such as camera and gaze detection sensors, environmental sensors, and other circuitry in the head-mounted device may gather information that is used in adjusting the publicly viewable images.

Claims (32)

1 . A head-mounted device, comprising:

a head-mountable support structure;

an inwardly facing display supported by the head-mountable support structure, wherein the inwardly facing display is operable in a real-world environment mode and a virtual reality mode; and

an outwardly facing display supported by the head-mountable support structure, wherein the outwardly facing display is configured to display first display content when the inwardly facing display is in the real-world environment mode and second display content when the inwardly facing display is in the virtual reality mode, wherein the first display content includes eye images and the second display content is free of eye images, and wherein the outwardly facing display has a lower resolution than the inwardly facing display.

2 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising a camera configured to capture real-time video of an environment, wherein the real-time video is displayed on the inwardly facing display in the real-world environment mode.

3 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 2 wherein the inwardly facing display is configured to display virtual content in the virtual reality mode.

4 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 3 wherein the inwardly facing display is operable in an augmented reality mode in which the real-time video is displayed on the inwardly facing display and the virtual content is overlaid onto the real-time video, and wherein the outwardly facing display is configured to overlay additional display content onto the eyes when the inwardly facing display is in the mixed reality mode.

5 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising a sensor configured to record an environment, wherein a color of the first display content on the outwardly facing display is adjusted based on whether the sensor is actively recording the environment.

6 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 5 wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a microphone and a camera.

7 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 wherein the inwardly facing display comprises a liquid-crystal-on-silicon display and the outwardly facing display comprises an organic light-emitting diode display.

8 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising an ambient light sensor configured to measure an ambient light level, wherein the outwardly facing display is adjusted based on the ambient light level.

9 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 1 further comprising an ambient light sensor configured to measure an ambient light color, wherein the outwardly facing display is adjusted based on the ambient light color.

10 . A head-mounted device, comprising:

a head-mountable support structure;

a camera configured to capture real-time video of a real world environment;

an inwardly facing display supported by the head-mountable support structure, wherein the inwardly facing display is operable in a first real-world viewing mode in which the real-time video of the real world environment is displayed on the inwardly facing display without virtual elements and an augmented reality mode in which the virtual elements and the real-time video of the real world environment are displayed on the inwardly facing display; and

an outwardly facing display supported by the head-mountable support structure, wherein the outwardly facing display is configured to:

display eyes in response to the inwardly facing display displaying the real-time video of the real world environment while operating in the first real-world viewing mode; and

overlay image content onto the eyes in response to the inwardly facing display displaying the virtual elements and the real-time video of the real world environment while operating in the augmented reality mode.

11 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 10 wherein the inwardly facing display is operable in a virtual reality mode in which the virtual elements are displayed on the inwardly facing display without the real-time video, and wherein the outwardly facing display is configured to display additional image content without the eyes when the inwardly facing display is in the virtual reality mode.

12 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 10 further comprising a sensor configured to record an environment, wherein a color of the image content on the outwardly facing display is adjusted based on whether the sensor is actively recording the environment.

13 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 12 wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a microphone and a camera.

14 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 10 wherein the inwardly facing display comprises a liquid-crystal-on-silicon display and the outwardly facing display comprises an organic light emitting diode display having a lower resolution than the inwardly facing display.

15 . A head-mounted device, comprising:

a head-mountable support structure;

a sensor configured to record an environment;

an inwardly facing display supported by the head-mountable support structure and configured to display first display content; and

an outwardly facing display supported by the head-mountable support structure and configured to display second display content, wherein the second display content includes a first color when the sensor is not actively recording the environment, and wherein the first color changes to a second color when the sensor is actively recording the environment.

16 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 15 wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a microphone and a camera.

17 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 15 wherein the second display content on the outwardly facing display includes eyes when the inwardly facing display is displaying real-time video of the environment.

18 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 17 wherein the second display content on the outwardly facing display excludes the eyes when the inwardly facing display is displaying virtual content.

19 . The head-mounted device defined in claim 18 wherein the second display content on the outwardly facing display includes overlaid display content that is overlaid onto the eyes when the inwardly facing display is displaying the virtual content and the real-time video of the environment.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2025
From: IVE, JONATHAN P.
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 072730/0542 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2025
From: DYE, ALAN C; WILSON, CHRISTOPHER; HOENIG, JULIAN; JAEDE, JULIAN; KIM, SEUNG WOOK; LEMAY, STEPHEN O; SORRENTINO, WILLIAM A, III
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 072733/0078 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16010275 · Jun 15, 2018
Provisional Application 62520816 · Jun 16, 2017
Related Publication 20240296002A1 · Sep 5, 2024
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