Market Context — Why This Technology, Why Now

The global market is rapidly evolving towards an 'experience economy,' where immersive and interactive digital content drives consumer engagement. Simultaneously, post-pandemic hygiene concerns continue to fuel demand for non-contact interfaces across all sectors. This technology aligns perfectly with these trends, offering a solution for captivating visual communication and touch-free interaction that enhances user experience and meets evolving public health standards.

Key Competitive Advantages
01

Offers High Installation Flexibility and Non-Visibility: Forms aerial images without the display content being directly visible to observers, offering high installation flexibility and enabling sophisticated spatial design.

02

Achieves High-Brightness, Clear Aerial Images: Realizes highly visible, bright aerial images even in ambient light, maximizing information transfer effectiveness through a unique optical system and light selection mechanism.

03

Provides Robust Patent Scope: Secured a robust patent after overcoming an office action and utilizing the accelerated examination system, citing 6 prior art documents, which supports stable market deployment.

Market Opportunity
Retail and Commercial Facilities
$300M–$350M globally (AI est.)
Contributes to enhanced customer engagement, non-contact product information display, and advertising to stimulate purchasing intent, creating next-generation in-store experiences.
Major retail chains Shopping mall developers Digital signage solution providers
Medical and Healthcare
$150M–$200M globally (AI est.)
Utilized as a hygienic non-contact operation panel for information display in operating rooms and cleanrooms, reducing infection risks while improving efficiency.
Medical device manufacturers Hospital system integrators Cleanroom equipment suppliers
Exhibition and Entertainment
$100M–$150M globally (AI est.)
Used for immersive experiential content and interactive displays in museums and art galleries, offering innovative and captivating experiences for visitors.
Museum technology providers Theme park developers Event technology companies
IP Defensibility — Why Competitors Can't Replicate This
What This Patent Covers

This patent protects a unique optical configuration combining a display unit, reflector, first selection unit, and second selection unit for aerial image formation. The claims were robustly established after overcoming an office action and utilizing the accelerated examination system, demonstrating strong novelty and inventiveness against six cited prior art documents.

Competitive White Space

This patent primarily covers the optical system for aerial image formation. White space exists in developing advanced AI-driven content generation for these displays or integrating them with specific IoT ecosystems for enhanced data visualization and interactive control.

Economic Impact
~$1M/year estimated customer engagement improvement per facility (est.)
estimated ROI · USD · AI analysis
ROI Calculation Logic

Implementing this technology in commercial facilities could increase customer dwell time by an average of 10% compared to traditional digital signage, potentially boosting monthly sales by ~$50K (AI est.). This projects to an annual sales increase of ~$800K (AI est.), with an additional ~$200K (AI est.) in intangible benefits from enhanced brand value, totaling an estimated ~$1M (AI est.) annual economic impact.

Speed to Market
4× faster than in-house development
This technology establishes a clear principle for forming aerial images through a combination of a display unit and an optical system (reflector, selection units). The components described in the patent specification can be realized by applying existing optical components and display technologies, significantly reducing development time compared to starting from scratch. With the basic framework of the optical design already provided, licensees can focus on optimization for specific product commercialization.
Competitive Positioning

X: Immersiveness and Engagement
Y: Installation Flexibility and Non-Contact Interaction

Business Models & Applications
🤝 Technology Licensing
A model where a licensing agreement is concluded, allowing the licensee to integrate this patent-protected technology into their products/services. This significantly reduces development time and costs, enabling faster market entry.
💡 Joint Development and Alliance
Collaborate with a licensee to develop solutions for specific industries. Leveraging mutual strengths, this model aims to rapidly create market-optimized products and generate new business opportunities.
⚙️ Component Provision
Provide the core optical modules and design know-how of this technology as components. This facilitates easy integration into a licensee's products, minimizing their development resources.
Adjacent Application Opportunities
🚗 Automotive and Mobility
Next-Generation Cockpit Displays
Aerial displays on dashboards could minimize driver eye movement, enhancing safety and convenience. Navigation information and warning indicators could be presented directly in the driver's field of view, non-contact.
👩‍💻 Office and Smart Home
Aerial Gesture Interface
This technology could be repurposed as a system for intuitive, gesture-based control of floating UI, eliminating the need for keyboards or mice. It could enable hygienic office environments and futuristic smart home device interactions.
🏭 Industrial and Manufacturing
Remote Operation and Instruction System
Applicable as a system to display machine operation instructions as aerial images in cleanrooms or hazardous areas. It could provide safe and accurate visual work instructions without direct physical contact from operators.
Integration Roadmap — Estimated 21-Month Deployment
Technology Validation and Requirements Definition
Duration: 6 months
Optimize the optical principles of this technology to align with the licensee's existing systems and product specifications. Conduct detailed requirements definition and basic design to verify concrete feasibility.
Prototype Development and Testing
Duration: 9 months
Develop a prototype of the aerial image forming apparatus based on defined requirements. Conduct functional tests, performance evaluations, and user tests to refine it to a practical level.
Product Commercialization and Market Launch
Duration: 6 months
Based on prototype validation results, establish design adjustments and manufacturing processes for mass production. Concurrently develop marketing strategies and execute the market launch plan.
Technical Feasibility
This technology comprises optical components—a display unit, reflector, first selection unit, and second selection unit—which are highly modular. The arrangement and functions of each part, as described in the patent claims, can be realized by combining existing optical components and display technologies, likely eliminating the need for large-scale investment in new equipment. The technical hurdles for integration into existing products or developing new solutions are considered relatively low.
Success Scenario
Implementing this technology could display products as floating aerial images in commercial storefronts, potentially increasing foot traffic and store attraction rates by 20%. In medical settings, it could enable non-contact information verification and equipment operation before surgery, reducing infection risks and estimated to improve operational efficiency by 15%.
Patent Record
APPLICATION NO.
特願2020-139811
REGISTRATION NO.
7602241
FILING DATE
2020/08/21
GRANT DATE
2024/12/10
EXPIRATION DATE
2040/08/21
PATENT HOLDER
国立大学法人電気通信大学
Examination History
2023年07月06日
出願審査請求書
2024年01月30日
拒絶理由通知書
2024年05月30日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年05月30日
意見書
2024年06月25日
拒絶査定
2024年09月25日
手続補正書（自発・内容）
2024年10月02日
審査前置移管
2024年10月08日
審査前置移管通知
2024年11月19日
特許査定
2024年11月22日
審査前置登録