The patent from Apple outlines a feature allowing the modification of display viewing angles through a filter controlled by an electric current.
Recently, Apple secured two patents that could pave the way for the development of technology aimed at thwarting eavesdropping on iPhones or Macs. This innovative screen technology is designed to safeguard displayed information by restricting viewing angles, potentially replacing the commonly used multipurpose screen protectors. Apple has explored two approaches to integrate these privacy features into its products.
As per the granted patent, Apple envisions the use of a ‘privacy film’ applicable to curved displays to shield the screen’s content from nearby onlookers. The patent describes the film as having a light-blocking layer with opaque and transparent segments “interposed between the first and second transparent substrates.” Consequently, a display equipped with this privacy film would present clear content only to users directly in front of it, obscuring or blanking out the view for others attempting to glance at the screen. Despite this, the screen’s content remains visible from specific angles, allowing individuals seated behind the user to observe their activities.
In a separate patent published on November 21, Apple explores ‘displays with adjustable angles of view.’ This patent outlines an angle-of-view layer featuring adjustable light-blocking structures made with electrochromic material placed between the display’s first and second layers.
According to Apple, applying a current to the first and second electrodes in a display using this technology can render the electrochromic material opaque, blocking nearby viewers from seeing the screen’s content. This process is reversible, with an electric current to the same electrodes making the material more transparent and enhancing the screen’s viewing angles.
It’s essential to note that while Apple has obtained several patents, there is no clear indication of the company’s plans to implement this new privacy-protecting technology in its displays. The company is rumored to be focusing on making its mixed reality headsets the next decade’s iPhone successor, offering improved privacy as the virtual display is visible only to the wearer of Apple’s spatial computer.