Earth photo globe
US4451874A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 14, 1981 |
| Grant date | May 29, 1984 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 14, 2001 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S362/809
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
This Earth Photo Globe is characterized in that LANDSAT or other remote sensing geographical indicia is reproduced on the globe sphere with a definition smaller than that resolvable by the unaided human eye. An optical magnifier is mounted above the globe sphere to enable resolution of the full globe definition. A "cloud cover" spherical overlay may surround the sphere and contain a representation of the earth's cloud cover. The magnifier may be supported by this overlay. Various systems are disclosed for making the Earth Photo Globe. One uses a laser beam that is raster scanned across a photosensitized sphere, and is modulated by LANDSAT pixel data. In another system the LANDSAT data is used to prepare a set of photographic negative images each covering a section of the globe, and each containing alignment and positioning information. These images are projected onto a photosensitized sphere to make the globe. Several globe-illumination systems are also disclosed, including a diurnal interior lighting assembly and a surface lighting scheme for displaying geopolitical data.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.