Facebook Patents A “artificial reality” baseball cap

Facebook has been granted a patent for an “artificial reality hat,” and it looks as ridiculous as it sounds.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the patent, which was noted by the law firm Founders Legal, which focuses on intellectual property.

The concept of Facebook basically combines a pair of smart glasses with a baseball cap by placing the lenses on the edge of the hat. Lenses can display images based on virtual reality or augmented reality. And when not in use, you can tuck the lenses under the brim of the hat, resulting in a normal baseball cap.

(Credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office)

The patent itself notes that spectacle-based artificial reality systems can be “thick, heavy, and unbalanced,” while generating excessive heat. “Also, because these glasses or goggles are designed to be worn on the bridge of the user’s nose, it is often difficult to incorporate advanced computer components,” the document adds.

A hat, on the other hand, can contain more components and distribute weight and heat over a larger surface. This could include the insertion of a communication module and several cameras focused on tracking the sight, face and body in the resulting product. The hat can also vibrate when a notification is received.

(Credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office)

The same hat could also work with a smartwatch or a glove-like device, allowing the wearer to interact with objects from the virtual world.

On the downside, the proposed plug looks silly. But the patent notes that the technology could be applied to more elegant hats, such as a visor or a fedora.

(Credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office)

The patent was filed in 2019 by Andrew Bosworth, vice president of Facebook’s augmented virtual reality division. So far, Facebook has not commented on the patent. But it is preparing to launch a smart glasses product later this year. Facebook is also the company behind the Oculus VR headphones.