1. Overview of VR Technologies 5
1.1 Immersion VR 5
1.2 Desktop VR 5
1.3 Simulator VR 5
1.4 Projection VR 5
2. Patent Mining 6
3. Data Analysis 7
3.1 Patent Distribution by Country 7
3.2 Patent Distribution by Sector and by Field 8
3.3 Key Technologies & Applications 9
3.4 Analysis of Merge Labs' Patent 12
MIC Perspecitve 14
Medical Applications Relatively Uncontested 14
HMI & AI Crucial to Product Differentiation 14
Vendors Should Design Around Head-Mounted VR Goggles to Minimize Risks of Infringement 15
Appendix 16
Glossary of Terms 16
List of Companies 17

Introduction of the patent mining procedure and distribution—by country, by sector, and by field—of the 870 VR-related patents identified by the use of data mining technique

Identifying 30 key technologies and applications of the 870 VR-related patents; also included is an analysis of the US-based startup Merge Labs' patent and its impact on existing vendors of head-mounted VR goggles
 

Figure 1: Popular VR Devices on the Market 6
Figure 2: VR Patents by Country 8
Figure 3: VR Patents by Sector 8
Figure 4: VR Patents by Field 9
Figure 5: VR Patents by Major Technology and Application 12
Figure 6: An Embodiment of Merge Labs' Claimed Invention of a Head-Mounted VR Goggle 13
Figure 7: Samsung Gear VR & Google Cardboard 13

Table 1: Key Technology Fields Identified by Text Mining 10