HoloLens is Microsoft's current baby when it comes to augmented reality (AR), and we're even expecting a second version to debut soon. But a new patent filing points to what could potentially be a much more compact take on AR devices from Microsoft.

Filed in September of 2018 and published on January 24 of 2019, the new patent outlines a set of augmented reality glasses that Microsoft envisions could be used in a variety of interesting scenarios. From the abstract:

This disclosure concerns an interactive head-mounted eyepiece with an integrated processor for handling content for display and an integrated image source for introducing the content to an optical assembly through which the user views a surrounding environment and the displayed content, wherein the eyepiece includes event and user action control of external applications.

In non-patent speak, the AR glasses will be able to display and let you interact with digital content overlaid on the real world, much like HoloLens currently does. Where the glasses would set themselves apart is in size. Whereas HoloLens is currently a relatively bulky rig, Microsoft's proposal would pack the same capabilities into something the size of a large set of glasses.