Electronic paper display device

• US 10,002,588 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Nicholas Yen-Cherng, Scott, James, Hodges, Stephen Edward, Helmes, John Franciscus Marie, Taylor, Stuart, Kubitza, Thomas Robert, Antonovich, Sergey, Whyte, Refael Zabdi, Villar, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Mcloone, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US14/664,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20160275880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/34 by control of light from an independent source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players

Abstract

A display device is described that comprises an electronic paper display but that does not include a power source that is capable of providing sufficient power to update the electronic paper display. Instead, the electronic paper display can only be updated when receiving external power via a digital data and power bus. The bus also provides pixel data for content to be displayed on the electronic paper display and at least one externally generated bias voltage level for the electronic paper display. The display device further comprises a processor that configured to drive the electronic paper display.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

an electronic paper display with a housing;

a processor configured to drive the electronic paper display;

one or more conductive contacts on the housing of the electronic paper display configured to establish a contact-based connection with reciprocal conductive contacts on a housing of an external device wherein the one or more conductive contacts comprise a plurality of ferromagnetic elements;

a digital data and power bus configured to receive pixel data for the electronic paper display and external power for the electronic paper display, wherein the received pixel data corresponds to content selected by an external device;

wherein the electronic paper display is configured to display the selected content upon receiving the external power via the digital data and power bus through the contact-based connection established between the one or more conductive contacts on the housing of the electronic paper display being in contact with the reciprocal conductive contacts on the housing of the external device.

2. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of conductive contacts on an exterior face of the display device and wherein the data and power bus connects the processor and the electronic paper display to the plurality of conductive contacts.

3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising memory storing a device identifier that is a fixed identifier assigned only to the display device.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the identifier is a unique identifier for the display device or for content displayed on the display device.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the external power comprises at least one externally generated bias voltage level that comprises one or more of:

a gate voltage level, a source voltage level, or a common voltage level for driving the electronic paper display.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the digital data and power bus provides all voltage levels for driving the electronic paper display, such that voltage conversion is not performed within the display device in order to drive the electronic paper display.

7. The display device according to claim 3, further comprising a proximity based wireless device arranged to store the device identifier for the display device.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to update the device identifier stored in the proximity based wireless device.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the external device comprises a printer.

10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more conductive contacts comprise three ferromagnetic elements.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor comprises active sequential hardware logic.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor comprises row and column drivers for the electronic paper display.

13. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured, when receiving external power via the bus, to:

demultiplex the pixel data received via the digital data and power bus.

14. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising an input device configured to enable input on the electronic paper display, wherein the input device only provides inputs to the processor when receiving the external power via the digital data and power bus.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the digital data and power bus comprises a multi-drop bus.

16. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic paper display is a multi-stable display.

17. A device comprising:

a plurality of conductive contacts on a computing device, the plurality of conductive contacts being configured to mate with other conductive contacts of a display device comprising an electronic paper display, wherein the plurality of conductive contacts comprise a plurality of ferromagnetic elements;

a power manager configured to supply at least one bias voltage level from the computing device to the display device upon detection of contact between the plurality of conductive contacts on the computing device contacting the other conductive contacts on the display device, the at least one bias voltage level causing the display device to identify the electronic paper display to the computing device through the other conductive contacts and the plurality of conductive contacts; and

a processor configured to select content for the identified electronic paper display and provide pixel data corresponding to the selected content for the electronic paper display through the other conductive contacts and the plurality of conductive contacts.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to:

access one or more operational parameters based at least in part on the device identifier; and

modify the at least one bias voltage level and/or the pixel data using the accessed operational parameters.

19. A method of operating a display device comprising an electronic paper display, a digital data and power bus, and a processor configured to drive the electronic paper display, the method comprising:

providing an external computing device with a device identifier that is unique to the electronic paper display;

receiving, through a contact-based connection between ferromagnetic elements on the housings of the display device and the external device, externally generated pixel data for content selected by the external computing device based on the provided device identifier in the processor via the digital data and power bus;

receiving, through the contact-based connection, at least one externally generated bias voltage level for the electronic paper display via the digital data and power bus; and

driving the electronic paper display to update an image displayed on the electronic paper display using the pixel data selected based on the provided device identifier and the externally received power via the digital data and power bus.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the external computing device comprises a printer device.