System and method for controlling an electronic display

• US 10,258,170 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunn, William, De Laet, Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US15/714,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20180020847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 11/10 Arrangements of light sources
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/001 Devices for lighting, humidifying, heating, ventilation
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0404 Cases or cabinets of the closed type A47F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/043 Doors, covers A47F3/0434 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/0434 Glass or transparent panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/06 Adjustment of display parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/02 Networking aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A system for controlling the transparency of a display case having a door is disclosed. A transparent electronic display is positioned within the door, a controller is electrically connected to the electronic display and configured to track the present time, a network connectivity device is in electrical connection with the controller and communication with a communications network, and a remotely located user interface receives user input through the communications network. The user input is used to generate the transparency data, which is used by the controller to drive the electronic display at various transparency levels.

Claims

1. A system for controlling the transparency of a display case having a door comprising:

a transparent electronic display positioned within the door;

a controller electrically connected to the electronic display and configured to track the present time, wherein said controller drives the electronic display at various transparency levels according to transparency data;

a network connectivity device in electrical connection with the controller and in communication with a communications network; and

a user interface in communication with the network connectivity device by way of the communications network, wherein said user interface is located remote from the electronic display and is configured to receive user input which is used to generate the transparency data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the user interface is a webpage.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein:

the user input comprises;

a first backlight reduction level, and

a first time threshold; and

the transparent electronic display is driven at the first backlight reduction level when the present time reaches the first time threshold.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

the user input comprises;

a second backlight reduction level, and

a second time threshold; and

the transparent electronic display is driven at the second backlight reduction level when the present time reaches the second time threshold.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the first and second backlight reduction levels comprise percentage reductions in illumination; and

the user input comprises a numerical entry corresponding to said percentage reductions in illumination.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising:

a door sensor in communication with the controller and positioned to determine whether the door is open or closed, and transmit door status data to the controller, wherein said door status data indicates whether the door is open or closed.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein:

the present time is measured from the time elapsed following indication that the door has been closed.

8. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the first time threshold comprise a first time of day;

the second time threshold comprises a second time of day; and

the present time comprises clock time.

9. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the user input comprises a day of the week; and

the present time comprises the present day of the week.

10. The system of claim 4 wherein:

the user input comprises a date; and

the present time comprises the date.

11. A method for controlling the transparency of a display case having a door comprising the steps of:

providing a transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) within the door and electrically connected to a controller configured to determine the present time and control the transparency of the LCD according to transparency data, and a remotely located user interface in communication with the controller configured to receive user input comprising;

a first backlight reduction level, and

a first time range;

generating transparency data according to said received user input;

determining the present time;

determining if the present time is during the first time range; and

operating the LCD at a predetermined transparency level according to the transparency data.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the predetermined transparency level is a uniform transparency level.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein:

the present time comprises clock time.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

determining the present date, wherein said user input comprises a first date range; and

determining if the present date is during the first date range.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein:

the user input comprises a second time range;

the first time range corresponds to retail hours; and

the second time range corresponds to after hours.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

providing a door sensor in communication with said controller, wherein said door sensor is configured to indicate whether the door is in the opened or the closed position.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein:

the present time is the time elapsed following indication by the door sensor that the door is closed;

the transparency data comprises a first desired LCD transparency level and a first time threshold;

the first time threshold is an elapsed amount of time since the door was last closed;

the transparency data comprises a second desired LCD transparency level and a second time threshold; and

the second time threshold is an elapsed amount of time since the door was last closed.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

a voltage is applied to the LCD when the door is in the opened position and until the first time threshold is reached, such that the transparent LCD is rendered at least semi-transparent; and

a second voltage is applied to the transparent LCD when the door is in the opened position and until the second time threshold is reached, such that the transparent LCD is rendered at least semi-transparent.

19. An apparatus for controlling the transparency of a display case having a door comprising:

a normally black transparent liquid crystal display (LCD) positioned within the door;

a controller electrically connected to the LCD and configured to drive the LCD according to user input and determine the current time; and

a network connectivity device in electrical connection with the controller and in communication with a communications network, wherein said network connectivity device is configured to receive user input from a webpage;

wherein said user input comprises a first transparency level the LCD is to be driven at when the current time falls within a first time range corresponding to retail hours and a second transparency level the LCD is to be driven at when the current time falls within a second time range corresponding to after hours.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein:

the network connectivity device is configured to receive the current time.