DISPLAY WITH OVERLAYED ELECTRONIC SKIN

• US 20100245221A1
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kent Displays Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kent Displays Incorporated
• Inventors: KHAN, Asad
• Granted Patent: US 8,760,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13332 Front frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13476 in which at least one liquid crystal cell or layer assumes a scattering state
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13478 based on selective reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13775 Polymer-stabilized liquid crystal layers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

This disclosure features an electronic display with overlayed electronic skin. The display includes an outer transparent display surface and can be placed in a dark state or in a bright state. The skin overlays the outer display surface and includes an electro-optic layer. Transparent electrically conductive layers are disposed on each side of the electro-optic layer. Electronic circuitry applies voltages to the electrically conductive layers enabling the electro-optic material of the electronic skin to be placed into a substantially transparent state and a reflective state. Images or colors can be displayed on the electronic skin while portions of the electronic skin are in the reflective state and light passing through the electronic skin is absorbed by the display in the dark state. When the display is in the bright state images or colors can be displayed on the display that can be seen through the electronic skin.

Claims

1. An electronic display with overlayed electronic skin comprising:

an electronic display including an outer transparent display surface, wherein said display can be placed in a dark state or in a bright state;

electronic skin that overlays said outer display surface, said electronic skin comprising;

a) an electro-optic layer comprising electro-optic material;

b) transparent electrically conductive layers on each side of said electro-optic layer; and

c) electronic circuitry for applying voltages to said electrically conductive layers, wherein said voltages enable said electro-optic material to be placed into various states of reflectance including a substantially transparent state and a reflective state;

wherein images or colors can be displayed on said electronic skin while portions of said electronic skin are in said reflective state and light passing through said electronic skin is absorbed by said display in said dark state, and

wherein when said display is in said bright state, images or colors can be displayed on said display that can be seen through said electronic skin.

2. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive layers include a distal said electrically conductive layer that is more distal from a viewer than the other said electrically conductive layer, comprising a distal substrate located between said display surface and said distal electrically conductive layer.

3. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 comprising a protective polymer layer on the side of said electro-optic layer that is more proximal to a viewer.

4. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 2 comprising an optical coupling layer located between said distal substrate and said display surface that matches indices of refraction of said distal substrate and said display surface.

5. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said electronic skin includes stacked said liquid crystal layers each having electrically conductive layers on both sides thereof.

6. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said electro-optic material is a bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material.

7. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 5 wherein said liquid crystal material is bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material, said liquid crystal material in each said liquid crystal layer having a pitch length effective to reflect light of a different color than in the other said liquid crystal layers.

8. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 7 wherein said display skin includes three stacked said liquid crystal layers that reflect one of red, blue and green light as said colors.

9. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive layers are patterned or unpatterned.

10. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 6 in a form of a writing tablet, comprising a transparent, proximal, polymer substrate forming a writing surface on a side of said electro-optic layer that is more proximal to a viewer, wherein said proximal substrate is flexible so as to be able to reduce a gap between said electrically conductive layers when writing pressure is applied to said writing surface.

11. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 10 wherein said writing pressure applied to said writing surface changes the state of said liquid crystal material to a color reflective planar texture where said writing pressure is applied.

12. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 10 wherein said circuitry enables application of said voltages to said electrically conductive layers while applying said writing pressure to said writing surface to change a texture of said liquid crystal material to a focal conic texture where said writing pressure is applied.

13. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 10 wherein said skin includes at least two stacked said liquid crystal layers each having a pitch length effective to reflect a different color, comprising selecting with said circuitry a reflected color of one of said liquid crystal layers where said writing pressure is applied by applying voltage that places another of said liquid crystal layers in said focal conic texture where said writing pressure is applied

14. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 6 wherein said electronic skin is in a form of a decorative covering over said display.

15. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 14 wherein said electronic skin includes stacked said liquid crystal layers each having electrically conductive layers on both sides thereof, wherein said liquid crystal layers are connected to said circuitry so that said voltages can be applied to each of said liquid crystal layers independently of the other said liquid crystal layers.

16. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 14 wherein said states of reflectance include gray scale states having brightnesses between said substantially transparent state and said reflective state and said electronic circuitry can apply said voltages to said electrically conductive layers to drive said liquid crystal material into said substantially transparent state, said reflective state or said gray scale states.

17. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said display is selected from the group of displays consisting of:

thin film transistor (TFT), super twisted nematic (STN), twisted nematic (TN), electrophoretic, bistable nematic, zenithal bistable, light emitting diode (LED), organic light emitting diode (OLED), and electro-fluorescent.

18. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 6 wherein said electronic skin includes a non-transparent portion having a light absorbing layer disposed behind said electro-optic layer and another portion without a light absorbing layer behind said electro-optic layer in which said display can be seen through said electronic skin, comprising a housing for said display, wherein said nontransparent portion covers a portion of said display, said display housing or both a portion of said display and said display housing.

19. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 6 wherein when said display is in said bright state said circuitry applies voltages to said conductive layers that make said electronic skin more see-through by placing said liquid crystal material of said electronic skin in a homeotropic texture.

20. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 6 wherein when said display is in said bright state said circuitry applies voltages to said conductive layers that make said electronic skin more see-through by placing said liquid crystal material of said electronic skin in a focal conic texture.

21. A device comprising the electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said device is selected from the group consisting of a cell phone, an MP3 player, a pda, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a netbook computer, a camera, a desktop monitor, a slate computer, an iPad®

electronic device, an iPhone®

cell phone, a handheld electronic device, and a portable electronic device.

22. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said electronic skin is more proximal to a viewer than said display is to the viewer.

23. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 1 wherein said electro-optic material is dispersed in a polymeric matrix.

24. The electronic display with overlayed electronic skin of claim 6 wherein said liquid crystal material is dispersed in a polymeric matrix.