COLOR ADVERTISING DISPLAY EMPLOYING LIQUID CRYSTAL

• US 3,576,364 A
• Filed: 05/20/1969
• Issued: 04/27/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zanoni Louis Anthony
• Original Assignee: Zanoni Louis Anthony
• Inventors: ZANONI LOUIS ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US04/826,159
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• US Class Current: 353/28
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1313 specially adapted for a particular application
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/00 Illuminated signs; Luminous advertising G09F9/00, G09F11/00 take precedence; control of displays in general using static means to present variable information G09G
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/10 Devices demonstrating the action of an article to be advertised
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/18 involving the use of optical projection means, e.g. projection of images on clouds projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A color picture is projected onto a liquid crystal display panel and becomes visible, in color, at those areas of the panel at which the liquid crystal is concurrently excited by the application of an electric field. A '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'moving'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' picture is simulated by selectively removing (or applying) the electric field from (or to) different areas of the panel during successive time intervals.

Claims

1. In combination:

a liquid crystal display panel including a liquid crystal layer having two different optical states, at least one transparent electrode at one surface of said liquid crystal layer, and a second electrode at the other surface of said liquid crystal layer;

means for producing a color picture and applying it to said panel through said transparent electrode so that said color picture is visible at those areas of the panel where an electric field is applied; and

means for causing a simulated motion of sections of said color picture by controlling electrical excitation across said sections of said electrodes for causing regions of said crystal layer to change from one optical state to the other.

2. In the combination set forth in claim 1, said liquid crystal being one of the nematic type operating on the principle of dynamic scattering.

3. In the combination set forth in claim 1, one of said electrodes comprising a plurality of discrete sections, and said last-named means comprising means for selectively applying an electric filed between said sections and said other electrode.

4. An advertising display for displaying a color picture which may be erased a part at a time or turned on a part at a time comprising, in combination:

a liquid crystal display panel comprising a sheet of liquid crystal material located between two transparent electrodes, a t least one of said electrodes formed as a plurality of discrete sections a group of which together correspond in shape to one portion of said color picture;

means for projecting said color picture onto said panel with the portion of the picture of the shape of said group of sections superimposed on said sections; and

means for selectively applying an electric field of sufficient intensity to excite said liquid crystal between one or more of the sections of said one electrode and the other electrode to cause simulated motion of said shape.