Additive color tristate light valve twisting ball display
First Claim
1. A spheroidal ball comprising a plurality of segments arrayed substantially parallel to one another, each segment being adjacent to at least one other segment and to no more than two other segments, each segment adjacent to exactly one other segment being an exterior segment and each segment adjacent to exactly two other segments being an interior segment, adjacent segments being adjoined to one another at substantially planar interfaces, the segments includinga first segment, the first segment being an interior segment having a first optical modulation characteristic, the first optical modulation characteristic being such that the first segment is nontransparent,a second segment, the second segment being an exterior segment adjacent to the first segment, the second segment having a second optical modulation characteristic, the second optical modulation characteristic being such that the second segment is transparent,a third segment, the third segment being an interior segment having a third optical modulation characteristic, the third optical modulation characteristic being such that the third segment is nontransparent, anda fourth segment, the fourth segment being an exterior segment adjacent to the third segment, the fourth segment having an optical modulation characteristic such that the fourth segment is transparent,the ball having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A tristate light valve ball for an electrical twisting ball device composed of spheroidal balls rotatably disposed in an elastomer substrate. The ball is composed of segments arrayed substantially parallel to one another, each segment being adjacent to at least one other segment and to no more than two other segments. Adjacent segments are adjoined to one another at substantially planar interfaces. The segments include: a first, interior, nontransparent segment having a first optical modulation characteristic; a second exterior, transparent segment, adjacent to the first segment and having a second optical modulation characteristic; a third, interior, nontransparent segment having a third optical modulation characteristic; and a fourth, exterior, transparent segment adjacent to the third segment. For example, the ball can be made with a black first segment adjacent to a white third segment, surrounded on either side by clear second and fourth exterior segments. The ball has an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field. Also disclosed are: a material made up of a substrate layer in which are disposed the aforementioned balls, with a colored backing joined to a rear surface of the layer; and a method for using a device incorporating the balls.
268 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A spheroidal ball comprising a plurality of segments arrayed substantially parallel to one another, each segment being adjacent to at least one other segment and to no more than two other segments, each segment adjacent to exactly one other segment being an exterior segment and each segment adjacent to exactly two other segments being an interior segment, adjacent segments being adjoined to one another at substantially planar interfaces, the segments including
a first segment, the first segment being an interior segment having a first optical modulation characteristic, the first optical modulation characteristic being such that the first segment is nontransparent, a second segment, the second segment being an exterior segment adjacent to the first segment, the second segment having a second optical modulation characteristic, the second optical modulation characteristic being such that the second segment is transparent, a third segment, the third segment being an interior segment having a third optical modulation characteristic, the third optical modulation characteristic being such that the third segment is nontransparent, and a fourth segment, the fourth segment being an exterior segment adjacent to the third segment, the fourth segment having an optical modulation characteristic such that the fourth segment is transparent, the ball having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field.
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5. An optical modulation device having at least three operational states, each state being associated with an optical modulation characteristic, the device comprising:
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a first optical modulation means comprising a spheroidal ball having at least two component regions including a component region having a first optical modulation characteristic and a component region having a second optical modulation characteristic, the first optical modulation characteristic being such that the component region having the first optical modulation characteristic is nontransparent, the second optical modulation characteristic being such that the component region having the second optical modulation characteristic is transparent, the ball having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in an electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field; a second optical modulation means comprising a spheroidal ball having at least two component regions including a component region having the second optical modulation characteristic and a component region having a third optical modulation characteristic, the third optical modulation characteristic being such that the component region having the third optical modulation characteristic is nontransparent, the component region having the second optical modulation characteristic being transparent, the ball having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in an electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field; means for disposing the spheroidal ball of the first optical modulation means in a light path so as to interact with light in the light path; and means for disposing the spheroidal ball of the second optical modulation means in said light path so as to interact with light in said light path. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A material comprising:
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a substrate comprising a layer having front and rear surfaces; a plurality of light-modulating elements disposed in the substrate between the front and rear surfaces of the layer, each element comprising at least one spheroidal ball disposed in the substrate, each ball of each element comprising at least two component regions, the component regions including a first component region having a first optical modulation characteristic such that the first component region is transparent and does not have a chromatic color, and a second component region having a second optical modulation characteristic such that the second component region is nontransparent and does not have a chromatic color, each ball of each element having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field, each element having at least two operational states including a first, transmissive state admitting a passage of light through the element and thereby through the layer, and a second, nontransmissive state obstructing a passage of light through the element and through the layer; and a backing joined to the rear surface of the layer, at least a portion of the backing having a chromatic color, the portion having the chromatic color being disposed such that, to an observer favorably situated to observe the front surface of the substrate layer, the chromatic color is observable through at least one light-modulating element when said element is in the first, transmissive state. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method comprising the steps of:
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producing a light having a chromatic color; providing the colored light thus produced incident on a device comprising a plurality of light-modulating elements disposed in a substrate having first and second surfaces, each element comprising at least one spheroidal ball disposed in the substrate, each ball of each element comprising at least two component regions, the component regions including a first component region having a first optical modulation characteristic such that the first component region is transparent and does not have a chromatic color, and a second component region having a second optical modulation characteristic such that the second component region is nontransparent and does not have a chromatic color, each ball of each element having an anisotropy for providing an electrical dipole moment, the electrical dipole moment rendering the ball electrically responsive such that when the ball is rotatably disposed in a nonoscillating electric field while the electrical dipole moment of the ball is provided, the ball tends to rotate to an orientation in which the electrical dipole moment aligns with the field, each element having at least two operational states including a transmissive state admitting a passage of light through the element and thereby through the substrate from the first surface to the second surface, and a nontransmissive state obstructing a passage of light through the element and through the substrate; admitting a portion of the colored light incident on the modulating device through a light-modulating element in the transmissive state, thereby allowing the colored light thus admitted to pass through the substrate from the first surface to the second surface; obstructing a portion of the colored light incident on the modulating device with a light-modulating element in the nontransmissive state, thereby preventing the colored light thus obstructed from passing through the substrate from the first surface to the second surface; and applying an electric field in a vicinity of a light-modulating element to facilitate a rotation of a spheroidal ball of said element, the ball being rotatably disposed in the substrate, thereby facilitating a change in the state of said element from a first operational state to a second operational state. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method comprising the steps of:
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providing light from a light source incident on a modulating device comprising a array of individually addressable elements, the elements being disposed in a substrate having a front surface on which light from the light source is incident and a rear surface joined to a backing material, each element being a basic constituent unit of the array, such that no element comprises any separately addressable components other than itself, and no component portion of an element is addressable independently of the entire element, each element having an observable area, the observable area being observable by an observer situated favorably to observe the front surface; selecting a preferred element of the array, the preferred element having a plurality of operational states including a first state in which a predominant portion of the observable area of the selected element appears black to the observer, a second state in which, to the observer, the observable area of the selected element appears to comprise a combination of black and a chromatic color, a third state in which a predominant portion of the observable area of the selected element appears to the observer to have the chromatic color, a fourth state in which, to the observer, the observable area of the selected element appears to comprise a combination of white and the chromatic color, and a fifth state in which a predominant portion of the observable area of the selected element appears white to the observer; selecting from among the operational states of the plurality a preferred operational state for the preferred element; establishing the preferred operational state as the operational state of the preferred element; and with the preferred element in the preferred operational state, modulating with the preferred element of the modulating device at least a portion of the light incident thereon, light incident on the preferred element being predominantly absorbed by a black nontransmissive component of the preferred element if the preferred element is in the first state, light incident on the preferred element being partly absorbed by a black nontransmissive component of the preferred element and partly admitted through a transmissive component of the preferred element if the preferred operational state is the second state, light incident on the preferred element being predominantly admitted through a transmissive component of the preferred element if the preferred operational state is the third state, light incident on the preferred element being partly reflected by a white nontransmissive component of the preferred element and partly admitted through a transmissive component of the preferred element if the preferred operational state is the fourth state, light incident on the preferred element being predominantly reflected by a white nontransmissive component of the preferred element if the preferred element is in the fifth state, light admitted through a transmissive component of the preferred element in any of the second, third, and fourth states passing thereby through the substrate from the front surface to the rear surface and thence to a portion of the backing material having an optical modulation characteristic such that said portion of the backing material preferentially reflects light having the chromatic color, light preferentially reflected by said portion of the backing material passing back through the transmissive component of the preferred element and thereby through the substrate from the rear surface to the front surface and thence out of the substrate, thus providing light of the chromatic color observable to the observer and so contributing to the appearance of the observable area of the preferred element in the second, third, and fourth states. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A device comprising:
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a substrate having a surface; and an array of individually addressable image elements disposed in the substrate, each image element being a basic constituent unit of the array, such that no element comprises any separately addressable components other than itself, and no component portion of an element is addressable independently of the entire element, each element having an observable area, the observable area being observable by an observer situated favorably to observe the substrate surface, each element having a plurality of operational states each associated with an appearance of the observable area of the element to the observer, any one of the operational states being establishable as a current state of an addressed element, the operational states including a first state associated with a first appearance of the observable area of the element, the first appearance providing a first achromatic color observable throughout a predominant portion of the observable area, a second state associated with a second appearance of the observable area of the element, the second appearance providing a second achromatic color observable throughout a predominant portion of the observable area, a third state associated with a third appearance of the observable area of the element, the third appearance providing a chromatic color observable throughout a predominant portion of the observable area, a fourth state associated with a fourth appearance of the observable area of the element, the fourth appearance providing an observable combination of the first achromatic color and the chromatic color, the combination thus provided being observable in the observable area, and a fifth state associated with a fifth appearance of the observable area of the element, the fifth appearance providing an observable combination of the second achromatic color and the chromatic color, the combination thus provided being observable in the observable area. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification