Multithreshold addressing of a twisting ball display
First Claim
1. A material comprising:
- a substrate; and
a plurality of spheroidal balls disposed in the substrate, each ball having an optical anisotropy and 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 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, the plurality of balls includinga first set of balls comprising at least one ball, each ball of the first set being associated with a first threshold, anda second set of balls comprising at least one ball, each ball of the second set being associated with a second threshold, the second threshold being less than the first threshold,the first and second thresholds being such thatfor each ball of each set, a rotation of the ball is facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball while the ball is rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having a first electric field strength exceeding the first threshold,for each ball of the first set, a rotation of the ball is not facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball while the ball is rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having a second electric field strength between the first and second thresholds, andfor each ball of the second set, a rotation of the ball is facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball while the ball is rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having the second electric field strength.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multithreshold electrical twisting ball display device. The device is composed of electrically and optically anisotropic spheroidal balls of at least two different rotation thresholds, disposed in an elastomer substrate, together with an addressing electrode assembly. The addressing electrode assembly allows a preferred region of the substrate to be selected in which at least one ball of the first set and at least one ball of the second set are disposed, and first and second electric field to be applied to the preferred region thus selected, each of the first and second electric fields extending throughout the preferred region. The first field facilitates a contemporaneous rotation of balls of both the first and second sets rotatably disposed in the preferred region. The second electric field facilitates a rotation of balls of the second set rotatably disposed in the preferred region, without facilitating a rotation of any ball of the first set rotatably disposed in the preferred region. Also disclosed are the substrate material and electrode assembly for the device, and a method of using the device.
287 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A material comprising:
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a substrate; and a plurality of spheroidal balls disposed in the substrate, each ball having an optical anisotropy and 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 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, the plurality of balls including a first set of balls comprising at least one ball, each ball of the first set being associated with a first threshold, and a second set of balls comprising at least one ball, each ball of the second set being associated with a second threshold, the second threshold being less than the first threshold, the first and second thresholds being such that for each ball of each set, a rotation of the ball is facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball while the ball is rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having a first electric field strength exceeding the first threshold, for each ball of the first set, a rotation of the ball is not facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball while the ball is rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having a second electric field strength between the first and second thresholds, and for each ball of the second set, a rotation of the ball is facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball while the ball is rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having the second electric field strength. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus comprising:
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a substrate; first and second sets of electrically and optically anisotropic spheroidal balls disposed in the substrate, each set comprising at least one ball; means for selecting a preferred region of the substrate, the preferred region including at least one ball of the first set and at least one ball of the second set; means for applying a first electric field to the preferred region thus selected, the first electric field extending throughout the preferred region and facilitating a rotation of each of a plurality of balls rotatably disposed in the preferred region, including a rotation of a ball of the first set and a rotation of a ball of the second set, the ball rotations thus facilitated being facilitated contemporaneously with one another; and means for applying a second electric field to the preferred region thus selected, the second electric field extending throughout the preferred region and facilitating a rotation of a ball of the second set rotatably disposed in the preferred region without facilitating a rotation of any ball of the first set rotatably disposed in the preferred region. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method comprising the steps of:
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providing light from a light source incident on an optical modulation apparatus comprising a plurality of electrically and optically anisotropic spheroidal balls rotatably disposed in a substrate, the plurality of balls including a first set of balls comprising at least one ball, each ball of the first set being associated with a first threshold, and a second set of balls comprising at least one ball, each ball of the second set being associated with a second threshold, the second threshold being less than the first threshold, the first and second thresholds being such that for each ball of each set, a rotation of the ball is facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball thus rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having a first electric field strength exceeding the first threshold, for each ball of the first set, a rotation of the ball is not facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball thus rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having a second electric field strength between the first and second thresholds, and for each ball of the second set, a rotation of the ball is facilitated by an application in a vicinity of the ball thus rotatably disposed in the substrate of an electric field having the second electric field strength; applying an electric field in a vicinity of a spheroidal ball of one of the first and second sets, the electric field having a strength sufficient to facilitate a rotation of said ball, thereby facilitating a rotation of said ball; and modulating with the optical modulation apparatus at least a portion of the light incident thereon, the light thus modulated being modulated at least in part by the ball for which the rotation is facilitated. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification