Communication module having selectively programmable exterior surface
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An outer housing for a modular telecommunication device comprising:
- an upper and lower shell sealed to one another and formed of a material which is impervious to moisture and oxygen with at least a portion of said upper shell being transparent to light;
an organic electroluminescent display assembly contained within said sealed upper and lower shells which includes,a composite layer of organic electroluminescent material having the characteristic of producing illumination in response to voltage across the material;
a first layer of electrically conductive material on one side of said layer of composite organic electroluminescent material, said first layer comprising a plurality of parallel elongate conductive strips separated from one another and connected to an electrical terminal on the outside of said sealed upper and lower shells;
a second layer of electrically conductive material on the other side of said layer of composite organic electroluminescent material from said first layer, said second layer comprising a plurality of parallel elongate conductive strips separated from one another and extending in a direction at an angle to the conductive strips in said first layer to define a pixel area within the organic electroluminescent layer between each crosspoint region between an overlying and underlying conductive strip, each of said strips in said second layer also being connected to an electrical terminal on the outside of said sealed upper and lower shells; and
a circuit for selectively applying electrical power to the electrical terminals connected to selected ones of said separate strips within said first and second conductive layers to illuminate said pixel areas at the crosspoint regions between each underlying and overlying conductive strip to which electrical power is selective applied and allow said illuminated pixels to be visible through portions of said upper and lower shell which are transparent.
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Abstract
An organic electroluminescent material is sealed within the outer housing of a portable radio telephone along with the control grids to cause the material to luminesce in a pixilated pattern. The pixels are controlled to both create a decorative design on the housing of the telephone and to generate a user input-output region and a display region. A touch screen may be included within the user input-output region.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An outer housing for a modular telecommunication device comprising:
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an upper and lower shell sealed to one another and formed of a material which is impervious to moisture and oxygen with at least a portion of said upper shell being transparent to light; an organic electroluminescent display assembly contained within said sealed upper and lower shells which includes, a composite layer of organic electroluminescent material having the characteristic of producing illumination in response to voltage across the material; a first layer of electrically conductive material on one side of said layer of composite organic electroluminescent material, said first layer comprising a plurality of parallel elongate conductive strips separated from one another and connected to an electrical terminal on the outside of said sealed upper and lower shells; a second layer of electrically conductive material on the other side of said layer of composite organic electroluminescent material from said first layer, said second layer comprising a plurality of parallel elongate conductive strips separated from one another and extending in a direction at an angle to the conductive strips in said first layer to define a pixel area within the organic electroluminescent layer between each crosspoint region between an overlying and underlying conductive strip, each of said strips in said second layer also being connected to an electrical terminal on the outside of said sealed upper and lower shells; and a circuit for selectively applying electrical power to the electrical terminals connected to selected ones of said separate strips within said first and second conductive layers to illuminate said pixel areas at the crosspoint regions between each underlying and overlying conductive strip to which electrical power is selective applied and allow said illuminated pixels to be visible through portions of said upper and lower shell which are transparent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An outer housing for a portable radio telephone comprising:
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an outer shell formed of a material which is impervious to moisture and oxygen with at least a portion of said shell being transparent to light to define user input-output and user display regions; an inner shell formed of a material which is impervious to moisture and oxygen which is sealed around periphery to said outer shell; an organic electroluminescent display assembly contained between said inner and outer shells which includes, a composite layer of organic electroluminescent material having the characteristic of producing illumination in response to current flow through the material; a first layer of electrically conductive material containing a material such as indium tin oxide on one side of said layer of composite organic electroluminescent material, said first layer comprising a plurality of parallel elongate conductive strips separated from one another and connected to an electrical terminal on the outside of said outer shell through a sealed connection; a second layer of electrically conductive material containing a material such as aluminum on the other side of said layer of composite organic electroluminescent material, said second layer comprising a plurality of parallel elongate conductive strips separated from one another and extending in a direction perpendicular to the conductive strips in said first layer to define plurality of pixel areas within the organic electroluminescent layer between each crosspoint region between an overlying and underlying conductive strip, each of said strips in said second layer also being connected to an electrical terminal on the outside of said outer shell through a sealed connection; a touch sensitive screen possibly underlying at least a portion of said outer shell which is transparent and within said user input-output region, said screen having electrical connections passing through either of said sealed shells for connection to external circuitry for receiving input signals from a user; and a circuit for selectively applying electrical power to the electrical terminals connected to selected ones of said separate strips within said first and second conductive layers to illuminate said pixel areas at the crosspoint regions between each of the conductive strips on opposite sides of the composite organic electroluminescent layer to which electrical power is selective applied and allow said illuminated pixels to be visible through all portions of said upper and lower shell which are transparent to provide visible guidance to a user within said user input-output region as to where to touch said screen in order to enter a desired input into the said radio telephone and to provide visible messages to a user within said user display region which are related to operation of said radio telephone. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification