Electrochemical display and timing mechanism with migrating electrolyte
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An irreversible electrochemical display comprising:
- first and second electrodes interconnected by an electronically conductive pathway;
an image obscured by the second electrode;
electrolyte confined within an area out of contact with the second electrode; and
a guided pathway through which the electrolyte can be moved into contact with a limited portion of the second electrode for completing an ionically conductive pathway between the first and second electrodes, in which the second electrode is progressively erodable along a common boundary with the electrolyte for revealing the image obscured by the second electrode.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Printed electrochemical display cells are arranged in layer form with two electrode layers and an electrolyte layer occupying distinct areas of a substrate. When activated, an electrochemical reaction progressively increases the area occupied by the electrolyte layer and progressively decreases the area occupied by the thin-film electrode layer. The thin-film electrode layer recedes at a boundary in common with the electrolyte layer and provides an irreversible indication of change at a rate governed by the electrochemical reaction.
-
Citations
57 Claims
-
1. An irreversible electrochemical display comprising:
-
first and second electrodes interconnected by an electronically conductive pathway;
an image obscured by the second electrode;
electrolyte confined within an area out of contact with the second electrode; and
a guided pathway through which the electrolyte can be moved into contact with a limited portion of the second electrode for completing an ionically conductive pathway between the first and second electrodes, in which the second electrode is progressively erodable along a common boundary with the electrolyte for revealing the image obscured by the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. An irreversible electrochemical display comprising:
-
first and second electrodes interconnectable by both ionically and electronically conductive pathways for supporting an electrochemical reaction that consumes the second electrode;
the ionically conductive pathway including a flowable electrolyte that is initially maintained out of operative contact with an elongated portion of the second electrode;
the elongated portion of the second electrode defining a path of migration for the flowable electrolyte;
the first electrode also extending along the path of migration; and
one of the conductive pathways being interruptable for controlling the start of the electrochemical reaction that progressively consumes the second electrode at a common boundary with the flowable electrolyte and produces an irreversible indication of change in the display. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
-
34. An irreversible electrochemical display comprising:
-
two electrodes having different electrode potentials and a flowable electrolyte supported between two substrates;
a first of the substrates including a transparent window for viewing a second of the two electrodes;
a guided pathway between the two substrates for directing the flowable electrolyte along a path of migration that includes the second substrate; and
the flowable electrolyte being engageable with the second electrode along a common boundary that progressively advances along the guided pathway for producing a change viewable through the transparent window. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
-
-
49. A method of producing an irreversible change in an electrochemical display comprising:
-
electronically interconnecting first and second electrodes having different electrode potentials;
temporarily confining a flowable electrolyte out of contact with an elongated portion of the second electrode;
initiating an electrochemical reaction that progressively erodes the elongated portion of the second electrode at a common boundary with the flowable electrolyte without correspondingly adding to an area occupied by the first electrode; and
revealing an image behind the advancing common boundary of the flowable electrolyte and the second electrode. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
-
Specification