Integrated digitizing tablet and color display apparatus and method of operation

• US 6,760,016 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sharma, Manish
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alphonse, Fritz
• Application Number:
  US10/037,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20030122788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 345/178, 345/173, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/19.01, 178/102, 178/19.04, 178/20.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/08 Active matrix structure, i.e. with use of active elements, inclusive of non-linear two terminal elements, in the pixels together with light emitting or modulating elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0809 Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0852 being a dynamic memory with more than one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters

Abstract

An integrated digitizing tablet with color display is disclosed. The digitizing tablet portion of the integrated digitizing tablet and display apparatus includes an array of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cells that can be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field, wherein each memory cell has a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon the application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when an electric field is applied across the array. The display portion comprises an array of color pixel cells, each color pixel cell being selected from more than one color type and being coupled to one of the MRAM cells. The MRAM cell is operated to activate the coupled color pixel cell in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell. Typically, the color pixel cells are selected from the colors red, blue, and green in approximately equal ratios or may be selected from their complementary colors which would include cyan, magenta, and yellow. Any color scheme may be implemented and is not limited to merely three colors or be required to be more than two.

Claims

1. An integrated digitizing tablet and display comprising:

a digitizing tablet comprised of an array of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cells that may be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field, each memory cell having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when an electric field is applied across the array; and

a display comprised of an array of color pixels, each color pixel selected from more than one color type and being coupled to one of the MRAM cells, which activates the coupled color pixel in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell.

2. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein each color pixel is selected from either red pixels, blue pixels, and green pixels, in approximately equal ratios.

3. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein the magnetic field is a fixed field.

4. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein the magnetic field can vary during interaction with a MRAM cell.

5. The invention as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a stylus that has a first tip that generates the externally-applied magnetic field.

6. The invention as claimed in claim 5 wherein the stylus can interact with the digitizer tablet to indicate an action to be performed.

7. The invention as claimed in claim 5 wherein the stylus included a current-carrying coil to interact with the MRAM cell array.

8. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second externally-applied magnetic field can interact with the MRAM cell array simultaneously with the at least one externally-applied magnetic field.

9. The invention as claimed in claim 1 wherein the array of color pixels are formed of TFT display cells and are placed over the MRAM cell array.

10. A method of converting user input into image data, comprising:

providing a digitizing tablet having an integrated array of magnetic random access memory cells and color pixels, each MRAM cell having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of a magnetic field and each cell being further coupled to one color pixel to activate the pixel;

applying a magnetic field external to the MRAM cell to the array to change the magnetic bit orientation of at least a portion of the MRAM cells;

applying an input electric signal to the array;

activating the color pixels coupled to the affected MRAM cells to display an image.

11. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 10 wherein the color pixels form an array consistent with the array of MRAM cells and wherein the color pixels serve as a video display directly controlled by the array of MRAM cells.

12. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 11 further comprising mating a display device to the MRAM array wherein the displayed image corresponds to the location proximate where the magnetic field is applied to the MRAM array.

13. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 11 further comprising, in the event of an electrical power stoppage to a display device and the MRAM array, redisplaying the image based on the magnetic bit orientation of the MRAM cells within the MRAM array upon return of electrical power.

14. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 10 also comprising applying a second magnetic field, independent of the first magnetic field, to change the magnetic bit orientation of at least a second portion of the MRAM cells.

15. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 10 wherein the magnetic field applying step further comprises selectively varying the magnetic field during application to affect the magnetic bit orientation of the at least a portion of MRAM cells.

16. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 10 also comprising:

sensing an action performed by a user; and

performing a function associated with the sensed action.

17. A method of converting user input into image data according to claim 10 wherein the magnetic bit orientation for each cell is maintained without refresh.

18. An integrated digitizing and display cell comprising:

a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell that may be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field and having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when a read signal is applied across the MRAM cell; and

a color pixel selected from more than one color type and being coupled to the MRAM cell, which activates the color pixel in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell.

19. The invention as claimed in claim 18 wherein the digitizing and display cell has a form factor of less than one micron.

20. The invention as claimed in claim 18 wherein the magnetic field is a fixed field.

21. The invention as claimed in claim 18 wherein the magnetic field can vary during interaction with a MRAM cell.

22. The invention as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a stylus that has a first tip that generates the externally applied magnetic field.

23. The invention as claimed in claim 22 wherein the stylus can interact with the MRAM cell to indicate an action to be performed.

24. The invention as claimed in claim 18 wherein the pixel is a TFT display pixel.

25. The invention as claimed in claim 18 wherein the pixel is selected from the color type red, green, or blue.

26. The invention as claimed in claim 18 wherein the pixel is selected from the color type cyan, magenta, or yellow.

27. An integrated digitizing tablet and display comprising:

a digitizing tablet comprised of an array of magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cells that may be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field, each memory cell having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when an electric field is applied across the array;

a display comprised of an array of color pixels, each color pixel selected from more than one color type and being coupled to one of the MRAM cells, which activates the coupled color pixel in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell; and

a second externally-applied magnetic field that can interact with the MRAM cell array simultaneously with the at least one externally-applied magnetic field.

28. An integrated digitizing tablet and display comprising:

a digitizing tablet comprised of an array of magnetic random access memory (MRAM cells that may be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field, each memory cell having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when an electric field is applied across the array;

a display comprised of an array of color pixels, each color pixel selected from more than one color type and being coupled to one of the MRAM cells, which activates the coupled color pixel in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell wherein the array of color pixels are formed of TFT display cells and are placed over the MRAM cell array.

29. An integrated digitizing and display cell comprising:

a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell that may be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field and having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when a read signal is applied across the MRAM cell; and

a color pixel selected from more than one color type and being coupled to the MRAM cell, which activates the color pixel in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell wherein the pixel is a TFT display pixel.

30. An integrated digitizing and display cell comprising:

a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell that may be modified by at least one externally-applied magnetic field and having a magnetic bit that changes orientation upon application of the externally-applied magnetic field to produce an electrical signal based on the orientation of the bit when a read signal is applied across the MRAM cell; and

a color pixel selected from more than one color type and being coupled to the MRAM cell, which activates the color pixel in response to the electrical signal produced by the MRAM cell wherein the pixel is selected from the color type cyan, magenta, or yellow.