Wide viewing angle reflective display
First Claim
1. A reflective display, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of approximately hemispherical transparent hemi-beads selectively different from a national perfect hemisphere, the hemi-beads having a refractive index η
1 substantially covering and protruding inwardly from an inward surface of a transparent sheet having a refractive index η
2, said transparent sheet having an outward viewing surface; and
, (b) means for selectably moving a member into an intense evanescent wave region at an inward side of said hemi-beads to selectably frustrate substantial total internal reflection of light rays at said inward side of said hemi-beads.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A reflective display having a plurality of approximately hemispherical high refractive index (η1) transparent hemi-beads substantially covering and protruding inwardly from a transparent sheet'"'"'s inward surface. The transparent sheet, which has an outward viewing surface, has a refractive index (η2) which can be low (i.e. η1≈1.92 and η2≈1.59). A member is selectably moved into an intense evanescent wave region at the hemi-beads'"'"' inward side to selectably frustrate substantial total internal reflection of light rays. The member can be a plurality of light scattering particles suspended in a low refractive index (η3≈1.27) electrophoresis medium and electrophoretically moved into or out of the intense evanescent wave region.
149 Citations
43 Claims
-
1. A reflective display, comprising:
-
(a) a plurality of approximately hemispherical transparent hemi-beads selectively different from a national perfect hemisphere, the hemi-beads having a refractive index η
1 substantially covering and protruding inwardly from an inward surface of a transparent sheet having a refractive index η
2, said transparent sheet having an outward viewing surface; and
,(b) means for selectably moving a member into an intense evanescent wave region at an inward side of said hemi-beads to selectably frustrate substantial total internal reflection of light rays at said inward side of said hemi-beads. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A method of making a reflective display, said method comprising:
-
(a) partially embedding a plurality of approximately spherical high refractive index beads in one side of an elastomeric substrate;
(b) removing portions of said beads which are not embedded in said substrate to produce a plurality of approximately hemispherical high refractive index hemi-beads embedded in said substrate, said hemi-beads having substantially flat, substantially coplanar faces;
(c) transparently adhering said hemi-bead coplanar faces to a transparent substrate; and
,(d) removing said elastomeric substrate. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. An image display method, comprising:
-
(a) forming an approximately hemispherical transparent hemi-bead, selectively different from a national perfect hemisphere, the hemi-beads having a refractive index η
1; and
,(b) selectably moving a member into an intense evanescent wave region at an inwardly convex side of said hemi-bead to selectably frustrate substantial total internal reflection of light rays at said inwardly convex side of said hemi-bead. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
-
Specification