Ultraviolet ray emitting apparatus and electronic apparatus using ultraviolet ray emitting elements

• US 7,095,463 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2002
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Usui, Norihisa, Ueno, Masato, Machida, Shyuichi, Hirano, Tadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US10/218,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20030042847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 349/61, 349/69, 349/64, 349/118, 349/106, 349/112, 349/12, 349/110, 313/486, 313/586, 313/461, 313/463, 345/173, 345/175, 345/176, 345/183, 345/156, 368223-228, 368/67, 368/88, 362 29- 30, 362/84, 362/103, 257/72, 257/431, 257/440
• US Class Current: 349/61
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133617 Illumination with ultraviolet light; Luminescent elements or materials associated to the cell
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0017 in which the light emitting display elements may be activated at will or are controlled in accordance with the ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials

Abstract

A display emitting apparatus that irradiates an optically transparent display unit with Ultraviolet rays of light from below to cause luminescent layers provided on the display unit to emit colored rays of light to provide a highly colorful and very ornamental display (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a case having a crystal attached to an upper end thereof, the crystal having an upper surface and a lower surface;

a watch module disposed within the case having an upper end and a lower end;

an optically transparent dial plate disposed on the upper end of the watch module, the optically transparent dial plate having first and second sides;

a plurality of indexes disposed at predetermined positions on the first side of the dial plate along its periphery;

a UV ray emitting element disposed within the watch module for irradiating the second side of the optically transparent dial plate with UV rays;

a dichroic mirror provided on the whole lower surface of the crystal which reflects the UV rays irradiated by the UV ray emitting element and which enables other rays of light entering from the upper surface side of the crystal to pass therethrough; and

luminescent materials disposed on the indexes for responding to the UV rays irradiated by the UV ray emitting element and reflected by the dichroic mirror, thereby passively becoming colored-luminous.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the luminescent materials are disposed on respective upper surfaces of the indexes and are responsive to the UV rays irradiated by the UV ray emitting element, thereby becoming luminous in respective different colors.