Apparatus for displaying drawings

• US 7,312,784 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 12/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Knaian, Ara N., O'Malley, Timothy J., Wilcox, Russell J., Linden, Heather A., Baucom, Allan Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar; Vijay
• Application Number:
  US11/306,313
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 345 87-107, 345103-111, 324750-765, 359/296
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 7/10 and slideably mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field

Abstract

A first apparatus for displaying drawings comprises a housing having an aperture, a drawing sheet comprising electro-optic material movable through the aperture between closed and open positions, and a writing device for writing on the sheet as it moved between its closed and open positions. A second apparatus comprises a display member having a viewing surface, support means for supporting this display member above a floor, an electro-optic medium disposed on the display member, and a movable writing head for writing on the electro-optic medium. Another display comprises an optic medium with two display states visible through a viewing surface. A touch screen is disposed on the opposed side of the optic medium from the viewing surface, and the optic medium is deformable such that pressure applied to the viewing surface will be transmitted to the touch screen.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying a drawing, said apparatus comprising:

a display member having a viewing surface;

support means for supporting said display member adjacent a surface with said viewing surface facing away from said surface;

an electro-optic medium having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, said medium being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to said medium, said electro-optic medium being disposed on said display member so as to be visible to an observer viewing said viewing surface;

a writing head arranged to write on said electro-optic medium an image visible to the observer viewing said viewing surface; and

drive means for moving said writing head relative to said electro-optic medium,

wherein said display member has the form of a hollow box, said electro-optic medium is disposed on an internal surface of said box, the portion of said box adjacent said electro-optic medium being substantially transparent so as to enable an observer to see said electro-optic medium through said viewing surface, and said writing head comprises an elongate member arranged to move within said box so as to write on said electro-optic medium.

2. An apparatus for displaying a drawing, said apparatus comprising:

a display member having a viewing surface;

support means for supporting said display member adjacent a surface with said viewing surface facing away from said surface;

an electro-optic medium having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, said medium being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to said medium, said electro-optic medium being disposed on said display member so as to be visible to an observer viewing said viewing surface;

a writing head arranged to write on said electro-optic medium an image visible to the observer viewing said viewing surface; and

drive means for moving said writing head relative to said electro-optic medium,

wherein said display member has the form of a hollow box, said electro-optic medium is disposed on an internal surface of said box, the portion of said box adjacent said electro-optic medium being substantially transparent so as to enable an observer to see said electro-optic medium through said viewing surface, said writing head comprises a stylus member, and said drive means are arranged to move said writing head in two dimensions over said electro-optic medium.

3. An apparatus for displaying a drawing, said apparatus comprising:

a display member having a viewing surface;

support means for supporting said display member adjacent a surface with said viewing surface facing away from said surface;

an electro-optic medium having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, said medium being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to said medium, said electro-optic medium being disposed on said display member so as to be visible to an observer viewing said viewing surface;

a writing head arranged to write on said electro-optic medium an image visible to the observer viewing said viewing surface; and

drive means for moving said writing head relative to said electro-optic medium,

wherein said display member has the form of a hollow box, said electro-optic medium is disposed on a movable member within said box, said writing head is disposed at a fixed location within said box, and said drive means is arranged to drive said movable member past said fixed writing head.

4. An apparatus for displaying a drawing, said apparatus comprising:

a display member having a viewing surface;

support means for supporting said display member adjacent a surface with said viewing surface facing away from said surface;

an electro-optic medium having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, said medium being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to said medium, said electro-optic medium being disposed on said display member so as to be visible to an observer viewing said viewing surface;

a writing head arranged to write on said electro-optic medium an image visible to the observer viewing said viewing surface; and

drive means for moving said writing head relative to said electro-optic medium,

the apparatus further comprising data storage means for storing data representing a plurality of drawings, and data selection means for selecting at least one of said plurality of drawings for writing by said writing head on said electro-optic medium.

5. An apparatus for displaying a drawing, said apparatus comprising:

a display member having a viewing surface;

support means for supporting said display member adjacent a surface with said viewing surface facing away from said surface;

an electro-optic medium having first and second display states differing in color perceptible to the human eye, said medium being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to said medium, said electro-optic medium being disposed on said display member so as to be visible to an observer viewing said viewing surface;

a writing head arranged to write on said electro-optic medium an image visible to the observer viewing said viewing surface; and

drive means for moving said writing head relative to said electro-optic medium.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising manually-operable data input means arranged so that data input to said data input means can modify a drawing displayed on said electro-optic medium.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising data storage means operatively associated with said data input means and arranged to store modifications to drawings displayed on said apparatus and modified by data input to said data input means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said data input means comprises at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick and a touch screen.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said data input means comprises a touch screen disposed on the opposed side of said electro-optic medium from said viewing surface, said electro-optic medium being deformable such that pressure applied to said viewing surface is transmitted to said touch screen.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said electro-optic medium is substantially non-transmissive of visible light.

11. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said electro-optic medium comprises an electrochromic medium.

12. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said electro-optic medium comprises a rotating bichromal member medium.

13. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said electro-optic medium comprises an electrophoretic medium.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said electrophoretic medium is an encapsulated electrophoretic medium.