Remotely-alterable electronic display label employing an electronic ink layer integrated within a stacked-layer architecture employing an antenna layer and an integrated circuit layer supporting an on-board battery power component, and a programmed processor for determining graphical indicia to be displayed by said electronic ink layer in response to electromagnetic signals received from said antenna

• US 7,669,768 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Gelbman, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haupt; Kristy A
• Application Number:
  US12/154,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20090014535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 235/451, 235/383, 235/375, 235/492, 235/385, 340/5.91
• US Class Current: 235/451
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/02 Forms or constructions layered products B32B
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167

Abstract

A remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display device employing an addressable display assembly including a layer of electronic ink including a bi-stable non-volatile imaging material. The device includes an integrated circuit layer having a storage element for storing instructions, programs and data, and a programmed processor in electrical communication with the addressable display assembly and an antenna structure. A signal transmitting layer transmits signals from the antenna structure to the remote activator module. A signal receiving layer receives electromagnetic signals from the remote activator module, using the antenna structure. An on-board battery power layer, operably connected to the integrated circuit layer, supplies electrical power the integrated circuit layer, which is responsive to electromagnetic signals received from the remote activator module by the antenna layer and the signal receiving layer. The addressable display assembly is responsive to output signals generated by the programmed processor, to display the determined graphical indicia. The antenna layer, integrated circuit layer, signal transmitting layer, signal receiving layer, on-board battery power layer are arranged and stacked together behind and within the spatial extent of the addressable display assembly so as to form the remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display device having a stacked-layer construction.

Claims

1. A remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label for displaying graphical indicia, said remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label comprising:

an addressable display assembly including a layer of electronic ink including a bi-stable non-volatile imaging material disposed between an activation layer and a transparent electrode layer located above said layer of electronic ink, for activating said layer of electronic ink at particular locations to display graphical indicia on the surface of said addressable display assembly, wherein said layer of electronic ink does not require electrical power to maintain the display of said graphical indicia;

an antenna layer for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals;

an integrated circuit layer, operably connected to said antenna layer and said addressable display assembly, and supporting (i) an on-board battery power component for supplying electrical power to components in said remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label, (ii) a storage element for storing said instructions, programs and data, and (iii) a programmed processor in electrical communication with said addressable display assembly and said antenna layer, and using said programs to process said instructions and data for (a) determining the graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display assembly, (b) controlling and coordinating operation of said addressable display assembly, and (c) generating output signals for instructing said addressable display assembly to display the determined graphical indicia;

a signal transmitting structure, supported on and operably connected to said integrated circuit layer, for transmitting electromagnetic signals from said antenna layer, to at least one remote activator module;

a signal receiving structure, supported on and operably connected to said integrated circuit layer, for receiving electromagnetic signals from said at least one remote activator module, using said antenna layer;

wherein said received electromagnetic signals carry information corresponding to at least one of said programs, said instructions, said data and said graphical indicia to be displayed by said addressable display assembly;

wherein said integrated circuit layer on is responsive to electromagnetic data signals received from said at least one remote activator module, by said antenna layer and said signal receiving structure;

wherein said addressable display assembly is responsive to said output signals generated by said programmed processor, to display the determined graphical indicia; and

wherein said antenna layer and said integrated circuit layer are arranged and stacked together behind and within the spatial extent of said addressable display assembly so as to form said remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label having a stacked-layer construction.

2. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein each said remote activator receives electromagnetic data signals from said antenna layer, carrying a variety of information, and including the status of the graphical indicia displayed by said electronic-ink based display label.

3. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said signal transmitting structure and said signal receiving structure are realized as a signal transceiving structure.

4. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said addressable display assembly further comprises a protection layer disposed over said layer of electronic ink in order to prevent said addressable display assembly from inadvertent physical trauma or environmental damage.

5. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said activation layer comprises an electronic activation grid layer, disposed on a support structure, to form a plurality of addressable pixel locations, wherein each said addressable pixel location is addressable by said programmed processor.

6. The electronic-ink based display label of claim 5, wherein said programmed processor controls each pixel location in said activation grid layer to form at least one of human and machine readable graphical indicia within said layer of electronic ink.

7. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 5, wherein said electronic ink comprises an arrangement of microcapsules disposed between said transparent electrode layer and said activation layer, and wherein each said microcapsule has disposed therein an electro-phoretic composition of a fluid, and a suspension of colored or charged particles or colloidal material.

8. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 7, wherein said fluid comprises a dielectric or emulsion fluid.

9. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 7, wherein said microcapsules filled with electrically-charged white colored particles suspended in a black or colored dye.

10. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 5, wherein the graphical indicia displayed by said addressable display assembly comprises at least one of textual and graphic information.

11. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said graphical indicia is displayed on the surface of said addressable display assembly, in human or machine readable form.

12. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein each said remote activator module employs a processor arranged with a receiver, a transmitter, and an antenna device.

13. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said receiver and said transmitter in said remote activator module are combined into a single transceiver device for both sending and receiving electromagnetic signals.

14. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein each said remote activator module is configured to transmit or receive, by way of electromagnetic signal transmission, commands, instructions, software programs, and parameters or variables associated with either (i) pixel address locations of said addressable display assembly, (ii) the graphical indicia displayed on the surface of said addressable display assembly, or (iii) instructions for subsequent use by said remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label.

15. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said antenna layer transmits electromagnetic signals from said addressable display assembly to said activator module, wherein said transmitted electromagnetic signal carries information or data associated with the status of the graphical indicia displayed by said addressable display assembly, or the status or operating condition of said remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label.

16. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said programmed processor communicates with said storage element in order to store data associated with programs, instructions or stored pixel addresses in said storage element, and access selected data therefrom for use in determining the particular graphical indicia displayed by said addressable display assembly.

17. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said storage element comprises a volatile or non-volatile memory element, or combinations thereof, such as RAM, ROM, EPROM, or EEPROM.

18. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said programmed processor executes one or more preprogrammed sequences stored locally within said storage element, for determining which graphical indicia is displayed by said addressable display assembly, for generating output signals to activate said layer of electronic ink to display said graphical indicia based on said executed preprogrammed sequences.

19. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said programmed processor processes instructions received by said at least one remote activator module, to generate output signals to activate said layer of electronic ink to display said graphical indicia based on processed instructions.

20. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label of claim 1, wherein said transmitted and received electromagnetic signals are radio frequency (RF) based electromagnetic signals transmitted and received between said remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display label and said at least one remote activator module.

21. The remotely-alterable electronic-ink based display device of claim 1, in combination with said at least one remote activator module, to provide a remotely-controllable electronic-ink based display system.