Indexing writehead for bistable media

• US 8,102,362 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2005
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Capurso, Robert G., Johnson, David M., Maiola, Domenic, Ricks, Theodore K.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, MY CHAU T
• Application Number:
  US11/047,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20060170981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,548 Days
• Field of Search: 345/84, 345/85, 345/86, 345/87, 345/105, 345/106, 345/107, 345/156, 345/901
• US Class Current: 345/105
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4076 printing on rewritable, bistable "electronic paper" by a focused electric or magnetic field

Abstract

A system and method for writing bistable media with a writehead is described. The media has two or more discrete write areas, each area defined by at least one electrical contact, and the media further has at least one alignment feature positioned with regard to one or more discrete write area. The writehead has corresponding alignment features and electrical conductors to the alignment features and electrical contacts of the media.

Claims

1. A system for writing a bistable media, the system comprising:

the bistable media, including;

a substrate;

two or more discrete write areas on the substrate, each write area comprising first and second conductors and a bistable material layer interposed therebetween, the second conductor of each write area having been patterned into a plurality of contacts so as to form a plurality of individual electrical areas, the bistable material layer being selectively operable in a transmissive mode or a reflective mode; and

at least one media alignment feature on the substrate, the at least one media alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions, switches or jumper wires, the at least one media alignment feature being arranged in a spatial relation to the two or more discrete write areas; and

one or more writeheads movable relative to the bistable media, each writehead being configured to interact with the two or more discrete write areas and comprising;

one or more electrodes that, for each write area, are configured to contact the contacts of the second conductor and provide power to the first conductor and selective ones of the contacts of the second conductor so as to form an electric field therebetween, and

a writehead alignment feature configured to interact with the at least one media alignment feature to align the electrodes of the writehead with the bistable media, the writehead alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions or conductive leads.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for moving the one or more writeheads and the bistable media in relation to one another.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mechanism comprises at least one of traction feed, manual feed, a push bar, or a combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the mechanism provides intermittent relative motion of the media and the one or more writeheads.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein each writehead further comprises the mechanism to move the writehead and the bistable media in relation to each other.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the mechanism comprises the writehead alignment feature.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrodes of each writehead comprise a flex conductor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first conductor of each write area is also patterned, the first and second conductors of each write area being patterned into an array of electrically isolated lines.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an optical scanner.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises one or more protrusions, and the other of the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises at least one of one or more perforations or indentations.

10. A system for writing a bistable media, the system comprises:

the bistable media, the bistable media including;

a substrate;

two or more discrete write areas on the substrate, each write area comprising first conductor and second conductors and a bistable material layer interposed therebetween, the second conductor of each write area having been patterned into a plurality of contacts so as to form a plurality of individual electrical areas, the bistable material layer being selectively operable in a transmissive mode or a reflective mode;

at least one media alignment feature on the substrate, the at least one media alignment feature comprising at least one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions, switches or jumper wires, the at least one media alignment feature being arranged in a spatial relation to the two or more discrete write areas; and

two or more writeheads movable relative to the bistable media, each writehead being configured to interact with the two or more discrete write areas and comprising;

one or more electrodes that, for each write area, are configured to contact the contacts of the second conductor and provide power to the first conductor and selective ones of the contacts of the second conductor so as to form an electric field therebetween, and

a writehead alignment feature configured to interact with the at least one media alignment feature to align the electrodes of the writehead with the bistable media, the writehead alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions or conductive leads.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises one or more protrusions, and the other of the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises at least one of one or more perforations or indentations.

11. A method of writing a bistable media one portion at a time, the bistable media comprising a substrate;

two or more discrete write areas on the substrate, each write area comprising first and second conductors and a bistable material layer interposed therebetween, the second conductor of each write area having been patterned into a plurality of contacts so as to form a plurality of individual electrical areas, the bistable material layer being selectively operable in a transmissive mode or a reflective mode; and

at least one media alignment feature on the substrate, the at least one media alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions, switches or jumper wires, the at least one media alignment feature being arranged in a spatial relation to the two or more discrete write areas, the method comprising;

contacting the bistable media with a writehead movable relative to the bistable media, the writehead configured to interact with the two or more discrete write areas and comprising;

one or more electrodes that, for each write area, are configured to contact the contacts of the second conductor with the electrodes, the electrodes being configured to provide power to the first conductor and selective ones of the contacts of the second conductor so as to form an electric field therebetween, and a writehead alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions or conductive leads;

interacting the at least one media alignment feature with the writehead alignment feature to align the one or more electrodes of the writehead with the bistable media; and

moving the bistable media and the writehead relative to each other.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising writing to the two or more discrete write areas.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving the media and the writehead relative to each other and simultaneously writing to the two or more discrete write areas.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising repeating the steps of interacting the at least one media alignment feature with the writehead alignment feature and moving the media and the writehead relative to each other.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising optically scanning the bistable media.

17. The method of claim 11 further comprising writing to a display, wherein the display comprising the bistable media.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises one or more protrusions, and the other of the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises at least one of one or more perforations or indentations.

16. A method of writing a bistable media one portion at a time, the bistable media comprising a substrate;

two or more discrete write areas on the substrate, each write area comprising first and second conductors and a bistable material layer interposed therebetween, the second conductor of each write area having been patterned into a plurality of contacts so as to form a plurality of individual electrical areas, the bistable material layer being selectively operable in a transmissive mode or a reflective mode; and

at least one media alignment feature on the substrate, the at least one media alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions, switches or jumper wires, the at least one media alignment feature being arranged in a spatial relation to the two or more discrete write areas, the method comprising;

interacting the media alignment feature with a writehead alignment feature of a writehead movable relative to the bistable media and including one or more electrodes that, for each write area, are configured to provide power to the first conductor and selective ones of the contacts of the second conductor so as to form an electric field therebetween, the media alignment feature configured to interact with the writehead alignment feature to align the writehead with the bistable media, the writehead alignment feature comprising at least one of one or more perforations, indentations, protrusions or conductive leads; and

moving the writehead and the bistable media relative to one another.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises one or more protrusions, and the other of the at least one media alignment feature or writehead alignment feature comprises at least one of one or more perforations or indentations.