Information display having separate and detachable units

• US 8,421,744 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Koyama, Fumio, Kodama, Yoshiyuki, Tanaka, Dai
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, III, Robert E
• Application Number:
  US12/420,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20090195496A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 345/107, 345/204, 178/18.07, 178/19.03
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/34 by control of light from an independent source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

An information display has an information carrier including a storable display panel separate from a processing unit including a battery, and where there is a need to perform a process such as updating or manipulating information displayed on the display panel, it is possible to perform a desired process by connecting the processing unit to the information carrier.

Claims

1. An information display system comprising:

an information display unit which includes a memorable display;

a processing unit, which instructs rewriting of display contents to the information display unit, which is separately provided from the information display unit, and which is capable of supplying power to the information display unit by electromagnetic connection to the information display unit; and

a power supply unit which supplies is adapted to supply the power to the information display unit and inputs instruction information from the processing unit,

wherein the information display unit includes a storage section for nonvolatilly holding intermediate format data and static data that is data representing a state of processing including a page number currently in process obtainable during generation of display data from document data, the intermediate format data being generated by performing a layout process on the document data to be broken down into draw elements,

wherein the processing unit comprises an analysis and shaping section and a drawing processing section,

wherein the analysis and shaping section performs the layout process on the document data for screen display and stores the processed document data in the storage section of the information display unit, as the intermediate format data, and the drawing processing section rasterizes the draw elements included in the intermediate format data stored in the storage section of the information display unit to display draw data on the information display unit,

wherein the document data, the intermediate data, and the static data are not stored in the processing unit,

wherein the document data, the intermediate data, and the static data are stored in the information display unit, and

wherein when the processing unit is re-connected to the information display unit after the processing unit is separated from the information display unit and the supply of the power from the processing unit is stopped, the processing unit checks the static data stored in the storage section and continues a display process of the document data from a time when the supply of the power is stopped.

2. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein while rewriting the display contents of the information display unit, the power is supplied from the power supply unit to the information display unit.

3. The information display system according to claim 2,

wherein the information display unit has a first connection section, the power supply unit has a second connection section, and the first connection section and the second connection section are electromagnetically connectable each other.

4. The information display system according to claim 3,

wherein the first connection section has a first coil that inputs and outputs the instruction information and a second coil that inputs the power, the second connection section has a third coil that inputs and outputs the instruction information and a fourth coil that outputs the power, and the first coil and the third coil are electromagnetically connectable each other and the second coil and the fourth coil are electromagnetically connectable each other.

5. The information display system according to claim 1,

wherein the processing unit is a pen-shaped operating instrument.

6. The information display system according to claim 3,

wherein the power supply unit has multiple second connection sections for connecting to multiple information display units.