Device for placement in front of a display device

• US 8,686,984 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Hummel, Helga, Wendt, Matthias, Loebl, Hans-Peter, Goldmann, Claudia Michaela
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US13/257,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20120044233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 345 30- 49, 345 50- 54, 345 87-104, 345204-214, 359267-274
• US Class Current: 345/211
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1603 Arrangements to protect the display from incident light, e.g. hoods
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/335 being organic light emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/65 Holding-devices for protective discs or for picture masks

Abstract

A system related to the improvement of the design of display device screens during the off or stand-by state is provided. The system comprises a display device and a device connected to the display device, wherein the device comprises a material having a switchable optical configuration. The display device may e.g. by a TV screen, or any other display such as computer monitors.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a display device being configured to operate in an on state, off state or stand-by state,

a device connected to the display device, said device comprising a material having a switchable optical configuration, by means of at least one changeable optical characteristic, and

an optical detector configured to detect the operating state of the display device and send a control signal to a control unit when said off-state or stand-by state is detected on the display device;

the control unit configured to control the optical characteristic of the device based on the control signal received from the optical detector, wherein said device is a electrochromic device, a gasochromic device, or a Transparent Organic Light Emitting Diode (TOLED) device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the optical characteristic is transparency, and said control unit is configured to control the transparency of said device based on the operation state of the display device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said control unit is configured to apply a voltage over said device, based on the operation state of the display device.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said electrochromic or gasochromic device is a switchable mirror having a transparent mode, and a non-transparent mode controllable by the control unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device has essentially the same size as the size of the display device screen.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is mounted into a frame.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device is directly mounted onto the display device screen.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the TOLED device comprises a single layered or multi layered film of organic compounds.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a shielding layer provided onto the display device screen, and wherein said shielding layer additionally constitutes an electrode for said device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the electrode is an Indium Tin Oxide electrode.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said TOLED device comprises a first and second electrode having different transparency.