Electronic display with patterned layer
First Claim
1. An electronic display comprising:
- electrically conductive layers;
at least one active layer disposed between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said active layer including cholesteric liquid crystal material that reflects color light;
a front transparent substrate behind which said electrically conductive layers are disposed;
a back component disposed at a back of the display below said active layer;
at least one patterned layer including a printed color ink disposed at at least one of the following locations;
on or near said front substrate, as an outer layer of a front of said display and as an interlayer between said front substrate and said back component, said printed color ink being semitransparent; and
electronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said active layer,wherein said reflected color light of said active layer mixes with said printed color ink of the at least one said patterned layer to produce a color image on said display.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic display includes electrically conductive layers. At least one active layer is disposed between adjacent electrically conductive layers. The active layer includes cholesteric liquid crystal material. The display includes a front transparent substrate behind which the electrically conductive layers are disposed. A back component is disposed at a back of the display below the active layer. At least one patterned layer is disposed at at least one of the following locations: on, in or near the front substrate and as an interlayer between the front substrate and the back component. The patterned layer is opaque or semitransparent. Electronic circuitry applies a voltage to the conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of the active layer. The active layer and the patterned layer cooperate to produce an image on the display.
111 Citations
37 Claims
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1. An electronic display comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; at least one active layer disposed between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said active layer including cholesteric liquid crystal material that reflects color light; a front transparent substrate behind which said electrically conductive layers are disposed; a back component disposed at a back of the display below said active layer; at least one patterned layer including a printed color ink disposed at at least one of the following locations;
on or near said front substrate, as an outer layer of a front of said display and as an interlayer between said front substrate and said back component, said printed color ink being semitransparent; andelectronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said active layer, wherein said reflected color light of said active layer mixes with said printed color ink of the at least one said patterned layer to produce a color image on said display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electronic display comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; at least one active layer disposed between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said active layer including cholesteric liquid crystal material; a front transparent substrate behind which said electrically conductive layers are disposed; a back component disposed at a back of the display below said active layer; at least one patterned layer disposed at at least one of the following locations;
on or near said front substrate, as an outer layer of a front of said display and as an interlayer between said front substrate and said back component, said patterned layer being opaque or semitransparent; andelectronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said active layer, including a back substrate at a back of the display below said active layer, wherein said back component includes a back pattern disposed behind said back substrate, said electrically conductive layers being disposed between said front substrate and said back substrate, wherein said back substrate is transparent or semitransparent and said patterned layer, said active layer and said back pattern form the image on the display, wherein said back pattern is removable and is selected from the group consisting of a template of a sports field, court or arena, a pattern for a children'"'"'s game, an image for children to color, notepad lines, graph paper lines, or a menu of items that one can choose from.
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16. A writing tablet comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; at least one liquid crystal writing layer disposed in a gap between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said liquid crystal writing layer including bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material; a front substrate comprised of flexible transparent material, said electrically conductive layers being disposed behind said front substrate; a back component disposed at a back of said writing tablet below said liquid crystal writing layer; wherein said liquid crystal writing layer is adapted to enable writing pressure applied to said front substrate to reduce a thickness of said gap to form a reduced gap region in which the liquid crystal is light reflecting so as to reflect color light or is essentially transparent, a texture of said liquid crystal being unchanged in a non-reduced gap region, thereby forming a written line composed of said color light reflected from said liquid crystal writing layer; at least one patterned layer including a printed color ink disposed at at least one of the following locations;
on or near said front substrate, as an outer layer of a front of said writing tablet and as an interlayer between said front substrate and said back component, said patterned layer being opaque or semitransparent; andelectronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said liquid crystal writing layer; wherein said written line composed of said color light reflected from said liquid crystal writing layer mixes with said printed color ink of the at least one said patterned layer to produce a color image on said writing tablet. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A writing tablet comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; at least one active layer disposed in a gap between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said active layer including bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material; a front substrate comprised of flexible transparent material forming a writing surface, said electrically conductive layers being disposed behind said front substrate; a back component disposed at a back of the display below said active layer; wherein said active layer is adapted to enable writing pressure applied to said writing surface to reduce a thickness of said gap to form a reduced gap region in which the liquid crystal is light reflecting so as to reflect light of a color or is essentially transparent, a texture of said liquid crystal being unchanged in a non-reduced gap region; at least one patterned layer disposed at at least one of the following locations;
on or near said front substrate, as an outer layer of a front of said writing tablet and as an interlayer between said front substrate and said back component, said patterned layer being opaque or semitransparent; andelectronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said active layer; including a back substrate at a back of the writing tablet below said active layer, wherein said back component includes a back pattern disposed behind said back substrate, said electrically conductive layers being disposed between said front substrate and said back substrate, wherein said back substrate is transparent or semitransparent and said patterned layer, said active layer and said back pattern form the image on the display, wherein said back pattern is removable and is selected from the group consisting of a template of a sports field, court or arena, a pattern for a children'"'"'s game, an image for children to color, notepad lines, graph paper lines, or a menu of items that one can choose from.
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32. A multicolor writing tablet comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; at least two liquid crystal writing layers stacked over each other each disposed in a gap between adjacent said conductive layers, said liquid crystal writing layers including bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material; a front substrate of flexible transparent material; a back component disposed at a back of the display below said liquid crystal writing layers; wherein said liquid crystal writing layers are adapted to enable writing pressure applied to said front substrate to reduce thickness of said gaps to form reduced gap regions; at least one patterned layer disposed at at least one of the following locations;
on or near said front substrate, as an outer layer of a front of said writing tablet, and between said front substrate and said back component, said patterned layer being opaque or semitransparent;electronic circuitry for applying erasing and writing voltages to said conductive layers for each of said liquid crystal writing layers; wherein said erasing voltage enables said liquid crystal of each of said liquid crystal writing layers to be placed in a light reflecting texture so as to reflect color light or enables said liquid crystal of each of said liquid crystal writing layers to be placed in an essentially transparent focal conic texture; and wherein said writing voltage enables writing in a color that is selected from any of said liquid crystal writing layers by applying said writing voltage to said conductive layers for a non-selected said liquid crystal writing layer while applying said writing pressure to said front substrate, enabling said reduced gap region of said non-selected said liquid crystal writing layer to be in said substantially transparent focal conic texture and by not applying said writing voltage to said conductive layers for said selected liquid crystal writing layer while applying said writing pressure to said front substrate, enabling said reduced gap region of said selected liquid crystal writing layer to reflect said color of said selected liquid crystal writing layer, thereby forming a written line composed of said color light reflected from said selected liquid crystal writing layer; wherein said written line composed of said color light reflected from said selected liquid crystal writing layer mixes with the at least one said patterned layer to produce a color image on said writing tablet.
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33. A writing tablet comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; only a single liquid crystal writing layer in said writing tablet, said liquid crystal writing layer being disposed in a gap between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said liquid crystal writing layer including bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material; a front substrate comprised of flexible transparent material, said electrically conductive layers being disposed behind said front substrate; a back component disposed at a back of the writing tablet below said liquid crystal writing layer; wherein said liquid crystal writing layer is adapted to enable writing pressure applied to said front substrate to reduce a thickness of said gap to form a reduced gap region in which the liquid crystal is light reflecting so as to reflect color light or is essentially transparent, a texture of said liquid crystal being unchanged in a non-reduced gap region, thereby forming a written line composed of said color light reflected from said liquid crystal writing layer; at least one patterned layer including printed color ink and being located in front of said back component, said printed color ink being semitransparent; and electronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said written line; wherein said written line composed of said color light reflected from said liquid crystal writing layer mixes with said printed color ink of the at least one said patterned layer to produce a color image on said writing tablet. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
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36. A writing tablet comprising:
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electrically conductive layers; a liquid crystal writing layer in said writing tablet, said liquid crystal writing layer being disposed in a gap between adjacent said electrically conductive layers, said liquid crystal writing layer including bistable cholesteric liquid crystal material; a front substrate comprised of flexible transparent material, said electrically conductive layers being disposed behind said front substrate; a back component disposed at a back of the writing tablet below said liquid crystal writing layer; wherein said liquid crystal writing layer is adapted to enable writing pressure applied to said front substrate to reduce a thickness of said gap to form a reduced gap region in which the liquid crystal is light reflecting so as to reflect light or is essentially transparent, a texture of said liquid crystal being unchanged in a non-reduced gap region, thereby forming a written line composed of said light reflected from said liquid crystal writing layer; at least one patterned layer including printed ink and being located as an outer layer of said writing tablet, said printed ink being semitransparent; and electronic circuitry for applying a voltage to said conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of said written line; wherein said written line composed of said light reflected from said liquid crystal writing layer mixes with said printed ink of the at least one said patterned layer to produce an image on said writing tablet. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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Specification