Display apparatus including a transparent electronic monitor

• US 9,946,335 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2016
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Iontank, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Iontank, Ltd.
• Inventors: Streibig, Stephen, de la Cretaz, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Jeffery
• Application Number:
  US15/168,843
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 348143
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/03 Housing for domestic or laboratory animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/031 Cages for laboratory animals; Cages for measuring metabolism of animals
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 2227/10 Mammal
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 2227/30 Bird
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 2227/40 Fish
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 2227/706 Insects, e.g. Drosophila melanogaster, medfly
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 31/06 Cages , e.g. for singing birds for poultry A01K31/002
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/003 Aquaria; Terraria A01K63/04, A01K63/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/006 Accessories for aquaria or terraria
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 67/033 Rearing or breeding invertebrates; New breeds of invertebrates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13471 in which all the liquid crystal cells or layers remain transparent, e.g. FLC, ECB, DAP, HAN, TN, STN, SBE-LC cells G02F1/13475 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/137 characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 : Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 : Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/005 : Signs associated with a sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 : being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 : Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/66 : Transforming electric information into light information scanning details H04N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/002 : Special television systems not provided for by H04N7/007 - H04N7/18 still pictures via a television channel H04N1/00098

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a transparent electronic display such as a non-backlit LCD screen, a display area disposed behind the transparent electronic display, and a light source for illuminating the display area. When the light source is activated, the pixels of the LCD screen, and objects behind the screen, become visible. Various examples of the display apparatus include additional enhancements to the visual image and/or functionality. These enhancements include additional monitors for coordinated displays, user-controlled turntables with coordinated informational displays, parallax compensation, RFID sensors for identifying objects to be displayed, and switchable liquid crystal films and/or polarized mirror coatings to further control revealing and concealing of objects behind the screen. Some examples of the display apparatus may include an animal habitat. The animal habitat may be selectively revealed or concealed. The display apparatus may incorporate screen displays with animal movements for unique visual effects.

Claims

1. An animal habitat, comprising:

an enclosure having a floor, a pair of sides, a back, and a substantially transparent front;

a non-backlit video display screen disposed at the front of the display case;

a switchable LCD film disposed on a back surface of the non-backlit video display;

means for selectively supplying power to the switchable LCD film;

a central processing unit operatively connected to the non-backlit video display;

at least one peripheral device that is structured to provide care for animals within the animal habitat, the at least one peripheral device being operatively connected to the central processing unit; and

means for interacting with the non-backlit video display screen or the central processing unit to control the at least one peripheral device.

2. The animal habitat according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying status information for the peripheral device on the non-backlit video display.

3. The animal habitat according to claim 1, wherein the means for interacting with the non-backlit video display screen are selected from the group consisting of the non-backlit video display being a touch screen, a gesture sensor operatively connected to the central processing unit, a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch pad.

4. The animal habitat according to claim 1, wherein the at least one peripheral device is selected from the group consisting of a heating system, a feeding system, and a filtering system.

5. An animal habitat, comprising:

an enclosure having a floor, a pair of sides, a back, and a substantially transparent front;

a non-backlit video display screen disposed at the front of the display case;

a sensor structured to track movements of aminals within the enclosure;

a central processing unit that is structured to cause the non-backlit video display to display indicia that changes in response to the movements of animals within the enclosure.

6. The animal habitat according to claim 5, wherein the indicia displayed on the non-backlit video display moves in response to the movements of animals within the enclosure.

7. The animal habitat according to claim 6, wherein movement of the indicia displayed on the non-backlit video display tracks movement of animals within the animal habitat.

8. The animal habitat according to claim 6, further comprising:

a camera or sensor structured to detect a position of a viewer; and

a central processing unit structured to move indicia displayed on the non-backlit video display in response to the position of the viewer.

9. The animal habitat according to claim 8, wherein the central processing unit is structured to respond to a presence of more than one viewer.

10. The animal habitat according to claim 9, wherein the central processing unit is structured to cease moving the indicia if more than one viewer is present.

11. The animal habitat according to claim 9, wherein the central processing unit is structured to designate a primary viewer, to move the indicia in response to movements of the primary viewer, and to ignore positions and movements of other viewers.

12. The animal habitat according to claim 9, wherein the central processing unit is structured to calculate an average viewer position and to move the indicia in response to the average viewer position.

13. A method of displaying an object, comprising:

providing a display case, the display case having;

a non-backlit video display screen forming a front of the display case;

a light source within the display case;

a switchable LCD film disposed on a back surface of the non-backlit video display; and

means for selectively supplying power to the switchable LCD film; and

selectively applying and removing power to the switchable LCD;

whereby viewing of the object through the non-backlit video display, as well as reading indicia displayed on the video display screen, are possible when the light source is lit and the switchable LCD film has power applied, and viewing indicia displayed on the video display screen, but not viewing the object through the display screen, are possible when no power is applied to the switchable LCD film.