Liquid crystal display and battery label including a liquid crystal display

• US 6,307,605 B1
• Filed: 01/26/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Energizer Brands, LLC (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Eveready Battery Company Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bailey, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dudek, James A.
• Application Number:
  US09/491,127
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 349/74, 349/171, 349/172, 349/86, 349/84
• US Class Current: 349/84
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A liquid crystal display of the present invention includes a first electrode provided on a substrate, a first liquid crystal layer provided on and in contact with the first electrode, a second electrode provided on and in contact with the first liquid crystal layer, a second liquid crystal layer provided on and in contact with the second electrode, and a third electrode provided on and in contact with the second liquid crystal layer. The display may further include a third liquid crystal layer provided on and in contact with the third electrode, and a fourth electrode provided on and in contact with a third liquid crystal layer. By reducing the thickness of the liquid crystal layers relative to a conventional liquid crystal display, and by providing a plurality of liquid crystal layers, the voltage level required to cause the liquid crystal display to change visual states is substantially reduced without affecting the degree of visual change exhibited by the liquid crystal display. Preferably, at least one of the electrodes is formed of a transparent processable conductive polymer, which is much less expensive than the conventional tin-doped indium oxide materials typically used to form a transparent electrode. The liquid crystal display of the present invention is preferably incorporated in a battery label to display information pertaining to the battery, such as the discharge level of the battery.

Claims

1. A battery label comprising:

a label substrate for covering an outer portion of a battery; and

a liquid crystal display provided on said label substrate for displaying information pertaining to the battery, said liquid crystal display including;

a first electrode disposed on said label substrate;

a liquid crystal layer disposed on said first electrode; and

a second electrode disposed on said liquid crystal layer,

wherein said second electrode is made of a transparent processable conductive polymer.

2. The battery label as defined in claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal layer is made of a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material.

3. The battery label as defined in claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal layer is made of a polymer liquid crystal material.

4. The battery label as defined in claim 1, wherein said transparent processable conductive polymer includes polyaniline.

5. The battery label as defined in claim 1, wherein said transparent processable conductive polymer includes dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid doped polyaniline in toluene.