Applications for electronic reusable paper

• US 6,573,880 B1
• Filed: 11/16/1999
• Issued: 06/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Preas, Bryan T., Simoni, Helen Davis
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kovalick, Vincent E.
• Application Number:
  US09/440,675
• Time in Patent Office: 1,295 Days
• Field of Search: 315/169.3, 313/498, 345/87, 345/107, 340/571, 340/781, 340/815.4, 395/480, 381/24, 455/566, 701/1
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/007 Displays with power supply provided by solar cells or photocells
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field

Abstract

A system for displaying information which comprises a substrate and a conformable display media and control logic associated with the substrate. The display media has an input for receiving display information and the control logic provides display information to the display media through the display media input. The system may also contain other elements which interact with the control logic and the display media such as sensors, speakers, buttons, lights and a interface for communicating with the control circuitry.

Claims

1. A system for displaying information comprising:

a) a substrate having a substrate display surface with information thereon,

b) a conformable display media removeably affixed to said substrate, said conformable display media having an input for receiving display information and a display media display surface, said display media being so constructed and arranged with said substrate such that at least a portion of the substrate display surface and at least a portion of the display media display surface are visible to a viewer situated to view the system, and

c) control logic so constructed and arranged to provide display information to said display media through the display media input wherein said control logic is associated with said substrate.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the control logic further comprises a power source.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the power source comprises an ambient energy receiver.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the ambient energy receiver comprises at least one solar cell.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the power source comprises at least one battery.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising means to connect to a power source.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the conformable display media comprises gyricon display media.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the conformable display media comprises electrophoretic display media.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the display media is removeably affixed to the substrate by using at least one of:

adhesive, velcro, hook, snap, button, zipper, screw, bolt, clamp, clip or an at least partially transparent pocket.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is removeably affixed to the substrate.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the control circuitry is removeably affixed to the substrate by using at least one of:

adhesive, velcro, hook, snap, screw, button, zipper, bolt, clamp, clip or a pocket.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is permanently affixed to the substrate.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the control circuitry is permanently affixed to the substrate using at least one of:

adhesive, or rivet.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is at least partially embedded in the substrate.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises two or more layers and the control circuitry is at least partially interposed between two of the layers.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising a speaker element so constructed and arranged to receive speaker information from the control circuitry and to respond to said speaker information.

17. The system of claim 1 further comprising a sensing element so constructed and arrange to provide sensing information to the control circuitry and said control circuitry is so constructed and arranged to receive said sensing information.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the sensing element can sense at least one of light, motion, temperature, sound or pressure.

19. The system of claim 1 further comprising a selection element so constructed and arranged to provide selection information to said control circuitry wherein said control circuitry is so constructed and arranged to receive and respond to said selection information.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the selection element comprises at least one selection button.

21. The system of claim 1 further comprising a light element so constructed and arranged to receive light information from the control circuitry and respond to said light information.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the light element comprises at least one of an LED, incandescent light or fluorescent light.

23. The system of claim 1 further comprising a communication element for communicating with said control circuitry.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the communication element is a network interface element.

25. The system of claim 23 wherein the communication element is chosen from at least one of a plug, IR or RF connector.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is rigid.

27. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is flexible.

28. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is planar.

29. The system of claim 1 wherein the substrate is non-planar.

30. A system for displaying information comprising:

a) a substrate having a substrate display surface with information thereon,

b) a conformable display media associated with said substrate, said conformable display media having an Input for receiving display information and a display media display surface, said display media being so constructed and arranged with said substrate such that at least a portion of the substrate display surface and at least a portion of the display media display surface are visible to a viewer situated to view the system, and

c) control logic so constructed and arranged to provide display information to said display media through the display media input wherein said control logic is removeably affixed to said substrate.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the control logic further comprises a power source.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the power source comprises an ambient energy receiver.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein the ambient energy receiver comprises at least one solar cell.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein the power source comprises at least one battery.

35. The system of claim 30 further comprising means to connect to a power source.

36. The system of claim 30 wherein the conformable display media comprises gyricon display media.

37. The system of claim 30 wherein the conformable display media comprises electrophoretic display media.

38. The system of claim 30 wherein the display media is removeably affixed to the substrate.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the display media is removeably affixed to the substrate by using at least one of:

adhesive, velcro, hook, snap, button, zipper, screw, bolt, clamp, clip or an at least partially transparent pocket.

40. The system of claim 30 wherein the display media is permanently affixed to the substrate.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the display media is permanently affixed to the substrate using at least one of:

adhesive or rivet.

42. The system of claim 30 wherein the display media is at least partially embedded in the substrate.

43. The system of claim 30 wherein the substrate comprises two or more layers and the display media is at least partially interposed between two of the layers.

44. The system of claim 30 wherein the control circuitry is removeably affixed to the substrate by using at least one of:

adhesive, velcro, hook, snap, screw, button, zipper, bolt, clamp, clip or a pocket.

45. The system of claim 30 further comprising a speaker element so constructed and arranged to receive speaker information from the control circuitry and to respond to said speaker information.

46. The system of claim 30 further comprising a sensing element so constructed and arrange to provide sensing information to the control circuitry and said control circuitry is so constructed and arranged to receive said sensing information.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein the sensing element can sense at least one of light, motion, temperature, sound or pressure.

48. The system of claim 30 further comprising a selection element so constructed and arranged to provide selection information to said control circuitry wherein said control circuitry is so constructed and arranged to receive and respond to said selection information.

49. The system of claim 48 wherein the selection element comprises at least one selection button.

50. The system of claim 30 further comprising a light element so constructed and arranged to receive light information from the control circuitry and respond to said light information.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the light element comprises at least one of an LED, incandescent light or fluorescent light.

52. The system of claim 30 further comprising a communication element for communicating with said control circuitry.

53. The system of claim 52 wherein the communication element is a network interface element.

54. The system of claim 52 wherein the communication element is chosen from at least one of a plug, IR or RF connector.

55. The system of claim 30 wherein the substrate is rigid.

56. The system of claim 30 wherein the substrate is flexible.

57. The system of claim 30 wherein the substrate is planar.

58. The system of claim 30 wherein the substrate is non-planar.