International Business Machines Corporation

Screen Technology Limited

Shearline Precision Engineering Limited

Anthony Cyril Lowe

John S Beeteson

Andrew Ramsay Knox

Donald J Barclay

John C Wood

Mark Whitney Hart

Sally Ann Swanson

Colin Leonard Bird

David H Martin

Paul Andrew Bayley

John Ulrich Knickerbocker

Robert Dennis Miller

Stephen McConnell Gates

Gareth Geoffrey Hougham

Uwe Paul Schroeder

Robert J Twieg

Joseph Grover Gordon, Ii

Do Yeung Yoon

Allen Ronald Cox

Christopher Carlo Pietrzak

Steven W Depp

Ian Golledge

Bardia Pezeshki

David H Kirkman

Glenn Allen Held

Barry F Dowden

Niall Anthony Gallen

Joseph G Gordon, Ll

Ali Afzali-Arkadani

Robert Luke Wisnieff

An image display comprises: a display device having an image output surface at which an image is displayed as a spaced array of pixel elements; an image guide () coupled to the image output surface of the display device and comprising a plurality of light transmission guides () each having an input end and an output end, the input ends of the light transmission guides being arranged relative to one another so that groups of one or more light transmission guides receive light from respective groups of one or for a cluster comprising at least a subset of the light transmission guides (): at the outer periphery of the cluster, the input ends of the light transmission guides are constrained against expansion by a frame formed of a material having thermal expansion properties which are substantially similar to the thermal expansion properties of the image output surface.

Image display device

An image display comprises an image display device for generating a viewable image; and an optical angular selector (290) for selecting an angular range of light to form the viewable image, the optical angular selector having an array of substantially parallel light transmission guides (260) each comprising a light-guiding region (270) to promote propagation of light incident upon the light-guiding region within a range of angles of incidence by refraction and/or total internal reflection and an absorbing material (310) peripherally arranged with respect to the light-guiding region to absorb light incident upon the light-guiding region outside the range of angles of incidence.

Display

A combination of a relatively low backscatter diffuser with a specularly reflective or weakly scattering transducer to achieve the required front of screen properties for a paper-like display. The diffuser, which may be of the volume or surface relief type, in enclosed in the display cell. The transducer may be any one of several electro-optically active materials such as a liquid crystal, electrochromic or electrophoretic types.

Enhanced light-scattering display

An improved orientation system includes a lens pre-distorting an image generated by imaging apparatus such that a non-linearity, the degree of which is dependent on the off-axis distance of an imaged object, is generated so as to increase the strength of a signal indicating said non-linearity.

Orientation determination

A matrix addressed display device having a cathode means and grid electrode means comprising an orthogonal array of parallel row conductors and parallel column conductors in which means are providing for selectively applying cut-off and gain correction information to the row conductors and the column conductors. The cut-off and gain correction information may be applied so as to affect all of the display area equally and correct for warm up drift, or it may be applied so as to correct for the effect of a discrete number of hot cathode filaments being used or it may be applied on a pixel by pixel basis.

Active correction technique for a magnetic matrix display

A reflective color electrophoretic display intended to be viewed while illuminated from the front window by ambient light and to operate without the need of a backlight has a plurality of laterally adjacent picture elements or pixels. Each pixel is comprised of two or more subpixels, or cells, which are vertically stacked, one directly above the other on the horizontal surface of a reflective panel located at the rear or bottom of the stacks. The cells contain a light-transmissive fluid and charged pigment particles that can absorb a portion of the visible spectrum, with each cell in a stack containing particles having a color different from the colors of the particles in the other cells in the stack.

Reflective electrophoretic display with stacked color cells

A transmissive color electrophoretic display incorporated with a backlight, has a plurality of laterally adjacent picture elements or pixels. Each pixel is comprised of two or more subpixels, or cells, which are vertically stacked, one directly above the other on the horizontal surface of a reflective panel located at the rear or bottom of the stacks. The cells contain a light-transmissive fluid and charged pigment particles that can absorb a portion of the visible spectrum, with each cell in a stack containing particles having a color different from the colors of the particles in the other cells in the stack.

Transmissive electrophoretic display with stacked color cells

The present invention relates to a light-modulating composition comprising a low molecular weight liquid crystalline material dispersed in a polymer including a non-mesogenic crosslinking monomer reacted with a mesogenic monomer comprising a mesogenic group, a spacer, and one or more reactive functionality.

Liquid crystalline light-modulating device

A bistable liquid crystal display cell comprises at least two compartments separated by thin transparent membranes. A first compartment contains a first liquid crystal mixture between a first substrate and a thin transparent membrane. A second compartment contains a second liquid crystal mixture between a second substrate and a thin transparent membrane. The mixtures have a first alignment in which they are both aligned parallel to the plane of the display cell, but orthogonal to each other, and a second alignment in which they are both aligned normal to the plane of the display cell. Each compartment has a grating located on a surface of the compartment.

High reflectivity bistable liquid crystal display

An electron source comprises at least one cathode means, and at least one extractor grid which is used to extract electrons from the cathode means. The extractor grid is a substantially planar sheet having at least one aperture and also has at least one spacing member for spacing the extractor grid at a constant, predetermined spacing from the cathode. Each of the spacing members are formed by removing material around a substantial portion of the periphery of the aperture and folding the remaining portion of the periphery of the aperture at substantially a right angle to the planar sheet.

Etched and formed extractor grid

A photo-cathode electron source suitable for use in flat panel displays has an extractor grid means (,) maintained, in use, at a positive potential with respect to the photo-cathode surface. The extractor grid may be used as a carrier for unfired photoemissive material which forms the emission surface of the photo-cathode. The material is deposited on the surface (,) of the photo-cathode means (,) by means of evaporation from the extractor grid (,).

Photo-cathode electron source having an extractor grid

A display device having a selectively reflective layer inside the display cell is described. By incorporating the selectively reflective layer inside the display cell itself, enhanced reflectivity is produced from the scattering state, but the problem of parallax is substantially avoided.

Light scattering display having a structured solid state selectivity

An input device for a visual display comprising a light source and a scanner for angularly scanning a light beam from the light source across a plane. A photodetector detects interruption of the beam by an article positioned in the plane. The scanner comprises a shutter having a linear array of addressable, electrically actuable shutter elements. Each element is operable to transmit or block light from the light source under the control of a corresponding electrical signal. Because the light beam is scanned by a shutter rather than a mechanical scanner, the device is advantageously more reliable than conventional electromechanical optical input devices.

Input device

A novel multi-layer display cell is disclosed in which contrast ratios similar to that available from cells which use polarisers are achieved, as well as levels of reflectivity similar to that available from cells that do not use polarisers. This is achieved by using two or more compartments for the display cell separated by dielectric membranes. The electro-optic characteristics of the mixture in the two compartments differs in that the mixture in one of the compartments switches at a low voltage, being switched completely below the switching threshold of material in the other of the compartments.

High reflectivity liquid crystal display cell

An electrochromic display and a method for making thereof are disclosed. The display has isolated and perforated reflectors separating an electrolyte confined between two electrodes. The front electrode is transparent. The reflector eliminates the need to include pigment particles in the electrolyte to mask the black rear electrode and to provide a desired color background. The pigment free electrolyte is thinner than a pigmented electrolyte. The reflector reflects light back to the transparent electrode thus masking the rear electrode and providing a background color other than black. When the rear electrode is driven by a drive circuit, ions of the electrolyte and current pass through the reflector towards the front electrode, where a coloration reaction occurs to form an image. The electrochromic display is thin, has high resolution, and does not exhibit image spreading and distortion.

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Braishfield, United Kingdom

Anthony Cyril Lowe