Kent Displays, Inc.

Anthony Daniels

Clinton Braganza

Todd C Ernst

Mauricio Echeverri

Nathan Hirt

Duane Marhefka

Don Davis

A liquid crystal device that is flexible and includes a cholesteric liquid crystal material erased by flexing. Totally free of electronics and electrically conductive electrodes, the liquid crystal device takes advantage of a reverse mode effect observed in cholesteric liquid crystals whereby pressure applied to the device changes a reflective texture to a transmissive texture to create an image. The image is erased and the device reinitialized by flexing to create reflective texture surroundings.

Liquid crystal device that is erased by flexing

A writing device includes a liquid crystal layer including reflective cholesteric liquid crystal material. There are electrically conductive layers between which the liquid crystal layer is disposed. At least one of the electrically conductive layers includes at least two conductive sections. There is a front substrate that is flexible and a back substrate between which the electrically conductive layers and the liquid crystal layer are disposed. Neither the front substrate nor the back substrate includes separated sections. Application of pressure to the front substrate changes a reflectivity of a portion of the cholesteric liquid crystal material to form an image. In one aspect, there is electronic erase circuitry including at least one actuator that independently applies an erase voltage waveform to each of at least two of the conductive sections. In another aspect the electronic erase circuitry includes at least one actuator that independently applies an erase voltage waveform to each of the conductive sections, and that applies erase voltage waveforms to at least two of the conductive sections in combination.

Writing device including cholesteric liquid crystal and having sectional erase

A cholesteric liquid crystal device has an optical response opposite to that of the Prior Art. The liquid crystal device takes advantage of a unique and unusual effect in cholesteric liquid crystals where pressure applied to the device with a pointed stylus, without applying a voltage, creates a transmissive texture as opposed to the planar texture of the Prior Art.

Cholesteric liquid crystal device

A magnet erased writing device or eWriter includes cholesteric liquid crystal material, in which a written image is erased using magnetically activated electronic circuitry. By eliminating the mechanical erase button of Prior Art eWriters, the eWriter can be designed with a display footprint that can cover nearly the entire face of the eWriter. An erasing magnet can be used with the device, which can be handheld as, for example, by being part of a stylus. With the erasing magnet separated from the device and the mechanical erase button being omitted, the eWriter avoids unintentional erasures, a drawback of Prior Art eWriters.

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Kent, OH, United States of America

Anthony Daniels