Kent Displays, Inc.

Buffalo Games, LLC

Hunter Morris

Clinton Braganza

Albert Myron Green

Todd C Ernst

Nathan Hirt

Bryan Owen

Clinton I Braganza

A cholesteric liquid crystal display providing sensory feedback, comprises a flexible front substrate disposed near a front surface of the display, the flexible front substrate being at least partially flexible. A liquid crystal layer comprises cholesteric liquid crystal material. Pressure applied to the flexible front substrate changes reflectance of the cholesteric liquid crystal material. At least one textured surface is constructed and arranged so that pressure that is applied to the at least one textured surface provides at least one of vibratory, audible and tactile sensory feedback. At least a portion of the changes in reflectance is erased.

Cholesteric liquid crystal display that provides sensory feedback

Writing device

A writing device includes a liquid crystal layer including cholesteric liquid crystal material. There are electrically conductive layers between which the liquid crystal layer is disposed. There is a front writing surface layer that is transparent and a back support layer between which the electrically conductive layers and the liquid crystal layer are disposed. The cholesteric liquid crystal material changes in texture by application of pressure to the front writing surface layer to create an image. A seal confines the cholesteric liquid crystal material between the front writing surface layer and the back support layer. The electrically conductive layers are adapted to enable a voltage waveform to be applied thereto that erases the image. In one aspect, the resilience to bending the writing device is defined by enabling the writing device to be bent to a radius of curvature of 100.0 millimeters for 10 repetitions of the bending and after each of the repetitions of the bending the voltage waveform completely erases the image. In another aspect, the back support layer comprises a first sublayer formed of a flexible polymeric material adjacent to the back electrically conductive layer, a second sublayer comprising a backer that is flexible and thicker and of a different material than the first sublayer and a bonding layer located between the first sublayer and the second sublayer. In yet another aspect, the seal includes an elastomeric material and wherein the front writing surface layer has a thickness in a range of 0.5 to 4.5 mils and the back support layer has a thickness in a range of 0.6 to 34.5 mils.

Resilient writing device

A liquid crystal writing device is erased by a stylus. The liquid crystal writing device includes a liquid crystal layer including cholesteric liquid crystal material. A user applies pressure to a flexible substrate that changes reflectivity of the cholesteric liquid crystal material to form images on the liquid crystal writing device. The liquid crystal layer is disposed between electrically conductive layers. Writing device terminals are electrically conductive and connected to the electrically conductive layers. The stylus includes stylus electronics adapted to apply an erase voltage or erase voltage waveform to the writing device terminals.

Cholesteric liquid crystal writing device with stylus erase

Stylus

Writing tablet

Writing board

Disclosed is liquid crystal paper and an erasing device that is not permanently connected to the liquid crystal paper. A sheet of liquid crystal paper includes flexible polymeric substrates. A polymer network or a spacer network, in which bistable cholesteric reflective liquid crystal material is dispersed, is disposed between two of the substrates. Optional alignment layers or optional electrically conductive layers sandwich the liquid crystal material therebetween. An optional layer of light absorbing material is disposed near one of the substrates. Application of pressure to an upper substrate changes a focal conic nonreflective texture of the liquid crystal material to a reflective planar texture. The erasing device applies a voltage or heat for erasing the paper by changing the reflective planar texture to the focal conic nonreflective texture.

Liquid crystal paper

Growing community of inventors

Kent, OH, United States of America

Hunter Morris