The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 10, 1983
Filed:
Mar. 10, 1981
Pierre-Andre Grandjean, Neuchatel, CH;
Martyn-Andrew Cadman, Hauterive, CH;
Raymond Vuilleumier, Fontainemelon, CH;
Raymond Guye, Colombier, CH;
Centre Electronique Horloger S.A., Neuchatel, CH;
Abstract
Each segment of a display device, e.g., a seven-segment display comprises at least one shutter normally obturating a cavity in a carrier on a base plate. Each shutter is suspended by two resilient attachments and can turn about a torsion axis established by these attachments under the influence of an electric field applied between a common electrode on a transparent cover plate and an electrode, individual to the shutter at the bottom of its cavity. An optical contrast is provided by light reflection or absorbance caused by a shutter remaining in a rest obturating position or rotating to an open position to allow light absorption in an absorbing layer backing the base plate which is transparent. A selective light transmission (light valve) construction is equally possible. The shutters themselves may be used as one electrode of each pair, with the torsion axis along a shutter edge. The shutters may be immersed in a liquid dielectric so that a smaller opening angle is required and the attachments can be shaped to provide the required degree of resilience.