Patent Application
20080158210
The present disclosure relates generally to displays and more particularly to a display that has icons and text.
Displays, such as those used as a user interface for electronic devices are generally square or rectangular in shape. In communications devices, the display is often configured to present both text and icons to efficiently provide information to the user. The display circuit layout generally requires that the graphic text area to be separate from the icon area of the display as a result of the electrical conductor layout. There are two basic types of conductor layouts for passive Flat Panel Displays (FPD), one is a dot matrix layout and the other is a segmented layout. The segmented layout is preferable for displaying icons in low resolution, which is generally incapable of displaying graphics text. The dot matrix layout theoretically works for any icons but it requires very high resolution to create good icon images. Neither the traditional segmented layout nor the traditional dot matrix layout in low resolution work for user interface designs that require high density complex icons displayed together with graphic text. Additionally, high density complex icons can not be displayed between the graphic text region and the conductor termination points that connect to the display driver with the traditional dot matrix or icon layouts.
The various aspects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon careful consideration of the following Detailed Description thereof with the accompanying drawings described below. The drawings may have been simplified for clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying figures, in which like references indicate similar elements.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
In general, a display 100 that comprises a conductor layout for simultaneously displaying detailed dedicated icons and low resolution graphic text is disclosed. The display is a flat panel display as commonly referred to by those having ordinary skill in the art. The display comprises a first substrate that has mixed row conductive traces and a specific dedicated icons layout and a second substrate that has a column conductive trace layout. The row conductive traces on the first substrate intersect the column conductive traces on the second substrate to form the dot matrix region of the display. The specific dedicated icons on the first substrate overlap the column conductive traces on the second substrate to form the icon region. With this configuration, detailed icons may be positioned between the graphic text region and a termination portion of the display. The display can therefore simultaneously activate detailed icons and graphic text without layout constraints.
Before describing in detail embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the present invention resides primarily in combinations of method steps and apparatus components related to the communication device, communication node, and method for silent redial. Accordingly, the apparatus components and method steps have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the present invention, so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, having the benefit of the description herein.
In this document, relational terms such as first and second, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
The horizontal parallel conductors 202 and icons 204 may be made of the same conductive material such as etched transparent Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) or they may be made of different materials. In this embodiment, the ITO is carried on a glass substrate. It is to be understood that the formation of conductors and traces, for displays in particular, are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and may be accomplished by various established methods. For example, ITO may be etched into the parallel horizontal conductor configuration 202 and the icon configurations 204 or in another example the ITO may be deposited on the first substrate to form the desired conductors 202 and icons 204.
The horizontal conductors 202 run in a horizontal direction such that parallel conductor termination points 208 are configured to exit the dot matrix region 104 on at least one side of the substrate 200. These termination points 208 are termination points connecting to horizontal conductor traces which in turn connect to the display driver 107. The display 100 may be coupled to another circuit board that has a display driver in one embodiment. In another embodiment, the display driver is coupled directly to the display 100. The horizontal conductor termination points 208 exit to the side of the first substrate 200 and connect to horizontal conductor traces 312, 314 on the second substrate 300 (
The plurality of icons 204 have conductive traces coupled thereto. In this embodiment there are a plurality of groupings of icons. A first icon grouping 206, a second icon grouping 208 and a third icon grouping 210. Each icon grouping is coupled together by a conductive trace 211, 213 and 215 that has an icon group termination point 216218, 220. The icon group termination points 216, 218, and 220 are also connected to the display driver 107 similar to the connection of the horizontal conductor termination points 202. Each icon grouping has a plurality of dedicated icon images. Each icon image is made up of one or more icon segments.
The second substrate 300 and the plurality column conductive traces 302 have an upper region 308 and a lower region 310. Although the upper region 308 and the lower region 310 are defined in
The horizontal conductive traces 312, 314 are coupled to the horizontal conductors 202 by a conductive paste in this embodiment. The conductive paste is printed on one of the first substrate or the second substrate or both. In this embodiment, the conductive paste is printed in a bar or rectangular shape. A first rectangular shaped paste bar (not shown) of the conductive paste aligns with the first horizontal conductor 222 and the first horizontal conductive trace 320. In this embodiment, each rectangular conductive paste bar, one for each horizontal conductor) is vertically aligned substantially at the end of each horizontal conductor. In this embodiment, the horizontal conductive traces extend horizontals and then vertically towards the bottom. The horizontal conductive traces at the top of the second substrate extend further away from the horizontal conductor and are configured in a staggered configuration to allow all of the traces to travel to the termination point 106. This configuration of traces is known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Other trace configurations may be used to connect the conductors tot the termination point 106.
A first icon 512 which is an “S” in this embodiment can be energized and lit up by apply a voltage across column conductive traces (514, 516, 518) which intersect with it in combination with a second horizontal conductor 520.
The resolution of the dot matrix region in this embodiment is not able to display the desired quality icons as with the dedicated icons. The resolution of the icons is defined by the user interface design and the image quality of the icons which is not acceptable if they are displayed in dot matrix form.
A method for controlling the hybrid display having dot matrix area and a dedicated icon region, wherein the dedicated icon region is between a display driver termination area and the dot matrix area, comprises lighting up each icon, of an icon group, individually through driving signals applied to the icon trace in the first substrate and the associated column conductors in the second substrate which intersect the icon in the first substrate.
While the present disclosure and the best modes thereof have been described in a manner establishing possession by the inventors and enabling those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the same, it will be understood and appreciated that there are many equivalents to the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventions, which are to be limited not by the exemplary embodiments but by the appended claims.
