Patent Application
20130050287
The present invention is related displays. In particular, this invention relates to portable displays that incorporate backlighting to highlight aspects of the display.
Conveying information to educate or advertise can be accomplished by displays that employ any number of techniques to catch and maintain a reader's attention. Often these displays incorporate eye-catching graphics as part, or all, of the information. Some displays incorporate lighting effects in one form or another. However, that which catches a reader's attention is ever changing, as is the technology available for such displays. As a result, there remains a demand for improvements in the art.
An embodiment of the invention is directed toward a display device, including: one or more layers of material having a light transmission region, a unit of information to be highlighted, and a light blocking region; and a backlight unit having a flexible, planar waveguide body, a light source configured to direct light into the waveguide body, and at least one light director associated with a portion of the waveguide body so as to direct light transversely to a plane of the waveguide body. The directed light travels through the light transmission region, and the directed light is directed toward the unit of information to be highlighted.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed toward a display device, including one or more layers of material having a light transmission region, a unit of information to be backlit, and a light blocking region; a backlight unit having a flexible, planar waveguide body, a light source configured to direct light into the waveguide body, and at least one light director associated with a portion of the waveguide body so as to direct light transversely to a plane of the waveguide body; and a processor having a computer program module that controls illumination of the backlight unit according to a predetermined pattern. The directed light travels through the light transmission region, and the directed light is directed toward the unit of information to be highlighted.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for displaying information. The method includes: providing a display device, and illuminating the backlight unit and associated unit of information to be backlit according to a predetermined pattern. The display device includes: one or more layers of material having a light transmission region, a unit of information to be highlighted, and a light blocking region; a backlight unit having a flexible, planar waveguide body, a light source configured to direct light into the waveguide body, and at least one light director associated with a portion of the waveguide body so as to direct light transversely to a plane of the waveguide body. The directed light travels through the light transmission region, and the directed light is directed toward the unit of information to be highlighted.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed toward a display device, including: a translucent information layer substrate; information on the translucent information layer substrate, including at least one unit of information to be highlighted; a structural layer; a light blocking layer including at least one light blocking layer opening that aligns with the at least one unit of information to be highlighted; and a backlight system between the structural layer and the light blocking layer including at least one backlight unit and a power supply. Each backlight unit includes a flexible, planar waveguide body, a light source mounted on the waveguide body, and at least one light director associated with a portion of the waveguide body so as to direct light transversely to a plane of the waveguide body and toward the at least one light blocking layer opening.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed toward a display device that includes: a structural layer; a light blocking layer including at least one light blocking layer opening; a translucent information layer substrate between the structural layer and the light blocking layer, including a unit of information to be highlighted, wherein the unit of information aligns with the at least one light blocking layer opening; and a backlight system between the structural layer and the translucent information layer substrate including at least one backlight unit and a power supply. Each backlight unit includes a flexible, planar waveguide body, a light source mounted on the waveguide body, and a light director that directs light transverse to a plane of the waveguide body, wherein the light director is associated with a portion of the waveguide body that aligns with the at least one light blocking layer opening.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed toward a method for displaying information, including: illuminating a waveguide using a light source; directing at least one unit of highlighting light from the waveguide using at least one light director in a shape of a corresponding at least one unit information to be highlighted; blocking any light emanating from the waveguide other than the at least one unit of highlighting light directed by the at least one light director by interposing a light blocking layer between the waveguide and information not to be highlighted, wherein the light blocking layer comprises at least one hole in the shape of the at least one unit of information to be highlighted, and wherein the at least one light director, at least one light blocking layer hole, and at least one unit of information to be highlighted align; passing the at least one unit of highlighting light through a translucent information substrate and into the at least one unit of information to be highlighted, which is disposed thereon, together with the information not to be highlighted; and supporting the waveguide and the light blocking layer between a support layer and the translucent information substrate.
A more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the embodiments of the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The inventors have recognized a need in the art for an effective, eye-catching, entertaining and novel way of conveying information using a display that is versatile, easily created, useful for all types of information, and inexpensive. The innovative display device uses a limited number of components but these components can be used in various combinations to tailor the display device to specific requirements. The display device is a self contained unit that presents information, highlights particular points of information with illumination in an informative and entertaining manner, and does so using durable, energy efficient components. On a surface visible to an observer the display device may have information intended to convey a message to the observer, and conveyance of the message may be facilitated by highlighting (e.g. backlighting) one or more aspects of the information. Such highlighting is made possible by a backlight system with its own power source disposed within the display device.
The backlight system is thin and flexible enough to be disposed inside the display device without being obtrusive or overly susceptible to damage. In alternative embodiments, the backlight system may also be rigid depending on the desired usage. The backlight system includes at least one backlight unit and a power source, such as a battery. Each backlight unit includes a light source (or multiple light sources), a waveguide, and a light directing element associated with the waveguide. Due to the unique application of the light directing elements, the display can provide robust amounts of highlighting but require little energy. Together with a waveguide, a light directing element directs more light emitted from a light source, for example a light emitting diode (LED), to the information to be highlighted than does the prior art. Specifically, the LED may direct light into a flexible waveguide. The waveguide takes light from the LED and distributes it throughout the waveguide. In contrast to the prior art, the waveguide area of the instant invention may be small relative to a total area of the display, and as a result less power from the source light (e.g. the LED) is required to produce the required illumination. The light directing elements are associated with a portion of the waveguide where the distributed light is to be directed transversely out of the waveguide. In contrast to the prior art, where the light in the waveguide is not concentrated or directed, the light directing elements essentially concentrate and redirect light present within the waveguide and direct the light toward a chosen region. In the device disclosed herein the chosen region may include information to be highlighted. As a result of the smaller waveguide and concentration of light within the waveguide, the amount of source light required to achieve a desired highlighting effect is much lower in the display device disclosed herein when compared to the prior art. This represents an improvement in the art particularly because these the compact nature of display devices may require that a battery be the power supply for the light source, and the battery will last longer with reduced source light power requirements.
The display device may highlight a single unit of information or may highlight multiple units of information. There may be a single backlight unit or multiple backlight units. The backlight units may each highlight a single or multiple units of information. The backlight system may include a processor that controls power to the backlight unit, and thus controls when the a backlight unit illuminates the information associated with that backlight unit. When a single backlight unit is used, the processor may illuminate the backlight unit according to a predetermined sequence. There may be multiple predetermined sequences, and which sequence is to be used may be based on external factors such as by an external selector or an algorithm that considers factors and decides which to use. When multiple backlight units are used the same applies. For example, a predetermined sequence (pattern) may have different backlight units illuminating in a particular sequence for a preset time, or some or all may be illuminated simultaneously etc. Any pattern or sequence is considered within the scope of this disclosure.
The information to be highlighted may itself be translucent, or may be opaque. The directed light that is highlighting the information may be shaped to match a shape of the unit of information to be highlighted, or may not. In an embodiment where the information to be highlighted is opaque, the light directed to highlight the information may comprise a greater area than the information, and thus the information to be highlighted would be highlighted by a perimeter of light surrounding it.
In order for the device to highlight only certain information when using a waveguide larger than the information to be highlighted the device must be configured to block some light that might otherwise bleed through to an observer. This may be accomplished in any number of ways, including a multi-layer approach or a single layer approach. In a multi layer approach there may be a light blocking layer with openings only where light is to pass through to the information to be highlighted. In a single layer approach all functions may be incorporated on the surface or integral to the single layer. The openings may or may not match a shape of the information to be highlighted. Any combination of functions being incorporated on or within a layer is considered within the scope of the disclosure. Each layer may be a discrete layer of a separate material, or a layer may be applied to another layer to accomplish a purpose. For example, a layer of ink applied to another layer may be a light blocking layer, and/or may contain information. The information may be applied to a top or bottom of a layer, or incorporated with a layer. Any combination is permissible so long as light directed from the waveguide via the light directing elements is effective to highlight the information to be highlighted, but not bleed over, or bleed over minimally into any other area of the display visible to an observer.
The display device may also have a switch that activates the backlight system to highlight the information to be highlighted. The term switch is meant to encompass a wide range of mechanism that activate the desired highlighting. For example, a switch may be a set of electrical contacts that active the backlighting when the contacts touch each other, such as a button. Similarly the switch may be a mechanism that starts the highlighting when the display is opened (if so configured), or is moved, or if a motion sensor detects motion etc. Alternately, the switch may be internal. For example, there may be a timer or processor that initiates the highlighting process according to a timer or in response to any environmental conditions.
Turning to the drawings,
Highlighting can occur in a variety of ways. For example, units of information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19, 21 may all be highlighted simultaneously, or in sequence, or randomly. Units of information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19, 21 may be highlighted in sequence and the sequence may correspond to the order the information is intended to be perceived by the observer. For example, if the display 10 is intended to convey information about a process, the information may show the steps of the process, and the units of information to be highlighted 15, 21, 17, 19, each of which may correspond to a step, could be highlighted in the order the process occurs. Thus, the display breathes life into otherwise dormant information. In an alternative embodiment, the units of information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19, 21 may simply be for entertainment purposes, and be highlighted in a manner that attracts and maintains the observer's attention. Embodiments that mix the two are also envisioned and intended to be within the scope of this disclosure, and the provided examples are not meant to be limiting.
As most easily seen in
The backlight system 22 may include a battery 30, a switch 32, a processor 34, a speaker 36, and a backlight unit 38. All of the backlight system 22 components may be electrically connected as necessary to provide an integrated system. Also, the components of the backlight system 22 can be positioned at different locations in the display 10. Each backlight unit 38 may include a waveguide body 40, a waveguide light source 42, at least one light director 52, 54, 56, a waveguide light source blocking cover 46, and a waveguide edge cover 48. The waveguide body 40 distributes the light generated by the waveguide light source 42 throughout the entire waveguide body 40. Preferably, though not necessarily, the waveguide body 40 is made of a flexible material. The waveguide light source blocking cover 46 serves as an additional light blocking element, and the waveguide edge cover 48 serves to prevent light from escaping from the edges of the waveguide body 40. The light director 52, 54, 56 serves to direct light present within the waveguide body 40 out of the waveguide body 40 in a direction transverse to the waveguide body 40. The light director may be any material that accomplishes this known to those in the art, such as patches with shapes/dots within, and may be adhered to the waveguide as depicted by light directors 52, 54. Alternatively, light directors may be integral to the waveguide body 40, such as patterns or markings formed into the waveguide body 40 such as by etching, or other materials formed integral to the waveguide body 40, as evidenced by light director 56.
Each backlight unit 38 may have a single waveguide light source 42, and thus, through use of the processor 34, each backlight unit 38 can be individually illuminated. Each backlight unit 38 may have one or more light directors 52, 54, 56 associated with it.
As a result, when the waveguide light source 42 illuminates a waveguide body 40, as many units of light 26 will be directed from the waveguide 38 as there are light directors 52, 54, 56. For example, if three light directors 52, 54, 56 are associated with a waveguide body 40 of a backlight unit 38, three discrete units of light 26 will be directed from the waveguide body 40. Each of these discrete units of light 26 would be associated with a respective backing layer holes 58, 60, 62 and a respective unit of information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19. Thus, three units of information would be highlighted simultaneously. Such a scenario works when groups of units of information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19 are close enough to each other that a single waveguide body 40 would span them, and all are to be highlighted together. Alternately, a waveguide body 40 of a backlight unit 38 may have a single light director 52, 54, 56 associated with it. This works when a single unit of information is to be highlighted. Combinations of these scenarios are envisioned, such as where a backlight system 22 employs multiple backlight units 38, where some backlight units 38 have a single light director 52, 54, 56 and some backlight units 38 have multiple backlight directors 52, 54, 56, all backlight units 38 have a single light director 52, 54, 56, where all backlight units 38 have multiple backlight directors 52, 54, 56, or any combination thereof.
The backlight system 22 may be powered by a battery 30, and the power may be activated by a switch 32. Once activated by the switch, the processor 34 may control the display in accord with logic associated with the information on the display. The processor 34 may activate (i.e. illuminate) the backlight units in accord with a predetermined pattern, or sequence, where individual backlight units may be illuminated individually, simultaneously, sequentially, or any combination thereof. The predetermined pattern may vary depending on variable the processor 34 may consider and may include information the processor 34 receivers from sensors. For example, if the switch 32 is an accelerometer the processor 34 may determine which pattern to used based on an amount of motion sensed etc. Other sensors not explicitly disclosed herein may also be used. Computer program codes for carrying out operations of certain embodiments of the present invention may be written in an object oriented and/or conventional procedural programming languages including, but not limited to Java, Smalltalk, Perl, Python, Ruby, Lisp, PHP, “C”, FORTRAN, or C++. Certain embodiments of the present invention are described herein with reference to apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that these program code modules may be provided to a processing module such that the program code modules, which execute via the processor 34, create means for implementing the functions specified. The computer program code modules may also be loaded onto processor 34 to cause a series of operational steps to be performed.
There may be several switches 32, and switches 32 may form part of an interactive experience where the display 10 waits for or response to a press of the button or buttons. This would transform the display 10 from simply an observed device to an interactive device that further engages the observer, thereby making it even more effective at delivering its intended message. Even further, a speaker 36 may be included, such that the display can convey information or effects or instructions to a listener.
As can be seen in the top view of a backlight unit 38 in
The shape of a cross section of the unit of directed light (hereafter referred to as the shape of the unit of directed light) may be controlled to convey a special message or have a certain effect. For example, it may be advantageous to match the shape of the unit of directed light 26 to the shape of the information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19, 21 so that the backlight effect is limited to only the shape of the information to be highlighted 15, 17, 19, 21. It may be advantageous to shape the unit of directed light 26 for reasons unrelated to the shape of the unit of information 15, 17, 19, 21 to be highlighted as well, such as for dramatic effect or entertainment value. It may also be advantageous for the shape of the unit of directed light to be a general shape, such as a circle, square, oval etc. These and combinations of these variations are envisioned within the scope of this disclosure. The shape of the unit of directed light 26 can be made by shaping the opening in the light blocking layer 58, 60, 62, and using a shaped light director 54 or unshaped light director 52, 56. Using an unshaped light director 52, 56 may simplify assembly, while using a shaped light director 54 may result in a tightly controlled shape of the unit of directed light 26.
As can be seen in
As can be seen in
Thus, it has been shown that the inventor has innovatively devised a novel display that is inexpensive to create, is versatile, and is effective at conveying information, in a manner not yet known in the art.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention herein. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 61/310,081, filed Mar. 3, 2010, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US11/26976 | 3/3/2011 | WO | 00 | 11/14/2012 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61310081 | Mar 2010 | US |
