Systems and methods of enhancing the brightness of digital displays
AssigneeKYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
InventorEric Pugh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system, method, and apparatus provide brightness enhancement for digital displays. The digital display of an electronic apparatus may be augmented with an E-Ink based display module. Embodiments may replicate the content of the digital display shown on the E-Ink module display. The content is shown in a high contrast output that is readable even though the ambient light intensity may overwhelm the readability of the original digital display. Some embodiments include a clock which may trigger automatic operation of the E-Ink module. Some embodiments may include a transparent E-Ink module which may show replicated content obscuring the view an underlying digital display or which may remain transparent when the digital display is readable under the current light.
Claims15
A system for enhancing the brightness of a digital display on a printing apparatus, comprising:
- an electronic-ink (E-ink) module including an E-ink display positioned over the digital display;
- a brightness detection module;
- a display reader module positioned between the digital display and the E-ink display, wherein the display reader module is configured to read content shown in the digital display;
- and
- a brightness enhancer controller connected to the E-ink module, to the brightness detection module, and to the display reader module, wherein the brightness enhancer controller is configured to:
- determine an ambient brightness level from a signal generated by the brightness detection module,
- read, from the display reader module, the content shown in the digital display, and
- display on the E-ink display, the read content shown on the digital display in response to the ambient brightness level rising above a threshold value, wherein the E-ink display is transparent and the digital display shows through the E-ink display until the read content shown on the digital display is displayed within the E-ink module.
A printing apparatus, comprising:
- a digital display for displaying information, wherein the digital display is a tactile display;
- an electronic-ink (E-ink) module including an E-ink display, wherein the E-ink display is positioned overlying the digital display;
- a brightness enhancer controller connected to the E-ink module, wherein the brightness enhancer controller is configured to:
- read content shown in the digital display, and
- display on the E-ink display, the read content shown on the digital display, wherein the read content shown on the digital display is mapped and shown in a one-to-one position in the overlying E-ink display, replicating a position of the read content shown in the digital display on the E-ink display for receipt of a user's tactile input.
A method of enhancing the brightness of a digital display, comprising:
- determining, by a processing unit, a time from a clock connected to the processing unit;
- reading, by the processing unit, content shown in the digital display;
- operating an E-ink display of an electronic-ink (E-ink) module positioned on top of the digital display, wherein the E-ink display is in a transparent state based on the time and the digital display is visible under the E-ink display in the transparent state;
- and
- determining whether the time from the clock is a programmed time of day for triggering a change of operational state in the E-ink display wherein,
- the E-ink display is operated to block the view of the digital display, and
- the read content shown on the digital display is displayed on the E-ink display in response to the determined time of day being the programmed time of day.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.