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US 2006/0077154 A1Published application
Optical films for directing light towards active areas of displays
AssigneeIdc, LLC
InventorsBrian Gally, William Cummings
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In various embodiments of the invention, an interferometric display device is provided having an external film with a plurality of structures that redirect light from an inactive area of the display to an active area of the display. Light incident on the external film that would normally continue towards an inactive area of the display is either reflected, refracted, or scattered towards an active area of the display comprising moveable and static reflective surfaces that form an optical cavity.
Claims29
A display comprising:
- a light-modulating array comprising a plurality of light-modulating elements, said light-modulating elements including movable reflective surfaces and static reflective surfaces that define active reflector areas of the light-modulating array spaced apart by substantially non-reflective portions;
- and
- an optical layer above the light-modulating array, the optical layer including a plurality of optical elements separated by gaps,
- wherein the gaps between the optical elements are above the active reflector areas and the optical elements are above the substantially non-reflective portions of the light modulating array, the optical elements being configured to re-direct light incident thereon into the active reflector areas of the light-modulating array.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing a display, the method comprising:
- forming a light-modulating array comprising a plurality of light-modulating elements, said light-modulating elements including movable reflective surfaces and static reflective surfaces that define active reflector areas of the light-modulating array spaced apart by substantially non-reflective portions;
- and
- forming an optical layer above the light-modulating array, the optical layer including a plurality of optical elements separated by gaps,
- wherein the gaps between the optical elements are above the active reflector areas and the optical elements are above the substantially non-reflective portions of the light modulating array, the optical elements being configured to re-direct light incident thereon into the active reflector areas of the light-modulating array.
1 more element
A display comprising:
- a light-modulating array comprising a plurality of light-modulating elements, said light-modulating elements including movable reflective surfaces and static reflective surfaces that define active reflector areas of the light-modulating array spaced apart by non-reflective portions;
- and
- means for directing light into the active reflector areas of the light-modulating array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.