US 6,377,339 B1 · Document imaging system incorporating a selectively opaque/transparent liquid crystal platen

Abstract

A method and apparatus for document imaging is disclosed. The apparatus uses a flatbed scanner with a selectively opaque/transparent liquid crystal platen. The platen is divided into controllable segments defined by an electrode pattern formed within the platen itself. These segments can each be selectively made transmissive or opaque by applying appropriate voltages to the segment electrodes. An advantage of the invention is that it can operate without a platen cover, since the area of the platen not covered by the original can be made opaque. The opaque part of the platen directs imaging light back into the system, shielding a user's eyes and helping to create a white background if the platen is imaged.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A flatbed document imaging system comprising:

a platen having an integral transparent electrode pattern and incorporating a polymer/liquid crystal filler material, the electrode pattern defining an array of polymer/liquid crystal segments that effectively covers the imaging area of the platen, each of the segments settable to either a transparent mode or an opaque mode;
and
a segment controller electrically connected to the electrode pattern, the segment controller capable of energizing selected electrodes in the electrode pattern such that segments in a current transparent region of the imaging area are set in transparent mode and segments outside of the current transparent region are set in opaque mode during a document-imaging scan.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Document imaging system incorporating a selectively opaque/transparent liquid crystal platen

Life of this patent

Document imaging system incorporating a selectively opaque/transparent liquid crystal platen

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13