Printable shelf label having a liquid crystal display
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsRobert G. Capurso, Stanley W. Stephenson, Dennis B. Schulmerich
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of making a programmable shelf tag, including the steps of supplying a display element having a single flexible transparent; mounting the display element substrate side down in a window formed in a web of adhesive backed print medium having a die cut area around the display element to form an adhesive label that includes the display element; printing static information on the label of the print medium; supplying a support for mounting the adhesive; and attaching the adhesive label to the support.
Claims41
A method of making a programmable shelf tag, comprising steps of:
- a) providing a display element having a single flexible transparent substrate, one or more first transparent conductors located on the substrate, a layer of polymer dispersed material located over the first conductor(s), the polymer dispersed material being responsive to an applied electric field for displaying information and having first and second optical states that are both stable in an absence of an electrical field, one or more second conductors located over the polymer dispersed layer for applying the electric field to the polymer dispersed material between the first and second conductors and a plurality of display contacts located on backside of the display for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display;
- b) mounting the display element substrate side down in a window formed in a web of adhesive backed print medium having a die cut area around the display element to form an adhesive label that includes the display element;
- c) printing static, information on the label of the print medium;
- d) providing a support for mounting the adhesive label, the support including a plurality of support contacts having first conductive portions for providing contact to the first and second conductors of the display element and second conductive portions in an area outside the adhesive label for making electrical contact with the display from the front of the display element, the support including a layer of conductive adhesive over the first conductive portions of the support contacts;
- and
- e) attaching the adhesive label to the support such that the display contacts are in electrical contact with the support contacts via the conductive adhesive, whereby the first and second conductors are electrically addressable from the front side of the display assembly.
A programmable shelf tag label, comprising:
- a) a display element having a single flexible transparent substrate, one or more first transparent conductors located on the substrate, a layer of polymer dispersed material located over the first conductor(s), the polymer dispersed material being responsive to an applied electric field for displaying information and having first and second optical states that are both stable in an absence of an electrical field, one or more second conductors located over the polymer dispersed layer for applying the electric field to the polymer dispersed material between the first and second conductors and a plurality of display contacts located on the backside of the display for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display;
- and
- b) a sheet of adhesive print medium having a die cut label area, and defining a window in the label area, the display element being mounted substrate side down in the window, and including a releasable backing layer, whereby static information can be printed on the label and the printed label can be removed from the backing layer and attached to a support having contacts for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display element.
A support for receiving a programmable shelf tag label that includes a display element having a single flexible transparent substrate, one or more first transparent conductors located on the substrate, a layer of polymer dispersed material located over the first conductor(s), the polymer dispersed material being responsive to an applied electric field for displaying information and having first and second optical states that are both stable in an absence of an electrical field, one or more second conductors located over the polymer dispersed layer for applying the electric field to the polymer dispersed material between the first and second conductors and a plurality of display contacts located on backside of the display for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display, and a sheet of adhesive print medium having a die cut label area, and defining a window in the label area, the display element being mounted substrate side down in the window, and including a releasable backing layer, whereby static information can be printed on the label and the printed label can be removed from the backing layer and attached to the support, the support comprising:
- a) a body having a surface for receiving the programmable shelf tag, the body defining alignment features for precisely locating the tag on the surface;
- b) contacts on the body having exposed portions on the surface and located with respect to the alignment feature for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display element and exposed portions that extend beyond the display element, whereby the first and second conductors are electrically addressable from the front side of the shelf tag label;
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- c) conductive adhesive located over the exposed portions of the contacts on the receiving surface.
A display tag assembly, comprising:
- a) programmable label, having:
- i) a display element having a single flexible transparent substrate, one or more first transparent conductors located on the substrate, a layer of polymer dispersed material located over the first conductor(s), the polymer dispersed material being responsive to an applied electric field for displaying information and having first and second optical states that are both stable in an absence of an electrical field, one or more second conductors located over the polymer dispersed layer for applying the electric field to the polymer dispersed material between the first and second conductors and a plurality of display contacts located on backside of the display for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display;
- and
- ii) a sheet of adhesive print medium having a die cut label area, and defining a window in the label area, the display element being mounted substrate side down in the window, and including a releasable backing layer, whereby static information can be printed on the label and the printed label can be removed from the backing layer and attached to a support having contacts for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display element;
- and
- b) a support for receiving the label having:
- i) a body having a surface for receiving the label, the body defining alignment features for precisely locating the label on the surface;
- ii) contacts on the body having exposed portions on the surface and located with respect to the alignment feature for making electrical connection to the first and second conductors of the display element and exposed portions that extend beyond the display element, whereby the first and second conductors are electrically addressable from the front side of the display tag assembly;
- and
- iii) conductive adhesive located over the exposed portions of the contacts on the receiving surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.