Apparatus for the display of embedded information
Contents
1. book on a chip However the present invention is not limited to tra ditional substrates and may include cloth or wall coverings and e paintings that are mat able The present invention is an apparatus for embedding digital information within a document substrate and displaying that information via the substrate It has long been desirable to capture in electronic format the image found on the printed page To facilitate this need many organizations use image scanners and optical character recognition devices However scanning or digitizing a document image can be quite diffi cult particularly when one seeks to accurately redisplay such an image or to modify it It is known as demonstrated by companies such as E Ink Corporation and Xerox Palo Alto Research Center PARC that a thin flexible substrate may be used to produce re writeable images in dual e g black and white blue and white or multi colored formats However the present inven tion is directed to the combination of such media or display technology with an embedded or associated data source so as to make the combination useful taking the display technol ogy from a mere novelty to a practical and time saving device in accordance with the various embodiments described herein As is suggested herein it is possible to store and access information associated with a substrate that also displays all or portions of the stored information For example display m2. where the display is a display medium capable of selectively displaying one of at least two possible colors at each pixel location thereon in order to produce a substrate medium that may be modified in accor dance with a users request It is therefore apparent that there has been provided in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for the electronic display of information While this invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof it is evident that many alternatives modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art Accordingly it is intended to embrace all such alternatives modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims Iclaim 1 An apparatus for the electronic display of information on a consumer good comprising a flexible substrate with which the apparatus is perma nently associated a digital recording medium associated therewith where information is stored by the digital recording medium an updateable flexible substrate display located on an exposed surface of the apparatus wherein said substrate display includes a display medium capable of selec tively displaying one of at least two possible colors at a plurality of pixel locations thereon pa wn 20 25 40 45 50 55 12 where the flexible substrate display changes state in response to a signal generated from information stored
3. et al Soscia Ota Witkowski Comiskey et al Jacobson Gelbman Albert et al Gelbman oo ees 345 85 Weiner PAA 345 30 Gelbman Thagard Beaulieu et al 706 62 Gelbman Albert et al Zehner et al OTHER PUBLICATIONS An unofficial file history as of Apr 28 2009 of US Patent 7 429 965 An unofficial file history as of Apr 28 2009 for U S Appl No 60 205 451 Electronic Ink Makes Chicago Debut at Area JC Penney Department Stores Resnic et al E Ink demonstrates high Resolution with World s 1st Matrix Electronic Ink Display The Future of the Book media mit edu micromedia images pubs future jpg Feb 1 1996 Vizard F Electric Tales Popular Science Jun 97 Jacobson et al Electronic Paper media mit edu micromedia elecpaper html Glave J Inventor Warns MS on Patents Wired Digital Inc Wired Magazine O 1994 1999 May 11 1998 cited by examiner U S Patent Apr 17 2012 Sheet 1 of 10 US 8 159 463 B2 20 FIG 1 20 22 FIG 2 20 22 FIG 3 U S Patent Apr 17 2012 Sheet 2 of 10 US 8 159 463 B2 1 FIG 5 U S Patent Apr 17 2012 Sheet 3 of 10 US 8 159 463 B2 SE METROPOLIS SUBWAY ES Z AVE STATION E SHOP MUSEUM 44 FIG 6 U S Patent Apr 17 2012 Sheet 4 of 10 o wn DIA SEA Aa 3 einer fad decano Lego gh fe ca weg puru piga To CHE AD Vui um up ERU pd o op a y pr lr quim atin Eyes DR e
4. in the nature of one of the sensors described above Referring to FIG 11 a similar embodiment for the present invention is displayed where the substrate 1s the product packaging this time in the nature ofa cereal box 84 It will be appreciated that various packaging materials might seek to employ such an invention including fast food franchises catering to children with childrens meals in a box Box 84 preferably includes a semi rigid paperboard substrate having a display 32 and other components associated with it Here again display 32 may be formed in association with the substrate or may be added at a point during the preparation of the packaging For example as will be described in further US 8 159 463 B2 9 detail below the entire display control memory and power apparatus may be prefabricated and simply affixed to the box as it is being manufactured In addition to a display associated with a paperboard con tainer 86 cereal box 84 also includes a power source 78 a controller 30 and a separate memory 22 It is further contem plated that the box may be constructed in such a manner as to allow a user to interact with the display through touch pres sure sensitive sensors 80 Moreover although it may be pos sible to allow potential consumers children who purchase for the game and parents who purchase for the food contained in the box to see a demo of the game on the display by pressing button 86 DEMO it is further co
5. necessary This allows products to be smaller lighter and more efficient US 8 159 463 B2 5 Memory Stick s RAM holds data for an indefinite period and withstands heat dust and rough handling As depicted in FIGS 4 and 5 each of the wearable embodi ments may include a port preferably having a controller 30 associated therewith for processing data driving or control ling the display 32 Moreover such a system would require a is power source such as a replaceable battery 36 or renewable portable power supply e g a photovoltaic array not shown which may also be integrated with the substrate or article worn by the user As a further aspect depicted for example in FIG 4 an external signal generator such as switch 38 may be employed to allow the wearer to alter the display between one of a plurality of display selections available in the memory The Memory Stick provides instant data transfer and data can be recorded erased and re recorded In a preferred embodiment the embedded memory device is not only flex ible in nature preventing it from interfering with the normal or intended use of the substrate but also very dense in terms of the information that can be stored thereon Embedded memory 22 and removable memory 23 are both preferably suitable for use in storing information such as information related to the image on the substrate For example the stored information may include a bitmap image s an alternative versio
6. of a substrate having memory and an associated display mecha nism so as to enable a product or a product s packaging to be interactive and to provide information or other feedback in response to a user As depicted in FIG 9 a can of soup 70 or similar good may include a container 72 that is at least partially surrounded by a label substrate 74 Substrate 74 may further include various elements described above so as to allow the product label to be programmable and interactive For example a portion of the label may be a display 32 made of gyricon or electrophoretic ink material Display 32 may be further connected to and controlled by a micro controller 30 or similar programmable device having a memory not shown associated therewith to store information to be selec tively displayed Also included in or associated with the label substrate is a power source 78 in the nature of a small battery or a photovoltaic cell In a nominal condition display 32 may simply depict the traditional label image or informa tion However display 32 may also depict additional product information e g ingredients list or nutritional information perhaps in multiple languages Furthermore additional information such as suggested recipes might be stored and displayed on such labels perhaps in response to user selec tions via a touch sensitive switch or sensor 80 It will be appreciated that sensor 80 may be a pressure sensitive switch or matrix or may be
7. F 3 041 2006 01 52 US CL AA AA 345 173 345 30 57 ABSTRACT 38 Field of Classification Search 345 15 prak AN An apparatus for the electronic di splay of information Where S lication file f let h hist d the apparatus is a substrate incorporating a digital recording Ve REPORTS DUE KAKA HG AS medium attached to or embedded within the substrate The 56 References Cited substrate further includes a flexible substrate display located U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 4 475 222 A 10 1984 Egendorf 4 835 376 A 5 1989 Drexler 5 086 516 A 2 1992 Baxter et al 5 124 814 A 6 1992 Takahashi et al 5 416 310 A 5 1995 Little on an exposed surface of the substrate where the display is a medium capable of selectively displaying one of at least two possible colors at each pixel location thereon in order to produce a substrate medium that may be modified in accor dance with a user s selection 5 Claims 10 Drawing Sheets METROPOLIS SUBWAY US 8 159 463 B2 Page 2 6 252 564 6 402 039 6 441 921 6 490 402 6 594 927 6 639 578 6 652 075 6 753 830 6 825 829 6 924 781 7 429 965 2001 0020935 2001 0043164 2002 0091659 2002 0167500 2005 0007336 2005 0122564 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS BI BI BI BI B2 BI B2 B2 BI BI B2 Al Al Al Al Al Al 6 2001 6 2002 8 2002 12 2002 7 2003 10 2003 11 2003 6 2004 11 2004 8 2005 9 2008 9 2001 11 2001 7 2002 11 2002 1 2005 6 2005 Albert et al Freeman
8. United States Patent US008159463B2 12 10 Patent No US 8 159 463 B2 Weiner 45 Date of Patent Apr 17 2012 54 APPARATUS FOR THE DISPLAY OF 5 455 410 A 10 1995 Schneider EMBEDDED INFORMATION 5 479 003 A 12 1995 Yamada 5 509 144 A 4 1996 Soergel et al F 5 517 407 A 5 1996 Wei 75 Inventor Michael L Weiner Ormond Beach FL 5 708 525 A 1 1998 pda US 5 747 928 A 5 1998 Shanks et al 5 751 268 A 5 1998 Sheridon 73 Assignee Technology Innovations LLC 5 912 653 A 6 1999 Fitch Pittsford NY US 5 914 805 A 6 1999 Crowley 3 5 974 025 A 10 1999 Yamada et al Notice Subject to any disclaimer the term of this Perm LU a tal patent is extended or adjusted under 35 60 19 284 A 2 2000 Freeman et al U S C 154 b by 783 days 6 055 091 A 4 2000 Sheridon et al 6 124 851 A 9 2000 Jacobson 21 Appl No 12 210 378 Continued 22 Filed Sep 15 2008 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS WO WO0067110 11 2000 65 Prior Publication Data WO WO0191045 11 2001 US 2009 0085900 A1 Apr 2 2009 We WO0191037 112001 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Related U S Application Data An unofficial file history as of Apr 28 2009 for U S Appl No 63 Continuation of application No 09 860 916 filed on 09 860 734 May 18 2001 now Pat No 7 429 965 RTTE ontinue 60 Provisional application No 60 205 451 filed on May 19 2000 Primary Examiner Nitin Patel 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Duane C Basch Basch amp 51 Int Cl Nickerson LLP G06
9. chure 90 may also include information printed on substrate 20 in a conventional fashion FIG 12 is yet another possible application of the present invention this time as an electronic patent In the embodi ment depicted it is contemplated that much like the embodi ment of FIGS 7 and 11 a patent may be printed using one or more display substrates 32 on a common substrate 20 so as to display all or parts of an issued patent In this way as such substrates become common and less expensive to manufac ture the patent could be printed on a single substrate having the ability to display images in one region thereof and textual information in the other Moreover pressure sensors under lying buttons 24 could be used to allow a user to scroll through the images and textual columns of the patent Depending upon the length of the patent and the size of the memory not shown associated with the substrate it is also conceivable that appendices and other information may be provided with the electronic patent FIG 13 is an orthographic representation of an embodi ment in which the present invention is integrated into the dashboard 102 of a vehicle As depicted by this embodiment the present invention may be integrated with a component of the product it is intended to be used with of for Accordingly the usefulness of the product may be maximized as relevant information is made immediately available to the user Returning to the Fig
10. e a e y RT A e E E 30 SWITCHES SENSORS 38 FIG 8 US 8 159 463 B2 22 MEMORY EMBEDDED OR ATTACHED 20 32 SUBSTRATE DISPLAY U S Patent Apr 17 2012 Sheet 5 of 10 US 8 159 463 B2 Tuna Caserole Recipe Idea 1 Can of Mushroom 1 Can Tuna Fish BREAKFAST ERAL FIG 10 US 8 159 463 B2 Sheet 6 of 10 Apr 17 2012 U S Patent Y 5 as P PN ASIA 4 VIA Di ef LG by 9 7 Lk Y j bi fp lg M LP bf DIM GG AF IA SS pr ort 101 102 1500 lul 20 RANT NAG NO GODDOODOUODOUO CA YN Na NAG S IS II IN gt UNOS SSI ASIS 96 Q FIG 11 US 8 159 463 B2 Sheet 7 of 10 Apr 17 2012 U S Patent c NERCK rin yn p enim pote TELA eg voa poe canes wa ioi maus ri xn ouen mcum Jo 3000 A D TIT 6 GNA IDEDA K nA apa Anton nc ea yaq l di ma kataka spa ANSA a E ied OR V8 DAL ELA TRO LA P cg MIC er Freres Pag t NOI wc MR 77077 wr DAKO Paas DINDO TAGUM 1 axonal pm ip mana kao na Pro rere Dost cad 08 HONG oy Sep xy OA mga VA AS o os X PRON KT Unowy wa Eu mo rarer mg IG E BORON A GANA TYE Cel EL ete Iron kee 300 q Kein RO A AN p ones peret PE WETS NAGA PAR lasi pur rp rtu POR m ppa Myara aberya SL OLE IO v RO Np poral p Seng Un apang nog parra wy ULL AO LAND A O Gn tovg us www O IDA ag V ae 36 ay Late aa
11. e illustrations of alternative embodiments for aspects of the present invention US 8 159 463 B2 3 FIG 11 is a perspective illustration of another alternative embodiment of the apparatus depicted in FIG 7 FIG 12 is an exemplary illustration of an electronic patent embodiment in accordance with aspects ofthe present invention FIG 13 is an orthographic representation of an embodi ment in which the present invention is integrated with a well known product as a visual reference FIG 14 is an illustration of an application of the present invention in association with the display of a photographic image including additional output features FIG 15 is a perspective view of a self adhesive backed substrate as may be practiced in accordance with aspects of the present invention and FIG 16 is a side view of a machine suitable for the mass production of substrates in accordance with the present inven tion The present inventions will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment however it will be understood that there is no intent to limit the inventions to the embodi ment described On the contrary the intent is to cover all alternatives modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the inventions as defined by the appended claims DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For a general understanding of the present invention ref erence is made to 25 the drawings In the d
12. eans such as e ink electric paper gyricons etc may be used to produce a book on a chip or similar display device Furthermore the present invention is not limited to traditional paper substrates and may include textiles and fabrics such as clothing where a user might be able to wear the substrate as a T shirt or a baseball cap and where the information or appearance of the cloth substrate could change Other appli cations as will be described herein include wall coverings and e paintings that are mat able placemats etc As will be appreciated by those familiar with the new display techniques the advantage of re writeable substrate materials combined with a tailored information source con tent including text images etc is that a user then has a portable system by which the information may be accessed 20 30 40 45 50 65 2 Furthermore such a system may make it easier for a user to become accustomed to reading a book using this new tech nology Heretofore other patents and publications have disclosed the embedding of information the relevant portions of which may be briefly summarized as follows U S Pat No 5 517 407 to Weiner teaches a means of embedding memory into a book and then searching a micro chip or other memory using a common connector If this system were to come into vogue then copiers and printers could output to that type of memory and connector and take advantage o
13. elections food drink shop museums etc may be depicted each of which might bring up a differ ent display or map depicting the requested information Such buttons could include matrix or pressure or touch sensitive sensors so as to sense contact with the surface ofthe substrate A user seeking additional information about his her present location could tap or touch the you are here location or button areas to see more detailed information restaurants transportation retail stores lodging etc much in the manner that information is provided to users of MapQuest or similar software and world wide web systems that are commonly available Therefore as depicted in FIG 6 the present invention may be used as a subway or public transportation interface where a user can selectively access maps transportation schedules and routes and even advertisements via a wall mounted dis play substrate Rather than an expensive computer terminal kiosk the present invention could be integrated within a wall mounted frame accessible to the user Furthermore instead of an wn 20 40 45 60 65 6 the substrate itself a frame or a cover glass may provide the touch sensing capability providing signals that would be pro vided to a display controller as described herein Use of a flexible display substrate with embedded memory as a piece of cloth or integrated into clothing or other cover ings e g wallpaper framed pictures e
14. en KOY En PLA MOR a kg be ar Warp tma mtv NT APD 7 7 p Wem WEN bam x Pe Ono fU ALO DE OE AGUA DREN INIA PD ea eins Tere ug map WA MOTE wang FP Dm ES NGI PIYA sga ag Gv iss aquen Were CU vides 152008 sopa to ped S2 B S PAO 9T SA cE 0c US 8 159 463 B2 Sheet 8 of 10 Apr 17 2012 U S Patent U S Patent Apr 17 2012 Sheet 9 of 10 US 8 159 463 B2 FIG 16 US 8 159 463 B2 1 APPARATUS FOR THE DISPLAY OF EMBEDDED INFORMATION CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U S application Ser No 09 860 916 filed May 18 2001 now U S Pat No 7 429 965 and claims priority to U S application Ser No 09 860 916 which claims priority from Provisional Application 60 205 451 by Michael Weiner titled DOCUMENT WITH EMBEDDED INFORMATION filed May 19 2000 both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety The following related application is hereby incorporated by reference for its teachings DOCUMENT WITH EMBEDDED INFORMATION Michael Weiner et al abandoned application Ser No 09 860 734 filed May 18 2001 BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to the display of embedded information and more particularly to the combination of a digital memory and a substrate to produce a self contained information storage and display device such as a
15. es that are to have memory display substrates attached thereto In response to a network command to prepare one or more of such memory display substrates affixed to a sheet control ler 150 initiates a process whereby substrate 20 and sheet 152 are fed Once separated from their respective stacks the sub strate and sheet are advanced toward a nip 156 where the two components are to be forced into contact with one another attempting to affix one to the other Initially substrate 20 may be shifted in position perpendicular to the feed direction so as to align the substrate with a desired position on the sheet 152 Once shifted a glue or similar adhesive material may be applied to the underside of the substrate 20 using a brush reservoir combination 160 before the substrate is placed into contact with the sheet Once contacted the two components are fed through a nip 156 where they are joined by the application of pressure at the nip and are then fed to output tray 170 In this manner a memory display substrate may be prepared and affixed to the surface of any printed goods e g cereal cartons can labels etc In recapitulation the present invention is an apparatus for the electronic display of information where the apparatus is a substrate incorporating a digital recording medium attached to or embedded within the substrate The substrate further includes a flexible substrate display located on an exposed surface of the substrate
16. f an installed base of users Xerox Corporation announced in 1998 an electronic staple that holds the URL address of one or more pages on the Internet that relate to the printed page Similarly electric paper described by Sheridan et al and an alternative inven tion by MIT Media Lab E Ink disclose mechanisms for dynamically displaying information on a flexible substrate These pages can be imaged electronically and have a variety of advantages and differences from ordinary paper that is taught in U S Pat Nos 5 708 525 5 751 268 5 914 805 and 6 055 091 assigned to Xerox Corporation and as also described by J Jacobson et al in various papers and patents prepared on electronic paper electronic books and e ink Including U S Pat Nos 6 017 584 6 124 851 and publica tion WO 00 67110 Inaccordance with an aspect ofthe present invention there is provided a substrate for the electronic display of informa tion comprising a digital recording medium associated therewith where information may be stored by the digital recording medium attached to the substrate and an update able substrate display located on an exposed surface of the substrate wherein said substrate display includes a display medium capable of selectively displaying one of at least two possible colors at each pixel location thereon where the substrate display changes state in response to a signal gener ated from information stored in the digital recording med
17. formation in response to a user request e g depressing page buttons 24 It will be further appreciated that any such embedded memory operating in conjunction with a display capability as described herein may require circuitry for reading the infor mation stored on the embedded memory and transferring and or processing the information for display A simple block diagram of such a system is depicted in FIG 8 In the system a microcontroller 30 possibly including a connector port operatively associated therewith or similar device is used to read information from memory 22 The data read from the memory is then processed so as to make it suitable for driving a substrate integrated display 20 or 32 It will be appreciated that the function ofthe controller 30 may simply be as a video driver controlling signals suitable for displaying the data stored in memory However controller 30 may be enhanced to further receive inputs from other sources such as switches user manual inputs or similar sensors visible light infra red radiation pressure audio etc that will allow the system to respond to external conditions It will be further appreci ated that the power for generation of a sensor signal may be derived from the sensors themselves for example a pressure sensor could employ a piezoelectric or triboelectric effect while an optical sensor signal could be generated by a pho tovoltaic effect As described above the user operable switc
18. h es or sensors may enable selection ofthe information to be displayed such as pages of a book The addition of a light sensor might allow the display to adjust brightness or contrast or mode dark text on light background or light text on dark background in response to the level of light detected Additional alternative embodiments of the electronic sub strate display include a means for downloading information to the embedded memory such as a direct port connection In addition to the methods and techniques described above it may also be possible to employ radio frequency RF of infra red IR transmission mechanisms with a suitable port or receiver connected to or associated with the substrate so as to allow content to be downloaded from computer or other information terminals For example the book embodiment of FIG 7 contemplates the ability to insert the substrate into the paper feed tray of a copier scanner wherein digital copies of each of a plurality of documents are scanned and then storedon the embedded memory 22 for subsequent display on the regions 26 of the substrate In this manner a user may view a collection of scanned documents e mail recipes bank statements newspaper etc In a further alternative it may be possible to download the information from an optical 20 40 45 50 65 8 memory card such as that described in U S Pat No 4 835 376 or a computer able to load data into the embedded mem
19. hose depicted in FIG 15 are suitable for affixation to any surface including other substrates bro chures such as described above etc The substrate may be affixed to another surface by removing a backing sheet 126 so as to reveal a self stick or adhesive layer 124 on the rear surface ofthe display substrate It is also contemplated that an individual located for example at a computer workstation where programming of memory 22 can be automated may produce a low volume quantity of such substrates FIG 16 is a side view of a machine suitable for the mass production of substrates such as those depicted in FIG 15 including the application of an adhesive and affixation to another sheet or substrate Referring to FIG 16 depicted therein is an assembly apparatus suitable for affixing one or more display substrates and components associated therewith to a secondary or backing sheet or substrate More particu larly the machine 140 includes a hopper or input stack 142 that contained a plurality of substrates 20 preferably includ ing a memory and a display arranged with bottom feeding as is known in the paper feeding arts One modification to the US 8 159 463 B2 11 hopper 142 may be the addition of an interface 144 suitable for connecting to and programming the memory in the memory display substrate in the event that the substrates are not pre programmed A similar hopper 146 is provided for the storage or staging of backing sheets or pag
20. ic substrate to sense pressure exerted by a viewer Upon sensing such pressure the switches signal con troller 30 to begin downloading and replaying digital audio information stored in the memory 22 the digital audio infor mation being converted to signals suitable for creating audible information via speaker 92 In such a situation it may not be necessary to include a display 32 particularly if the substrate is used for a photograph However the embedded memory remains and the speaker becomes an additional or alternative means for representing the information stored in the memory 22 It is also contemplated that the embodiment of FIG 14 may include one or more regions that employ a display substrate not shown Turning lastly to FIGS 15 and 16 depicted therein is an embodiment of the present invention made for ready attach ment to other substrates and a simple machine for facilitating such attachment More specifically FIG 15 is a perspective view of a self adhesive backed substrate 20 Substrate 20 includes various elements previously described such as a power source 36 controller 30 and memory 22 all intercon nected via circuitry and a controller so as to enable the infor mation stored in memory 22 to be displayed via display 32 In the event that the substrate needs to be updated or repro grammed an optional connector 120 that is ported to the controller is included It should be further appreciated that substrates such as t
21. in the digital recording medium a portable power supply for providing power to said digital recording medium and said substrate display and at least one user interactive element that allows a user to selectively alter the display of information on the sub strate display wherein said user interactive element includes a touch sensitive device associated with the substrate 2 The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the substrate is employed to display and update textual and graphic informa tion in the nature of a map 3 Anapparatus for the electronic display of information on a consumer good comprising a flexible substrate with which the apparatus is perma nently associated a digital recording medium associated therewith where information is stored by the digital recording medium an updateable flexible substrate display located on an exposed surface ofthe apparatus wherein said substrate display includes a display medium capable of selec tively displaying one of at least two possible colors at a plurality of pixel locations thereon where the flexible substrate display changes state in response to a signal generated from information stored in the digital recording medium a portable power supply for providing power to said digital recording medium and said substrate display and at least one user interactive element that allows a user to selectively alter the display of information on the sub strate display wherein the subs
22. ium One aspect of the invention is based on the recognition of an opportunity for the use of new technologies in association with conventional goods In particular the development of flexible substrate displays and small embeddable memory devices allows the novel combination of the two to provide improved uses thereof including consumer goods packag ing information sources etc The present invention is advantageous because it can be produced inexpensively and is reusable compared to other approaches providing a way in which to display information orto alterthe appearance of goods using the flexible substrate displays The invention can be adapted to any of a number of consumer goods and applications The techniques of the invention are advantageous because they provide a range of alternatives each of which is useful in appropriate situations Some of the techniques can be used to modify or alter the appearance of goods or information displayed thereon in response to a users request BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS 1 3 illustrate various embodiments for a substrate in accordance with one aspect of the present invention FIGS 4 7 illustrate particular applications of the substrate of FIG 1 in conjunction with a flexible substrate display in accordance with another aspect of the 30 present invention FIG 8 is a block diagram of circuitry employed in accor dance with the present invention FIGS 9 and 10 are perspectiv
23. ments ofa digital recording medium associated with the substrate one employing a Memory Stick recently introduced by Sony or similar detachable memory device In FIG 4 the present invention is illustrated in the form ofa wearable hat 18 whereas in FIG 5 the invention is depicted as an item of clothing such as a T shirt 19 In both of the embodiments memory in the form of a memory 23 is an ultra small high capacity durable media designed to link a host of different digital products by capturing and sharing digital content whether images text or audio e g music files Sony s line of memory stick products includes Cyber shot digital cam eras Handycam camcorders VAIO personal computers a Memory Stick Walkman personal stereo a voice recorder a Memory Stick printer the CyberFrame digital photo frame and AIBO entertainment robot The storage device is avail able as a 64 MB capacity Memory Stick and larger capacity In the memory stick a tiny microcontroller connects to a flash memory chip on one end On the other end a 10 pin flat contact connector with guide grooves on the Memory Stick s underside ensures reliable data exchange up to a mil lion times A compatible flat contact connection or port 30 would be required to be connected to the display 32 and other circuitry components in the present embodiment Because data is contained on a silicon chip instead of on a tape or disk no motor magnetic head or optical pickup is
24. n of the document e g text only translation for another language information relative to the transfer or reproduction of the document image or other machine read able information relevant to the document e g biblio graphic footnotes related URLs appendices indexes etc Referring next to FIG 6 there is depicted a semi perma nent version of the present invention where a significant portion or the entire substrate 20 is in the form ofa flat matted substrate perhaps within a frame 40 hanging or otherwise mounted on a vertical surface such as wall 43 In the embodi ment depicted the substrate displays a map thereon The map may be permanently printed on the substrate and information updated on the map for example to illustrate the location of mass transit vehicles such as subway trains where real time data updates would require the transmission of information from a source of vehicle information perhaps broadcast and received by an associated local radio receiver connected to the display In the embodiment depicted in FIG 6 the entire substrate may be the display 32 where the information displayed may default to a map but may change in its detail or entirely alternative content in response to an external signal Another example of such a signal could be touch sensitive switches placed behind or in operative association with displayed but tons 44 where a series of display controls e g zoom and display menu s
25. nk display capable of outputting the information stored in the embedded memory 22 associated therewith It is further conceivable as depicted in FIG 6 that the substrate is formed using the techniques proposed by Sheridon and includes a power sup ply 36 e g lithium battery such as employed in watches rechargeable batteries a photovoltaic energy supply oran AC adapter as well as user interface buttons or keys 24 page US 8 159 463 B2 7 forward page back In operation the information stored in the embedded memory 22 is displayed as a series of pages perhaps imitating a book format where the substrate 20 is oriented in a landscape orientation and where the substrate includes a pair of opposing pages 26 separated along cen terline 28 For further description of the details of an elec tronic book the teachings of U S Pat No 5 517 407 to Weiner are hereby incorporated by reference In such an embodiment a user who wishes to read the contents of the book that are stored on the digital recording medium would simply push or touch the location indicated by the buttons 24 to move the displayed pages forward or back ward As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art but tons 24 require a pressure or touch sensitive switch that is associated with the embedded memory 22 In addition the substrate would require circuitry possibly an embedded pro cessor or controller 30 suitable for updating the displayed in
26. ntemplated that the full game may not be available or usable until a sensor not shown located inside the box 84 is activated In other words a demo of the game could be seen however a purchase of the goods must be completed in order to access the contents and activate the sensor to enable the complete game As used herein the term game is intended to include not only interac tive video games as are well known but also various contests requiring disclosure of participation rules or other informa tion of interest to those inclined to read cereal boxes and other product packaging FIG 11 is a perspective illustration of an alternative embodiment of the apparatus depicted in FIG 7 where sub strate 20 has been produced in the form ofa tri fold brochure 90 In the embodiment depicted brochure 90 includes a paper or similar substrate 20 and a display 32 Again the information available for display is retained within a memory 22 whichis inturn accessed read from and written to via the methods described herein and includes a controller and power source not shown so as to be responsive to a readers selection through pressure sensitive buttons 24 or other suit able sensing or signalling mechanisms It is also contem plated that the embodiment of FIG 11 or other alternatives described herein may include a thin flat speaker 92 suitable for replaying audio information stored in memory 22 as well As indicated in regions 96 and 98 bro
27. on ductor memory Semiconductor memory continues to enjoy the benefits of increasing capacity and reduced cost and flash memory and equivalents now allow putting information in memory without the time consuming and costly masking process traditionally associated with programmable devices Information can be burned into semiconductor memory on demand Embedded memory device 22 may also be a chip a strip of bubble memory or a laser imageable surface as described for example in U S Pat No 4 835 376 to Drexler and as described in an article by Wired News Inventor Warns MS on Patents by James Glave May 11 1998 Alternatively the memory may be in the form of a conventional magnetic tape or strip e g recording tape or magnetic card strip that is embedded or applied to the substrate In yet another alterna tive embodiment the embedded memory may be an optical or laser imageable medium such as found in a CD ROM wherein the embedded memory can contain information embedded by laser on the flat surface and later read by a reader Examples of such technology are U S Pat No 4 835 376 to Drexler In any of the various substrate memory embodiments it is possible to either embed into the print copy substrate or to affix onto it embedded memory 22 positioned in such a way as to allow information to be trans ferred into the memory and for information to be retrieved therefrom Depicted in FIGS 4 and 5 are other possible embodi
28. ory In yet a further alternative embodiment a system employ ing the substrate to display a map could interface to a global positioning system GPS where the location coordinates could automatically be updated on the map showing the user his her direction of travel and possible progress since the last updated position An example of a system providing such information in a laptop interface is found in DeLorme s Earthmate amp Road Warrior and Earthmate GPS Receiver More specifically a portable GPS device may be connected to a display operating in accordance with the invention described above so that a map preprinted or stored on memory associated with the display is able to be updated to show a users current location It is understood that such an application will require communication ofthe scale and coor dinate coverage of a particular map being displayed which could be embedded in the map in a chip or other media which makes contact with the GPS such as by pin contacts or other interface mechanism Additionally one might embed or mount onto a printed map which has gyricon or e ink type capability this system and rewrite the entire map including where you are and even enlarge the map to scale or shrink it like the maps on interactive map direction web sites Turning next to FIGS 9 and 10 two alternative applica tions of the present invention are depicted In particular the embodiments depicted in FIGS 9 and 10 include use
29. rawings like reference numerals have been used throughout to designate identical elements Referring to FIGS 1 3 there are depicted illustrative embodiments of an aspect of the present invention In par ticular there is shown a substrate sheet having a memory device 22 embedded within or attached to a surface thereof In the embodiment of FIG 2 the embedded memory device 22 is physically embedded within or between one or more layers of the substrate possibly during its manufacture so as to be concealed from visual detection by a viewer of the substrate The substrate 20 may include a paper or comparable textile based substrate a portion of which may be conducive to various marking copying printing or silk screening tasks such as ordinary bond paper cloth or linen paper of any size weight and color and may also include other materials such as transparency materials vinyl labels card stock vellum cotton Nylon polyesters Tyvek etc As described below other components associated with the memory may also be embedded with or affixed to the substrate material It is fur ther contemplated and applicable to many ofthe applications described below that the substrate may include another upper layer to waterproof weatherproof or otherwise seal a surface ofthe substrate from its environment Sucha substrate may be used outdoors perhaps affixed to the outside of a vehicle or structure It is also understood that all or a por
30. so serve as message boards moving patterns changing scenes such as the outdoors movies pictures of vistas harbors mountains etc In accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention already described it is intended that the substrate itself provides the means for displaying and possibly con trolling or altering the information embedded therein or asso ciated therewith As is further depicted in the embodiment of FIG 7 and as described for example in U S Pat No 5 517 407 for a DEVICE FOR INCLUDING ENHANCING INFORMATION WITH PRINTED INFORMATION AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC SEARCHING THEREOF a book may have not only embedded memory associated therewith but also may include flexible substrate pages for the display of information in the form of a book Such pages are suggested by the flexible substrate e g gyricon or e ink displays enabled by the techniques taught by Sheridon et al in for example U S Pat Nos 5 708 525 5 751 268 5 914 805 and 6 055 091 assigned to Xerox Corporation and as also described by the MIT Media Lab in various papers prepared on electronic paper electronic books and e ink and U S Pat Nos 6 017 584 6 124 851 and publication WO 00 67110 all of which are hereby incorporated by reference for their teachings In particular the system depicted in FIG 6 is preferably comprised of a substrate 20 that is a twisted ball or twisted cylinder or electrophoretic i
31. tc would potentially include a a changeable pattern using gyricon type or other re writeable substrate technology that can either be selected using external power or internal power sewn or otherwise connected therein b changeable information messages such as a banner that scrolls across a hat animated characters that move along a shirt jacket or pants programmable patterns including moving and securing them in a position when desired such as to cover up a stain c an outside lamination of an item such as a room divider or a wall or desk or file cabinet or chair etc wherein the color and or pattern of the wall or room divider can be changed from time to time as desired by the customer and where the electronic circuitry drivers not shown affecting the change can either be part of the wall or room divider or desk or file cabinet or chair etc or they can be imaged as needed by placing them against an imaging or exposure surface with drivers built in or by using a handheld wand for electronically refinish ing the image The handheld device would contain the same type of EMF or electrostatic emitting waves that drivers in today s configuration use to alter the displayed images The techniques and embodiments for such a display could be applied to virtually any surface that can be covered with or made out of the various multi state display technologies These coverings wall surface upholstery etc can al
32. tion of the substrate a layer thereof or a display area associated therewith may bein the form of electric paper employing twisted balls or cylin ders gyricons as taught by Sheridon et al for example in U S Pat Nos 5 708 525 5 751 268 5 914 805 and 6 055 091 assigned to Xerox Corporation and as also described by J Jacobson et al in various papers prepared on electronic paper electronic books and e ink Moreover such display substrate materials while flexible by design may be employedin embodiments where the substrate and associated display are maintained in a rigid condition e g a frame mounted and or matted configuration 0 pa 5 25 35 40 45 55 4 Similarly in the embodiment of FIG 3 the embedded memory device 22 is physically attached to a surface upper or lower of substrate 20 In any of the various embodiments it is intended that the substrate be usable in the same manner as conventional paper textiles or similar substrate materials Such uses necessarily include ink and xerographic printing silk screening photography painting and other methods of placing marks or images on the substrate as well as post marking manipulation of the substrate As contemplated by the present invention the substrate may be employed as pages in an electronic book as product packaging or as an article of clothing wearable by a user The embedded memory 22 is preferably a type of semic
33. trate is employed to dis play and update textual and graphic information in the nature of a book 4 An apparatus for the electronic display of information on a consumer good comprising a flexible substrate with which the apparatus is perma nently associated a digital recording medium associated therewith where information is stored by the digital recording medium an updateable flexible substrate display located on an exposed surface of the apparatus wherein said substrate display includes a display medium capable of selec tively displaying one of at least two possible colors at a plurality of pixel locations thereon where the flexible substrate display changes state in response to a signal generated from information stored in the digital recording medium and wherein the sub strate is used to produce an article of clothing and is employed to display graphic information thereon a portable power supply for providing power to said digital recording medium and said substrate display and at least one user interactive element that allows a user to selectively alter the display of information on the sub strate display 5 The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the graphic informa tion is related to an advertisement and includes at least a product identifier
34. ure dashboard 102 includes a complete substrate 104 with a memory not shown display substrate 32 power source not shown touch sensors 24 and control 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 10 logic not shown all integrated into a small panel that may be affixed to the dashboard of an automobile or within a glove or other compartment In the embodiment depicted the memory not shown may be pre loaded with information relating to various features of the vehicle or product or a complete user and service manual Itis also possible that the memory associated with the display may be updateable so that when the vehicle or product is serviced the service or other current information can be recorded in the memory for subsequent retrieval or display Turning next to FIG 14 there is depicted another applica tion of the present invention in association with a photo graphic image 112 The present invention is contemplated for use as a backing material for a photographic substrate where the invention may store digital audio information on memory 22 for replay to a viewer of 20 the photograph Furthermore the application can be provided with an adhesive layer to affix it to the photograph or without adhesive to allow it to be reused with multiple photographs for example within a frame More specifically one or more touch sensitive switches 24 may be employed at positions behind or embedded within the photograph
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