Abstract:
An information retrieval system includes a base station and multiple display stations. A user gives a voice command to one of the display stations and information is retrieved from the base station and displayed in real time; the information may be presented to the user both visually and aurally. The source of the information may be data stored at the base station, or data relayed by the base station from network sources such as the Internet, or from radio or television broadcast stations. The display station has a pull-down screen that can operate like a shade; it retracts using the energy in a wound-up spring.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims priority to provisional application Serial No. 60/415,702 filed Oct. 2, 2002. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to information retrieval systems, and more particularly to wireless information retrieval systems employing flexible display screens.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    The Internet provides a rich repository of information, and search tools are available for finding information quickly. However, such information can generally be accessed only by a computing element such as a desktop, laptop, personal digital assistant, PDA, or cell phone. The desktop and laptop typically have medium size display screens that make viewing comfortable and convenient, but they take several minutes to set up in an operating condition. Sometimes they occupy too much desk space in a home or office environment. PDAs and cell phones typically have smaller screens that severely limit the amount of information that can be displayed, but they are easier to carry and quicker to deploy.  
           [0006]    Tuners for receiving radio and television signals have been available for many decades. Both visual and aural broadcast information can be digitized and accessed through a computer by methods known in the art. Modems for receiving information from the Internet are also readily available as computer peripherals. Recently, the infrastructure for wireless communications has developed to the point where cellular base stations and cell phones are commonplace, and wireless transceivers are appearing in many commercial products such as computer peripherals and consumer devices.  
           [0007]    In the workplace and in the home, space is not always available to set up a computer with a large display screen. It is desirable to provide a large display screen capability that is easy to deploy, and does not carry the cost burden of a full-scale computer with each display. Thus a display station in the form of a “thin client” would be advantageous, providing a large high-resolution display screen without the bulk and expense of the accompanying computer.  
           [0008]    The art of building a spring mechanism into a sunshade to create a retractable shade is well established. The shade can be manually lowered, and then retracted by providing a small additional pull. The additional pull releases a hook mechanism, as will be further described, and allows the internal spring to roll it up. Such shade devices appear in many homes and businesses.  
           [0009]    The art of building flexible interconnection circuits is also well known. Methods for assembling packaged parts, IC chips, and surface mount components onto flexible printed circuit boards are known, including the method of flip chip assembly for bare die.  
           [0010]    Speech recognition circuits are effective and available for processing a relatively small vocabulary, such as a set of voice commands to an information retrieval system.  
           [0011]    A developing art exists for light emitting displays that emit light directly, rather than modulating light from a source such as a backlight. The display back plane includes an array of switching elements provided for controlling light emission at each pixel of the light emitting display. The switching elements can be thin film transistors, TFTs, similar to those employed in liquid crystal display, LCD, panels. Organic light emitting diode, OLED, displays are currently in a rapid state of development. Light emitting polymer, LEP is another name for such displays. Flexible OLEDs or FOLEDs have also been described. Small displays have been integrated into commercial products, and some as large as having 17-inch diagonal screens have been introduced. Most of these displays are bottom-emitting; this means that they are designed to emit light through the substrate, using transparent indium tin oxide as the anode conductor. Top-emitting displays (TOLEDs) have also been described; their light does not pass through the display substrate. These are also referred to as transparent cathode displays. For good color rendition, the substrate for a bottom-emitting display must be transparent and clear. Clear flexible plastic films have been described as substrates for bottom-emitting displays including poly ethylene terepthalate (PET, also known as polyester), and poly ether sulfone (PES). These substrates can be subjected to temperatures as high as 200° C. for brief periods. Accordingly, methods of fabricating TFTs using polysilicon as the semiconductor material have been developed, wherein the substrate temperature does not exceed 200° C. Another approach uses amorphous silicon to fabricate the TFTs. In addition, ink-jet printers have been adapted to precisely dispense tiny spots of organic light-emitting material at each pixel site of an OLED display.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0012]    The present invention combines a number of existing capabilities into an innovative information retrieval system. A base station is wirelessly connected to one or more display stations. The base station has programmable features for customizing the type and content of information that can be accessed, and for registering authenticated users. Typically data is captured and stored at the base station covering topics of interest to the users of the information system. However, the base station may also relay information that is available from broadcast or Internet sources to the display stations.  
           [0013]    Once the information system is set up, a user typically interacts with one of the display stations rather than with the base station. The display stations hang on the walls of a building and may be retractable. In the first preferred embodiment of the display screen, a bottom-emitting display is built on a clear flexible substrate material. In the second preferred embodiment, a top-emitting display is built on a flexible substrate material, preferably a polyimide such as Kapton or a liquid crystal polymer (LCP); these are typically not transparent and clear. Electronic components are mounted on a narrow strip of the flexible substrate; the preferred arrangement is to use bare die assembled by the flip chip method, although packaged parts may be used. The preferred human interface consists of voice command and visual response. The user provides a voice command to a display station; the requested information is retrieved from the base station and displayed in real time. Aural responses may also be employed. In each display station, IC chips provide memory, display drivers, a central processing unit (CPU) in the form of a micro-controller, and a radio frequency (RF) transceiver for communicating with the base station. Together with batteries or other stored energy devices, the IC chips are contained in a long thin electronic box that extends below the screen. When the screen is extended for viewing, the weight of the box causes the flexible screen to hang straight.  
           [0014]    A user typically operates the information retrieval system as follows. If a display station is retracted, the user first extends the screen for use, and then provides a voice command corresponding to the desired information. The set of usable voice commands has been previously programmed into the base station. The information accessed preferably includes visual and aural information, and is sourced from information stored at the base station, or received and relayed by the base station from broadcast or networked sources. The base station includes a full-fledged computer including a user interface with keyboard, display, memory, speech recognition (voice processing) capabilities, plus file storage and wireless communication capabilities. Preferably it also includes software for customizing the user interface and for uniquely identifying authorized users by their voice signatures.  
           [0015]    Each voice command is received by a selected display station, converted to electronic form, and communicated to the base station. The base station responds by wirelessly transmitting the requested information back to the selected display station whereupon it is presented, all in real time. In the following example, the invention is used to assist a cook in a restaurant, who may need assistance with a particular recipe. He pulls down the screen and gives the voice command “entree”. The screen responds with a list of all the entrees available on the menu, and he makes a selection by voice. The screen responds with the full set of ingredients, and waits for a command such as “Next”, or “Done”. If the cook says “Next”, instructions for the first step in the entree preparation process are displayed, perhaps including a picture of the desired result. At any point the cook may say “Next” to see the next step in the process, “Previous” to back up a step, or “Done” to quit. In this manner the user steps through the process at a pace convenient to him or her. In this case, it is helpful that the cook enjoys hands free operation during the command and response sequence; only a glance over his or her shoulder is required to retrieve the information at each step. Another deployment example would be for an office worker to pull down the screen and say “CNN” to get the latest news on his or her preferred channel. For this application, additional IC chips would provide audio output capability, and sound would come from floor or wall-mounted speakers, or from headphones connected to a jack in the electronic box.  
           [0016]    Before displaying sensitive information, it may be useful to authenticate a user, by testing his or her unique voice patterns. For example, a voice signature may be created for all valid users, typically at the base station computer. The base station will then authenticate users by testing their voice signature before sending any requested display information. The authentication of users may be invoked only if the requested information is categorized as sensitive. Sensitive information may also be displayed for only a brief predetermined interval. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a building with a base station communicating wirelessly with multiple display stations, the World Wide Web, and broadcast sources;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the information retrieval system of the current invention showing major functional blocks and data flows;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3A is a front view of a display station, rolled up in its stored position;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3B is a front view of a display station that has been extended for viewing;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4A is a cut-away view of the internals of a cylindrical core of the flexible display;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4B is an end view of the shade mechanism showing the relative orientation of the parts while the shade is being pulled down and the spring is being wound up;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4C is an end view of the shade mechanism showing the relative orientation of the parts when the shade has been extended and locked in position;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5A is an end view of a display station in its stored position;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 5B is an end view of a display station that has been extended for viewing;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6 shows a narrow strip of electronic devices in support of the display station;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 7 is a plan view of the total extent of the flexible circuit supporting the display station; and  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 8 is a schematic of repeating pixel circuits for an OLED display. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0029]    [0029]FIG. 1 shows an information retrieval system  10  of the current invention installed in a building  11  that may be a portion of a home or a workplace, including several rooms or one large room. Base station  12  is in two-way communication using radio waves  13  with a number of display stations such as  14  that are mounted on the walls. In order for simultaneous communications with multiple display screens not to interfere with one another, communications with the base station are channelized. This may be achieved using a sectorized antenna pattern, with a distinct lobe radiating outward from the base station for each channel. Alternatively, each display station may communicate with the base station on a different frequency, or using differently coded information. These methods are known in the art. Base station  12  preferably also receives broadcast radio waves  15  from radio and television stations, and communicates via wired or wireless means such as  16  with external networks  17  such as the World Wide Web.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of information retrieval system  10 , showing the primary data flows. Information retrieval system  10  includes at least one base station  12  with multiple display stations  14 , each one wirelessly connected through a separate RF channel  13  to a base station. If there are multiple base stations in system  10 , they will also connect wirelessly through separate RF channels (not shown). Base station  12  includes CPU  20  supported by a user entry device such as keyboard  21 , user display  22 , semiconductor memory  23 , and storage disk  24 . CPU  20  also receives inputs from voice processor  25  and connects through a bi-directional digital interface to multi-channel RF transceiver  26 . CPU  20  may receive information from external networks  27  through modem  28 , and also from broadcast stations  29  through tuner  30 . Display station  14  includes CPU  31  feeding display  32  through display driver  33 . Audio output is obtained at speakers  34  or headphones (not shown), driven by CPU  31  through audio driver  35 . CPU  31  is supported by memory  36 , also receives inputs from voice processor  37 , and connects through a bi-directional digital interface to single channel RF transceiver  38 .  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3A shows the display station in stored form,  40 , with the flexible screen rolled up  41 . A left-hand bracket  42  has a slot to accept tab  43 , as will be further described. Right-hand bracket  44  has a hole to accept pin  45  as will also be further described. An electronics box  46  hangs below the rolled up screen  41 , and pull  47  is available so that a user may deploy the display screen by pulling it downwards.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3B shows the display station deployed in extended form  50 . Electronics box  46  is shown attached at the bottom of screen  51 ; it&#39;s modest weight causes screen  51  to hang straight without unduly stressing the support hardware such as bracket  42 . Pull  47  is shown attached to box  46 . The display portion of the screen,  51 , is shown, with a border  52 . The screen may be of any size and shape. However, a preferred aspect ratio for the display portion  51  is 4:3, consistent with a display standard such as XVGA, with 1024×768 pixels in the x and y directions, respectively. The width, W, of the screen may be 61 cm (24 inches) for example, allowing easy viewing by multiple people in an office environment. As the OLED technology matures, displays with widths of a meter or more may become available.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 4A shows a cutaway view of display cylinder  61 , together with its internal components. Cylinder  61  is typically made of cardboard; it has a typical outside diameter of 25 mm and a typical wall thickness of 3 mm. A spring assembly  62  is shown at the left end of cylinder  61 , and a pin holder assembly  63  is shown at the right end. Pin holder assembly  63  includes a plastic insert  64  that is pushed into the end of cylinder  61 , and provides support for pin  45 . Spring assembly  62  includes a plastic core  65  with a slot  66  to capture one end of spring  67 . The other end of spring  67  has an increased diameter  68  to form a press fit inside the left end of cylinder  61 . Tab  43  is inserted through a hole in end cap  69  and fixed to the left end of core  65  by insertion into a slot (not shown). Thus spring  67  is secured in such a manner that it can be wound up when tab  43  is rotated while cylinder  61  is stationary. In actual deployment, tab  43  is held stationary in the slot of left hand bracket  42 , and cylinder  61  rotates around the tab (when the user pulls downward on pull  47 ), causing spring  67  to wind up.  
         [0034]    It is desirable to have a convenient way to latch the screen in its extended position. This capability is described in reference to FIGS. 4B and 4C. Shade mechanism  70  is shown in FIG. 4B to illustrate the orientation of the parts when the screen is being pulled down. A pair of hooks  71  and  72  rotate around shafts such as  73  affixed to end cap  69 , which is shown in dotted outline to illustrate the combination. Hooks  71  and  72  have a shape that can interlock with a cam  74  affixed to the base of tab  43 . However, when the display screen is pulled down, hooks  71  and  72  rotate into the positions shown and don&#39;t engage cam  74 , as spring  67  is wound up. The rotation of cylinder  61  and end cap  69  is counterclockwise in this case, as indicated by arrow  76 .  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 4C shows the situation for mechanism  70  when the user pauses the action of pulling down the display screen. Hook  71  has rotated under gravity into a position where it interlocks with cam  74  as shown. The effect of the wound up spring is to apply torque to cylinder  61  in the direction shown by arrow  77 , such as to maintain the locked position. If the display screen is subsequently tugged downward, the interlock is released and the screen can wind up under the influence of spring  67 .  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 5A is an end view of the display station in stored form  40 . Left bracket  42  is shown in relation to wound up screen  41 , electronic box  46 , and pull  47 .  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 5B is an end view of the display station in expanded form  50 , with flexible substrate  81  weighted by electronics box  46 . The weight of electronics box  46  causes flexible substrate  81  to hang straight, avoiding wrinkles that would degrade the image displayed.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 6 shows the physical contents  82  of electronic box  46 , as attached to the bottom edge of flexible substrate  81 . Included are a micro-controller chip  83  implementing the CPU function  31 , a group of memory and display driver chips  84  implementing display driver  33 , a group of audio chips  85  implementing audio driver  35  and speech processor  37 , batteries  86 , and a group of radio-frequency (RF) chips  87 . Supported by micro-controller  83 , RF group  87  provides wireless transceiver  38  for communicating with base station  12 . Packaged parts may also be used in place of the bare die chips such as  83 . RF antenna  88  is also shown.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 7 shows a plan view of the total flexible circuit  90  on substrate  81 . It includes display portion  91 , comprised of a repeating array of pixel display elements, represented by location  92 . A top border  93  is shown, corresponding to blank substrate material that is wrapped around and secured to cylinder  61 . A strip of flexible circuit  94  is also shown for attaching the IC chips and components of the electronic box,  46 . For durability and light weight the preferred thickness of substrate  81  is 50-100 microns.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a pixel display element, such as at pixel location  92 . This example circuit follows Richard Friend, “Organic Electroluminescent Displays”, Society for Information Display, May 1999. Signal line  101  and supply line  102  are arrayed with scan line  103  and capacitor line  104 . Light emitting polymer (LEP) diode  105  emits light  106  and connects between anode  107  and cathode  108 . Switching thin film transistor, TFT,  109  feeds storage capacitor  110 ; the voltage stored on capacitor  110  determines the drive current and therefore the brightness of illumination of the pixel. Drive transistor  111  sends the desired current from supply line  102  through photodiode  105  to create illumination  106 .