Abstract:
A system for displaying information which comprises a substrate and a conformable display media and control logic associated with the substrate. The display media has an input for receiving display information and the control logic provides display information to the display media through the display media input. The system may also contain other elements which interact with the control logic and the display media such as sensors, speakers, buttons, lights and a interface for communicating with the control circuitry.

Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
     The following U.S. patents are fully incorporated by reference: 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,854 by Sheridon titled “Twisting Ball Panel Display” and issued Nov. 21, 1978, 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,027 by Sheridon titled “Some Uses Of Microencapsulation For Electric Paper” and issued Feb. 18, 1997, 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,514 by Sheridon titled “Polychromal Segmented Balls For A Twisting Ball Display” and issued Feb. 10, 1998, 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,783 by Sheridon titled “High Reflectance Gyricon Display” and issued Sep. 15, 1998, 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,306 by Sheridon et al., titled “‘Eggcrate’ Substrate for a Twisting Ball Display” and issued Sep. 29, 1998, 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,529 by Crowley titled “Gyricon Display With No Elastomer Substrate” and issued Oct. 20, 1998, 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/960,865 by Sheridon et al., titled “Twisting Cylinder Display” and filed Oct. 30, 1997, 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/306,752 by Preas et al., titled “Method And Apparatus For A Display Producing A Fixed Set Of Images” and filed May 7, 1999, 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/153,327, by Richley et al., titled “Ambient Energy Powered Display” and filed on Sep. 15, 1998, and 
     U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/173,906, by Silverman titled “Additive Color Electric Paper Without Registration Or Alignment Of Individual Elements” and filed Oct. 16, 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This invention relates generally to a variety of printed media, and more specifically provides a means for incorporating dynamic or sequenced images therein along side static information or images. 
     Products such as brochures, greeting cards, folders, advertising displays, and promotional gifts abound. Quite often, although not always, these products are paper based products that carry a message that has been printed on one or more surfaces of the product. While these products are convenient and inexpensive to make they may be only nominally effective at best. Their effectiveness depends directly on how effectively they engage and hold the attention of the recipient and convey their information. Many different techniques have been employed to hold the recipient&#39;s attention. For instance, blinking lights, pop-ups holograms, and edge illuminated diagrams have all been used to create an eye-catching image or set of images to hold the attention of the recipient. Cut-outs, overlays, flaps and ingenious folding techniques have been used to sequence information or reveal information in a controlled fashion. Engaging senses other than sight has been used to attract the viewer by employing sounds or scents. Sounds are often activated as a brochure or card is opened while scents can be revealed either by scratching a designated portion or removing a tab. In addition to any of these techniques, personalization of the material is often employed to target either a specific individual or class of individuals. 
     These techniques have met with varying success. One problem is that only a limited amount of information can be printed in a given amount of space. This restricts not only the amount of information that can be presented but its complexity as well because complex information generally needs need more text and diagrams to be explained clearly. Informational media, for instance, tends to be longer and may be offputting to the consumer by its length and complexity. However, simplification of the information may not communicate the specific information desired. 
     Another problem is that personalization must be determined prior to manufacture of the printed media. If the target audience is misjudged some quantity of printed media may turn out to be useless. 
     It would be advantageous therefore to provide printed media with the capability to sequence through multiple images or sets of information in a single limited space. Sequences of images can be designed to be eye-catching and to lead the viewer through complex concepts or information. It would further be useful if such information could be customized after manufacture and just immediately prior to distribution when the recipient is known. It would further be advantageous if the recipient of the information could control or select which information is displayed. 
     Further advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly stated and in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system for displaying information which comprises a substrate and a conformable display media and control logic associated with the substrate. The display media has an input for receiving display information and the control logic provides display information to the display media through the display media input. The system may also contain other elements which interact with the control logic and the display media such as sensors, speakers, buttons, lights and a interface for communicating with the control circuitry. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a system block diagram. 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the display media shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a depiction of a sign utilizing the system shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is a depiction of a foldable object in the folded state utilizing the system shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 5 is a depiction of the foldable object shown in FIG. 4, in an unfolded or partially folded state. 
     FIG. 6 is a system diagram. 
    
    
     While the present invention will be described in connection with a preferred embodiment and/or method of use, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment and procedure. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now to FIG. 1, a block diagram for a basic system is shown. The core component to the system is conformable, lightweight, low-power sheet-like display media  10 . Two types of such display media are currently known. One is the Immedia technology made by E-lnk Corporation of Cambridge, Mass. Immedia uses an “electronic ink” based on electrophoretic technology, which consists of an oil suspension of many tiny plastic particles. When an electric field is placed across the “electronic ink”, the “electronic ink” changes color. The image persists even when the power is off. 
     The second is gyricon technology. Various types of gyricon display medium, their operational characteristics, and manufacture are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,854 by Sheridon titled “Twisting Ball Panel Display” and issued Nov. 21, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,027 by Sheridon titled “Some Uses Of Microencapsulation For Electric Paper” and issued Feb. 18, 1997, U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,514 by Sheridon titled “Polychromal Segmented Balls For A Twisting Ball Display” and issued Feb. 10, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,783 by Sheridon titled “High Reflectance Gyricon Display” and issued Sep. 15, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,306 by Sheridon et al., titled “‘Eggcrate’ Substrate For A Twisting Ball Display” and issued Sep. 29, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,529 by Crowley titled “Gyricon Display With No Elastomer Substrate” and issued Oct. 20, 1998, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/960,865 by Sheridon et al., titled “Twisting Cylinder Display” and filed Oct. 30, 1997, all incorporated by reference hereinabove. 
     In summary, gyricon media is comprised of a rotatable element, rotatably disposed in a substrate having two substantially parallel surfaces. One of the surfaces is a viewing surface. The rotatable element will have at least two different visually observable characteristics. For instance, the rotatable element might comprise a sphere wherein approximately one-half of the sphere&#39;s surface is colored white and the other half is colored black. However, many other variations of the rotatable elements have also been described such as elements having transparent and colored segments and elements that are cylindrically shaped. 
     Most often, the substrate comprises a thin sheet of elastomer into which the rotatable elements have been dispersed. The elastomer sheet is then swelled in a plasticizer which causes liquid filled cavities around the rotatable elements to form. In this form the rotatable elements are free to rotate within the substrate, but due to their inclusion within the liquid filled cavities, not free to undergo substantial translational movement within the elastomer substrate. However, other configurations have also been described such as close packed arrangements which contain rotatable elements and liquid between two solid sheets and rotatable elements which have been microencapsulated with a small volume of liquid and dispersed in a variety of solid substrate materials. 
     Any rotatable element can be selected and oriented by the application of an electric field across the portion of the gyricon media which contains that rotatable element. The orientation of the rotatable element will be determined by the direction of the applied electric field. In the simple case of black and white spheres an electric field may be applied substantially perpendicular to the viewing surface to cause the white surface of the sphere to be visible at the viewing surface. If the polarity of the electric field is reversed, the black surface of the sphere will be visible at the viewing surface. When the electric field is removed, the rotatable element retains its rotational alignment and continues to show whichever visual characteristic was selected by the electric field until the rotational alignment of the rotational element is changed by the application of another electric field. The selection of various areas of the gyricon media which are then driven to display a particular visual characteristic allows for the gyricon media to display images. Black and white, highlight color and full color display media are possible utilizing gyricon technology. 
     For the purposes of the following description, it will be assumed that the display media  10  is implemented using gyricon technology. However, it should be kept in mind that the display media  10  could well be implemented using Immedia electrophoretic technology as well or any other thin, lightweight, low-power, conformable display media. By conformable, it is meant that the display media is conformable to the substrate the display media is attached to or associated with. It is not meant to imply that the media must be mounted on or conformed to, for instance, a rigid substrate, but that the media will conform to the substrate whether it is rigid or flexible, planar or non-planar. 
     The display media  10  is driven by control circuitry  24 . The function of the control circuitry  24  is to provide the voltage signals that generate the electric fields which cause image changes on the display media  10 . For ease of explanation, the control circuitry has been broken up into three parts, the array of drivers  12 , the control sequencer  14  and the power supply  16 , however control circuitry  24  can be designed using many variations of circuitry, some of which are not easily broken up into these particular component parts. 
     The array of display drivers  12  communicates directly with the display media  10  through an array of lines  18 . The drivers  12  receive their driving information from control sequencer  14  through an array of lines  20 . The control sequencer  14  and the drivers  12  are both powered using a power supply  16  which provides power through lines  22  and  23 . 
     The size and complexity of control circuitry needed will depend upon the size and complexity of the images to be produced on the display media  10 . In the simplest case, only two such signals are needed to enable display media  10  to display a blinking pattern while a more complicated set of patterns will require a larger array of signals to be supplied. While many variations on the control circuitry  24  are possible, some examples of circuitry suitable for providing the voltage signals is described in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/153,327, by Richley et al., filed on Sep. 15, 1999, and titled “Ambient Energy Powered Display” incorporated by reference hereinabove. 
     In summary, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/153,327 describes two embodiments of circuitry applicable for use in driving circuitry 24 in FIGS. 5, 7, and 8-11. A power source, suitable for use in power supply 16, is described in FIGS. 5 and 7 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/153,327 which comprises an ambient energy receiver. The ambient energy receiver could be an arrangement of solar cells to collect illumination, or some other circuitry to collect other forms of energy such as electromagnetic radiation, sound, electromagnetic fields, temperature, humidity, pressure, mechanical vibration or displacement or any other measurable form of energy that can be collected and converted into electrical energy to provide the necessary voltage signals. However, the power source need not be limited to the ambient energy receiver, equally well, the power source can be provided by a battery or an arrangement of batteries such as those used to power watches and calculators or even a connection to a power source such as an electrical wall socket. 
     The power source described above can be configured to supply any number of desired voltages. However, when gyricon media is used the drivers  12  require a different voltage supply than the control sequencer  14 . While an additional power source could be used to supply the drivers  12  separately from the control sequencer  14  considerations of size and cost may make it preferable to use a single power source which is not intrinsically capable of providing the voltages needed to be supplied to both the drivers  12  and the control sequencer  14 . For instance, when gyricon media is used, the drivers  12  may need to be supplied with a substantially higher voltage source than the control sequencer  14 . Therefore, it may be advisable to configure the power supply  16  to supply both the lower voltage source needed for the control sequencer  14  and the higher voltage source needed for the drivers  12 , as shown in FIG.  1 . In that case, additional circuitry must be added to the power source to convert the lower voltages into the required higher voltages needed by the drivers  12 . Two examples of such circuitry are described in FIGS. 5 and 7 in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/153,327. These circuits use an oscillator, some clocked devices and additional circuit elements to produce either high voltage pulses or a constant high voltage signal, either of which can be used to provide a high voltage signal to drivers  12 . Regardless of its configuration, the function of the power supply  16  is to supply an appropriate voltage source to the control sequencer  14  and to the drivers  12 . 
     The control sequencer  14  is used to provide additional logical driving information to the drivers  12  to determine how and when each of the individual drivers in the array of drivers  12  should be activated. The function of the control sequencer  14  is then is to provide correct logical values to each of the drivers  12  so that they can provide a desired image or series of images on the display media  10 . 
     For instance, in a simple case, only two drivers may be needed and they may be driven to opposite states from each other. In such a case, the control sequencer  14  could be implemented with a simple inverting circuit which would receive power from the power supply  16  and output two opposite signals, for instance one high and one low, one for each of the two drivers in the driver array  12 . However, in more complicated cases a larger array of drivers may be needed. In these cases the control sequencer  14  can be implemented in a variety of ways using for instance custom logic, PLAs, gate arrays, rom, ram, or a microprocessor, possibly, but not necessarily, in conjunction with some additional logic such as a shift register to insure that values for all the drivers  12  can be made available substantially simultaneously to drive an image change when a large number of drivers  12  is needed. This can happen when the particular circuitry used to calculate the individual voltages needed for the array of drivers  12  is not capable of providing all of the individual voltages substantially simultaneously and yet to effect an image change on the display media  10  they may be needed substantially simultaneously. 
     The drivers  12  can be implemented in a variety of ways and a specific implementation will be dictated by the particular driving needs of the specific display media  10 , the number and complexity of the images desired to be produced on the display media and the space available to be allocated to the drivers among other criteria. Some implementations for drivers suitable for use with gyricon display media are contained in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/153,327 in FIGS. 8-11. FIGS. 8 and 9 show two implementations of drivers suitable for use with the power supply  16  and control sequencer  14  described above utilizing an active charge pump. 
     The control circuitry  24  can be provided in a variety of means that are known in the art. One embodiment provides the control circuitry  24  on a small, rigid circuit board. Another embodiment provides the control circuitry  24  on a small flexible circuit board or other flexible substrate such as a flex cable. 
     The display media  10  is further shown in FIG. 2 which is an exploded view of the display media  10 . The display media  10  is comprised of a layer of sheet media  26 , such as a sheet of gyricon media or Immedia electrophoretic display as described earlier, which has been interposed between an upper portion  30  and a lower portion  31  of a selection device  28 . The selection device  28  is used to select and drive portions of the sheet media  26  to produce the desired images on the sheet media  26 . 
     When gyricon sheet media  26  is used, it may be necessary to encapsulate the entire sheet of gyricon sheet media  26  to prevent it from drying out. It should be noted that in one embodiment of the device the gyricon sheet media  26  may be separately encapsulated from the selection device  28 , as is known in the art, prior to interposing it between the upper portion  30  and the lower portion  32  of the selection device  28 . However, in other embodiments, either one or both of the upper portion  30  and the lower portion  32  of the selection device  28  may also be used as encapsulating layers to encapsulate the sheet media  26 . In yet another embodiment, a sheet media  26  may be of a type that doesn&#39;t need sheet encapsulation. 
     The selection device  28  is provided with conductive patterns on the upper portion  30  and the lower portion  32  which serve as addressing electrodes. As the upper portion  30  provides the viewing surface for the display media  10 , the upper portion  30  should be substantially transparent. The upper portion can be provided by using, for example, a layer of glass, mylar, or other polyesters which have been coated with ITO patterns to provide the addressing electrodes. In some embodiments, the ITO pattern will be a coating covering the entire selection area space and will serve as a ground plane. As the lower portion  32  does not necessarily provide a viewing surface, it is not required that the lower portion  32  be transparent. The lower portion  32  could be provided by using the same materials for the upper portion  30 , i.e. a layer of glass, mylar, or other polyesters which have been coated with ITO patterns to provide the addressing electrodes. However in other embodiments, the lower portion  32  could also be provided by using mylar or polyesters with conductive carbon or silver patterns to provide the addressing electrodes. In further embodiments, the lower portion  32  could be provided by using a conventional printed circuit board as is known in the art. In still further embodiments, the selection device may be integrated into the sheet media  26  by, for example, providing the addressing electrodes on the surfaces of the sheet media itself. 
     To maintain alignment between the selection device  28  and the sheet media  26 , the selection device  28  and the sheet media  26  are attached to each other. For instance, the an adhesive may be applied to portions of the perimeter of the upper portion  30  and the lower portion  32  of the selection device  28  after the sheet media  26  has been interposed. If the one or more portions of the selection device  28  are also being used to encapsulate the sheet media  26 , then it is necessary to use an adhesive which in effect seals the perimeter around the sheet media  26 . 
     Also located on the lower portion  32  of the selection device  28  are connectors  34 . The connectors may be located on the front side or the back side of the lower portion  32  using any standard connectors that are known in the art. The connectors  34  are required to provide for an electrical interconnection between the selection device  28  and the control logic  24 . Connection may be made to the upper portion  30  either from the lower portion  32  via a tab connector such as, for example, SMT or ZIF type PCB connectors or by supplying the upper portion  30  with a separate set of connectors. Other alternatives include using conductive epoxies, soldered wire connections, clamps or conductive tape, 
     The conductive patterns on the upper portion  30  and the lower portion  32  will depend on what type of addressing technique is being used. For instance, passive matrix and active matrix addressing techniques could be used as are known in the art. Alternatively, another embodiment for the addressing techniques is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/306,752 by Preas et al., titled “Method And Apparatus For A Display Producing A Fixed Set Of Images” and filed May 7, 1999, and incorporated by reference hereinabove. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/306,752 describes a method for producing a fixed set known of images. In summary, a two part selection device is used to address at least a portion of a display. One part of the selection device is used to provide a ground plane. The other part of the selection device contains electrode patterns which comprise the intersections of a series of overlapping images. By addressing the intersections of the images the number of drivers necessary becomes a function of the number of the images. In this manner, arbitrarily complex, overlapping images with a high degree of resolution can be addressed without the necessity of using a pixel level addressing mechanism with it&#39;s attendant complexity and cost issues. This addressing technique can also be combined with other addressing techniques such as passive or active matrix addressing for additional flexibility if desired. 
     FIG. 3 shows an example of how the system described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 may be mounted on a substrate and used. FIG. 3 gives the example of a sign  40 . The sign  40  could be an advertising sign, or an informational sign of another sort. For the purposes of this description, a point of sale advertising sign will be assumed. The sign  40  uses a substrate  50  as a carrier. The substrate  50  could be a variety of materials such as cardboard or other paper based substrates, plastics such as lucite, ceramics, metal, fabric, wood or any material that can be configured into a substrate of the desired size and shape. The sign  40  may be rigid and intended for either mounting or free standing use or it may be flexible and intended to be mounted on another structure such as a wall, bus stop, door, column, pole or a frame. Alternatively, the substrate may be a lightweight, flexible material, such as fabric and intended to be worn as an item of clothing or draped or used as a covering. 
     The substrate may be divided into various areas, for instance the upper portion of the substrate  50  might have an area with the company name either printed directly on the substrate  50  or printed on some other material that is adhered to the substrate  50 . In the lower portion of the substrate  50  might be additional printed material  48 . The printed material  48  could be an ingredients list, company philosophy, contest rules information or other desired information. The substrate could also carry a variety of other items such as removable coupons  46  which are also shown in the bottom portion of the substrate  50 . It should be noted that the arrangement and placement of various items shown in FIG. 3 are for illustrative purposes only and that any of the items may be placed in any arbitrary location on the substrate  50 . Also, it should be noted that the items listed are exemplary and could include any variety of items, including but not limited to diagrams, brochures, booklets, or promotional giveaways. 
     The central portion of the substrate  50  is shown carrying the display media  44  on one side of the substrate  50  and the control circuitry  54  on the reverse side of the substrate  50 . However, this need not be so. While it may be desired to obscure the control circuitry  54  from view by placing it behind the substrate  50 , the control circuitry may also be obscured from view by either attaching it to the substrate  50  or embedding it within the substrate  50  behind the display media  44  or other items attached on the substrate  50 . Alternatively, it may be desired not to obscure the control circuitry  54  from view in order to impart a “high tech” look to the sign  40  as it has been sometimes fashionable to do. An electrical connector  56  connects the control circuitry  54  with the display media  44  and may be either obscured from view or shown as is desired. 
     The display media  44  can be attached to substrate  50  in a variety of ways. For instance, the display media could be removeably attached to the substrate  50  by using removable adhesive, velcro, hooks, snaps, screws, buttons, zippers, bolts, clamps, clips or any other means of removeably attaching the display media  44  to the substrate  50 . Additionally, the substrate  50  could be configured with a substantially transparent pocket made of either rigid or flexible materials such as plastic which could contain the display media  44 . The display media  44  could also be attached using glues, adhesives, rivets or any other means which are not intended to allow for easy removeability, such as epoxies or the like as are known in the art. 
     Furthermore, overlays or special viewing windows may be placed on or over the display media  44 . For instance, if the display media is to display changing data in a tabular format, an overlay which shows the “grid” lines of the table may be used. In another example, it may be desired to place a corporate logo on one portion, such as a corner, of the display media  44 . Such overlays may be either transparent or opaque. They can either be implemented as part of the transparent upper portion of the display media  10  shown in FIG. 2 or attached to the substrate  50  of the sign  40  shown in FIG.  3 . For instance, if a transparent pocket is used to attach the display media  44  to the substrate  50 , the transparent pocket may have information or graphics printed on it. Alternatively, the overlays may be removeably attached to the substrate  50  or the display media  44 , such as, for example, by means of velcro, repositional adhesives or other means, to allow for easy interchangeability. In an another embodiment, overlays may be implemented using stickers which can be applied either directly to the display media  44  or to a window which overlays the display media  44 . 
     The control circuitry  54  can also be attached to the substrate  50  in a variety of ways. For instance, the control circuitry  54  could be removeably attached to the substrate  50  by using removable adhesive, velcro, hooks, snaps, rivets, bolts, screws, buttons, zippers, clamps, clips or any other means of removeably attaching the control circuitry  54  to the substrate  50 . Additionally, the substrate  50  could be configured with a pocket made of either rigid or flexible materials such as plastic which could contain the control circuitry  54 . The control circuitry  54  could also be attached using glues, adhesives, rivets or any other means which are not intended to allow for easy removeability, such as epoxies or the like as are known in the art. 
     In short, both the display media  44  and the control circuitry  54  are secured to the substrate  50  where each may be secured either removeably or non-removeably, and independently of the other. Removeably attaching either the display media  44  or the control circuitry  54  allows for easy interchangeability and replacement of the items. 
     FIGS. 4 and 5 show another example of how the system described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 may be mounted on a substrate and used. FIGS. 4 and 5 gives the example of a folder  60 . The folder  60  could be a brochure, notebook, binder, greeting card or other folded or hinged item. For the purposes of this description a brochure will be assumed. The folder  60  uses a substrate  62  as a carrier. The substrate  62  could be a variety of materials such as cardboard or other paper based substrates, plastics such as lucite, ceramics, metal, fabric, wood or any material that can be configured into a substrate of the desired size and shape. The folder  60  has a fold line  78 . The folder  60  may be constructed out of a unitary piece which is folded along the fold line  78  or it may be constructed out of two or more pieces which are flexibly or foldably joined along the fold line  78 , such as by a hinge. The folder  60  may be constructed from either rigid materials or from flexible materials. 
     As with the sign  40  example discussed with respect to FIG. 3, the substrate may be divided into various areas, for instance at the upper portion of the substrate  62  might be an area with the logo or company name  64  either printed directly on the substrate  62  or printed on some other material that is attached to the substrate  62 . It should be noted that the arrangement and placement of various items shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are for illustrative purposes only and that any of the items may be placed in any arbitrary located on the substrate  62 . Furthermore, the items listed are exemplary and could include any variety of items. 
     The lower portion of the substrate  62  is shown with a cut-out or window  70  through which a portion of the display media  66  is viewable when the folder  60  is folded as shown in FIG.  4 . The control circuitry  74  has been attached to the substrate  62  so that it is not viewable. Looking at FIG. 5, which shows the folder  60  in an unfolded or only partially folded condition, it can be seen that the inside of folder  60  has a pockets  68  which can be used to carry the control circuitry  74 . However, this need not be so. While it may be desired to obscure the control circuitry  74  from view by placing it behind the pocket  70 , the control circuitry  74  may also be obscured from view by attaching it within a multilayer substrate. Alternatively, it may be desired not to obscure the control circuitry  74  from view in order to impart a “high tech” look to the folder  70  as it has been sometimes fashionable to do. A flexible electrical connector  76  connects the control circuitry  74  with the display media  66  and may be either obscured from view or shown as is desired. The display media  66  is disposed on an inside portion of the substrate  62  so that it is completely viewable when the folder is opened, as shown in FIG. 5 
     The display media  66  can be attached to substrate  62  in a variety of ways. For instance, the display media could be removeably attached to the substrate  50  by using removable adhesive, velcro, hooks, snaps, bolts, screws, buttons, zippers, clamps, clips or any other means of removeably attaching the display media  44  to the substrate  50 . Additionally, the substrate  62  could be configured with a substantially transparent pocket made of either rigid or flexible materials such as plastic which could contain the display media  66 . The display media  44  could also be attached using glues, adhesives, rivets or any other means which are not intended to allow for easy removeability, such as epoxies or the like as are known in the art. The display media  66  could also be interposed between different layers of a multilayer substrate  62  with a window or opening through which it is viewable. 
     The control circuitry  74  can also be attached to the substrate  62  in a variety of ways. For instance, the control circuitry  74  could be removeably attached to the substrate  62  by using removable adhesive, velcro, hooks, snaps, bolts, screws, buttons, zippers, clamps, clips or any other means of removeably attaching the control circuitry  74  to the substrate  62 . Additionally, the substrate  62  could be configured with a pocket made of either rigid or flexible materials such as plastic which could contain the control circuitry  54 . The control circuitry  54  could also be attached using glues, adhesives, rivets or any other means which are not intended to allow for easy removeability, such as epoxies or the like as are known in the art. The control circuitry  74  could also be interposed between different layers of a multilayer substrate  62 , possibly also with a window or opening through which it is viewable. 
     In short, both the display media  66  and the control circuitry  74  are secured to the substrate  50  where each may be secured either removeably or non-removeably, and independently of the other. Removeably attaching either the display media  66  or the control circuitry  74  allows for interchangeability and easy replacement of the items. 
     FIG. 6 shows a system diagram similar to FIG. 3 where additional features have been added to the system of FIG.  3 . The system shown in FIG. 6 comprises a display media  82  electrically connected to control circuitry  80  through line  90 . This portion of the system is identical to that described with respect to FIG. 3 above. Additional features shown in FIG. 6 include a sensor element  88  connected to control circuitry  80  through line  88 , button or button elements  86  connected to control circuitry  80  through line  94 , a speaker element  84  connected to control circuitry  80  through line  92 , a network interface element connected to the control circuitry  80  through line  98 , and a light element  104  connected to the control circuitry  80  through line  102 . 
     The sensor element  88  can be implemented using any commercially available sensor which can be used to detect various characteristics of the environment. The sensor element can be used to detect light, motion, temperature, sound, or pressure and send that information to the control circuitry  80 . The control circuitry  80  could then use the information provided by the sensor either initiate some action with respect to the system or the display media  82 . For instance, a light, pressure or motion sensor element  88  could be used to detect when a folder, such as the one described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 above, has been opened. A temperature sensor element  88  could be used to detect the ambient temperature, which could then be displayed on the display media  82 . A sound sensor  88  could be used to detect the noise levels. A sign utilizing such a system in a library could then change the display medium  82  to read “SHHHHH!” when noise is detected. Many such uses can be envisioned and these are just a few examples. 
     The button elements  86  can be implemented by using any conventional buttons which are known in the art. These include buttons mounted on a separate control panel or buttons implemented on a sheet, which may or may not be placed beneath or on top of the display media  82 . The button elements could be used to implement an interactive version of the system. For instance, activation of a specific button may be used to determine which of several images the display media  82  will show. Additionally, the button elements  86  may be used to activate other system functions, either in conjunction with or separate from the display media  82 , such as those of the speaker element  84  or the network interface  100 . 
     The speaker element  84  can be implemented using any commercially available micro-power audio chip. The speaker element can be activated when for instance a folder is opened, a button element  86  is pressed, or a sensor element detects the presence of someone. One example of an item incorporating a speaker element is a card which plays a tune when it opens. The control circuitry  80  can be used to synchronize an image sequence to be displayed with audio output from the speaker element  84 . 
     The network interface  100  is used to transmit data to and from an external system and can be implemented using conventional hardwired plug, IR or RF networking technology. The network interface  100  would allow for addressing, reprogramming, downloading, or uploading of information in the control circuitry  80 . One example of such a use would be a sign utilizing such a system which includes a temperature sensor. The control circuitry  80  would receive the temperature information from the sensor element  88  and store the temperature information in memory while also using the temperature information to display the current temperature on the display media  82 . At periodic intervals, the network interface  100  could be used to download the stored temperature information to another system. Other examples include, for instance to use the network interface  100  to update pricing or discount offers on a point of sale display. Further examples include, for instance reprogramming the control circuitry to display a new sequence of images on the display media  82 . Essentially then, the network interface  100  provides a way to communicate directly with the control circuitry  100 . 
     The light element  104  can be implemented in a variety of ways. For instance, several small low power LEDs might be utilized as highlight elements on a point of sale sign. They could be driven by the control circuitry  80  to turn on according to a predetermined sequence, to blink, or to be activated simultaneously with some other element such as the display media  82  or the speaker element  84 . 
     Another alternative for the light element  104  would be to provide lighting for the system as a whole. For instance, incandescant or fluorescent lighting might be supplied to light portions of the system such as the display media  82 . The light element  104  might work in conjunction with a sensor element  84  to detect low levels of light and then turn on the light element  104 . Once example of such an application might be in a restaurant or theater where the available lighting for viewing the display media  82  may change from bright to dim during the course of an evening. As the available light is reduced, the light element  104  could provide additional light directed at the display media  82 . 
     The system shown in FIG. 6 can be implemented in a variety of substrates and systems such as those shown in FIGS. 3-5 with respect to the system shown in FIG.  1 . It should be pointed out however, that the additional system elements shown in FIG. 6, that is the network interface  100 , the speaker element  84 , the button element  86  the sensor element  88 , and the light element  104  are shown all being used in the same system for the ease of discussion. Any one or more individual elements can be added to the system shown in FIG. 1 to implement a variety of systems that may be suited to the various needs of any given user or situation. 
     It should also be noted that while the examples shown in FIGS. 3-5 are essentially planar items, that this need not be the case. A wide variety of materials are possible to use as a substrate leading to a wide variety of configurations and uses. For instance, a fabric substrate may be used to make an advertising banner or an item of clothing. A ceramic substrate can be used to make a variety of items including a wall plaque or a coffee mug. A wood or metal substrate can be used to make rigid signs or furniture such as a tabletop or bus stop bench. Essentially, any object can be made which can be enhanced by the addition of a display media and its associated control logic.