Patent Publication Number: US-2010123650-A1

Title: Portable Electronic Device

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention is related to an electronic device, and more particular, to a portable electronic device for providing users the latest financial information immediately. 
     1. Description of the Related Art 
     Nowadays everything is particular about convenience and efficiency. The plastic currencies, for instance, debit card, credit card, cash card, value-added card, stocks debenture and so on, and the value notes gradually replace the cash that is commonly used before. Therefore, the various booklets are relatively increasing, such as the bankbooks, the bills of credit cards and the stock securities passbooks etc. 
     However, those paper books are inconvenient for carrying, arranging and reading, and consumers have to waste time on going to the financial locations for recording or changing the booklets. Besides, the consumers can not receive the latest financial information through those paper books. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Accordingly, the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device which may connect to a remote server for receiving the latest financial information of user. 
     The present invention provides a portable electronic device used for connecting to a remote server. The portable electronic device comprises an identification module, a signal transceiver module, an electro-phoretic display (EPD) and a power supply module. The identification module is used for receiving an identified data and the signal transceiver module is used for transmitting the identified data received by the identification module to the remote server and receiving a data signal from the remote server. The electro-phoretic display is electrically connected to the signal transceiver module for displaying the data signal received by the signal transceiver module. The power supply module is electrically connected to the identification module, the signal transceiver module and the electro-phoretic display. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the portable electronic device further comprises an inputting module providing users to input the identified data. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the electro-phoretic display comprises a monochrome display region and a color display region. For example, the electro-phoretic display comprises an active elements array substrate, an electro-phoretic layer, a transparent substrate and a color photoresist layer. The electro-phoretic layer is disposed on the active elements array substrate. The transparent substrate is disposed above the active elements array substrate. The color photoresist layer is disposed on a portion of the transparent substrate and located between the electro-phoretic layer and the transparent substrate. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the portable electronic device further comprises a waterproof layer and the electro-phoretic display has a display surface and a back surface opposite to each other. The waterproof layer covers the display surface and the back surface of the electro-phoretic display. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the electro-phoretic layer may be a microcup electro-phoretic layer or a microcapsule electro-phoretic layer. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the power supply module comprises an optical energy storage unit used for storing optical energy and a photoelectric transducer unit used for transforming the optical energy stored by the optical energy storage unit into electric energy. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the portable electronic device further comprises a light source disposed beside at least one side of the electro-phoretic display. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the light source may be light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes or cold-cathode-fluorescent lamps. 
     In an embodiment according to this invention, the portable electronic device further comprises a display controlling module electrically connected to the electro-phoretic display in order to control the images displayed by the electro-phoretic display. 
     The portable electronic device of this invention may connect to different financial locations according to user choices, so the latest financial information of user may be provided by the portable electronic device immediately. Furthermore, the portable electronic device of this invention displays information by the electro-phoretic display which has the qualities of flexibility, being without backlight sources, low power consumption, frame memorizing, unlimited viewing-angle, fast responding speed and high contrast. Hence, the portable electronic device with high display quality may be provided. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a circuit block diagram of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3A  is a schematic view of the electro-phoretic display of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3B  is a schematic view of the electro-phoretic display of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a circuit block diagram of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a back view of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a circuit block diagram of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a circuit block diagram of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 2  is a front view of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the portable electronic device  100  is used for connecting to a remote server  101  in order to exchange data. The remote server  101 , for example, belongs to financial locations but not limited to a specified financial location. In other words, the portable electronic device of the present invention may connect to different remote server according to user&#39;s choices. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the portable electronic device  100  comprises an identification module  110 , a signal transceiver module  120 , an electro-phoretic display  130  and a power supply module  140 . The identification module  110  is used for receiving identified data inputted by users. The identification data may be personalized identified data, such as account/password, barcode, fingerprints, palm prints, voice, the face images or digital signature. Accordingly, the identification module  110  may be a barcode identification machine, a fingerprints/palm prints identification system, a voice identification system or a face images identification system. 
     As described above, the user inputs the identified data to the identification module  110  through the inputting module  150  in an embodiment of the present invention. In specific, the inputting module  150  may be a user input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a handwriting panel or a voice/image capturing device or a transmission interface used for connected to the user input device such as a universal serial bus. Thus, users can input the identified data through these user input devices or connect the portable electronic device  100  to a storage medium(such as a flash drive not shown) in order to transmit the identified data stored in the storage medium to the portable electronic device  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  again, the signal transceiver module  120  is used for transmitting the identification data received by the identification module  110  to the remote server  101  and then receiving a data signal from the remote server  101 . Specifically, the data signal received by the signal transceiver module  120  is the financial information of user such as the transaction details of the depositor, the deposit/loan information or the bills of the credit cards. In addition, the signal transceiver module  120  may be a wireless/cable network, a radio wave transceiver, an infrared radiation transceiver or a bluetooth transceiver. 
       FIG. 3A  is a schematic view of the electro-phoretic display of the portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3A , the electro-phoretic display  130  is used for displaying the data signal received by the signal transceiver module  120 . The electro-phoretic display  130  may be a monochrome display device or a color display device. In this embodiment, the electro-phoretic display  130  has a color display region C used for displaying chromatic images and a monochrome display region M used for displaying black and white images. 
     In detail, the electro-phoretic display  130  of this embodiment comprises an active element array substrate  132 , an electro-phoretic layer  134 , a color photoresist layer  136  and a transparent substrate  138 . The active element array substrate comprises a substrate  132   a  and an active element array  132   b.  The material of the substrate  132   a  is, for example, metal, glass or flexible plastic materials such as polyethylene terephathalate (PET), polyethylene naphthenate, polyaramid, polyimide, polycycloolefin, polysulfone (PSF), epoxy, polycarbonate or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). 
     As described above, the electro-phoretic layer  134  disposed on the active element array substrate  132  may be a microcup electro-phoretic layer shown in  FIG. 3A  or a microcapsule electro-phoretic layer shown in  FIG. 3B . The transparent substrate  138  is disposed above the electro-phoretic layer  134 . The material of the transparent substrate is, for example, glass, PET, polyethylene naphthenate, polyaramid, polyimide, polycycloolefin, PSF, epoxy, polycarbonate, PMMA or other flexible plastic materials. 
     The color photoresist layer  136  is disposed on a portion of the transparent substrate  138  and located between the electro-phoretic layer 134  and transparent substrate  138 . In detail, the color photoresist layer  136  comprises monochrome photoresist layers  136   a,    136   b  and  136   c,  which are, for example, red, green and blue photoresist layers respectively. Therefore, the region where the color photoresist layer  136  disposed in is the color display region C of the electro-phoretic display  130 . On the other hand, the region where the color photoresist layer  136  not disposed in is the monochrome display region M of the electro-phoretic display  130 . 
     Accordingly, since the color photoresist layer  136  is disposed on a portion of the transparent substrate  138  in this embodiment, the rate of the color photoresist layer  136  of shielding the reflected light of the electro-phoretic display  130  may be decreased. Therefore, the chromatic electro-phoretic display having high brightness may be provided. 
     In addition, the electro-phoretic display  130  comprises a display surface  131  and a back surface  133  opposite to each other. In specific, the display surface  131  is a surface of the transparent substrate  138 , and the back surface  133  is a surface of the active elements array substrate  132 . Furthermore, a waterproof layer  160  is covered on the display surface  131  and the back surface  133  in this embodiment to prevent the inside circuit of the electro-phoretic display from being damaged by the mist permeated from outside. The material of the waterproof layer  160  is, for example, a multilayer film made of rubber, resin, transparent PET and silicon oxidation or of transparent PET and aluminum oxidation. 
     The power supply module  140  is electrically connected to the identification module  110 , the signal transceiver module  120  and the electro-phoretic display  130  for supplying power to them. In this embodiment, the power supply module  140  comprises an optical energy storage unit  142  and a photoelectric transducer unit  144  shown in  FIG. 4 . The optical energy storage unit  142  is used for storing the optical energy received from sun and the photoelectric transducer unit  144  is used for transforming optical energy into electric energy to supply power to the identification module  110 , the signal transceiver module  120  and the electro-phoretic display  130 . Specifically, the power supply module  140  in this embodiment is a solar battery attached to the back of the electro-phoretic display  130 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In addition, the identification module  110  and the signal transceiver module  120  may be disposed on a driving circuit board  610 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The driving circuit board  610  may be attached between the power supply module  140  and the electro-phoretic display  130  and is electrically connected to the power supply module  140  and the electro-phoretic display  130 . 
     Particularly, the portable electronic device of this invention further comprises a light source  170  disposed beside at least one side of the electro-phoretic display  130 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The light source  170  is used for providing light to the electro-phoretic display for displaying in a situation that the brightness of an ambient light is not enough. The light source may be light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes or cold-cathode-fluorescent lamps. 
       FIG. 8  is a circuit block diagram of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 9  is a front view of the portable electronic device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , the difference between this embodiment and the above-mentioned embodiment is the portable electronic device  800  further comprises a display controlling module  180  used for controlling the frame displayed by the electro-phoretic display  130  to move, for example, upward, downward, leftward and rightward or change pages. Specifically, the display controlling module  180  comprises at least a function button  182  used for controlling the frame displayed by the electro-phoretic display  130 . 
     In summary, the portable electronic device of this invention may connect to different financial locations according to user choices, so the latest financial information of user may be provided through the portable electronic device. Furthermore, the users may receive their financial information from the financial locations after inputting the identified data without going to the financial locations to enter or change bankbooks. As a result, the portable electronic device of this invention is more convenient than the paper bankbooks in prior art. 
     In addition, since the portable electronic device of this invention displays information by the electro-phoretic display which has the qualities of flexibility, being without backlight sources, low power consumption, frame memorizing, unlimited viewing-angle, fast responding speed and high contrast, so it is not only light and thin for easily to carry, but also provided with improved quality of displaying. 
     The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including configurations ways of the recessed portions and materials and/or designs of the attaching structures. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.