Patent ID: 7733438

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device comprising: a transmissive liquid crystal display panel which is disposed on a front side of a display medium that effects variable display; and an area light source device which is disposed between the liquid crystal display panel and the display medium and illuminates the liquid crystal display panel from a back side thereof, the area light source device including: a light source; a light guide which has an opening part opposed to the display medium and emits radiation light from the light source toward the liquid crystal display panel; and a first optical sheet and a second optical sheet which are stacked between the liquid crystal display panel and the light guide and impart predetermined optical characteristics to emission light emerging from the light guide, wherein the first optical sheet is disposed on the liquid crystal display panel side, and the second optical sheet is disposed on the light guide side, each of the first optical sheet and the second optical sheet has opening part opposed to the display medium, and the first optical sheet is disposed to cover edges that define the opening part of the second optical sheet; wherein the opening part of each of the first optical sheet and the second optical sheet is substantially rectangular, and long sides and short sides, which define the opening part of the first optical sheet, are shorter than long sides and short sides which define the opening part of the second optical sheet.