Patent ID: 7210809

Claim:
A lighted display having a changing image comprising: a transparent container holding a liquid suspension of plate-like particles, means for imparting motion to the plate-like particles in the container, a light source positioned at a first surface of the container to deliver light to the first surface of the container, a second surface of the container and the liquid suspension within the container, the light being transmitted through the first surface, the liquid suspension and the second surface of the container, and a first and second polarizer film, the first polarizer film being located between the light source and the liquid suspension and the second polarizer film being located between the liquid suspension and the observer, such that transmitted, polarized light passing through and modified by the plate-like particles in the suspension can be observed as an image generated by the display, wherein the liquid suspension comprises delaminated vermiculite particles suspended in an aqueous medium, the vermiculite particles having an aspect ratio greater than about 10,000 to 1 but less than about 300,000 to 1 and a thickness from about 2 Angstroms to about 100 Angstroms, the concentration of vermiculite in the aqueous medium being from about 0.00375% w to about 0.375% w .