Patent ID: 7265864

Claim:
An optical write apparatus comprising: an image display screen that displays an image, the image display screen including a dimmer layer; a role switch section for switching the image display screen between a role in displaying an image for observation and a role in writing an image onto an image record medium onto which an image is written upon application of light representing the image by switching the dimmer layer between light dispersion mode and light transmission mode, wherein the role switch section switches the image display screen between the roles by switching the optical characteristic of the image on the image display screen into different optical characteristic, wherein the dimmer layer is switched reversibly between light dispersion mode and light transmission mode in response to a control signal, and the role switch section switches the optical characteristic of the image on the image display screen by switching the dimmer layer between the light dispersion mode and light transmission modes; and a display panel of transmission type for generating an optical pattern responsive to an image signal, wherein the dimmer layer is disposed on the front of the display panel of transmission type to form the image display screen, and wherein the display panel of transmission type is provided with a backlight for applying directional light from the rear of the display panel of transmission type.