Patent ID: 7379138

Claim:
A single-gap transflective liquid crystal display operable in a first operating state and in a second operating state, comprising: a first side; an opposing second side; a polarizer disposed on the first side; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second sides, the liquid crystal layer associated with a plurality of pixels, each pixel having a transmissive area and a reflection area, wherein light encountering the transmission area enters the liquid crystal layer from the second side and leaves the liquid crystal layer from the first side; and light encountering the reflection area enters the liquid crystal layer from the first side and leaves the liquid crystal layer from the first side after traversing the liquid crystal layer; and a plurality of electrodes for applying a first voltage potential across the liquid crystal layer in the transmissive area and applying a second voltage potential across the liquid crystal layer in the reflection area, wherein the first and second voltage potentials are caused to change between the first and second operating states, and wherein a change in the second voltage potential is smaller than a change in a first voltage potential, the first voltage potential and the second voltage potential are chosen such that when the liquid crystal display is operated in the first operating state, said light encountering the transmission area is linearly polarized along different polarization axes between entering and leaving the liquid crystal layer, and said light encountering the reflection area is linearly polarized along same polarization axis when entering and leaving the liquid crystal layer, and when the liquid crystal display is operated in the second operating state, said light encountering the transmission area is linearly polarized along same polarization axis when entering and leaving the liquid crystal layer, and said light encountering the reflection area is linearly polarized along different polarization axes between entering and leaving the liquid crystal layer.