Patent ID: 7705826

Claim:
A pixellated electronic display comprising: a) a plurality of linear pixel arrays, each linear pixel array including a light guide extending along the pixel array and having: i) a longitudinally extending optical volume; and ii) a longitudinal light outlet extending along the optical volume; the light guides being arranged cooperatively, one with another, to provide a display area; b) for each light guide: i) a light source to provide a light beam traveling along the optical volume, the light source being electronically switchable between active and inactive states; ii) a linear array of light-deflecting elements, one for each pixel, disposed along the light guide and each being individually selectable and bendable between an operative position to deflect a light beam traveling along the optical volume to emerge through the light outlet toward a viewer of the display area and a default position where the light beam is not reflected; wherein, at each pixel, the deflected light beam is effective to change the pixel appearance.