Patent ID: 7330178

Claim:
A display-input apparatus for a portable electronic device, comprising: a first cholesteric display layer for displaying a first character set, and having top and bottom electrode elements made of transparent conductor, wherein the first character set comprises a plurality of character-shaped conductor elements formed in either the top or bottom electrode elements of the first cholesteric display layer; and a second cholesteric display layer for displaying a second character set, wherein at least a portion of the first character set and the second character set are coincident, and having a top electrode made of transparent conductor, wherein the second character set comprises a plurality of character-shaped conductor elements formed in either the top or bottom electrode elements of the second cholesteric display layer; wherein the first cholesteric display layer is operated in a transparent mode when the display-input apparatus is displaying the second character set to allow a user of the portable electronic device to see the second character set through the first cholesteric display layer.