Abstract: We describe an electronic document reader system for viewing electronic documents, in which the electronic documents are viewable on a removable electronic document reader display that is useable whilst removed from an electronic document reader display holder. The system comprises: a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable; a display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display, each of the display and the holder having an electrical interface, wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form an electrically connected combined unit to enable the display to receive document data from the holder for display, and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

Abstract: This invention generally relates to an electronic document reading device, that is to a device such as an electronic book which presents a document to a user on a display to enable the user to read the document. A portable flex-tolerant electronic document reading device, the device including a flex-tolerant display coupled to a flex-tolerant layer of pixel driver circuitry, and wherein said device has a physical configuration comprising a planar display surface and a rear surface having a frame around its outer perimeter to stiffen the device, the frame defining a central region of relatively reduced thickness compared with a thickness of said frame.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an electronic device, the device including a plurality of layers on a substrate, the layers including an upper conductive layer and at least one patterned underlying layer between said conductive layer and said substrate. The method includes patterning said underlying layer, and patterning said upper conductive layer by laser ablation using a stepwise process in which successive areas of said upper conductive layer are ablated by successively applied laser patterns. The successively applied laser patterns overlap one another in an overlap region. The method further includes configuring a said laser pattern and said patterned underlying layer with respect to one another such that in a said overlap region said patterned underlying layer is substantially undamaged by said stepwise laser ablation.

Abstract: We describe an architecture for a large-area, touch-sensitive electronic document reading device which is able to tolerate bending. In broad terms, a control circuit board is mounted behind a flexible display structure in the housing and at respective points of attachment of first and second laminar connectors to the control circuit board each laminar connector has a plurality of electrical connections running along a longitudinal direction of the laminar connector and disposed alongside one another in a transverse direction across the laminar connector. At the respective points of attachment of the first and second laminar connectors to the control circuit board the longitudinal directions of the laminar connectors are aligned such that, when said device is flexed, a relative displacement in said longitudinal direction between said control circuit board and of said display structure can be tolerated without damage to the control electronics, touch sensitive display screen or connections therebetween.

Abstract: The invention relates to electronic devices, in particular consumer electronic devices, including an electrophoactive display, as well as to electronic document reading devices, sometimes called e-readers, such as electronic books. We describe an electronic device including an electroactive display and a light to illuminate said display, wherein said display has a viewing surface, and wherein said light is configured to illuminate said display from in front and to one side of an edge of said viewing surface, across said viewing surface and through a front-most surface of said display.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit (IC) for driving a flexible display includes depositing a pattern of spatially non-repetitive features in a first layer on a flexible substrate, said pattern of spatially non-repetitive features not substantially regularly repeating in both of two orthogonal directions (x,y) in the plane of the substrate; depositing a pattern of spatially repetitive features in a second layer on said first layer; aligning said second layer and said first layer so as to allow electrical coupling between said non-repetitive features and said repetitive features, wherein distortion compensation is applied during deposition of said repetitive features to enable said alignment.

Abstract: We describe an electronic document reading device having a front, display surface and a device rear surface, the device including a connector mounted on an edge of the device. The device includes a back panel having an exterior surface to provide the rear surface and an interior surface, wherein the back panel is substantially transparent and the interior surface of the back panel is substantially opaque, and wherein the back panel has a cut-out for the connector such that a rear surface of the connector is substantially flush with the device rear surface provided by the exterior of the transparent back panel, such that the opaque interior surface of the transparent back panel gives the impression of a device thinner than a physical thickness of the device defined by the substantially flush connector rear surface and the device rear surface.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of fabricating electronic devices using laser ablation and to devices fabricated thereby. Embodiments of the methods are particularly suitable for defining electrodes within thin film transistor (TFT) structures using laser ablation in a step-and-repeat mode.

Abstract: A method of producing an electronic device including the steps of: (i) providing a body including a first, conductive element separated from a first surface of said body by a portion of said body; (ii) removing a selected portion of said body to define a recess in said body extending from said first surface and via which a portion of said first element is exposed; and (iii) putting into said recess a liquid medium carrying a first material; wherein said first material is preferentially deposited on the exposed inner surface of said body defining said recess, and wherein the deposited first material is used to provide a connection between said first element and a second conductive element located within said body or later deposited over said first surface of said body.

Abstract: We describe an electronic document reader system for viewing electronic documents, in which the electronic documents are viewable on a removable electronic document reader display that is useable whilst removed from an electronic document reader display holder. The system comprises: a removable non-volatile display for viewing electronic documents thereon, the display having a display portion on which electronic documents are viewable; a display holder for receiving the removable display, the display holder comprising a back, and an open front shaped to receive the removable display, each of the display and the holder having an electrical interface, wherein, when the removable display is received in the open front, the removable display and holder form an electrically connected combined unit to enable the display to receive document data from the holder for display, and wherein the removable display is useable to read electronic documents when removed from the display holder.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an organic electronic device is provided. The organic electronic device has a structure including an upper conductive layer and an underlying layer immediately beneath said upper conducting layer and having at least one solution process able semiconducting layer. The upper conducting layer preferably has a thickness of between 10 nm and 200 nm.

Abstract: We describe a method of displaying a document page with a predetermined size using a display device having edges defining lateral dimensions not substantially larger than said predetermined size and having a central re-writable display portion and a non-re-writable border, said document page comprising a central, foreground portion bearing one or both of text and graphics, a background having a background colour and at least one margin having said background colour, the method comprising: inputting page data defining a page for display; processing said page data to crop margins of said page such that, when displayed on said re-writable display portion, said non-re-writable border gives the appearance of said cropped margins, said processing generating cropped page data; and outputting said cropped page data for display on said re-writable display portion of said display.

Abstract: We describe a display device for displaying an electronic document page comprising a central rewritable portion, a non-rewritable border with external lateral physical dimensions defined by the display edges, wherein said border is coloured to substantially match a background colour of said central rewritable portion such that when a foreground part of said document page is displayed on said central rewritable portion the appearance of margins of said document page is provided by said background coloured border whereby in use said displayed electronic document page appears to extend up to said display edges, and wherein the surface of the display is substantially flat over the lateral physical dimensions from the central rewritable portion across the border to the display edges.