阅读说明：本技术 用于电光显示器的连接器 (Connector for electro-optic display ) 是由 C·阮 G·G·哈里斯 D·V·玛考林 S·J·毕绍 于 2020-04-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于电光显示器的连接器,包括：具有顶面和底面的非导电片；施加到底面的至少一部分的第一导电材料层；施加到顶面的第一部分的第二导电材料层；施加到顶面的第二部分的第三导电材料层,第三导电材料层与第二导电材料层电隔离；以及电连接第一导电材料层和第二导电材料层的导电通孔。(A connector for an electro-optic display, comprising: a non-conductive sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; a first layer of conductive material applied to at least a portion of the bottom surface; a second layer of conductive material applied to a first portion of the top surface; a third layer of conductive material applied to a second portion of the top surface, the third layer of conductive material being electrically isolated from the second layer of conductive material; and a conductive via electrically connecting the first conductive material layer and the second conductive material layer.)

1. A connector for an electro-optic display, comprising:

a non-conductive sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a first layer of conductive material applied to at least a portion of the bottom surface;

a second layer of conductive material applied to a first portion of the top surface;

a third layer of conductive material applied to a second portion of the top surface, the third layer of conductive material being electrically isolated from the second layer of conductive material; and

a conductive via electrically connecting the first conductive material layer and the second conductive material layer.

2. The connector of claim 1, further comprising a fastener comprising a top member configured to couple with a bottom member, wherein in an installed state, the non-conductive sheet is located between the top member and the bottom member.

3. A field kit for repairing an electrical connection in an electro-optic display, the electro-optic display including a display laminate, the field kit comprising:

(a) the connector of claim 1;

(b) a fastener comprising a top member configured to couple with a bottom member, wherein in an installed state, the non-conductive sheet is positioned between the top member and the bottom member;

(c) a die for punching a cut in the display laminate.

4. The field kit of claim 3, wherein the die comprises a cross-hair shaped blade.

5. The field kit of claim 3, wherein the connector further comprises an aperture to receive the fastener.

6. A connector for an electro-optic display, comprising:

a first non-conductive component;

a first layer of conductive material applied to a portion of the first non-conductive component;

a second non-conductive component;

a second layer of conductive material applied to a portion of the second non-conductive component;

wherein the first non-conductive component is configured to couple with the second non-conductive component such that the first conductive material layer is electrically isolated from the second conductive material layer.

7. A field kit for repairing an electrical connection in an electro-optic display, the electro-optic display including a display laminate, the field kit comprising:

(a) the connector of claim 6; and

(b) a die for punching a cut in the display laminate.

8. The field kit of claim 7, wherein the die comprises a cross-hair shaped blade.

9. The field kit of claim 7, wherein the connector further comprises an aperture to receive the fastener.

10. A connector for an electro-optic display, comprising:

a first non-conductive component;

a first layer of conductive material applied to a portion of the first non-conductive component;

a second non-conductive component;

a second layer of conductive material applied to a first portion of the second non-conductive component;

a third layer of conductive material applied to a second portion of the second non-conductive component,

wherein the third layer of conductive material is electrically isolated from the second layer of conductive material;

wherein the first non-conductive component is configured to couple with the second non-conductive component such that the first conductive material layer is electrically connected to the second conductive material layer.

11. A field kit for repairing an electrical connection in an electro-optic display, the electro-optic display including a display laminate, the field kit comprising:

(a) the connector of claim 10; and

(b) a die for punching a cut in the display laminate.

12. The field kit of claim 11, wherein the die comprises a cross-hair shaped blade.

13. The field kit of claim 11, wherein the connector further comprises an aperture that receives the fastener.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an electrical connector. More particularly, in one aspect, the invention relates to an electrical connector for a laminated electro-optic display and a method of incorporating the connector into a laminated electro-optic display to provide electrical connections to top and bottom electrodes within a display stack.

Background

As applied to materials or displays, the term "electro-optic" is used herein in its conventional sense in the imaging arts to refer to a material having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, the material being changed from its first display state to its second display state by application of an electric field to the material. Although the optical property is typically a color perceptible to the human eye, it may be another optical property, such as light transmission, reflection, luminescence, or, in the case of a display for machine reading, a false color in the sense of a change in reflectivity of electromagnetic wavelengths outside the visible range.

Several types of electro-optic displays are known. One type of electro-optic display is a rotating bichromal member type, as described in, for example, U.S. patent nos. 5,808,783, 5,777,782, 5,760,761, 6,054,071, 6,055,091, 6,097,531, 6,128,124, 6,137,467, and 6,147,791 (although this type of display is commonly referred to as a "rotating bichromal ball" display, the term "rotating bichromal member" is preferably more accurate because in some of the patents mentioned above, the rotating member is not spherical). Such displays use a number of small bodies (usually spherical or cylindrical) comprising two or more parts with different optical properties and an internal dipole. These bodies are suspended in liquid-filled vacuoles within a matrix, the vacuoles being filled with liquid so that the bodies are free to rotate. The appearance of the display is changed by: an electric field is applied to the display, thereby rotating the body to various positions and changing which part of the body is seen through the viewing surface.

Another type of electro-optic display uses an electrochromic medium, such as in the form of a nano-electrochromic (nanochromic) film that includes an electrode formed at least in part from a semiconducting metal oxide and a plurality of dye molecules capable of reverse color change attached to the electrode; see, e.g., O' Regan, b. et al, Nature 1991,353,737; and Wood, d., Information Display,18(3),24 (3 months 2002). See also Bach, u. et al, adv.mater, 2002,14(11), 845. Nano-electrochromic films of this type are described, for example, in U.S. patent nos. 6,301,038; 6,870,657, respectively; and 6,950,220. This type of media is also generally bistable.

Another type of electro-optic display is the electro-wetting display developed by Philips, which is described in Hayes, R.A. et al, "Video-Speed Electronic Paper Based on electric wetting", Nature,425,383-385 (2003). Such electrowetting displays can be made bistable as shown in us patent No.7,420,549.

One type of electro-optic display that has been the subject of intensive research and development for many years is a particle-based electrophoretic display in which a plurality of charged particles move through a fluid under the influence of an electric field. Electrophoretic displays may have attributes of good brightness and contrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low power consumption compared to liquid crystal displays.

A number of patents and applications assigned to or in the name of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), intemck corporation, intemcakania llc, and related companies describe various techniques for encapsulated microcell electrophoresis and other electro-optic media. Encapsulated electrophoretic media comprise a plurality of microcapsules, each microcapsule itself comprising an internal phase containing electrophoretically-mobile particles in a fluid medium, and a capsule wall surrounding the internal phase. Typically, the capsules themselves are held in a polymeric binder to form a coherent layer between two electrodes. In microcell electrophoretic displays, the charged particles and fluid are not encapsulated within microcapsules, but rather are held within a plurality of cavities formed within a carrier medium (typically a polymer film). The techniques described in these patents and applications include:

(a) electrophoretic particles, fluids, and fluid additives; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,002,728 and 7,679,814;

(b) capsule, adhesive and packaging process; see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 6,922,276 and 7,411,719;

(c) microcell structures, wall materials, and methods of forming microcells; see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 7,072,095 and 9,279,906;

(d) a method for filling and sealing a microcell; see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 7,144,942 and 7,715,088;

(e) films and sub-assemblies comprising electro-optic material; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,982,178 and 7,839,564;

(f) backsheets, adhesive layers, and other auxiliary layers and methods for use in displays; see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 7,116,318 and 7,535,624;

(g) color formation and color adjustment; see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 7,075,502 and 7,839,564;

(h) a method for driving a display; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,012,600 and 7,453,445;

(i) an application for a display; see, e.g., U.S. patent nos. 7,312,784 and 8,009,348; and

(j) non-electrophoretic displays, as described in U.S. patent nos. 6,241,921 and 2015/0277160; and applications of packaging and microcell technology other than displays; see, for example, U.S. patent application publication nos. 2015/0005720 and 2016/0012710.

Many of the aforementioned patents and applications recognize that the walls surrounding discrete microcapsules in an encapsulated electrophoretic medium can be replaced by a continuous phase, thereby producing a so-called polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display, wherein the electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of discrete droplets of electrophoretic fluid and a continuous phase of polymeric material, and the discrete droplets of electrophoretic fluid within such polymer-dispersed electrophoretic displays can be considered capsules or microcapsules, even if no discrete capsule film is associated with each individual droplet; see, for example, the aforementioned U.S. patent No.6,866,760. Accordingly, for the purposes of this application, such polymer-dispersed electrophoretic media are considered to be a subclass of encapsulated electrophoretic media.

Encapsulated electrophoretic displays are generally not plagued by the aggregation and settling failure modes of conventional electrophoretic devices and provide further benefits such as the ability to print or coat the display on a variety of flexible and rigid substrates. (the use of the word "printing" is intended to include all forms of printing and coating including, but not limited to, pre-metered coating such as slot or extrusion coating, slide or stack coating, curtain coating, roll coating such as knife coating, forward and reverse roll coating, gravure coating, dip coating, spray coating, meniscus coating, spin coating, brush coating, air knife coating, screen printing processes, electrostatic printing processes, thermal printing processes, ink jet printing processes, electrophoretic deposition (see U.S. patent No.7,339,715), and other similar techniques.) thus, the resulting display may be flexible. In addition, because the display media can be printed (using a variety of methods), the display itself can be inexpensively manufactured.

Other types of electro-optic media may also be used in the displays of the present invention.

An electro-optic display typically comprises a layer of electro-optic material and at least two further layers, one of which is an electrode layer, disposed on opposite sides of the electro-optic material. In most such displays, both layers are electrode layers, and one or both electrode layers are patterned to define the pixels of the display. For example, one electrode layer may be patterned into elongate row electrodes and the other into elongate column electrodes extending at right angles to the row electrodes, the pixels being defined by the intersections of the row and column electrodes. Alternatively, one electrode layer may be in the form of a single continuous electrode, while the other electrode layer may comprise an array of electrodes or one or more conductive segments, each defining one pixel of the display.

The manufacture of a three-layer electro-optic display typically involves at least one lamination operation. For example, in the aforementioned several patents and applications to MIT and inck, a process is described for manufacturing an encapsulated electrophoretic display, in which an encapsulated electrophoretic medium comprising capsules in a binder is coated onto a flexible substrate comprising an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or similar conductive coating (serving as one electrode of the final display) on a thin plastic film, and the capsules/binder coating is dried to form a coherent layer of electrophoretic medium that adheres strongly to the substrate. Separately, a backplane is prepared comprising one or more pixel electrodes and appropriately arranged conductors connecting the pixel electrodes to the drive circuitry. To form the final display, the substrate with the capsule/adhesive layer thereon is laminated to a backplane using a laminating adhesive. In a preferred form of this process, the backplane is itself flexible and is prepared by printing the pixel electrodes and conductors on a plastic film or other flexible substrate. An obvious lamination technique for mass production of displays by this process is roll lamination using a lamination adhesive. Similar manufacturing techniques may be used for other types of electro-optic displays. For example, a microcell electrophoretic medium or a rotating bichromal member medium may be laminated to the backplane in substantially the same manner as the encapsulated electrophoretic medium.

Current procedures for making electrical connections for segmented displays, where each pixel electrode is a conductive segment, require that all electrical contacts be provided before the top sheet with the electro-optic medium is laminated to the underlying substrate. This typically limits the location of the contacts to the edge of the display or requires a special tool to kiss cut (kiss cut) the display after lamination to expose the contacts for connection. Existing methods of making electrical connections also do not allow field repairs to be made if the electrical connection on the display is broken.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved production techniques associated with incorporating electrical connections in laminated electro-optic displays.

Disclosure of Invention

In a first aspect, the present application provides a connector for an electro-optic display, comprising: a non-conductive sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface; a first layer of conductive material applied to at least a portion of the bottom surface; a second layer of conductive material applied to a first portion of the top surface; a third layer of conductive material applied to a second portion of the top surface, the third layer of conductive material being electrically isolated from the second layer of conductive material; and a conductive via electrically connecting the first conductive material layer and the second conductive material layer.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a connector for an electro-optic display, comprising: a first non-conductive component; a first layer of conductive material applied to a portion of the first non-conductive component; a second non-conductive component; a second layer of conductive material applied to a portion of a second non-conductive component; wherein the first non-conductive component is configured to couple with the second non-conductive component such that the first conductive material layer is electrically isolated from the second conductive material layer.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a connector for an electro-optic display, comprising: a first non-conductive component; a first layer of conductive material applied to a portion of the first non-conductive component; a second non-conductive component; a second layer of conductive material applied to a first portion of a second non-conductive component; a third layer of conductive material applied to a second portion of the second non-conductive component, wherein the third layer of conductive material is electrically isolated from the second layer of conductive material; wherein the first non-conductive component is configured to couple with the second non-conductive component such that the first conductive material layer is electrically connected to the second conductive material layer.

These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent in view of the following description.

Drawings

The drawings depict one or more embodiments in accordance with the present concepts by way of example only and not by way of limitation. In the drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar elements.

Fig. 1A is a top plan view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 1B is a bottom plan view of the connector of fig. 1A.

Fig. 2 is a top perspective view of the die.

Figure 3A is a top plan view of a laminated electro-optic display having cutouts made with the die of figure 2.

Fig. 3B is a top plan view of the laminated electro-optic display of fig. 3A with a portion of the bottom electrode exposed.

Fig. 3C is a bottom plan view of the laminated electro-optic display of fig. 3A, with a portion of the top electrode exposed.

Figure 3D is a cross-sectional side view of the laminated electro-optic display of figures 3B and 3C along axis I-I.

Fig. 3E and 3F are cross-sectional side views of a laminated electro-optic display having the connector of fig. 1A and 1B inserted into an opening of the display.

Fig. 3G is a top plan view of the laminated electro-optic display of fig. 3F.

Fig. 3H is a bottom plan view of the laminated electro-optic display of fig. 3F.

Fig. 3I is a top plan view of fig. 3G with two leads connected to an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4A is a bottom perspective view of a top member of a fastener that may be used with a connector made in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4B is a top perspective view of a bottom member of a fastener that may be used with a connector made in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5A is a top plan view of fig. 3I with the fastener of fig. 4A and 4B attached.

Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional side view of fig. 5A along axis I-I.

Fig. 5C is a cross-sectional side view of a second fastener for use with the connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6A is a top perspective view of a top member for a third fastener of a connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view of the top member of FIG. 6A

FIG. 6C is a top perspective view of the bottom member coupled to the top member of FIG. 6A.

Fig. 7A is a top perspective view of a bottom member for a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7B is a bottom perspective view of a top member for a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7C is a top perspective view of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a top perspective view of another die.

Figure 9A is a top plan view of a laminated electro-optic display having cutouts made with the die of figure 8.

FIG. 9B is a top plan view of the laminated electro-optic display of FIG. 9A with a portion of the bottom electrode exposed.

FIG. 9C is a bottom plan view of the laminated electro-optic display of FIG. 9A with a portion of the top electrode exposed.

Fig. 10A is a bottom perspective view of a top member for a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10B is a top perspective view of a bottom member for a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10C is a bottom plan view of the top member of fig. 10A with conductive material applied to a portion of the bottom surface of the member.

Fig. 10D is a top plan view of the bottom member of fig. 10B with a conductive material applied to a portion of the interior surface of the member.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant teachings. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present teachings may be practiced without these specific details.

Various examples described in this section relate to electrical connectors for laminated displays and methods that allow electrical connections to be made anywhere on the display after lamination. According to various embodiments of the invention, a laminated electro-optic display may be scribed to create an opening that is removed to expose a portion of each electrode on either side of the layer of electro-optic medium. Connectors may then be inserted into the openings to make electrical connections with the top and bottom electrodes within the laminated display.

Reference will now be made in detail to examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings and discussed below.

A connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig. 1A and 1B. The connector 10 may include a non-conductive sheet 11 having a top surface and a bottom surface. At least a portion of the bottom surface may be coated with a first conductive layer 16. The remaining portion 18 of the bottom surface (if not coated) is preferably non-conductive. To provide the connector 10 with a uniform thickness, the remaining portion 18 of the bottom surface may optionally be coated with a layer of non-conductive material (e.g., dielectric material). The second and third conductive layers 13 and 15 may be coated on the first and cross-sectional portions of the top surface of the connector 10, respectively, such that the second and third conductive layers 13 and 15 are electrically isolated from each other by the non-conductive region 12. In some embodiments, the non-conductive region 12 may be a gap of sufficient distance to prevent an electrical short. Alternatively, a layer of non-conductive material, such as a dielectric material, may be applied over region 12. A conductive via 14 extending through the thickness of the non-conductive sheet 11 electrically connects a first conductive layer 16 on the bottom surface of the connector 10 to a second conductive layer 13 on the top surface of the connector 10. The conductive material of each conductive layer of the connector and the vias may be the same or different and may include, but is not limited to, metals, metal oxides, conductive polymers, composites, nanomaterials, and combinations thereof. The connector 10 may also include an optional aperture 17 to receive a fastener, as will be described in more detail below.

The connector 10 may be inserted into an electro-optic display such as the laminated display 20 shown in fig. 3A to 3I. The laminate 20 may include a top light transmissive protective sheet 24 having a layer of conductive material applied to the inside of the topsheet 24 to form a first electrode 27. The first electrode 27 is also light-transmissive. The laminate 20 further comprises a substrate 25 which may or may not be light transmissive forming a bottom sheet which further comprises a coating of electrically conductive material on its inner side to provide a second electrode 26. The layer of electro-optic material 28 is located between the top electrode 27 and the bottom electrode 26 and preferably comprises an encapsulated electro-optic medium, more preferably a plurality of capsules in a binder, wherein each capsule contains a dispersion of electrically charged particles in a fluid.

According to one preferred method of incorporating the connector 10 into a display, a die (such as the die with a cross-hair shaped blade shown in fig. 2) may be used to cut the laminate 20. A die may be used to punch a cut 21 through the thickness of the laminate 20 at any desired location to provide a cross-hair cut 21 as shown in fig. 3A. The cuts essentially provide four triangular flaps on the top sheet 24 and bottom base panel 25 of the laminate 20. After the cut 21 is made, two adjacent flaps in the top sheet 24 of the laminate 20 are removed to provide a triangular opening 22, and two adjacent flaps of the bottom sheet 25 of the laminate 20 are removed to provide another triangular opening 23 in the bottom sheet 25.

After providing the triangular openings 22, 23, any electro-optic medium 28 or other material (e.g., adhesive) within the laminate 20 may be removed to expose the top and bottom electrodes 27, 26. As shown in fig. 3E, the corner of the connector 10 may be inserted into the opening 22 and pushed until the hole 17 of the connector 20 is in the middle of the laminate 20. Upon reaching the middle of the laminate 20, the connector 10 is rotated until the first conductive material 16 of the connector 10 contacts the bottom electrode 26 and the third conductive material 15 contacts the front electrode 27. In a subsequent step, two wires may be soldered to the connector 10. For example, a first lead or wire 29a may be soldered to the third conductive material 15 to provide an electrical connection to the top electrode 27 of the display 20, and a second lead or wire 29b may be soldered to the conductive via 14 and/or the first second conductive material 13 to provide an electrical connection to the bottom electrode 26. Other methods of providing contact pads or leads may also be used, such as providing a connector in the form of a flexible printed circuit in which the electrodes/contact leads are incorporated into the design. The leads may then be attached to a power supply and at least one of a switch and a controller for applying an electric field to the electro-optic medium to cause a change in the optical state of the display.

Any method of securing the connector 10 to the laminate 20 to maintain electrical connection with the top electrode 27 and the bottom electrode 26 may be employed. For example, adhesive tape may be applied over the connectors 20 and the top and bottom surfaces of the laminate 20. Alternatively, fasteners, such as those shown in fig. 4A and 4B, may be used. The fastener includes a top member 40 and a bottom member 42.

The bottom member 42 includes pegs 44, which pegs 44 can be inserted through the holes 17 of the connector 10 and pressed against the bottom panel 25 of the laminate 20. The top member 40 may be applied over the connector 10 on the top surface of the laminate 20 such that the pegs 44 are inserted through corresponding holes 43 in the top member 40. Alternatively, the top member 40 may include a similarly shaped socket to mate with a peg 44 that is not open at both ends. To secure the top and bottom components 40, 42 together, the distal end of the peg 44 and/or the inner surface of the aperture 43 may optionally include one or more features to provide a friction or snap fit between the two components. The top member 40 may also be configured to receive the leads 29a, 29B and include a window 45 on at least one side of the top member 40 so that the leads 29a, 29B are not disturbed when the top member 40 and the bottom member 42 are fastened together, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B.

In another embodiment of the invention, the fastener may be provided with a housing to house the power source for the controller and/or display. For example, referring to fig. 5C, top component 50 may again include female receptacles for receiving pegs in bottom component 42; however, the top part 50 may also comprise a cover 52 configured to form a housing when connected to the top part 50. The housing may house one or more components required to operate the display. For example, the cover 52 may include openings through which the leads 29a, 29b may be inserted to connect the leads 29a, 29b to a controller 55, a switch 56, and/or a power source 57 (e.g., a battery) that may be mounted on a printed circuit board 54 within the housing. The cover 52 may also include an actuator 58, such as a button, for actuating the switch 56. The controller 55, switch 56, and power supply 57 may then be used to control the voltages supplied to the top and bottom electrodes 27, 26 for applying an electric field to the electro-optic medium 28.

Various aspects of the fastener may be modified. Referring to fig. 6A and 6B, for example, the positions of the pegs 64 and corresponding holes 65 used to couple the top member 60 to the bottom member 62 may be reversed such that the pegs 64 extend from the top member 60 and the bottom member 62 is provided with corresponding holes 65. The fastener may also be modified to eliminate the window in the side of the top member 60 and instead provide the top member 60 with two through holes 63a, 63b through which the leads 29a, 29b may be inserted through the two through holes 63a, 63 b.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the conductive layers applied to the various portions of the connector may alternatively be applied to the inner surface of the fastener. For example, referring to fig. 7A, 7B and 7C, the fastener may include a top member 70 and a bottom member 72 similar to the previously described fasteners, i.e., the bottom member 72 may include pegs 74, the pegs 74 extending and being inserted into corresponding holes 73 of the top member 70. However, the bottom member 72 may also include a first conductive layer 81 applied to at least a portion of the peg 74 and the same surface from which the peg 74 protrudes. A second conductive layer 80 may be applied to at least a portion of the underside of the top member 70. When fastening to a laminated display that has been cut and removed to expose the electrode layers, such as the laminated display 20 of fig. 3A-3D, the fasteners can be placed in either of two configurations. In a first configuration, the wires or leads are on the viewing side. In a second configuration, the wires or leads are placed on the non-viewing side. When the wire or lead is on the non-viewing side, the second conductive layer 80 may electrically contact a top electrode, such as top electrode 27, and the first conductive layer 81 may electrically contact a bottom electrode, such as bottom electrode 26. Conductive vias 75 through the top member 70 may provide a pad for a wire or lead, while the top exposed surface of the peg 74 may provide a second pad for another wire or lead.

To ensure that the top and bottom components are properly oriented prior to joining the two components, the fasteners included in various embodiments of the present invention may be provided with one or more features to facilitate proper alignment. For example, referring again to fig. 7A, 7B and 7C, one or more corners of one of the components may include a protrusion or tab 76 that mates with a corresponding recess 77 on the other component. Thus, the cut-outs in the laminated display may have a shape that allows the protrusion or tab to pass through the laminate. To this end, the die may be fitted with mating features to remove a portion of the laminate and create a channel for the protrusion or tab.

Alternatively, each top part may comprise some markings on their respective side, such that the markings are aligned in the fastened state. For example, in fig. 7C, the side surfaces 78, 79 may have a similar color that is different from the color of the remaining outer surfaces of the fastener, and the side surfaces 78, 79 will be adjacent to each other in the fastened state. Other features may also be incorporated into the fastener, such as using one or more eccentric pegs or forming the top and bottom components into an asymmetrical or irregular polygonal shape that, for example, only align when in a fastened state.

According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a fastener may be provided that includes an internal conductive material for making electrical connections to the top and bottom electrodes of a laminated display, but does not include a peg. Thus, the cut-out in the laminated display may exclude the central hole. The cut-out may be provided with a die having an X-shaped blade, such as the die shown in fig. 8. The result would be an X-shaped cut through the thickness of the laminated display, such as cut 91 in display 90 shown in fig. 9A, which would provide four tabs on either side of the laminate 90. For attachment of the fastener shown in fig. 10A-10D, described in more detail below, two adjacent flaps in the top sheet 94 are removed to provide a triangular opening 93, and two adjacent flaps in the bottom sheet 95 are removed to provide another triangular opening 96, such that the two openings overlap. This results in triangular apertures 92 in the laminate. As previously described, any electro-optic medium and adhesive within the openings are removed to expose the top and bottom electrodes of the laminated display.

Referring now to fig. 10A-10D, a fastener may include a top member 100 and a bottom member 102. The top member 100 comprises a protrusion 103 having a plurality of inclined faces and two gaps 104a, 104 b. The bottom part 102 comprises two pegs 105a, 105b and a well 109 also having a plurality of inclined faces, such that the well 109 will couple with the protrusion 103 in the fastened state. When the inclined surface of tab 103 is inserted through cut 91 in top sheet 94, the remaining tabs will be spread apart to create a space into which pegs 105a, 105b can be inserted. The pegs 105a, 105b and/or gaps 104a, 104b may include surface features to provide a friction or snap fit between the top and bottom components 100, 102 in a fastened state, for example.

To provide electrical connections, certain faces of the top and bottom members 100, 102 may be coated with a conductive layer. For example, the top component 112 may have an inclined surface 112 coated with an electrically conductive layer that contacts the bottom electrode of the laminated display 90 through the triangular opening 93 in the top sheet 94. The bottom member 102 may have two sloped surfaces 114, 115 within the well 109 coated with the conductive layer. One of the inclined surfaces 114 may contact the top electrode through an opening 96 in the bottom sheet 95 of the laminated display 90. When the top and bottom members 100, 102 are attached by the cut-outs 91, the conductive layer on the coated surface 115 of the bottom member 108 may contact the conductive layer applied to the inclined surface 110 on the protrusion 103 through the holes 92 in the laminated display 90, thereby forming an electrical connection. Flexible conductive traces or tails 115a may then be connected to the conductive layer on face 110 to provide solder joints for the leads, and similar conductive traces or tails 115b may be connected to the conductive layer on the angled face 112 of top member 100. A window 108 may be provided in a sidewall of the bottom member 102, and the flexible tails 115a, 115b may extend through the window 108.

Various embodiments of the present invention provide connectors and programs for electrically connecting the top and bottom electrodes of a laminated electro-optic display after lamination. The connector can be incorporated generally anywhere on the surface of the display without the use of special tools, thereby allowing field repairs to be made when the electrical connection on the display is broken. To this end, one embodiment of the present application provides a field kit for repairing a damaged display electrical connection. A typical kit may include one of the connectors provided above, a die for punching a cut in the display laminate, and a fastener for a desired configuration. Optionally, instructions may be included for instructing the steps to be taken to repair the broken electrical connection in order of implementation, the instructions associating the components of the kit with the steps. The instructions may be in printed form or downloaded from a website printed on the package or other part of the kit.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be understood that these embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover all such variations as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. If there is any inconsistency between the contents of the present application and any of the patents and applications incorporated herein by reference, the contents of the present application shall control to the extent necessary to resolve such inconsistency.