Reusable electronic paper

Xerox's Gricon Media is an independent venture company that will provide a very useful electronic paper for use in areas such as the Internet and reusable retail display boards that can update display content with a click of a mouse. This type of display card can be used on store shelves, promotional cards and bulletin boards, followed by a series of products such as digital publishing and portable displays.

Xerox's digital document display technology is a portable, paper-like, flexible sheet. Gyricon Media is responsible for commercializing it. The company will initially develop display application products for use on display boards in supermarkets, department stores and other retail establishments. This reusable electronic paper was developed and patented by Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center. Gyricon media will produce a paper-thin, light and inexpensive electronic paper. But when combined with electronic technology, this material can display changing text and images like a computer screen and can be used thousands of times. According to the company, reusable electronic paper is indeed the paper of the future. Our initial product was a battery-powered display card. This wireless solution provided retailers with a powerful tool that enabled customers to draw their attention when making decisions. Using reusable e-paper on store shelves can be displayed dynamically like internet pages. The retailer can update the content at any time - change prices and advertising content, indicate the location of the goods, competitive conditions or other dynamic market information. The first commercial products are expected to be available in 2001.

Reusable electronic paper is a display material with many features of paper. It can store images, view through the reflection of light, wide viewing angle, soft and not too expensive. But unlike plain paper, it is erased electronically. Although this electronic paper is expected to be more expensive than plain paper, it can be used thousands of times. This material has great potential for information display applications, including digital books, low-power portable displays, wall-mounted displays, and foldable displays.

Xerox's technology is called "Gyricon." The Gyricon tablet is a plastic sheet with millions of randomly distributed beads, some of which are like colored particles. Each bead is in an oil-filled cavity and can rotate freely inside. These beads are "double-colored" and have two contrasting hemispheres (such as black and white, red and white, etc.) that show polarity when they are charged. When a voltage is applied to the surface of the sheet, the beads rotate so that one color faces the viewer. Applying voltage to the surface will allow industry text and images. The image remains unchanged when the new voltage mode is applied.

There are many ways to produce images on reusable electronic paper. For example, loading it into a printer-like device can erase old images and produce new images. This printer-like device can be made smaller and you can always fit in a bag or briefcase. Another alternative is to use a stick-like device that creates an image when the bar is crossed by hand over the electronic paper. Adding a scanner inside it becomes a multi-function device - a printing, copying, faxing, and scanning machine. For applications that require faster and more direct update of displays, Gyricon can be equipped with a simple surface electrode structure that can be used like a traditional display. The reusable electronic paper can be thin and soft, so it is possible to bind a multi-page display sheet into an e-book. There is a storage device in the spine that can update the page to display different content. For portable applications, you can use dynamic matrix to quickly update some or the entire page, much like the display you are using now. Gyricon display does not require backlight or continuous refresh, it is brighter than the current reflective display. These features make Gyricon suitable for applications that require lightweight, low power consumption.

Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center continues to study reusable e-paper and its applications, looking for commercial opportunities through Xerox's risk laboratory. Researchers are working hard to develop a dynamic, reusable e-paper that is no thicker than a transparent substrate. Two-color beads are the core of Xerox's reusable electronic paper.