CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/202,883, titled "Bottle Display Device", and filed on April 16 ^th , 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates consumer goods that are integrated with organic light emitting diodes. More particularly, the invention relates to uses of thin film organic light emitting diodes with bottles and related applications of such bottle display devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The consumer goods industry is extremely competitive, with vendors continuously searching for new and innovative packaging concepts and technologies to differentiate their products on store shelves. With the general availability of high quality and low cost printing technologies, producers of higher price and higher margin products are increasingly finding it difficult to visually differentiate their product in the eyes of shoppers.

One proven method of attracting the attention of consumers is the use of light. Although optical display technologies clearly provide a strong differentiation and easily command the attention of consumers, most optical solutions are used primarily in fixed signage and are either to bulky or too expensive to be used in consumer good packaging.

Recently, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), a new class of optical display and illumination materials, have emerged as promising technologies for providing new and practical uses in consumer goods packaging. The unique features of OLEDs that enable their use in new packaging applications include their thin form factor, light weight, compatibility with flexible substrates including plastic, high brightness, lack of need for backlighting, low power consumption, and large field of view.

Most new uses of OLEDs, however, have focused on display applications in consumer communication and entertainment devices that can take advantage of these unique features of OLEDs. Most of the applications that have been cited for existing and future uses of OLEDs include: television displays, micro-displays in cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital cameras, and personal entertainment handheld devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an OLED device for integration with a bottle, such as a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage or perfume. The OLED is preferably a thin form factor OLED that can has a curvature enabling the direct attachment to the surface of the bottle (such as a thin form factor polymer organic light emitting diode). More preferably, the OLED is a flexible OLED, whereby the OLED curvature may be selected to match the surface geometry of a wide variety of bottle types.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, a bottle display device is provided comprising an organic light emitting diode affixed to a bottle and a power source connected to the organic light emitting diode. The power source is preferably concealed.

The power source is preferably concealed within a cavity beneath the bottle, such as a punt. The power source may be selected from the group consisting of a cell, battery, rechargeable cell, rechargeable battery, solar cell, ultra-capacitor, and capacitor, and is preferably connected to the organic light emitting diode with one of a wire and conductive tape affixed to a surface of the bottle. Alternatively, the power source comprises a concealed connector, wherein the connector may be connected to an external power source. The power source is preferably removably attached to the bottle. The power source may comprise a wireless power receiver, wherein the power receiver may receive power delivered by an external wireless power transmitter.

In another aspect, the power source is concealed within a housing affixed to a bottom surface of the bottle, wherein the housing preferably comprises a cross section in a plane perpendicular to an axis of the bottle that is similar to a cross section of the bottle. The housing is preferably removably attached to the bottle. The power source may be concealed within a means for sealing the bottle. In another aspect, the power source comprises a flexible battery that is affixed to a surface of the bottle, wherein the battery is concealed beneath a label. In one aspect, the organic light emitting diode comprises at least a portion of a label on the bottle. In another aspect, the organic light emitting diode is affixed to one of a neck of the bottle and a sealing device. Alternatively, the organic light emitting diode may be affixed to the bottle beneath a label for backlighting at least a portion of the label. The device may further comprise a spectrally filtering device affixed to a surface of the organic light emitting diode.

In another aspect, the organic light emitting diode is affixed to the bottle so that at least a portion of light emitted by the organic light emitting diode propagates inside the bottle for illuminating contents of the bottle, where the contents preferably comprise one of a scattering medium and a fluorescent medium. In another embodiment, the organic light emitting diode is affixed to the bottle so that at least a portion of light emitted by the organic light emitting diode is coupled into the bottle by total internal reflection for illuminating of the bottle, where the bottle preferably comprises one of a scattering medium and a fluorescent medium.

In yet another aspect, the device further comprises a sensor connected to a concealed controller, wherein the controller is connected to the organic light emitting diode for controlling light emitted by the organic light emitting diode in response to a signal from the sensor. In one embodiment, the sensor provides a signal for causing the organic light emitting diode to emit light when the bottle is lifted from rest, where the sensor is preferably selected from the group consisting of motion sensors, accelerometers, and thermal sensors. In another embodiment, the sensor detects when the bottle is grasped, and the sensor may comprise a thermal or pressure sensor. In another embodiment, the sensor comprises a tilt sensor for causing the organic light emitting diode to emit light when the bottle is titled to pour its contents. In yet another embodiment, the sensor comprises an electrical contact sensor for causing the organic light emitting diode to emit light when the bottle opened. In another embodiment, the sensor comprises a proximity sensor for causing the organic light emitting diode to emit light when a person within a detection range of the proximity sensor. In another embodiment, the sensor comprises an optical sensor for detecting an amount of ambient light, wherein the controller determines an intensity of light emitted by the organic light emitting diode that is dependent on the amount of ambient light.

In another aspect, the organic light emitting diode comprises an active display, and wherein the device further comprises a concealed display controller for driving the active display. The power source and the display controller are preferably concealed within a housing affixed to a bottom surface of the bottle. The device preferably further comprises a memory element. In a preferred embodiment, an external data connection means is provided for delivering display data to the display controller. Preferably, the external data connection means comprises a wireless receiver.

In another aspect, the organic light emitting diode comprises one of a thin film optoelectronic upconversion element and a thin firm optoelectronic downconversion element, wherein the element converts incident light to visible light.

In another aspect, the organic light emitting diode comprises a thin form factor, wherein the organic light emitting diode is affixed to a surface of the bottle, and wherein the organic light emitting diode comprises a curvature approximately equal to a curvature of the bottle. The organic light emitting diode is flexible, and may comprise a polymer organic light emitting diode.

In yet another aspect, a bottle display device is provided comprising an organic light emitting diode affixed to a bottle sleeve and a concealed power source connected to the organic light emitting diode. A further understanding of the functional and advantageous aspects of the invention can be realized by reference to the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a schematic of a typical organic light emitted diode

(OLED) device.

Figure 2 shows a bottle display device including a power source located in a housing attached to the bottom surface of the bottle.. Figure 3 shows a bottle display with a control unit that comprises a connector intended for a power source external to the system.

Figure 4 shows a bottle display device in which the power source is concealed within the punt of the bottle. Figure 5 shows a bottle display device in which the display is included on the neck of the bottle.

Figure 6 shows a bottle display device in which the display is located on the stopper of the bottle.

Figure 7 shows a bottle display device in which light from an OLED is directed inside the bottle contents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Generally speaking, the systems described herein are directed to bottle display devices incorporating an organic light emitting diode and a power source. As required, embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary, and it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many various and alternative forms. The Figures are not to scale and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular elements while related elements may have been eliminated to prevent obscuring novel aspects. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. For purposes of teaching and not limitation, the illustrated embodiments are directed to bottle display devices incorporating an organic light emitting diode and a power source, and methods of fabricating such devices. A typical organic light-emitting device (OLED) includes three main components, as shown in Figure 1. The first component is a planar conductive electrode 16 (anode) typically deposited on a substrate 18 which may be either flexible or rigid and may be composed of various materials. The second component is a stack of sequentially deposited organic layers 14 (small molecule, polymer, or combination thereof) which act as an active light- emitting zone. To complete a typical device, a second electrode 12 (cathode) is deposited on top of the organic stack. The combined thickness of the anode, organic layers, and cathode is typically less than 500 nm.

Upon application of a voltage across both electrode layers, as illustrated, a current will flow through the organic stack which converts electrical energy into light. The colour of the light produced can be tuned by selecting the particular organic material composition and dimensions of the organic layers. High brightness for various colours, including white light, have been demonstrated. Typical achievable brightness is >1000 candelas/square meter (typical LCD computer displays have a brightness of approximately 200 candelas/square meter).

In order to allow light produced in the organic layers to exit the device, at least one of the electrodes (typically the anode) must be optically transparent while retaining its conductivity. The material typically used for the semitransparent conductive anode is indium tin oxide (ITO), which consists of indium oxide doped with small amounts of tin. The material used for the cathode layer is typically aluminum. Finally, an encapsulation layer 10 (also shown in Figure 1) is preferable to preserve device performance under normal operation in air. Oxygen and water in the air tend to degrade the organic materials and/or oxidize the cathode layer, reducing its effectiveness as an electrical contact. Effective encapsulation is normally accomplished through deposition of continuous organic/inorganic layers (such as silicon dioxide) on top of the cathode layer. In another method, a glass, plastic, or metallic cover may be adhered to the exposed side of the OLED using an adhesive such as epoxy. Device lifetimes in excess of 50, 000 hours are regularly achieved in industrial OLED production. OLEDs are ideally suited for integration with bottles for the following reasons. Firstly, OLEDs have an ultra-thin form factor that is amenable with bottles. Most importantly, however, is the fact that OLEDs can be fabricated on flexible substrates such as polymers. Accordingly, OLEDs represent the only viable optical display technology that can be directly integrated with the surface of a bottle. Additionally, OLEDs can be fabricated in sheets, which supports high-volume, low-cost production. A specific example of this is a class of OLEDs called polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs), which have a simple structure that is compatible with roll-to-roll printing. The high brightness of OLEDs also makes them ideal for use with bottles, as the brightness satisfies the requirement for displays of sufficient intensity to attract the eye of passing consumers. Another key advantage of OLEDs is the lack of a need for backlighting (for example, in contrast to liquid crystal displays), which enables both the extremely thin form factor and also results in low power requirements.

In a first embodiment, the present invention provides an inventive OLED bottle display device that includes an OLED display and a power source that preserves the aesthetic features of the bottle. The OLED is preferably a thin-film flexible OLED. The power source is preferably housed beneath the bottle, thereby avoiding any unnecessary protrusions and maintaining the original bottle shape. Preserving the bottle shape is of critical importance because in many highly priced consumer products provided in bottles (for example, liquor and fragrances), the product brand often bears a close association with the bottle shape. The power source is further connected to the OLED display located on the bottle surface. Suitable connection means includes wires and conductive tapes affixed to the bottle surface.

The invention provides two preferred embodiments relating to the innovative concealment of the power source. In one embodiment, shown in

Figure 2, the power source is housed in a housing 30 that can be attached to the bottom of the bottle 5, where the OLED 20 is connected to the power source by a conductive connection 40. The housing 30 preferably has a cross sectional profile (perpendicular to the axis of the bottle) that is similar to the cross sectional profile of the bottle. The power source may comprise a cell, a battery, a rechargeable cell, a rechargeable battery, a solar cell, a flexible battery, a rechargeable flexible battery, an ultra-capacitor, or a capacitor. As shown in Figure 3, the power source may alternatively comprise a connector

34 intended for a power source external to the system. In this case, the power source may be configured to be connected to an external power source while on display within a store shelf 32, thereby eliminating the need for an internal battery. Alternatively, the power source may comprise a connector intended for an external power source and a local power source (such as a battery), whereby the device is powered by the external power source while on a display shelf, and whereby disconnecting the external power source causes the device to be powered by the local power source.

In a second embodiment, shown in Figure 4, the power source 36 is concealed within a cavity, or punt 6, in the bottom of the bottle. Accordingly, the power supply may be completely concealed, which is advantageous for both bottle aesthetics and ease of packaging. The inclusion of a punt in a bottle is common in most wine bottles, most champagne or sparking wine bottles, and some liquor bottles. The bottle shape may also be designed to include a cavity for the purpose of concealing a power supply. The power source may be housed within a housing or may be directly affixed to the bottle surface. In either embodiment, the power source may be permanently affixed to the bottom of the bottle, or detachably affixed to the bottom of the bottle. In applications involving the use of beverages, a removable housing is preferred to enable the recycling of the bottle. Manufacturer incentives may also be used to encourage the consumer to return and/or recycle the power source.

Suitable attachment means include the use of adhesives, while suitable means for detachably affixing the housing include the use of friction fit, tape, Velcro™ and contact and pressure adhesives.

In addition to the two preferred embodiments in which the power source is affixed to the bottom of the bottle, another embodiment of the present invention includes a power source attached to the side of the bottle in the form of a planar flexible battery. Such batteries can be made to conform to the natural curvature of a bottle, and may be advantageously hidden beneath the label or the OLED display device. Furthermore, the power source could be located in the cap of the bottle, for example, in the form of stack of button cells.

Alternatively, the source of power could comprise an external wireless power source that is transmitted to a power receiver on the bottle. Such a wireless power source may comprise microwaves, optical power, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation. In another embodiment, power may be transmitted to the bottle by inductive means. For example, the inductive means may include an inductive coil housed or concealed on the bottle, to which power is coupled by an external electromagnet. The OLED display device, connected to the aforementioned power supply, may be affixed in a multitude of locations on the external surface of the bottle. In a preferred embodiment, the OLED display forms either all or a component of the bottle labeling. In another embodiment, multiple OLED display devices attached to the same bottle are powered by the power supply.

As shown in Figure 5, the OLED display 24 may also be located on the neck of the bottle, Alternatively, OLED display may be located on the stopper or bottle cap. Figure 6 shows an embodiment in which an OLED 26 is placed on the stopper 8 of a bottle 5. The power source (not shown in the figure) is concealed within the stopper 8.

In another embodiment, the OLED display is placed beneath a conventional label for the purpose of backlighting all, or a portion of, the label. In a preferred embodiment, a display is formed with an OLED device by affixing a spatially and/or spectrally filtering layer over top of the OLED device. An example of such a layer is a colour decal that is partially transparent.

One preferred embodiment of the invention includes a sleeve that may be placed overtop of a bottle, whereby the sleeve includes an OLED display device. The sleeve may further conceal a power source connected to the OLED display device. This embodiment enables vendors to place OLED devices selectively on bottles for the purposes of promotions and discounts. A further advantage of this embodiment is that the power source and OLED display device, both integrated into the sleeve, are easily placed on the bottle in a single step.

In another embodiment, shown in Figure 7, the OLED 22 is placed on a transparent or partially transparent bottle 5 whereby some or all of the light emitted from the OLED propagates inside the bottle, illuminating the contents of the bottle. In a preferred embodiment, the contents within the bottle may be further adapted to contain a scattering medium for enhancing the amount of scattered light. In another preferred embodiment, the contents within the bottle may be further adapted to contain a fluorescent material such as a dye, and whereby illuminating the bottle contents with an OLED having appropriate spectral content causes the internal contents of the bottle to glow.

In yet another embodiment, the OLED is placed on a transparent or partially transparent bottle whereby some or all of the light emitted from the OLED is coupled into the bottle material (as opposed to the previous embodiment in which light illuminated the bottle contents) and whereby emitted light further propagates within the bottle material by total internal reflection. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle material may be further adapted to contain a scattering medium for enhancing the amount of scattered light. In another preferred embodiment, the bottle material may be further adapted to contain a fluorescent material such as a dye, and whereby illuminating the bottle with an OLED having appropriate spectral content causes the bottle to glow. The present invention further includes the following applications involving the use of various sensors and controls with the aforementioned bottle display device embodiments. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle display device includes a sensor that detects when the bottle is lifted from rest. The sensor may comprise a motion sensor, contact sensor, thermal sensor, accelerometer, or other sensors known in the art. Upon lifting of the bottle, the output signal from the sensor causes a control circuit to power the OLED display, thus causing the display to be illuminated when the bottle is lifted. The control circuit is preferably included in the housing containing the power supply. The sensor may also be included in the housing, or may be located on the surface of the bottle, the latter arrangement being preferably for thermal sensors. In another preferred embodiment, the control circuit includes a timer that causes the power provided to the OLED display to be interrupted following a prescribed time interval. In another embodiment, the sensor detects the event of a person grasping or holding the bottle, by thermal or other sensors, and a control circuit causes the OLED display device to be powered while the bottle is being held.

In a variation of the preceding embodiment, the sensor may instead detect when the bottle is being tilted to pour its contents, whereby a control circuit causes the OLED display to be powered while the bottle is tilted. In another embodiment, the sensor detects the opening of the bottle using sensor known in the art (preferably an electrical contact sensor). A control circuit powers the OLED display while the bottle is opened, or for a specific duration following the opening of the bottle.

In another embodiment, the sensor is a motion sensor that detects the presence of a person nearby the bottle. A control circuit illuminates the OLED display when a person (e.g. a potential customer) is nearby. The proximity sensor is preferably contained within a housing attached to the base of the bottle, which may contain the power supply as disclosed in a previous embodiment. Various proximity sensors known in the art may be used, such as reflective and thermal sensors. In another embodiment including a sensing and control, the sensing means is an optical sensor that detects the level of ambient light, and wherein a control circuit adjusts the brightness of the OLED display device to provide illumination that is dependent on the level of ambient light. In one such embodiment, the control circuit increases the OLED brightness when the ambient light is low to conserve battery power and only provide illumination when the device is likely to be noticed. In a contrasting embodiment, the control circuit causes the OLED brightness to increase at higher ambient light levels, thereby enabling the display to be noticed even under high levels of ambient light. In a preferred embodiment (in which the bottle display device may include a sensor and control as described above), the bottle display device includes an active OLED array and further includes a display controller, for example, a processor and optionally a memory device (preferably located in housing) that controls images produced on the array. The array may be used to display moving images such as streaming text.

The above embodiment including a processor for controlling images on the OLED display may be further extended to include the use of an external data connection for the delivery of digital content. The data connection may comprise a standard interface for connecting the bottle display device when the bottle is placed on a store shelf. In another embodiment, the connection means is a wireless receiver affixed to the bottle. In these embodiments, the connection interface or wireless receiver is preferably mounted in a housing located at the bottom of the bottle and more preferably also includes the power source and any additional sensor or control circuitry.

Alternatively, the data may be provided to the OLED display through a programmable interface. The interface may be affixed directly to the bottle, or may comprise an external interface that connects to the display controller or processor through an external means such as a connector or a wireless transceiver. In one embodiment, the programmable interface comprises a touch sensitive interface such as, but not limited to, a membrane switch.

The delivery of digital image content to the bottle display device enables a host of new applications. In one embodiment, the bottle display device is fed with a data stream that produces scrolling images and text on the bottle display that may include product details, store announcements, product performance or feature claims, pricing information, and sale or discount information. In a further embodiment, an external display control unit (such as a computer or processor) is connected to multiple display bottle devices using a direct or wireless connection, where each bottle display device has a connector or wireless receiver, and a display controller for driving the OLED display. The display control unit may be configured with information relating to the spatial ordering of various bottle display devices

(for example, the order in which multiple bottles are arranged in a line on a shelf), which may then be used to enable the apparent scrolling of images from one bottle to another, thus expanding the amount of text or imagery that may be displayed at one instant in time. In one embodiment, the information regarding spatial ordering may be manually provided to the processor. In a preferred embodiment, the processor automatically determines the ordering of the bottle display devices by position sensing means that may include triangulation.

In another embodiment, the OLED display may comprise a thin film optoelectronic upconversion device, whereby infrared light produced externally is incident on the OLED display and is converted to visible light. Alternatively, the OLED display may be a downconversion device, whereby ultraviolet light produced externally is incident on the OLED display and is converted to visible light. These embodiments provide the advantage of a pixel-free display, whereby all pixilated display information is provided by the incident beam rather than pixels within an OLED array. In a preferred embodiment, an OLED conversion device according to the above embodiments provides a moving image or video display. In another embodiment, the power source for the OLED display is a fuel cell or fuel cell stack. Typically, a fuel cell consists of a stacked structure comprising an electrolyte material sandwiched between an anode and a cathode. The fuel is decomposed at the anode side of the device into protons, electrons and waste material. One such implementation is the direct methanol fuel cell that utilizes methanol as fuel. A direct methanol fuel cell decomposes methanol to carbon dioxide, electrons, and protons at the anode site. The electrons are subsequently able to power an external circuit. The protons resulting from the decomposition move through the electrolyte layer, typically a proton exchange membrane, into the cathode layer, where they subsequently react with oxygen to produce waste water, as described in McGrath et al., J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 10, 1063, 2004, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Fuel cells employing a similar layered structure can also be fabricated for use with ethanol as a fuel, and are termed direct ethanol fuel cells.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, a bottle display device is powered by a fuel cell, in which the fuel is provided by the contents of the bottle. Preferably, the fuel is ethanol or methanol. More preferably, the fuel contents of the bottle may be stored in the bottle in a separate chamber. Given that the typical voltage produced by most fuel cells is <2 V, and the driving voltage for most OLEDs is >2V, this embodiment provides for the inclusion of more than one fuel cell in a series-parallel, or series stack. In another embodiment, a fluidic channel or passageway is incorporated into the bottle to allow fuel to exit the bottle and enter a fuel cell external to the bottle. A sealing mechanism such as a valve or a tap may also be provided to prevent the flow of fuel to the fuel cell as desired. As used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "including" and

"includes" are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in this specification including claims, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "including" and "includes" and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented to illustrate the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention to the particular embodiment illustrated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by all of the embodiments encompassed within the following claims and their equivalents.