1. A locking mechanism for securing a security device to an article, the locking mechanism comprising:
a magnetically actuable latch;
a flexible element to bias the magnetically actuable latch toward a locking position; and
a latch mating element to mate with the magnetically actuable latch when the magnetically actuable latch is in the locking position.
2. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flexible element comprises foam.
3. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flexible element comprises a spring.
4. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flexible element comprises rubber.
5. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the flexible element and the magnetically actuable latch are integrally formed.
6. The security device of claim 1, wherein the security device is reusable.
7. The security device of claim 1, wherein the security device is for one-time use.
8. The security device of claim 1, wherein the security device is resettable.
9. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the magnetically actuable latch may be moved away from the locking position by magnetic force.
10. The locking mechanism of claim 9, wherein the magnetically actuable latch may be moved in a substantially linear direction.
11. The locking mechanism of claim 9, wherein the magnetically actuable latch may be moved in a substantially rotational direction.
12. The locking mechanism of claim 9, wherein the magnetically actuable latch may be moved in a combination of a rotational and linear direction.
13. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the latch mating element comprises a void, and wherein the magnetically actuable latch is at least partially disposed within the void when in the locking position.
14. The locking mechanism of claim 1, wherein the magnetically actuable latch comprises at least one tooth, and wherein the latch mating element mates with the magnetically actuable latch in the locking position by engaging the at least one tooth.
15. The locking mechanism of claim 13, wherein the latch mating element comprises at least one rib, and wherein the latch mating element engages the at least one tooth with the at least one rib.
16. A security device for an article, comprising:
a housing; and
a locking mechanism at least partially enclosed by the housing and comprising a flexible element, a latch mating element, and a magnetically actuable latch disposed between the flexible element and the latch mating element.
17. The security device of claim 16, comprising a security tag secured to the housing.
18. The security device of claim 16, wherein the latch mating element is integral with the housing.
19. The security device of claim 16, wherein the security tag is an EAS tag.
20. The security device of claim 19, wherein the EAS tag is an RF tag.
21. The security device of claim 19, wherein the EAS tag is an acousto-magnetic tag.
22. The security device of claim 16, wherein the security tag is an RFID tag.
23. The security device of claim 16, wherein the housing is to secure the article to the housing when the magnetically actuable latch is in the locking position.
24. The security device of claim 23, wherein the housing is to secure the article to the housing by surrounding at least a portion of the article.
25. The security device of claim 23, wherein the housing is to secure the article to the housing by enclosing the article.
26. The security device of claim 23, wherein the housing is to secure the article to the housing by interlocking with the article.
27. The security device of claim 16, wherein the housing is to secure the security tag to the housing by enclosing the security tag.
28. The security device of claim 16, wherein the housing is to secure the locking mechanism to the housing by enclosing the locking mechanism.
29. The security device of claim 16, wherein the housing comprises a channel, and wherein the magnetically actuable latch and flexible element are adjacently disposed in the channel.
30. The security device of claim 29, wherein the channel is to restrict movement of the magnetically actuable latch to a substantially linear direction.
31. The security device of claim 29, wherein the locking mechanism further comprises a latch mating element to mate with the magnetically actuable latch when the magnetically actuable latch is in the position and thereby lock the housing.
32. The security device of claim 31, wherein the magnetically actuable latch is disposed between the flexible element and the latch mating element.
33. A security device system, comprising:
a security device comprising a locking mechanism; and
a detacher to unlock the security device by magnetic force.
34. A security device system for an article comprising:
a security device comprising a housing and a locking mechanism disposed in the housing, the housing and locking mechanism to cooperate to lock the housing to the article; and
a detacher comprising a magnet and to unlock the housing from the article by magnetic force.
35. The security system of claim 34, wherein the security device further comprises a security tag.
36. The security system of claim 34, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a magnetically actuable latch, and wherein the magnetic force unlocks the housing by moving the magnetically actuable latch.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A display driver which drives at least a plurality of scan lines of a display panel having a plurality of data lines and a plurality of pixels in addition to the plurality of scan lines, the display driver comprising:
a plurality of scan drive cells each of which is connected to and drives one of the plurality of scan lines; and
a plurality of coincidence detection circuits each of which is connected to one of the plurality of scan drive cells,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including a logic circuit for comparing a scan line address designated by a scan control signal with an address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of scan drive cells, each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including a register which latches a comparison result of the logic circuit based on a scan clock signal, the comparison result representing whether the scan line address designated by the scan control signal coincides with the address exclusively assigned to at least the one of the plurality of scan drive cells, and each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits outputting a signal based on the comparison result to a corresponding one of the plurality of scan drive cells in synchronization with the scan clock signal.
2. The display driver as defined in claim 1, further comprising a scan line address bus which supplies the scan line address.
3. The display driver as defined in claim 2,
the scan line address bus including a plurality of address signal lines, and
the plurality of coincidence detection circuits being connected to the plurality of address signal lines differently from each other.
4. The display driver as defined in claim 3,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits being connected to at least N address signal lines, N being a natural number, among the plurality of address signal lines, and
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including a logic circuit having at least N inputs.
5. An electro-optical device comprising:
the display driver as defined in claim 3;
the display panel driven by the display driver; and
a controller which controls the display driver.
6. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
when one of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits determines that the scan line address coincides with the address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of scan drive cells, a corresponding one of the plurality of scan drive cells driving a corresponding one of the plurality of scan lines.
7. An electro-optical device comprising:
the display driver as defined in claim 6;
the display panel driven by the display driver; and
a controller which controls the display driver.
8. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
when none of the plurality of scan lines is driven, the scan line address being set to an address other than the address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of scan drive cells.
9. An electro-optical device comprising:
the display driver as defined in claim 8;
the display panel driven by the display driver; and
a controller which controls the display driver.
10. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
the plurality of scan lines being sequentially driven by sequentially generating the scan line address.
11. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
the plurality of scan lines being interlace-driven by causing a controller which controls the display driver to generate the scan line address.
12. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
the plurality of scan lines being comb-tooth driven by causing a controller which controls the display driver to generate the scan line address.
13. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including at least one of an output enable input and an output fixed input,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits ON-driving a corresponding one of the plurality of scan drive cells in a period in which a signal input to the output fixed input being active, and
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits OFF-driving a corresponding one of the plurality of scan drive cells in a period in which a signal input to the output enable input being non-active.
14. An electro-optical device comprising:
the display driver as defined in claim 1;
the display panel driven by the display driver; and
a controller which controls the display driver.
15. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including a second logic circuit, the second logic circuit receiving the comparison result from the register and an output control signal from an output control terminal, and controlling the output of each of the plurality of scan drive cells based on the comparison result and the output control signal.
16. The display driver as defined in claim 1,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including a first logic circuit, a second logic circuit, and a register,
the first logic circuit comparing a scan line address designated by a scan control signal with an address of one of the plurality of scan drive cells, and outputting a first signal,
the resister latching the first signal, and outputting a second signal in synchronization with the scan clock, and
the second logic circuit outputting a third signal to one of the plurality of scan drive cells, the third signal being based on the second signal.
17. A method of driving at least a plurality of scan lines of a display panel having a plurality of data lines and a plurality of pixels in addition to the plurality of scan lines, by using a plurality of scan drive cells, the method comprising:
designating a scan line address by using a scan control signal;
comparing an address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of scan drive cells with the scan line address;
latching a comparison result based on a scan clock signal, the comparison result representing whether the scan line address coincides with the address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of the scan drive cells;
outputting a signal based on the comparison result to one of the plurality of scan drive cells in synchronization with the scan clock signal; and
causing the one of the plurality of scan drive cells to drive one of the plurality of scan lines.
18. The method as defined in claim 17,
when none of the plurality of scan lines is driven, the scan line address being set to an address other than the address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of scan drive cells.
19. The method as defined in claim 17,
the plurality of scan lines being sequentially driven by sequentially generating the scan line address.
20. The method as defined in claim 17,
the plurality of scan lines being interlace-driven by causing a controller which controls a display driver to generate the scan line address, the display driver driving the display panel.
21. The method as defined in claim 17,
the plurality of scan lines being comb-tooth driven by causing a controller which controls a display driver to generate the scan line address, the display driver driving the display panel.
22. The method as defined in claim 17,
each of the plurality of scan drive cells being ON-driven in a period in which a signal input to an output fixed input included in each of a plurality of coincidence detection circuits being active, each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits being connected to one of the plurality of scan drive cells and comparing the scan line address with the address exclusively assigned to at least one of the plurality of scan drive cells, and
each of the plurality of scan drive cells being OFF-driven in a period in which a signal input to an output enable input included in each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits being non-active.
23. The method as defined in claim 17, the method comprising:
receiving the comparison result from a register and an output control signal from an output control terminal; and
controlling the output of each of the plurality of scan drive cells based on the comparison result and the output control signal.
24. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising:
generating a first signal, the first signal representing the comparison result;
outputting a second signal in synchronization with the scan clock signal; and
outputting a driving signal from the one of the plurality of the scan drive cells to one of the plurality of scan lines,
the driving signal being based on the second signal.
25. A display driver which drives at least a plurality of scan lines of a display panel, the display driver comprising:
a plurality of scan drive cells each of which drives one of the plurality of scan lines; and
a plurality of coincidence detection circuits each of which is connected to one of the plurality of scan drive cells,
each of the plurality of coincidence detection circuits including a first logic circuit, a second logic circuit, and a register,
the first logic circuit comparing a scan line address designated by a scan control signal with an address exclusively assigned to one of the plurality of scan drive cells, and outputting a first signal, the first signal representing whether the scan line address designated by the scan control signal coincides with the address exclusively assigned to the one of the plurality of scan drive cells,
the register latching the first signal, and outputting a second signal in synchronization with a scan clock, the second signal being based on the first signal, and
the second logic circuit outputting a third signal to one of the plurality of scan drive cells, the third signal being based on the second signal.
26. A method of driving a plurality of scan lines of a display panel, the method comprising:
comparing an address exclusively assigned to one of a plurality of scan drive cells with a scan line address designated by a scan control signal;
generating a first signal representing whether the scan line address coincides with the address exclusively assigned to the one of the plurality of scan drive cells;
latching the first signal and outputting a second signal in synchronization with a scan clock signal, the second signal being based on the first signal;
outputting a third signal to the one of the plurality of the scan drive cells, the third signal being based on the second signal; and
outputting a driving signal from the one of the plurality of the scan drive cells to one of the plurality of scan lines.