1. A method of creating a switch to be disposed along a longitudinal axis of a device, comprising:
providing a hollow body defining an interior cavity;
disposing a switching element movably within the interior cavity, the switching element having:
a longitudinal switching axis disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the device and defining:
a switch-making position at a first longitudinal position along the switching axis; and
a switch-breaking position at a second longitudinal position along the switching axis, the second longitudinal position being different from the first longitudinal position; and
a biasing element;
coupling an electrically-conductive contact to the switching element to define:
a switch-making state when the switching element is in the switch-making position; and
a switch-braking state when the switching element is in the switch-braking position; and
imparting a variable longitudinal bias to the switching element with the biasing element to place the switching element in one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position until an external force imparted to the switching element along the switching axis exceeds the longitudinal bias thereby causing the switching element to move to the other one of the switch-making position and the switch-braking position.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching element is a piston.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrically-conductive contact is physically coupled to the switching element and is moveable along the switching axis between the switch-making position and the switch-breaking position.
4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises defining a second interior cavity by a stop element in which the switching element is movably disposed, the stop element being at least partly disposed in the interior cavity of the hollow body.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the switching element further comprises a bias contact.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the biasing element is disposed about at least a portion of the switching element between the stop element and the bias contact.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a magnitude of the longitudinal bias is dependent upon a longitudinal position of the stop element within the interior cavity of the hollow body.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching axis is disposed coincident with the longitudinal axis of the device.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the biasing element imparts the longitudinal bias to place the switching element in the switch-breaking position to create a normally open switch configuration.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the biasing element imparts the longitudinal bias to place the switching element in the switch-making position to create a normally closed switch configuration.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first longitudinal position and the switch-breaking position is between approximately 25 \u03bcm and approximately 750 \u03bcm.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first longitudinal position and the switch-breaking position is between approximately 75 \u03bcm and approximately 200 \u03bcm.
13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a range of force sufficient to cause the switching element to move between the switch-making state to the switch-breaking state is between approximately 3 ounces and approximately 20 pounds.
14. The method according to claim 1, wherein a range of force sufficient to cause the switching element to move between the switch-making state to the switch-breaking state is between approximately 5 pounds and approximately 8 pounds.
15. The switch according to claim 1, which further comprises electrically insulating the electrically-conductive contact from the hollow body and the switching element.
16. The method according to claim 2, which further comprises:
forming a switch sub-assembly having:
the electrically-conductive contact;
a switch housing longitudinally fixed and electrically conductively connected to the hollow body and at least partially surrounding the electrically-conductive contact;
a switch insulator electrically insulating the electrically-conductive contact from the switch housing; and
a piston contact movably disposed in the switch housing and longitudinally fixedly and electrically conductively connected to the piston.
17. The method according to claim 5, wherein:
the switching element has a first exterior;
the bias contact has a second exterior having a larger diameter than the first exterior;
the interior cavity of the hollow body has a first interior substantially equal in diameter to the second exterior;
the second interior cavity has a second interior substantially equal in diameter to the first exterior;
the bias contact has a third exterior substantially equal in diameter to the first interior; and
the electrically-conductive contact has a fourth exterior smaller in diameter than the first interior.
18. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises electrically connecting an electric indication circuit to the switching element and the electrically-conductive contact, the electric indication circuit having an indicator operable to transmit state-change information to signal a user that a state change of the switching element has occurred.
19. The method according to claim 6, wherein the biasing element is a compression spring compressed between the bias contact and the stop element around the switching element to bias the switching element in a direction away from the stop element.
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. An electronic display combining at least two types of displays, comprising at least one electroded sheet.
2. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein at least one of the displays is an electronic sign comprising at least one electroded sheet substrate.
3. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein at least one of the displays is a tubular plasma display comprising an electroded sheet and an array of plasma tubes.
4. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein a first display is a reflective display and a second display is a video display.
5. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein a first display is a three layered stacked electronic sign comprising at least one electroded sheet sandwiched around liquid crystal materials and a second display is a color video display.
6. The electronic display of claim 5, wherein the color video display is a tubular plasma display.
7. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein at least one of the displays comprises at least one lens to form multiple views.
8. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein the electronic display is flexible.
9. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein the electronic display is rollable.
10. The electroded sheet of claim 1, wherein the sheet is used in creating a plane selected from the group consisting of:
a) at least one plane in a passive addressed electro-optic display;
b) at least one plane in a cholesteric liquid crystal display;
c) at least one plane in a smectic liquid crystal display;
d) a column electrode plane in a plasma-addressed display;
e) at least one addressing plane in a plasma tube display;
f) at least one electrode plane in an electrochromic display;
g) at least one electrode plane in an electroluminescent display;
h) at least one electrode plane in a quantum dot display;
i) at least one electrode plane in an OLED display;
j) at least one electrode plane in a passive addressed LC display;
k) at least one electrode plane in a MEMS display;
l) at least one plane in a 3-D display;
m) at least one plane in a multiple view display;
n) at least one plane in a flexible display;
o) at least one plane in a rollable display;
p) at least one plane in a curved display, and
q) any combination of a) through p).
11. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein the electroded sheet comprises:
a) a polymer substrate; and
b) an array of wire electrodes embedded in a surface of the polymer substrate.
12. The electronic display of claim 1, wherein the electroded sheet further comprises an array of transparent conductive electrode strips electrically connected to the wire electrodes.