1. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material, comprising the steps of:
disposing a liquid crystal material on one substrate (S1) for constituting a pair of substrates; and
disposing another substrate (S2) for constituting the pair of substrate above the substrate (S1), and attaching the pair of substrates S1 and S2 with each other;
wherein, at the time of the attachment of the pair of substrates S1 and S2 together, a closed space B is formed by reservoir means so that the space B is communicated with a space A for liquid crystal display defined by the pair of substrates S1 and S2; and
the liquid crystal material is disposed on the substrate S1 so that the mass of the liquid crystal material provides a volume not larger than the total volume of the spaces (A+B) at the time of the injection of the liquid crystal material.
2. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the spaces A and B are isolated from each other after the pair of substrates S1 and S2 are attached to each other.
3. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the temperature at the time of the injection of the liquid crystal material is higher than room temperature (25\xb0 C.).
4. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 4, wherein the temperature at the time of the injection of the liquid crystal material is not lower than 100\xb0 C.
5. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal material is heated so as to be disposed between the pair of substrates S1 and S2, and, thereafter, the temperature of the liquid crystal material is lowered.
6. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 5, wherein the liquid crystal material is heated to show an isotropic phase so as to be disposed between the pairs of substrates S1 and S2.
7. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the spaces A and B are defined by a patterned seal member disposed on the pair of substrates S1 andor S2.
8. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 7, wherein, in the seal pattern, a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise seal members having different curing mechanisms.
9. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 8, wherein the seal portion corresponding to the space A comprises a UV-curable seal member, and the seal portion corresponding to the space B comprises a thermosetting seal member.
10. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 7, wherein, in the seal pattern, a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise seal members having the same curing mechanism.
11. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 10, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise a UV-curable seal member.
12. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 10, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise a thermosetting seal member.
13. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 11, wherein after the pair of substrates S1 and S2 are attached to each other, a seal portion corresponding to the space A is selectively cured in the seal pattern by using a photo-mask and after the liquid crystal material has exhibited a phase suitable for display, a seal portion corresponding to the space B is cured.
14. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 11, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A is partially cured at first, and the pair of substrates S1 and S2 are attached to each other and, after the liquid crystal material has exhibited a phase suitable for display, a seal portion corresponding to the space B is cured.
15. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 11, wherein a liquid crystal material showing a smectic phase at room temperature is used as the liquid crystal material, a seal portion corresponding to the space A is partially cured at first, and the pair of substrates S1 and S2 are attached to each other and, after the liquid crystal material has exhibited a cholesteric phase or a smectic phase, a seal portion corresponding to the space B is cured.
16. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 12, wherein thermosetting seal members constituting the seal portion corresponding to the space A and the seal portion corresponding to the space B have different cure-starting temperatures.
17. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 12, wherein thermosetting seal members constituting the seal portion corresponding to the space A and the seal portion corresponding to the space B have different curing times.
18. A patterned seal member, which is patterned in accordance with a pattern to be disposed on a liquid crystal display substrate and which, when another substrate is attached to each other so as to constitute a pair of substrates, exhibits a function for maintaining a gap between the pair of substrates, wherein, when the pair of substrates are attached to each other, the seal member defines a space A for liquid crystal display between the pair of substrates and a space B to be communicated with the space A.
19. A patterned seal member according to claim 18, wherein the pattern includes a seal portion that provides the space A and at least one seal portion that provides an hole andor a projecting portion corresponding to the space B.
20. A patterned seal member according to claim 18, which is disposed on a substrate for liquid crystal display.
21. A patterned seal member according to claim 18, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise resins of different kinds.
22. A patterned seal member according to claim 18, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise seal members having different curing mechanisms.
23. A patterned seal member according to claim 22, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A comprises a UV-curable seal member and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprises a thermosetting seal member.
24. A patterned seal member according to claim 18, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise seal members having different curing temperatures.
25. A patterned seal member according to claim 18, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A, a seal portion corresponding to the hole and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise seal members having curing rates different from one another.
26. A patterned seal member according to claim 21, wherein a seal portion corresponding to the space A comprises a UV-curable seal member and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprises a cure-retarding UV-curable seal member andor a thermosetting seal member.
27. An apparatus for injecting a liquid crystal material, comprising:
a chamber for providing a reduced pressure state therein;
a pair of surface plates disposed in the chamber, respectively for being in contact with a pair of the substrates for liquid crystal display;
liquid crystal material-supplying means for disposing a liquid crystal material in a space between the pair of substrates for liquid crystal display; and
temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the pair of surface plates;
wherein at least portion of the pair of surface plates being in contact with the substrates comprise a heat sink material.
28. An apparatus for injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 27, wherein the heat sink material is a silicone rubber.
29. An apparatus for injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 27, wherein the heat sink material contains a liquid heat medium therein.
30. An apparatus for injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 27, wherein the heat sink material contains means for circulating a liquid heat medium therein.
31. An apparatus for injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 30, wherein the liquid heat medium is at least a kind of highly heat resistant liquid selected from the group consisting of: ethylene glycol and synthetic engine oil.
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 apparatus comprising:
a stereoscopic three-dimensional display device;
a graphics unit in communication with the stereoscopic three-dimensional display device,
the graphics unit configured to
create a three-dimensional (3-D) wagering game space including a first group of objects;
create a second group of objects that are a copy of the first group of objects, wherein the second group of objects includes invisible objects;
capture a stereoscopic 3-D image in the 3-D wagering game space, wherein the first image includes some objects from the first group of objects;
capture a two-dimensional (2-D) image in the 3-D wagering game space, wherein the second image does not include the invisible objects such that a region in the second image is transparent;
create a composite image wherein the stereoscopic 3-D image appears in the region of the 2-D image;
present the composite image on the stereoscopic 3-D display device;
a wagering game unit configured to provide results of wagering games to the graphics unit for presentation on the stereoscopic 3-D display device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphics unit creates a first group of virtual cameras to create the stereoscopic 3-D image.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphics unit creates a second group of virtual cameras to create the stereoscopic 3-D image.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first group of objects are elements of a wagering game, wherein the elements indicate a result of the wagering game.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the invisible objects are also elements of the wagering game.
6. A method comprising:
creating a first virtual three-dimensional (3-D) wagering game space including a first group of objects;
creating a second virtual 3-D wagering game space including a second group of objects, wherein the second group of objects is identical to the first group of objects, and wherein some of the second group of objects are marked as invisible;
making the first virtual 3-D wagering game space visible to a pair of virtual cameras;
making the second virtual 3-D wagering game space visible to a single virtual camera;
rendering a stereoscopic 3-D image to a graphics buffer, wherein the rendering the stereoscopic 3-D image is based on data captured by the pair of virtual cameras;
rendering a two-dimensional (2-D) image to the graphics buffer, wherein the rendering the 2-D image is based on data captured by the single virtual camera;
presenting the graphics buffer on a stereoscopic 3-D display device.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the graphics buffer includes a composite image including the 2-D image and the stereoscopic 3-D image.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein the rendering the 2-D image includes:
performing rendering computations for some of the second group of objects that have not been marked invisible;
avoiding rendering computations for the ones of the second group of objects that are marked invisible.
9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
making the second virtual 3-D wagering game space visible to a second pair virtual cameras;
rendering another stereoscopic 3-D image to the graphics buffer, wherein the rendering the other stereoscopic 3-D image is based on data captured by the second pair of virtual cameras;
10. The method of claim 6, wherein the first and second groups of objects represent game elements in a wagering game.
11. A method comprising:
creating a first virtual three-dimensional (3-D) wagering game space including a first group of game elements, wherein all game elements in the first group are visible to a first group of virtual cameras;
creating a second virtual 3-D wagering game space including a second group of game elements, wherein the second group of game elements is identical to the first group of game elements, and wherein some of the second group of game elements are invisible to the second group of virtual cameras;
rendering, to a graphics buffer, a stereoscopic 3-D image based on images captured by the first group of cameras, wherein the images include one or more of the first group of game elements;
rendering, to the graphics buffer, a 2-D image based on an image captured by the second group of cameras, wherein the image does not include any of the second group of game elements that are invisible to the second group of cameras; and
presenting the graphics buffer on a stereoscopic 3-D display device.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second groups of game elements are part of a wagering game.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein presentation of the graphics buffer results in a composite image including the stereoscopic 3-D image and the 2-D image.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the rendering, to the graphics buffer, the 2-D image does not include computations for the game elements in the second group that are invisible to the second group of cameras.
15. One or more machine-readable storage media including instructions which when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
creating a virtual 3-D wagering game space including a region and a plurality of objects;
labeling the region invisible and an object of the plurality of objects invisible;
capturing, by a first pair of virtual cameras, a first image in the virtual 3-D wagering game space, wherein the first image includes objects other than the object labeled invisible;
capturing, by a second virtual camera, a second image in the virtual 3-D wagering game space, wherein the second image includes the region and the objected labeled invisible, and wherein the region and object labeled invisible are transparent in the second image;
rendering, based on the first image, a stereoscopic 3-D image to a graphics buffer;
rendering, based on the second image, a 2-D image to the graphics buffer;
presenting the graphics buffer on a stereoscopic 3-D display device.
16. The machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the objects represent elements in a wagering game.
17. The machine-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the presenting the graphics buffer presents a result for the wagering game.
18. The machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the first pair of virtual cameras and the second virtual camera have settings including one or more of: field of view, depth of focus, aperture size, and depth of field.
19. The machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the stereoscopic 3-D display displays the graphics buffer in autostereoscopic 3-D.
20. The machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein presentation of the graphics buffer results in a composite image including the stereoscopic 3-D image and the 2-D image.
21. An apparatus comprising:
means for creating a first virtual three-dimensional (3-D) wagering game space including a first group of objects;
means for creating a second virtual 3-D wagering game space including a second group of objects, wherein the second group of objects is identical to the first group of objects, and wherein some of the second group of objects are marked as invisible;
means for making the first virtual 3-D wagering game space visible to a pair of virtual cameras;
means for making the second virtual 3-D wagering game space visible to a single virtual camera;
means for rendering a stereoscopic 3-D image to a graphics buffer, wherein the rendering the stereoscopic 3-D image is based on data captured by the pair of virtual cameras;
means for rendering a two-dimensional (2-D) image to the graphics buffer, wherein the rendering the 2-D image is based on data captured by the single virtual camera;
means for presenting the graphics buffer on a stereoscopic 3-D display device.
22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the graphics buffer includes a composite image including the 2-D image and the stereoscopic 3-D image.
23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein means for the rendering the 2-D image includes:
means for performing rendering computations for some of the second group of objects that have not been marked invisible;
means for avoiding rendering computations for the ones of the second group of objects that are marked invisible.
24. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising:
means for making the second virtual 3-D wagering game space visible to a second pair virtual cameras;
means for rendering another stereoscopic 3-D image to the graphics buffer, wherein the rendering the other stereoscopic 3-D image is based on data captured by the second pair of virtual cameras;
25. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first and second groups of objects represent game elements in a wagering game.