Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for the reversible, optical storage of data

US4896292A · kind A · utility

15Cited by
5References
32Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 26, 1988
Grant dateJan 23, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 26, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C13/04
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for reversible optical data storage using polymeric liquid crystals with mesogenic side groups as a storage medium, arranged to store information by means of selective variation of the order of the polymeric liquid crystals be means of a heat source. The macroscopically oriented film made from the liquid crystal polymer is held in the solid form retaining condition of the liquid crystal polymer in the temperature range below the glass temperature T.sub.g >T.sub.a (room remperature) for the purpose of storing the information. The polymer is then selectively and locally heated by means of the heat source into the isotropic liquid condition and the local information is fixed in the glass condition of the polymer after the heat source is turned off.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.