Light producing and memory means

Claim 1

A METHOD OF GENERATING LIGHT FROM AN ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELL FORMED OF AN ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIAL IN A DIELECTRIC MATRIX HAVING THE PROPERTY OF PERSISTENT INTERNAL POLARIZATION WHEREBY SAID MATRIX SUPPORTS AS INTERNAL ELECTRIC FIELD UPON THE APPLICATION OF A D.C. POTENTIAL OF GIVEN POLARITY ACROSS SAID MATRIX AND RETAINS INTERNALLY A RESIDUAL COMPONENT OF SAID FIELD UPON THE REDUCTION OF SAID D.C. POTENTIAL TO ZERO WITH SAID INTERNALLY RETAINED RESIDUAL COMPONENT OF SAID FIELD BEING OF A POLARITY OPPOSITE AND A MAGNITUDE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID D.C. POTENTIAL, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) APPLYING A FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID CELL TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRIC FIELD WITHIN SAID DIELECTRIC MATRIX; (2) REDUCING THE EXTERNAL VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CELL TO ZERO THEREBY TO RETAIN INTERNALLY A RESIDUAL COMPONENT OF SAID ELECTRIC FIELD OF POLARITY OPPOSITE TO THAT OF SAID FIRST APPLIED D.C. POTENTIAL WITH A MAGNITUDE APPROXIMATING THAT OF SAID FIRST APPLIED D.C. POTENTIAL; AND (3) THEREAFTER APPLYING A SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID CELL OF A POLARITY OPPOSITE SAID FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL AND HENCE OF THE SAME POLARITY AS SAID INTERNALLY RETAINED RESIDUAL ELECTRIC FIELD TO PRODUCE A LIGHT OUTPUT FROM SAID CELL THE BRIGHTNESS OF WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE SUM OF SAID RETAINED RESIDUAL FIELD AND THE ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECTED BY SAID SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL; WHEREIN SAID FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL IS REMOVED AND THE EXTERNAL VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CELL IS REDUCED TO ZERO BY SHORT-CIRCUITING THE CELL FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD, TE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LIGHT OUTPUT OBTAINED UPON APPLICATION OF SAID SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL BEING A DIMINISHING FUNCTION OF THE DURATION OF SAID PERIOD.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF GENERATING LIGHT FROM AN ELECTROLUMINESCENT CELL FORMED OF AN ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIAL IN A DIELECTRIC MATRIX HAVING THE PROPERTY OF PERSISTENT INTERNAL POLARIZATION WHEREBY SAID MATRIX SUPPORTS AS INTERNAL ELECTRIC FIELD UPON THE APPLICATION OF A D.C. POTENTIAL OF GIVEN POLARITY ACROSS SAID MATRIX AND RETAINS INTERNALLY A RESIDUAL COMPONENT OF SAID FIELD UPON THE REDUCTION OF SAID D.C. POTENTIAL TO ZERO WITH SAID INTERNALLY RETAINED RESIDUAL COMPONENT OF SAID FIELD BEING OF A POLARITY OPPOSITE AND A MAGNITUDE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID D.C. POTENTIAL, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) APPLYING A FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID CELL TO ESTABLISH AN ELECTRIC FIELD WITHIN SAID DIELECTRIC MATRIX; (2) REDUCING THE EXTERNAL VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CELL TO ZERO THEREBY TO RETAIN INTERNALLY A RESIDUAL COMPONENT OF SAID ELECTRIC FIELD OF POLARITY OPPOSITE TO THAT OF SAID FIRST APPLIED D.C. POTENTIAL WITH A MAGNITUDE APPROXIMATING THAT OF SAID FIRST APPLIED D.C. POTENTIAL; AND (3) THEREAFTER APPLYING A SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID CELL OF A POLARITY OPPOSITE SAID FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL AND HENCE OF THE SAME POLARITY AS SAID INTERNALLY RETAINED RESIDUAL ELECTRIC FIELD TO PRODUCE A LIGHT OUTPUT FROM SAID CELL THE BRIGHTNESS OF WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE SUM OF SAID RETAINED RESIDUAL FIELD AND THE ELECTRIC FIELD EFFECTED BY SAID SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL; WHEREIN SAID FIRST D.C. POTENTIAL IS REMOVED AND THE EXTERNAL VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID CELL IS REDUCED TO ZERO BY SHORT-CIRCUITING THE CELL FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD, TE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LIGHT OUTPUT OBTAINED UPON APPLICATION OF SAID SECOND D.C. POTENTIAL BEING A DIMINISHING FUNCTION OF THE DURATION OF SAID PERIOD.