Compartmented electrochromic device

Claim 1

AN ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A CELL WITH TWO FACING AREA ELECTRODES, AT LEAST ONE OF WHICH IS TRANSPARENT AND CONSTITUTES A WINDOW OF THE CELL; (B) A PERMSELECTIVE MEMBRANE DIVIDING THE CELL OF SAID (A) INTO A FIRST COMPARTMENT INCLUDING THE TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE AND A SECOND COMPARTMENT INCLUDING THE OTHER ELECTRODE; (C) MEANS FOR (1) APPLYING A POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES AND (2) REVERSING THEIR POLARITY; (D) AN ELECTROLYTICALLY CONDICTIVE FIRST COMPARTMENT MATRIX INCLUDING ELECTROLYTE IONS AND AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF A COLOR-GENERATING REDOX SYSTEM COMPRISING THE DIFFERENTLY COLORED SPECIES, RED1 AND OX1; (E) AN ELECTROLYTICALLY CONDUCTIVE SECOND COMPARTMENT MATRIX CONTAINING ELECTROLYTE IONS AND AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF A SECOND REDOX SYSTEM COMPRISING THE SPECIES RED2 AND OX2; SUCH THAT THE TWO COMPARTMENTS TAKEN TOGETHER CONTAIN AT LEAST ONE REDOX PAIR, RED1/OX2 OR OX1/RED2; SAID DEVICE BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT: (F) SAID MEMBRANCE IS PERMEABLE TO ELECTROLYTE IONS BUT NOT TO THE SAID REDOX SPECIES; (G) THE FIRST ELECTRODE, WHEN ANODIC, OXIDIZES RED1 TO OX1, WHILE THE SECOND ELECTRODE REDUCES OX2 TO RED2; (H) THE FIRST ELECTRODE, WHEN CATHODIC, REDUCES OX1 TO RED1; WHILE THE SECOND ELECTRODE, NOW ANODIC, OXIDIZES RED2 TO OX2; AND (1) RED1, THE OTHER MATRIX MATERIALS, AND THE MEMBRANE IN COMBINATION CONSTITUTE A FIRST COLOR AT THE TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE WHEN THAT ELECTRODE IS CATHODIC, AND OX1, THE OTHER MATRIX MATERIALS, AND THE MEMBRANCE CONSTITUTE A SECOND COLOR AT THE TRANSPARENT ELECTRODE WHEN THAT ELECTRODE IS ANODIC.