Electrode structure in display device

Claim 1

An improvement in an electrode structure in a display device for operation in a multiplexing mode, said device including at least two panel substrates, a display material therebetween, electrode segments disposed in a plurality of first groups on one of said substrates said segments in each of said first groups being arranged in individually-activatable first subgroups, said first groups being disposed for displaying a plurality of characters in each of a plurality of spaced-apart rows, the term "rows" including but not being restricted to rows and columns, the arrangement of segments into sub-groups being the same for all of said groups; electrode segments in a plurality of second groups on the other of said substrates, each of said second groups being disposed opposite one of said first groups for cooperating therewith in producing display of a character, said segments in each of said second groups being arranged in individually-activatable first and second common electrodes, the arrangement of said segments into said first and second common electrodes being the same for all of said second groups; first trunk lines connecting together all of said first common electrodes, and second trunk lines connecting together all of said second common electrodes, said improvement comprising the disposition of said first and second trunk lines alternately between and at the outer sides of said plurality of rows so that only one trunk line is disposed between any pair of rows, thereby eliminating the need for an insulating space between adjacent trunk lines and increasing the fraction of the display area of said display device available for displaying said characters.