Liquid crystal display element having non-display electrode arrangement

Claim 1

A liquid crystal display element comprising: (a) opposite upper and lower substrates having a longitudinal direction and a direction transverse thereto; (b) a liquid crystal sandwiched between inner surfaces of said upper and lower substrates; (c) a set of plural separated and adjacent pattern display sections, each of said display sections having a first upper electrode arrangement including a plurality of electrodes and a first lower electrode arrangement including at least one electrode, said first upper electrode arrangement being disposed on the inner surface of said upper substrate and said first lower electrode arrangement being disposed on the inner surface of said lower substrate, said first upper and lower electrode arrangement being configured so that superposing portions thereof selectively provide a plurality of predetermined display patterns, said first upper and lower electrode arrangements being adapted to be selectively applied therebetween with a selective voltage which excites the liquid crystal and a non-selective voltage which is lower than said selective voltage; (d) a background non-display area delimited by an area around said display sections, said background non-display area including first regions at opposite first sides of said set of display sections in the longitudinal direction of each of said upper and lower substrates, second regions at opposite second sides of said set of display sections in the transverse direction of each of said upper and lower substrates, and third regions between the adjacent display sections, a second upper electrode arrangement disposed on the inner surface of said upper substrate in said background non-display area, a second lower electrode arrangement disposed on the inner surface of said lower substrate in said background non-display area, said second upper and lower electrode arrangements having superposing portions thereof at least partially covering said background non-display area, said second upper and lower electrode arrangements being adapted to be always applied therebetween with said non-selective voltage, at least the portions of said second upper electrode arrangement disposed in said second region of said background non-display area being electrically interconnected with each other and electrically isolated from said first upper electrode arrangement, and at least the portions of said second lower electrode arrangement disposed in said first and third regions of said background non-display area being electrically interconnected with each other and electrically isolated from said first lower electrode arrangement; and (e) the voltage applying means for selectively applying said selective and non-selective voltages between said first upper and lower electrode arrangements in accordance with a pattern to be displayed and for always applying said non-selective voltage between said second upper and lower electrode arrangements irrespective of the pattern to be displayed.