A novel information recording medium is provided which records information upon the application of thermal energy, reads the recorded information by detecting the value of photoelectric current generated by light applied to the information recorded portion, and can realize multi-valued information recording or analog information recording.The information recording medium comprises: a pair of electrodes; and a liquid crystal material filled into a gap between the electrodes, the liquid crystal material having a property such that the charge-transport properties are varied according to the phase transfer between a plurality of stable liquid crystal phases of the liquid crystal and/or the history of the phase transfer.

Methods and systems for operating a display system. An example of the display system includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes, an electro-optic layer operatively coupled to the pixel electrodes and an electrode operatively coupled to said electro-optic layer. In one example of a method of the invention, a first plurality of pixel data values is applied to the plurality of pixel electrodes. A first control voltage is applied to the electrode to alter a state of the electro-optic layer such that the first pixel data represented by the first plurality of pixel data values is substantially not displayed. A second plurality of pixel data values, representing a second pixel data, is applied to the plurality of pixel electrodes, and a second control voltage is applied to the electrode to alter the state of the electro-optic layer such that the second pixel data is displayed. In an example of a first aspect of the invention, a voltage difference between the first control voltage and the second control voltage is reduced to reduce capacitive shifting of the second plurality of pixel data values on the plurality of pixel electrodes. In an example of a second aspect of the invention, at least one of the first control voltage, the second control voltage and a pixel data value of the second plurality of pixel data values is determined by an illumination color used in displaying said second pixel data. In an example of a third aspect of the invention, the electrode receives a composite signal over time, and a first parameter of at least one of the first control voltage and the second control voltage is selected to provide an offset, for a portion of the composite signal, from a DC balanced signal over time with respect to a particular voltage.

Methods and apparatuses for display systems which modulate a control electrode to cause an electro-optic layer to be reset to a state in which display data is not viewable. In one embodiment of the invention, a display system includes a first substrate having a first plurality of pixel electrodes for receiving a first plurality of pixel data values representing a first image to be displayed. The display system further includes an electro-optic layer which is operatively coupled to the pixel electrodes and an electrode operatively coupled to the electro-optic layer. The electro-optic layer comprises a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material. The display system displays the first image and then applies a first control voltage to the electrode to alter a state of the electro-optic layer such that the first image substantially not displayed and then the display system displays a second image represented by a second plurality of pixel data values after the electrode receives a second control voltage. Various other apparatuses and methods are described.

Methods and apparatuses for display systems which modulate a control electrode to cause an electro-optic layer to be reset to a state in which display data is not viewable. In one embodiment of the invention, a display system includes a first substrate having a first plurality of pixel electrodes for receiving a first plurality of pixel data values representing a first image to be displayed. The display system further includes an electro-optic layer which is operatively coupled to the pixel electrodes and an electrode operatively coupled to the electro-optic layer. The display system displays the first image and then applies a first control voltage to the electrode to alter a state of the electro-optic layer such that the first image substantially not displayed and then the display system displays a second image represented by a second plurality of pixel data values after the electrode receives a second control voltage. Various other apparatuses and methods are described.

Methods and apparatuses for display systems which modulate a control electrode to cause an electro-optic layer to be reset to a state in which display data is not viewable. In one embodiment of the invention, a display system includes a first substrate having a first plurality of pixel electrodes for receiving a first plurality of pixel data values representing a first image to be displayed. The display system further includes an electro-optic layer which is operatively coupled to the pixel electrodes and an electrode operatively coupled to the electro-optic layer. The display system displays the first image and then applies a first control voltage to the electrode to alter a state of the electro-optic layer such that the first image substantially not displayed and then the display system displays a second image represented by a second plurality of pixel data values after the electrode receives a second control voltage. Various other apparatuses and methods are described.