lcd display viewing angle for sale

This monitor will display a 250:1 contrast ratio when viewed head on or at a 90° angle from the surface of the monitor. The contrast ratio will decline as you view the display from the side eventually going down to 10:1 or 5:1 contrast ratio at an angle of 70° from head on. As you move away from the maximum contrast at the straight on viewing position, the brightness of the white may increase or decrease and the black may increase or decrease. However, the contrast (ratio of the two) will decrease as you move away from normal viewing. Please note, this is just a general representation and not factual for every monitor with 140° viewing angle. All values are estimates.

Other factors such as the display"s brightness, ambient light and contrast conditions all play a part in the readability of the display. As mentioned above, viewing angle is defined using only the contrast ratio. However, even within this standard viewing angle, the colors or tones on the display panel may look different from the real color/tone, or they may become invisible, depending on the combination of displayed colors (background color, text color and switch color). For example, if the background color is bright and you look at the screen from below, the colors may appear inverted so that the text color and switch color darken to the point where they become invisible. Or, when the background color is dark and you look at the screen from above, the colors may again appear inverted, so that the text color and switch color brighten to the point that they become invisible. As a result, be sure to choose your screen colors carefully, so they produce an effective combination for the LCD panel"s operation environment.

Viewing angle is a very important factor when evaluating LCD display"s performance. Understanding how to locate the optimum viewing angle and choose the right LCD display will make your product looks sharp without extra cost.

LCD viewing angle is the maximum angle from which customer can view the screen well. "Viewing well" is commonly recognized as having at least 10:1 contrast and without grayscale inversion.

At time of manufacturing, LCD manufacturer designs LCD panel in a way that it is best viewed from an angle (called Bias) offset from the perpendicular by certain degrees, to accommodate as many applications as possible. Viewing angle is the angle covers both side of Bias angle, where the LCD is still "viewing well".

When reading an LCD"s specification, you will see the term "viewing direction". Viewing direction is defined following the format of a clock. Like figure below, Z axis is Normal, X axis is Horizontal and Y axis is Vertical. An LCD"s viewing angle "above" Z axis is having 12 o"clock viewing direction. So 6 o"clock viewing direction LCD is best viewed from "below" Z axis.

Theoretically, LCD manufacturer can produce LCD with 3, 12, 9 and 6 o"clock viewing direction. But in practice, we usually look at LCD display from 12 or 6 o"clock angle.

Using a simple TN type TFT LCD as example, its viewing angle is typically 45~65 degrees. Adding extra wide polarizer film (EWP) to the TN type LCD, the viewing angle may be increased about 10 degrees. Similarly, an O-film enhancement polarizer will widen the viewing angle to 75 degree in each direction. However, these enhancements bring along contrast reduction. Adjusting LCD contrast is necessary.

Using a liquid crystal display with proper viewing angle is very important to your product"s success. And we should keep in mind that optimized contrast is crucial, too. Both parameters define the visual appearance of the LCD display and the appeal of your product. Choices are based on cost performance trade offs.

For example, if your project requires a wide viewing angle 2.4" TFT LCD. TN TFT panel with O-film solution might be better than using IPS LCD. Topway engineers are here to help you making those design decisions.

ER-TFT019-1 is a high-quality 1.9 inch IPS TFT display with a resolution of 170x320 pixels, which offers clear and sharp images with excellent color reproduction. The display utilizes In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology, which provides a full viewing angle, ensuring that the screen content is easily visible from any direction without any color distortion or fading.

The display is equipped with an ST7789 controller, which is a popular and reliable driver chip that supports both 8080 parallel and 4-wire SPI interfaces, making it easy to integrate with various microcontrollers and systems. The 8080 parallel interface provides fast data transfer rates, while the 4-wire SPI interface allows for easier wiring and lower pin count.

ER-TFT019-1 is also designed with low power consumption in mind, making it ideal for use in portable and battery-powered devices. Additionally, the display features a built-in touch panel (optional) that provides user input and interactivity with the device.

This compact 1.9 inch IPS TFT display is an excellent choice for various electronic devices, such as wearables, portable devices, and DIY electronics projects. Its small form factor, low power consumption, and wide viewing angle make it a versatile and reliable display solution. Overall, ER-TFT019-1 offers a combination of high quality, low power consumption, and ease of integration that makes it a great choice for a wide range of applications.

We also can provide total set such as lcd panel + touch +ad board +osd board + cables, quality promised. On price matters, we surely have the advantage as we have the direct source for original panels; -- Quality promised. Also Provide 12 months of warranty, you can return any fake panels and charges by us; -- Strict package.

The view direction is the right direction marked with Φ which is with respect to the X-axis. The original location is the center point of the display panel surface, the Z axis is Normal, the X-axis is Horizontal and Y-axis is Vertical.

Normally it was defined 4 angles to correspond with 3, 12, 9, and 6 o’clock respectively. So, you can find the 6 o’clock or 12 o’clock parameter in the LCD datasheet.

Viewing Angle is the angle with respect to the Z-axis in a certain direction and marked by θ (θU means upper View Angle). LCD Viewing Angle describes the maximum watching angle, and it is one of the key indicators with the display module.

The LCD bias angle is the angle perpendicular from which the display is best viewed. (See Fig.2) This angle is determined when the display is designed and can be set at any angle or orientation. The orientation of the bias angle of LCD displays is often stated with reference to a clock face. If the offset is above the display, it is referred to as a 12:00 or Top view.

The LCD viewing angle is the angle formed on either side of the bias angle, where the contrast of the display is still considered acceptable. Generally, this contrast is specified as 2:1 for monochrome LCD and 10:1 for color LCD.

For example, assume the display is a 12:00 (topview) type. When the display is viewed from 25 degrees above the vertical, it will be at its maximum contrast and best look. If the viewer moves their eyes further above the display by an additional 30 degrees, they will see a contrast reduction, but the display will still be readable. Moving the view position any further above the display will reduce the contrast to an unacceptable degree.

Adjusting the contrast voltage, VL, effects the Bias Angle to some extent, but not the Viewing Angle. A top view 12:00 display can be optimized for a bottom view 6:00 viewing position by adjusting the contrast voltage. A 12:00 display set for a 6:00 viewing position will not have as great a contrast as a 6:00 display set for 6:00 viewing position and vice versa.

Generally, displays are optimized for straight-on viewing. Either a 6:00 or 12:00 module may be used, and the contrast voltage can be adjusted slightly to optimize the display for that viewing position. In the above example, the viewing angles of both 6:00 and 12:00 modules actually overlap the perpendicular (or straight on) viewing position.

The LCD is positioned at the nominal viewing position and the pot is adjusted to obtain the desired LCD appearance. The voltage on the VL pin is now measured and a pair of resistors are chosen to produce this voltage in the production units.

By adjusting driving voltage and contrast is the most cost-effective way to improve the viewing angle. Different viewing angles need different driving voltage. It is compromising. In discussing the best viewing angle, we have to fix the voltage angle first.

– The higher the efficiency, the better of the contrast. It is especially important for negative display. Changing from 98% to 99.9% polarizer will do the work.

– Positive LCD to Negative LCD (When the LCD is used indoor or dark environment, the contrast will increase a lot, but it will not display well with ambient light only, it is also more expensive)

When a LCD is high density with the segments/icons or very crowded, some customers also complains the viewing angle or contrast are not good. The reason is for crowded display, the layout can be long and thin. The voltage drop along the layout can be big. The solutions are:

Want to find out more about LCD, OLED & TFT solutions? – Check out our knowledge base, where ypu can find tips on electronics operating temperature and differences between LCD and TFT!

I was in a large computer store looking at computer LCD monitors and a lady was asking about which one was the better one to buy. A man (presumably her family) told her that the ones which indicated TFT (Thin Film Transistor) were the ones to buy. I then interjected that everything was TFT and it"s been that way since the extinction of those ugly STN passive matrix LCDs 8 years ago they use to sell with the cheaper laptops. Of course this invariably invited more questions as to which LCD was the better buy and better quality so I spent a few minutes showing them some of the shortcomings to many of these displays.

The first thing I noted was the poor viewing angle of every LCD on the display with the exception of a single model. To see this in effect, simply lower your head a few inches in front of the monitor and you will see the brightness of the entire display dim dramatically. Looking at the display from the bottom makes the image almost darken to the point of being black with some weird hues showing. Many of these displays don"t even look right when viewed at a slightly down angle since the color will change drastically. Case in point, look at the photos below of a typical LCD monitor which uses the most common TN (twisted nematic) technology.

What"s extremely frustrating is that the manufacturer claims that this display has a vertical viewing angle of 160 degrees. Yet the image above came from a photograph shot at 50 degrees above and below which indicates a 100 degrees spread. If we wanted to be extremely generous, we could say that the top-down view pictured bottom left is barely acceptable (it isn"t as far as I"m concerned), but the bottom-up view is flat out atrocious and there is no way in hell you can tell me that"s an acceptable image at this viewing angle.

In reality, the usable viewing angle of this display vertically is about positive 35 degrees to negative 10 degrees at best and that"s being generous. But looking at the vendor specifications, there is no way that you as the consumer would know this when you"re making the purchase. Now I don"t have a problem with the actual specs at the price they"re selling it at, but I do have a big problem with the deceptive advertising.

Only one of the LCD monitors out of about 30 models being shown on the show floor was viewable from all angles and it was most likely using PVA (Patterned Vertical Alignment) technology but it was about 30% more expensive than other displays of comparable size. It looked like something like the image below which is actually quite viewable at any angle. Furthermore, these displays typically offer true 8 bit per color or even 10 bits per color whereas the TN type displays are limited to 6 bits per color.

So the old adage that you get what you pay for holds true when it comes to LCD monitors, but manufacturers need to be honest with their customers. I purposely avoided singling out any single manufacturer because they all do the same thing, but this kind of deceptive advertising needs to stop.

Have your product stand out with the DT050ATFT display - our 5” TFT LCD module with full viewing angle. The full viewing angle feature allows the display contents of the LCD to be visible from practically any angle. It"s a cost-effective enhancement compared to using an IPS display. The 5" TFT has 800 x 480 RGB resolution and supports 24-bit parallel RGB input mode. The LCD uses two driver ICs to drive the display: a source driver with TCON (Ilitek ILI6122) and a gate driver (Ilitek ILI5960). It also is available with either a resistive touchscreen or capacitive touchscreen panel. This 5 inch LCD is an ideal option for a variety of digital devices including video or POS systems.

The LCD viewing angle for LCD’s are described by two terms: 6 o’clock (bottom view) and 12 o’clock (top view). This has nothing to do with time itself, but with what position you are in relation to the monitor (LCD)… the position being the center of the clock and viewer position represented by the corresponding clock face numeral position.You can get other viewing angles such as 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock but these are special order!

The majority of displays we sell are 6:00 view. These displays are best viewed when sitting or when standing with the LCD positioned even or above your head. (see photo below).

Product applications: 3.97 inch IPS TFT LCD display can be with resistive and capacitive touch. It’s mainly used in car blackbox, three-proofing phone, temperature controller and other industries such as automobile, industrial control, intelligent fu

Conventional liquid crystal modes such as twisted nematic (TN) have problems such as brightness change and color shift depending on the viewing angle. In a TN LCD, the liquid crystal molecules stand up as voltage is applied to them. When liquid crystals are in an upright position, their visual characteristics vary significantly depending on the viewing angle. This results in variation in color and brightness from different viewing angles.

With in-plane switching (IPS) mode, the liquid crystal molecules rotate in parallel with the panel. This means that the variation depending on the viewing angle is limited to showing any changes in visuals. Therefore, IPS LCD provides limited changes in brightness and color irrespective of the viewing angle to produce high image quality.

In this episode of the Display 101 series, we explain the viewing angle of smart displays. How to choose the right viewing angle for your project? Read on to get the answers.

This concept is closely related to the grey scale inversion phenomenon. When the user exceeds a certain angle (monitor viewing angle), one can note a sudden change in displayed colors. It mainly emerges with the grey color’s domination in the displayed image.

The viewing angle monitor has is measured from the display’s normal axis to each of the four directions. Theoretically, the maximum LCD view angle is 90° and might vary for each measuring direction. The three-dimensional angular range is called a viewing cone.

TN type is the most cost-efficient technology. In TN type the angles are in most cases narrower, compared to other types.  Low prices and short matrix reaction time compensate for the smaller viewing cone. To extend the monitor viewing angle, you can add theO-film to the display. When buying a TN-type display you should always pay attention to the viewing direction expressed in an hour angle. It describes the direction from which the user should look at the display.

IPS matrix technology has most of VA’s advantages. It also has incredibly good color reproduction and the highest viewing angles on both axes. The most common IPS disadvantage is the black color depth which is lower than in the VA type.

If the application requires a high viewing angle monitor, choose the display with full viewing angles (178.5°~180° on each axis). In this case, you should look for MVA and IPS type displays.

NOTE: Do not mistake the viewing direction with greyscale inversion. Greyscale inversion is always opposite to the viewing direction. For example, the 12 o’clock display will have a color inversion at 6 o’clock.

The in between solution is the TN type with viewing angles extended by adding O-film. We described the O-film solution in one of the earlier articles:

We hope you enjoyed this post from the Display 101 series. If you would like us to explore a particular topic in this series, send us a message or comment on our social media.

G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells

G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells

G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells

G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells

G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells

A display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal is provided. The display assembly has a liquid crystal display and a touch screen disposed overlying the liquid crystal display. The display assembly also has a viewing angle-controlled device disposed proximate to the touch screen. The viewing angle-controlled device is configured to limit the viewing angles at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a restricted range of viewing angles.

The present invention generally relates to data-capture systems used for payment transactions, and more particularly relates to point-of-sale or point-of-service (POS) transaction terminals with viewing angle-controlled displays.

Dedicated systems for facilitating point of sale transactions are known in the art, and indeed are familiar to most consumers in industrial countries. Such systems are commonly used when a consumer (or user) pays for a purchase, or is to receive a credit back, typically in conjunction with the consumer"s credit card or debit card. FIG. 1 illustrates a point-of-sale and/or point-of-service (“POS”) transaction terminal 100 in the art. POS transaction terminal 100 typically comprises a transaction computer 102, such as a CPU, operatively connected to a display 104.

With conventional credit cards or debit cards, at the time of purchase or credit, the card is moved through a magnetic stripe reader 106 of the POS terminal 100, and the encoded information on the magnetic stripe is read. To promote security, the consumer typically is required to enter some sort of personal identification number (“PIN”) or a personal signature to help confirm that the consumer is indeed the authorized card owner. Entry is commonly made using display 104 of the POS terminal. Display 104 typically has a virtual (e.g., displayed) keypad interface, signature-capture interface, or other data-capture interface that is formed by the combination of a touch pad and a liquid crystal display (“LCD”). Display 104 can respond to pressure or touch from a passive style or pen 108 or from the consumer"s finger, fingernail, keys or other such objects.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 2, the POS terminal may simply comprise a pin entry device (“PED”) 200, which comprises a PIN entry display 202 coupled to a computer device, such as a CPU. PIN entry display 202 typically has a virtual keypad interface that is formed by the combination of a touch pad and an LCD. In this embodiment, a consumer"s credit or debit card is moved through a magnetic strip reader of another device (not shown), such as a cash register, which is operably connected to PED 200. The consumer is then prompted by PED 200, such as via an LCD display 204, or by a product or service provider, to enter a PIN. The consumer may enter the PIN by touching or pressing on the virtual keys of PIN entry display 202.

During entry of such personal information by the consumer, the personal information may be subjected to theft by onlookers that can view POS terminal display 14 or PIN entry display 202 at an angle. FIG. 3 illustrates the various positions about a POS terminal, such as PIN entry device 200, at which an onlooker may be positioned to view PIN entry display 202. The position of the onlooker may be measured as having a position angle β about the “5” key of PIN entry display 202. A consumer using PIN entry device 200 typically stands facing PIN entry display 202, with position angle β being about zero degrees. An onlooker standing behind the consumer likely will not be able to view PIN entry display 202 because her view will be blocked by the consumer. However, an onlooker standing to the side of PIN entry device 200, such as when the onlooker is at a position angle β of about 45 to 135 degrees or about 225 to 315 degrees, or an onlooker standing across from the consumer, such as when the onlooker is at a position angle β of about 135 to 225 degrees, may be able to view PIN entry display 202 when the consumer is inputting her PIN.

To improve the security of POS transactions, POS terminals in the art may comprise a mechanical shield disposed about the terminal or the terminal display to limit the angles at which the terminal display may be viewed. However, such mechanical shields can increase the costs of the POS terminals. In addition, such mechanical shields may interfere with entry of data by the consumer.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a POS terminal display that limits the angles at which the display may be viewed. In addition, it is desirable to provide a POS terminal with a display having limited viewing angles. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal. The display assembly comprises a liquid crystal display and a touch screen disposed overlying the liquid crystal display. A viewing angle-controlled device is disposed proximate to the touch screen. The viewing angle-controlled device is configured to limit viewing angles at which the liquid crystal display may be viewed to a restricted range of viewing angles.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a display device for a point-of-sale terminal, the display device having a periphery. The display device comprises a liquid crystal display and a touch screen disposed overlying the liquid crystal display. A viewing angle-controlled device is disposed overlying the liquid crystal display. The viewing angle-controlled device is configured to limit about at least a portion of the periphery of the display device the angles at which the liquid crystal display may be viewed.

According to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a point-of-sale transaction terminal. The point-of-sale transaction terminal comprises a computer device and a display assembly operably connected to the computer device. The display assembly is configured to permit entry of data into the computer device by touching the display assembly. The display assembly is further configured to limit to a restricted range of viewing angles the angles at which the display assembly may be viewed.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for fabricating a display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal. The method comprises providing a liquid crystal display and positioning a touch screen overlying the liquid crystal display. A viewing angle-controlled device is disposed overlying the liquid crystal display. The viewing angle-controlled device limits viewing angles at which the liquid crystal display may be viewed to a restricted range of viewing angles.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the viewing angle of a viewer of a POS transaction terminal relative to the plane of the display of the POS transaction terminal;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of the viewing angle of a viewer relative to various positions of the viewer about the periphery of a POS transaction terminal in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.

The various embodiments of the present invention relate to a display for a POS transaction terminal that controls or limits the viewing angles at which the display can be viewed. FIG. 4 illustrates a POS terminal 400 having a viewing angle-controlled display 402 in accordance with any of the various embodiments of the present invention. A viewer 404 may be positioned about viewing angle-controlled display 402 at any position angle β, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, and may be able to view display 402 along a line of sight 406. The viewer"s line of sight 406 is at a viewing angle α measured from the plane of display 402. As described in more detail below, viewing angle-controlled display 402 may control or restrict the viewing angles α at which viewer 404 may view display 402.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a viewing angle-controlled display 500 for a POS transaction terminal in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Viewing angle-controlled display 500 comprises an LCD 502. LCD 502 may comprise any suitable LCD device that is known in the payment transaction industry. LCD 502 preferably has a substantially uniform thickness and may have any suitable shape. In one exemplary embodiment, LCD 502 may have at least one front surface or boundary 510, at least two side surfaces or boundaries 508, and at least one back surface or boundary 512. Viewing angle-controlled display 500 also comprises a touch screen 504 that overlies LCD 502. Touch screen 504 may comprise any suitable pressure-sensitive or touch-sensitive pad or film known in the industry, such as, for example, 4-wire resistive touch screens, 5-wire resistive touch screens, capacitive touch screens, and ultrasonic touch screens. Examples of touch screens available in the industry include Fine Touch® touch screens manufactured by Nissha Company of Kyoto City, Japan, 4-Wire and 5-Wire touch screens manufactured by ITM, Inc. of Kyunggi-Do, Korea, and capacitive and resistive touch screens, such as the TouchPad™, available from Synaptics, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.

Viewing angle-controlled display 500 further comprises a viewing angle-controlled device 506. Viewing angle-controlled device 506 may be interposed between LCD 502 and touch screen 504, as illustrated in FIG. 5, or, alternatively, may overlie touch screen 504. Viewing angle-controlled device 506 may comprise any suitable type of film, layer or other mechanism that restricts or limits the range of viewing angles α at which LCD 502, and hence viewing angle-controlled display 500, may be viewed by an onlooker when the onlooker is positioned at a point about the periphery of viewing angle-controlled display 500. In one exemplary embodiment, the viewing angle-controlled device 506 may limit the viewing angles to a restricted range when the viewing angle controlled-display 500 is viewed from approximately one of the side surfaces 508 of LCD 502. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may limit the viewing range at which LCD 502 may be viewed to a restricted range when the viewing angle-controlled display 500 is viewed from approximately a back surface 512 of LCD 502. In a further, preferred, exemplary embodiment of the invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may limit the viewing angles at which LCD 502 may be viewed to a restricted range when the viewing angle-controlled display 500 is viewed from approximately one of the side surfaces 508 and approximately one of the back surfaces 512 of LCD 502.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may comprise a light control film that is interposed between LCD 502 and touch screen 504 and that does not interfere with the operation of touch screen 504. Examples of films or materials that may be suitable for forming a viewing angle-controlled film include, but are not limited to, Vikuiti® Light Control Film manufactured by 3M Corporation of St. Paul, Minn., and light control film and blur film available from VisionTek Systems, Ltd. of West Midlands, United Kingdom.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may comprise a half-mirror coating that is disposed overlying touch screen 504. Examples of half-mirror coatings that may be suitable for forming viewing angle-controlled device 506 include, but are not limited to, half-mirror coatings available from ITM, Inc. of Kyunggi-Do, Korea.

Viewing angle-controlled device 506 may have any thickness 514 suitable to restrict or limit the range of angles at which LCD 502 may be viewed. In another embodiment of the present invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may have a width 516 and a length 518 that is at least as great as the width and length of LCD 502. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 has a width 516 and length 518 that are approximately the same as the width and length of LCD 502.

LCD 502, viewing angle-controlled device 506 and/or touch screen 504 may be assembled using any suitable chemical or mechanical method. For example, in one exemplary embodiment LCD 502, viewing angle-controlled device 506 and touch screen 504 may be suitably aligned, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and may be restricted in movement relative to each other by a fastening device, such as screws, brackets, clamps and the like. In another exemplary embodiment, LCD 502 and/or touch screen 504 may be affixed to viewing angle-controlled device 506 using a suitable adhesive or adhesive tape. In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may be deposited as a coating, such as a half mirror coating, on LCD 502 and/or touch screen 504. Further, it will be appreciated that, while viewing angle-controlled device 506 is shown as an element separate from LCD 502 and touch screen 504, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may be an integral portion of LCD 502 or touch screen 504.

As described above, viewing angle-controlled device 506 may restrict or limit the range of angles at which LCD 502 may be viewed by an onlooker depending on the position of the onlooker relative to the POS terminal. Referring to FIG. 6, an onlooker 602 may be disposed about the periphery of a POS terminal 600 having a viewing angle-controlled display 604 in accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a point along the periphery of POS terminal 600, and hence, viewing angle-controlled display 604, may be measured as a position at a position angle β that is measured in the plane of display 604, which for purposes of illustration may be the x-y plane, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Position angle β is measured about an axis perpendicular to the plane of display 604, which for purposes of illustration may be the z-axis. Position angle β is measured from a position β=0, which may lie along an axis that intersects the “5” and “8” keys of viewing angle-controlled display 604. Onlooker 602 may view display 604 along a line of sight 606 that is at a viewing angle α from the plane of display 604.

Preferably, when the onlooker is positioned at a position angle in the range of about 315°≦β≦45°, that is, when the onlooker is viewing display 604 from approximately the front boundary or surface of display 604, the viewing angle is not restricted, that is, the onlooker may view display 604 at any viewing angle in the range of 0≦α≦90°. However, it will be appreciated that the viewing angle may be restricted to any suitable range when the onlooker is positioned at a position angle in the range of about 315°≦β≦45°. In one embodiment of the invention, when the onlooker is positioned at a position angle in the range of about 45°≦β≦315°, the onlooker"s viewing angle may be restricted to the range of about 25°≦α≦90°. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, when the onlooker is positioned at a position angle in the range of about 45°≦β≦315°, the onlooker"s viewing angle may be restricted to the range of about 35°≦α≦90°. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, when the onlooker is positioned at a position angle in the range of about 45°≦β≦90° or in the range of about 270°≦α≦315°, the onlooker"s viewing angle may be restricted to the range of about 35°≦α≦90° and when the onlooker is positioned at a position angle in the range of about 90°≦β≦270°, the onlooker"s viewing angle may be restricted to the range of about 40°≦α≦90°.

a viewing angle-controlled device disposed proximate said touch screen, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is configured to limit viewing angles at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a restricted range of viewing angles;

wherein the periphery of the display assembly has at least two side boundaries and wherein said viewing angle-controlled device limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 35°=<α=<90° when the display assembly is viewed from a position proximate to one of said at least two side boundaries; and

wherein the periphery of the display assembly has at least one back boundary and wherein said viewing angle-controlled device limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 40°<α<90° when the display assembly is viewed from a position proximate to said at least one back boundary.

3. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 1, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is integral with said liquid crystal display.

4. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 1, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is affixed to at least one of said liquid crystal display and said touch screen by a mechanical fastener.

5. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 4, wherein said mechanical fastener comprises at least one of screws, brackets, clamps, adhesive and adhesive tape.

6. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 1, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is interposed between said liquid crystal display and said touch screen.

8. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 1, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is a half mirror coating that is deposited on said touch screen.

9. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 1, wherein said restricted range of viewing angles comprises viewing angles α in the range of about 35°≦α≦90° when the display is viewed from a position angle β in the range of one of about 45°≦β≦90° and about 270°≦β≦315°, where β is measured in a plane of the display assembly and about an axis perpendicular to the display assembly.

10. The display assembly for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 1, wherein said restricted range of viewing angles comprises viewing angles α in the range of about 40°≦α≦90° when the display is viewed from a position angle β in the range of about 90°≦β≦270°, where β is measured in a plane of the display assembly and about an axis perpendicular to the display assembly.

wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is configured to limit about at least a portion of the periphery of the display device the angles at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed;

wherein the periphery of the display device has at least two side boundaries and wherein said viewing angle-controlled device limits the angles a at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 35°=<α=<90° when the display device is viewed from a position proximate to one of said at least two side boundaries; and

wherein periphery of the display device has at least one back boundary and wherein said viewing angle-controlled device limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 40°=<α<90° when the display device is viewed from a position proximate to said at least one back boundary.

13. The display device for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 11, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is integral with said liquid crystal display.

14. The display device for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 11, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is affixed to at least one of said liquid crystal display and said touch screen by a mechanical fastener.

15. The display device for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 14, wherein said mechanical fastener comprises at least one of screws, brackets, clamps, adhesive and adhesive tape.

16. The display device for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 11, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is interposed between said liquid crystal display and said touch screen.

18. The display device for a point-of-sale terminal of claim 11, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device comprises a half mirror coating that is deposited overlying said touch screen.

a display assembly operably connected to said computer device, wherein said display assembly is configured to permit entry of data into said computer device by touching said display assembly and wherein said display assembly is configured to limit to a restricted range of viewing angles the angles at which said display assembly may be viewed;

wherein the periphery of the transaction terminal has at least two side boundaries and wherein said restricted range of viewing angles limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 35°=<α=<90° when the display device is viewed from a position proximate to one of said at least two side boundaries; and

wherein the periphery of the transaction terminal has at least one back boundary and wherein said restricted range of viewing angles limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 40°=<α=<90° when the display device is viewed from a position proximate to said at least one back boundary.

a viewing angle-controlled device disposed proximate to said touch screen, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is configured to permit the liquid crystal display to be viewed at said restricted range of viewing angles.

22. The point-of-sale transaction terminal of claim 20, wherein said viewing angle-controlled film is affixed to at least one of said liquid crystal display and said touch screen by a mechanical fastener.

23. The point-of-sale transaction terminal of claim 20, wherein said viewing angle-controlled film is interposed between said liquid crystal display and said touch screen.

25. The point-of-sale transaction terminal of claim 20, wherein said viewing angle-controlled film comprises a half mirror coating tat is deposited on said touch screen.

disposing a viewing angle-controlled device overlying said liquid crystal display, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device limits viewing angles at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a restricted range of viewing angles;

wherein the periphery of the display assembly has at least two side boundaries and wherein said restricted range of viewing angles limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 35°=<α=<90° when the display device is viewed from a position proximate to one of said at least two side boundaries; and

wherein the periphery of the transaction terminal has at least one back boundary and wherein said restricted range of viewing angles limits the angles α at which said liquid crystal display may be viewed to a range of about 40°=<α=<90° when the display device is viewed from a position proximate to said at least one back boundary.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said viewing angle-controlled device is integral with said touch screen and wherein the step of positioning said touch screen overlying said liquid crystal display and the step of disposing said viewing angle-controlled device overlying said liquid crystal display are performed at the same time.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of affixing said liquid crystal display, said viewing angle-controlled device, and said touch screen.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of affixing said liquid crystal display, said viewing angle-controlled device, and said touch screen comprises affixing said liquid crystal display, said viewing angle-controlled device, and said touch screen utilizing a mechanical fastener.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of affixing said liquid crystal display, said viewing angle-controlled device and said touch screen utilizing a mechanical fastener comprises affixing said liquid crystal display, said viewing angle-controlled device, and said touch screen utilizing at least one of screws, brackets, clamps, adhesive, and adhesive tape.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of disposing said viewing angle-controlled device overlying said liquid crystal display comprises interposing said viewing angle-controlled device between said liquid crystal display and said touch screen.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of disposing said viewing angle-controlled device overlying said liquid crystal display comprises depositing said viewing angle-controlled device on said touch screen.

picture and performance seen from a 45�viewing angle position to their picture and performance seen from the ideal 0�Sweet Spot. For all the tests we used the most color