A visual display screen (100) such as an LCD screen is provided
with a display area (30) for displaying an image. The display area (30)
extends as far as an optically inactive region (60), containing device drivers,
at the edge of the screen.
A cover plate assembly (40) overlays the display area (30). The
cover
plate assembly is laminar and an upper translucent plastics layer (520)
thereof is planar over the display area (30) but is curved at the edge to
provide a lens there. Thus, the image in the display area viewed through the cover
plate assembly (40) appears to be shifted to the edge of the screen (100)
so that the optically inactive region (60) becomes invisible. Two screens
can be abutted adjacent each other with no visible join using this technique. Compression
of the image at the edge compensates for edge distortion by the lens. Repeating
of the image either side of the join between two screens increases the viewing
angle beyond which the join appears.
