Recent Patents on Electrophoretic Displays and Materials

Marc      Christophersen; Bernard      F. Phlips

doi:10.2174/187221010792483672

Abstract

Electrophoretic displays (EPDs) have made their way into consumer products. EPDs enable displays that offer the look and form of a printed page, often called “electronic paper”. We will review recent apparatus and method patents for EPD devices and their fabrication. A brief introduction into the basic display operation and history of EPDs is given, while pointing out the technological challenges and difficulties for inventors. Recently, the majority of scientific publications and patenting activity has been directed to micro-segmented EPDs. These devices exhibit high optical reflectance and contrast, wide viewing angle, and high image resolution. Micro-segmented EPDs can also be integrated with flexible transistors technologies into flexible displays. Typical particles size ranges from 200 nm to 2 micrometer. Currently one very active area of patenting is the development of full-color EPDs. We summarize the recent patenting activity for EPDs and provide comments on perceiving factors driving intellectual property protection for EPD technologies.

Keywords: fabrication, to micro-segmented, high image resolution. Micro-segmented, full-color EPDs, Lambertian scattering, rapid scrolling, LCDs (liquid crystal displays), backscattering, micro-particles, zeta potential, electrolyte conductivity, dielectric solutions, electrophoretic mobility, fluid drag force, E-Ink, SiPix Imaging, Fuji Xerox, traditional EPDs, in plane EPD, micro-lens EPD, non-transparent electrode EPD, micro-segmented EPD, micro-cup EPDs, dielectric anisotropy, nematic crystals, Jacobson's approach, micro-capsules, Gray-tones, micro-sphere, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), WIPO PCT, pioneering arts, (Thin Film Transistors), urea-formaldehyde, melamine-formaldehyde, poly-urethane, ITO coated polymer film, E-ink foils, TFT backplane, sealing polymer, liquid crystal polymer, nano-particles, Electrochromic particles, electron-depleted state, fluorescent spectra, electrophoretic display, electrophoretic retardation force, air-gap EPD, Color Electrophoretic Displays, printing industry, cyan, magenta, ink-jet printed prints, CMY colors, additive color, back-illumination, Quick Response Liquid Powder Display, QR-LPDTM, Stacking, e-book, novel device geometries, sub-pixels, portable displays, nematic liquid crystal, electronic apparatus