Patents by Inventor Shoichi Kurauchi

Shoichi Kurauchi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6947110
    Abstract: A semi-transparent type liquid crystal display device includes circuit array substrate AR, counter substrate CT and liquid crystal layer LQ held between circuit array and counter substrates AR and CT. The alignment of liquid crystal layer LQ is also controlled by circuit array and counter substrates AR and CT. Circuit array substrate AR has transparent and reflective electrode films 8 and 9 at pixel regions. Transparent electrode films 8 to allow light from a rear light source to pass are lower in level than the reflective electrode films 9 to reflect ambient incident light. Counter substrate CT is provided with recesses RS corresponding to the transparent electrode films 8 of circuit array substrate AR to make the thickness of liquid crystal layer LQ thicker at transparent electrode films 8 than at reflective electrode films 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hirokazu Morimoto, Shoichi Kurauchi
  • Patent number: 6888608
    Abstract: A improved liquid crystal display device including two substrates each having transparent electrode thereon disposed in parallel while keeping a predetermined gap by means of pillar-shaped spacers and a liquid crystal held between said first and second substrates is proposed. In the liquid crystal display device, density or volume of the number of the pillar-shaped spacers provided in the off-display area is higher than those of a density of the number of said pillar-shaped spacers provided in the display area. This change is made continuously or stepwise along areas. The spacers are preferably disposed so that a contact area between the spacer and a rubbing cloth during the rubbing process is minimized, or so that an orientation defective area caused starting from the spacer does not extend into the pixel area, or so that a plurality of spacers are disposed along a flow of liquid crystal from filling port into the gap between the first and second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Akiko Ueno, Teruyuki Midorikawa, Makoto Hasegawa
  • Publication number: 20040066477
    Abstract: A semi-transparent type liquid crystal display device includes circuit array substrate AR, counter substrate CT and liquid crystal layer LQ held between circuit array and counter substrates AR and CT. The alignment of liquid crystal layer LQ is also controlled by circuit array and counter substrates AR and CT. Circuit array substrate AR has transparent and reflective electrode films 8 and 9 at pixel regions. Transparent electrode films 8 to allow light from a rear light source to pass are lower in level than the reflective electrode films 9 to reflect ambient incident light. Counter substrate CT is provided with recesses RS corresponding to the transparent electrode films 8 of circuit array substrate AR to make the thickness of liquid crystal layer LQ thicker at transparent electrode films 8 than at reflective electrode films 9.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hirokazu Morimoto, Shoichi Kurauchi
  • Publication number: 20020171800
    Abstract: A improved liquid crystal display device including two substrates each having transparent electrode thereon disposed in parallel while keeping a predetermined gap by means of pillar-shaped spacers and a liquid crystal held between said first and second substrates is proposed. In the liquid crystal display device, density or volume of the number of the pillar-shaped spacers provided in the off-display area is higher than those of a density of the number of said pillar-shaped spacers provided in the display area. This change is made continuously or stepwise along areas. The spacers are preferably disposed so that a contact area between the spacer and a rubbing cloth during the rubbing process is minimized, or so that an orientation defective area caused starting from the spacer does not extend into the pixel area, or so that a plurality of spacers are disposed along a flow of liquid crystal from filling port into the gap between the first and second substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Publication date: November 21, 2002
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Akiko Ueno, Teruyuki Midorikawa, Makoto Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 6445437
    Abstract: A improved liquid crystal display device including two substrates each having transparent electrode thereon disposed in parallel while keeping a predetermined gap by means of pillar-shaped spacers and a liquid crystal held between said first and second substrates is proposed. In the liquid crystal display device, density or volume of the number of the pillar-shaped spacers provided in the off-display area is higher than those of a density of the number of said pillar-shaped spacers provided in the display area. This change is made continuously or stepwise along areas. The spacers are preferably disposed so that a contact area between the spacer and a rubbing cloth during the rubbing process is minimized, or so that an orientation defective area caused starting from the spacer does not extend into the pixel area, or so that a plurality of spacers are disposed along a flow of liquid crystal from filling port into the gap between the first and second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Akiko Ueno, Teruyuki Midorikawa, Makoto Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 6323921
    Abstract: The color filter substrate used for the liquid crystal display device comprises a substrate portion, a color filter portion composed of colored layers of plural colors disposed on the substrate portion, a first spacer portion such that colored layers of at least two different colors of the colored layers of the plural colors are stacked on the substrate portion and one colored layer of the stacked colored layers and the colored layer of the same color as that of the one colored layer of the color filter portion are continuous with each other, and a second spacer portion such that the colored layers of at least two different colors of the colored layers of the plural colors are stacked on the substrate portion and all of the stacked colored layers are discontinuous with respect to any one of the colored layers constituting the color filter portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shoichi Kurauchi, Daisuke Miyazaki, Hitoshi Hatoh, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 6287733
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display element includes a pillar-shaped spacer as a stack of a plurality of color layers, which exists on either an active matrix substrate or an opposite substrate facing to the former substrate. An impurity concentration and an impurity elution quantity of the color layer closest to a switching element among the color layers constituting the pillar-shaped spacer are made lowest among the plurality of color layers, or a bridging density of a resin is made highest among the color layers, thereby restraining an influence of the impurities upon the switching element and enhancing a display quality and a yield. Damages to contact areas when the active matrix substrate is disposed facing to the opposite substrate are reduced by making a hardness of the farthest layer from a surface of a substrate on which the pillar-shaped spacer is disposed lowest among the color layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 6147729
    Abstract: A color filter substrate and a liquid crystal display device having high opening ratio and capable of preventing unsatisfactory display as far as possible are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shoichi Kurauchi, Daisuke Miyazaki, Hitoshi Hatoh, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 6120943
    Abstract: Ultraviolet light is selectively radiated onto a portion corresponding to each pixel on a color accepting base layer and only this portion is activated. Thus, the accepting ability (coloring ability or absorbing ability) of the coloring material for a color filter in this portion is higher than that of the other portions to which the ultraviolet light is not radiated. Alternatively, with an ultraviolet light hardening resin as the material of the color accepting base layer, the accepting layer to which the ultraviolet light is radiated and hardened is formed in an island shaped pattern. The other portions are not hardened and can be removed. The coloring material of the color filter is projected to the accepting layer formed corresponding to each pixel and only this portion can be selectively colored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh
  • Patent number: 6043857
    Abstract: Ultraviolet light is selectively radiated onto a portion corresponding to each pixel on a color accepting base layer and only this portion is activated. Thus, the accepting ability (coloring ability or absorbing ability) of the coloring material for a color filter in this portion is higher than that of the other portions to which the ultraviolet light is not radiated. Alternatively, with an ultraviolet light hardening resin as the material of the color accepting base layer, the accepting layer to which the ultraviolet light is radiated and hardened is formed in an island shaped pattern. The other portions are not hardened and can be removed. The coloring material of the color filter is projected to the accepting layer formed corresponding to each pixel and only this portion can be selectively colored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh
  • Patent number: 5978061
    Abstract: A improved liquid crystal display device including two substrates each having transparent electrode thereon disposed in parallel while keeping a predetermined gap by means of pillar-shaped spacers and a liquid crystal held between said first and second substrates is proposed. In the liquid crystal display device, density or volume of the number of the pillar-shaped spacers provided in the off-display area is higher than those of a density of the number of said pillar-shaped spacers provided in the display area This change is made continuously or stepwise along areas. The spacers are preferably disposed so that a contact area between the spacer and a rubbing cloth during the rubbing process is minimized, or so that an orientation defective area caused starting from the spacer does not extend into the pixel area, or so that a plurality of spacers are disposed along a flow of liquid crystal from filling port into the gap between the first and second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Akiko Ueno, Teruyuki Midorikawa, Makoto Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 5969784
    Abstract: A color filter substrate has a substrate structure, spacers which include a first spacer layer and a plurality of second spacer layers. Each of the second spacer layers has a sectional plane which is substantially parallel to the substrate structure. And the sectional plane has a entire projective area of the first spacer layer therein and an elongated portion from the projective area, so that an area of effective thickness of the spacer to maintain the gap between two substrates depends on an area of a smaller of the first and second surfaces of the first spacer layer. In other words, the outline of the first spacer layer is located so as to be entirely included within the outline of these second spacer layers. If the central axis of the first spacer layer is shifted from that of the second spacer layers in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display apparatus, misalignment between first and second spacer layers occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Takeshi Yamamoto, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 5917572
    Abstract: A spacer is constructed of a stacked colored layers constituting color filters and is disposed in such a position as to exhibit a high dielectric breakdown strength on an active matrix substrate. A display performance is enhanced because of using no plastic beads, and insulation can be maintained. When the spacer assumes an inversely tapered shape, a contact position of the spacer can be freely selected because of forming no conductive layer on side surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shoichi Kurauchi, Daisuke Miyazaki, Hitoshi Hatoh, Muneharu Akiyoshi, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 5815232
    Abstract: A color filter substrate has a substrate structure, spacers which include a first spacer layer and a plurality of second spacer layers. Each of the second spacer layers has a sectional plane which is substantially parallel to the substrate structure. And the sectional plane has a entire projective area of the first spacer layer therein and an elongated portion from the projective area, so that an area of effective thickness of the spacer to maintain the gap between two substrates depends on an area of a smaller of the first and second surfaces of the first spacer layer. In other words, the outline of the first spacer layer is located so as to be entirely included within the outline of these second spacer layers. If the central axis of the first spacer layer is shifted from that of the second spacer layers in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display apparatus, misalignment between first and second spacer layers occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Takeshi Yamamoto, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 5757451
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display element includes a pillar-shaped spacer as a stack of a plurality of color layers, which exists on either an active matrix substrate or an opposite substrate facing to the former substrate. An impurity concentration and an impurity elution quantity of the color layer closest to a switching element among the color layers constituting the pillar-shaped spacer are made lowest among the plurality of color layers, or a bridging density of a resin is made highest among the color layers, thereby restraining an influence of the impurities upon the switching element and enhancing a display quality and a yield. Damages to contact areas when the active matrix substrate is disposed facing to the opposite substrate are reduced by making a hardness of the farthest layer from a surface of a substrate on which the pillar-shaped spacer is disposed lowest among the color layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Daisuke Miyazaki, Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh, Teruyuki Midorikawa
  • Patent number: 5706064
    Abstract: The present invention includes a substrate for a display device and a liquid crystal display device using the same having a functional layer at least partially made of an organic-inorganic hybrid glass. The present invention includes a method of manufacturing a substrate for a display device having the steps of forming a switching element on a substrate, forming a polysilane layer on the substrate, irradiating ultraviolet light to the polysilane layer, to form a latent image for a pattern, dipping the substrate into a dipping solution so that a material of the dipping solution soaks into the exposed portion, vitrificating the exposed portion by heating. According to the method, a pattern having different regions in characteristics (insulating, conductive, and coloring) can be formed easily by changing in composition of the dipping solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yoko Fukunaga, Yoshiko Tsuji, Mitsushi Ikeda, Masaru Nikaido, Shoichi Kurauchi
  • Patent number: 5681675
    Abstract: Ultraviolet light is selectively radiated onto a portion corresponding to each pixel on a color accepting base layer and only this portion is activated. Thus, the accepting ability (coloring ability or absorbing ability) of the coloring material for a color filter in this portion is higher than that of the other portions to which the ultraviolet light is not radiated. Alternatively, with an ultraviolet light hardening resin as the material of the color accepting base layer, the accepting layer to which the ultraviolet light is radiated and hardened is formed in an island shaped pattern. The other portions are not hardened and can be removed. The coloring material of the color filter is projected to the accepting layer formed corresponding to each pixel and only this portion can be selectively colored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Shoichi Kurauchi, Hitoshi Hatoh