Patents by Inventor Willem den Boer

Willem den Boer 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: 10394405
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments relate to capacitive touch panels. First and second glass substrates are substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another. At least one multi-layer transparent conductive coating (TCC) is patterned into electrodes and located between the first and second substrates. The TCC(s) include(s) at least one conductive layer including silver, a dielectric layer including zinc oxide under and directly contacting the conductive layer including silver, and a dielectric layer(s) including tin oxide or silicon nitride over the conductive layer including silver. Processing circuitry electrically connects to the electrodes and measures an aspect of the electrodes' capacitance. A laminate material is located between the first and second glass substrates. The TCC(s), when blanket deposited, may have a visible transmission of at least 88%, a sheet resistances of no more than 10 ohms per square, and a haze of no more than 0.5%. Mutual and self-capacitance designs are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: GUARDIAN GLASS, LLC
    Inventors: Vijayen S. Veerasamy, Jason Blush, Eric W. Akkashian, Willem Den Boer, Alexey Krasnov
  • Publication number: 20190258339
    Abstract: A multi-layer conductive coating is substantially transparent to visible light, contains at least one conductive layer comprising silver that is sandwiched between at least a pair of dielectric layers, and may be used as an electrode and/or conductive trace in a capacitive touch panel. The multi-layer conductive coating may contain a dielectric layer of or including zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO2) and/or silicon nitride, and may be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like. The coating may have increased resistivity, and thus reduced conductivity, compared to pure silver layers of certain coatings, in order to allow the silver-based coating to be more suitable for use as touch panel electrode(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Publication date: August 22, 2019
    Inventors: Alexey KRASNOV, Willem DEN BOER, Jason BLUSH, Eric W. AKKASHIAN
  • Publication number: 20190243227
    Abstract: A projection screen including a capacitive touch panel, such as a projected capacitive touch panel. The touch panel includes first and second glass substrates, one of which is patterned (e.g., etched with acid or the like) to form a diffuser. A conductive coating is formed on the patterned surface of the diffuser glass substrate, and is patterned into a plurality of electrodes for the touch panel. The system, including an optional projector, may be used as an interactive transparent display for augmented reality applications such as storefronts. The touch panel may also be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Publication date: August 8, 2019
    Inventors: Willem DEN BOER, Jason BLUSH, Eric W. AKKASHIAN
  • Publication number: 20190227653
    Abstract: A multi-layer conductive coating is substantially transparent to visible light, contains at least one conductive layer comprising silver that is sandwiched between at least a pair of dielectric layers, and may be used as an electrode and/or conductive trace in a capacitive touch panel. The multi-layer conductive coating may contain a dielectric layer(s), and may be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like. In certain example embodiments, different electrodes of the touch panel may be formed by different silver based layers of the same or different multi-layer coatings. In patterning the electrodes, different laser scribing wavelengths may be used to pattern different respective silver based layers, of the same or different multi-layer coating(s), in certain example embodiments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Alexey KRASNOV, Willem DEN BOER
  • Publication number: 20190196634
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Inventors: Steve Porter HOTELLING, Wei Chen, Christoph Horst Krah, John Greer Elias, Wei Hsin Yao, Andrew Bert Hodge, Brian Richards Land, Willem den Boer, John Z. Zhong
  • Publication number: 20190187836
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments relate to capacitive touch panels. First and second glass substrates are substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another. At least one multi-layer transparent conductive coating (TCC) is patterned into electrodes and located between the first and second substrates. The TCC(s) include(s) at least one conductive layer including silver, a dielectric layer including zinc oxide under and directly contacting the conductive layer including silver, and a dielectric layer(s) including tin oxide or silicon nitride over the conductive layer including silver. Processing circuitry electrically connects to the electrodes and measures an aspect of the electrodes' capacitance. A laminate material is located between the first and second glass substrates. The TCC(s), when blanket deposited, may have a visible transmission of at least 88%, a sheet resistances of no more than 10 ohms per square, and a haze of no more than 0.5%. Mutual and self-capacitance designs are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Vijayen S. VEERASAMY, Jason BLUSH, Eric W. AKKASHIAN, Willem DEN BOER, Alexey KRASNOV
  • Publication number: 20190169069
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of this invention relates to a coated article including a low-emissivity (low-E) coating supported by a substrate (e.g., glass substrate) for use in a window, where the low-E coating is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in order to improve the coating's and thus the coated article's electrical, optical and/or thermal blocking properties. The low-E coating includes at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer of or including silver which is located on and directly contacting a contact/seed layer of or including metal oxide such as zinc oxide and/or zinc stannate. Exposing the low-E coating to UV radiation, e.g., emitted from a UV lamp(s) and/or UV laser(s), allows for selective heating of the contact/seed layer which in turn transfers the heat energy to the adjacent IR reflecting layer. This heating of the silver inclusive layer improves the silver layer's electrical, optical and/or thermal blocking properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Alexey KRASNOV, Muhammad IMRAN, Willem DEN BOER, Kevin O'CONNOR
  • Patent number: 10294672
    Abstract: Improved building-integrated photovoltaic systems according to certain example embodiments may include concentrated photovoltaic skylights or other windows having a cylindrical lens array. The skylight may include an insulated glass unit, which may improve the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC). The photovoltaic skylight and lens arrays may be used in combination with strip solar cells. Arrangements that involve lateral displacement tracking systems, or static systems (e.g., that are fixed at one, two, or more predefined positions) are contemplated herein. Such techniques may advantageously help to reduce cost per watt related, in part, to the potentially reduced amount of semiconductor material to be used for such example embodiments. A photovoltaic skylight may permit diffuse daylight to pass through into an interior of a building so as to provide lighting inside the building, while the strip solar cells absorb the direct sunlight and convert it to electricity, providing for SHGC tuning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Eric Walter Akkashian, Willem Den Boer
  • Patent number: 10295875
    Abstract: A pixel structure in a pixel for used in a display panel has a plurality of grooves made on a substrate and a plurality of conducting lines formed in the grooves. The conducting line can be made from a silver or copper conductive ink to provide a low-resistance line served as a gate line, common line or source line. In a pixel having a storage capacitor and a TFT with a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode, the gate electrode is connected to a gate line and a source electrode and one of the capacitor electrodes in the storage capacitor is connected to a common line. At least part of one or more of the gate electrode and the source electrode is disposed on top of and in contact with the surface of one or more conducting lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: A.U. Vista, Inc.
    Inventors: Fang-Chen Luo, Willem den Boer, Seok-Lyul Lee
  • Publication number: 20190146623
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Steve Porter HOTELLING, Wei CHEN, Christoph Horst KRAH, John Greer ELIAS, Wei Hsin YAO, Andrew Bert HODGE, Brian Richards LAND, Willem den BOER, John Z. ZHONG
  • Publication number: 20190129225
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is formed from a first display panel and a second display panel in a stack configuration. Each of the first display panel and the second display panel has a TFT substrate. A signal circuit is disposed on the TFT substrate of the first display panel to provide data signals and timing signals. A signal connector is used to covey the data signals and timing signals from the first display panel to the second display panel. Each of the first display panel and the second display panel has a plurality of gate lines, including a first gate line and a last gate line. In the stacked configuration, the last gate line of the first display panel and last gate line of the second display panel are adjacent to the signal connector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Publication date: May 2, 2019
    Inventors: Seok-Lyul LEE, Fang-Chen LUO, Adiel ABILEAH, Willem DEN BOER
  • Patent number: 10269834
    Abstract: A pixel structure for use in a display panel includes a switching element and a storage capacitor. The switching element has a drain electrode and a source electrode disposed on a high-k dielectric layer with k being equal to or higher than 8. The storage capacitor has a first capacitor electrode, a second capacitor electrode and a third capacitor electrode, wherein a passivation layer is disposed between the second an third capacitor electrodes and the high-k dielectric layer is also disposed between the first and second capacitor electrodes. The pixel structure also has a common line connected to the first capacitor electrode, a source line, and a gate line arranged such that the source line, the gate line and the common line may cross over each other over a low-k dielectric layer at a cross-over area where k is equal to or lower than 5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: A.U. Vista, Inc.
    Inventors: Fang-Chen Luo, Willem Den Boer, Hsiang-Lin Lin
  • Patent number: 10248276
    Abstract: A multi-layer conductive coating is substantially transparent to visible light, contains at least one conductive layer comprising silver that is sandwiched between at least a pair of dielectric layers, and may be used as an electrode and/or conductive trace in a capacitive touch panel. The multi-layer conductive coating may contain a dielectric layer of or including zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO2) and/or silicon nitride, and may be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like. The touch panel may further include a functional film(s) which may be one or more of: an index-matching film, an antiglare film, an anti-fingerprint film, and anti-microbial film, a scratch resistant film, and/or an antireflective (AR) film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Willem Den Boer, Alexey Krasnov, Jason Blush, Eric W. Akkashian
  • Patent number: 10248274
    Abstract: A multi-layer conductive coating is substantially transparent to visible light, contains at least one conductive layer comprising silver that is sandwiched between at least a pair of dielectric layers, and may be used as an electrode and/or conductive trace in a capacitive touch panel. The multi-layer conductive coating may contain a dielectric layer(s), and may be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like. In certain example embodiments, different electrodes of the touch panel may be formed by different silver based layers of the same or different multi-layer coatings. In patterning the electrodes, different laser scribing wavelengths may be used to pattern different respective silver based layers, of the same or different multi-layer coating(s), in certain example embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Alexey Krasnov, Willem Den Boer
  • Patent number: 10222921
    Abstract: A multi-layer conductive coating is substantially transparent to visible light, contains at least one conductive layer comprising silver that is sandwiched between at least a pair of dielectric layers, and may be used as an electrode and/or conductive trace in a capacitive touch panel. The multi-layer conductive coating may contain a dielectric layer of or including zirconium oxide (e.g., ZrO2) and/or silicon nitride, and may be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like. The coating may have increased resistivity, and thus reduced conductivity, compared to pure silver layers of certain coatings, in order to allow the silver-based coating to be more suitable for use as touch panel electrode(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Alexey Krasnov, Willem Den Boer, Jason Blush, Eric W. Akkashian
  • Patent number: 10222923
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments relate to capacitive touch panels. First and second glass substrates are substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another. At least one multi-layer transparent conductive coating (TCC) is patterned into electrodes and located between the first and second substrates. The TCC(s) include(s) at least one conductive layer including silver, a dielectric layer including zinc oxide under and directly contacting the conductive layer including silver, and a dielectric layer(s) including tin oxide or silicon nitride over the conductive layer including silver. Processing circuitry electrically connects to the electrodes and measures an aspect of the electrodes' capacitance. A laminate material is located between the first and second glass substrates. The TCC(s), when blanket deposited, may have a visible transmission of at least 88%, a sheet resistances of no more than 10 ohms per square, and a haze of no more than 0.5%. Mutual and self-capacitance designs are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Vijayen S. Veerasamy, Jason Blush, Eric W. Akkashian, Willem Den Boer, Alexey Krasnov
  • Patent number: 10216347
    Abstract: A multi-layer conductive coating is substantially transparent to visible light, contains at least one conductive layer comprising silver that is sandwiched between at least a pair of dielectric layers, and may be used as an electrode and/or conductive trace in a capacitive touch panel. The multi-layer conductive coating may contain a dielectric layer(s), and may be used in applications such as capacitive touch panels for controlling showers, appliances, vending machines, electronics, electronic devices, and/or the like. In certain example embodiments, different electrodes of the touch panel may have different resistance, with the respective silver-based structures of various electrodes being different from one another to provide different resistance for different electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Alexey Krasnov, Willem Den Boer, Jason Blush, Eric W. Akkashian
  • Patent number: 10207951
    Abstract: Certain embodiments of this invention relates to a coated article including a low-emissivity (low-E) coating supported by a substrate (e.g., glass substrate) for use in a window, where the low-E coating is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in order to improve the coating's and thus the coated article's electrical, optical and/or thermal blocking properties. The low-E coating includes at least one infrared (IR) reflecting layer of or including silver which is located on and directly contacting a contact/seed layer of or including metal oxide such as zinc oxide and/or zinc stannate. Exposing the low-E coating to UV radiation, e.g., emitted from a UV lamp(s) and/or UV laser(s), allows for selective heating of the contact/seed layer which in turn transfers the heat energy to the adjacent IR reflecting layer. This heating of the silver inclusive layer improves the silver layer's electrical, optical and/or thermal blocking properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Guardian Glass, LLC
    Inventors: Alexey Krasnov, Muhammad Imran, Willem Den Boer, Kevin O'Connor
  • Patent number: 10191576
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate. Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Porter Hotelling, Wei Chen, Christoph H. Krah, John Greer Elias, Wei Hsin Yao, John Z. Zhong, Andrew Bert Hodge, Brian R. Land, Willem den Boer
  • Publication number: 20190012021
    Abstract: Certain example embodiments relate to capacitive touch panels. First and second glass substrates are substantially parallel and spaced apart from one another. At least one multi-layer transparent conductive coating (TCC) is patterned into electrodes and located between the first and second substrates. The TCC(s) include(s) at least one conductive layer including silver, a dielectric layer including zinc oxide under and directly contacting the conductive layer including silver, and a dielectric layer(s) including tin oxide or silicon nitride over the conductive layer including silver. Processing circuitry electrically connects to the electrodes and measures an aspect of the electrodes' capacitance. A laminate material is located between the first and second glass substrates. The TCC(s), when blanket deposited, may have a visible transmission of at least 88%, a sheet resistances of no more than 10 ohms per square, and a haze of no more than 0.5%. Mutual and self-capacitance designs are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Vijayen S. VEERASAMY, Jason BLUSH, Eric W. AKKASHIAN, Willem DEN BOER, Alexey KRASNOV