Patents Assigned to E Ink Corporation
  • Patent number: 10551713
    Abstract: A first display includes a layer of electro-optic material with first and second electrodes on opposed sides thereof. One or both electrodes have at least two spaced contacts. Voltage control means are arranged to vary the potential difference between the two spaced contacts attached to the same electrode. A second display includes a layer of electro-optic material with a sequence of at least three electrodes adjacent thereto. Voltage control means vary the potential difference between the first and last electrodes of the sequence. The electrodes of the sequence alternate between two surfaces of the layer of electro-optic material, and have edges that overlap or lie adjacent the preceding and following electrodes of the sequence. The electrodes, other than the first and last, are electrically isolated such that the potential thereof is controlled by passage of current through the layer of electro-optic material. Methods for driving these displays are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Paolini, Jr., Stephen Bull, Seth J. Bishop, Karl Raymond Amundson, Stephen J. Telfer, George G. Harris
  • Patent number: 10554854
    Abstract: An image is rendered on a display having a limited number of primary colors by (104) combining input data representing the color of a pixel to be rendered with error data to form modified input data, determining in a color space the simplex (208—typically a tetrahedron) enclosing the modified input data and the primary colors associated with the simplex, converting (210) the modified image data to barycentric coordinates based upon the primary colors associated with the simplex and (212) setting output data to the primary having the largest barycentric coordinate. calculating (214) the difference between the modified input data and the output data for the pixel, thus generating error data, applying (106) this error data to at least one later-rendered pixel, and applying the output data to the display and thus rendering the image on the display. Apparatus and computer-storage media for carrying out this process are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventor: Kenneth R. Crounse
  • Patent number: 10545622
    Abstract: A recording layer is described that comprises a magnetizable material configured to store an image represented by magnetized regions of the magnetizable material. The magnetizable material may be brought into proximity with a magnetically responsive display layer, which may cause a change in an optical state of the display layer such that a facsimile of the image represented by the magnetized regions is produced within the display layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventor: Richard J. Paolini, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10527880
    Abstract: Processes are provided for depositing multiple color filter materials on a substrate to form color filters. In a first process, the surface characteristic of a substrate is modified by radiation so that a flowable form of a first color filter material will be deposited on a first area, and converted to a non-flowable form. A second color filter material can then be deposited on a second area of the substrate. In a second process, first and second color filter materials are deposited on separate donor sheets and transferred by radiation to separate areas of the substrate. A third process uses flexographic printing to transfer the first and second color filter materials to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventor: Guy M. Danner
  • Patent number: 10527899
    Abstract: A backplane for an electro-optic display that includes a data line, a transistor, a pixel electrode connected to the data line via the transistor, the pixel electrode positioned adjacent to part of the data line so as to create a data line/pixel electrode capacitance. The backplane further including a shield electrode disposed adjacent to at least part of the data line so as to reduce the data line/pixel electrode capacitance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Karl Raymond Amundson, Yi Lu
  • Patent number: 10520786
    Abstract: An electro-optic display having a viewing surface through which a user views the display, a bistable, non-electrochromic electro-optic medium, and at least one electrode arranged to apply an electric field to the electro-optic medium, the display further comprising at least 10 micromoles per square meter of the viewing surface of at least one compound having an oxidation potential more negative that about 150 mV with respect to a standard hydrogen electrode, as measured at pH 8, where the compound having the oxidation potential comprises one or more compounds of Formulae I below: where in Formulae I, R1-R4 may be substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or aryl groups, or heteroatomic groups containing hetero atoms of Groups V-VII of the periodic table, and substituents R1 and R2 (taken together), and/or R3 and R4, may form a ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen J. Telfer, Peter Carsten Bailey Widger, Ana L. Lattes, Dan John Lauber
  • Patent number: 10509294
    Abstract: An image display medium includes a first and second layer of encapsulated dispersion fluid containing charged particles and a front and rear light-transmissive electrode. The first layer is positioned between the front light-transmissive electrode and the second layer and the second layer is position between the first layer and the rear light-transmissive electrode. The charged particles within the first layer have a color similar to and a charge opposite of the charged particles within the second layer. Alternatively, the charged particles within the first layer may have a color and a charge similar to the charged particles within the second layer and the display medium includes a common conductor positioned between the first and second layer that is configured to drive the charged particles in the first and second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen J. Telfer
  • Patent number: 10509293
    Abstract: An electrophoretic medium comprises a fluid, a first, light scattering particle (typically white) and second, third and fourth particles having three subtractive primary colors (typically magenta, cyan and yellow); at least two of these colored particles being non-light scattering. The first and second particles bear polymer coatings such that the electric field required to separate an aggregate formed by the third and the fourth particles is greater than that required to separate an aggregate formed from any other two types of particles. Methods for driving the medium to produce white, black, magenta, cyan, yellow, red, green and blue colors are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen J. Telfer, Stephen Bull, David Darrell Miller, Christopher L. Hoogeboom, Ana L. Lattes, Brandon MacDonald, Kosta Ladavac
  • Patent number: 10503041
    Abstract: A method of forming an electrophoretic display is provided that includes forming a front plane laminate having a first substrate, a first conductive layer, a layer of electrophoretic media, and an adhesive, as well as coating an insulating layer and a second conductive layer onto a second substrate to provide a backplane. The first substrate and first conductive layer may be transparent, and the second substrate may include a plurality of conductors. The method may further include scoring the second substrate to provide a removable portion, laminating the front plane laminate to the backplane, removing the portion from the second substrate to provide an opening in the backplane, and filling the opening with a conductive material to provide an electrical connection between the first conductive layer and one of the plurality of conductors. Electrophoretic displays made according to the various methods are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: George G. Harris, Richard J. Paolini, Jr., Matthew Joseph Kayal
  • Patent number: 10495941
    Abstract: An electro-optic display that is flexible and may be folded in a book-like fashion. The display apparatus may include a flexible display and a bending mechanism for accommodating the flexible display in a closed state. Portions of the flexible electro-optic display can be coupled to regions of the planar support members so that when the display is in an open state, the display lays flat and smooth. In advanced embodiments, the electro-optic display may include touch sensing or a digitizing layer to record interactions with a stylus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Keisuke Hashimoto, Kenji Nakazawa
  • Patent number: 10495940
    Abstract: A composite electrophoretic display comprised of multiple, stacked, non-planar electrophoretic displays. The individual electrophoretic displays that form the composite display may be driven separately using different driving signals. The electrical connections for the individual displays may be configured to minimize the impact of the electrical connections on the overall aesthetic of the composite display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: George G. Harris, Olga Vladimirovna Barykina-Tassa, Brandon MacDonald
  • Patent number: 10475396
    Abstract: Electro-optic displays with reduced remnant voltage, and related apparatus and methods are provided. A remnant voltage of a pixel of an electro-optic display may be discharged by activating the pixel's transistor and setting the voltages of the front and rear electrodes of the pixel to approximately the same voltage for a specified period of time, and/or until the amount of remnant voltage remaining in the pixel is less than a threshold amount. The remnant voltages of substantially all pixels or a subset of pixels in an active matrix electro-optic display may be simultaneously discharged. The simultaneous discharge of the remnant voltages of pixels may take place when the pixels are in a same state, characterized by (1) the transistor of each pixel being active, and (2) the voltages applied to the front and rear electrodes of each pixel being approximately equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Teck Ping Sim, Kenneth R. Crounse, Pierre-Yves Emelie, Karl Raymond Amundson
  • Patent number: 10475399
    Abstract: An electrophoretic display comprising a fluid including a first species of particles and a charge control agent disposed between first and second electrodes. When a first addressing impulse have an electrical polarity is applied to the medium, the first species of particles move in one direction relative to the electric field, but when a second addressing impulse, larger than the first addressing impulse but having the same electrical polarity, is applied to the medium, the first species of particles move in the opposed direction relative to the electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen J. Telfer, Stephen Bull, Alain Bouchard, Craig A. Herb, Kosta Ladavac, Ana L. Lattes, Jennifer M. Morrison, Richard J. Paolini, Jr., Michael Thomas Regan, Luke M. Slominski, Lee Yezek, Kenneth R. Crounse, J. Ryan Kruse, Christopher L. Hoogeboom, Jason D. Feick, David Darrell Miller
  • Patent number: 10467984
    Abstract: A system for rendering color images on an electro-optic display when the electro-optic display has a color gamut with a limited palette of primary colors, and/or the gamut is poorly structured (i.e., not a spheroid or obloid). The system uses an iterative process to identify the best color for a given pixel from a palette that is modified to diffuse the color error over the entire electro-optic display. The system additionally accounts for variations in color that are caused by cross-talk between nearby pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Edward Buckley, Kenneth R. Crounse, Stephen J. Telfer, Sunil Krishna Sainis
  • Patent number: 10466565
    Abstract: A backplane for an electro-optic display including an electrode and a substrate. The substrate may be porous to liquids, e.g., water, and may formed, from cellulose or a similar hydrophilic polymer. The electrode is desirably also porous to the same liquid as the substrate, so that the electrodes do not form liquid-impervious areas on the substrate. For example, when the liquid is water (or an aqueous solution) the electrodes may be formed of a hydrophilic carbon black, which may be coated or screen-printed on to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Jay William Anseth, Richard J. Paolini, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10466564
    Abstract: Electrical connection between the backplane and the front electrode of an electro-optic display is provided by forming a front plane laminate (100) comprising, in order, a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer (104), a layer of electro-optic material (106), and a layer of lamination adhesive (108); forming an aperture (114) through all three layers of the front plane laminate (100); and introducing a flowable, electrically-conductive material (118) into the aperture (114), the flowable, electrically-conductive material being in electrical contact with the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer (104) and extending through the adhesive layer (108).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew Joseph Kayal, Steven Joseph Battista, Richard J. Paolini, Shyamala A. Subramanian
  • Patent number: 10444592
    Abstract: A system for transforming RGB image data having at least 4 bits of data for each RGB color into image data suitable for display on an electro-optic display having pixels, wherein each pixel includes at least three non-white subpixels (of different colors) and a white subpixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventor: Alain Bouchard
  • Patent number: 10444591
    Abstract: Ink jet printing can be used in the production of electro-optic displays for (a) forming a layer of a polymer-dispersed electrophoretic medium on a substrate; (b) forming a color electro-optic layer; (c) forming a color filter; and (d) printing electrodes and/or associated conductors on a layer of electro-optic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Howie Honeyman, Guy M. Danner
  • Patent number: 10446585
    Abstract: The present invention provides for an electro-optic display having a backplane assembly with at least two electrode layers, a first electrode layer of a first dimension electrically connected to and driving a second electrode layer of a second dimension that is larger than the first dimension. The second electrode layer overlies the first electrode layer, such that the entire viewing area of an electro-optic display may be optically-active. The backplane assembly may have at least one interposer layer disposed between the two electrode layers to electrically connect the first and second electrode layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: George G. Harris, Stephen J. Telfer, Richard J. Paolini, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10444590
    Abstract: The invention provides an electrophoretic medium comprising at least two types of particles having substantially the same electrophoretic mobility but differing colors. The invention also provides article of manufacture comprising a layer of a solid electro-optic medium, a first adhesive layer on one surface of the electro-optic medium, a release sheet covering the first adhesive layer, and a second adhesive layer on an opposed second surface of the electro-optic medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventor: Holly G. Gates