Patents Assigned to E Ink Corporation
  • Components and methods for use in electro-optic displays
    Patent number: 9563099
    Abstract: A front plane laminate useful in the manufacture of electro-optic displays comprises, in order, a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer, a layer of an electro-optic medium in electrical contact with the electrically-conductive layer, an adhesive layer and a release sheet. This front plane laminate can be prepared as a continuous web, cut to size, the release sheet removed and the laminate laminated to a backplane to form a display. Methods for providing conductive vias through the electro-optic medium and for testing the front plane laminate are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Richard D. LeCain, Ara N. Knaian, Steven J. O'Neil, Gregg M. Duthaler, Guy M. Danner, Robert W. Zehner, Alberto Goenaga, Benjamin Max Davis, Randolph W. Chan, Jonathan D. Albert, Glen Crossley
  • Electro-optic displays, and materials and methods for production thereof
    Patent number: 9554495
    Abstract: An electro-optic display is produced using a sub-assembly comprising a front sheet, an electro-optic medium; and an adhesive layer. An aperture is formed through the adhesive layer where the adhesive layer is not covered by the electro-optic medium, and the sub-assembly is adhered to a backplane having a co-operating member with the aperture engaged with a co-operating member, thus locating the sub-assembly relative to the backplane. In another form of electro-optic display, a chip extends through an aperture in the electro-optic medium and adhesive layer. In a third form, the aforementioned sub-assembly is secured to a backplane and then a cut is made through both backplane and sub-assembly to provide an aligned edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: E Ink Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Guy M. Danner, Valerie C. Northrop, Jonathan D. Albert, Holly G. Gates, Erik van Veenendaal, Fredericus J. Touwslager
  • Aggregate particles for use in electrophoretic color displays
    Patent number: 9552780
    Abstract: A multi-color display device has front and rear electrodes on opposed sides of an electrophoretic medium. The device has a voltage controller configured to apply a first and a smaller second potential difference, of either polarity, between the electrodes. The electrophoretic medium has first and second species of particles of differing colors and charge polarities. The first and second particles move independently of one another in response to the first potential difference, but upon application of the second potential difference form charged aggregates, moving as a unit, having an aggregate color different from the first and second colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: E INK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stephen J. Telfer, Richard J. Paolini, Jr., George G. Harris, Isaac W. Moran, Alain Bouchard
  • Electro-optic displays, and methods for driving same
    Patent number: 9542895
    Abstract: An electro-optic display includes an electro-optic medium, a pixel electrode for applying an electric field to the medium and a column electrode associated with the pixel electrode. To reduce power consumption, when it is necessary to change the voltage on the column electrode from a first value to a second value to change the optical state of the electro-optic medium, the column electrode voltage is first changed to a third value intermediate the first and second values to permit charge to flow to or from the column electrode, and thereafter the column electrode voltage is changed from the third voltage to the second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Holly G. Gates, Robert W. Zehner, Jonathan D. Albert
  • Controlled polymeric material conductivity for use in a two-phase electrode layer
    Patent number: 9529240
    Abstract: An electro-optic display containing a two-phase, light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer comprising a first phase made of a highly electronically-conductive matrix and a second phase made of a polymeric material composition having a controlled volume resistivity. The matrix of the first phase may be formed from carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires, a metal coated open foam structure, or a printed mesh of wires. The polymeric material composition of the second phase may be a conductive polymer, or a polymer and an additive such as a salt, a polyelectrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, or a solid electrolyte, or combinations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: E INK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Richard J. Paolini, Jr., Stephen J. Telfer
  • Methods and apparatus for driving electro-optic displays
    Patent number: 9530363
    Abstract: The performance of an electro-optic display, for example, a bistable electro-optic display, can be improved by modifying the frame rate of a base waveform used to drive a transition between gray states. Such modifications permit fine control of gray levels with reduced artifacts. The described methods additionally require less memory to store all of the waveforms needed to achieve good performance of an electro-optic display over a range of temperatures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Yuval Ben-Dov, Karl Raymond Amundson
  • Methods for driving electro-optic displays
    Patent number: 9513743
    Abstract: A touch screen electro-optic display is arranged such that upon a touch being detected on the display surface, the display surface surrounding the touch “blinks” by being driven to a different optical state, then back to its original state. A second method uses a display having a pen or stylus which can draw lines upon the display. A first line segment is detected and its area updated using a first drive scheme having short waveforms. The area of a second line segment is updated using the first drive scheme. Thereafter, the areas of both line segments are updated using a second drive scheme different from the first drive scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Theodore H. Sjodin, Yuval Ben-Dov, Kenneth R. Crounse, Jason Lin, Karl Raymond Amundson, Michael Patrick Almon, Hugh M. Enxing, Timothy J. O'Malley, Jr.
  • Thermally-responsive film
    Patent number: 9506243
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a thermally-responsive film that may, for example, be affixed to an exterior surface of a building to help control its temperature as it is exposed to the sun. The thermally-responsive film has a continuous phase and a discontinuous phase. The discontinuous phase comprises a plurality of droplets, each of which comprises the light-absorbing suspending fluid and the light-reflecting particles. The light-reflecting particles are dispersed in a vehicle that is either a second fluid that is immiscible with the suspending fluid and has a higher volumetric coefficient of thermal expansion than the suspending fluid, or a combination of materials that together have a higher volumetric coefficient of thermal expansion than the suspending fluid that together with the light-reflecting particles form composite particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: George G. Harris, Sunil Krishna Sainis
  • DRIVING DEVICE OF IMAGE DISPLAY MEDIUM, IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM
    Publication number: 20160335941
    Abstract: Provided is a method to drive an image display medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Publication date: November 17, 2016
    Applicant: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki ABE, Naoki HIJI, Yasufumi SUWABE, Yoshinori MACHIDA
  • Methods for driving electro-optic displays
    Patent number: 9495918
    Abstract: A method is provided for driving electro-optic displays, especially bistable displays, to avoid edge effects when driving a limited area of the display. Pixels in an edge elimination region, at least one pixel wide and substantially surrounding the limited area, are driven from their original gray level to an intermediate gray level, and then back to their original gray level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2016
    Assignee: E INK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Demetrious Mark Harrington, Kenneth R. Crounse, Karl Raymond Amundson, Matthew J. Aprea, Theodore A. Sjodin
  • BACKPLANE FOR ELECTRO-OPTIC DISPLAY
    Publication number: 20160313625
    Abstract: A backplane for an electro-optic display comprising pixels with reduced capacitance. The pixel architecture results in a backplane with some voltage spiking, but well-suited for use with electro-optic media having at least a small threshold for switching, for example, electrophoretic media comprising particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew P. Ritenour, Gregg M. Duthaler
  • METHODS FOR DRIVING ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAYS USING DIELECTROPHORETIC FORCES
    Publication number: 20160314750
    Abstract: A dielectrophoretic display is shifted from a low frequency closed state to a high frequency open state via at least one, and preferably several, intermediate frequency states; the use of such multiple frequency steps reduces flicker during the transition. A second type of dielectrophoretic display has a light-transmissive electrode through which the dielectrophoretic medium can be viewed and a conductor connected to the light-transmissive electrode at several points to reduce voltage variations within the light-transmissive electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Applicant: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: George G. Harris, Richard J. Paolini, JR., Thomas H. Whitesides, Michael D. McCreary, Charles Howie Honeyman
  • Electro-optic displays, and processes for the production thereof
    Patent number: 9470950
    Abstract: An assembly useful for producing an encapsulated electrophoretic display is prepared from an electrophoretic medium comprising a plurality of discrete droplets (904) in a polymeric binder (906), each droplet comprising a plurality of charged particles dispersed in a fluid, and a front sub-assembly comprising a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer (902) and a color filter array (920). The electrophoretic medium is laminated to the front-assembly (902, 920) at a temperature at which the polymeric binder (906) will flow and secure the electrophoretic medium to the front sub-assembly to form the final assembly, with the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer (902) disposed between the color filter array (920) and the electrophoretic medium (904, 906).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Paolini, Jr., Thomas Henry Whitesides
  • AGGREGATE PARTICLES FOR USE IN ELECTROPHORETIC COLOR DISPLAYS
    Publication number: 20160284278
    Abstract: A multi-color display device has front and rear electrodes on opposed sides of an electrophoretic medium. The device has a voltage controller configured to apply a first and a smaller second potential difference, of either polarity, between the electrodes. The electrophoretic medium has first and second species of particles of differing colors and charge polarities. The first and second particles move independently of one another in response to the first potential difference, but upon application of the second potential difference form charged aggregates, moving as a unit, having an aggregate color different from the first and second colors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Applicant: E INK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stephen J. Telfer, Richard J. Paolini, JR., George G. Harris, Isaac W. Moran, Alain Bouchard
  • Color electro-optic displays
    Patent number: 9436056
    Abstract: A color filter array or a backplane for a color display has first and second areas with substantially different optical properties. The invention also provides a color filter with a low resistivity. The invention further provides a color display utilizing fluorescent or phosphorescent material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Richard J. Paolini, Jr., Stephen J. Telfer
  • Driving device of image display medium, image display apparatus, and non-transitory computer readable medium
    Patent number: 9424800
    Abstract: Provided is a driving device of an image display medium including a voltage application unit that varies a voltage applied to a common electrode provided in one of a pair of substrates, and applies a voltage to a pixel electrode provided in the other substrate through active matrix driving, with respect to the image display medium including plural kinds of particles, and a controller that controls the voltage application unit such that a voltage is applied between the pair of substrates, and controls the voltage application unit such that a deviation time of a scanning timing generated due to the active matrix driving during transition to the steps and a potential difference between the pair of substrates in the deviation time are equal to or less than predefined threshold characteristics of the particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Abe, Naoki Hiji, Yasufumi Suwabe, Yoshinori Machida
  • Methods for forming patterned semiconductors
    Patent number: 9419024
    Abstract: An electro-optic display comprises a substrate (100), non-linear devices (102) disposed substantially in one plane on the substrate (100), pixel electrodes (106) connected to the non-linear devices (102), an electro-optic medium (110) and a common electrode (112) on the opposed side of the electro-optic medium (110) from the pixel electrodes (106). The moduli of the various parts of the display are arranged so that, when the display is curved, the neutral axis or neutral plane lies substantially in the plane of the non-linear devices (102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: E INK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Andrew P. Ritenour, Gregg M. Duthaler
  • Methods for driving electro-optic displays
    Patent number: 9412314
    Abstract: An electro-optic display, having at least one pixel capable of achieving any one of at least four different gray levels including two extreme optical states, is driven by displaying a first image on the display, and rewriting the display to display a second image thereon, wherein, during the rewriting of the display, any pixel which has undergone a number of transitions exceeding a predetermined value without touching an extreme optical state, is driven to at least one extreme optical state before driving that pixel to its final optical state in the second image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Karl R. Amundson, Robert W. Zehner, Ara N. Knaian, Benjamin Zion
  • MATERIALS FOR USE IN ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAYS
    Publication number: 20160187759
    Abstract: An electrophoretic medium comprises an electrophoretic layer, a layer of lamination adhesive and a polymeric layer disposed between the electrophoretic layer and the lamination adhesive layer, the polymeric layer being impermeable to the fluid. A second form of electrophoretic medium has a layer of a complex of an alkali metal and a polymer in contact with the electrophoretic layer. A third form of electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of discrete droplets of internal phase in a binder, and further comprises a salt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Applicant: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Bin Wu, Charles Howie Honeyman, Stephen P. Dudek, Anthony Zalesky, Richard J. Paolini, JR., Craig A. Herb, George G. Harris
  • Aggregate particles for use in electrophoretic color displays
    Patent number: 9361836
    Abstract: A multi-color display device has front and rear electrodes on opposed sides of an electrophoretic medium. One of the front and rear electrodes occupies only a minor proportion of a pixel. The device has a voltage control capable of applying a first and a smaller second potential difference of either polarity between the electrodes. The electrophoretic medium has first and second species of particles of differing colors and charge polarities. The first and second particles move independently of one another in response to the first potential difference, but upon application of the second potential difference form charged aggregates, moving as a unit, having an aggregate color different from the first and second colors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: E Ink Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen J. Telfer, Richard J. Paolini, Jr., George G. Harris, Isaac W. Moran, Alain Bouchard