Patents Examined by David Nelms
  • Patent number: 7990511
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes a display substrate, an opposite substrate, a seal line, a driver chip, a gate insulating layer disposed on the display substrate, a first signal line disposed on a first side of the gate insulating layer, and a second signal line disposed on a second side of the gate insulating layer, wherein portions of the first signal line and the second signal line overlap each other along at least a portion of the seal line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ki-Hun Jeong, Seok-Je Seong, Yong-Je Jeon, Jin-Young Choi
  • Patent number: 7982833
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a transflective liquid crystal display panel, which includes a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates, so as to constitute a plurality of pixels each divided into a transmission region and a reflective region. Within the reflective region, a first common electrode layer formed on the first substrate corresponds to both of a second common electrode layer and a pixel electrode layer formed on the second substrate, wherein the pixel electrode layer is exposed from a plurality of apertures formed on the second common electrode layer. This varies distribution of the electric lines so as to control tilts of the liquid crystals in the reflective region. By the tilts, a total retardation change value achieved in the reflective region can gradually reach consistent with a total retardation change value achieved in the transmission region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: AU Optronics Corp.
    Inventors: Tun-chun Yang, Seok-lyul Lee
  • Patent number: 7982815
    Abstract: In a backlight device, a diffuser plate and a plurality of optical sheets are disposed above a base tray that includes a plurality of cold-cathode tubes therein. The diffuser plate is sandwiched in between a base member, which holds the bottom surface thereof, and a facing portion of an inner frame disposed on the top surface side thereof. A holding protrusion is arranged on the facing portion so as to abut on an exposed portion located on the periphery of the diffuser plate. According to this construction, even when the backlight device is used in an upright orientation, the diffuser plate can be prevented from leaning forward, and thereby pressure applied on the optical sheets can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasunari Hisada
  • Patent number: 7977863
    Abstract: An electro-optical device that drives each of plural pixels individually arranged in two dimensions so as to display information, is provided with a group of pixels displaying the information within an effective display region among the plural pixels arranged in two dimensions. A group of plural pseudo-pixels that do not contribute to the display of the information are located adjacent to a group of pixels within the effective display region. A bank layer separates a pixel in the group of the plural pseudo-pixels from a pixel in the group of pixels in the effective display region, and shields light leaked from a space between pixels located adjacently each other within the effective display region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yojiro Matsueda
  • Patent number: 7978293
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display including an upper panel having an upper alignment layer, a lower panel having a lower alignment layer, and a liquid crystal layer including liquid crystal molecules interposed between the upper panel and the lower panel. Each of the liquid crystal molecules has different refractive indexes and different permittivities with respect to each axis direction. The upper alignment layer and the lower alignment layer are vertical alignment layers and have a rubbing direction, respectively. Before the application of an electric field, a first axis of each liquid crystal molecule is aligned in a vertical direction by the vertical alignment layer, and a second axis of each liquid crystal molecule is aligned in a direction parallel to the rubbing direction, and, after the application of the electric field, one having the largest permittivity of the axis directions of the liquid crystal molecule is aligned in parallel to the applied electric field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Chol Yang, Sung-Woon Kim, Jiangang Lu, Seung-Hoon Lee
  • Patent number: 7978271
    Abstract: A multi-domain liquid crystal display includes a first and a second transparent substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between them, a common electrode, a first and a second metal layers, a first and a second dielectric layer, multiple pixel electrodes and multiple auxiliary electrodes. The second metal layer is formed on the first dielectric layer, and the second dielectric layer is formed on the first dielectric layer and covers the second metal layer. The pixel electrodes are formed on the second dielectric layer, each of the pixel electrodes having at least one opening to divide itself into a plurality of sections. The auxiliary electrodes are formed on the second dielectric layer, and each of the auxiliary electrodes extends into the opening of the pixel electrode. The second metal layer is hollowed out at a position overlapping the auxiliary electrode to form at least one opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Wintek Corporation
    Inventors: Wen-Chun Wang, Chin-Chang Liu
  • Patent number: 7978299
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a columnar spacer and liquid crystal. The first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together with the columnar spacer interposed therebetween. The liquid crystal is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate. The columnar spacer has a base portion formed on the first substrate, and a tip portion fixed to the second substrate by using an adhesive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tamotsu Goto
  • Patent number: 7973891
    Abstract: An exemplary liquid crystal panel includes a first substrate assembly, a second substrate assembly parallel to the first substrate assembly, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate assembly and the second substrate assembly. The second substrate assembly includes a transparent substrate and a reflective layer provided on a surface of the transparent substrate facing the first substrate assembly. The liquid crystal panel includes a display region and a non-display region. The reflective layer is positioned corresponding to the non-display region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignees: Innocom Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Chimei Innolux Corporation
    Inventor: Ming-Li Huang
  • Patent number: 7973893
    Abstract: The present invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein light having an exposure energy is irradiated on the surface of a photo-sensitive resin layer having a predetermined film thickness, and a distribution of thermal deformation characteristics in the thickness direction (or the plane direction) of the photo-sensitive resin layer is formed, then heat treatment is performed to form random undulation (micro-grooves or micro-wrinkles) on the surface of the photo-sensitive resin layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoshige Itami, Tetsuya Fujikawa, Atuyuki Hoshino
  • Patent number: 7969540
    Abstract: A transflective liquid crystal display with uniform cell gap configuration throughout the transmissive and the reflective display region is invented. Mutually complementary common electrode pattern and reflector pattern or mutually complementary ITO pixel electrode pattern and reflector pattern produce an electric field in the transmissive display region that has a uniform longitudinal field and an electric field in the reflective display region that is a fringing field. An initially vertically aligned negative dielectric anisotropic nematic liquid crystal material between the electrodes forms a smaller tilt angle with respect to the substrate normal in the reflective display region while a larger tilt angle with respect to the substrate normal in the transmissive display region. Consequently, the ambient incident light experiences smaller phase retardation in the reflective display region while the light from the backlight source experiences larger phase retardation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignees: University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc., Toppoly Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Xinyu Zhu, Zhibing Ge, Shin-Tson Wu
  • Patent number: 7969530
    Abstract: An LED which includes a substrate, at least one light-emitting element mounted on, and electrically connected to, the substrate, and a sealing member mounted to the substrate so as to seal the light-emitting element. The sealing member contains an inorganic material having a high contrast ratio and a high reflectivity in an amount which accords with the luminance of the light-emitting element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nodoka Oishi
  • Patent number: 7969519
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method of fabricating the same includes a gate line arranged in one direction, a data line arranged in a perpendicular direction to the gate line, a pixel electrode arranged in a pixel region defined by the gate and data lines and having a diagonal side adjacent to a crossing portion of the gate and data lines, and a light blocking pattern arranged in a parallel direction with respect to the diagonal side of the pixel electrode and preventing light leakage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyung Wook Kim, Sang-Ki Kwak, Yeo-Geon Yoon, Hyuk-Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 7969537
    Abstract: An exemplary liquid crystal panel includes a top substrate and a bottom substrate, a liquid crystal layer positioned between the top substrate and the bottom substrate, and a black matrix unit formed on a bottom surface that is adjacent to the liquid crystal layer of the top substrate. The black matrix includes an insulating layer and a grounded conductive layer between the bottom surface of the top substrate and the insulating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignees: Innocom Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Chimei Innolux Corporation
    Inventor: Zi-Sheng Pan
  • Patent number: 7965371
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device by cutting up a pair of mother substrates that are joined to each other by means of a sealant with an electro-optical material being sandwiched therebetween into a plurality of panel formation regions. The method includes: forming a groove along each of at least two pre-work cut lines in either one of the pair of mother substrates; blowing air on one edge face of a region between the grooves formed in the one of the pair of mother substrates; and removing the region between the grooves formed in the one of the pair of mother substrates by vacuuming the region. Herein, the vacuuming is applied to the other edge face of the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuo Tasaka
  • Patent number: 7965355
    Abstract: A transreflective liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The transreflective liquid crystal display includes a first insulating substrate; a color filter substrate including at least four color filters constituting a unit pixel formed on the first insulating substrate, the color filter substrate representing colors using light coming from outside; a second insulating substrate; a thin film transistor substrate facing the color filter substrate, the thin film transistor substrate including a thin film transistor, a light transmitting electrode, and a light reflective electrode sequentially formed on the second insulating substrate; a light transmitting hole formed in at least one of the color filters at a location corresponding to the light reflective electrode; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the color filter substrate and the thin film transistor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuhyun Park, Jonghwae Lee
  • Patent number: 7965359
    Abstract: Self-compensating, quasi-homeotropic liquid crystal devices (100, 200, 300, 400) overcome the contrast reducing effects of smaller pretilt angles. The devices exhibit extremely high contrast ratio but at the same time suppress fringe field-induced disclination lines in high pixel density and small pixel size quasi-homeotropic displays. The surface pretilt (520, 540) and cell twist (570) angles are set at values that, in combination, contribute to establishing a cuspate singularity in the contrast ratio for normally incident light in response to a drive signal switching the liquid crystal device to the OFF director field state that provides nearly 0% optical efficiency. The OFF director field state corresponds to a subthreshold drive level that provides for the liquid crystal device self-compensation for in plane optical retardation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Cuspate, LLC
    Inventors: Terry J. Scheffer, Jiuzhi Xue
  • Patent number: 7965354
    Abstract: A color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display includes: light shielding parts formed on a front surface of a substrate at predetermined intervals to prevent light leakage; color filter Layers disposed between the light shielding parts on the front surface of the substrate and including color filter patterns of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) for implementing a color image; and a transparent conductive layer formed on a rear surface of the substrate, where the rear surface of the substrate is opposite the front surface of the substrate on which the color filter layers are formed, and formed in a porous structure having a plurality of holes spaced at predetermined intervals. Therefore, it is possible to shield an electrostatic field due to external static electricity and improve image display quality, thereby increasing high brightness characteristics and readability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Hydis Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Cheol Hwan Lee, Yoon Seok Choi, Dae Suk Kim, Suk Choi
  • Patent number: 7961268
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which can enhance display quality and reliability by preventing the intrusion of foreign materials to a display screen of a liquid crystal display panel thus preventing the adhesion of the foreign materials to the display screen of the liquid crystal display panel. On an upper surface of a peripheral portion of a split mold frame housing a liquid crystal display panel, rubber cushions which are split in four are arranged at corner portions of the peripheral portion in an adhesive manner. With respect to the split portions of the rubber cushions at the corner portion, on a long-side mold frame, extending portions formed by extending both end portions of the long-side rubber cushion larger than a predetermined length are integrally formed and are arranged in an adhesive manner. On a short-side mold frame, a short-side rubber cushion having a predetermined length is arranged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignees: Hitachi Displays, Ltd., Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Azuma, Masaki Tsubokura, Shimon Itakura, Seigo Abo
  • Patent number: 7961287
    Abstract: An LCD device is disclosed in which column spacers for a cell gap are arranged between gate and common lines to reduce a contact area between the column spacers and an opposing substrate, and a stable cell gap is maintained over the whole panel by reducing variation of a thickness per area of a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate corresponding to the column spacers. The LCD device includes first and second substrates facing each other, gate and data lines formed on the first substrate to cross each other, and pixel regions, a thin film transistor formed in each portion where the gate and data lines cross, common and pixel electrodes alternately formed in the pixel regions, common lines formed adjacent to the gate lines substantially parallel to the gate lines, a first column spacer formed on the second substrate corresponding to a portion between the gate line and the common line, and a liquid crystal layer filled between the first and second substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jong Woo Kim, Won Hyung Yoo
  • Patent number: 7961261
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus comprises: a holding unit that holds a medium on which an image is formed by irradiation of image-bearing light, the medium having a liquid crystal layer, a photoconductor layer that changes a resistance in response to irradiation of light, and a pair of electrode layers provided in an opposing relation so as to sandwich the liquid crystal layer and photoconductor layer, with at least one of the pair of electrode layers being divided into stripe-shaped sub-electrode layers; an irradiating unit that irradiates the medium with image-bearing light linearly along a longitudinal direction of the sub-electrode layers; a transporting unit that transports the irradiating unit along the surface of the medium in a first or second direction; a power supply unit that applies a voltage between the sub-electrode layer and the electrode layer; and an optical shielding unit that shields the photoconductor layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Ishii, Naoki Hiji, Yasunori Saito, Masahiro Sato, Shigehiko Sasaki, Kyotaro Tomoda, Kimitake Hasuike