Patents Examined by George Y. Wang
  • Patent number: 7023509
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer 4-sandwiched between opposed upper and lower substrates, and upper and lower polarizing layers provided at the top and bottom of the liquid crystal layer-4, a reflective layer formed on the inner surface of the lower substrate and having through holes for transmitting light, a lower polarizing plate provided on the reflective layer, the lower polarizing layer having apertures which are continued from the through holes of the reflective layer and which are formed at substantially the same planar portions as the through holes. Therefore, the present invention provides a transflective liquid crystal display device capable of a light display even in a transmissive mode, and a manufacturing method therefor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Chiyoaki Iijima, Yoshitomo Hirata
  • Patent number: 7019798
    Abstract: A display device has a plurality of light emitting elements for emitting lights, a display element for modulating the light emitting from the plurality of light emitting elements so as to convert it to an image light showing an optical image, a reflection type hologram element, having a positive optical power with respect to the lights from the plural light emitting elements, for diffracting and reflecting the lights from the plural light emitting elements to approximately one direction so as to guide the diffracted and reflected lights to the display element; and an enlarging optical system for forming an enlarged image of the optical image converted by the lights from the image display element. The plural light emitting elements are positioned in a plane approximately vertical to an optical path of the lights diffracted and reflected by the hologram element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Endo, Ichiro Kasai
  • Patent number: 7019811
    Abstract: The liquid-crystal switching or display device comprises a chiral smectic liquid-crystal mixture, where the ratio ?/? of the angle between the rubbing direction and the smectic layer normal to the tilt angle in the liquid-crystal mixture is at least 0.41. Preferably, the liquid-crystal mixture has the phase sequence I-N-C and the tilt angle ? at 25° C. is between 19° and 39°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Clariant International, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hans-Rolf Dübal, Barbara Hornung, Toshiaki Nonaka
  • Patent number: 7019810
    Abstract: The present invention replaces liquid crystal light control elements in fiber-optic faceplate liquid crystal displays (LCD) with suspended particle devices (SPDs), and provides for passive light control without the need for either polarized light or special alignment layers. A fluid or film containing suspended particles may be asymmetric in shape so that their optical density depends strongly upon their orientation. The orientation of the particles within the fluid can be manipulated by an application of an electric field, so that the fluid or film may appear to be transparent to both polarizations of light when the electric field is applied, and opaque when the electric field is removed and the orientation of the particles is allowed to randomize naturally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Laurence M. Hubby, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7002659
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal panel in which the brightness of an image is high, and deterioration in display quality due to defects such as uneven display or uneven brightness is suppressed. The liquid crystal panel includes a pixel portion including a plurality of thin film transistors and pixel electrodes formed on a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal and gap holding members provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a microlens array including a plurality of microlenses and provided on a surface of the second substrate, the surface being opposite to the first substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignees: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd., Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Kazuhiko Tamai, Yutaka Takafuji
  • Patent number: 6999646
    Abstract: An all-optical switch includes a field combiner to produce a first intermediate signal by combining electric fields of an optical information signal and an optical control signal; a fist power combiner to produce a second intermediate signal by combining powers of the optical information signal and the optical control signal; and a second power combiner to produce an optical output signal based on a power difference between the first and second intermediate signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: Prima Luci, Inc
    Inventor: Arie Shahar
  • Patent number: 6999148
    Abstract: An apparatus for printing an alignment layer of a liquid crystal display device includes a dispenser dropping an alignment material, an anilox roll receiving the dropped alignment material, a doctor roll evenly spreading the dropped alignment material coated onto the anilox roll, and a printing roll receiving the alignment material from the anilox roll, and transferring the alignment material onto a substrate, wherein the printing roll has a plurality of masks each having a numerical aperture of about 5% to 25%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2006
    Assignee: LG.Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dae Hoon Lee
  • Patent number: 6995816
    Abstract: Disclosed is a polarizer package comprising an integrated combination of an absorbing layer and a compensator. Two of the identical polarizer packages can be crossed and used in a transmissive optical device. This polarizer package can also be used in combination with a reflective plate and a quarter wave plate in a reflective optical device. Such polarizer packages exhibit an improved viewing angle characteristic across all wavelengths of interest, has a large tolerance for compensators to be aligned relative to their preferred directions, and can be used within an LCD or emissive display system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Xiang-Dong Mi, David Kessler, Andrew F. Kurtz, Tomohiro Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 6989877
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device and an electronic apparatus have superior visibility. A transflective reflective liquid crystal device comprises liquid crystals, an upper substrate, an lower substrate, an upper polarizing layer, a reflective polarizing layer, a lower polarizing layer, and a lighting device. A liquid crystal panel comprises the upper substrate, the upper polarizing layer, the liquid crystal, the lower reflective polarizing layer, the lower polarizing layer, and the lower substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2006
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Chiyoaki Iijima
  • Patent number: 6986608
    Abstract: Fiber optic connections are accomplished with passive alignment using a modular approach. An improved waveguide substrate has precisely aligned waveguides secured in place, including at an inlet channel, an outlet channel, or both. The waveguides need not extend beyond the face of the inlet or outlet location, and there is no need to have any unsupported fiber optic fibers connect to the waveguide substrate. When provided, a connector module or modules have fiber optic fibers having supported ends which precisely align with the waveguides of the waveguide substrate. Connecting pins typically are provided to insure alignment between waveguides and fibers is easily attained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2006
    Assignee: Molex Incorporated
    Inventors: Masum Choudhury, Anthony L. Moretti
  • Patent number: 6982769
    Abstract: A substrate for a LCD device improves the flatness of the outermost substrate surface in the contact region for interconnecting an electrode of a switching element (e.g., a TFT) and a pixel electrode to each other in each pixel. Switching elements for respective pixels are formed on a transparent plate. Protrusions for the respective pixels are formed on the plate to protrude to a vicinity of an outermost surface of the substrate. Each protrusion raises an electrode of a corresponding switching element to the vicinity of the outermost surface in the corresponding pixel. A planarization layer forming the outermost surface is formed to cover the switching elements, the protrusions, and the electrodes of the elements in all the pixels. Pixel electrodes for the respective pixels are formed on the outermost surface. Each pixel electrode contacts the corresponding electrode of the element in the vicinity of the outermost surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Takayuki Ishino
  • Patent number: 6982772
    Abstract: A quarter wavelength plate for reducing the dependence of a retardation value on an incident beam angle in optically anisotropic crystals. The quarter wavelength plate is formed of optically anisotropic crystals in a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. The quarter wavelength plate can contribute to a reduction in the dependence of the retardation value on the angle at which a light beam impinges on the quarter wavelength plate, and to a reduction in color shading caused by a rise in temperature. A reflection type liquid crystal display device which employs the quarter wavelength plate can enhance the luminance and contrast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Shikita, Tsutomu Nakashima, Nobuyuki Kimura
  • Patent number: 6978062
    Abstract: A wavelength division multiplexed device is based on a transmission grating spectrometer having at least two diffractive optical elements. The WDM device provides flexible use and may be widely applied in WDM systems. The device is useful for multiplexing and demultiplexing, channel monitoring, and for adding and dropping channels. The device provides programmability in use as an add/drop multiplexer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2005
    Assignee: Ibsen Photonics A/S
    Inventors: Bjarke Rose, Thomas Rasmussen, Chaker Khalfaoui, Michael Rasmussen, Jens Bastue, Per Eld Ibsen, Claus Friis Pedersen
  • Patent number: 6975376
    Abstract: A transflective liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel having a pixel electrode, wherein the pixel electrode includes a first reflective region and a first transmissive region, a patterned reflective panel adjacent to the liquid crystal panel, the patterned reflective panel having a second reflective region and a second transmissive region, and a back light unit adjacent to the patterned reflective panel, wherein the patterned reflective panel is movable along a direction parallel to the liquid crystal panel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: LG. Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wook-Sung Kim
  • Patent number: 6970250
    Abstract: Monitoring an optical signal utilizing optical heterodyne detection involves attenuating an input signal before the input signal is combined with a local oscillator signal. The input signal is attenuated in order improve the signal to noise ratio of the heterodyne signal that is generated when the input signal and the local oscillator signal are combined. The signal to noise ratio of the heterodyne signal improves with attenuation of the input signal, specifically in the case where the intensity noise from the input signal is the dominant noise source, because the heterodyne signal and the intensity noise of the input signal scale differently with attenuation of the input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Wayne V. Sorin, Douglas M. Baney
  • Patent number: 6970214
    Abstract: When an optical element is produced using a liquid crystal film having no supporting substrate film for the purpose of decreasing the weight, the liquid crystal film layer may often pose problems of fine wrinkly deformation of and cracking in a caused by strain occurring during a manufacturing/processing step. The present invention intends to provide an elliptical polarizer having a thinned optical anisotropic element which is free from such deformation and cracking. The elliptical polarizer of the present invention comprises at least a polarizer and an optical anisotropic element wherein said optical anisotropic element comprises a liquid crystalline substance layer with a fixed liquid crystal orientation, a tacky adhesive/adhesive layer, and a stress blocking layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2005
    Assignee: Nippon Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Haruyoshi Sato, Shinichiro Suzuki, Kenji Hosaki
  • Patent number: 6960033
    Abstract: A light-emitting power semiconductor device is placed on a metillic substrate structure with the formation of a good heat-transfer contact, in which a plastic protective body surrounds the power semiconductor device, leaving exposed a light exit region in the nature of a cap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Osram GmbH
    Inventors: Bruno Acklin, Werner Späth, Stefan Grötsch
  • Patent number: 6961107
    Abstract: A method of forming a transflective display device having a single cell gap in which a liquid crystal molecule has at least two pretilt angles. A transparent electrode is formed on the inner surface of the lower substrate, and a reflective electrode is formed on a portion of the transparent electrode. Thus, creating a reflective region over the reflective electrode, and a transmissive region over the transparent electrode which is not covered by the reflective electrode. Using a photo-alignment process to form at least two alignment domains on each of the two alignment layers sandwiching a liquid crystal layer, the pretilt angle of the liquid crystal molecule in the reflective region is different from the pretilt angle of the liquid crystal molecule in the transmissive region, the reflective region and the transmissive region have the same phase retardation, and the light path passing through the reflective region is twice the light path passing through the transmissive region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2005
    Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
    Inventors: Chih-Chang Liao, Yichun Wong, Kang-Hung Liu, Yang-Yi Fan
  • Patent number: 6954250
    Abstract: In an LCD, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a projection 6 is structured on top of insulation layer 8 on a TFT glass substrate 10 and under part of a black matrix 9. The projection 6 encircles the transparent region in each pixel so that a spacer 17 cannot climb over the projection 6 and enter the transparent region even though a certain pressure is applied onto the substrates 10 and 11. The width of the projection 6 is equal to or less than the diameter of the spacer 17. The height of the projection 6 is equal to or longer than approximately 1% the length of the diameter of the spacer 17, and it is preferable that it be equal to or longer than approximately 2%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shoichi Kuroha
  • Patent number: 6954243
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device comprising a pair of substrates between which a liquid crystal layer is interposed, a display surface provided on one of the substrates, and a lighting device arranged at a side of another of the substrates, the present invention forms a light shielding film on at least one of side surfaces of the substrates along a direction perpendicular to the display surface and prevents light leak leaking from the lighting device through the at least one of side surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Device Engineering Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoko Ota, Shigeki Nishizawa, Norihisa Fukayama, Naoto Kobayashi