Patents Examined by Heidi L. Eisenhut
  • Patent number: 5986735
    Abstract: An in-plane switching liquid crystal display device includes an inorganic alignment layer having low anchoring energy and an organic alignment layer having higher anchoring energy than that of the inorganic alignment layer. Applying the voltage between electrodes, only liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the inorganic alignment layer are affected by the electric field to be twisted about 90.degree. in the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Komatsu
  • Patent number: 5982465
    Abstract: A normally white super-twist nematic liquid crystal display is disclosed. Between a polarizer layer and an analyzer layer, the display includes a super-twist nematic liquid crystal cell having first and second substrates and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrates. The display further includes at least one positively birefringent A-plate compensator layer disposed between the polarizer layer and the super-twist nematic liquid crystal cell and at least one positively birefringent A-plate compensator layer disposed between the analyzer layer and the super-twist nematic liquid crystal cell to reduce chromaticity shifts of the display at wide viewing angles and over temperature variations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1999
    Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
    Inventors: Ragini Saxena, Bruce K. Winker, Donald B. Taber
  • Patent number: 5978058
    Abstract: There are provided a thin film transistor liquid crystal display device in which an aluminum layer and an ITO layer can be connected with simplicity and certainty and a fabricating process therefor.A thin film transistor liquid crystal display device comprising: a pair of substrates; a liquid crystal sandwiched therebetween; an aluminum layer formed on a surface in which the liquid crystal is held, of one substrate; an insulating layer covering the aluminum layer; a contact hole formed in the insulating layer so as to reach the aluminum layer; an indium tin oxide layer formed on the insulating layer including the inner surface of the contact hole; and a silicide layer lying between the indium tin oxide layer and the aluminum layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 2, 1999
    Assignee: Frontec Incorporated
    Inventor: Chae Gee Sung
  • Patent number: 5973761
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device is formed by a pair of substrates, and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates. At least one substrate has thereon a laminar structure including an electrode, an electrical property control layer and an alignment control layer contacting the liquid crystal disposed in this order on the substrate. The alignment control layer has a thickness of at most 100 .ANG., has been subjected to a uniaxial aligning treatment and has a volume resistivity larger than that of the electrical property control layer. The liquid crystal device thus constituted may exhibit a reduced influence of reverse electric field and a suppressed switching asymmetry over a wide temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ihachiro Gofuku, Shinjiro Okada, Yasuto Kodera, Masahiro Terada, Fumikazu Kobayashi, Nobuhiro Ito
  • Patent number: 5973763
    Abstract: Substantially rectangular cut portions (11b) are formed at four substantially rectangular bent portions of a seal material (11) between an element substrate (10) and an opposing substrate (20), by removing the corners at the outer sides of the bent portions. Vertical electrically conducting members (13) are formed at the substantially triangular cut portion areas in order to allow electrical conduction between a signal input pad (18) on the element substrate and a transparent electrode (22) on the opposing substrate. The vertical electrically conducting members are virtually uniformly disposed along the outer periphery of the seal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiji Fujimura, Kazuki Karasawa
  • Patent number: 5969781
    Abstract: An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) of the present invention includes a pair of substrates facing each other and at least one of which is transparent. A liquid crystal composition intervenes between the substrates. Scanning wirings and signal wirings are arranged on one substrate in a matrix configuration. Pixel electrodes each constitutes one pixel. Switching devices each is positioned at a portion where one of the scanning wirings and one of the signal wirings intersect each other, for controlling the application of a voltage to the associated pixel electrode. Common electrodes are formed on the other substrate. The liquid crystal composition has positive dielectric constant anisotropy and is oriented vertically to the facing surfaces of the substrates when a voltage is not applied. The common electrodes are parallel to the pixel electrodes and positioned at both sides of said pixel electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroaki Matsuyama, Shinichi Nishida
  • Patent number: 5969782
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display. The display has a substrate and a first counter electrode formed on the substrate. The first counter electrode extends in a first direction. An insulating layer having a contact opening is formed on the substrate, which has the first counter electrode. A pixel electrode is formed on the insulating layer and has a body separated from the first counter electrode by a selected distance. The pixel electrode also has a plurality of comb-teeth, which extends parallel to the first counter electrode from the body of the pixel electrode. The body extends in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. A second counter electrode is formed on the insulating layer. The second electrode also has a body extending parallel to the body of the pixel electrode. The pixel electrode has a plurality of comb-teeth extending from the body of the second counter electrode in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung Hee Lee, Seok Lyul Lee, Hyang Yul Kim
  • Patent number: 5963292
    Abstract: A heat transfer-based surface flow visualization method and device that uses a temperature sensitive material to detect advection along a substrate upon application of heat and air flow and thereby provides a surface flow pattern. The present invention includes the capability of providing surface flow patterns for positions of flow separation, reversal of flow and transition flow and is non-intrusive and more cost effective than known methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 5, 1999
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventors: Richard B. Rivir, James W. Baughn, Jessica L. Townsend, Robert J. Butler, Aaron R. Byerley
  • Patent number: 5959708
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device having a pixel electrode and a counter electrode formed on one substrate device. The device includes: a first transparent substrate having a conductive high molecular film formed on the pixel electrode and the counter electrode; a second transparent substrate arranged parallel to the first transparent substrate; and a liquid crystal material disposed between the first and second transparent substrates, for selectively scattering or transmitting light in response to a prescribed input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 28, 1999
    Assignee: Hyundai Electronics Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seung-Hee Lee, Hyang-Yul Kim, Bong-Gyu Roh, Deuk-Su Lee, Han-Jun Park
  • Patent number: 5953092
    Abstract: A liquid-crystal display device having liquid crystal provided between a pair of opposed substrates includes a common electrode formed on a surface of one substrate facing the liquid crystal; surrounding electrodes formed on a surface of the other substrate facing the liquid crystal, the surrounding electrodes provided for defining a plurality of pixel regions, to which surrounding electrodes a potential equal to that of the common electrode is applied; intermediate electrodes formed on the surface of the other substrate, the intermediate electrodes provided for bisecting each pixel region; pixel electrodes formed on the surface of the other substrate for the pixel regions, to which pixel electrodes a potential equal to that of the intermediate electrodes is applied; and gaps formed on the pixel electrodes along the direction in which the intermediate electrodes are arranged, each gap provided for bisecting each pixel electrode in accordance with the width of each intermediate electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Frontec Incorporated
    Inventors: Chae Gee Sung, Hyunho Shin
  • Patent number: 5953088
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprises an array substrate including a matrix array of pixel electrodes, scanning lines formed along rows of the pixel electrodes, signal lines formed along columns of the pixel electrodes, and a thin film transistors formed near intersections between the scanning lines and the signal lines and each serving as a switching element selected for applying a drive voltage supplied through a corresponding signal line to a corresponding pixel electrode in response to a selection via a corresponding scanning line, a counter substrate including a counter electrode opposed to the pixel electrodes, and a liquid crystal layer held between the array and counter substrates. The array substrate further includes shield electrodes each of which is capacitively coupled to two pixel electrodes located between two adjacent scanning lines and a signal line located between the two pixel electrodes and is set at a predetermined potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Hanazawa, Kohei Nagayama
  • Patent number: 5929949
    Abstract: A conductive light shading film of a liquid crystal display is electrically connected to a pixel electrode. By connecting the light shading film to the pixel electrode, the light shading film will have the same voltage as the pixel electrode, and can thereby reduce parasitic capacitance and voltage variations on the pixels. The light shading film preferably includes a plurality of conductive light shading lines. The conductive light shading lines can be formed from the same patterned conductive layer as the gate lines or the data lines. Contact holes in insulating layers are used to electrically contact the conductive light shading lines to the pixel electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1999
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Woon-Yong Park