Patents Examined by P. R. Akkapeddi
  • Patent number: 6710833
    Abstract: A “Multi-domain Vertical Alignment Liquid Crystal Display” (MVA-LCD) with wide viewing angle is disclosed. The MVA-LCD includes an upper substrate, a lower substrate, a plurality of scan lines provided at the lower substrate in a matrix form and a plurality of data lines, as well as a plurality of pixel cells provided in the pixel areas. The MVA-LCD also includes a plurality of the first means provided in each pixel cell in a parallel form with spaces and a plurality of the second means provided at the upper substrate in a parallel and alternating form with respect to the first means. Moreover, the plurality of the first means and the corresponding plurality of the second means are disposed in a parallel and alternating form and are alternated with respect to each other in spaces. Therefore, the disclination lines are reduced, the transmittance is enhanced, and the response time is shortened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Hannstar Display Corporation
    Inventor: Yi-fang Wang
  • Patent number: 6710842
    Abstract: A chiral smectic liquid crystal device includes chiral smectic liquid crystal exhibiting a phase transition series on temperature decrease of (a) Iso, Ch and SmC* or (b) Iso and SmC*, a pair of oppositely disposed substrates which sandwich the liquid crystal to form a plurality of pixels, each substrate provided with an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal and a uniaxial alignment axis for aligning the liquid crystal, and means for providing a difference in potential between the substrates of at least 100 mV when no external electric field is applied in a temperature range of Tc±2° C. where Tc denotes a phase transition temperature from Ch to SmC* or from Iso to SmC. At least one substrate is provided with a polarizer, and each pixel is provided with an active element connected to an associated electrode on at least one substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirohide Munakata, Naoya Nishida, Yasufumi Asao, Koji Noguchi, Ryuichiro Isobe
  • Patent number: 6704070
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a light guide plate having dots on one surface thereof includes forming an oxide film on a crystal plane of a silicon substrate, forming a resist film on the oxide film, and forming a dot pattern in the oxide film by using the resist film as a mask, anisotropically etching the silicon substrate by using the oxide film as a mask, forming a metal film on the silicon substrate, stripping the metal film off so as to produce a stamper or a replica thereof, and transferring the dots onto a surface of a film or a plastic sheet or plate by using the stamper or the replica.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Taniguchi, Yasuo Hira, Toshihiko Ariyoshi, Seiji Umemoto
  • Patent number: 6700632
    Abstract: To provide a reflection type liquid-crystal display device having an illuminator in front of the liquid-crystal display device, the illuminator having a light guide plate superior in light utilization efficiency, dots constituted by a plurality of small recess or protrusion portions for reflecting the light incident on the light guide plate toward the liquid-crystal display device are formed in or on a surface of the light guide plate which does not face the liquid-crystal display device. Each of the dots is set to have a substantially V-shape in section, the sectional inclination angle of the V-shape is set in a range of from 35 to 43°, and the sectional vertex angle of the V-shape is in a range of 70.6±2.5°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Nitto Denko Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Taniguchi, Yasuo Hira, Toshihiko Ariyoshi, Seiji Umemoto
  • Patent number: 6700638
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display (LCD) is positioned with respect to electronic circuit components within a device so as to direct at least a part of thermal energy generated by and radiated from the electrical circuit components to the liquid crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd.
    Inventor: Jaakko Nousiainen
  • Patent number: 6690495
    Abstract: A device (100, 140, 150) for differentially absorbing light, depending on the state of linear polarization of the light, is disclosed. This polarizing effect is induced and controllable by the level of ambient light impinging on the device. The device (100, 140) may be used as an anti-glare vision protection device which selectively absorbs specularly reflected sunlight in brightly lit environments while permitting all light to pass in dimly lit environments. The device (100) includes a carrying medium which may be a film (142) or opposed substrates (112) that are sealed. A film or the opposed substrates carry a mixture (120) of fluid material (124) and photochromic dyestuffs (122), wherein the photochromic material is activated upon the detection of ultraviolet light so as to absorb some of the light and wherein the energization of the photochromic material effects the material so as to simultaneously selectively absorb the specularly reflected sunlight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: AlphaMicron, Inc.
    Inventors: Tamas Kosa, Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Bahman Taheri
  • Patent number: 6683665
    Abstract: A tiled display structure is formed containing a plurality of image tiles. A method for assembling a tiled display structure that includes a transparent front panel and a plurality of image tiles is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: (1) heating a heat activated adhesive to a working temperature; (2) applying the softened adhesive to the front surface of the display section of an image tile, or the inner surface of the transparent front panel; (3) aligning the surface of the display section of the image tile with the inner surface of the transparent front panel; (4) cooling the adhesive. Another aspect of the invention is a modular method of repairing a tiled display structure, which includes a transparent front panel, a heat activated adhesive, and a plurality of image tiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation
    Inventor: Dennis Lee Matthies
  • Patent number: 6683666
    Abstract: The present invention provide a reflective transmission type TFT LCD wherein each of the reflective pixel electrode and the transmissive pixel electrode is connected directly to a source electrode of a thin film transistor, or the transmissive pixel electrode are concurrently formed with gate electrode and made with double layer of transparent conduction layer and metal layer which can be used as parameter conduction layer between the transparent conduction layer and the reflective pixel electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong-Kyu Jang, Young-Kuil Joo, Myeon-Koo Kang
  • Patent number: 6678035
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display includes a bottom substrate with a gate wire, a data wire and thin film transistors, and a top substrate with color filters. In a method for fabricating the liquid crystal display, a pixel electrode is formed on the bottom substrate at each pixel area using a first mask such that the pixel electrode has a first region with a smooth surface, and a second region with a rough surface. A common electrode is formed on the top substrate using a second mask such that the common electrode has a first region with a smooth surface, and a second region with a rough surface. The bottom substrate and the top substrate are assembled together, and a liquid crystal is injected between the bottom and the top substrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jeong-Ho Lee, Young-Bae Park, Jeong-Young Lee
  • Patent number: 6671018
    Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display comprising a first substrate including a first electrode; a second substrate including a second electrode, the second substrate being arranged substantially in parallel with the first substrate and with a predetermined gap therebetween; a liquid crystal layer formed by injecting liquid crystal material between the first and second substrates, long axes of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer being arranged vertically to the first substrate and the second substrate; and first and second orientation layers formed on the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively, and providing an orientation force to the liquid crystal molecules such that the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are slanted or twisted by 0 to 10°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chang-Hun Lee, Jung-Uk Shim, Joong-Hyun Mun
  • Patent number: 6671029
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for fabricating a liquid crystal display that is capable of shortening a liquid crystal exhaust time in a liquid crystal injection and sealing process to improve the productivity of the liquid crystal display. In the apparatus and method, a heater heats a high-pressure air pressurizing the upper plate and the lower plate of the liquid crystal display panel to heat and pressurize the upper plate and the lower plate of the liquid crystal display panel. Accordingly, the liquid crystal is heated when it is exhausted by the pressurization to have a low viscosity, so that a liquid crystal exhaust time can be shorted to improve the productivity of the liquid crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: LG. Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Choul Min Choi
  • Patent number: 6657697
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a circuit board mounting with a chip component which has a pair of electrodes disposed at its respective ends thereon, and a pair of land areas on the circuit board to which the pair of electrodes are soldered respectively. Each of the pair of land areas is covered with a protrusion of a solder resist layer protruding from a middle point of an edge thereof opposite to another edge thereof facing another of the pair of land areas toward a center thereof. The distance L between the protrusions of the solder resist layer satisfies an inequality: L≧EL where EL is a distance between the outer ends of the pair of electrodes of the chip component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamate, Yoshiyuki Tsujita
  • Patent number: 6654074
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an array substrate (and method for making the same) for use in a liquid crystal display device, including: gate lines arranged in a transverse direction and organized as odd and even gate lines; data lines arranged in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the gate lines, and organized as odd and even data lines; gate shorting bars organized as odd and even gate shorting bars, the odd gate shorting bar electrically connecting all of the odd gate lines, the even gate shorting bar electrically connecting all of the even gate lines; data shorting bars organized as odd and even data shorting bars, the odd data shorting bar electrically connecting all of the odd data lines, the even data shorting bar electrically connecting all of the even data lines; and a first active line electrically connecting all of the data lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: LG. Philips LCD Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Hun Ha, Seong-Su Lee, Hyeung-Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 6654079
    Abstract: A liquid crystal color display screen is provided with an electro-optical medium, two parallel transparent substrates by which the electro-optical medium is flanked, a device that influences the transmission state of the electro-optical medium, and a phosphor layer having at least two phosphors on the first substrate. A radiation source emits radiation having a maximum emission at a wavelength &lgr;1 <360 nm. The radiation source is situated at the side of the second substrate. The screen also includes a UV phosphor that transforms the radiation having a maximum emission at a wavelength &lgr;1<360 nm to radiation having a maximum emission at a wavelength &lgr;2>360 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Helmut Bechtel, Hans Nikol, Cornelis Ronda, Thomas Jüstel
  • Patent number: 6642980
    Abstract: A display device with a liquid crystal cell including a layer of twisted nematic liquid crystal placed between two polarizers and including, between the liquid crystal layer and each of the polarizers, a structure for compensating for cell contrast variations according to the observation angle which has an orientation in the plane of the cell. The pass directions of the polarizers are separated by an angle of 90+A degrees, in which A is not zero, and the orientations of the two compensation structures are separated by an angle of 90+B degrees, in which B is not zero. Such a structure may find particular application to a liquid crystal screen, especially for avionics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF Sextant
    Inventors: Laurent Bignolles, Frédéric de Lauzun, Laurent Georges, Jean-Jacques Laborie
  • Patent number: 6642977
    Abstract: The present invention includes electronic devices having liquid crystal display modules and repositionable front polarizers. A viewer views the display module through a front polarizer, which can be repositioned to change the display appearance, enhance the display contrast, invert the image, increase ambient light exposure, provide privacy, or the like. Repositionable front polarizers can be tiltably and/or rotatably mounted in front of the display module, or can be remotely located, for example on a pair of polarizing eye glasses. The present invention also includes reflective liquid crystal displays that have internal front light guides disposed between a liquid crystal cell and a front polarizer. As such, the light from the front light guide can illuminate the liquid crystal cell without being attenuated by the front polarizer, resulting in a brighter front lit display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Keith M. Kotchick, Hassan Sahouani
  • Patent number: 6630976
    Abstract: A TFT array substrate for use in an LCD device includes at least one repair line to repair line defects. The repair line(s) is formed when forming the pixel electrode so that additional process steps are not required. Accordingly, productivity can be increased. Moreover, either a short-circuit or an open-circuit can be repaired due to the repair line(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2003
    Assignee: LG. Philips LCD Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Byung-Chul Ahn, Jae-Gu Lee, Yu-Ho Jung
  • Patent number: 6628366
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for forming a multi-gap liquid crystal display. The method includes providing a substrate. A first insulating layer is formed on the substrate. Several bus lines are formed on the first insulating layer. A second insulating layer is formed on the first insulating layer and the bus lines. The bus lines divides the substrate into a first color region, a second color region, and a third color region. A photoresist layer covers the second color region and the third color region, where the photoresist layer at the second color region is thinner than that at the third color region. A portion of the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer is etched to expose the substrate at the first color region. A portion of the photoresist layer at the second color region is removed, whereby the second insulating layer is exposed and the remaining photoresist layer still covers the third color region and the bus lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Unipac Optoelectronics Corp.
    Inventors: Ivan Wu, Dai-Liang Ting
  • Patent number: 6628351
    Abstract: In liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a liquid crystal display device and a flexible board with a pattern formed on one surface, the flexible board is bent approximately at the center in two via a bending section and the inner surfaces are hermetically fixed thus configuring a first pattern surface, associated parts, and a second pattern surface, contacts with the printed circuit board, at the rear of the first pattern surface. Via this configuration, the liquid crystal display apparatus can be configured using a flexible board having a single-sided pattern and assembly of the liquid crystal display device and the printed circuit board can be facilitated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2003
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyasu Kitamura, Hiroyuki Chihara, Shinichi Terao, Takefumi Ishida
  • Patent number: 6618102
    Abstract: In a display element in which three or more display layers for displaying mutually different color lights are stacked within one pixel and which controls display states of the plural display layers by applying a voltage from the outside of the plural display layers, eight colors—white, black, blue, green, red, cyan, magenta, and yellow—can be displayed within one pixel. Display layers having cholesteric liquid crystals selectively reflecting blue, green, and red lights are stacked between a pair of substrates, and a light absorption layer is formed on the back of the substrate of a non-display side. Threshold voltages of orientation change of the display layers are mutually changed, and a threshold voltage Vpf90(A) of change from a planar state to a focal conic state of the display layer having the highest threshold voltage is made higher than a threshold voltage Vfh90(C) of change from a focal conic state to a homeotropic state of the display layer having the lowest threshold voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Haruo Harada, Hiroshi Arisawa