Patents by Inventor Hirotaka Niiya

Hirotaka Niiya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8174664
    Abstract: The present invention provides: a multilayer substrate in which a spacer is selectively disposed in a non-display region without reduction in display quality or productivity of a liquid crystal display device; a production method thereof; and a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device each using the multilayer substrate or the production method thereof. The multilayer substrate of the present invention is a multilayer substrate comprising a resin interlayer film and an electrode on a substrate in this order, wherein the multilayer substrate has a depression structure including the resin interlayer film in a surface layer, or a depression structure having a rough bottom surface on the resin interlayer film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Patent number: 8144291
    Abstract: A display device includes an active matrix substrate and a color filter substrate facing each other, wherein the active matrix substrate includes a scanning line, a signal line, and a switching element, and has a pixel, the switching element being arranged at an intersection of the scanning line and the signal line, the pixel including two sub-pixels, the two sub-pixels being arranged with the scanning line or the signal line therebetween, the color filter substrate includes a bank and a plurality of colored layers surrounded by the bank, the bank being arranged in regions overlapping with the signal line, and the switching element, and the plurality of colored layers include the first colored layer and the second colored layer, the first colored layer overlapping with one sub-pixel positioned at an end and a region outside a sub-pixel-arranged region, and the second colored layer overlapping with two sub-pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Patent number: 7838103
    Abstract: A first ink discharging is carried out onto picture element regions on a glass substrate, picture element regions being components divided off by a black matrix in a fine region. Drying of ink forms an ink film whose layer thickness is thick at a surrounding section and thin at a midsection. Further, second ink discharging is carried out on the first ink film and by drying ink discharged in the second ink discharging, an ink layer which has a flat surface is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Patent number: 7701545
    Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate for liquid crystal display devices in which a spacer for holding a thickness of a liquid crystal cell can be selectively located in a non-displaying area by techniques of using an ink-jet system and the like, particularly on a substrate for liquid crystal display devices provided with a projection for alignment regulation of a liquid crystal on its surface, a liquid crystal display panel using the substrate for liquid crystal display devices, a liquid crystal display device, and a method of producing the liquid crystal display panel. The substrate for liquid crystal display devices of the present invention is a substrate for liquid crystal display devices having a light-blocking area and a pixel area, including: a projection structure provided within a light-blocking area in a liquid crystal display device along a part of or all of patterns of the light-blocking area in the liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Publication number: 20090316088
    Abstract: The present invention is a display device including an active matrix substrate and a color filter substrate facing each other, wherein the active matrix substrate includes a scanning line, a signal line, and a switching element, and has a pixel, the switching element being arranged at an intersection of the scanning line and the signal line, the pixel including two sub-pixels, the two sub-pixels being arranged with the scanning line or the signal line therebetween, the color filter substrate includes a bank and a plurality of colored layers surrounded by the bank, the bank being arranged in regions overlapping with the signal line, and the switching element, and the plurality of colored layers include the first colored layer and the second colored layer, the first colored layer overlapping with one sub-pixel positioned at an end and a region outside a sub-pixel-arranged region, the second colored layer overlapping with two sub-pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2007
    Publication date: December 24, 2009
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Publication number: 20090009709
    Abstract: The present invention provides a substrate for liquid crystal display devices in which a spacer for holding a thickness of a liquid crystal cell can be selectively located in a non-displaying area by techniques of using an ink-jet system and the like, particularly on a substrate for liquid crystal display devices provided with a projection for alignment regulation of a liquid crystal on its surface, a liquid crystal display panel using the substrate for liquid crystal display devices, a liquid crystal display device, and a method of producing the liquid crystal display panel. The substrate for liquid crystal display devices of the present invention is a substrate for liquid crystal display devices having a light-blocking area and a pixel area, including: a projection structure provided within a light-blocking area in a liquid crystal display device along a part of or all of patterns of the light-blocking area in the liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2005
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Publication number: 20080137015
    Abstract: The present invention provides: a multilayer substrate in which a spacer is selectively disposed in a non-display region without reduction in display quality or productivity of a liquid crystal display device; a production method thereof; and a liquid crystal display panel and a liquid crystal display device each using the multilayer substrate or the production method thereof. The multilayer substrate of the present invention is a multilayer substrate comprising a resin interlayer film and an electrode on a substrate in this order, wherein the multilayer substrate has a depression structure including the resin interlayer film in a surface layer, or a depression structure having a rough bottom surface on the resin interlayer film.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Publication number: 20060132666
    Abstract: To provide: a substrate for display device, in which generation of an area not filled with liquid material and mixing (color mixing) between liquid materials are suppressed when a functional film is formed by a method using liquid material, such as the IJ method, and display quality in display device is improved; a manufacturing method thereof; and a color filter substrate, a thin film transistor array substrate, a liquid crystal display device and an organic electroluminescent display device each comprising the substrate for display device. A substrate for display device having a structure with a functional film partitioned by a bank on the substrate, the functional film being represented by a contour pattern extending to a corner inside a bank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2005
    Publication date: June 22, 2006
    Inventors: Hirotaka Niiya, Yoshitaka Okumoto, Satoru Kishimoto
  • Publication number: 20050259139
    Abstract: A first ink discharging is carried out onto picture element regions on a glass substrate, picture element regions being components divided off by a black matrix in a fine region. Drying of ink forms an ink film whose layer thickness is thick at a surrounding section and thin at a midsection. Further, second ink discharging is carried out on the first ink film and by drying ink discharged in the second ink discharging, an ink layer which has a flat surface is formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2005
    Publication date: November 24, 2005
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Patent number: 6831725
    Abstract: A display element comprising a pair of substrates; a display layer provided between the substrates for performing a display operation; and a looped seal member provided between the substrates for enclosing the display layer between the substrates; the substrates having different linear expansion coefficients; the looped seal member comprising a plurality of resin layers stacked from an inner side to an outer side, at least one of the resin layers being composed of a thermosetting resin, the rest of the resin layers being composed of a UV curable resin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Publication number: 20040183970
    Abstract: The present invention provides a semi-transmissive display apparatus, in which a plurality of pixels, each including a transmissive region and a reflective region, are arranged in a matrix pattern, the apparatus including: a device substrate including, for each of the plurality of pixels, a transparent electrode forming the transmissive region, a reflective plate forming the reflective region, and a switching device; a counter substrate including a common counter electrode and opposing the device substrate; and a display layer interposed between the device substrate and the counter substrate, wherein the device substrate is provided with a color filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2004
    Publication date: September 23, 2004
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Patent number: 6674503
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display element includes a pair of substrates made of plastic, a liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and a plurality of spacers for maintaining a gap d between the pair of substrates, which are sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and when x is an average value of thickness of the plurality of spacers in a state without a load in such a direction that the plurality of spacers are sandwiched between the pair of substrates, d<x≦1.1d is satisfied. Further, in the liquid crystal display element, a numerical density of the spacers is set to be not less than 240 pieces/mm2 and not more than 300 pieces/mm2. Further, in the liquid crystal display element, an elastic modulus of the spacers is set to be larger than that of the pair of substrates. As a result, in the liquid crystal display element, color shading is suppressed while suppressing generation of bubbles in a vacuum region and reduction in contrast, thus obtaining desirable display quality of a display image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirotaka Niiya, Ippei Inou
  • Publication number: 20030137630
    Abstract: A display element comprising a pair of substrates; a display layer provided between the substrates for performing a display operation; and a looped seal member provided between the substrates for enclosing the display layer between the substrates; the substrates having different linear expansion coefficients; the looped seal member comprising a plurality of resin layers stacked from an inner side to an outer side, at least one of the resin layers being composed of a thermosetting resin, the rest of the resin layers being composed of a UV curable resin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2003
    Publication date: July 24, 2003
    Inventor: Hirotaka Niiya
  • Publication number: 20010005255
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display element includes a pair of substrates made of plastic, a liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and a plurality of spacers for maintaining a gap d between the pair of substrates, which are sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and when x is an average value of thickness of the plurality of spacers in a state without a load in such a direction that the plurality of spacers are sandwiched between the pair of substrates, d<x≦1.1d is satisfied. Further, in the liquid crystal display element, a numerical density of the spacers is set to be not less than 240 pieces/mm2 and not more than 300 pieces/mm2. Further, in the liquid crystal display element, an elastic modulus of the spacers is set to be larger than that of the pair of substrates. As a result, in the liquid crystal display element, color shading is suppressed while suppressing generation of bubbles in a vacuum region and reduction in contrast, thus obtaining desirable display quality of a display image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Publication date: June 28, 2001
    Inventors: Hirotaka Niiya, Ippei Inou