Patents by Inventor Masayuki Shimamune

Masayuki Shimamune 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: 5936694
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by disposing a liquid crystal between a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode to provide an effective optical modulation region and a peripheral region. At least one substrate of the pair of substrates comprises an intermediate layer disposed between the substrate and the electrode in the effective optical modulation region and the peripheral region, and the electrode on the intermediate layer comprises a first electrode disposed at least in the effective optical modulation region and a second electrode disposed in the peripheral region. The first and second electrodes are separated from each other. The intermediate layer may preferably include a color filter, a light-interrupting layer and a coating layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 10, 1999
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Suzuki, Noriyuki Nakai, Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5751391
    Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by disposing a liquid crystal layer between a pair of oppositely disposed substrates each provide with an electrode in the form of stripes. The liquid crystal layer comprises a liquid crystal disposed in a region which is enclosed by the pair of substrates and a sealing agent disposed so as to form a peripheral wall having an injection port. The liquid crystal device has an effective optical modulation region and a peripheral region, including the injection port other than the optical modulation region. On at least one substrate, at least one elongated projection having a height smaller than a thickness of the liquid crystal layer is formed in the peripheral region including the injection port and in a direction parallel to the stripe electrode on the same substrate and perpendicular to a liquid crystal injection direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuko Yokoyama, Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5699138
    Abstract: A large-sized liquid crystal panel uniformly filled with a liquid crystal material may be produced through a process including the steps of: fixing a pair of substrates with a sealing member disposed therebetween to form a blank panel having an injection port, reducing a pressure within the panel, applying a liquid crystal material onto the injection port, heating the liquid crystal material to its isotropic temperature, injecting the liquid crystal material into the panel under a pressure, and filling the panel with the liquid crystal material under heating and pressurization from the injection port toward the panel inside. The pressure within the panel before the injection is reduced at a rate not exceeding 25 torr/min. The pressure for injection is increased at varying rates, e.g., with an intermediate constant pressure period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Watanabe, Kazuya Ishiwata, Masaaki Suzuki, Noriyuki Nakai, Takashi Enomoto, Naoya Nishida, Tatsuo Murata, Mutsuo Mitsui, Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5684556
    Abstract: A a liquid crystal device is produced through a process including at least the steps of: applying a first substrate and a second substrate to each other so as to leave a prescribed gap between the substrates to form a cell structure having at least one marginal side portion and having an injection port, injecting a liquid crystal into the prescribed gap through the injection part, and removing at least one marginal side portion described above, wherein the removal step is performed after the injection step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5576865
    Abstract: A large-sized liquid crystal panel uniformly filled with a liquid crystal material may be produced through a process including the steps of: fixing a pair of substrates with a sealing member disposed therebetween to form a blank panel having an injection port, reducing a pressure within the panel, applying a liquid crystal material onto the injection port, heating the liquid crystal material to its isotropic temperature, injecting the liquid crystal material into the panel under a pressure, and filling the panel with the liquid crystal material under heating and pressurization from the injection port toward the panel inside. The pressure within the panel before the injection is reduced at a rate not exceeding 25 torr/min. The pressure for injection is increased at varying rates, e.g., with an intermediate constant pressure period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 19, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Watanabe, Kazuya Ishiwata, Masaaki Suzuki, Noriyuki Nakai, Takashi Enomoto, Naoya Nishida, Tatsuo Murata, Mutsuo Mitsui, Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5546998
    Abstract: A smectic liquid crystal is injected into a liquid crystal panel according to the vacuum injection scheme. The liquid crystal is applied over an injection port of a blank panel while maintaining the panel at a temperature below a temperature at which the liquid crystal shows a fluidity and controlling the liquid crystal at a viscosity of 0.0005 -0.005 kg/ms. As a result, an appropriate amount of the liquid crystal can be applied, thereby providing a liquid crystal panel free from inversion of bubbles and good and uniform alignment free from alignment failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Shimamune, Takashi Enomoto, Tatsuo Murata, Mutsuo Mitsui
  • Patent number: 5479284
    Abstract: A large-sized liquid crystal panel uniformly filled with a liquid crystal material may be produced through a process including the steps of: fixing a pair of substrates with a sealing member disposed therebetween to form a blank panel having an injection port, reducing a pressure within the panel, applying a liquid crystal material onto the injection port, heating the liquid crystal material to its isotropic temperature, injecting the liquid crystal material into the panel under a pressure, and filling the panel with the liquid crystal material under heating and pressurization from the injection port toward the panel inside. The pressure within the panel before the injection is reduced at a rate not exceeding 25 torr/min. The pressure for injection is increased at varying rates, e.g., with an intermediate constant pressure period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1995
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Watanabe, Kazuya Ishiwata, Masaaki Suzuki, Noriyuki Nakai, Takashi Enomoto, Naoya Nishida, Tatsuo Murata, Mutsuo Mitsui, Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5456795
    Abstract: An aqueous mixture etchant containing hydroiodic acid and ferric chloride is suitable for etching ITO to form a minute electrode pattern as used in a liquid crystal display device. When the etchant has caused a decrease in etching performance due to a compositional change, it can be effectively regenerated by replenishing appropriate amounts of hydrochloric acid and pure water, or an appropriate amount of a dilute hydrochloric acid at a constant concentration, while minimizing the use of hydroiodic acid and ferric chloride which are rather expensive compared with hydrochloric acid and pure water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 10, 1995
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keishi Danjo, Takashi Enomoto, Tatsuo Murata, Masayuki Shimamune
  • Patent number: 5451292
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing liquid-crystal elements having two substrates on the surface of which a electrode group formed of stripe-shaped transparent electrodes and a metallic wiring pattern, and a liquid-crystal layer sandwiched between the two substrates, the method including the step of: repairing residue defects of the lower layer first and next residue defects of the upper layer by using etching solutions for selectively etching the transparent electrode or the metallic wiring pattern when etching residue defects between the stripe patterns of the transparent electrode and the metallic wiring are repaired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 19, 1995
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Shimamune, Yasuyuki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5417257
    Abstract: A smectic liquid crystal is injected into a liquid crystal panel according to the vacuum injection scheme. The liquid crystal is applied over an injection port of a blank panel while maintaining the panel at a temperature below a temperature at which the liquid crystal shows a fluidity and controlling the liquid crystal at a viscosity of 0.0005-0.005 kg/ms. As a result, an appropriate amount of the liquid crystal can be applied, thereby providing a liquid crystal panel free from inversion of bubbles and good and uniform alignment free from alignment failure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 23, 1995
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Shimamune, Takashi Enomoto, Tatsuo Murata, Mutsuo Mitsui
  • Patent number: 5361153
    Abstract: An electrode plate suitable for use in an electro-optical device, such as a liquid crystal device, is formed by successively disposing on a substrate a first layer of a transparent conductor film, a second layer of molybdenum or a molybdenum alloy, a third layer of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and a fourth layer of molybdenum or a molybdenum alloy. The laminate electrode structure is patterned by a photolithographic process, followed by removal of the photoresist with a peeling liquid, during which the fourth molybdenum layer functions as a protective film for the third al layer against the peeling liquid to prevent the formation of electrode defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 1, 1994
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masayuki Shimamune, Takashi Enomoto, Toshifumi Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 5340491
    Abstract: An ITO (indium tin oxide) film on a substrate is effectively etched by an etchant which is an aqueous solution containing hydrogen iodide and ferric chloride to form an electrode plate structure for liquid crystal display device. The etchant does not corrode an Mo or Mo alloy film and accordingly can selectively etch the ITO film already carrying thereon a pattern of Mo or Mo alloy forming an auxiliary electrode for compensating for the resistivity of the ITO film. The etchant is also effective for etching of the ITO film formed on an organic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Enomoto, Masayuki Shimamune, Keishi Danjo
  • Patent number: 5296096
    Abstract: An ITO (indium tin oxide) film on a substrate is effectively etched by an etchant which is an aqueous solution containing hydrogen iodide and ferric chloride to form an electrode plate structure for liquid crystal display device. The etchant does not corrode an Mo or Mo alloy film and accordingly can selectively etch the ITO film already carrying thereon a pattern of Mo or Mo alloy forming an auxiliary electrode for compensating for the resistivity of the ITO film. The etchant is also effective for etching of the ITO film formed on an organic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 22, 1994
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takashi Enomoto, Masayuki Shimamune, Keishi Danjo
  • Patent number: 5150239
    Abstract: A liquid crystal cell is prepared by bonding a pair of oppositely disposed electrode plates with a sealant of a one-pack type epoxy adhesive to define a space to be filled with a liquid crystal. In advance of the use, the one-pack type epoxy adhesive is modified with an amine-type room temperature hardener to selectively reduce a low-molecular weight fraction in the epoxy adhesive so as to avoid a sealant flow at an elevated temperature. This is particularly advantageous when the sealant is used in combination with a particulate adhesive which is disposed in the liquid crystal space and activated at such an elevated temperature to bond the electrode plates while keeping an accurate gap between the electrode plates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Watanabe, Masayuki Shimamune, Masaaki Suzuki