Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5216416?dq=actionscript
Timestamp: 2014-09-30 12:29:26
Document Index: 200759561

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07', 'application No. 07']

Patent US5216416 - Electrophoretic display panel with interleaved local anode - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsAn improvement to an electrophoretic display having a cathode/grid/local anode matrix and a remote anode and to the method for making the display includes forming the local anode lines in the same plane as the grid lines from the same material and in the same fabricating step. The local anode lines are...http://www.google.com/patents/US5216416?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5216416 - Electrophoretic display panel with interleaved local anodeAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS5216416 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 07/746,854Publication dateJun 1, 1993Filing dateAug 19, 1991Priority dateAug 19, 1991Fee statusLapsedAlso published asCA2114229A1, CA2114229C, DE69220071D1, DE69220071T2, DE69220071T4, EP0601072A1, EP0601072A4, EP0601072B1, US5304439, WO1993004459A1Publication number07746854, 746854, US 5216416 A, US 5216416A, US-A-5216416, US5216416 A, US5216416AInventorsFrank J. DiSanto, Denis A. Krusos, Frederic E. SchubertOriginal AssigneeCopytele, Inc.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (4), Referenced by (36), Classifications (6), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetElectrophoretic display panel with interleaved local anodeUS 5216416 AAbstract An improvement to an electrophoretic display having a cathode/grid/local anode matrix and a remote anode and to the method for making the display includes forming the local anode lines in the same plane as the grid lines from the same material and in the same fabricating step. The local anode lines are insulated from the grid lines and are interleaved therewith, each being formed on a common layer of photoresist. It is preferred that each grid line be associated with one local anode line, that the grid lines have tines and that the local anode lines be disposed between the tines.
We claim: 1. In an electrophoretic display of the type having a cathode matrix comprising a plurality of parallel lines arranged in a given direction, with a grid matrix insulated from said cathode matrix and comprising a plurality of parallel lines each perpendicular to said cathode lines to form an X-Y addressing matrix with a conventional anode electrode separated from said X-Y matrix with the space between said anode electrode and said X-Y matrix accommodating an electrophoretic dispersion including pigment particles suspended in a fluid, the improvement therewith of:an additional anode electrode comprising a plurality of parallel lines each associated with and insulated from said grid lines, said additional anode electrode disposed within a plane shared by said grid matrix and operative to control the path of said pigment particles to and from said X-Y matrix and to allow excess pigment to remain at said conventional anode electrode. 2. The display of claim 1, wherein said additional anode lines are distributed in said plane and between said grid lines in a predetermined repeating pattern.
3. The display of claim 2, wherein one said grid line is associated with each said additional anode line.
4. The display of claim 3, wherein each of said grid lines and said additional anode lines have an end for connecting to display driver circuitry and a free end and wherein said connecting ends of each associated grid line and additional anode line are disposed distal to each other.
5. The display of claim 4, wherein each grid line subdivides distal to said connecting end into at least two tines and said free end of each associated additional anode line inserts between said tines.
6. The display of claim 5, wherein said at least two tines are four in number and said associated additional anode line is disposed approximately centrally between two sets of two tines of an associated said subdivided grid line.
7. The display of claim 6, wherein said local anode line is wider than said tines of said grid lines such that said local anode line obscures more pigment particles than said tines.
8. The display of claim 7, wherein said X-Y matrix and said additional anode matrix together have a combined open area ratio of approximately from 30% to 60%.
9. The display of claim 1, wherein said additional anode lines and said grid lines are each formed from the same material.
10. An electrophoretic display comprising:(a) a fluid-tight envelope having a portion thereof which is at least partially transparent; (b) an electrophoretic fluid contained within said envelope, said fluid having pigmented particles suspended therein; (c) a plurality of elongated substantially parallel horizontal conductor elements disposed within a first plane and at least partially contained within said envelope; (d) a first plurality of elongated substantially parallel vertical conductor elements at least partially contained within said envelope electrically insulated from said horizontal elements and disposed within a second plane, said first and said second planes being substantially parallel and in proximity to each other, said plurality of horizontal elements and said plurality of vertical elements forming a matrix with a plurality of intersections when viewed along a line perpendicular to said first and said second planes; (e) a second plurality of elongated substantially parallel vertical conductor elements at least partially contained within said envelope electrically insulated from said horizontal elements and said first plurality of vertical elements and disposed within said second plane; and (f) a substantially planar conductor member disposed within a third plane proximate and substantially parallel to said second plane and at least partially contained within said envelope, each of said first and second pluralities of vertical elements and said horizontal elements being selectively electrically chargeable to induce movement of said particles within said fluid, said particles being visible through said transparent portion of said envelope. 11. The display of claim 10, wherein said second plurality of vertical elements are distributed in said second plane interleaved between said first plurality of elements in a repeating pattern and wherein each element of said first plurality is associated with a corresponding element of said second plurality.
12. The display of claim 11, wherein said first and second pluralities of elements are each supported upon a layer of photoresist.
13. The display of claim 12, wherein each of said first and second pluralities of elements have an end for connecting to display driver circuitry and a free end, said connecting ends of each of said first plurality of elements being disposed distal to said connecting end of a corresponding element of said second plurality of elements, wherein each element of said first plurality of elements subdivides distal to said connecting end into at least two tines and said free end of a corresponding element of said second plurality of elements inserts between said tines.
14. The display of claim 13, wherein said first and said second plurality of elements are each formed from chromium.
15. The display of claim 13, wherein said first and said second plurality of elements are each formed from aluminum.
16. The display of claim 13, wherein said display is a tetrode-type display, said plurality of horizontal elements being the cathode, said first plurality of vertical elements being the grid, said second plurality of vertical elements being the local anode and said planar member being the remote anode.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an electrophoretic display panel apparatus and methods for making same and, more particularly, to electrophoretic display panels with a local anode having elements which are interleaved with the grid elements of the display for assisting in the control of pigment particle migration and position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Electrophoretic displays (EPIDS) are now well known. A variety of display types and features are taught in several patents issued in the names of the inventors herein, Frank J. DiSanto and Denis A. Krusos and assigned to the assignee herein, Copytele, Inc. of Huntington Station, New York. For example, U.S Pat. Nos. 4,655,897 and 4,732,830, each entitled ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY PANELS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS describe the basic operation and construction of an electrophoretic display. U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,345, entitled ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY PANELS AND METHODS THEREFOR, describes a display having improved alignment and contrast. Many other patents regarding such displays are also assigned to Copytele, Inc. One pending patent application which may have some relevance to the present invention is application No. 07/345,825 entitled DUAL ANODE FLAT PANEL ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY APPARATUS, each of which shall be described below.
The display panels shown in the above-mentioned patents operate upon the same basic principle, viz., if a suspension of electrically charged pigment particles in a dielectric fluid is subjected to an applied electrostatic field, the pigment particles will migrate through the fluid in response to the electrostatic field. Given a substantially homogeneous suspension of particles having a pigment color different from that of the dielectric fluid, if the applied electrostatic field is localized it will cause a visually observable localized pigment particle migration. The localized pigment particle migration results either in a localized area of concentration or rarefaction of particles depending upon the sign and direction of the electrostatic field and the charge on the pigment particles. The electrophoretic display apparatus taught in the foregoing U.S. Patents are "triode-type" displays having a plurality of independent, parallel, cathode row conductor elements or "lines" deposited in the horizontal on one surface of a glass viewing screen. A layer of insulating photoresist material deposited over the cathode elements and photoetched down to the cathode elements to yield a plurality of insulator strips positioned at right angles to the cathode elements, forms the substrate for a plurality of independent, parallel column or grid conductor elements or "lines" running in the vertical direction. A glass cap member forms a fluid-tight seal with the viewing window along the cap's peripheral edge for containing the fluid suspension and also acts as a substrate for an anode plate deposited on the interior flat surface of the cap. When the cap is in place, the anode surface is in spaced parallel relation to both the cathode elements and the grid elements. Given a specific particulate suspension, the sign of the electrostatic charge which will attract and repel the pigment particles will be known. The cathode element voltage, the anode voltage, and the grid element voltage can then be ascertained such that when a particular voltage is applied to the cathode and another voltage is applied to the grid, the area proximate their intersection will assume a net charge sufficient to attract or repel pigment particles in suspension in the dielectric fluid. Since numerous cathode and grid lines are employed, there are numerous discrete intersection points which can be controlled by varying the voltage on the cathode and grid elements to cause localized visible regions of pigment concentration and rarefaction. Essentially then, the operating voltages on both cathode and grid must be able to assume at least two states corresponding to a logical one and a logical zero. Logical one for the cathode may either correspond to attraction or repulsion of pigment. Typically, the cathode and grid voltages are selected such that only when both are a logical one at a particular intersection point, will a sufficient electrostatic field be present at the intersection relative to the anode to cause the writing cf a visual bit of information on the display through migration of pigment particles. The bit may be erased, e.g., upon a reversal of polarity and a logical zero-zero state occurring at the intersection coordinated with an erase voltage gradient between anode and cathode. In this manner, digitized data can be displayed on the electrophoretic display.
An alternative EPID construction is described in application No. 07/345,825, referred to above, which relates to an electrophoretic display in which the cathode/grid matrix as is found in triode-type displays is overlayed by a plurality of independent separately addressable "local" anode lines. The local anode lines are deposited upon and align with the grid lines and are insulated therefrom by interstitial lines of photoresist. The local anode lines are in addition to the "remote" anode, which is the layer deposited upon the anode faceplate or cap as in triode displays. The dual anode structure aforesaid provides enhanced operation by eliminating unwanted variations in display brightness between frames, increasing the speed of the display and decreasing the anode voltage required during Write and Hold cycles, all as explained in application No. 07/345,825, which is incorporated herein by reference.
An examination of application No. 07/345,825 reveals that the local anode structure employed therein is realized by applying a layer of photoresist over the grid elements, which are formed from a first metal, such as, chrome. A layer of a second metal, e.g., nickel or aluminum, is applied over the photoresist layer. Yet another layer of photoresist is applied over the second metal layer, and is then masked, exposed and developed in the same form as the grid elements. The second metal layer is then etched with a suitable solution. The photoresist between the first and second metal layers is then plasma etched. A layer of SiO2 is then deposited over the resulting structure.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative structure and method for making the remote anode/cathode/grid matrix than that shown in application No. 07/345,825.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The problems and disadvantages associated with conventional electrophoretic displays are overcome by the present invention which includes in an electrophoretic display of the type having: a cathode matrix comprising a plurality of parallel lines arranged in a given direction, a grid matrix insulated from the cathode matrix and comprising a plurality of parallel lines each perpendicular to the cathode lines to form an X-Y addressing matrix, and a conventional anode electrode separated from the X-Y matrix, the space between the anode electrode and the X-Y matrix accommodating an electrophoretic dispersion including pigment particles suspended in a fluid; the improvement therewith of an additional anode electrode comprising a plurality of parallel lines each associated with and insulated from the grid lines. The additional anode electrode is disposed within a plane shared by the grid matrix and operates to control the path of the pigment particles to and from the X-Y matrix and to allow excess pigment to remain at the conventional anode electrode.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a selected grid and/or local anode element structure as is taught in prior application No. 07/345,825 filed by the inventors herein.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional fragmentary view of an electrophoretic display in accordance with application No. 07/345,825 and which incorporates the element structure shown in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. shows an electrophoretic display 10 in accordance with the present invention. The display 10 has an anode faceplate 12 and a cathode faceplate 14 which are sealably affixed on either side of an interstitial spacer 16 to form a fluid-tight envelope for containing a dielectric/pigment particle suspension or electrophoretic fluid (not shown). The faceplates 12 and 14 are typically flat glass plates upon which are deposited conductor elements to comprise the situs of electrostatic charge for inducing motion in the electrophoretic fluid. The techniques, materials and dimensions used to form the conductor elements upon the faceplates and the methods for making EPIDS, in general, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,655,897, 4,732,830 and 4,742,345 which patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Whereas the foregoing components have been previously described in prior patents and applications of the present Applicants, the present invention includes a novel local anode 28 structure. As stated above, the benefits and operation of an EPID having a local anode have been recognized and described in application Ser. No. 07/345,825 by the present Applicants. Previously, however, the local anode lines have been formed superimposed over and in alignment with the grid elements, and separated therefrom by an interstitial layer of photoresist insulation (see FIG. 5). In the present invention, the local anode 28 lines are formed at the same time, of the same material and in the same plane as the grid elements 20. This is accomplished by interleaving the local anode 28 and grid 20 elements. Thus, the mask that was used to form the plurality of grid lines has been altered such that a plurality of grid lines and a plurality of local anode lines are simultaneously formed by a single mask. After formation, a SiO2 coating can be applied over the grid/local anode/cathode complex as set forth in application No. 07/345,825. The display is also operated in the same fashion as in that application.
To form an EPID 10 like that shown in FIG. 1, the parts may assembled in a stack and placed in an oven for baking. The spacer 16, in that case, would be coated on surfaces which contact adjacent elements with a material which would become plastic at baking temperatures, such as, epoxy. Upon baking, the meltable material flows and the elements form a laminate upon cooling. Of course, other methods exist within the scope of the normally skilled artisan for assembling the elements of the EPID 10 shown, such as, e.g., gluing. The lamination of the EPID elements forms an envelope for containing the dielectric fluid/pigment particle suspension.
The proportions of the grid and local anode lines as shown in FIGS. 1-3 have been distorted for the purposes of illustration, viz., the elongated portions would be long enough to extend substantially the entire height of the cathode faceplate 14, whereas the width of the individual lines would be small enough to accommodate in the order of 1,700 lines on an 8.5"�11" screen. Thus, in real displays the grid and anode lines are very thin and elongated. workable panel would have a large number of intersections, e.g., 2,200�1,700 or a total of 3,740,000 separately addressable intersection points. For ease of illustration, only a few cathode lines 18, grid lines 20, and local anode lines 28 are depicted. More illustrations of electrophoretic displays, their components and electrical circuitry can be seen by referring to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,742,345 and 4,772,820, each being awarded to the inventors herein and which are incorporated by reference herein.
FIGS. 4 and 5, are illustrations of certain features of EPIDS disclosed by the Applicants herein in application No. 07/345,825 and are included for the purpose of providing a comparison to the present invention. Elements having essentially the same form and function as corresponding elements in the present invention are labelled with the same reference numerals. Common elements in the prior EPIDS which have been altered in the present invention are flagged by the suffix "pa". FIG. 4 illustrates the configuration for a tined grid (and local anode) element 20pa previously disclosed in application Ser. No. 07/345,825. On comparison to the grid element 20 configuration taught by the present invention, it should be observed that, while the tined configuration is retained, a spacing must be provided centrally to accommodate the interleaved anode line.
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electronic displays* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification345/107, 359/296International ClassificationG02F1/167, G09F9/37Cooperative ClassificationG02F1/167European ClassificationG02F1/167Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionAug 7, 2001FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20010601Jun 3, 2001LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesDec 26, 2000REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedNov 4, 1996FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4Aug 19, 1991ASAssignmentOwner name: COPYTELE, INC., A CORPORATION OF NY, NEW YORKFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:DISANTO, FRANK J.;KRUSOS, DENIS A.;SCHUBERT, FREDERIC E.;REEL/FRAME:005821/0507Effective date: 19910815RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google