Field addressable rewritable media
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A colorant for a substrate, the colorant comprising:
- a molecular system, said system including electrochromic, switchable molecules, each of said molecules being selectively switchable between at least two optically distinguishable states, wherein each of said molecules exhibit local electric field induced band gap changes via a molecular conformation change or an isomerization, wherein each of said molecules include at least one stator portion and at least one rotor portion, wherein said rotor rotates from a first state to a second state with an applied electric field, wherein in said first state, there is extended conjugation throughout said molecular system, resulting in a relatively smaller band gap, and wherein in said second state, said extended conjugation is destroyed, resulting in a relatively larger band gap, and wherein said system is distributable on the substrate thereby forming an erasably writable surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrochromic molecular colorant and a plurality of uses as an erasably writeable medium. Multitudinous types of substrates, such as paper, are adaptable for receiving a coating of the colorant. Electrical fringe field or through fields are used to transform targeted pixel molecules between a first, high color state and transparent state, providing information content having resolution and viewability at least equal to hard copy document print. The scope of the invention includes both the liquid coating and the combination of coating on substrate.
39 Citations
67 Claims
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1. A colorant for a substrate, the colorant comprising:
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a molecular system, said system including electrochromic, switchable molecules, each of said molecules being selectively switchable between at least two optically distinguishable states, wherein each of said molecules exhibit local electric field induced band gap changes via a molecular conformation change or an isomerization, wherein each of said molecules include at least one stator portion and at least one rotor portion, wherein said rotor rotates from a first state to a second state with an applied electric field, wherein in said first state, there is extended conjugation throughout said molecular system, resulting in a relatively smaller band gap, and wherein in said second state, said extended conjugation is destroyed, resulting in a relatively larger band gap, and wherein said system is distributable on the substrate thereby forming an erasably writable surface. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
said molecules are bistable, providing a non-volatile component.
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9. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
a plurality of layers of molecular colorant strata wherein in each said strata molecules between a transparent state and a primary color state full color imaging is renderable through multi-color layer pixel superposition.
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10. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said molecules have a low activation barrier between different said states providing a fast volatile switch.
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11. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said molecules have more than two said states, switchable such that optical properties can be tuned either continuously by application of a decreasing or increasing electric field to form a volatile switch or color of selected composition regions is changed abruptly by application of voltage pulses to switch with at least one molecular activation barrier.
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12. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said system changes selected molecules between a transparent state and a colored state.
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13. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between two visually distinctive color states.
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14. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said molecular system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between a transparent state and a color state.
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15. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said molecular system changes between one index of refraction and another index of refraction.
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16. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said molecules are bistable.
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17. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 comprising:
said molecules are bimodal.
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18. The colorant as set forth in claim 1 wherein said molecules are arrange to form discrete, addressable picture elements of a surface of said substrate.
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19. The colorant as set forth in claim 18 wherein said picture elements consist of a mosaic pattern of said molecules wherein said pattern has optically combinable visual color states.
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20. The colorant as set forth in claim 18 wherein said picture elements consist of a mosaic pattern of said molecules wherein said pattern forms a mosaic of primary colors.
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21. The colorant as set forth in claim 18 wherein said molecules are selectively switchable between a transparent state and an opaque state and are distributed across said substrate as an overlay of a mosaic pattern of primary color subpixel regions.
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22. The colorant as set forth in claim 18 where the colorant is printed on a white substrate for passive light viewing.
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23. The colorant as set forth in claim 18 wherein the colorant is printed on a transparent substrate for overhead projection use.
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2. A colorant for a substrate, the colorant comprising:
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a molecular system, said system including electrochromic, switchable molecules, each of said molecules being selectively switchable between at least two optically distinguishable states, wherein each of said molecules exhibit local electric field induced band gap changes via a molecular conformation change or an isomerization, and dependent upon direction of electrical field applied, in a first of said states said molecules are in a more conjugated state having a relatively smaller band gap, and in a second of said states said colorant molecules are in a less conjugated state, having a relatively larger band gap, and wherein said system is distributable on the substrate thereby forming an erasably writable surface. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
said molecules are bistable, providing a non-volatile component.
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25. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
a plurality of layers of molecular colorant strata wherein in each said strata molecules between a transparent state and a primary color state full color imaging is renderable through multi-color layer pixel superposition.
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26. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said molecules have a low activation barrier between different said states providing a fast volatile switch.
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27. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said molecules have more than two said states, switchable such that optical properties can be tuned either continuously by application of a decreasing or increasing electric field to form a volatile switch or color of selected composition regions is changed abruptly by application of voltage pulses to switch with at least one molecular activation barrier.
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28. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said system changes selected molecules between a transparent state and a colored state.
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29. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between two visually distinctive color states.
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30. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said molecular system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between a transparent state and a color state.
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31. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said molecular system changes between one index of refraction and another index of refraction.
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32. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said molecules are bistable.
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33. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 comprising:
said molecules are bimodal.
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34. The colorant as set forth in claim 2 wherein said molecules are arrange to form discrete, addressable picture elements of a surface of said substrate.
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3. A colorant for a substrate, the colorant comprising:
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a molecular system, said system including electrochromic, switchable molecules, each of said molecules being selectively switchable between at least two optically distinguishable states, wherein each of said molecules exhibit local electric field induced band gap changes via a change of extended conjugation via chemical bonding change to change the band gap, including via charge separation or recombination accompanied by increasing or decreasing band localization, and wherein said system is distributable on the substrate thereby forming an erasably writable surface. - View Dependent Claims (4, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
a change from a first state to a second state occurs with an applied electric field, said change involving charge separation in changing from said first state to said second state, resulting in a relatively larger band gap state, with less π
-delocalization, and recombination of charge in changing from said second state to said first state, resulting in a relatively smaller band gap state, with greater π
-delocalization.
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35. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecules are bistable, providing a non-volatile component.
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36. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
a plurality of layers of molecular colorant strata wherein in each said strata molecules between a transparent state and a primary color state full color imaging is renderable through multi-color layer pixel superposition.
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37. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecules have a low activation barrier between different said states providing a fast volatile switch.
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38. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecules have more than two said states, switchable such that optical properties can be tuned either continuously by application of a decreasing or increasing electric field to form a volatile switch or color of selected composition regions is changed abruptly by application of voltage pulses to switch with at least one molecular activation barrier.
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39. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said system changes selected molecules between a transparent state and a colored state.
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40. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between two visually distinctive color states.
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41. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecular system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between a transparent state and a color state.
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42. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecular system changes between one index of refraction and another index of refraction.
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43. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecules are bistable.
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44. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 comprising:
said molecules are bimodal.
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45. The colorant as set forth in claim 3 wherein said molecules are arrange to form discrete, addressable picture elements of a surface of said substrate.
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5. A colorant for a substrate, the colorant comprising:
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a molecular system, said system including electrochromic, switchable molecules, each of said molecules being selectively switchable between at least two optically distinguishable states, wherein each of said molecules exhibit local electric field induced band gap changes via a change of extended conjugation via chemical bonding change to change the band gap, including via a change of extended conjugation via charge separation or recombination and π
-bond breaking or formation, andwherein said system is distributable on the substrate thereby forming an erasably writable surface. - View Dependent Claims (6, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
a change from a first state to a second state occurs with an applied electric field, said change involving charge separation in changing from said first state to said second state, wherein in said first state there is extended conjugation throughout, resulting in a relatively larger band gap state, and wherein in said second state said extended conjugation is destroyed and separated positive and negative charges are created, resulting in a relatively smaller band gap state.
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46. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecules are bistable, providing a non-volatile component.
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47. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
a plurality of layers of molecular colorant strata wherein in each said strata molecules between a transparent state and a primary color state full color imaging is renderable through multi-color layer pixel superposition.
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48. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecules have a low activation barrier between different said states providing a fast volatile switch.
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49. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecules have more than two said states, switchable such that optical properties can be tuned either continuously by application of a decreasing or increasing electric field to form a volatile switch or color of selected composition regions is changed abruptly by application of voltage pulses to switch with at least one molecular activation barrier.
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50. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said system changes selected molecules between a transparent state and a colored state.
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51. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between two visually distinctive color states.
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52. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecular system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between a transparent state and a color state.
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53. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecular system changes between one index of refraction and another index of refraction.
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54. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecules are bistable.
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55. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 comprising:
said molecules are bimodal.
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56. The colorant as set forth in claim 5 wherein said molecules are arrange to form discrete, addressable picture elements of a surface of said substrate.
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7. A colorant for a substrate, the colorant comprising:
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a molecular system, said system including electrochromic, switchable molecules, each of said molecules being selectively switchable between at least two optically distinguishable states, wherein each of said molecules exhibit local electric field induced band gap changes via molecular folding or stretching, wherein each of said molecules has three portions, a first portion and a third portion, each bonded to a second, central portion, wherein a change from a first state to a second state occurs with an applied electric field, said change involving a folding or stretching about of said second portion, wherein in said first state there is extended conjugation, resulting in a relatively smaller band gap state, and wherein in said second state, said extended conjugation is destroyed, resulting in a relatively larger band gap, and wherein said system is distributable on the substrate thereby forming an erasably writable surface. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
said molecules are bistable, providing a non-volatile component.
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58. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
a plurality of layers of molecular colorant strata wherein in each said strata molecules between a transparent state and a primary color state full color imaging is renderable through multi-color layer pixel superposition.
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59. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said molecules have a low activation barrier between different said states providing a fast volatile switch.
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60. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said molecules have more than two said states, switchable such that optical properties can be tuned either continuously by application of a decreasing or increasing electric field to form a volatile switch or color of selected composition regions is changed abruptly by application of voltage pulses to switch with at least one molecular activation barrier.
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61. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said system changes selected molecules between a transparent state and a colored state.
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62. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between two visually distinctive color states.
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63. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said molecular system is configured for switching selected picture elements formed by said molecules between a transparent state and a color state.
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64. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said molecular system changes between one index of refraction and another index of refraction.
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65. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said molecules are bistable.
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66. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 comprising:
said molecules are bimodal.
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67. The colorant as set forth in claim 7 wherein said molecules are arrange to form discrete, addressable picture elements of a surface of said substrate.
Specification