Methods of manufacturing electronically addressable displays

• US 6,680,725 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1998
• Issued: 01/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Jacobson, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, DAVID LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/172,958
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: 345/107, 345/100, 345/89, 345/901, 345/206, 345/204, 345/205, 349/86-89, 281/16, 434/317, 434/178
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4076 printing on rewritable, bistable "electronic paper" by a focused electric or magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/026 based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0267 Details of drivers for scan electrodes, other than drivers for liquid crystal, plasma or OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0275 Details of drivers for data electrodes, other than drivers for liquid crystal, plasma or OLED displays, not related to handling digital grey scale data or to communication of data to the pixels by means of a current
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/30 using electroluminescent panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3674 Details of drivers for scan electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3685 Details of drivers for data electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/38 using electrochromic devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/462 Insulated gate field-effect transistors [IGFETs]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 19/00 Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one organic element specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching, covered by group H10K10/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/17 Passive-matrix OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/30 Coordination compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/60 Organic compounds having low molecular weight H10K85/10 - H10K85/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/901 Electronic book with display

Abstract

An electronic book comprising multiple, electronically addressable, page displays is described. Said page displays may be formed on flexible, thin substrates. Said book may additionally encompass memory, power, control functions and communications.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an electronically addressable display, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a substrate;

(b) printing a plurality of address lines on the substrate;

(c) printing a display media on the substrate in electrical communication with the plurality of address lines, wherein the display media comprises at least one capsule dispersed in a binder, and the capsule includes a plurality of electrophoretic particles dispersed in a fluid medium such that the plurality of electrophoretic particles migrate in response to the application of an electric field to the display media; and

d) printing a plurality of analog or digital logic elements on the substrate, the plurality of printed logic elements matrix-addressing the display media.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises ink jet printing a plurality of address lines on the substrate and step (c) comprises ink jet printing a display media on the substrate in electrical communication with the plurality of address lines.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises laser printing a plurality of address lines on the substrate and step (c) comprises laser printing a display media on the substrate in electrical communication with the plurality of address lines.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises vacuum depositing a plurality of address lines on the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises sputtering a plurality of address lines on the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) comprises printing by photolithography a plurality of address lines on the substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of step (b) and (c) comprises laser printing.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises printing a plurality of display media sets on the substrate in electrical communication with the plurality of address lines, each set displaying a color different from another set.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises providing a flexible, paper-like substrate.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises providing a plurality of substrates and further comprising the step of integrating the plurality of substrates to form a display ensemble.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of forming a plurality of switches on the substrate.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises providing a primary substrate constructed of a first material for supporting the display media and a secondary substrate constructed of a second material for supporting a controller for controlling the address lines.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of forming a plurality of apertures in the second substrate.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) comprises printing an electroluminescent display media on the on the substrate in electrical communication with the plurality of address lines.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the steps (b) and (c) further comprises printing an insulting layer in a manner to effect electrical isolation between the plurality of address lines.