Display medium and display device

• US 7,499,211 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Corporation (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Machida, Yoshinori, Shigehiro, Kiyoshi, Suwabe, Yasufumi, Tatsuura, Satoshi, Abe, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz; Jordan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US11/812,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20080151355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• Field of Search: 359/296
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1681 having two or more microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. of microcup type
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/375 the position of the elements being controlled by the application of a magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 Pixel structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/02 Flexible displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/03 specially adapted for displays having non-planar surfaces, e.g. curved displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a display medium, comprising:

• • a display medium, comprising:
  • a pair of substrates, at least one of the pair of substrates having transparency;
  • a particle group enclosed between the pair of substrates, the particle group migrating between the pair of substrates in response to an electric field formed between the pair of substrates;
  • a dispersion medium that is enclosed between the pair of substrates and disperses the particle group;
  • a porous member disposed between the pair of substrates and having a plurality of pores that allow passage of the particle group; and
  • embedded members that partition the porous member into specific regions and that are embedded inside at least a part of the pores in the porous member that are present along the direction in which the pair of substrates are opposed.

Claims

1. A display medium, comprising:

first substrate and a second substrate, at least one of the first and second substrates having transparency;

a particle group enclosed between the first and second substrates, the particle group migrating between the first and second substrates in response to an electric field formed between the pair of substrates;

a dispersion medium that is enclosed between the first and second substrates and disperses the particle group;

a porous member disposed between the first and second substrates and having a plurality of pores that allow passage of the particle group in a direction from a first substrate side to a second substrate side of the porous member, in a direction from the second substrate side to the first substrate side of the porous member, and in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first and second substrates are opposed; and

embedded members that partition the porous member into specific regions and that are embedded inside at least a part of the pores in the porous member that are present along the direction in which the first and second substrates are opposed.

2. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the specific regions are regions of the porous member partitioned at a specified interval in a planar surface direction of the first and second substrates.

3. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the embedded members have discontinuous regions in a planar surface direction so that at least part of adjacent specific regions are connected to each other in the planar surface direction of the first and second substrates.

4. The display medium of claim 3, wherein the embedded members have the discontinuous regions at a specified interval in the planar surface direction.

5. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the embedded members are formed by fusing at least a part of the porous member.

6. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the embedded members are formed by filling the pores in the porous member with a filler.

7. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the porous member is the same color as the dispersion medium.

8. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the particle group has a voltage necessary for migration in response to electric field.

9. The display medium of claim 1, wherein the particle group is different in color from the porous member.

10. A display device, comprising:

a display medium having a first substrate and a second substrates, at least one of the substrates having transparency, a particle group enclosed between the first and second substrates, the particle group migrating between the first and second substrates in response to an electric field formed between the first and second substrates, a dispersion medium that is enclosed between the first and second substrates and disperses the particle group, a porous member disposed between the first and second substrates and having a plurality of pores that allow passage of the particle group in a direction from the first substrate side to the second substrate side of the porous member, in a direction from the second substrate side to the first substrate side of the porous member, and in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first and second substrates are opposed, and embedded members that partition the porous member into specific regions that are embedded inside at least a part of the pores in the porous member that are present along the direction in which the first and second first and second substrates are opposed; and

an electric field-forming unit for forming an electric field between the first and second substrates of the display medium.

11. A display medium, comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrates, at least one of the substrates having transparency;

a particle group enclosed between the first and second substrates, the particles migrating between the first and second substrates in response to an electric field formed between the first and second substrates;

a dispersion medium that is positioned between the first and second substrates and disperses the particle group;

a porous member disposed between the first and second substrates and having a plurality of pores that allow passage of the particle group in a direction from the first substrate side to the second substrate side of the porous member, in a direction from the second substrate side to the first substrate side of the porous member, and in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first and second substrates are opposed; and

partitioning members that maintain a gap between the first and second substrates and partition the gap into specific regions between the first and second substrates, the specific regions having discontinuous regions in a planar surface direction of the first and second substrates so that at least a part of adjacent specific regions in the planar surface direction are connected to each other.

12. The display medium of claim 11, wherein the partitioning members have the discontinuous regions at a specified interval in the planar surface direction.

13. The display medium of claim 11, wherein the partitioning members are formed by fusing at least a part of the porous member.

14. The display medium of claim 11, wherein the partitioning members are formed by filling the pores in the porous member with a filler.

15. The display medium of claim 11, wherein the porous member is the same color as the dispersion medium.

16. The display medium of claim 11, wherein the particle group has a voltage necessary for migration in response to electric field.

17. The display medium of claim 11, wherein the particle group is different in color from the porous member.

18. A display device, comprising:

a display medium having a first substrate and second substrates, at least one of the substrates having transparency, a particle group enclosed between the first and second substrates, the particle group migrating between the first and second substrates in response to an electric field formed between the first and second substrates, a dispersion medium that is positioned between the first and second substrates and disperses the particle group, a porous member disposed between the first and second substrates and having a plurality of pores that allow passage of the particle group in a direction from the first substrate side to the second substrate side of the porous member, in a direction from the second substrate side to the first substrate side of the porous member, and in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the first and second substrates are opposed, and partitioning members that partition a gap between the first and second substrates into specific regions and have discontinuous regions in a planar surface direction of the first and second substrates so that at least part of adjacent specific regions in the planar surface direction are connected to each other; and

an electric field-forming unit for forming an electric field between the first and second substrates of the display medium.