Fluid exchange system for displays

• US 20030179167A1
• Filed: 03/25/2003
• Published: 09/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kolluri, Omprakash S., Smith, Larry A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,005,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/85
• 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: G09F 9/372 the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field

Abstract

A display device is described which includes a fluid exchange device mated to the display housing. The fluid exchange device makes a fluid tight seal with the display housing and includes a sealing member which may be perforated by a conduit. The conduit provides for the flow of fluids into and away from a cavity within the display device that is used to contain a display medium. The fluid exchange device provides a fluid tight seal with the housing, and the sealing member reseals itself upon withdrawal of the conduit from the sealing member.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a housing, said housing having a first member and a first electrode and a second member and a second electrode defining a cavity for holding a display medium between the electrodes of said display device;

a fluid exchange device in fluid communication with said cavity by a through hole in said housing, said fluid exchange device making a fluid tight seal with said housing.

2. The display device of claim 1 wherein said fluid exchange device further comprises a sealing member.

3. The display device of claim 1 further comprising a conduit perforating the fluid transfer device for flow of fluid into and away from said cavity.

4. The display device of claim 2 wherein said sealing member is an elastomeric material.

5. The display device of claim 1 wherein said display medium comprises particles in a dielectric medium.

6. The display device of claim 1 wherein said fluid exchange device further comprises a retainer having a through hole that forms a fluid tight seal between said sealing member and said housing.

7. The display device of claim 3 wherein the fluid exchange device is sealed following removal of the conduit.

8. The display device of claim 1 wherein said fluid exchange device further comprises:

an arbor secured to said housing and having a through hole, said arbor engaging a sealing member housing to form a fluid tight seal with said housing; and

a retainer that forms a fluid tight seal between the sealing member and the sealing member housing.

9. The display device of claim 2 further comprising a conduit perforating said sealing member for flow of a fluid into and out of said cavity.

10. The display device of claim 1 wherein said fluid exchange device has a helium leak rate of less than 10⁻

7 atm-cc/sec

11. A method of exchanging fluid in a display device comprising:

flowing a fluid through a conduit perforating a sealing member of a fluid exchange device, said fluid exchange device sealed to a housing of said display device , said conduit engaged by said sealing member and in fluid communication with a cavity of the display device, said cavity defined by a first member and first electrode and a second member and second electrode of said display device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the flow of fluid through the conduit changes the amount of fluid present in the cavity.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the act of perforating the sealing member with the conduit.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

removing the conduit from the sealing member to stop fluid flow and to close the sealing member.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein said conduit is connected to a syringe.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said sealing member is an elastomeric material.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein fluid transfer into and out of the fluid space occurs at the same time.