Methods and apparatus for subjecting an element to an electrical field

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United States Patent

Darty

(io) Patent No.: (45) Date of Patent:

US 7,170,470 B2 Jan. 30, 2007

(54) METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR SUBJECTING AN ELEMENT TO AN ELECTRICAL FIELD

(75) Inventor: Mark Darty, Bartlett, TN (US)

(73) Assignee: Brother International Corporation,

Bridgewater, NJ (US)

( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 215 days.

(21) Appl. No.: 10/216,445

(22) Filed: Aug. 12, 2002

(65) Prior Publication Data

US 2002/0190936 Al Dec. 19, 2002

Related U.S. Application Data

(62) Division of application No. 09/667,807, filed on Sep. 22, 2000, now Pat. No. 6,879,314.

(60) Provisional application No. 60/156,432, filed on Sep. 28, 1999.

(51) Int. CI.

G09G 3/34 (2006.01)
G02B 26/00 (2006.01)

(52) U.S. CI 345/55; 345/107; 345/85;

345/86; 359/296

(58) Field of Classification Search 345/84,

345/107,86,55,85; 427/214; 359/296;

264/437

See application file for complete search history. (56) References Cited

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(Continued)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Tipler, P.A., Physics, Second Edition, Worth Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, 1982.

(Continued)

Primary Examiner—Albert Decady

Assistant Examiner—Fritz Alphonse

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Oliff & Berridge, PLC

The invention includes providing a display by moving a colorant particle, having an electric charge, inside a channel of a body in a direction that is substantially parallel to a direction of extension of the channel and a direction of incoming illumination rays. The colorant particle can be moved between a position at a bottom of the channel and at a top of the channel by the force of an electric field generated by a charge at the bottom of the channel. The invention can be applied to an analog dot display as well as a digital dot display. The invention covers methods of manufacturing the displays discussed above. The invention is also not limited to covering displays, and also covers at least print media, wherein colorant particles are locked at appropriate locations within the channels, either temporarily or permanently.

14 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

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OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Tripler, P.A., PhysicsSecond Edition, Worth Publishers, Inc., New York, NY, 1982.

* cited by examiner