Electrophoretic display and novel process for its manufacture
View Patent ↗This application is directed to electrophoretic displays and semi-finished display panels comprising display cells prepared from the microcup and top-sealing technologies.
1. A display panel comprising an array of display cells sandwiched between two temporary substrate layers, between a temporary substrate layer and a conductor layer or between a temporary substrate layer and a permanent substrate layer wherein said display cells are filled with an electrophoretic fluid and top-sealed with a polymeric sealing material formed from a top-sealing composition having a specific gravity lower than that of the electrophoretic fluid.
2. The display panel of claim 1 wherein said top-sealing composition is a thermoplastic or thermoset precursor composition.
3. The display panel of claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic or thermoset precursor composition comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyvalent acrylates or methacrylates, cyanoacrylates, polyvalent vinyls, polyvalent epoxides, polyvalent isocyanates, polyvalent allyls, and oligomers or polymers comprising a crosslinkable functional group.
4. The display panel of claim 1 which panel is in the form of a roll.
5. The display panel of claim 1 wherein said top sealing composition is a radiation, heat or moisture curable composition.
6. The display panel of claim 1 wherein said top sealing compositon is a UV curable composition.
7. A display panel comprising an array of filled and top-sealed display cells sandwiched between a first temporary substrate layer and a second temporary substrate layer, between a first temporary substrate layer and a conductor layer or between a first temporary substrate layer and a permanent substrate layer wherein said display cells are formed on said first temporary substrate layer, filled with an electrophoretic fluid and top-sealed with a polymeric sealing material formed from a top-sealing composition having a specific gravity lower than that of the electrophoretic fluid before the second temporary substrate layer, the conductor layer or the permanent substrate layer is assembled onto the display panel.
8. A semi-finished display panel comprising an array of display cells sandwiched between two temporary substrate layers, between a temporary substrate layer and a conductor layer or between a temporary substrate layer and a permanent substrate layer wherein said display cells are filled with an electrophoretic fluid and top-sealed with a polymeric sealing material formed from a top-sealing composition which is hardened after it forms a supematant layer on top of the electrophoretic fluid or after it is overcoated onto the electrophoretic fluid.
9. The semi-finished display panel of claim 8 wherein said top sealing composition is a radiation, heat or moisture curable composition.
10. The semi-finished display panel of claim 8 wherein said top sealing composition is a UV curable composition.