IP Library Granted Patent US 7,787,097
Granted Patent B2
US 7,787,097 · App. 11/791,232 · Granted Aug 31, 2010

Flexible base material and flexible image-displaying device resistant to plastic deformation

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,787,097
App. No.
11/791,232
Granted
Aug 31, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

An anti-deformation structure is formed on the surface of a flexible plate-shaped part. The anti-deformation structure includes protrusions and depressions formed on the surface of the plate-shaped part. The protrusions and depressions has a shape in which adjacent protrusions become in contact with each other in the state when the plate-shaped part is deformed within a range of elastic deformation, restricting further greater deformation, and thus, preventing excessive deformation leading to permanent deformation and raising the resistance to the stress. The flexible base material can be applied to flexible image-displaying devices.

Claims (22)

1. A flexible base material, comprising:

a flexible resin plate-shaped part and an anti-deformation structure formed on part or all of a surface of the plate-shaped part, wherein the anti-deformation structure includes protrusions and depressions on part or all of the surface of the plate-shaped part, and the protrusions and depressions are shaped such that adjacent protrusions come into contact with each other when the plate-shaped part is bent within a range of elastic deformation and restrict further deformation.

2. The flexible base material according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-deformation structure has a structure wherein multiple members forming the protrusions are attached to at least one surface of the plate-shaped part.

3. The flexible base material according to claim 2 , wherein the members forming the protrusions are made of a material having a higher rigidity than that of the plate-shaped part.

4. The flexible base material according to claim 2 , wherein the protrusions have a three-dimensional shape selected from the group consisting of pyramid, pyramidal trapezoid, cone, conic trapezoid, and semi-sphere or semi-spheroid shapes.

5. The flexible base material according to claim 1 , wherein the anti-deformation structure includes multiple depressions formed on at least one surface of the plate-shaped part.

6. The flexible base material according to claim 5 , wherein the depressions comprise multiple grooves disposed in a direction parallel to a first direction.

7. The flexible base material according to claim 6 , wherein the depressions comprise additional multiple grooves disposed in a direction parallel to a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.

8. A flexible image-displaying device, comprising:

an image-displaying plate having multiple pixels formed on the surface of a flexible film, and

a flexible base material attached to the image-displaying plate that deforms together with the image-displaying plate, wherein

the flexible base material further comprises

a flexible resin plate-shaped part and an anti-deformation structure formed on part or all of a surface of the plate-shaped part,

the anti-deformation structure includes protrusions and depressions formed on part or all of the surface of the plate-shaped part, and

the protrusions and depressions are shaped such that adjacent protrusions come into contact with each other when the plate-shaped part is bent and restrict further deformation.

9. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein the adjacent protrusions in the anti-deformation structure come into contact with each other in a state when the plate-shaped part is deformed within a range of elastic deformation.

10. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein the adjacent protrusions in the anti-deformation structure come into contact with each other before the image-displaying plate is deformed to a degree causing irreversible deterioration.

11. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein the flexible base material doubles as the flexible film constituting the display image plate.

12. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein multiple pixels are disposed on one of the protrusions or in one of the depressions of the anti-deformation structure.

13. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein the image-displaying plate comprises an image-displaying region displaying an image and a frame region surrounding the image-displaying region, and the flexible base material is disposed at a region including the image-displaying region.

14. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein the image-displaying plate further comprises an image-displaying region in which pixels are distributed and a frame region surrounding the image-displaying region, and the flexible base material is disposed so as to overlap the frame region but not the image-displaying region.

15. The flexible image-displaying device according to claim 8 , wherein the image-displaying plate is a paper-like display, an organic EL element, or a liquid crystal display element.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 1, 2012
From: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
To: UDC IRELAND LIMITED
Reel/Frame 028889/0636 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 22, 2007
From: SATOH, TASUKU
To: FUJIFILM CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 019385/0424 →