EP0204537A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Encapsulated liquid crystal having a smectic phase
Assignee: Raychem Corp
•
Filing: 1986-06-02
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2006-06-02
Abstract
Abstract A liquid crystal material having a smectic phase is encapsulated; in discrete volumes, with the encapsulating medium inducing a generally distorted alignment of said liquid crystal material. In response to such alignment the material either scatters or absorbs light and the amount of scattering or absorbing is reduced on application of an input. The encapsulated liquid crystal material is used to make a liquid crystal device.
Inventors
- 👤 James L. Fergason
- 👤 Ning Sun Fan
- 👤 Kenneth N. Rearlman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 13:32
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/01; G02F1/13; G02F1/133; G02F1/1333; G02F1/1334; C; C09; C09K; C09K19/00; C09K19/52; C09K19/54; C09K19/542; C09K19/544; G02F1/137; G02F1/13781
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 54
Claim 1
Independent Claim
68 words
Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material having a smectic phase, and encapsulating medium means for confining said liquid crystal material in discrete volumes, said encapsulating medium means inducing a generally distorted alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
68 words
Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material having a smectic phase, and encapsulating medium means for confining said liquid crystal material in discrete volumes, said encapsulating medium means inducing a generally distorted alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The invention of claim 1, further comprising substrate means for supporting a layer of said liquid crystal material and encapsulating medium means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The invention of claim 2, said discrete volumes comprising capsule-like volumes of said liquid crystal material in said encapsulating medium means, and said layer comprising several layers of capsule-like volumes in thickness.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
51 words
The invention of claim 1, said liquid crystal material in the smectic phase being optically anisotropic, and wherein the difference between the ordinary index of refraction of said liquid crystal material in the smectic phase and the index of refraction of said encapsulating medium means is no more than about 0.03.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The invention of claim 1, said liquid crystal material in the smectic phase has a positive dielectric anisotropy.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The invention of claim 1, said encapsulating medium means comprising a solid medium forming individual capsules.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention of claim 1, said encapsulating medium means comprising a solid medium forming individual interconnected capsules.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The invention of claim 1, said encapsulating medium means comprising a dried stable emulsion.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The invention of claim 1, further comprising pleochroic dye mixed with said liquid crystal material.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention of claim 1, wherein the invention is operative independent of polarization of light incident thereon.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
13 words
The invention of claim 1, wherein said prescribed input is an electrical field.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 11, wherein said reduced amount of scattering or absorption remains after removal of the electrical field.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 12, wherein an increase in temperature of said liquid crystal material induces said generally distorted alignment.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 13, wherein the temperature is the smectic to nematic phase transition temperature of said liquid crystal material.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 13, wherein the temperature is the smectic to isotropic phase transition temperature of said liquid crystal material.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The invention of claim 1, wherein the smectic phase is a smectic A phase.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
14 words
The invention of claim 1, wherein the smectic phase is a smectic C phase.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
14 words
The invention of claim 17, wherein the smectic C phase has a chiral character.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
71 words
Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material having a smectic and a nematic phase, and encapsulating medium means for confining said liquid crystal material in discrete volumes, said encapsulating medium means inducing a generally distorted alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
71 words
Liquid crystal apparatus, comprising liquid crystal material having a smectic and a nematic phase, and encapsulating medium means for confining said liquid crystal material in discrete volumes, said encapsulating medium means inducing a generally distorted alignment of said liquid crystal material which in response to such alignment at least one of scatters and absorbs light and which in response to a prescribed input reduces the amount of such scattering or absorption.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
41 words
The invention of claim 19, wherein said prescribed input comprises a temperature such that said liquid crystal material is in the nematic phase and an electric field sufficient to reduce the amount of such scattering or absorption in the nematic phase.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
29 words
The invention of claim 20, further including means for reducing the temperature such that the reduced amount of scattering or absorption remains after the removal of the electric field.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 21, wherein an increase in temperature of said liquid crystal material induces said generally distorted alignment.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 22, wherein the temperature is the smectic to nematic phase transition temperature of said liquid crystal material.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 23, wherein the temperature is the smectic to isotropic phase transition temperature of said liquid crystal material.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of making encapsulated smectic liquid crystals, comprising mixing at least an encapsulating medium and a liquid crystal material having a smectic phase, and further comprising causing such liquid crystal material to perform substantially independently of the optical polarization direction of incident light, including confining such liquid crystal material in a capsule formed by such encapsulating medium that causes distortion of the direction of the liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied thereto.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of making encapsulated smectic liquid crystals, comprising mixing at least an encapsulating medium and a liquid crystal material having a smectic phase, and further comprising causing such liquid crystal material to perform substantially independently of the optical polarization direction of incident light, including confining such liquid crystal material in a capsule formed by such encapsulating medium that causes distortion of the direction of the liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied thereto.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 25, said confining comprising confining such liquid crystal in discrete capsule-like volumes of such encapsulating medium.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
19 words
The invention of claim 26, said confining comprising confining such liquid crystal in a solid medium as individual capsules.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention of claim 26, said confining comprising confining such liquid crystal in a dried stable emulsion.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
19 words
The invention of claim 26, said confining further including confining such liquid crystal in capsule-like volumes that are interconnected.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
17 words
The invention of claim 25, said mixing comprising forming a dispersion of liquid crystal and encapsulating medium.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claim 25, further compr:.sing applying the encapsulated liquid crystal material to a substrate for support by such substrate.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
54 words
The invention of claim 31, further compi sing applying an electrode to a surface of such enc psu- lated liquid crystal material remote from such substrate by at least one of the steps of the roup consisting of evaporation, vacuum deposition, sputtering, printing, web roller printing, gravure oller printing, reverse roller printing, and stencilin.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
15 words
The invention of claim 31, further comprising applying an optically reflective material to said substrate.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
18 words
The invention of claim 31, said applying corpris- ing silk-screening such encapsulated liquid ystal material onto such substrate.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
30 words
The invention of claim 31, further corrp ising before such applying, forming an electrode or such substrate, and said applying comprising applyin such encapsulated liquid crystal material to such electrode.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
34 words
The invention of claim 35, said forming co prising forming such electrode over substantially 11 of the surface area of such substrate where encapsulated liquid crystal material is to be supported by such substrate.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 31, said applying comprising applying such encapsulated liquid crystal material to a thickness of several capsules.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
46 words
The invention of claim 25, further comprising selecting such liquid crystal material and such encapsulating medium such that the difference between the ordinary index of refraction of the liquid crystal material and the index of refraction of the encapsulating medium is not greater than about 0.03.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
15 words
The invention of claim 25, further comprising mixing pleochroic dye with such liquid crystal material.
Claim 43
Independent Claim
86 words
A method of causing a liquid crystal material having a smectic phase to perform substantially independently of the optical polarization direction of incident light, comprising confining of such liquid crystal material in a capsule-like volume which causes distortion of the direction of the liquid crystal material to at least one of scatter and absorb light incident thereon, and applying an electric field to at least some of such liquid crystal to align the liquid crystal with respect to such field to reduce such scattering or absorption.
Claim 44
Independent Claim
86 words
A method of causing a liquid crystal material having a smectic phase to perform substantially independently of the optical polarization direction of incident light, comprising confining of such liquid crystal material in a capsule-like volume which causes distortion of the direction of the liquid crystal material to at least one of scatter and absorb light incident thereon, and applying an electric field to at least some of such liquid crystal to align the liquid crystal with respect to such field to reduce such scattering or absorption.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
23 words
The invention of claim 40, wherein said confining comprises confining a liquid crystal material having both a smectic phase and a nematic phase.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
37 words
The invention of claim 41, further including applying heat to such liquid crystal so that it is in the nematic phase with the electric field being sufficient to reduce such scattering or absorption in the nematic phase.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
31 words
The invention of claim 42, further including reducing the temperature of such liquid crystal so that the reduced amount of scattering or absorption remains after the removal of the electric field.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
19 words
The invention of claim 43, further including applying heat to such liquid crystal to induce such scattering or absorption.
Claim 49
Dependent Claim
21 words
The invention of claims 40 or 41, further including removing the electric field such that such reduced scattering or absorption remains.
Claim 50
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 45, further including increasing the temperature of such liquid crystal to induce such scattering or absorption.
Claim 51
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 46, wherein the temperature is the smectic to nematic phase transition temperature of such liquid crystal.
Claim 52
Dependent Claim
20 words
The invention of claim 46, wherein the temperature is the smectic to isotropic phase transition temperature of such liquid crystal.
Claim 53
Dependent Claim
16 words
The invention of claims 40 or 41, wherein the smectic phase is a smectic A phase.
Claim 54
Dependent Claim
16 words
The invention of claims 40 or 41 wherein the smectic phase is a smectic C phase.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.