Patent US5337006A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0721176A2
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EP
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A display medium
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1996-01-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-01-03
Abstract
Abstract Bichromal balls (15) have two hemispheres, typically one black and one white, each having different electrical properties. Each ball (15) is enclosed within a spherical shell and then a space between the ball and shell is filled with a liquid (14) to form a microsphere so that the ball is free to rotate in response to an electrical field. The microspheres can then be mixed into a substrate which can be formed into sheets or can be applied to any kind of surface. The result is a film which can form an image from an applied electrical field.
Inventors
- 👤 Nicholas K. Sheridon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 12:06
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09F; G09F9/00; G09F9/30; G09F9/37; G09F9/372; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/02; G02B26/026; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249994; Y10T428/25; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2982; Y10T428/2984; Y10T428/2985
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
66 words
A display medium comprising: a plurality of bichromal balls (15), each having two hemispheric surfaces, one surface differing from the other in both color and electrical characteristics. a layer of liquid (14) surrounding each ball (15), a skin (20) of a first compound surrounding the layer of liquid (14) to form a microcapsule, and a substrate of a second compound (10) in contact with said microcapsules.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
18 words
A display medium as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said substrate is eiher a solid or a liquid.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method of measuring the distribution of an electrical field of a structure by distributing the medium, as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, within the field, and allowing the electrical field to selectively rotate the balls to form an image of the field.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said substrate is adhered to a planar surface, or is adhered to a non-planar surface, wherein said substrate is applied as a paint.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
29 words
A display medium as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein: said second compound is in the form of an adhesive layer bonding the microcapsules to a surface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
A display medium as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said adhesive layer is hardenable or wherein said adhesive layer is a liquid.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
27 words
A display medium as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein said microcapsules are bonded as a monolayer with the free surface of said adhesive layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
13 words
A display medium as claimed inmClaim 7, wherein said surface is a fabric.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
86 words
A method of creating microcapsules comprising: creating a plurality of bichromal balls (15), each having two hemispheric surfaces, one surface differing from the other in both color and electrical characteristics, coating each bichromal ball with a layer of a first compound to form a number of separated coated balls, and placing said separated coated bichromal balls in a liquid to cause said coating to swell and to transport a portion of said liquid between the swelled coating and the bichromal ball to create a liquid-filled space.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method as claimed in Claim 9, further comprising, after said placing step, the step of placing said balls into a second liquid to cause further swelling and further transport of liquid into said space.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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