Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
196 words
In a liquid crystal display panel having a layer of liquid crystal material enclosed between a pair of substrates, a set of row electrodes and a set of column electrodes formed on said substrates to mutually intersect, a plurality of display electrodes arranged in positions corresponding to intersections of said row and column electrodes, a plurality of switching elements each coupled between an intersection of said row and column electrodes and a corresponding one of said display electrodes, a source of scanning signals for selectively rendering said switching elements conductive and a source of display signal voltages, said display signal voltages being selectively applied to said display electrodes through said switching elements in response to said scanning signals, and a reference electrode which is held at a predetermined potential, the improvement whereby said display electrodes are arranged in relationship to said reference electrode such that an electric field is applied to said liquid crystal material in a direction having at least a component directed parallel to the plane of said substrates in response to a potential difference between said display signal voltage applied to one of said display electrodes and the potential of said reference electrode.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
196 words
In a liquid crystal display panel having a layer of liquid crystal material enclosed between a pair of substrates, a set of row electrodes and a set of column electrodes formed on said substrates to mutually intersect, a plurality of display electrodes arranged in positions corresponding to intersections of said row and column electrodes, a plurality of switching elements each coupled between an intersection of said row and column electrodes and a corresponding one of said display electrodes, a source of scanning signals for selectively rendering said switching elements conductive and a source of display signal voltages, said display signal voltages being selectively applied to said display electrodes through said switching elements in response to said scanning signals, and a reference electrode which is held at a predetermined potential, the improvement whereby said display electrodes are arranged in relationship to said reference electrode such that an electric field is applied to said liquid crystal material in a direction having at least a component directed parallel to the plane of said substrates in response to a potential difference between said display signal voltage applied to one of said display electrodes and the potential of said reference electrode.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
24 words
The improvement according to claim 1, wherein both said display electrodes and said reference electrode are formed upon a single one of said substrates.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
44 words
The improvement according to claim 2, wherein each of said display electrodes is formed in a comb-shaped pattern, and wherein a comb-shaped pattern forming a portion of said reference electrode is arranged to intermesh in close proximity with each of said comb-shaped display electrodes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The improvement according to claim 3, wherein said display electrodes and said reference electrode are formed from transparent films of conductive material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
The improvement according to claim 3, wherein said display electrodes and said reference electrodes are formed from a non-transparent material and wherein the widths of line portions of said comb-shaped patterns are formed to a thickness of less than 10 microns.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
48 words
The improvement according to claim 1, wherein each of said row electrodes further functions as a reference electrode during times when switching elements controlled by said each row electrode are in a non-selected status, by appropriate choice of the potentials of said scanning signals and said display signals.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
The improvement according to claim 1, wherein each of said column electrodes also functions as a reference electrode, by appropriate choice of the potentials and switching timings of said scanning signals and said display signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The improvement according to claim 1, wherein said switching elements comprise thin-film field-effect transistors, having gate electrodes coupled to said row electrodes.