Ferrofluidic electric paper

Details Ferrofluidic electric paper Ferrofluidic electric paper

1998-12-21

2001-09-04

Copenheaver, Blaine (Department: 1771)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Structurally defined web or sheet

Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond

C101S130000, C101S489000, C156S062000, C156S145000, C156S256000, C156S272400, C156S277000, C345S084000, C345S107000, C428S211100, C428S317900, C428S321100, C428S900000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06284352

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to low cost, reusable electric paper that uses a colored ferrofluidic fluid and is activated by an external magnetic writing instrument.
2. Description of Related Art
Reusable electric paper is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,717,283 to Biegelsen, 5,723,204 to Stefik and 5,731,792 to Sheridon, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The 283 patent uses dielectric liquid in an array of hourglass-shaped pores. External electric fields move the liquid ink bistably from one volume to the other. See prior art FIG.
11
. The 204 patent uses black and white spheres encapsulated in a liquid and embedded in a substrate. The spheres are responsive to an electrical field. The 792 patent uses encapsulated colored polar liquid and an electrode array embedded within a substrate to force the liquid to selected reservoirs to create an image on the substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a low cost electric paper that uses ferrofluidic colored fluids and an external magnetic writing instrument. The paper can be formed from laminated rolls of polymeric media that are roller die cut, inked, aligned, bonded and cut to an appropriate size. The paper uses a simple, hidden ink that is permanently contained within the paper in a plurality of cells, which form a grid on the paper. The size of the cells define the resolution of the paper.
Initially, the paper appears white. To write on the electric paper according to the invention, a writing head, such as a stylus, is passed over some of the cells. In response, these cells switch from a first hidden bistable state to a second bistable state. In the second bistable state, the ink is visible and forms a desired image in a desired color or colors.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3648269 (1972-03-01), Rosenweig et al.
patent: 3812490 (1974-05-01), Goodrich
patent: 3863249 (1975-01-01), Olah
patent: 3935571 (1976-01-01), Sargent
patent: 3972595 (1976-08-01), Romankiw et al.
patent: 4583824 (1986-04-01), Lea
patent: 5389945 (1995-02-01), Sheridon
patent: 5670078 (1997-09-01), Ziolo
patent: 5717283 (1998-02-01), Biegelsen et al.
patent: 5723204 (1998-03-01), Stefik
patent: 5731792 (1998-03-01), Sheridon
patent: 6038059 (2000-03-01), Silverman
patent: 633 488 A (1995-01-01), None
patent: 884 714 A2 (1998-12-01), None

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