Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Holder – support – frame – or housing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-11
2001-06-05
Sikes, William L. (Department: 2871)
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Holder, support, frame, or housing
C349S059000, C349S060000, C349S149000, C349S150000, C349S151000, C349S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06243147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a liquid crystal display apparatus, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display apparatus which is capable of preventing a break due to a crack caused during a manufacturing process.
2. Discussion of the Background
A liquid crystal display apparatus, an important man-machine communications device, is used in a variety of electronic devices such as electronic watches, personal digital assistant (PDA) systems, word processors, copying machines, facsimile machines, and so on. In the liquid crystal display apparatus, a polymer substrate has been widely employed in place of a glass substrate. Utilizing a polymer substrate is a known technique and is described in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 07-043697 (1995) referring to an exemplary structure of a liquid crystal display apparatus shown in FIG.
1
. The liquid crystal display apparatus of
FIG. 1
has a typical structure which includes a pair of polymer substrates
1
and
2
, indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes
3
and
4
, a sealing member
5
, a liquid crystal
6
, and polarizing seals
10
and
11
. The ITO electrodes
3
and
4
are bonded on the sides of the polymer substrates
1
and
2
to face each other. The sealing member
5
is deposited between the ITO electrode films
3
and
4
around the edge of the ITO electrode film
3
so that the liquid crystal
6
is sealed therein. In the liquid crystal display apparatus having the structure mentioned above, the liquid crystal
6
is energized to display information in a form of alphanumeric symbols, for example, by applying an electrical current to the ITO electrodes
3
and
4
.
In general, a liquid crystal display apparatus having the above-described structure is used as part of an electronic device (not shown), for example, and is therefore mounted inside a housing or the like of the electronic device.
FIG. 1
shows a connecting portion of the electronic device and the liquid crystal display apparatus. The electronic device includes a connecting member
7
, a solder
8
, bumps
8
a
, and an electrode
9
. The connecting member
7
is extended from a circuit substrate (not shown) or the like of the electronic device to supply power to the liquid crystal display apparatus. For this purpose, an extension
2
a
is extended from the polymer substrate
2
and an electrode extension
4
a
is extended from the ITO electrode
4
along the extension
2
a.
To electrically connect the electrode extension
4
a
to the connecting member
7
, the electrode extension
4
a
is typically pressed against the connecting member
7
and is then soldered with the solder
8
, which is deposited together with the bumps
8
a
between the electrode
9
bonded on the bottom of the connecting member
7
and the electrode extension
4
a.
However, the above-mentioned way of connecting the liquid crystal display apparatus to the electronic device provides a stress to the electrode extension
4
a
on the electrode
4
or to the electrode extension
4
a
at a position under the sealing member
5
, which may generate a crack
12
. This may eventually cause a failure of electrical connection between the liquid crystal display apparatus and the circuit substrate of the electronic device. As a result, the liquid crystal cannot properly display information. This kind of error may be caused not only when the electrode extension
4
a
is connected to the connecting member
7
using heat and pressure, but also when the electrode extension
4
a
receives an excessive stress during the installation of the liquid crystal display to the electronic device.
One technique for preventing this problem is to extend the polarizing seal
11
to cover the length of the extension of the polymer substrate
2
a
so as to support the electrode extension
4
a
. However, this technique is not sufficient because such a technique would be effective only after the extended polarizing seal
11
is attached and the electrode extension
4
a
may receive a stress and may be bent, as shown by dotted lines in
FIG. 2
, before the extended polarizing seal
11
is attached.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel liquid crystal display apparatus which eliminates the unstable connection problems as discussed above.
To achieve this object and other objects, a novel liquid crystal display apparatus of the present invention includes a substrate kit and an assembling member. The substrate kit includes first and second polymer substrates, each of which has an electrode on an entire surface of one side thereof. The first and second polymer substrates are deposited in parallel in a horizontal direction such that the electrodes face each other, and have a sealing member deposited therebetween around a circumference thereof such that a sealed space is made by the electrodes and the sealing member. The first polymer substrate forms a substrate extension extending outwards in a horizontal plane and the electrode bonded on the first polymer substrate forms an electrode extension extending along the substrate extension.
The substrate kit further includes a liquid crystal which is sealed inside the sealed space, polarizing seals bonded on each of the pair of polymer substrates on a side opposite to the side having the electrode, and an assembling member on which the substrate kit is mounted. In such a liquid crystal display apparatus, at least a portion of the electrode extension is bent in a direction towards the second polymer substrate before the substrate kit is mounted on the assembling member.
The polarizing seal bonded on the first polymer substrate may be extended approximately to an end of the substrate extension.
The electrode extension may be bent at an angle from 2 degrees to 20 degrees, or with a radius of curvature in a range of 10 mm to 100 mm.
Further, the assembling member may include a supporting frame for supporting the apparatus. The supporting frame may have a surface contacting the second polymer substrate and a rise at one end which engages a rim of the electrode extension such that the electrode extension is bent in a direction towards the second polymer substrate.
Further, the assembling member may include a supporting frame for supporting the apparatus. The supporting frame may include a surface contacting the first polymer substrate and, at one end, a slope having an angle from 2 degrees to 20 degrees. In this case, the slope is used to bend the electrode extension in a direction towards the second polymer substrate.
Further, when the apparatus mounted on the assembling member is installed in a different housing, a part of the different housing may hold the assembling member so as to secure the electrode extension.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5363227 (1994-11-01), Ichikawa et al.
patent: 5486942 (1996-01-01), Ichikawa et al.
patent: 5629787 (1997-05-01), Tsubota et al.
patent: 5808707 (1998-09-01), Niibori et al.
patent: 5933206 (1999-08-01), Niibori et al.
patent: 0704369 (1995-02-01), None
Ngo Julie
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Ricoh & Company, Ltd.
Sikes William L.
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