# US 10,310,353 B2 · Aligned particle layer

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- Number: US 10,310,353 B2
- Document ID: US10310353B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/306,709
- Filed: 2014-04-25
- Published: 2017-02-23
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2014-04-25
- Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Inventors: Doris Chun; Napoleon J Leoni; Henryk Birecki; Omer Gila
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10310353B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/167: by electrophoresis
- G02F 1/16755: Substrates
- G02F 1/16757: Microcapsules
- H01B 1/00: Conductors or conductive bodies characterised by the conductive materials; Selection of materials as conductors
- H01B 1/22: the conductive material comprising metals or alloys
- H01B 3/004: {with conductive additives or conductive layers}
- G02F 1/133348: {Charged particles addressed liquid crystal cells, e.g. controlled by an electron beam}
- G02F 2001/1678: {characterised by the composition or particle type}
- G02F 2201/42: Arrangements for providing conduction through an insulating substrate
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- H01B: CABLES; CONDUCTORS; INSULATORS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING OR DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES (selection for magnetic properties H01F1/00; waveguides H01P {; printed circuits H05K})

## Abstract

A charge-receiving layer for an e-paper assembly includes a plurality of conductive paths spaced apart throughout an insulative matrix, with each conductive path including at least one elongate pattern of conductive particles.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A charge-receiving layer for an electronic paper assembly, the charge-receiving layer comprising:
an insulative matrix including a first side and an opposite second side; and
a plurality of conductive paths spaced apart throughout the insulative matrix with a longitudinal axis of each path oriented generally perpendicular to a plane through which the charge receiving layer extends, wherein each conductive path includes at least one elongate pattern of field-aligned, conductive particles with the elongate pattern sized and shaped to receive deposited air-borne charges at the first side of the insulative matrix for passage to a charge-responsive layer at the second side of the insulative matrix.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The charge-receiving layer of claim 1, wherein each conductive path has a first conductivity in a first orientation between the first side and second side of the insulative matrix and wherein the insulative matrix has a second conductivity in at least a second orientation generally perpendicular to the first orientation, wherein the first conductivity is at least two orders of magnitude greater than the second conductivity.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The charge-receiving layer of claim 1, wherein the charge-receiving layer forms a non-adhesive, outer surface of the electronic paper assembly.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The charge receiving layer of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the elongate patterns include conductive particles that are spaced apart from each other in generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the respective conductive paths.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The charge receiving layer of claim 1, wherein the conductive paths together provide a combined conductivity, and wherein a second conductivity of the insulative matrix is at least one order of magnitude lower than the combined conductivity, and
wherein a first ratio of the combined conductivity relative to the second conductivity is proportional to a second ratio of a thickness of the charge-receiving layer relative to a maximum allowable lateral travel of a charge in the insulative matrix.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The charge receiving layer of claim 1, wherein the at least one elongate pattern comprises at least two elongate patterns which are arranged in an end-to-end relationship to form at least some of the respective conductive paths.

### Claim 7

An electronic paper assembly comprising:
a charge-responsive media layer including a first side and an opposite second side;
a counter electrode layer disposed on the second side of the media layer; and
a charge-receiving layer disposed on the first side of the media layer and including plurality of conductive paths extending generally parallel to each other in a first orientation and spaced apart from each other within an insulative matrix, each conductive path extending in the first orientation between a first side and an opposite second side of the insulative matrix with the second side of the insulative matrix in contact with the first side of the media layer, and wherein each conductive path includes an elongate pattern of field-aligned, separate conductive particles, wherein elongate patterns are sized and shaped at the first side of the insulative matrix to receive a directed stream of air-borne charges, and
wherein the charge-responsive media layer defines an imaging plane extending in a second orientation generally perpendicular to the first orientation.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 7, wherein the conductive particles include a magnetically-responsive material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 7, wherein at least some of the conductive paths are formed by a series of separate segments spaced apart from each other in at least the first orientation, with each segment generally aligned in the first orientation, and each respective segment formed by one of the elongate pattern of conductive particles.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 9, wherein each segment has a pair of opposite ends, and the end of one segment is displaced laterally in the second orientation relative to the end of an adjacent segment within one of the respective series of segments.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 9, wherein at least some of the series of segments has a height shorter than a thickness of the insulative matrix.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 7, wherein the charge-receiving layer has a thickness that is a multiple of a thickness of the charge-responsive media layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 7, comprising:
a protective layer disposed on the first side of the insulative matrix of the charge-receiving layer and being made of a material different from the insulative matrix, wherein the protective layer omits the conductive paths of the charge-receiving layer.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The electronic paper assembly of claim 13, wherein the protective layer has a degree of conductivity greater than a conductivity of the insulative matrix of the charge-receiving layer.

### Claim 15

A method of manufacturing an electronic paper (e-paper) assembly comprising:
providing an electrically passive, imageable layer having a first side and an opposite second side;
arranging a counter-electrode layer on the second side of the imageable layer; and
arranging a charge-receiving layer on the first side of the imageable layer, the charge-receiving layer including a plurality of elongate conductive paths dispersed throughout a conductive-resistant medium with each conductive path comprising an elongate pattern of field-aligned, conductive particles, wherein the conductive pathways are oriented to convey received charges through the conductivity-resistant medium generally perpendicular to, and onto, an imaging plane of the imageable layer.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, comprising:
arranging the conductive paths to collectively provide a first conductivity, and providing the conductive-resistant medium with a second conductivity that is at least one order of magnitude less than the first conductivity.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, comprising:
arranging each elongate pattern of conductive particles to have a third conductivity that is about at least two orders of magnitude higher than the second conductivity.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, comprising:
arranging a first ratio of the first conductivity relative to the second conductivity to be proportional to a second ratio of a thickness of the charge-receiving layer relative to a maximum allowable lateral travel of a charge in the conductive-resistant medium.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, comprising:
arranging at least some conductive paths to include a series of spaced apart segments and arranging at least some of the series of segments to have a height less than a height of the charge-receiving layer.