# US 11,079,651 B2 · Multi-color electro-optic media

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- Number: US 11,079,651 B2
- Document ID: US11079651B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/218,668
- Filed: 2018-12-13
- Published: 2019-06-20
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-15
- Assignees: E Ink Corporation
- Applicants: E Ink Corporation
- Inventors: Mark Benjamin Romanowsky; Kosta Ladavac; Stephen J. Telfer; Jay William Anseth
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079651B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/16757: Microcapsules
- G02F 1/167: by electrophoresis
- G02F 1/1676: Electrodes
- G02F 1/1681: having two or more microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. of microcup type
- G02F 1/1685: Operation of cells; Circuit arrangements affecting the entire cell
- G02F 1/172: {based on a suspension of orientable dipolar particles, e.g. suspended particles displays}
- G02F 2001/1678: {characterised by the composition or particle type}
- G02F 2203/34: Colour display without the use of colour mosaic filters
- 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

## Abstract

An electro-optic medium that may be incorporated into an electro-optic display. The medium includes a first microcapsule containing at least one of a first dispersion of colored particles and a colored fluid and an encapsulated second dispersion that may include the first microcapsule and a plurality of electrophoretic particles. The colored particles of the first dispersion may include one or more sets of differently colored electrophoretic particles. The second dispersion may be encapsulated within a second microcapsule or a microcell, for example.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electro-optic medium comprising:
a first microcapsule containing a first dispersion, the first dispersion comprising a first plurality of electrophoretic particles; and
an encapsulated second dispersion comprising the first microcapsule and a second plurality of electrophoretic particles.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electro-optic medium of claim 1, wherein the second dispersion is encapsulated within a second microcapsule.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electro-optic medium of claim 1, wherein the second dispersion is encapsulated within a microcell.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electro-optic medium of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of electrophoretic particles comprises a first and second set of charged colored particles, the color of the first set being different than the color of the second set.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electro-optic medium of claim 4, wherein the charge of the first set is an opposite polarity relative to the charge of the second set.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The electro-optic medium of claim 5, wherein the second plurality of electrophoretic particles comprises a third set of charged colored particles, the color of the third set being different than the color of the second set.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The electro-optic medium of claim 6, wherein the color of the first, second, and third set of charged colored particles is selected from the group consisting of yellow, magenta, cyan, red, green, blue, black, and white.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The electro-optic medium of claim 1, wherein the first microcapsule is charged.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The electro-optic medium of claim 8, wherein the first plurality of electrophoretic particles comprises a first and second set of charged colored particles, the color of the first set being different than the color of the second set.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The electro-optic medium of claim 9, wherein the charge of the first set is an opposite polarity relative to the charge of the second set.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The electro-optic medium of claim 10, wherein the second plurality of electrophoretic particles comprises a third set of charged colored particles.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The electro-optic medium of claim 11, wherein the second plurality of electrophoretic particles further comprises a fourth set of charged colored particles.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The electro-optic medium of claim 12, wherein the color of the third set being different than the color of the fourth set.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The electro-optic medium of claim 13, wherein the color of the first, second, third, and fourth set of charged colored particles is selected from the group consisting of yellow, magenta, cyan, red, green, blue, black, and white.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The electro-optic medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth sets of charged colored particles has a greater mobility than the a mobility of the charged first microcapsule.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The electro-optic medium of claim 1, wherein the encapsulated second dispersion comprises a plurality of first microcapsules.

### Claim 17

An electro-optic medium comprising a microcapsule containing a dispersion, the dispersion comprising a fluid, a plurality of opaque objects and a plurality of electrophoretic particles,
wherein a volume fraction of the plurality of opaque objects in the dispersion is at least 1%.

### Claim 18

An electro-optic medium encapsulated within a microcell, the medium comprising a dispersion, the dispersion comprising a fluid, a plurality of opaque objects and a plurality of electrophoretic particles,
wherein a volume fraction of the plurality of opaque objects in the dispersion is at least 1%.