# US 12,010,287 B2 · System and method for a three-dimensional optical switch display device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,010,287 B2 - Document ID: US12010287B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/462,946 - Filed: 2021-08-31 - Published: 2022-01-06 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-09 - Assignees: Southern Methodist University - Applicants: Southern Methodist University - Inventors: Alexander R. Lippert; Uroob Haris - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12010287B2 ## CPC - B29C 64/129: characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask - H04N 13/296: Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof - B29C 64/273: pulsed; frequency modulated - B29C 64/282: of the same type, e.g. using different energy levels - B29C 64/286: Optical filters, e.g. masks - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing - C09B 11/24: Phthaleins containing amino groups {; Phthalanes; Fluoranes; Phthalides; Rhodamine dyes; Phthaleins having heterocyclic aryl rings; Lactone or lactame forms of triarylmethane dyes} - C09D 11/101: Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing - C09D 11/38: characterised by non-macromolecular additives other than solvents, pigments or dyes - C09D 11/50: Sympathetic, colour changing or similar inks - G02B 30/56: by projecting aerial or floating images - H04N 9/3129: {scanning a light beam on the display screen (scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161)} - H04N 13/388: Volumetric displays, i.e. systems where the image is built up from picture elements distributed through a volume - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - C09B: ORGANIC DYES OR CLOSELY-RELATED COMPOUNDS FOR PRODUCING DYES {, e.g. PIGMENTS}; MORDANTS; LAKES (fermentation or enzyme using processes to synthesise a desired chemical compound C12P) - C09D: COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR (cosmetics A61K; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general, B05D; staining wood B27K5/02; glazes or vitreous enamels C03C; natural resins, French polish, drying-oils, driers, turpentine, per se, C09F; polishing compositions other than French polish, ski waxes C09G; adhesives or use of materials as adhesives C09J; materials for sealing or packing joints or covers C09K3/10; materials for stopping leaks C09K3/12; processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings C25D) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract The present invention includes a system, apparatus and method for generating a three-dimensional image and/or printing a three-dimensional structures, the system comprising: a medium comprising an acid-sensitive photoinitiator, a photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors, wherein the acceptor has a non-fluorescent state and a fluorescent state, wherein at one wavelength of optical excitation an optical molecular switch molecule has a first state, and at a second state the optical molecular switch molecule fluoresces at a second wavelength of excitation; and at least a first light source and a second light source into the medium, wherein light emitted by the at least first and second light sources are directed to contact the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, wherein a first wavelength activates the photo acid, and the second wavelength triggers polymerization of the monomers. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for generating a three-dimensional image, the apparatus comprising: a medium comprising an acid-sensitive photoinitiator, a photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors, wherein the acceptor has a non-fluorescent state and a fluorescent state, wherein at one wavelength of optical excitation an optical molecular switch molecule has a first state, and at a second state the optical molecular switch molecule fluoresces at a second wavelength of excitation; and at least a first light source and a second light source into the medium, wherein light emitted by the at least first and second light sources are directed to contact the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, wherein a first wavelength activates the photo acid, and the second wavelength triggers polymerization of the monomers. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of: (a) the first and the second light source intersect at the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors; (b) the first or the second light source is a pulsed laser thereby to produce an improved voxel to background emission; (c) the first and the second light source scan across the medium, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors polymerize when light from the first and second wavelengths form an image; or (d) the light sources are selected to match the acid-sensitive photoinitiator and the acid-sensitive polymerization of the monomers, and the first, the second, or both light sources are a laser, a filtered light, or both. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is a photoacid generator, a reversible photoacid generator, a non-reversible photoacid generator, a self-contained photoacid generator, or a photoacid. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is selected from at least one of: an ionic photoacid generator (PAG), a non-ionic PAG, an onium PAG, a benzyl ester PAG, an imino ester PAG, a conjugated imino ester PAG, an imino sulphonate PAG, a sulfonium PAG, a fluorine-containing PAG, a bound PAG, or a blend PAG. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is at least one of: attached to the medium, and wherein the medium is liquid, solid, a liquigel, organic, inorganic, thixotropic, a crystal, a glass, a gel, a polymer, a gas, a protein, and wherein the optical molecular switch molecule is a green fluorescent protein, cyan fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein, red fluorescent protein, gold fluorescent protein a saturation dye, an acceptor fluorophore, a donor fluorophore, and combinations thereof; is capable of energy transfer selected from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), through-bond energy transfer (TBET), or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a molecular-beacon; or is resuspended in a solvent or a base selected from at least one of dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, water, diisopropyl ethylamine, pyridine, carbonate, or bicarbonate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more optical molecular switch molecules that are selected to provide at least three different colors that provide for color images, the three dimensional image can be viewed without glasses or tricking the brain to appear three-dimensional and/or the three dimensional image is volumetric. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of: each of the first light source or the second light source projects one or more three-dimensional images by rapid scanning of the first or second light source, and the other light source is synchronized with a changing patterned of light to form a three-dimensional image in the medium; each of the first light source or the second light source displays a three-dimensional image by projecting light into a woven pattern into the medium; each of the first light source or the second light source displays a three-dimensional image by projecting light into a diagonal pattern into the medium; an agent is positioned to filter stray light is provided in the medium or a surface of a vessel that contains the medium; or an angle is formed between the light emitted from the first light source and the light emitted by the second light sources is at an angle other than 90 degrees. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first light source, the second light source, or both, is a Digital Light Processor, is a UV projector with a short pass filter, and the second light source uses a long pass filter before a camera, and optionally the short pass filter is a 395 nm filter, and the long pass filter is at least one of a 515, a 550, or a 590 nm filter. ### Claim 9 A method of generating a three-dimensional image comprising: providing an acid-sensitive photoinitiator, a photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors in a medium, wherein the acceptor has a non-fluorescent state and a fluorescent state, wherein at one wavelength of optical excitation an optical molecular switch molecule has a first state, and at a second state the optical molecular switch molecule fluoresces at a second wavelength of excitation; and at least a first light source and a second light source into the medium, wherein light emitted by the at least first and second light sources are directed to contact the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, wherein a first wavelength activates the photo acid, and the second wavelength triggers polymerization of the monomers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising at least one of: intersecting the first and the second laser at the optical molecular switch molecule to excite and release light; pulsing the first or the second laser to produce an improved voxel to background emission in the image; scanning the first and the second laser scan across the medium, wherein the optical molecular switch molecule excites and emits light in the medium create the three-dimensional image; attaching the optical molecular switch molecule to the medium; selecting the optical molecular switch molecule from one or more fluorescent proteins, a green fluorescent protein, cyan fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein, red fluorescent protein, gold fluorescent protein and combinations thereof; selecting the optical molecular switch molecule from a saturation dye, an acceptor fluorophore, a donor fluorophore, a saturation dye, an acceptor fluorophore, a donor fluorophore, and combinations thereof; selecting the optical molecular switch molecule to be capable of energy transfer selected from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), through-bond energy transfer (TBET), or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a molecular-beacon; resuspending the optical molecular switch molecule in a solvent or a base selected from at least one of dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, water, diisopropyl ethylamine, pyridine, carbonate, or bicarbonate; selecting the optical molecular switch molecule to provide at least three different colors that provide for color images; viewing the image in three dimensions without glasses or tricking the brain to appear three-dimensional; displaying one or more three-dimensional images by rapid scanning of the first or second light source, and the other light source is synchronized with a changing patterned of light to form a three-dimensional image in the medium; displaying a three-dimensional image by projecting light into a woven pattern into the medium; displaying a three-dimensional image by projecting light into a diagonal pattern into the medium; catalyzing a reaction at the three-dimensional image; selecting the medium from a liquid, solid, a liquigel, organic, inorganic, thixotropic, a crystal, a glass, a gel, a polymer, a gas, and combinations thereof; or selecting the lasers to match the wavelength of excitation of the optical molecular switch molecule. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is a photoacid generator, a reversible photoacid generator, a non-reversible photoacid generator, a self-contained photoacid generator, or a photoacid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is selected from at least one of: an ionic photoacid generator (PAG), a non-ionic PAG, an onium PAG, a benzyl ester PAG, an imino ester PAG, a conjugated imino ester PAG, an imino sulphonate PAG, a sulfonium PAG, a fluorine-containing PAG, a bound PAG, a blended PAG. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is at least one of: attached to the medium, and wherein the medium is liquid, solid, a liquigel, organic, inorganic, thixotropic, a crystal, a glass, a gel, a polymer, a gas, a protein, and wherein the optical molecular switch molecule is a green fluorescent protein, cyan fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein, red fluorescent protein, gold fluorescent protein a saturation dye, an acceptor fluorophore, a donor fluorophore, and combinations thereof; is capable of energy transfer selected from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), through-bond energy transfer (TBET), or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a molecular-beacon; or is resuspended in a solvent or a base selected from at least one of dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, water, diisopropyl ethylamine, pyridine, carbonate, or bicarbonate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising one or more optical molecular switch molecules that are selected to provide at least three different colors that provide for color images, the three-dimensional image can be viewed without glasses or tricking the brain to appear three-dimensional and/or the three-dimensional image is volumetric. ### Claim 15 A system for printing in three dimensions comprising: an imaging system comprising: a medium comprising an acid-sensitive photoinitiator, a photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors, wherein the acceptor has a non-fluorescent state and a fluorescent state, wherein at one wavelength of optical excitation an optical molecular switch molecule has a first state, and at a second state the optical molecular switch molecule fluoresces at a second wavelength of excitation; and at least a first light source and a second light source into the medium, wherein light emitted by the at least first and second light sources are directed to contact the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, wherein a first wavelength activates the photo acid, and the second wavelength triggers polymerization of the monomers; a memory, configured to store a representation of the three-dimensional image; and a processor, operably coupled to the memory and the first light source and the second light source, wherein the processor is configured to direct the first and the second light source into the medium to convert the acid-sensitive photoinitiator into a fluorescent “on state” by irradiation from the first light source, and when the second light source irradiates the optical molecular switch molecule in the “on state” the acid-sensitive photoinitiator emits light at the specific location in the medium. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of: (a) the first and the second light source intersect at the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors; (b) the first or the second light source is a pulsed laser thereby to produce an improved voxel to background emission; (c) the first and the second light source scan across the medium, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator, photoacid, monomers, donors, and acceptors polymerize when light from the first and second wavelengths form an image; or (d) the light sources are selected to match the acid-sensitive photoinitiator and the acid-sensitive polymerization of the monomers, and the first, the second, or both light sources are a laser, a filtered light, or both. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is a photoacid generator, a reversible photoacid generator, a non-reversible photoacid generator, a self-contained photoacid generator, or a photoacid. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is selected from at least one of: an ionic photoacid generator (PAG), a non-ionic PAG, an onium PAG, a benzyl ester PAG, an imino ester PAG, a conjugated imino ester PAG, an imino sulphonate PAG, a sulfonium PAG, a fluorine-containing PAG, a bound PAG, or a blended PAG. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the acid-sensitive photoinitiator is at least one of: attached to the medium, and wherein the medium is liquid, solid, a liquigel, organic, inorganic, thixotropic, a crystal, a glass, a gel, a polymer, a gas, a protein, and wherein the optical molecular switch molecule is a green fluorescent protein, cyan fluorescent protein, yellow fluorescent protein, red fluorescent protein, gold fluorescent protein a saturation dye, an acceptor fluorophore, a donor fluorophore, and combinations thereof; is capable of energy transfer selected from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), through-bond energy transfer (TBET), or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) with a molecular-beacon; or is resuspended in a solvent or a base selected from at least one of dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, water, diisopropyl ethylamine, pyridine, carbonate, or bicarbonate. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, further comprising one or more optical molecular switch molecules that are selected to provide at least three different colors that provide for color images, the three-dimensional image can be viewed without glasses or tricking the brain to appear three-dimensional and/or the three-dimensional image is volumetric. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of: each of the first light source or the second light source projects a three-dimensional images by rapid scanning of the first or second light source, and the other light source is synchronized with a changing patterned of light to form a three dimensional image in the medium; each of the first light source or the second light source displays a three-dimensional image by projecting light into a woven pattern into the medium; each of the first light source or the second light source displays a three-dimensional image by projecting light into a diagonal pattern into the medium; an agent is positioned to filter stray light is provided in the medium or a surface of a vessel that contains the medium; or an angle is formed between the light emitted from the first light source and the light emitted by the second light sources is at an angle other than 90 degrees. ### Claim 22 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the first light source, the second light source, or both, is a Digital Light Processor, is a UV projector with a short pass filter, and the second light source uses a long pass filter before a camera, and optionally the short pass filter is a 395 nm filter, and the long pass filter is at least one of a 515, a 550, or a 590 nm filter.