Invented by LI; Xinxing, KOO; Ji Yun, KIM; Sun Young, YU; Sun Mi, CHOI; Byung Hee, HYUNG; Jun Woo

Let’s take a closer look at a new patent for a display device. We’ll see why this invention matters, what came before it, and what makes it so special.

Background and Market Context

Think about how often you see or use a screen. Phones, tablets, computers, TVs, and even watches all need to show images, videos, or information. Over the years, screens have gotten brighter, sharper, and smarter. Some even let you touch them to control what’s on the screen. All of these changes have made screens more useful and fun to use.

Today, people want their screens to do more. We want screens to look good from every angle. This means if you look at your phone from the side, the colors shouldn’t change or look faded. We also want screens to respond when we touch them, so we can play games, zoom in on photos, and type messages. The best screens can do both jobs at once: show clear images and respond to your touch.

But fitting both display and touch features in one thin screen isn’t so easy. When you try to add touch features on top of a screen, you might block some light or make the colors shift when looking at an angle. This color shift makes the image look strange, and it can be annoying. That’s why companies are always trying to make screens that are clear, bright, and touch-friendly from every direction.

Phones and tablets are getting even thinner and lighter. The space inside is very tight. Every layer in the screen needs to be as thin as possible. At the same time, screens have to be strong and reliable, so they don’t break or stop working if you drop your device. This means new display inventions must be smart and practical, not just clever ideas.

So, there is a strong need for display devices that can give you great pictures, take your touch commands, and keep working well from every angle. The new patent we’re studying wants to solve these problems and make screens better than ever.

Scientific Rationale and Prior Art

To understand why this new display device is important, we need to look at how older screens worked and what problems they had.

Most modern screens use tiny colored dots called sub-pixels. These sub-pixels glow in red, green, or blue. When you mix them, you get all the colors you see on the screen. These glowing dots are called emission areas. The parts that don’t glow are called non-emission areas. For a display to be bright and colorful, it’s important that as much of the screen as possible is made up of emission areas. But some non-emission areas are needed for wiring, support, and keeping the pixels in place.

When touch features were added to screens, a thin layer called a touch electrode was placed on top. This layer senses when and where you touch the screen. In the past, this touch electrode was put right above the screen, covering both emission and non-emission areas. This made the touch screen work, but it also blocked some light. More importantly, it made the colors look different when viewing the screen from the side. This is called color shift. It happens because the touch electrode changes the way light leaves the screen, especially at sharp angles.

Some past inventions tried to solve this. They used different materials for the touch electrode, made the electrode thinner, or arranged the touch electrodes in special patterns. Some designs put the electrodes only in the spaces between sub-pixels, so less light was blocked. Others changed the shape of the sub-pixels to make more room for the electrodes, but this could lower image quality.

Another problem was how to connect all the layers together. If the touch electrode was too close to the light-emitting parts, it could cause short circuits or damage the display. If it was too far away, the touch sensing would not work well. To fix this, some screens added extra insulating layers. But adding these layers made the screen thicker and could make touch sensing less accurate.

In summary, older screens often had to choose between good image quality and good touch performance. Some screens had good colors but poor touch sensing. Others responded well to touch but had weak colors or bad viewing angles. No one had found a simple way to combine both features without trade-offs.

The new patent tries to fix these issues. It introduces a special way to arrange the touch electrode so that it does not block light or cause color shift. It also describes better ways to stack the layers and make the whole display thin, strong, and reliable. All these changes are based on a deep understanding of how light moves through screens and how touch signals are sensed.

Invention Description and Key Innovations

Now let’s talk about what makes this new display device special.

The new display device still has a display panel with many sub-pixels. These sub-pixels are the tiny colored areas that make up the image. But the way the touch electrode is placed is different from past designs.

In this invention, the touch electrode is placed only on the non-emission areas—the spaces between the glowing sub-pixels. It does not cover the parts that light up. This means more light can get through, and the colors stay true even when you look from the side.

But there’s more. The touch electrode has special recesses, or dips, in certain spots. These recesses are shaped and placed to match the spaces between sub-pixels. The recesses go down toward the display panel. This means that, instead of sitting on top of a flat layer, the touch electrode sits inside a little groove or pocket. Because the electrode is lower in these spots, it’s even less likely to block light or change the colors you see.

To make this work, the display uses one or more insulating layers between the display panel and the touch electrode. These layers can be made of organic or inorganic material. The insulating layer has trenches or through holes in the spots where the touch electrode will be recessed. The trenches are made using a process called photolithography, where parts of the insulating layer are removed. This lets the electrode sit lower in those areas.

The way the sub-pixels are arranged is also important. Some sub-pixels are bigger than others. For example, the green sub-pixel might be bigger than the red one, and the blue sub-pixel might be even bigger. The patent describes how these different-sized sub-pixels are lined up and how the touch electrode’s recesses are placed between them. By matching the recesses to the shape and size of the sub-pixels, the display can keep its colors looking good from all angles.

Another key idea is that the thickness of the touch electrode is less than the depth of the trench. This means the electrode is almost hidden inside the insulating layer. The result is a very thin, flat screen with no bumps or uneven spots. This makes the display look smooth and feel nice to touch.

The method for making the display is also important. First, the pixel circuits are put on a base layer. Then, the light-emitting elements are added and covered to keep them safe. Next comes the insulating layer, which is shaped with trenches or holes where needed. After that, the touch electrode is formed, with parts going down into the trenches. Other insulating layers can be added on top to protect everything and keep the display thin and strong.

The patent also explains how this design can be used in real products. You can find it in phones, tablets, computers, and more. The processor sends image data to the display, which shows the image and can also detect where you’re touching it. Because of the special way the touch electrode is arranged, the display works well, looks great, and responds quickly to your touch.

In summary, this invention is special because:

– The touch electrode only covers non-emission areas, not the bright parts of the screen.
– The touch electrode has special recesses that fit into trenches in the insulating layer, so it blocks even less light.
– The sub-pixels are arranged carefully, with different sizes, and the electrode’s shape matches these sizes for the best image.
– The whole display is thin, smooth, and strong, with layers stacked in a smart way.
– The method for making the display is simple and uses common manufacturing tools.

All these ideas work together to make a display that is bright, colorful, easy to use, and reliable, even as devices get thinner and more advanced.

Conclusion

Screens are a big part of our lives, and making them better helps everyone. The new display device patent offers a clever way to mix strong touch features with beautiful, clear images. By using special recesses and arranging the touch electrode in just the right places, the screen stays bright and colors do not shift, even from the side. The design is simple to build and fits perfectly in the latest thin, light devices. If you care about having the best possible screen—one that looks great and responds quickly to your touch—this invention is a big step forward.

As technology moves ahead, inventions like this will keep making our screens smarter, clearer, and more fun to use. Stay tuned for more breakthroughs in display design!

Click here https://ppubs.uspto.gov/pubwebapp/ and search 20250338749.