A new Apple patent has surfaced concerning display reflection.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently published the Apple patent titled "UV Mask with Anti-Reflection Coating and UV Absorption Material," which was originally filed on March 6, 2012. The patent relates to the liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) of its devices, such as the iPad.
An example of the patent is Figure 5 (see image below), which shows a UV mask with an anti-reflection film and UV absorption film. The combination of the films and masks prevents reflections from the mask to the main "mother" glass of the tablet.
"The anti-reflection film or coating is provided over the UV absorbing film. An adhesive may be used to adhere the UV absorber to the mask," reads the Apple patent. "As such, the antireflection film is placed on top of the UV mask, with the anti-reflection layer facing towards the LCD assembly. In one embodiment, the UV blocking layer on the mask are on the same side of the glass as the anti-reflection film. The antireflection film may generally include a plastic substrate that contains UV absorbers and an anti-reflection coating that is effective in the UV range of the spectrum."
Follow the latest Tech news on Twitter: @LatinosPostTech
The patent, however, is not final. Apple noted that changes might occur in the detail or form of the UV mask such as rearranging the order of the mask layers.
The Apple patent credited Cheng Chen, Kyung-Wook Kim and John Z. Zhong as inventors of the "UV Mask with Anti-Reflection Coating and UV Absorption Material."
It is unknown if the patent will make its debut for the upcoming iPad 5, but it hasn't stopped rumored features from appearing online.
The iPad 5 is expected to have a similar design to the iPad mini. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Cupertino-based organization decided to use the same touch-panel technology seen on the iPad mini for the iPad 5.
DisplaySearch analyst Shoko Oi stated that the opportunity of using a film-based touch panel is starting to become more appealing for manufactures and vendors. Oi added that the film material has its technical advantages over glass-based touch panels.
As Latinos Post reported, Apple is facing tougher tablet competition as its market share is down considerably when comparing the second quarter of 2013 to the same period last year. Based on the International Data Corporation's (IDC) figures, Apple finished the second quarter this year with 32.4 percent of the market share, which is down from 2012's 60.3 percent.
__
For the latest updates, follow Latinos Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
