patents tft lcd globally for sale

STONE Technologies is a proud manufacturer of superior quality TFT LCD modules and LCD screens. The company also provides intelligent HMI solutions that perfectly fit in with its excellent hardware offerings.

STONE TFT LCD modules come with a microcontroller unit that has a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU. Such a module can easily be transformed into an HMI screen. Simple hexadecimal instructions can be used to control the module through the UART port. Furthermore, you can seamlessly develop STONE TFT LCD color user interface modules and add touch control, features to them.

Becoming a reputable TFT LCD manufacturer is no piece of cake. It requires a company to pay attention to detail, have excellent manufacturing processes, the right TFT display technology, and have a consumer mindset.

Now, we list down 10 of the best famous LCD manufacturers globally. We’ll also explore why they became among the top 10 LCD display Manufacturers in the world.

In 2019, BOE’s yearly new-patent applications amounted to 9657, of which over 90% are invention patents, amounting to over 70,000 usable patents in total. Data from IFI Claims also shows that BOE has ranked 13th among the Top 50 USPTO (The United States Patent and Trademark Office), Patent Assignees, in 2019. According to the 2019 International PCT Applications of WIPO, BOE ranked No.6 with 1,864 applications.

LG Display is a leading manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD) panels, OLED, and flexible displays.LG Display began developing TFT-LCD in 1987 and currently offers Display panels in a variety of sizes and specifications using different cutting-edge technologies (IPS, OLED, and flexible technology).

With innovative and differentiated technologies, QINNOOptoelectronics provides advanced display integration solutions, including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D naked eye, IGZO, LTPS, AMOLED, OLED, and touch solutions. Qinnooptoelectronics sets specifications and leads the market. A wide range of product line is across all kinds of TFT LCD panel modules, touch modules, for example, TV panel, desktop and laptop computer monitor with panels, small and medium scale “panels, medical, automotive, etc., the supply of cutting-edge information and consumer electronics customers around the world, for the world TFT – LCD (thin-film transistor liquid crystal display) leading manufacturers.

AU Optronics Co., LTD., formerly AU Optronics Corporation, was founded in August 1996. It changed its name to AU Optronics after its merger with UNIOPtronics in 2001. Through two mergers, AU has been able to have a full range of generations of production lines for panels of all sizes.Au Optronics is a TFT-LCD design, manufacturing, and r&d company. Since 2008, au Optronics has entered the green energy industry, providing customers with high-efficiency solar energy solutions.

Sharp has been called the “father of LCD panels”.Since its founding in 1912, Sharp developed the world’s first calculator and LIQUID crystal display, represented by the living pencil, which was invented as the company name. At the same time, Sharp is actively expanding into new areas to improve people’s living standards and social progress. Made a contribution.

BYD IT products and businesses mainly include rechargeable batteries, plastic mechanism parts, metal parts, hardware electronic products, cell phone keys, microelectronics products, LCD modules, optoelectronics products, flexible circuit boards, chargers, connectors, uninterruptible power supplies, DC power supplies, solar products, cell phone decoration, cell phone ODM, cell phone testing, cell phone assembly business, notebook computer ODM, testing and manufacturing and assembly business, etc.

Tianma microelectronics co., LTD., founded in 1983, the company focus on smartphones, tablets, represented by high order laptop display market of consumer goods and automotive, medical, POS, HMI, etc., represented by professional display market, and actively layout smart home, intelligent wear, AR/VR, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other emerging markets, to provide customers with the best product experience.IN terms of technology, the company has independently mastered leading technologies such as LTPS-TFT, AMOLED, flexible display, Oxide-TFT, 3D display, transparent display, and in-cell/on-cell integrated touch control. TFT-LCD key Materials and Technologies National Engineering Laboratory, national enterprise Technology Center, post-doctoral mobile workstation, and undertake national Development and Reform Commission, The Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and other major national thematic projects. The company’s long-term accumulation and continuous investment in advanced technology lay the foundation for innovation and development in the field of application.

“LCD is one opportunity for Taiwan in a hundred years. It is a sunrise industry, and it’s really important we make the best of it at the end of the day.” as commented Wen-long Shi, the former Chairman of Chi Mei Corporation. He went on to say, “For the 3C industry (computers, communication and consumer electronics), the LCD can be widely used on any electronic product, from refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing machines, to computers, notebooks or mobile phones, and even cars, traffic signs or wrist watches in the future. It’s not difficult to imagine why the industry is so competitive, as LCD is applied so widely.” In this gigantic industrial chain connected by LCD technology, tons of billion dollars change hands from upstream to downstream, and LCD global production value in 2011 alone exceeded one hundred billion dollars. In this completely open market, the frequent patent infringement disputes and licensing problems have become a patent game which every LCD player has to face.

This author has collected and compiled publicly available LCD patent cases published before July 2012, of which the patent infringement cases were from Westlaw database, while licensing information, due to confidentiality reasons, was obtained mainly from news media. LCD patent disputes came into public view in 2000 when the Japanese company Sharp sued Chunghwa Picture Tubes for LCD-related infringement in Taiwan. In 2002 it again sued Chunghwa in Japan for infringing three of its patented techniques in LCD driver programs and LSI setup, for an injunction against latter from importing, and against any sale, offer for sale, display, advertisement or promotion of LCDs using such technologies. Again in 2000, Plasma Physics and Solar Physics, an American NPE (non-practicing entity), sued 9 parties including Sharp and NEC in various courts for patent infringement.

First, there is a criss-cross multilayer game in the production chain. Generally speaking, direct competing relationship exists among business competitors, and players on the same level are more likely to be competitors, among whom patent suits take place. That is not the case in the LCD industry, however, where patent disputes among players on different levels are very constant. The LCD industry can be roughly divided into three levels, namely, the upstream suppliers, including suppliers of equipment, materials, glass strata, driver ICs, optical membranes, and backlight sources, such as Corning and Anvik; the midstream panel manufacturers, representative companies including Samsung, LG, Innolux, AUO and BOE; and the downstream OEM manufacturers, mostly those that mount LCD panels to display equipment, such as Sony, Vizio, as well as Samsung, LG and Sharp. On September 17th 2003, Sharp filed a lawsuit in Californian district court, alleging patent infringement of its LCD technology against BenQ and Viewsonic, which were downstream compani e s t h a t used pane l s from AUO. In 2005, the U.S. glass manufacturer, Guardian, sued AUO, Chi Mei Corporation, Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Dell, Acer and AOC in the U.S., which were all downstream LCD manufacturers. On January 24th 2011, Sharp took simultaneous actions both in the ITC and in federal district court in Delaware against BenQ, Haier, LG, Sanyo, TCL, TTE and Vizio, for using allegedly infringing panels from AUO. On June 6th 2011, a German backlight source manufacturer, OSRAM, filed complaints both at ITC and district court in Delaware against Samsung and LG for infringement of its LED patents. On April 7th 2011, Seiko Epson sued toymakers Leapfrog and Mattel for using LCD modules from Taiwanese Giantplus Technology.

Second, new aspects are added to the game. Generally the patent game can be either patent lawsuits or patent licensing. The LCD industry has fully expounded in these two aspects. In recent years, more is added to the game, including filing patent litigation, responding and counter claiming, as well as a Section 337 investigations and customs recording. For example, during a three-year patent duel, Samsung first requested a Section 337 investigation with ITC against Sharp on December 21st 2007. After a year and a half, Samsung prevailed at ITC which found Sharp infringing two of Samsung’s patents (US6937311 and US6771344). Patent licensing comes in a variety of forms. There are primarily three cooperative modes in the panel industry: 1. Technical licensing, which is the most commonly applied form of technical cooperation. Examples include AUO’s announcement of 170 IBM TFT-LCD licenses in the US on June 30th 2005, and Samsung’s cross-licensing with Sharp after the extended patent war. 2. Joint ventures. Examples are AUO and AOC that entered into a joint venture agreement to establish companies in Poland and Brazil for manufacturing and selling LCD modules; and Samsung and Sony that joint established the panel joint venture S-LCD (however, Sony announced its total withdrawal in December 2001 for the failure of the joint venture). 3. Strategic cooperation. Examples are Hon Hai Precision Industry and Vizio that formed a strategic alliance to jointly enter the TV market in the North America; and Sharp formed a strategic alliance with Hon Hai Corporation by selling to the latter 46.5% of the shares of its Sakai Display Products (SDP).

Third, friends or foes, it depends. In the business world, there are no permanent friends, nor permanent enemies. Participants in the LCD industry may be partners today, but start to sue each other tomorrow. In January 2006, Samsung entered into an extensive cross-licensing agreement with AUO with respects to TFT-LCD and OLED-related patents. But, just before the end of the agreement, it sued AUO, together with AUO’s downstream clients, for patents infringement, at the ITC and district courts in Delaware and North California. Through the actions, as it can be said, Samsung intended to urge AUO to enter into a new crosslicensing as soon as possible. Finally on January 6th 2012, AUO announced its settlement with Samsung, whereby the parties agreed to continue to grant licenses to each other and withdraw their actions against each other, to end their LCD patent controversy.

Settlement is the preferred option. This author notices upon study that there are 300,000 LCD patent applications globally, some of which carry multiple national applications. Any given LCD panel may incorporate up to 1,000 patents, which means no one manufacturer can keep walking within the territory of its own patents, without stepping on the domain of the competitors. The best way for the LCD players to navigate through these patent entanglements as fast as possible, is to get your own patents first, then bargain the litigation through negotiation for a balancing point so as to settle for a solution. From the Samsung and Sharp controversy, to the numerous lawsuits between Sharp and AUO, and to the dispute between Innolux and Sony, statistics show that nearly 55% of such cases were settled either in or out of court, regardless of the duration and the process involved.

Concentration is in U.S. forums. Because the U.S. market is most attractive to manufacturers for its revenue-generating ability on the global scale, its judicial system being well established, and its robust protection of intellectual property, all LCD manufacturers would like to get their cases in US courts. Sharp, LG, 02Micro, Anvik, Semiconductor Energy Lab of Japan and Atomic Energy Lab of France favor filing lawsuits in US district courts, while Samsung, Sharp, Innolux, AUO and BenQ are the mostly sued, 10 times on average, in the country.

NPEs are the more troublesome. The party that raises an action for patent infringement is mostly a midstream panel maker, an upstream supplier, an R&D institution or an NPE. NPEs (or patent trolls) are often deemed as patent licensing companies. They never produce or sell any product, but obtain patents independently or through acquisition. They aim to profit by collecting royalties or compensations from manufacturers, mostly by means of licensing negotiation or patent litigation. They are the most dangerous to manufacturers for two reasons. First, it is generally easy for a company to know the patent portfolio of its competitors, so that it can formulate a strategy to avoid those patents in advance. But, it is almost impossible to know how many cards an NPE has in hand, as it often registers a number of subsidiaries. Second, if sued by a competitor, a company may settle it through cross-licensing. But, an NPE, having no actual products but patents, is not interested in cross-licensing. It goes after monetary damages only.

The recent NPE stories include a few cases of Modis Technology Ltd. from Britain against Innolux in the US from 2007 to 2012, Thomson Licensing in France against Innolux or AUO under Section 337 in 2010, Advanced Display Technologies of Texas in the US against 13 top global manufacturers of panels, computers and mobile phones, including AUO, Sharp, Vizio, Viewsonic, Haier, ASUS and Apple in 2011, where ADT alleged that the 13 manufacturers infringed its display patents; Technology Licensing Corporation in the US vs. ASUS and Westinghouse Electric on account of 3 of its patents being infringed; Yield Boost Tech, a Californian technical consultation and solution provider, vs. Applied Materials, the world’s largest semiconductor equipment supplier, on account of one of its patents being infringed, at the Eastern Californian court.

In 2011, the top five LCD panel makers in the world, according to their market shares, were LG, Samsung, Innolux (the new Chi Mei), AUO and Sharp. As shown, they attack and are attacked the most often with respect to the patent game of the LCD industry. As this patent game cannot be avoided even by the industrial leaders, then how about the situation of enterprises in the Mainland China? It is a surprise to find that among representative Chinese LCD manufacturers, such as BOE, CSOT, Tianma, Panda and IVO, only BOE’s subsidiary in South Korea, BOEHYDIS, was ever sued by the glassmaker Guardian in the U.S. in 2005. No other Chinese enterprises are found in the patent game. Do they own all the intellectual property rights? Is their technical leadership so powerful as to keep themselves out of the patent wrestle? Both answers are absolutely “no.” This author considers a few possible reasons. Some of them purchase whole production lines, new or used, directly from foreign manufacturers, so that they pay the royalty up front. The others reach a technical licensing agreement with foreign manufacturers in private, so that they pay the royalty but do not publish the information due to confidentiality reasons. Moreover, as most Chinese enterprises have limited market shares and their products are at the lower end, they do not create a real threat to foreign competitors in overseas markets.

The market status determines whether a company is worth being sued by other companies for patent infringement. In other words, if a company has never encountered any patent lawsuit, it does not mean it’s litigation proof, but that its status is not high enough. After all, with respect to the 300,000 patent applications globally in the LCD industry every year, no one manufacturer could work within its own sphere of patents without stepping on the area of domain of the other competitors.

With the support in policy and finance from the government, Chinese LCD manufacturers have been growing up. As international panel makers, particularly Samsung and LG, begin to shift their attention to OLED panels, this will very likely leave an opportunity for Chinese enterprises to acquire the global LCD market. For their greater market shares and better profiting situation, Chinese LCD manufacturers will face more criticism in intellectual property from international competitors. They must get themselves ready for coming challenges.

The LCD industry is intensive in both finance and technology and its growth cannot be without government support. When arranging the industry from upstream to downstream or causing the industry to integrate, the government should focus on promoting technical consolidation among enterprises. For technical consolidation, the government should act early to collect relevant information and intelligence with respect to patenting strategies in the LCD area, and study and analyze patent-related litigations. It can be said that a core step of consolidation is to consolidate patent assets. To understand the industrial patent game in an overall way helps enhance Chinese enterprises’ ability to use and protect their patents.

A government-funded research institute in Taiwan has opened a patent Web site for an October fire sale of IT patents, hoping to match international sellers with Taiwanese buyers.

The Web site aims to collect patents for a variety of electronics technologies. They include WiMax high speed wireless Internet connectivity LCD-TV (liquid crystal display television); 3G (third generation) and other telecommunications; and LED (light emitting diode) and a host of audio/visual technologies, including HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

"Many companies have an inventory of unused patents from shelved projects that no longer fit the company"s business strategy or core business...However, an organization"s unproductive patents may be very valuable to another company," the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said in a statement on Friday. ITRI hopes to play matchmaker in such cases.

The research group is encouraging companies globally to sell their patents to Taiwanese companies through the auction. It is collecting patent information at the Web site and will promote them ahead of the October auction in Chinese.

The international side of the site is English-only, and ITRI is charging US$100 per patent family listing, according to the site. Any organization listing more than 20 patents will be given a discount.

Patents are listed under seven categories: IC Fabless (integrated circuit), TFT-LCD (thin-film-crystal-liquid crystal display), Digital TV, Digital Broadcasting, Wireless Communication & Networking, LED, and Audio/Visual.

Taiwanese companies have been creating and buying patents for years, for many reasons. The main reason is to protect intellectual property and profit by licensing deals. Companies can also increase the number of patents they hold to enter cross-license agreements with major patent holders, instead of paying licensing fees. Such measures reducing business costs. Users tend to benefit from corporate cost reductions because stiff competition in most technology fields means companies must constantly seek ways to lower the prices of their products.

— --A government-funded research institute in Taiwan has opened a patent Web site for an October fire sale of IT patents, hoping to match international sellers with Taiwanese buyers.

The Web site, http://patentauction.itri.org.tw/tipa/about.aspx, aims to collect patents for a variety of electronics technologies. They include WiMax high speed wireless Internet connectivity LCD-TV (liquid crystal display television); 3G (third generation) and other telecommunications; and LED (light emitting diode) and a host of audio/visual technologies, including HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

"Many companies have an inventory of unused patents from shelved projects that no longer fit the company"s business strategy or core business...However, an organization"s unproductive patents may be very valuable to another company," the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said in a statement on Friday. ITRI hopes to play matchmaker in such cases.

The research group is encouraging companies globally to sell their patents to Taiwanese companies through the auction. It is collecting patent information at the Web site and will promote them ahead of the October auction in Chinese: http://patentauction.itri.org.tw/memb/index.aspx.

The international side of the site is English-only, and ITRI is charging US$100 per patent family listing, according to the site. Any organization listing more than 20 patents will be given a discount.

Patents are listed under seven categories: IC Fabless (integrated circuit), TFT-LCD (thin-film-crystal-liquid crystal display), Digital TV, Digital Broadcasting, Wireless Communication & Networking, LED, and Audio/Visual.

Taiwanese companies have been creating and buying patents for years, for many reasons. The main reason is to protect intellectual property and profit by licensing deals. Companies can also increase the number of patents they hold to enter cross-license agreements with major patent holders, instead of paying licensing fees. Such measures reducing business costs. Users tend to benefit from corporate cost reductions because stiff competition in most technology fields means companies must constantly seek ways to lower the prices of their products.

Nor is Apple alone. French company, Schneider Electric lost a $48 million patent infringement verdict in China and Samsung lost one for $7.4 million. Sony, Phillips, Canon and Dell have all had their battles and GooPhone sells knockoffs of other smartphones in China with apparent impunity. Of course it’s possible in some cases the Chinese technology may be first and the Chinese patent legitimate. However, foreign companies face a growing risk that Chinese entities may unscrupulously patent foreign technology in China and demand a toll to do business there. Not only that, but in coming years companies will increasingly face challenges worldwide from the growing landslide of patents coming out of China. Continue reading →

Universal Display Corporation is a developer and manufacturer of organic light emitting diodes (OLED) technologies and materials as well as provider of services to the display and lighting industries. It is also an OLED research company. Founded in 1994, the company currently owns or has exclusive, co-exclusive or sole license rights with respect to more than 3,000 issued and pending patents worldwide for the commercialization of phosphorescent based OLEDs and also flexible, transparent and stacked OLEDs - for both display and lighting applications. Its phosphorescent OLED technologies and materials are licensed and supplied to companies such as Samsung, LG, AU Optronics CMEL, Pioneer, Panasonic Idemitsu OLED lighting and Konica Minolta.

OLEDs can be printed onto any suitable substrate by an inkjet printer or even by screen printing,plasma displays. However, fabrication of the OLED substrate is more costly than that of a TFT LCD, until mass production methods lower cost through scalability. Roll-to-roll vapour-deposition methods for organic devices do allow mass production of thousands of devices per minute for minimal cost, although this technique also induces problems in that devices with multiple layers can be challenging to make because of registration, lining up the different printed layers to the required degree of accuracy.

OLEDs can enable a greater artificial contrast ratio (both dynamic range and static, measured in purely dark conditions) and a wider viewing angle compared to LCDs because OLED pixels emit light directly. OLED pixel colors appear correct and unshifted, even as the viewing angle approaches 90° from normal.

LCDs filter the light emitted from a backlight, allowing a small fraction of light through. So, they cannot show true black. However, an inactive OLED element does not produce light or consume power, thus allowing true blacks.

OLEDs also can have a faster response time than standard LCD screens. Whereas LCD displays are capable of between 1 and 16 ms response time offering a refresh rate of 60 to 480 Hz, an OLED theoretically can have a response time less than 0.01 ms, enabling a refresh rate up to 100,000 Hz . OLEDs also can be run as a flicker display, similar to a CRT, in order to eliminate the sample-and-hold effect that creates motion blur on OLEDs.

While an OLED will consume around 40% of the power of an LCD displaying an image that is primarily black, for the majority of images it will consume 60–80% of the power of an LCD. However, an OLED can use more than three times as much power to display an image with a white background, such as a document or web site.

"Phablets" are defined as a device that has a screen between 5 and 7 inches and is part phone-part tablet. Examples include the Galaxy Note I, II and III. Samsung unveiled their Galaxy Note 3 at the IFA electronics show in September 2013. The Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.7 inch AMOLED screen.Galaxy Note 3 and say it is the best OLED screen they have tested and is superior to all LCD screens they have tested.

With the arrival of Quantum Dot LCD displays, LG released an article describing why they still see OLED as the future of Television displays: "In fact, OLED technology is the technology that is so much advanced that it should not be compared to an LCD based QD. Hence, even though LG already has the technology to create QD backlighting, it is focusing on developing OLED".

Consumer Reports, an American Magazine covering reviews of consumer products, published their review of OLED televisions saying that their TV project leader, Claudio Ciacci, would pick LG"s OLED TV over every other TV model tested in 2014. "It has all the advantages of both LCD and Plasma Televisions without any of the weakness."

The Flexible Display Center announced that it has successfully manufactured the world"s largest flexible color AMOLED prototype using advanced mixed oxide thin film transistors (TFTs). Measuring 7.4 diagonal inches, the device was developed at the FDC in conjunction with Army Research Labs scientists. It also meets a critical target set by the U.S. Department of Defense to advance the development of full-color, full-motion video flexible OLED displays for use in thin, lightweight, bendable and highly rugged devices.

In 2012, UDC reported two favorable patent decisions. The first one is from Japan, regarding two patents (JP781 and JP158) relating to UDC"s L2MX technology. The patents were upheld as valid by the Japanese patent office. The second decision related to one of the OVJP patents in Korea. The Korean patent office issued a favorable decision which upheld the patent as valid.

TCL was the first to introduce LCD TVs with a miniLED backlight in 2019. CSoT’s acquisition of LCD patents from Samsung Display signifies a shift of power in the global TV market, putting TCL at the forefront of LCD TV development.

Sharp Corporation (hereinafter "Sharp") and Taiwan"s AU Optronics Corp. (hereinafter "AUO") signed a patent cross license agreement today. Both parties have reached an agreement to mutually utilize patents relating to LCD panels and LCD modules owned by each party (hereinafter "LCD related patents") .

Both Sharp and AUO have led the LCD industry with development of advanced display technologies, and have built a strong and extensive patent portfolio in the field of TFT-LCD. Both parties have agreed to utilize LCD related patents of the other on the basis of mutual respect for each other"s intellectual property rights. This agreement will allow each company to innovate using the other company"s LCD related patents for the further advancement of TFT-LCD technologies.

Upon signing the patent cross license agreement, Sharp and AUO will dismiss all pending legal actions over LCD related patents that have been filed against each other.

From the first solar-powered calculator to the largest commercially available LCD monitor, from copiers to solar cells, from air purifiers to steam ovens, and from microelectronics to microwave ovens, Sharp covers all of the needs of the contemporary lifestyle.

The name Sharp becomes inextricably linked with LCD. The Company creates a TFT LCD module containing 92,160 pixels, the most in the industry, and incorporates it into an LCD color TV.

Sharp made an early start with optoelectronics research. Spinoffs have included LCDs, solar cells, laser diodes, EL devices, CCDs (charge-coupled devices) and LEDs. Today the company is number one in the world market for optoelectronics, which is the key to growth in fast expanding areas such as audio-visual and data communications.

One Sharp success in the optoelectronics field at this time is the development of the world"s first 14-inch color TFT LCD. A mere 2.7 cm thick, it boasts a sharp, bright picture.

Sharp takes a lead in the field of LCD-based products by developing a 100-inch large-screen LCD video projector consisting of three 3-inch color TFT LCD panels and unveiling a high-definition television (HDTV) LCD projector.

The Company continues to reinforce its leadership position in the LCD field by completing a new LCD plant in Japan and a facility for mass-producing LCD panels in the US.

Sharp makes waves by introducing a reflective-type TFT color LCD that can be viewed clearly in natural or normal room light. Compared to conventional transmissive-type LCD, which required a backlight, this new display uses just one-thirtieth the power and boasts a wide viewing angle. The reflective TFT LCD becomes popular as a display for mobile devices.

Sharp announces development of a 21-inch TFT color LCD, the world"s largest. This is 1.5 times larger than the 17-inch model Sharp introduced in 1992, showing the world Sharp"s high standard of LCD technology. Sharp finally breaks the 20-inch barrier with this wall-mounted TV.

Sharp introduces the Mebius notebook PC, a culmination of the company’s expertise in several technologies: LCD, high-density and downsizing technologies fostered in PDAs and word processors, and user-friendly interfaces.

Japan"s leading economic daily chooses Sharp as the second best domestic company for fiscal 1995, out of a total of 1,054 companies. Using a multivariate company evaluation system, the newspaper rates Sharp highly for the development of key devices and original products with unique features such as the company"s LCDs, its continuous effort of releasing demand-creating products, and increased sales and profitability for four continuous years.

Using new CG-Silicon (continuous grain silicon) technology developed through a joint venture, Sharp makes a splash with its prototype ultra high-definition 60-inch rear projector that uses three 2.6-inch CG-Silicon LCD panels.

Sharp takes advantage of its core competencies and establishes itself as a leading brand in notebook PCs by unveiling a model equipped with an 11.3-inch high-definition LCD, the largest in its class, despite the entire unit being half the thickness and half the weight of conventional notebooks of that time. The notebook could be run for an amazingly long time (approximately 8.5 hours using the separately sold battery) and had revolutionary specifications for its era, such as a 3.2 GB hard drive.

Sharp announces the world’s first 20-inch LCD TVs in February and begins sales the following month. The large 20-inch screen is the ideal size for a main TV in a home. With a thickness of only 4.95 cm, these TVs save space and use only 43% of the power consumed by conventional models.

Sharp starts production of a high-definition TFT LCD that has the ability to faithfully display objects in fine detail. Sharp"s original UHA (ultra high aperture) technology enables ultra high definition that is difficult to achieve with conventional CRT monitors. The new LCD can be used in a wide range of fields, including digital broadcast-compatible LCD TVs and displays for highly intricate medical applications.

Sharp strengthens its foundation for future success by starting construction of new manufacturing facilities including the highly efficient Kameyama Plant (in Japan) as a site for the integrated production of LCD TVs—from the LCD panel to the final assembly of large-screen TVs.

Sharp announces a new plant to produce System LCDs. System LCDs make it possible to display higher resolution images and build ICs such as LCD drivers onto a single glass panel. They contribute to more compact devices with thinner profiles and lower power consumption, enabling equipment such as handsets to be thinner than ever.

The shift to high-resolution LCDs for mobile devices rapidly progresses, and Sharp begins full-scale production of System LCDs, which enable an ultra-high-resolution display on a par with photogravure printing. System LCDs quickly find applications in mobile phones and PDAs.

Sharp develops the Mobile Advanced Super View LCD and LCD Panel Speakers for portable devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and digital cameras. The Mobile Advanced Super View LCD represents a breakthrough in high-resolution displays, making it possible to attain crisp, clear images with super-wide viewing angles. The LCD Panel Speakers integrally formed audio circuitry on the glass substrate of a System LCD panel. Both of these technologies received high ratings as technologies to simultaneously enable high-resolution image display and high-quality audio without the need for external speaker components.

Sharp’s state-of-the-art Kameyama Plant becomes fully operational. It integrates production of large-screen LCD TVs – from fabricating the LCD panel to final assembly - and is the first such facility in the world.

Sharp initiates a system to ensure a consistent supply of large-format LCD panels in the 40- and 50-inch class by adopting eighth-generation glass substrates (2,160 x 2,460 mm), a world first, and sets up a global five-base production system with the goal of producing products in the region in which they are used.

Sharp develops a 108V-inch LCD TV that it shows at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. This 108V-inch LCD TV, the world’s largest at that time, uses a Black Advanced Super View full-HD panel, measuring 2,386 x 1,344 mm, that is made at Kameyama Plant No. 2 from the first-ever eighth-generation glass substrates.

Sharp continues to develop new LCD technologies such as the Mobile Advanced Super View LCD, an ideal product for One-Seg-compatible mobile phones with its 2,000:1 contrast (industry’s highest for the two-inch class at the time), one of the industry’s widest viewing angles (176°), fast response speed (8 ms); and System LCD technology with embedded optical sensors which offer input through touch-screen and scanning.

Sharp breaks ground on a new manufacturing complex to include a LCD panel plant that will be the first facility to use tenth-generation glass substrates (2,850 x 3,050 mm), the world’s largest. A solar cell plant will have an annual production volume of 1,000 MW (one million kW) for thin-film solar cells.

Sharp releases Next-Generation X Series AQUOS® LCD TVs that feature Sharp’s newly developed next-generation Mega Advanced Super View LCD. The Mega Advanced Super View LCD offers amazingly superb picture quality, an innovative thin-profile design, and outstanding environmental performance. This new LCD boasts “mega-contrast”—a TV contrast of more than 1,000,000:1 —producing deep, rich blacks, expanding the reproducible color gamut to 150% of the NTSC color space, and enabling a display that is only 2.28 cm thick at its thinnest part. For optimal sound quality, X Series models incorporate Sharp’s original 1-Bit digital amp.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum and Sharp Electronics Corporation announced a technology partnership. Sharp, in addition to providing future audio/video techonology support, has donated a new video installation at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site. The 13" x 7" video wall, comprised of nine Sharp LCD monitors, features animated renderings of the Memorial and an official "opening day counter." Stop by the Preview Site to see for yourself!

The company specializes in display panels for different applications, including LCD TVs, public message displays, desktop LCDs, notebooks, tablets, universal displays, videos, automotive, smartphone and wearable device applications. They come with high-resolution images in a full range of panel sizes.

“It is essential to the value of the patent. For example, in case there’s a need to bring a suit, only the patent with high quality can help, not the high number of patents,” he explained.

Formed in 2001, AUO has grown to become a frontrunner in the industry with operations spanning Taiwan, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Europe. It is also the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Yu has advice for SMEs on getting IP protection for their innovations: “SMEs may care more about the efficiency of getting patents due to limited resources. [They need to have] a way that can effectively evaluate ideas for patenting, manage claiming during filing of patent and analyze the value of a patent issued matters. A patent map for appreciating RD projects can even be introduced. I would say the resources being invested in patent affairs [should] enjoy a higher priority than physical manufacturing.”