Korean Patent News - LCD Reflective Polarizer patent growing up

Recently, KIPO provides much information including press release and various national policies in relation to the Korean patent market. According to them, the numers of patent applications has increased singificantaly in the relevant reflective polarizer for LCD. Reflective polarizer films is optical films through which about half of the incident light passes depending on oscillation direction.

Currently, the importance of this film has highlited due to the growth of mobile devices and a key compoment of the low-power LCD home electronics. In particular, reflective polarizer films is essential to increase brightness and solve the low luminous efficienty of LCD.

In this optical films market, there were no alternatives to choose but 3M Inc in the United States of America since it holds the patents related to technology. Recently, however the development of alternative products by the small business in Korea is being made to compete with 3M in terms of brightness improvement and low price. Considering the number of applications by 2011, from 1994 to 2003 there were only 188 cases and from 2004 to 2011 232 cases have been applied. Over the 5 years, it has showed a well-marked increase of 160 cases.

Reviewing the number of applications by the applicant by 2011, the number of applicants by domestic is total 188 cases accounted for 80% of the whole number of applications. It refelects the active technology development by the domestic parts industries in the areas of Reflective Polarizer.

 

Also, looking at it by the technology application status, “nano-wire grid type” that may avoid the multi-layered reflective polarizer, DBEF’s patents(3M) mainly occupies 52% with 121 cases and “cholesteric liquid crystal, CLC” occupies 18% with 42 cases. Next, “birefringence polymer dispersed liquid crystal” has 35 cases accounted for 15% and “Multi-layer” or “others” have 34 cases in 14%.
KIPO said, “previously, the LCD reflective polarizing fime market has been dominated by the expensive DBEF. But, as the domestic firms contiously made an effort to develop the technology, the replaceable film is now ready for the commercialization. So, we expect tthe domestic parts companies to drive market.”