Toshiba to license Honeywell technology for LCD products

By Control Engineering Staff November 10, 2005

Honeywell is granting a license to Toshiba Corp. and Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co. Ltd. (TMD) to use its patented LCD technology in certain products. The technology increases the brightness of images and reduces the appearance of certain interference side effects on LCDs. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The Toshiba/TMD agreement provides a license to use technology protected by U.S. Patent #5,280.371. Sharp Corp., Sanyo Electric/SEID, and Chunghwa Picture Tubes obtained licenses to use the patent earlier this year. LG Philips LCD, NEC LCD, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. licensed the technology previously.

LCDs are used widely in desktop PC monitors, notebook computers, mobile phones, PDAs, and a variety of other industrial and consumer products. Honeywell filed suit against 34 electronics companies last fall alleging infringement of its “371 patent.” Litigation is pending.

—Jeanine Katzel, senior editor, Control Engineering jkatzel@reedbusiness.com