Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Including aperture
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-08
2001-06-05
Robinson, Ellis (Department: 1772)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Including aperture
C428S131000, C428S917000, C257S098000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06242076
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to illuminated vision control panels, i.e., illuminated light-permeable panels, formed such that a viewer on one side of the panel can see through the panel, whereas a viewer positioned on the other side of the panel cannot readily see through the panel but, rather, sees a self-illuminated image or a message printed on the panel, and also to methods of fabricating the panels.
BACKGROUND
In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,435, issued Oct. 21, 1997, incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a non-self-illuminated vision control panel of this type having a substrate formed of paper or vinyl sheet material (sheetstock) with retroreflective material on one side of the sheetstock and an opaque surface on its opposite side. The retroreflective material comprises glass beads, metallized or other retroreflective particles adhered to the substrate and has a printed overlay of light-permeable material such as translucent inks defining an image on the retroreflective side of the substrate. An array of perforations, preferably laser-formed, are formed through the sheetstock, the retroreflective material and ink forming an open area through the substrate. Thus, an observer on the retroreflective side of the panel sees the printed image on the retroreflective material side. An observer on the opposite opaque side of the panel sees through the panel, i.e., through the perforations, without seeing the image. A release liner is preferably provided on the opaque side of the substrate whereby, upon removal of the release liner, the adhesive on the substrate releasably secures the vision panel to a surface, typically a transparent surface. The opposite retroreflective ink-printed side is also preferably overlaid with a sheet of protective laminate. While the foregoing described laser-perforated vision control panels have proven satisfactory, they are difficult and expensive to fabricate. Also, light on the non-image side as seen inside an office or store, e.g., security lighting, or within a vehicle, e.g., interior bus lighting, diminishes the capacity to see the image from the image side of the panel, significantly impeding viewing during the fall, winter and spring months when it is often dark at 4:30 P.M. and yet streets are crowded with potential viewers.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus and methods for fabricating a unique vision control panel which preferably includes a self-illuminating thin-sheet material such as an electroluminescent sheet material for illuminating an image side or sides of the panel. Particularly, the present invention provides a series of layers of various materials applied in a specific sequence with certain operations performed thereon to form the vision control panel. Two embodiments of final vision control panels will be described, followed by a description of methods of fabricating the panel including intermediate products.
In a first embodiment hereof, a substrate is formed which may comprise a self-illuminating thin-sheet electroluminescent (EL) sheetstock. A poly-coated, preferably paper, liner is releasably adhesively secured to a non-image side of the electroluminescent sheetstock. By poly-coated is meant that the liner is coated on one side with a plastic material such that a non-perforated adhesive liner attached thereto is easily removable at a later date by hand or machine. Preferably, the EL sheetstock has an optically clear pressure-sensitive adhesive thereon for releasable securement of the poly-coated liner and sheetstock to one another on a non-image side thereof opposite from the electroluminescent illuminating side of the EL sheetstock, i.e., opposite the image side of the resulting vision control panel. Between the pressure-sensitive adhesive and the EL sheetstock, there is provided a dark-colored floodcoat. The poly-coated paper has the plastic coating on one side and a release coating on the opposite side, for reasons which will become clear. The side opposite the image side of the panel need not have pressure-sensitive adhesive if that side is not meant to be secured to a transparent surface such as a glass, and a heat-activated removable non-perforated liner may be laminated thereto after perforation for reasons which will also become clear.
It will be appreciated that the image formed on the vision control panel may be provided by any one of a number of different printing processes. For example, ink-jet printing, i.e., using thermal, piezo or crystal jet ink-jet printing heads or solvent-based inks may be used. Alternatively, other printing processes such as silk-screening, painting, airbrushing, electrostatic transfer or thermal transfer may likewise be used. Further, the printing processes may use water-soluble inks or solvent or vinyl-based inks. Where water-soluble inks are employed on the EL sheetstock, ink-jet emulsion receptor coatings F, G and H (as described below) are used, whereas for electrostatic silkscreen, painting, airbrushing and thermal transfer printing methods, a primer coating F (as described below), is normally used. Where solvent or vinyl-based inks are employed, primer coatings are not always necessary, dependent upon whether the surface layer of the EL sheetstock is vinyl ink and/or solvent ink receptive.
On the image side, the EL sheetstock may be coated with a primer coat. Where the EL sheet material has a vinyl substrate on the image side, an acrylic or vinyl binder primer coat is applied to create a bond between the EL sheetstock and a subsequently applied ink receptor coating. The binder coat may be applied by conventional roller coating equipment. For use with water-soluble inks, the primer coating is overlaid with a conventional ink receptor coating which likewise may be applied by roller coating equipment. Where water-soluble inks of an ink-jet printer are contemplated for printing the image on the image side of the self-illuminating control panel, the receptor coating is an ink-jet emulsion receptor coating.
The sub-laminate thus formed from these various layers is then provided with a plurality of perforations. The perforations are preferably circular, have a hole diameter within a range of 0.03 to 0.25 inches and cover between 10-68% of the open area of the panel, defined by the perforations. Preferably, the perforations are formed by a laser, as set forth in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,346, issued Aug. 27, 1996, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the perforations may be formed mechanically as desired.
Subsequent to perforating the sub-laminate, a dark-color floodcoat is applied into and about the margins of the perforations through the sub-laminate. That is, the coating is applied on the inside of the perforations or apertures for their full perimetrical extent, i.e., 360°. The floodcoat preferably comprises a spray of opaque paint such as vinyl paint, applied by spray nozzles located variously and at different angles to ensure that the coating is applied to the margins forming the perimeter of each perforation and for each layer. Thus, in the preferred form, the perforations of the poly liner, the pressure-sensitive adhesive, the previously applied floodcoat, the EL sheetstock layer, the primer coat and an ink-jet receptor coating are also coated with the opaque floodcoat. Without this coating, the EL material, when activated by application of electrical current, would provide illumination about the margins of the perforations which would project or shine out the non-image side of the panel. Tiny rings of illumination would become evident, causing, in effect, illuminated halos around each perforation in the absence of coating the margins of the perforations. Such illuminated halos significantly impede the see-through capability from the non-image side to the image side of the panel. They also impede viewing the image from the image side, e.g., by washing out the image as viewed from the image side, reducing color range and resolution. The floodcoating about the marg
Chevalier Alicia
Nixon & Vanderhye
Robinson Ellis
LandOfFree
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