Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification – Diffusion transfer dyeing process – transfer sheet and product – Dry heat treatment for penetration
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-11
2004-08-10
Moore, Margaret G. (Department: 1712)
Bleaching and dyeing; fluid treatment and chemical modification
Diffusion transfer dyeing process, transfer sheet and product
Dry heat treatment for penetration
C428S447000, C428S480000, C524S430000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06773465
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an optical element. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hard coat composition, a primer composition in the surface of the optical element, a surface processing technology such as a reflection prevention film and the like and a dyeing method. The present invention is preferable for an optical part (optical element) of an organic glass base material having particularly a high refractive index.
As used herein, the term “optical element” refers to a concept which includes, but not limited to, original optical elements such as a lens for glasses, a lens for camera, a lens for microscope, a lens for telescope, a lens for binocular, a reflecting mirror, a prism and the like, also includes a filter, a cover for a lighting fitting and the like.
In the following description, a lens for glasses (optical lens) will be mainly exemplified and described, but not limited to this.
BACKGROUND ART
In recent years, as a material of an optical lens, an organic glass has been popular among the people, which is lightly weighted, and excellent at shock resistance, having chromatophilia and easily processed comparing with an inorganic glass. Among these, an organic glass having a high refractive index, which is capable of thinning the thickness of lens (refractive index, around 1.60) has been widely used. However, in general, an organic glass has a lower abrasive resistance (resistance against scraping and damaging) compared with an inorganic glass, therefore, easily scraped and damaged. Hence, in general, a hard coat (silicone-based hardening film coating) is performed on the surface of the organic glass base material (hereinafter, it may be referred to only as “base material”). Furthermore, in a lens for glasses, from the reasons such as the esthetic reason and the like, an inorganic reflection prevention film is often formed by dry plating such as vapor deposition and the like of inorganic substances.
However, as described above, a lens to which both a hard coat and an inorganic reflection prevention film have been provided had a non-conformity of shock resistance being inferior. Hence, in order to enhance the shock resistance, a variety of technical concepts in which between the base material and the hard coat, a primer layer consisted of polyurethane based coating (mainly, urethane base thermoplastic elastomer (hereinafter, referred to as “TPU”) is made coating film formation element) is intervened have been proposed.
Then, it is necessary to secure the refractive index similar to the base material in each layer in order to prevent the optical interference of a lens in the case where the above-described hard coat layer and primer layer are laminated on a base material having a high refractive index.
The present inventors have previously proposed a primer composition which prevents the occurrence of optical interference even if the base material has relatively a high refractive index (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-82694) and a hard coat composition having a high refractive index (see Japanese Patent No. 2577670), and one portion of these has been developed to put to practical use.
However, as a trend in recent years, the fashionability has been considered as a more important factor, as the needs which the thickness of lens edge face has to be thinner are enhanced, a super high refractive organic lens having a higher refractive index (refractive index 1.70) has been commercially available in the optical industry.
Then, it has been found that it is difficult to suppress the light interference in the case where a hard coat composition described in the above-described Japanese Patent No. 2577670 is coated on the above-described lens having a super high refractive index.
Moreover, it has been found that after the long term of usage of lens has been passed, the hard coat layer causes the blackening phenomenon due to the ultraviolet ray to occur and esthetic aspect is damaged. This blackening phenomenon is estimated on the basis of iron oxide in the iron oxide/titanium oxide complex oxide particle which has been used as a hard coat ingredient.
Furthermore, it has been found that the primer composition described in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-82694 lowers the heat resistance of the base material, and the material is easily non-uniform within the layer, therefore, cloudiness due to the irregular reflection of light is recognized.
On the other hand, the above-described material having a high refractive index is more difficult to dye comparing with a material having a lower refractive index. Therefore, in the immersion dyeing method in which the base material is immersed in an aqueous dye bath (aqueous solution) which uses disperse dye and the like, the problems listed below have been easily occurred.
It is difficult for an immersion dyeing method to perform a dyeing of a uniform and stable coloring to the base material. This is the reason why the dyeing property (dyeing speed and dyeing equilibrium) is easily influenced with the respective ingredient concentration of dye aqueous dispersion liquid (disperse dye, surfactant, dyeing promoter and the like) and variation of dyeing temperature, and further, the kind of an organic glass base material. Moreover, in the case where a higher concentration dyeing (dyeing property) is required, it needs to dye for a long time period. Moreover, since it is the dyeing in the low temperature and the dyeing property is not sufficient, fading in the coloring in the subsequent steps is significant, it is difficult to finish it in the desired coloring.
In order to solve the problem of the above-described immersion dyeing method, for example, a method of heating and transcribing the dye (migration) after the dye is sublimed at gaseous phase and the dyeing layer is formed on the surface of the glass surface (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 56-159376 and the like), and a method of adhering the transcribed film which has been dyed on the surface of an organic glass base material and heating and transcribing (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-17586 and the like) have been proposed.
However, in the former method, since the sublimation temperatures are different depending on the dyes, it is difficult to obtain the desired coloring, coloring concentration on and in the base material, and in the latter method, it is difficult to precisely adhere the transcription film on the curved surface and it is difficult to obtain a uniform without coloring variation on and in the base material.
The first object of the present invention is to provide a primer composition in which refractive index can be adjustable without lowering the heat resistance of the base material and the cloudiness due to the irregular reflection of light is slight as well as the similar characteristics (shock resistance, scraping and damaging resistance and the like) as the conventional primer composition can be conferred and an optic element utilizing the primer composition.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a hard coat composition which is capable of suppressing the optical interference with respect to a base material having a super high refractive index and is excellent at light resistance without damaging the esthetic aspect even if the optic part is used for a long term without occurring the blackening phenomenon due to the ultraviolet and an optical element utilizing the hard coat composition.
The third object of the present invention is to provide an organic glass optic element in which the adhesion with the hard coat layer, the scraping and damaging resistance and the heat resistance are excellent in an optic element having the above-described hard coat layer, and the foregoing organic glass optic element having a reflection prevention film having an excellent reflection prevention effect in the wide range of wavelengths and the foregoing reflection prevention film capable of being well colored in an interference color of green which
Kubo Tomonori
Murai Sachio
Shimizu Takehiro
Uchida Naoki
Yamada Satoshi
Itoh Optical Industrial Co. Ltd.
Moore Margaret G.
Rader & Fishman & Grauer, PLLC
Zimmer Marc S
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