Illumination – Supported by vehicle structure – Light modifier
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-09
2001-02-20
Sember, Thomas M. (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Supported by vehicle structure
Light modifier
C362S516000, C362S293000, C428S429000, C428S447000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06190028
ABSTRACT:
1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to molded resin articles which are employed in lighting equipment, lighted displays, etc. of vehicles. More particularly, it relates to surface-coated molded resin articles of vehicles.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Lighting equipment of, for example, automobiles, is composed of molded resin, or lighting bodies, combined with bulbs and lenses. It has been a practice to paint lighting bodies a desired color to match the color of the vehicle body. When the vehicle body is a so-called metallic color, then the lighting bodies are also painted metallic.
FIG.
4
(
a
) shows the sectional view of a conventional metallic coating of a lighting body wherein a plate layer
201
is formed, for example, by an electroplating method, on the surface of a substrate
200
made of a molded resin and a coating film
202
of a desired color is further formed on the surface of the plate layer
201
. Since the plate layer
201
is formed as the undercoating layer of the coating film
202
, externally irradiated rays permeate through the coating film
202
, reflected by the plate layer
201
and then radiate outside through the coating film
202
, thus giving a metallic and glossy appearance.
In the conventional coating structure as described above, urethane-based coatings that have relatively high permeability to UV rays (ultraviolet rays) are employed in the coating film
202
. Thus, UV rays which irradiate from outside would permeate through the coating film
202
and reach the plate layer
201
. As a result of the influence of UV rays, the surface of the plate layer
201
deteriorates and its reflectance lowers.
At the same time, another problem arises. The coating film
202
deteriorates at the interface with the plate layer
201
so that its adhesiveness to the plate layer
201
worsens, thus causing peeling of the coating film
202
. To solve this problem, it has been a practice to thicken the coating film
202
. However, the thickened coating causes the permeability to lower. As a result, the rays reflected by the plate layer
201
can barely radiate outside and thus the glossiness which gives the desired metallic color cannot be achieved.
Furthermore, when the substrate is provided with sharp-edged projections, as will be described hereinafter, the coating film is typically thinner at these edges. As a result, the above-mentioned peeling of the coating film becomes conspicuous on these edges.
Accordingly, attempts have been made in the conventional art to form a plate layer
301
on a substrate
300
and then form, on the surface of the plate layer
301
, a coating film
302
made of a coating containing an UV absorber. Thus, the UV rays reaching the plate layer
301
are reduced by this coating film
302
. Although this coating structure is useful in reducing the UV rays that reach the plate layer
301
, it is still difficult to satisfactorily solve the problem that a thin coating film
302
peels easily while a thick coating film
302
lessens the glossiness characteristic.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide surface-coated, molded resin articles for vehicles in which deterioration of plate layers and peeling of coating films can be effectively prevented while obtaining a desired glossy appearance.
A surface-coated, molded resin article is composed of a resin substrate, a plate layer formed on the surface of the substrate and coating films formed by applying coatings onto the surface of the plate layer. The coating films consist of two or more coating films wherein two or more different silicone-based coatings containing UV absorbers are laminated on each other. The coating films are composed of two layers including the lower coating film and the upper coating film and the lower coating film is a light-reflective coating film. In this case, it is preferable that the surface of the substrate is provided with projections each having a curved edge.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4525426 (1985-06-01), Anthony
patent: 4653927 (1987-03-01), Flynn et al.
patent: 4914143 (1990-04-01), Patel
patent: 4990376 (1991-02-01), Patel
patent: 5292784 (1994-03-01), McKinney et al.
patent: 5618626 (1997-04-01), Nagashima et al.
patent: 5939182 (1999-08-01), Hunang et al.
Aikawa Shinji
Mabe Michihiro
Nakamura Koichi
Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
Sember Thomas M.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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