US5822119A
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US
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Retroreflective sheeting material, a method of its production and its use
Assignee: Commscope Connectivity LLC
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Filing: 1994-10-04
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Granted: 1998-10-13
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Expires: 2014-10-04
Abstract
Abstract A retroreflective sheeting material comprising at least one retroreflective optical system (200, 300, 400) consisting of an entrance transmission optical element (201, 301) for receiving and focusing incident electromagnetic radiation from an irradiation source, and a reflective optical element (205, 405) for reflecting the incident electromagnetic radiation back toward the irradiation source; said reflective optical element being positioned in or near the effective focal point of the transmission optical element and the space between the optical elements optionally being constituted by a spacing material (202); wherein at least one of the optical elements (205, 301, 405) is a diffractive optical element, the reflective optical element (205, 405) for substantially all angles of incidence sends at least a part of the incident electromagnetic radiation back along the direction of the incoming chief ray (204), and the reflective optical element does not exclusively consist of a specular mirror type reflective optical element; methods of making such a retroreflective sheeting material; and use of the retroreflective sheeting material for the manufacture of a sign, a marker, or a decoration all of which exhibit retroreflective reflexes upon illumination.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael Rasmussen
- 👤 Per Eld Ibsen
- 👤 Jan Stensborg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 15:56
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B5/00; G02B5/12; G02B5/122; G02B5/124
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A retroreflective sheeting material comprising at least one retroreflective optical system consisting of: a) an entrance transmission optical element for receiving and focusing incident electromagnetic radiation from an irradiation source, and b) a reflective optical element for reflecting the incident electromagnetic radiation back towards the irradiation source; said reflective optical element being positioned in or near the effective focal point of the transmission optical element; the space between the optical elements optionally being constituted by a spacing material; and c) at least one of the optical elements being a diffractive optical element; wherein for both small and large angles of incidence to the entrance transmission optical element the reflective optical element sends the incident electromagnetic radiation back through the entrance transmission optical element by non-specular reflection.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A retroreflective sheeting material comprising at least one retroreflective optical system consisting of: a) an entrance transmission optical element for receiving and focusing incident electromagnetic radiation from an irradiation source, and b) a reflective optical element for reflecting the incident electromagnetic radiation back towards the irradiation source; said reflective optical element being positioned in or near the effective focal point of the transmission optical element; the space between the optical elements optionally being constituted by a spacing material; and c) at least one of the optical elements being a diffractive optical element; wherein for both small and large angles of incidence to the entrance transmission optical element the reflective optical element sends the incident electromagnetic radiation back through the entrance transmission optical element by non-specular reflection.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the reflective optical element consists of a diffractive optical element having a reflective optical coating coated on its back boundary.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A material according to claim 2, wherein the diffractive optical element consists of a transmission diffractive optical element.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the reflective optical element is a diffuse reflective optical element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
52 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the orientation of the center axis of the entrance transmission optical element with respect to the orientation of the center axis of the reflective optical element is selected from the group of axis orientations consisting of non-parallel axes, substantially parallel axes, or substantially coinciding axes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the entrance transmission optical element is a focusing transmission diffractive optical element.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A material according to claim 1, at least one of the optical elements comprise surface relief diffraction patterns.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the space between the optical elements is constituted by a spacing material selected from the group consisting of dielectric or substantially dielectric materials such as glass, hard plastic, soft plastic, air, or combinations of these.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the entrance transmission optical element, the reflective optical element, or the spacing materials contain one or more dyes.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
32 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein a protective material is coated on the front boundary of the entrance transmission optical element, the back boundary of the reflective optical element, or both.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the at least one retroreflective optical system is fixed to a carrier.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
125 words
A method of making a retroreflective sheeting material comprising at least one retroreflective optical system as defined in claim 1 wherein the entrance transmission optical element consists of a diffractive optical element; the method comprising the steps of: a) providing an entrance focusing transmission diffractive optical element on a first sheeting substrate; b) providing a reflection optical element on a second sheeting substrate; c) joining the first sheeting substrate together with the second sheeting substrate so that the reflection optical element is positioned in or near the effective focal point of the entrance focusing transmission diffractive optical element; and d) optionally coating a protective material on the front boundary of the entrance transmission optical element, the back boundary of the reflective optical element, or both.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 12, wherein the reflective optical element is a reflective diffractive optical element.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 12, wherein the reflective optical element is a diffuse reflective optical element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
117 words
A method of making a retroreflective sheeting material comprising at least one retroreflective optical system as defined in claim 1 wherein the entrance transmission optical element consists of a diffractive optical element; the method comprising the steps of: a) providing an entrance focusing transmission diffractive optical element on a first side of a sheeting substrate; b) providing a reflection optical element on the opposite side of the sheeting substrate; said reflection optical element being positioned in or near the effective focal point of the entrance focusing transmission diffractive optical element; and c) optionally coating a protective material on the front boundary of the entrance transmission optical element, the back boundary of the reflective optical element, or both.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 15, wherein the reflective optical element is a diffractive optical element.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method according to claim 15, wherein the reflective optical element is a diffuse reflective optical element.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method according to claim 15, wherein the entrance focusing transmission optical element and the reflection diffractive optical element are provided simultaneously on the first and opposite sides of the sheeting material.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 15, wherein the sheeting material has a thickness substantially equal to the effective focal length of the entrance focusing transmission diffractive optical element.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
103 words
A method of producing a sheeting material comprising at least one retroreflective optical system as defined in claim 1 wherein the entrance transmission optical element and the reflective optical element consist of surface relief optical elements on opposite sides of the sheeting material, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing a first embossing matrice comprising a surface relief diffraction pattern of the entrance transmission optical element; b) providing a second embossing matrice comprising a surface relief pattern of the reflective optical element; and c) embossing the pair of surface relief patterns either simultaneously or subsequently in opposite surfaces of the sheeting material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 20, wherein the surface relief pattern of the second embossing matrice is a diffractive pattern.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 20, wherein the surface relief pattern of the second embossing matrice is a diffuse reflective pattern.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method of according to claim 20, wherein the embossing step consists of thermo-mechanical embossing the pair of surface relief patterns simultaneously in opposite surfaces of the sheeting substrate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 20, wherein the embossing step consists of a continuous roll-to-roll process.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 24, wherein both the entrance transmission optical element and the reflective optical element are surface relief diffractive optical elements, and wherein the embossing step further comprises controlling the position of the embossing matrices, the sheeting substrate, or both.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method according to claim 25, wherein said position control comprises: a) embossing position markers in the sheeting substrate; b) measuring relative displacements in predetermined directions of the position markers; and c) adjusting the positions of the embossing matrices, the sheeting substrate, or both, when the measured relative displacements of the position markers exceed predetermined limits.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method according to claim 26, wherein the position markers are in form of triangles.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method according to claim 20, wherein the embossing matrices form the parts of a moulding form, wherein the sheeting substrate in form of a fluid thermoplastic or an UV- or thermosetting plastic, or any suitable precursor therefor, is moulded.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
53 words
Use of a retroreflective sheeting material according to claim 1, or a reflective sheeting material made by a method according to claim 12 for the manufacture of a sign such as a road sign, a marker such as a sticker, or a decoration; said sign, marker, or decoration exhibiting retroreflective reflexes upon illumination.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
41 words
A material according to claim 1, wherein the reflective optical element consists of a diffractive optical element and a reflective coating having a spacing material therebetween, said spacing material being selected from the group consisting of dielectric or substantially dielectric materials.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-10-12 | 2002-04-13 | 2002-10-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-10-12 | 2006-04-13 | 2006-10-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-10-12 | 2010-04-13 | 2010-10-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |