|Número de publicación||US6902807 B1|
|Tipo de publicación||Concesión|
|Número de solicitud||US 10/243,111|
|Fecha de publicación||7 Jun 2005|
|Fecha de presentación||13 Sep 2002|
|Fecha de prioridad||13 Sep 2002|
|También publicado como||CN1324094C, CN1681898A, EP1537182A2, EP1537182B1, EP1860160A2, EP1860160A3, EP1878773A2, EP1878773A3, EP1878773B1, US7300695, US20050123755, WO2004024836A2, WO2004024836A3|
|Número de publicación||10243111, 243111, US 6902807 B1, US 6902807B1, US-B1-6902807, US6902807 B1, US6902807B1|
|Inventores||Alberto Argoitia, Vladimir P. Raksha, Dishuan Chu|
|Cesionario original||Flex Products, Inc.|
|Exportar cita||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Citas de patentes (31), Otras citas (13), Citada por (110), Clasificaciones (48), Eventos legales (6)|
|Enlaces externos: USPTO, Cesión de USPTO, Espacenet|
This patent application claims priority from commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/029,405 entitled ACHROMATIC MULTILAYER DIFFRACTIVE PIGMENTS AND FOILS, filed Dec. 20, 2001 by Alberto Argoitia, Paul G. Coombs, Charles T. Markantes, and Richard A. Bradley, Jr.; from commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/919,346, entitled DIFFRACTIVE PIGMENT FLAKES AND COMPOSITIONS, filed Jul. 31, 2001 by Albert Argoitia and Richard A. Bradley, Jr.; and from commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/117,307 entitled CHROMATIC DIFFRACTIVE PIGMENTS AND FOILS, filed Apr. 5, 2002 by Alberto Argoitia, Roger Phillips, Michael Nofi, Paul G. Coombs, Charles T. Markantes, and Richard A. Bradley, Jr., the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety for all purposes.
The present invention relates generally to pigments with an optically diffractive structure and diffractive optically variable image devices (“DOVID”), such as orientable diffractive pigment flakes and stereograms, linegrams, graphic element-oriented devices, dot-oriented devices, and pixle-oriented devices, and oriented optically variable pigment flakes.
Optically variable pigments (“OVP's”™) are used in a wide variety of applications. They can be used in paint or ink, or mixed with plastic. Such paint or ink is used for decorative purposes or as an anti-counterfeiting measure on currency. One type of OVP uses a number of thin-film layers on a substrate that form an optical interference structure. Generally, a dielectric (spacer) layer is often formed on a reflector, and then a layer of optically absorbing material is formed on the spacer layer. Additional layers may be added for additional effects, such as adding additional spacer-absorber layer pairs. Alternatively optical stacks composed of (high-low-high)n or (low-high-low)n dielectric materials, or combinations of both, may be prepared.
Another type of pigment uses a pattern, such as a series of grooves, to create a diffractive interference structure. Diffractive pigments have been used to create an iridescent effect, both on printed media and in paints, such as automotive paint.
There are other products that use diffractive interference to achieve a desired effect, which are generally known as diffractive, optically-variable image devices (“DOVIDs”). Some DOVIDs provide various images depending on the angle at which they are viewed. For example, some types of DOVIDs can make one printed object appear in front of another, provide a succession of images based on viewing angle, or give the appearance of motion in a two-dimensional image as the angle of view is changed. Other DOVIDs might have an image that appears at one viewing angle, and disappears at another. DOVIDs have been used for anti-counterfeiting purposes on bank notes, credit cards, software media, and other high-value documents, as well as for decorative purposes. A particular type of DOVID is known as a “pixel-gram”. A pixel-gram is based on a non-uniform spatial distribution of different linear diffraction areas (pixels). When rotated or tilted, different images can appear or disappear, making the pixel-grams difficult to counterfeit because even a high-quality color photocopier will not copy the variable effects of the image.
The techniques used to achieve holographic microstructures on a master hologram, such as interferometry, holography, chemical etching, ion beam lithography, and electron beam lithography are relatively complex and expensive. After a master hologram is prepared, a replication tool from the master is typically generated. The replication tool presses the surface relief microstructure in a polymeric foil, which is then aluminized on the back of the foil. The foil is then stamped on the document. A master hologram must be made for each new image, or if the master hologram wears out
Thus, it would be desirable to provide simpler articles and techniques for producing DOVIDs. It is further desirable to be able to align pigment flakes in a desired orientation to achieve various optical effects.
Pigment particles with diffraction gratings are selectively aligned to form an image or images. Different fields can be printed with different diffractive pigment, or with diffractive pigment that has been aligned in selected directions. Similarly, images can be created with pixels or dots of different and/or differently aligned diffractive pigments. One embodiment of the present invention is a printed pixelgram, another is a dot DOVID, and another is a kinegram.
In another embodiment of the present invention, pigment flakes with a layer of magnetic material may be shaped to facilitate alignment of the pigment flakes in a magnetic field, before, during, or after application to a medium. In another embodiment, randomly shaped flakes include a shaped magnetic structure that facilitates alignment of the flake in a magnetic field. In a particular embodiment, a layer of magnetic material is deposited to a selected thickness on a patterned underlayer (e.g. diffraction grating pattern) to form a discontinuous magnetic layer, such as magnetic needles. In another embodiment, diffractive flakes are mechanically aligned, such as by drawing a blade over grooved or shaped particles, or by a roller.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides magnetically orientable diffractive pigment flakes. In a particular embodiment, magnetically orientable diffractive pigment flakes are used to print images, including DOVIDs. Diffractive pigment flakes are generally small particles used in paints, inks, films, plastics that provide variable perceived color, lightness, hue, and/or chroma, depending on the angle of view. Some diffractive pigments, such as ones including Fabry-Perot-type interference structures, shift the observed color, as well as providing diffractive effects. Thin-film interference structures using dielectric layers can also be combined with a microstructure diffraction pattern. Some embodiments include a diffractive reflector layer in combination with a spacer layer and an absorber layer to form a flake having both diffraction and thin-film interference.
Pigments with diffraction gratings separate light into spectral components, similar to a prism, so that the perceived color changes with viewing angle. It has been found that pigment flakes can be oriented with magnetic fields if the pigment flake includes a magnetic material. For the purposes of this application, “magnetic” materials can be ferro- or ferri-magnetic. Nickel, cobalt, iron, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, erbium, and their alloys and oxides, Fe/Si, Fe/Ni, Fe/Co, Fe/Ni/Mo, SmCo5, NdCo5, Sm2Co17, Nd2Fe14B, TbFe2, Fe3O4, NiFe2O4, and CoFe2O4, are magnetic materials. It is not necessary that the magnetic layer, or the magnetic material of the magnetic layer, be capable of being permanently magnetized, although it could be. In some embodiments, magnetic material capable of being permanently magnetized is included in a flake, but remains unmagnetized until after it is applied to form an image. In a further embodiment, flakes with permanent magnet material are applied to a substrate to form a visual image, and subsequently magnetized to form a magnetic image, in addition to the visual image. Some magnetic flakes tend to clump together if the remnant magnetization is too high prior to forming the image or mixing with a paint or ink vehicle.
II. Exemplary Flake Structures
Suitable substrates may be formed from materials such as glass, mica, alumina, iron oxide, graphite, bismuth oxychloride, boron nitride, polymer or metal or similar particle. Examples of suitable reflector material include aluminum, silver, iron, tantalum, iridium, rhenium, copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, nickel, cobalt, niobium, chromium, tin, and combinations or alloys. Suitable materials for the spacer layer includes zinc sulfide (ZnS), zinc oxide (ZnO), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), diamond-like carbon, indium oxide (In2O3), indium-tin-oxide (“ITO”), tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5), ceric oxide (CeO2), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), europium oxide (Eu2O3), iron oxides such as (II)diiron(III) oxide (Fe3O4) and ferric oxide (Fe2O3), hafnium nitride (HfN), hafnium carbide (HfC), hafnium oxide (HfO2), lanthanum oxide (La2O3), magnesium oxide (MgO), neodymium oxide (Nd2O3), praseodymium oxide (Pr6O11), samarium oxide (Sm2O3), antimony trioxide (Sb2O3), silicon (Si), silicon monoxide (SiO), germanium (Ge), selenium trioxide (Se2O3), tin oxide (SnO2), tungsten trioxide (WO3), silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), metal fluorides such as magnesium fluoride (MgF2), aluminum fluoride (AlF3), cerium fluoride (CeF3), lanthanum fluoride (LaF3), sodium aluminum fluorides (e.g., Na3AlF6 or Na5Al3F14), neodymium fluoride (NdF3), samarium fluoride (SMF3), barium fluoride (BaF2), calcium fluoride (CaF2), lithium fluoride (LiF), and combinations thereof, and organic monomers and polymers including dienes or alkenes such as acrylates (e.g., methacrylate), perfluoroalkenes, polytetrafluoroethylene (e.g., T
In a particular embodiment, the substrate is a glass flake, the magnetic material is Ni—Co, and the reflective layer is aluminum. The additional layers 18 include a dielectric material, such as SiO2 or TiO2, and the absorber material is a semi-transparent layer of metal or intennetallic such as titanium nitride (TiN). These materials are merely exemplary of possible embodiments, and many other suitable materials and combinations are known.
The reflector layer 16 and subsequent thin film layers 18 form a Fabry-Perot interference filter, which can provide a strong color shift, also called “color travel”, as the viewing angle of the flake changes. If dispersed in a binder, such as clear paint, plastic, or other medium, the aggregate effect is that the color of the object varies with viewing angle, which can arise because of relative motion between the object and viewer, or because the object includes a curved surface. Other embodiments may omit the reflector layer, or may not have a Fabry-Perot interference structure, some having a silvery color.
In a particular embodiment, a substrate, such as a polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”) flake or film, is coated with an embossing layer, which is embossed to create the diffraction grating pattern. The embossing layer might be a layer of polymer that is cross-linked before or after embossing the pattern, such as by rolling the substrate between rollers, at least one of which is patterned. In one embodiment, an embossed roll of film is coated with a magnetic layer, either continuous or discontinuous, and then a reflective layer, such as a layer of aluminum. In an alternate embodiment, the magnetic layer is a reflective material, obviating the need for a separate reflector layer. The coated, embossed film is then processed into flakes, such as by laser-cutting. In some embodiments, the magnetic layer may be omitted. Such flakes may be used to form DOVIDs with appropriate techniques of application of the flake to a substrate to align the diffraction grating in a desired direction.
The embossed pattern is commonly known as a “diffraction grating”. The line density is typically between about 500 lines/mm to about 5000 lines/mm, and are typically about 20 nm to about 300 nm deep. A line density of about 1400-2000 lines/mm with an aluminum reflector has been found to provide good color characteristics in paint draw-down samples. The lines (grooves) can be straight lines, triangular symmetrical gratings, triangular blazed gratings, square-wave gratings, or cross-hatched gratings, to name a few. The flakes are generally about 20-50 microns across, although the flakes may be significantly smaller or larger, and the total thickness of the flakes can be very thin. In some embodiments, the total thickness of a flake is between about 500 nm to about 2 microns, but can be thinner or thicker. In particular, flakes having a stiffening layer(s) might be thicker. Stiffening layers are typically layers of dielectric material that are added to flake structures to improve handling characteristics.
The diffraction grating pattern is shown as being replicated in the outer surfaces of the clear layers 26, 26′, but this is not necessary in other embodiments. The clear layers could be an inorganic material, such as SiO2, or a polymer. In some embodiments, the clear layers add stiffness to the coating structures to assist in processing, such as grinding and sorting to size, and application of the pigment flakes to an object. The clear layers can also protect the reflective layer from environmental factors that could otherwise degrade the reflectivity. In other embodiments, the clear layer(s) is omitted. In some applications, pigment flakes with diffraction grating patterns are applied in a carrier that provides some degree of environmental protection. In further embodiments, the material of the clear layers is chosen to have a refractive index similar to the refractive index of the intended carrier or binder.
Flakes according to embodiments illustrated in
III. Exemplary Flake Shapes
The magnetic flake 40 has a long side 42 and a short side 44. Flakes with suitable aspect ratios of length to thickness and in appropriate carriers tend to lie flat on surfaces that they are applied to. The aspect ratio between the length (long side) and width (short side) allow magnetic orientation within the plane of the flake. Carriers are typically liquid for a period to permit some motion of the flake before the carrier evaporates or hardens. Alternatively, the flake can be oriented prior to placement on a surface, and the carrier can dry or solidify essentially immediately. For example, ink might have a volatile carrier that evaporates to fix the flake, or a clear paint carrier, such as a clear paint base, might harden to fix the flake. Similarly, uncured thermosetting resin or heated thermoplastic resin might allow the flake to be oriented prior to curing or cooling, respectively, either before, during, or after application to a surface.
A flake having magnetic material placed in a magnetic field twists the magnetic field lines. The most stable condition of the flake in the field is when the flake pole points in the direction of the field. The flake typically rotates until its position becomes oriented to reduce the energy of the system. The torque experienced by the flake depends upon many factors, such as the magnitude of the magnetic flux, the magnetic structure in the flake, and the size of the flake (lever arm).
If a magnetic field, represented by the arrow 46, is applied, the shaped flakes 40 will tend to align themselves so that the longest dimension is essentially parallel to the lines of a magnetic field. The length of the long side relative to the short side is not limiting. Generally, the greater the aspect ratio of the surface of the flake, the greater the tendency to align along the applied magnetic field. It is not necessary that all flakes align with the magnetic field to produce a suitable optical effect. Typically, some flakes are not perfectly aligned, either along the diffraction pattern, or within the plane of the substrate.
Many other shapes can produce magnetic flakes that will align in a magnetic field. The shapes shown in
IV. Patterned Magnetic Layers
It is believed that the magnetic material preferentially deposits on the ridges and/or in the valleys due to nucleation kinetics or “shadowing” effects during the deposition. Differential vapor density between the bottoms of the grooves and the tops of the grooves, the slope of the grating side-walls might all affect how the magnetic material is deposited on the diffraction grating. In other words, there may be more than one reason such needles are formed.
Alternatively, a coating stack could include two reflector layers on either side of a stiffening layer, such as a layer of MgF2. The reflector layers could be opaque aluminum. While MgF2 is an essentially clear material, clarity is not essential for material(s) between the reflector layers. The magnetic layer could be deposited on the second aluminum layer to form magnetic needles, or elsewhere.
In one embodiment, the magnetic needles were formed by depositing a 50 nm-thick layer of nickel on the second clear layer using e-beam evaporation. It was found that a 200 nm-thick layer of nickel did not form the needles, but could be used to form magnetic flakes according to the present invention if the flakes themselves were shaped. It is believed that the thinner layer of nickel is at least magnetically discontinuous and forms magnetic needles aligned with the diffraction grating pattern. Some needles might be at least partially joined with thin sections of magnetic material, but very thin sections might not be able to form strong magnetic domains, hence the layer is magnetically discontinuous. In some instances, the magnetic film (layer) might have a variable thickness. A stronger magnetic torque is provided in the direction of the diffraction grating, thus facilitating alignment of the particles in a magnetic field. It is further believed that layers of nickel thinner than 50 nm may form discontinuous magnetic layers aligned with some diffraction grating patterns, and that magnetic layers between 50 nm and 200 nm thick might form needles in some instances.
A grooved diffraction grating can also facilitate fabricating flakes with desirable shapes. In some embodiments, the thin film stack tends to break along the grooves of the diffraction grating. This results in flakes with a longer dimension in the direction of the grooves, and a shorter dimension across the grooves. This sort of aspect ratio can facilitate magnetic or fluid alignment of the resultant flakes to form an image.
It is generally desirable to avoid flakes that are permanently magnetized prior to mixing with an ink or paint vehicle or applying to a substrate to form an image, as they tend to clump together. Sufficiently thin layers of magnetic material avoid significant permanent magnetization of the flakes. If little magnetic material is present in the flake, it may require a stronger magnetic field to align the pigment flakes during application, or to apply the magnetic field for a longer period, in which case a carrier that remains fluid longer may be appropriate.
A green-blue color-shifting diffractive flake was made by depositing a first absorber layer of chromium 8 nm thick, a first spacer layer of MgF2 of four quarter-wave optical thickness at 530 nm, a first reflector layer of aluminum 80 nm thick, a magnetic layer of nickel 50 nm thick, a second reflector layer essentially similar to the first reflector layer, a second spacer layer essentially the same as the first spacer layer, and a second absorber layer essentially the same as the first absorber layer. The layers were deposited on an embossed film (web) in a roll coating machine, and were separated from the web and processed into flakes.
A gold-to-silver color-shifting diffractive flake was made by depositing a first absorber layer of chromium 8 nm thick, a first spacer layer of MgF2 of two quarter-wave optical thickness at 605 nm, a first reflector layer of aluminum 80 nm thick, a magnetic layer of nickel 50 nm thick, a second reflector layer essentially similar to the first reflector layer, a second spacer layer essentially the same as the first spacer layer, and a second absorber layer essentially the same as the first absorber layer. The layers were deposited on an embossed film (web) in a roll coating machine, and were separated from the web and processed into flakes.
A silvery flake was made by depositing a layer of MgF2 of four quarter-wave optical thickness at 530 nm, a magnetic layer of nickel 50 nm thick, and another layer of MgF2 of four quarter-wave optical thickness at 530 nm. It is believed that tinted (transparent colored) dichroic or color-shifting diffractive pigments may be made using alternating layers of high-index and low-index dielectric materials, and a magnetic oxide such as Fe3O4. A diffraction grating pattern may be imparted to the flakes by depositing the layers on a patterned (e.g. embossed) substrate from which the flakes are subsequently separated. An example of a nominally five-layer design would be a HLHLH stack where H represents a layer of high-index material and L represents a layer of low-index material having selected optical thicknesses. A layer of magnetic material might be deposited at any number of positions in the stack, such as on the center H layer. Other designs, such as 7-layer or 9-layer designs may be desired. Similarly, an LHLHL-type configuration may be desirable, including 7-layer and 9-layer designs, as well as designs with more or fewer layers.
V. Printable Images
Magnetic pigment particles with diffractive gratings according to embodiments of the present invention can be used to create a number of effects, such as DOVIDs or polarizers. Generally, when a diffractive grating is illuminated, an observer looking in a direction essentially perpendicular to the grooves of the grating will see diffracted light, while the observer will not see the diffracted light when looking along the grooves in the grating. Thus, the appearance of the pixel changes with rotation of the viewing angle. The difference in appearance can include color travel as well as lightness. It may be desirable to align diffractive pigment flakes to obtain a stronger diffractive effect, or to create images, such as pixelgrams, dot images, or kinegrams. For example, a more pronounced optical effect is generally achieved if more flakes are lying in the same plane, which is typically the plane of the substrate. Effects can be obtained by selecting the orientation of the diffraction gratings, or by using diffraction gratings having different spacings. For example, one region of the device might have flakes with a linear grating spacing of 1,400 lines/mm, while another region might have flakes with a linear grating spacing of 2,000 lines/mm. One region might appear green, while the other region appears red. A viewer would observe different optical effects from each region as the angle of view was changed.
In other instances, the diffractive pigment flakes in one or more fields could be aligned in a selected direction. For example, the pigment flakes in the first field 92 could be aligned so that the diffraction grating is aligned more or less along the lines in the field. The pigment flakes in the second field 94 could be aligned in a different direction, or be random. In fact, they could be the same type of flakes used to print the first field. The image would appear when viewed under light at an appropriate angle, or when the printed medium is rotated.
If the first 92 and second 94 field were printed with similar flakes, one field magnetically aligned and the other not aligned or aligned at a different angle, no image might appear under some viewing conditions, the image appearing to be a uniform field, such as a silver or light gray field. As the image, light source, and/or viewing angle is varied, the image will appear.
Other types of images may also be produced using diffractive pigment techniques. Many images are composed of a number of picture cells (“pixels”) or dots. Images may be simple images, or may be holographic. Some DOVIDs can appear to be a 3-dimensional image of an object, other DOVIDs can change images with viewing angle, or appear to impart motion to an image.
In many applications, pixels are at least rectangular and have the same size. In some applications the pixels do not abut one another, and a narrow “alley” of unprinted area separates the pixels. Some of the pixels 102 are optionally unprinted. Other pixels 104 are optionally printed in plain ink, either black ink or colored ink. Similarly, pixels may be printed with ink having non-magnetic diffractive pigment, or with randomly oriented magnetic diffractive pigment flakes. The other illustrated pixels are printed with ink that includes magnetic diffractive pigment flakes that have been oriented in a selected direction.
The magnetic diffractive pigment flakes are oriented within a pixel by providing a magnetic field before, during, and/or after application of the ink. For simplicity of discussion and illustration, the pixels are shown as having a plurality of randomly shaped particles. In another embodiment the pixels could contain selectively shaped magnetic diffractive flakes. The term “oriented” means that the diffraction gratings on the oriented flakes are sufficiently aligned to produce an aggregate effect distinguishable from the effect observed from similar, but randomly oriented, flakes. “Oriented” means that a majority of flakes are aligned in such a way that their grooves are parallel or almost parallel. In another embodiment, diffractive flakes are not aligned in any pixel, but the diffraction grating pattern is different in different pixels, and several different diffraction gratings may be used in each of several pixels. In further embodiments, different diffraction grating patterns are used, and one or more of the pigment flakes are aligned in a selected fashion.
The diffraction pattern on the flakes is represented by parallel lines 106, 108 that run in a horizontal or vertical direction in the illustration. The gratings do not have to align with a pixel edge, and an image may contain several different sets of aligned pixels and/or dots. Each area grating (pixel) can diffract light in a selected direction under a particular common oriented beam of white light, represented by the box arrows 110. The light is diffracted in a direction normal to the dominant grating direction, i.e. light is diffracted horizontally from vertically aligned pixel gratings, and vertically from horizontally aligned pixel gratings. Generally, the flakes with “horizontal” lines have an aggregate effect so that the direction of viewing represented by the box arrow 107 would provide diffracted light from those pixels, and similarly for the vertically aligned diffraction gratings, which would diffract light in the direction of view represented by the box arrow 109. To see the image produced by the vertically aligned pixel 108, the incident light should be from the direction of the arrows 110′, and viewed from the box arrow 109.
In other embodiments, a set of pixels could contain flakes with crossed diffraction gratings. It is not necessary that the image contains equal numbers of types of pixels, and pixels having the same diffraction grating orientation could adjoin one another. It is understood that not all flakes need to be perfectly aligned with one another within a pixel.
Different linear grating frequencies and/or orientation of the grooves can be used for each “type”, i.e. alignment direction or grating period, of pixels. In some embodiments, pixels might contain randomly oriented diffractive pigment flakes having different diffraction gratings in different pixels to form images. Different images can be constructed using different ensembles of types of pixels. This can produce an effect of animation for each of the images obtained with a set of pixels as the viewing angle changes or the printed object is rotated. Similarly, more than one image can be constructed on a printed area by an appropriate distribution of different types of pixels. The relative sizes of flakes and pixels is not to scale. Generally, a pixel is on the order of about 50 microns to about 1,000 microns, while the diffractive flakes are typically on the order of about 5 microns to about 50 microns across.
The image of each letter is composed of several pixels. The set of pixels composing a single letter includes pixels with diffractive pigment flakes oriented in a particular direction. When a viewer looks at the DOVID from a direction essentially perpendicular to diffractive gratings of the diffractive pigment flakes composing the image, the viewer observes that image. The viewer observes the other images when his angle of view changes, as by rotating the DOVID, for example. If one or more of the letters was printed with a diffractive pigment having a thin-film interference structure, tilting the image would provide a color-shifting feature as well as diffractive color travel.
In the regions where one image overlaps another, the pixels for the various images are interleaved, that is, diffractive pixels composing the letter “A” are interspersed with diffractive pixels composing the letters “B” and “C”. It is not necessary that each image have a comparable number of pixels in the overlapping regions, and some pixels may be unprinted, printed with non-diffractive ink, or printed with randomly oriented diffractive pigment flakes to adjust the density or other characteristics of the image.
Photo-copying the DOVID on a copier would not preserve the optically variable effect of the image. A letter or letters might appear, but the image would not change with rotation. Thus, printed DOVID can serve as security or authenticity features on documents or other objects. Covert security might be provided by diffractive pigments having grating spacing greater than 3,000 lines/mm, which could be invisible to the unaided eye, but detected with an ultra-violet camera or detector.
As the DOVID is rotated in the direction of the curved arrow 158, the image appears to travel in the direction of the arrow 160. All three versions of the image could be printed on a background of similar ink with randomly aligned diffractive flakes so that the image would not be prominent unless viewed under the correct conditions.
Other effects can be obtained using diffractive magnetic pigment flakes. In one case, an annular magnet was placed behind a piece of card stock. Diffractive magnetic pigment in a clear binder was drawn across the side of the card stock opposite the magnet with a doctor blade (essentially a thin, narrow stainless-steel spatula). The resulting image gave the impression of a true three-dimensional “fish-eye”. It is believed that the diffractive magnetic pigment flakes were aligned by both tilting and rotating flakes along the magnetic field lines. In another instance, the pigment was applied as a spray paint.
VI. Methods of Application and Alignment
Magnetic pigment flakes can be aligned in a number of fashions. A magnetic field can be used to align the pigment flakes before, during, or after applying the pigment onto a medium, or a magnetic field can be applied at several parts of the process, or throughout the process. For example, a magnetic field may be applied to align or pre-align the flakes before application by a printing, dying, powder-coating, or painting device, and a magnetic field may be applied after the pigment flakes have been applied to a medium. Similarly, the application device, such as the spray head, roller, or screen may be magnetized to align the pigment flakes as they are applied to the medium. Examples of suitable media include paper, plastic, metal, wood, leather, and fabric. Exemplary printing techniques include gravure, stamping, Intaglio, flexographic, silk-screen, jet, and lithographic printing, and images may produced using a combination of printing techniques. Diffractive pigments might also be aligned during extrusion or injection molding of plastic articles or films, either with a magnetic field or as a result of fluid tending to align the diffraction grating along the direction of flow.
If a printing technique using a transfer roller is used, the ink source (container) may be magnetized to orient the pigment flakes before they are picked up by the roller. The orientation is substantially preserved as the flakes are transferred to the intended medium. Similarly, in a screen printing technique a magnetic field may be applied across the screen or screen elements to align the pigment flakes, or the squeegee may be magnetized to align the flakes as the ink or paint is drawn across the screen. In that case, different orientations of the flakes are obtained simply by changing the direction of the draw.
Printed or painted images may be used in many applications. For example, printed DOVIDs may be used as security or authentication features on bank notes, traveler's checks, software media, and credit cards. The DOVIDs may be printed directly on the media or may be printed on a transfer film or foil, such as a hot foil, that is then applied (hot pressed) to the media. Either approach provides a DOVID without having to make a master hologram. This in turn allows flexibility in what images are provided. For example, a diffractive optically variable date code could be used. Making a master hologram, especially for a single use, using conventional techniques would be expensive and time consuming in comparison. However, counterfeiters have obtained access to apparatus for making a master hologram, so such devices are becoming easier to counterfeit.
In other cases, the medium itself may be magnetized. For example, an emblem or logo might be produced on a steel panel by imparting remnant magnetization in a selected pattern to the steel pattern. Paint containing magnetic pigment flakes would align in the areas having sufficient magnetic field, and not align in areas with little or no field. Similarly, a magnetic template with permanent and/or electromagnets or magnetic fluid could be placed behind a panel, such as a metal, plastic, or wooden panel, to align the pigment flakes after they are applied to the panel. Other techniques could apply or embed magnetized wires or particles in or on a medium, or to apply a magnetic fluid to the side of the substrate opposite the pigment flakes. Magnetic diffractive pigment particles in a paint or ink that were subsequently applied would then align to the magnetized material. The orientation of the diffractive pigment could also align other non-magnetic particles, such as micro-wires, that would not otherwise be oriented. Flakes might be aligned before application to the surface of the substrate, such as by using filtered cathode arc deposition to align the flakes during their trajectory to the substrate.
Many different carriers may be used with pigment flakes according to embodiments of the present invention. A paint vehicle may be combined with the pigment flakes to provide a paint formulation, an ink vehicle may be combined with the pigment flakes to provide an ink formulation, or a powder-coating binder may be combined with the pigment flakes to form a powder-coating formulation, for example. Powder coating material should be pre-formulated because during application the magnetic pigment may spread so that only a small portion will reach the article being coated. In some applications, such as fast drying ink formulations, the vehicle or carrier may be relatively volatile, or be rapidly absorbed into the medium, such as a paper. Techniques aligning the pigment flakes before application may be compatible with such fast-drying or fast-setting carriers. For example, with gravure printing, the ink receiver can be magnetized before the idlers pick up the ink.
Other techniques may use slower drying or slower setting carriers. For example, an automotive paint formulation might use a polyurethane carrier that stays relatively fluid for at least several minutes. The flakes could be aligned prior to application, the orientation being preserved when the paint cured, or could be applied with random orientation and subsequently aligned by applying a magnetic field. The flakes typically lie along the surface of the medium, facilitating orienting the diffraction grating in the plane of the flake. Other carriers might remain fluid until selectively cured, such as a carrier that is cured using infrared, ultra-violet or other light, or heat.
In other embodiments, magnetic diffractive pigment flakes can be included in polymeric films, such as extruded films. The extrusion process generally aligns the flakes in the plane of the film, and a magnetic field can be applied as the film is extruded to align the diffraction gratings in the plane of the flake. Similarly, magnetic diffractive pigment flakes could be cast in a polymer, and magnetically aligned before casting or while the polymer was still fluid. Such techniques could include aligning the plane of the flake, as well as the rotational orientation of the diffraction grating in the plane of the flake.
Examples of materials that might be used in polymeric films include aqueous polymer, such as a polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl acetate polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly(ethoxyethylene), poly(methoxyethylene), poly(acrylic) acid, poly(acrylamide), poly(oxyethylene), poly(maleic anhydride), hydroxyethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate and poly(sacchrides) such as gum arabic and pectin may be used. If an organic solvent base is to be utilized, almost any polymer system that is dissolvable may be used. This may include those polymers listed in the aqueous examples above but will also include the additional polymers of poly(acetals), such as polyvinylbutyral, poly(vinyl halides), such as polyvinyl chloride and polyvinylene chloride, poly(dienes) such as polybutadiene, poly(alkenes) such as polyethylene, poly(acrylates) such as polymethyl acrylate, poly(methacrylates) such as poly methylmethacrylate, poly(carbonates) such as poly(oxycarbonyl oxyhexamethylene, poly(esters) such as polyethylene terephthalate, poly(urethanes), poly(siloxanes), poly(suphides), poly(sulphones), poly(vinylnitriles), poly(acrylonitriles), poly(styrene), poly(phenylenes) such as poly(2,5 dihydroxy-1,4-phenyleneethylene), poly(amides), natural rubbers, formaldehyde resins and other polymers.
The flakes can also be aligned at a desired tilt, as well as at a desired orientation of the diffraction grating by applying a magnetic field that is not in-plane with the medium that the flakes are applied to. For example, an end pole of a bar magnet can be placed underneath a card across which diffractive flakes have been spread. The curving field lines produce a dramatic and unusual effect of a three-dimensional “eye”. Similar effects were obtained using the edges of bar, disk, and annular magnets. When the face of an annular magnet was placed against the backside of the card, a multiple, three-dimensional ringed effect was produced in the diffractive pigment. Magnetic diffractive pigments were applied to media using a variety of techniques, including screening, spreading, and spraying.
VII. Experimental Results
Several types of magnetic diffractive pigment flakes were made and tested for optical properties. The flakes were generally made by depositing thin film layers on embossed PET film, and then separating the thin film layers from the deposition substrate and grinding and sorting the flakes. The flakes were then mixed with a binder, such as 150K™ basecoat sold by E.I.
In another example, a magnetic field was applied after drawing down the pigment flakes. The carrier remained sufficiently fluid while opposing (north-south) magnetic poles were placed facing each other beneath the card across which the pigment flakes had been drawn. The pigment flakes had magnetic needles formed along the diffraction grating pattern, and the magnetic needles aligned themselves along magnetic field lines between the poles.
A goniospectrophotometer was used to measure the color travel of the samples. A scanning mask was used on the photodetector. The “a” axis represents green in the negative direction and red in the positive direction, and the “b” axis represents blue in the negative direction and yellow in the positive direction, in accordance with standard CIE™ LABcolormetric conventions. Generally speaking, the further the curve is from the origin, the more chromatic the color for a given lightness when viewed from that direction. Absolute viewing angles are omitted for clarity of illustration, but the data points are approximately 2 degrees apart.
The first curve 902 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with an incident light beam at 45 degrees and perpendicular to the applied filed or to the diffraction grating (applied magnetic field) as the sample, i.e. groove orientation, is rotated between about −33 degrees 904 and about 80 degrees 906, with essentially specular reflection 907 occurring at viewing angles of about 45 degrees. The second curve 908 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with the incident light beam parallel to the diffraction grating as the sample is rotated through essentially the same arc. The first curve 902 shows a high degree of color travel compared to the second curve 908. The essentially out-and-back nature of the second curve from the origin shows relatively little color travel, which is characteristic of no diffractive interference effects.
The first curve 912 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with an incident beam perpendicular to the aggregated diffraction gratings of the flakes. The second curve 914 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with the incident beam perpendicular to the aggregated diffractions gratings. This sample showed wide color travel with the illumination source perpendicular to the magnetic field through some angles of viewing, but relatively little color travel or chromaticity over the remainder of the range. The second curve shows relatively low color travel.
The first curve 922 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with an incident beam perpendicular to the aggregated diffraction gratings of the flakes. The second curve 924 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with the incident beam perpendicular to the aggregated diffractions gratings. This sample showed moderate color travel with the illumination source perpendicular to the magnetic field, particularly a relatively fast transition from the achromatic center to the +a, −b quadrant. The second curve shows relatively low color travel, and relatively low chromaticity.
For 45-degree incidence, we can see violet (400 nm) and greenish (about 550 nm) hues at a viewing angle of 90 degrees. This corresponds to the first-order wavelengths. The minus-one order diffractive reflection is under the horizon (plane of the grating) for wavelengths longer than 550 nm at this grating frequency.
The first curve 932 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with an incident beam perpendicular to the aggregated diffraction gratings of the flakes. The second curve 934 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with the incident beam parallel to the aggregated diffractions gratings.
The first curve 942 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with an incident beam perpendicular to the aggregated diffraction gratings of the flakes. The second curve 944 shows the color travel of the sample illuminated with the incident beam parallel to the aggregated diffractions gratings. The general impression of this sample is a gold field changing to silver upon tilting of the sample under illumination and presenting diffractive effects when illuminated with a highly oriented beam perpendicular to the oriented grooves (diffraction grating) of the flakes.
It is believed other effects may be achieved with other optical designs. For example, titanium nitride (TiN) might be used as a reflector material to impart a golden base color to a diffractive flake. Similarly, gold makes an excellent reflector for diffractive flake applications. Copper could be used to obtain yet other base colors and color shifts.
While the invention has been described above in terms of various specific embodiments, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. Thus, the embodiments described above illustrate the invention, but are not restrictive of the invention, which is indicated by the following claims. All modifications and equivalents that come within the meaning and range of the claims are included within their scope.
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|Clasificación de EE.UU.||428/403, 106/31.9, 428/323, 428/32.16, 106/31.65, 428/328, 106/31.6, 106/31.13|
|Clasificación internacional||C09D11/00, C09D201/00, G02B5/18, C09D5/00, H01F10/12, C09C3/06, C09D5/03, B05D5/12, C09D5/36, C09C1/00|
|Clasificación cooperativa||Y10T428/24413, Y10T428/2991, Y10T428/24893, Y10T428/256, Y10T428/2982, Y10T428/25, Y10T428/24372, Y10T428/2438, C09C2200/40, H01F10/12, C01P2004/54, B42D2033/16, B42D25/328, B42D25/29, C09C2210/30, C09C1/0078, B41M3/148, B42D2033/20, C09D11/50, C01P2006/42, C09D5/36, C09C2200/30, C09C1/0015|
|Clasificación europea||B42D15/00C, B41M3/14T, C09D11/50, C09D5/36, H01F10/12, C09C1/00G, C09C1/00F|
|13 Sep 2002||AS||Assignment|
|16 May 2005||AS||Assignment|
|17 May 2005||AS||Assignment|
|21 Feb 2006||CC||Certificate of correction|
|8 Dic 2008||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|7 Dic 2012||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 8