IPC分类号：
B44C1/00 | B32B15/08 | B44C1/10 | B44C3/08 | B44D5/00 | B44D5/10 | B44F1/04 | B44F7/00
国民经济行业分类号：
C2438 | C2436 | C2435 | C2434 | C2433 | C2432 | C2431 | C3076 | C3075 | C2439
当前申请(专利权)人：
AMERICAN DECAL & MANUFACTURING COMPANY
原始申请(专利权)人：
AMERICAN DECAL & MANUFACTURING COMPANY
摘要：
A patterned metallized film (10) comprises a transparent or translucent polymeric film coated on one side with a thin coating of metal, with the metal coating and the polymeric film being bonded to each other. The metal coating has a multiplicity of fractures of different sizes distributed throughout the coating in a prescribed pattern (12) so that the reflection of light by the fractured metal coating produces a three-dimensional illusion of the pattern (12) when viewed through said polymeric film. The film may also include a layer of adhesive on the opposite side of the metal coating from the polymeric film, and a paper backing sheet on the opposite side of the adhesive layer from the metal coating. The fractures are preferably formed by heating the metallized film non-uniformly so that selected areas of the film expand and soften at a rate different from the rate at which other areas of said film expand and soften. The different rates of expansion and softening produce multiple fractures in the metal coating between the selected areas and the other areas, whereby the fractures replicate the desired pattern.
技术功效语段：
[0004]It is a primary object of the present invention to provide patterned metallized films without the use of printing inks, without permanently embossing or otherwise contouring the metal coating or the film, and without the need to deposit any materials other than a metal coating on the polymeric film. In this connection, a related object of the invention is to provide such a film in which the pattern is formed by a multiplicity of minute discontinuities within the metal coating on the polymeric film.
[0006]It is a further important object of the invention to provide a patterned metallized film of the foregoing type which is a smooth, flat film that is easy to keep clean.
[0007]Still another object of the invention is to provide a patterned metallized film which can be manufactured at about the same cost as a plain metallized film.
[0008]A further object of the invention is to provide a patterned metallized polymeric film which is capable of replicating virtually any desired pattern and in any desired color, with unique and attractive three-dimensional effects.
[0009]Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved decorative film of the type described above which has a long life even when used in outdoor applications where the film is subjected to continual temperature variations and other weathering conditions.
[0010]It is a still further object of the invention to provide a unique method of forming a pattern on a metallized polymeric film without the use of printing inks, so that the patterned film can be efficiently manufactured at a low cost. In this connection, a related object of the invention is to provide a method of forming a patterned metallized film which eliminates ink drying times as well as storage, disposal, flammability and toxicity problems typically associated with printing inks, thereby reducing production time and the overall cost of producing such a film.
权利要求：
1. A patterned metallized film comprising a transparent or translucent polymeric film coated on one side with a thin coating of metal, said metal coating and said polymeric film being bonded to each other, and said metal coating having a multiplicity of fractures of different sizes distributed throughout the metal coating in a prescribed pattern so that the reflection of light by the fractured metal coating produces a three-dimensional illusion of said pattern when viewed through said polymeric film.
2. The patterned metallized film of claim 1 which includes a layer of adhesive on the opposite side of said metal coating from said polymeric film.
3. The patterned metallized film of claim 2 wherein said layer of adhesive is selected from the group consisting of pressure-sensitive adhesives, solvent-activatable adhesives, and heat-activatable adhesives.
4. The patterned metallized film of claim 2 which includes a paper backing sheet on the opposite side of said adhesive layer from said metal coating.
5. The patterned metallized film of claim 1 wherein said polymeric film is a flat film with smooth planar surfaces, and said metal coating is applied to one of said smooth planar surfaces with a substantially uniform thickness over the entire surface.
6. The patterned metallized film of claim 1 which includes a layer of adhesive on the opposite side of said polymeric film from said metal coating.
7. The patterned metallized film of claim 1 wherein said polymeric film has been non-uniformly expanded and softened by heating said polymeric film in a preselected pattern, and then cooling said polymeric film to room temperature; and which includes a backing sheet, bonded to said metal coating, which has been non-uniformly shrunk by heating said backing sheet in said preselected pattern, said fractures being of different sizes formed by the combination of the non-uniform shrinkage of said backing sheet and the non-uniform expansion and softening of said polymeric film.
8. A method of producing a patterned metallized film, said method comprising the steps of metallizing a transparent or translucent polymeric film on one side with a thin coating of reflective metal, and producing a preselected pattern in said metal coating by selectively fracturing said metal coating by heating selected areas of the metallized film at different rates to produce a multiplicity of fractures distributed throughout said metal coating in accordance with said pattern.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said selected areas which are heated define said pattern so that the resulting fractures are distributed according to said pattern.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the heating of said film causes said selected areas of said film to expand and soften at a rate different from the rate at which other areas of said film expand and soften, said different rates of expansion and softening producing multiple fractures in said metal coating between said selected areas and said other areas, whereby said fractures replicate said pattern.
11. The method of claim 8 which includes the steps of applying a layer of adhesive to said layer of metal and covering said layer of adhesive with a release-treated backing sheet.
12. The method of claim 8 which includes the steps of applying a layer of adhesive to the opposite side of said polymeric film from said metal coating, and covering said layer of adhesive with a release-treated backing sheet.
13. The method of claim 11 wherein said backing sheet shrinks when heated.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said metal coating is selectively fractured by heating said polymeric film after metallizing said film and after applying said layer of adhesive and said backing sheet.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein the heating of said film causes said selected areas of said film to expand and soften at a rate different from the rate at which other areas of said film expand and soften, and causes like selected areas of said backing sheet to shrink at a rate different from the rate at which other areas of said backing sheet shrink, said different rates of expansion, softening and shrinkage producing multiple fractures in said metal coating between said selected areas and said other areas, whereby said fractures replicate said pattern.
16. The method of claim 8, wherein said metal coating is selectively fractured by passing said metallized film through an apparatus comprising a heated roll adapted to rotate in a first angular direction; and a patterned roll disposed radially adjacent said heated roll and adapted to counter-rotate with respect to said heated roll in a second angular direction, said rolls forming a nip therebetween for accepting said metallized film and being disposed to apply a predetermined amount of pressure to said metallized film as it passes through the nip between said rolls.
17. The method of claim 8 wherein said preselected pattern is produced by heating the metallized polymeric film in said preselected pattern so that portions of the metal-coated polymeric film are heated at a faster rate than other portions, said portions that are heated at a faster rate defining said preselected pattern.