Decorative plastic molded article and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10126561-B2
Application number	US-201514976872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2015
Priority date	Dec 22, 2014
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

A decorative plastic molded article has an outer appearance of metallic color like and a display of a character, a graph or a symbol. A body of the molded article has a plate-like portion; the plate-like portion has a first surface and a second surface; a small concave and convex portion is formed on the second surface; the small concave and convex portion has a plurality of inclined surfaces. The outer appearance of metallic color like is obtained by the total reflection light at the inclined surface and the display of a character, a graph or a symbol is obtained by the transmissive light through a planar transparent portion with shape of a character, a graph or a symbol formed in the small concave and convex portion or the total reflection light at the small concave and convex portion with shape of a character, a graph or a symbol.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A decorative plastic molded article having light transmittance property, comprising a molded article body, wherein,
said molded article body has a top portion and a side plate portion, wherein the top portion comprises a first planar surface and a second surface opposite the first planar surface, on the second surface there is a plurality of first concave-convex portions and a plurality of transmission portions disposed among the plurality of the first concave-convex portions, and the first concave-convex portions comprise:
a plurality of first inclined surfaces with a plurality of peaks that form a plurality of first recesses, the plurality of recesses include at least two recesses arranged in a concentric pattern, wherein
the plurality of first inclined surfaces is positioned to reflect light incident the decorative molded plastic article at the first planar surface back toward the first planar surface, wherein the reflected light provides a silverish metallic color obtained by total reflection of the incident light at the plurality of first inclined surfaces,

the plurality of transmission portions are arranged in a shape of a character, a graph or a symbol, and the plurality of transmission portions is positioned to transmit light incident the decorative molded plastic article at the first planar surface through the second surface,
the side plate portion extends in a direction perpendicular to the first planar surface of the top portion, and the side plate portion comprises:
a third surface, and
a fourth surface opposite the third surface, wherein the fourth surface comprises a plurality of second concave-convex portions having a plurality of second inclined surfaces with a plurality of peaks that form a plurality of second recesses, the plurality of second recesses is arranged in a second pattern different from the concentric pattern, and are positioned to provide a silverish metallic color appearance obtained by total reflection of incident light at the plurality of second inclined surfaces.

2. A decorative plastic molded article having light transmittance property, comprising a molded article body, wherein,
said molded article body has a top portion and a side plate portion, wherein the top portion comprises a first planar surface and a second surface opposite the first planar surface, on the second surface there is a plurality of first concave-convex portions and a plurality of transmission portions disposed among the plurality of the first concave-convex portions, and the first concave-convex portions comprise:
a plurality of first inclined surfaces with a plurality of peaks that form a plurality of first recesses, the plurality of recesses include at least two recesses arranged in a first pattern, wherein
the plurality of first inclined surfaces is positioned to reflect light incident the decorative molded plastic article at the first planar surface back toward the first planar surface, wherein the reflected light is reflected by total reflection of the incident light at the plurality of first inclined surfaces,

the plurality of transmission portions are arranged in a shape of a character, a graph or a symbol, and the plurality of transmission portions is positioned to transmit light incident the decorative molded plastic article at the first planar surface through the second surface,
the side plate portion extends in a direction perpendicular to the first planar surface of the top portion, and the side plate portion comprises:
a third surface, and
a fourth surface opposite the third surface, wherein the fourth surface comprises a plurality of second concave-convex portions having a plurality of second inclined surfaces with a plurality of peaks that form a plurality of second recesses, the plurality of second recesses is arranged in a second pattern different from the first pattern, and are positioned to reflect by total reflection of incident light at the plurality of second inclined surfaces.

3. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of second concave-convex portions is formed by arranging a plurality of peaks and valleys in parallel, and at least one of the peaks or the valleys has a planar light-transmitting portion, wherein the planar light-transmitting portion enables the light entering from outside to transmit through the molded article body.

4. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , wherein in at least one part of the top portion there are portions having different total areas of the light-transmitting portions per unit area.

5. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 4 , wherein the total area of the light-transmitting portions is set in a way that a total light transmittance of the top portion of the molded article body is in the range from greater than 0% to 60% when the light at a wavelength of 633 nm is incident from the first surface.

6. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of second concave-convex portions is formed by arranging the plurality of peaks that form the plurality of second recesses in parallel; and the plurality of peaks that form the plurality of second recess has different angles, pitches, or depths in comparison with the plurality of peaks that form the plurality of first recesses.

7. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , wherein the third surface is a curved surface.

8. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , further comprising protective portions for covering the plurality of first concave-convex portions.

9. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of second concave-convex portions is formed by arranging triangular peaks and triangular slot-shaped valleys in parallel; the refractive index N 1 of the molded article body, the refractive index N 2 of a medium outside the plurality of second inclined surfaces of the molded article body, and the angle θ between the triangular peaks and the triangular valleys meet the following equation:
(⅔)((π/2)+arcsin( N 2/ N 1))≤θ≤2((π/2)−arcsin( N 2/ N 1)).

10. The decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of peaks that form the second plurality of recesses is formed by arranging a plurality of polygonal pyramids or circular cones in parallel.

11. A method of manufacturing the decorative plastic molded article according to claim 2 , comprising preparing a mold with shape of the molded article body, the plurality of first concave-convex portions, the plurality of second concave-convex portions, and injection molding the molded article body at one time by using the mold.

12. The decorative article of claim 2 , wherein each light transmission portion of the plurality of light transmission portions is planar.

13. The decorative article of claim 12 , wherein a light transmission portion of the plurality of light transmission portions is between adjacent first inclined surfaces of the plurality of first inclined surfaces.

14. The decorative article of claim 12 , wherein light transmission portion is surrounded by each first inclined surface of the plurality of first inclined surfaces.

15. The decorative article of claim 12 , wherein a light transmission portion of the plurality of light transmission portions is between an edge of the top portion and each first inclined surface of the plurality of first inclined surfaces.

16. The decorative article of claim 2 , wherein the first pattern is a concentric pattern.

17. A decorative

Assignees

• Seiko Giken Kk

Inventors

• Kakinuma Norihiro
• Hioki Masahide

Classifications

• B65D1/0207

  characterised by material, e.g. composition, physical features · CPC title

• B29L2031/722

  Decorative or ornamental articles · CPC title

• B65D2203/00

  Decoration means, markings, information elements, contents indicators · CPC title

• B29C45/372 Primary

  provided with means for marking or patterning, e.g. numbering articles · CPC title

• G09F13/18

  Edge-illuminated signs · CPC title