Optical articles and method of preparing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11256014-B2
Application number	US-201515767366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Feb 22, 2022
Grant date	Feb 22, 2022

Abstract

An optical article that includes an optical element and an anisotropic coating layer formed over at least a portion of the optical element. The anisotropic coating layer can include a first light-influencing zone comprising at least one first anisotropic material and a second light-influencing zone comprising at least one second anisotropic material. The at least one of the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone further include at least one dichroic material and/or at least one photochromic-dichroic material such that the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone exhibit a different color property, a different photochromic-dichroic reversible change, a different amount of polarization, or a combination thereof.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical article, comprising:
an optical element; and
a single and continuous anisotropic coating layer formed over at least a portion of the optical element, the anisotropic coating layer comprising:
a first light-influencing zone comprising at least one first anisotropic material; and
a second light-influencing zone comprising at least one second anisotropic material,
wherein at least one of the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone further comprise at least one photochromic-dichroic material,
wherein the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone exhibit a different color property, a different photochromic-dichroic reversible change, a different amount of polarization, or a combination thereof, and
wherein the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone comprise a gradient color and a gradient polarization.

2. The optical article of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first anisotropic material and/or the at least one second anisotropic material comprises a liquid crystal material, and wherein the at least one first anisotropic material is the same or different than the at least one second anisotropic material.

3. The optical article of claim 1 , wherein the first light-influencing zone and/or the second light-influencing zone of the anisotropic coating layer further comprises a dichroic material and/or a photochromic material.

4. The optical article of claim 1 , further comprising an alignment coating layer located between the optical element and the anisotropic coating layer,
wherein the alignment coating layer comprises a first alignment region aligned in a first orientation direction, and a second alignment region aligned in a second orientation direction that is different form the first direction.

5. The optical article of claim 4 , wherein the alignment coating layer further comprises at least one photo-alignment material.

6. The optical article of claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises a first major surface, and the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone are located on the first major surface of the optical element.

7. The optical article of claim 6 , wherein a third light-influencing zone is located on the first major surface of the optical element.

8. The optical article of claim 6 , wherein the first major surface is a curved surface.

9. The optical article of claim 1 , wherein the optical element is selected from an optical lens, an optical filter, a window, a visor, a mirror, or a display, preferably an optical lens, more preferably an ophthalmic lens.

10. A method of making an optical article having multiple light-influencing zones, comprising:
applying a single and continuous anisotropic material over at least a portion of an optical element; and
applying at least one photochromic-dichroic material over at least the portion of the optical element to form at least a first light-influencing zone and a second light-influencing zone,
wherein the first light-influencing zone and a second light-influencing zone exhibit a different color property, a different photochromic-dichroic reversible change, a different amount of polarization, or a combination thereof, and
wherein the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone comprise a gradient color and a gradient polarization.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the anisotropic material and the at least one photochromic-dichroic material are applied by a method selected from spin coating, spray coating, dip coating, curtain coating, flow coating, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the anisotropic material and the at least one photochromic-dichroic material are applied by a method selected from the group consisting of flow coating, spray coating, dip coating, and curtain coating, followed by a spin process.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first light-influencing zone is formed by applying a first coating composition comprising at least one first photochromic-dichroic material over a first portion of the optical element, and
wherein the second light-influencing zone is formed by applying a second coating composition comprising at least one second photochromic-dichroic material over a second portion of the optical element.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first light-influencing zone is formed by applying a first coating composition comprising at least one first photochromic-dichroic material over a first portion of the optical element, and
wherein the second light-influencing zone is formed by applying a second coating composition comprising at least one material that provides a tint or color over a second portion of the optical element.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein a third coating composition comprising the anisotropic material is applied over at least the first and second portion of the optical element and cured to form an anisotropic coating layer prior to applying the first and second coating composition.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first and second coating composition are applied over the cured anisotropic coating layer during an imbibing process.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first coating composition and the second coating composition further comprises the anisotropic material such that the anisotropic material is applied simultaneously with the at least one first and/or second photochromic-dichroic material.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first composition and the second composition are cured to form a continuous coating layer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein at least one material that provides color or tint is applied over the cured continuous coating layer during an imbibing process.

20. The method of claim 10 , wherein the optical element comprises a first alignment region with the anisotropic material aligned in a first orientation direction and a second alignment region with the anisotropic material aligned in a second orientation direction that is different from the first orientation direction.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first alignment region and the second alignment region are formed by:
applying the alignment coating layer over at least a portion of a first major surface of the optical element;
exposing a first portion of the alignment coating layer to a first polarized radiation having a first polarizing direction to form the first alignment region; and
exposing a second portion of the alignment coating layer to a second polarized radiation having a second polarizing direction that is different from the first polarizing direction to form the second alignment region.

22. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first light-influencing zone and the second light-influencing zone further comprises a dichroic material and/or a photochromic material.

Assignees

• Transitions Optical Inc

Inventors

• Kumar Anil
• Park David John
• Smyth Brian
• Jackson Delwin S
• Nguyen Henry
• Ligas John S
• Anderson Linda K

Classifications

• G02C7/105

  having inhomogeneously distributed colouring · CPC title

• G02C7/12

  Polarisers · CPC title

• G02B5/23 Primary

  Photochromic filters · CPC title

• B29D11/00865

  Applying coatings; tinting; colouring (printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055) · CPC title

• G02C7/102

  Photochromic filters · CPC title