Display and labeled article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9855786-B2
Application number	US-201213485284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2012
Priority date	Dec 1, 2009
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A display including one or more first relief structures is provided. Each of the one or more first relief structures includes a smooth first reflection surface and a plurality of protrusions or recesses. Each top surface of the protrusions or each bottom of the recesses is a smooth second reflection surface parallel to the first reflection surface. Each of the one or more first relief structures is configured to display a mixed color as a structural color by mixing a plurality of wavelength components of visible light wavelengths. Also provided is a labeled article that includes the display, and an article supporting the display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display comprising:
one or more first relief structures, wherein
each of the one or more first relief structures consists of a smooth first reflection surface and a plurality of protrusions or recesses,
each top surface of the protrusions or each bottom of the recesses is a smooth second reflection surface parallel to the first reflection surface,
each of the one or more first relief structures is configured to display a mixed color as a structural color by mixing a plurality of wavelength components of visible light wavelengths,
each of the second reflection surfaces has a height or depth relative to the first reflection surface in a range of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, and
in each of the one or more first relief structures,
the second reflection surfaces all have the same shape and dimensions as each other, and are arranged at a regular center-to-center distance along a first direction and at a regular center-to-center distance along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction,
each of the second reflection surfaces has a length and a width in a range of 5 to 10 μm, and
a ratio S 1 /S of an area S 1 of an orthogonal projection of the first reflection surface on a plane parallel to the first reflection surface to an area S of an orthogonal projection of the first relief structure on the plane is in a range of 20 to 80%.

2. The display according to claim 1 , wherein in at least one of the one or more first relief structures, the second reflection surfaces are arranged regularly at average intervals in a range of 5 to 50 μm, and a ratio S 2 /S of an area S 2 of an orthogonal projection of the second reflection surfaces on a plane parallel to the first reflection surface to an area S of an orthogonal projection of the first relief structure on the plane is in a range of 20 to 80%.

3. The display according to claim 1 , wherein a number of the one or more first relief structures is two or more, one of the first relief structures and another of the first relief structures are configured to display different mixed colors, the second reflection surfaces have an equal height or depth relative to the first reflection surface in each of the first relief structures displaying the different mixed colors, and one of the first relief structures displaying the different mixed colors and another of the first relief structures displaying the different mixed colors are different from each other in the heights or depths of the second reflection surfaces relative to the first reflection surface.

4. The display according to claim 1 , further including a print layer.

5. The display according to claim 1 , further including one or more second relief structures, wherein each of the one or more second relief structures constitutes one of a diffraction grating, a hologram, a light-absorbing structure that displays a color between dark gray and black when illuminated with white light, and a light-scattering structure that emits white light as scattered light when illuminated with white light.

6. The display according to claim 1 , including a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally, wherein each of the first relief structures constitutes a portion or a whole of one of the pixels.

7. The display according to claim 1 , comprising:
a relief structure formation layer; and
a reflection layer at least partially covering one main surface of the relief structure formation layer, the first relief structures being provided at an interface between the relief structure formation layer and the reflection layer or on a surface of the reflection layer.

8. A labeled article comprising:
the display according to claim 1 ; and an article supporting the display.

9. The display according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio S 1 /S is in a range of 40 to 60%.

10. The display according to claim 1 , wherein in each of the one or more first relief structures,
the width of each the second reflection surfaces is substantially the same as the length of each of the second reflection surfaces.

11. The display according to claim 2 , wherein in at least one of the one or more first relief structures, the second reflection surfaces are arranged regularly and have an equal height or depth relative to the first reflection surface.

12. The display according to claim 4 , wherein the print layer and at least one of the one or more first relief structures display a latent image when observed in a normal direction and display a visible image when observed in an oblique direction.

13. The display according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of pixels include two or more pixels having an equal area ratio and two or more pixels having different area ratios, the area ratio being a ratio of an area of the first relief structure to an area of the pixel, and
the two or more pixels having an equal ratio are equal to each other in heights or depths of the second reflection surfaces relative to the first reflection surface, and the two or more pixels having different area ratios are different from each other in heights or depths of the second reflection surfaces relative to the first reflection surface.

14. The display according to claim 13 , wherein in the two or more pixels having different area ratios, the heights or depths of the second reflection surfaces relative to the first reflection surface are greater in the pixel having the larger area ratio than in the pixel having the smaller area ratio.

15. The display according to claim 13 , wherein three or more of the pixels are arranged in an order of the ratio.

Assignees

• Nagano Akira
• Nishihara Takashi
• Mitsui Kazunari
• Toppan Printing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nagano Akira
• Nishihara Takashi
• Mitsui Kazunari

Classifications

• G02B5/1842

  Gratings for image generation (G02B5/1847 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B42D25/324 Primary

  Reliefs · CPC title

• B44F1/10

  Changing, amusing, or secret pictures · CPC title

• B42D25/21

  for multiple purposes · CPC title

• B42D25/351

  Translucent or partly translucent parts, e.g. windows · CPC title