3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Patrick A Thomas

Robert S Moshrefzadeh

John C Nelson

Hsin-hsin Chou

Scott Melvyn Tapio

Erik A Aho

Peter M Olofson

Amy J Gates

Richard John Pokorny

Robert M Moshrefzadeh

Audrey A Sherman

George G I Moore

Michael Alan Meis

Patricia M Savu

Robert L Brott

John C Schultz

Raghunath Padiyath

Kevin R Schaffer

Jeffrey C Chang

William J Bryan

Daniel W Hennen

Michael L Graetz

David A Harper

Colleen M Brenner-Watschke

Theodore W Hodapp

Michael H Hansberry

Martin B Wolk

Kenneth A Epstein

Patrick R Fleming

Hassan Sahouani

Charles L Bruzzone

Manoj Nirmal

Glenn E Casner

Richard J Moore

Ralph R Roberts

Brett J Sitter

Timothy J Gardner

James A Thielen

Steven J Rhyner

Robert P Wenz

Brian T Weber

Jane K Wardhana

Peter F Cullen

Andrew J Piepel

Thomas R Gehring

David J Aastuen

Daniel R Croswell

Scott J Reckinger

Self illuminated back and front lit shaped and two-sided signage. The signage includes a turning film having a structured surface for redirecting light and a diffuser providing for diffusion. The shape of the signage from a viewer's perspective provides the content, such as letters, to be conveyed to the viewer. Two-sided signage includes two signs arranged back-to-back, each including a turning film having a structured surface for redirecting light, a diffuser providing for diffusion, and a printed graphic. In the two-sided signage, the turning films receive light from an ambient light source and direct the light via the structured surfaces toward viewers of the two graphics in order to passively illuminate the signage. The two-sided signage can be shaped to provide content via the shape and graphics.

Self illuminated shaped and two-sided signage for printed graphics

Hybrid signage capable of self illumination and having an active backlight. The signage includes a turning film having a structured surface for redirecting light in order to passively illuminate a printed graphic or shaped sign when the backlight is off. In the shaped sign, the shape provides the content, such as letters, to be conveyed to the viewer instead of a graphic. The signage can be actively illuminated when the backlight is on to supplemental the passive illumination.

Hybrid self illuminated and actively back lit signage for printed graphics

A system for projecting changeable electronic content, such as video or digital still images, onto a curved surface. The system includes a housing, a reflector within the housing, and a projector. The housing has an exterior surface and an interior space. At least a portion of the exterior surface is a curved display surface capable of displaying electronic content projected upon it, and at least one portion of the exterior surface has an aperture through the exterior surface to the interior space. The projector is located proximate the aperture for projecting content through the aperture to the reflector. When the projector receives converted content and projects the converted content through the aperture to the reflector, the curved display surface displays the converted content undistorted to a viewer. The system can also provide for display of branded content on a product container having a shape corresponding with the brand.

Display system and method for projection onto non-planar surfaces

A system for generating and providing a simulated image. Based upon a source image and first parameters for a first display device, the system generates and displays a simulated image on second display device having second parameters. The first parameters are different from the second parameters, and the simulated image displayed on the second display device provides a visual indication of how the source image would appear when displayed on the first display device. The parameters can include a resolution in pixels per inch and a fill factor for the display device. The system can also be used to provide a visual indication of how the source image would appear when displayed on the second display device under varying lighting conditions and viewing angles.

Display simulator

A film for a screen has a light transmitting substrate and a plurality of structures disposed on the substrate. An optical material at least partially fills cavities between the structures. A method of forming a film includes providing a light transmitting substrate having a plurality of structures disposed thereon and at least partially filling the cavities therebetween with an optical material.

Microstructured screen with light absorbing material and method of manufacturing

An optical material includes an adhesive formed from perfluoroalkylsulfonamidoethyl acrylate, aliphatic urethane acrylate oligomer and acrylate monomer. A film can include a first layer, a second layer disposed on the first layer and a polymerized composition disposed between the first and second layers and attaching the first layer to the second layer, the composition including perfluoroalkylsulfonamidoethyl acrylate, aliphatic urethane acrylate oligomer and acrylate monomer. A film can include a substrate and a plurality of structures disposed on the substrate, each of the structures formed by polymerizing a composition including perfluoroalkylsulfonamidoethyl acrylate, aliphatic urethane acrylate oligomer and acrylate monomer.

Optical material adhesive, film including optical material and projection screen including film

A composition having at least about 10 percent perfluoroalkylsulfonamideoethyl acrylate; at least about 5 percent aliphatic urethane acrylate oligomer; at least about 1 percent acrylate monomer; and less than about 84 percent other reactive and non-reactive components. The composition, with the addiction of a light absorbing pigment, is particularly useful as a light absorbing adhesive in an optical element such as a rear projection screen that incorporates totally internally reflecting structures to disperse the light passing through the screen.

Composition for microstructured screens

The present invention is a screen, such as is used in back-lit projection screens, having a Fresnel lens laminated to another layer for support. The screen includes a Fresnel lens having an output surface, and a dispersing screen supportingly attached on a first side to the output surface of the Fresnel lens.

Fresnel lens for projection screens

Disclosed is a rear projection screen that includes a plurality of tapered waveguides and a light absorbing layer disposed over the tops of the waveguides, but that does not completely fill the spaces between the waveguides, thereby forming an interstitial low index region under the light absorbing layer and between the waveguides. The low index interstitial region can include air or a material that has a lower index of refraction than the waveguide material. This rear projection screen construction can give rise to increased efficiency and higher contrast, as well as allow for more design freedom in constructing screens that have desired characteristics such as viewing angle, viewing asymmetry, and the like. Also disclosed are methods for making the described microstructured rear projection screen.

Microstructured rear projection screen

Rear projection screens use lenticular lens films as light dispersing components. A single lenticular lens film includes lenticular lenses having different focal powers, or includes lenticular lenses formed in two dimensional patterns. The lenticular lens films improve the brightness uniformity over the entire screen as viewed by a viewer who is located at a specific position. The specific position is typically selected to be the most probable location of the viewer for the particular application.

Projection screen using variable power lenticular lens for asymmetric viewing angle

A rear projection screen assembly is described that includes a diffuser and a polarizer. The diffuser has particles dispersed within a binder. The particles and the binder have different refractive indices and are chosen such that the diffuser spreads light of an initial polarization state a cone of angles while substantially preserving the initial polarization state of the light. The diffuser also substantially depolarizing a portion of the light that is laterally scattered in the diffuser. The polarizer is disposed to receive light transmitted through the diffuser. The polarizer transmits light of the initial polarization state while absorbing a portion of the laterally scattered light that has a different polarization state. The resolution of the overall screen assembly may be made higher while also improving other characteristics of the screen assembly.

Rear projection screen

A rear projection screen has one or more internal layers that reduce the speckle perceived by a viewer. A screen assembly has a light-source side and a viewing side. The assembly includes a screen layer to disperse light passing through the screen from the light source side and a matte surface disposed on the viewing side of the screen assembly to reduce ambient glare. A first speckle contrast reducing layer is disposed between the screen layer and the matte surface to reduce speckle formed at the matte surface.

Rear projection screen with reduced speckle

Growing community of inventors

Maplewood, MN, United States of America

Patrick A Thomas