Avery Dennison Corporation

Mirraviz, Inc.

Avery Dennison Retail Information Services, LLC

Optical Research Associates

Smart Technologies Ulc

Next Holdings Limited

Chapman, Steven R.

Wu, Feng

Steven R Chapman

Feng Wu

Dennis I Couzin

William J Cassarly

Kejian (Kevin) Huang

Ethelbert Galicia

Kejian Huang

Michael Wang

Simon Bridger

Ian J Forster

Sriram Venkatasanthanam

Haochuan Wang

John D Peck

David Charles Welch

Nikhil R Agashe

Methods of making tiled articles and molds used to make retroreflective articles. The methods include forming a prism array on a master substrate and forming a replica of the master. A reference edge is formed on the replica, thereby reducing the size of the prism array, yet maintaining a lateral dimension of the replica to maintain ease of handling of the replica. The replica is copied and the reference edge on the copied tiles are exposed, such that the reference edge can be mated and secured face-to-face with a reference edge on other tiles in order to form a tiled article. The tiled article is used as a mold to produce retroreflective articles or can be further duplicated and mated to form larger tiled articles to be used as molds. Tiled articles used as molds and retroreflective articles produced from the molds are also disclosed.

Tiled retroreflector with multi-stage dicing

A method of making an array () of aberrated optical elements (). The method comprises the steps of providing a substrate having a first surface with forming elements thereon, and controlled working a localized region on the first surface of the substrate. The controlled working is of a magnitude sufficient to aberrate one or more of the forming elements in an affected site surrounding the localized region.

Method of making an array of aberrated optical elements

The present invention relates to an advertising system and method of using the same. The advertising system includes a light source which may be activated by near field communication devices in order to extract information from the system.

Smart sign box using electronic interactions

Provided herein is a retroreflective article comprising a retroreflective film and a plurality of isosceles triangular pyramid prisms embossed on the back surface of the retroreflective film. The prisms are configured such that the article reflects an incident light beam into two reflected light beams that are offset from and on opposite sides of the incident light beam. The two reflected light beams can provide two viewing zones located at different positions relative to the incident light beam source.

Retroreflective sheeting for projector-based display system

Various geometries are described for forming retroreflective structures in polymeric sheets or films. The geometries enable venting of volatile gases that can otherwise become trapped between the embossing surface and the polymeric sheet or film. The geometries are incorporated in tooling belts or other pattern forming surfaces.

Vented tooling belt for production of structured surfaces

A retroreflective article and method is provided. The retroreflective article includes a first transparent layer having a back surface with retroreflective prisms, and a planar front surface that has an index of refraction n1. A second transparent layer having an index of refraction n2 is less than n1 overlies the back surface of the first layer. The second layer includes an array of uniform nanostructures of transparent material that define pores having a width that is less than one half of the wavelength of visible light. The nanostructures may be an array of parallel, same-sized nanorods that are obliquely oriented with respect to the first transparent layer, or a grid-like or parallel array of tapered nano-ridges of uniform size that define tapered pores or tapered grooves. The second layer preferably has a porosity greater than 60% so that the resulting index of refraction n1 is no larger than about 1.20.

Retroreflector with low refractive index backing

A directionally active projection device is described that includes a planar display providing a pattern of information. The planar display includes regions of light transparency and regions for blocking light transmittance. The directionally active projection device also includes a lens arranged adjacent to the planar display, and a collection of light sources arranged as an array in a focal plane of the lens. Also described are methods of controlling directionally active projection devices.

Direction active projection

A dual light-source position detecting system for use in touch screens is provided that utilizes parallax to determine the position of an interposing object, and a prismatic film that is brightly retroreflective over a broad entrance angle to enhance to accuracy of the parallax determination of position. The position detecting system includes at least one camera positioned to receive light radiation traversing a detection area and that generates a signal representative of an image; two spaced-apart sources of light radiation, which may be LEDs, or IR emitters positioned adjacent to the camera for outputting light radiation that overlaps over at least a portion of a detection area, and a prismatic film positioned along a periphery of at least a portion of the detection area that retroreflects the light radiation from the two sources to the camera.

Position sensing systems for use in touch screens and prismatic film used therein

Various embodiments comprise light recycling films comprising an array of parallel ridges and grooves that form prisms that selectively reflect or transmit light. In some embodiments, the light recycling film may be used in displays that include spatial light modulators comprising a plurality of pixels. The light recycling film can limit the field-of-view of the display and enhance the luminance within that field-of-view. Various embodiments comprising multiple arrays of ridges and/or grooves can enhance uniformity of illumination of the pixels in the spatial light modulator and reduce Moir&#xe9; effects.

Light enhancing structures with a plurality of arrays of elongate features

A touch screen system and prismatic film includes a retroreflective substrate having a plurality of retroreflective elements having triangular cube corners. A metallized layer is disposed over at least a portion of the retroreflective elements. In one embodiment, the prismatic film includes two colored substrates mounted over the retroreflective elements. In another embodiment, a single substrate is mounted over the retroreflective elements. It is often desired that a color of the substrate(s) be chosen that is highly transparent in the infrared spectrum, but is also non-transparent in the visible light spectrum, giving the prismatic film a dark appearance. The prismatic film includes a plurality of retroreflective elements having triangular cube corners with a cant in a range between about 4 degrees in a face more parallel direction to 18 degrees in an edge more parallel direction and a cube depth between about 0.002 and 0.008 inches or with a cant of about 5.5 to 22 degrees in an edge more parallel direction and a cube depth between about 0.0005 and 0.004 inches, or with a cant of about 8 to 35 degrees in a face more parallel direction and a cube depth between 0.001 and 0.012 inches.

Retroreflector for use in touch screen applications and position sensing systems

A rotationally insensitive, retroreflective prismatic sheeting and method of manufacture is provided. The sheeting includes discrete clusters of cube corners that are separated from one another on all sides by a textured surface. Each of the cube corners in each cluster has a base edge that is not collinear or parallel with the base edges of cube corners on either side of it. The array of cube corners clusters is rulable, and the cube corners have different orientations. Four or more of the cube corners in each cluster may have edges that converge into a central point within the cluster, and the cube corners of the clusters may include at least two symmetrical pairs of cube corners. The shapes of the cube corner clusters may be polygonal, and all of the cube corners may share a common vertex located at the center of the polygonal shape.

Rulable multi-directional prism cluster retroreflective sheeting

Decorative diffuser

A retroreflective sheeting () comprising a cube layer () having a front light-receiving surface () and a rear retroreflecting surface (), and a metallic layer () covering the rear retroreflecting surface (). The rear surface () comprises an array of retroreflective elements () and diffusing patches () within such array (without retroreflective elements ()). The metallic layer () covers the retroreflective elements () and the diffusing patches (), whereby diffusing patches () scatter incoming light increasing daytime brightness to a desired level.

Growing community of inventors

Glenview, IL, United States of America

Steven R Chapman