Decorative laminated structures and method of making the same

Abstract

This invention provides a decorative laminated structure having on the surface a pattern composed of concaves, at least one of said concaves having an opening at its bottom portion formed by local heat shrinkage of a layer of a heat-shrinkable resin sheet employed. Such decorative laminated structure is prepared by a method comprising forming a composite layer structure including a base, a heat-shrinkable resin sheet, a picture layer containing heat insensitive picture areas and another picture layer having heat sensitive picture areas, said heat sensitive picture areas being contiguous and closely adherent to said heat-shrinkable resin sheet; and irradiating the composite layer structure with a heat ray in an amount sufficient for making an opening in the heat-shrinkable resin sheet to thereby cause the heat-shrinkable resin sheet to shrink locally and form concaves, at least one of said concaves having an opening at its bottom portion at portions corresponding to the heat sensitive picture areas. Such structure can also be prepared when a composite layer structure including a picture layer containing heat sensitive picture areas, said heat sensitive picture areas being contiguous and closely adherent to said heat-shrinkable resin sheet, is at first prepared in the same manner as above and irradiated with a heat ray and a picture layer having heat insensitive picture areas is applied on a heat-shrinkable resin sheet of the resulting composite layer structure. Such decorative laminated structure can be improved in thermal characteristics when it is subjected to a heat fixation treatment at elevated temperatures while fixing its peripheral ends. A decorative laminated structure of this invention exhibits excellent decorative effects, and can be used effectively as a decorating material in various fields.