The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 02, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 13, 1997
M.A. HannaColor, Suwanee, GA (US);
Abstract
A method for obtaining both light and dark laser marks on a colored plastic article by using a composition with (i) a thermoplastic resin that foams when heated, (ii) about 0.4% to 0.7% by weight of a mica based laser energy absorbing additive and (iii) a coloring agent with one or more colorants selected from the group of pigments, dyes, and mixtures of pigments and dyes. Using a laser at certain settings results in charring of the resin to produce dark laser marks. At other selected laser settings, the resin foams to produce a light mark on a colored background. By varying the laser energy settings, various degrees of both foaming and charring can be achieved on a single plastic article, having a single resin composition, resulting in a multicolored laser image produced by various shades of light and/or dark marks against the background color.