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:
Apr. 06, 2004
Filed:
Sep. 07, 2001
Hiroto Hasuo, Kitakyushu, JP;
Yoshiyuki Nakanishi, Kitakyushu, JP;
Hideki Kobayashi, Kitakyushu, JP;
Takayuki Kato, Kitakyushu, JP;
Toto Ltd., Fukuoka-ken, JP;
Abstract
A hydrophilic material comprises a substrate and a hydrophilic layer provided as the outermost layer on the substrate. The hydrophilic layer comprises hydrophilic metal oxide particles and a hydrophilic inorganic amorphous material. The hydrophilic layer has profile peaks on its surface. The hydrophilic layer has roughness properties such that, when a segment is set in only a portion not containing the profile peaks, the ten-point mean roughness (Rz) and the mean distance between concaves and convexes (Sm) obtained from a profile curve in the segment are 10 nm≦Rz≦40 nm and 10 nm≦Sm≦300 nm, respectively, while, when a segment is set so as to pass through the profile peaks, the ten-point mean roughness (Rz) and the mean distance between concaves and convexes (Sm) obtained from a profile curve in the segment are 40 nm≦Rz≦200 nm and 300 nm≦Sm≦500 nm, respectively.