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US 11,987,073 B2Granted
Structurally-colored articles having layers which taper in thickness
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsJeremy Gantz, Kim Kovel, Yuanmin Wang
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
As described above, one or more aspects of the present disclosure provide articles having structural color, and methods of making articles having structural color. The present disclosure provides for articles (e.g., structurally colored articles) that exhibit different structural colors in different regions of the article using an optical element, where the optical element has different structures (e.g., cross-sectional structures) in at least two of those regions.
Claims14
A structure comprising:
- an optical element disposed on a surface of an article, wherein the optical element includes at least a first region A and a first region B disposed on a first area of the article and a second region A and a second region B disposed on a second area of the article, wherein the first region A and second region A of the optical element imparts a first structural color to the article, wherein the first region B and second region B of the optical element imparts a second structural color to the article, wherein an area between the first region B and the second region B is a middle region having a third color, wherein the first structural color, the second structural color, and the third color are each different from each other when viewed from the same angle of observation;
- wherein the optical element comprises at least one layer, wherein a total number of the at least one layer in the first region A and the first region B of the optical element correspond and wherein a total number of the at least one layer in the second region A and the second region B of the optical element correspond, wherein each corresponding layer in the first region A, the first region B, the second region A and the second region B of the optical element consists essentially of the same material, wherein at least one of the layers of the first region B tapers from a first edge of the first region A to a first point of the first region B so that the thickness of the layer at the first edge of the first region A is greater than the thickness at the first point in the first region B, wherein at least one of the layers of the second region B tapers from a second edge of the second region A to a second point of the second region B so that the thickness of the layer at the second edge of the second region A is greater than the thickness at the second point in the second region B, wherein the middle region includes at least a first layer that consists essentially of the same material as one of the layers of the first region B or second region B.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.