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US 2019/0099979 A1Published application
Structurally-colored articles and methods for making and using structurally-colored articles
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsJennifer Bee, Jeremy Gantz, Kim Kovel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide articles of manufacture and components of articles that incorporate an optical element that imparts a structural color to the component or the article. The component comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material, and can include or be made to have a textured surface.
Claims20
A method of making an article, comprising:
- softening or melting a thermoplastic material by increasing a temperature of the thermoplastic material to a first temperature at or above one of a creep relaxation temperature, a heat deflection temperature, a Vicat softening temperature or a melting temperature of the thermoplastic material of the first surface, wherein the thermoplastic material defines a first surface of a component;
- disposing a first side or a second side of an optical element on the first surface;
- wherein the optical element imparts a structural color to the article;
- and
- before or following the disposing, re-solidifying the thermoplastic material by reducing the temperature of the thermoplastic material to a second temperature below the one of the creep relaxation temperature, the heat deflection temperature, the Vicat softening temperature or the melting temperature of the thermoplastic material.
2 more elements
An article comprising:
- a component forming at least a portion of the article, the component having a first surface defined by a thermoplastic material;
- and
- an optical element having a first side and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the first side or the second side of the optical element is disposed on the thermoplastic material of the first surface of the component and imparts a structural color to the article.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.