Back to results
US 5,571,598 AGranted
Decorative light transmitting panel and method for its fabrication
OwnerDelicia M. Butler, Stefan Kanetisinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerDelicia M. Butler, Stefan Kanetisinventors
Estimating the term…
There is disclosed a light-transmitting panel of thermoplastic sheet material which has a relief pattern defined by a plurality of generally co-planar segments which are separated by deep surface relieved areas that are characterized by greater material thickness than the planar segments and smoothly arched surfaces of greater optical quality than the planar segments. The invention also comprises a method for forming the decorative light-transmitting panel by thermoforming a plastic sheet on a mold having a plurality of generally co-planer lands which are separated by deep recesses that receive sagged regions of the thermoplastic sheet material. The sheet material which has been heated to its softening temperature is compressed against the lands to extrude the plastic material into the recess areas, following by cooling and removing the sheet from the mold to obtain the light-transmitting panel.
A method for preparing decorative relief to light transmitting panels of thermoplastic material which comprises:
A decorative, light-transmitting panel formed by thermoforming a light transmitting thermoplastic sheet having optical quality surfaces into a sheet having a relief pattern comprising a plurality of planar segments separated by entirely curvilinear convex surface relief areas on one side of said panel, and corresponding curvilinear concave surface relief areas on the opposite side of said panel, said areas also characterized by greater thicknesses than said planar segments and by smoothly arched, entirely curvilinear surfaces of greater optical quality than said planar segments.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.