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US 7,611,251 B2Granted
Retroreflective articles comprising olefinic seal films
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsBimal V. Thakkar, Jeffrey O. Emslander, Steven M. Nielsen, Douglas J. Hall, David G. Schueler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Microstructured articles, such as a retroreflective articles, having a plurality of (e.g. cube-corner) microstructured elements and a seal film layer adhered to portions of the cube-corner elements and/or portions of a (e.g. flexible) body layer. The seal film is a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer.
Claims29
A flexible retroreflective article comprising
- a polymeric light transmissive body layer having an elastic modulus of less than 7×108 pascals;
- a plurality of cube-corner elements projecting from a major surface of the body layer;
- and
- a multilayered seal film having a first film layer and a second film layer, the second film layer adhered to at least portions of the body layer such that the seal film maintains an air interface with the cube-corner elements;
- the second film layer comprising a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer wherein the thermoplastic material has a different melt flow index than the seal film layer in contact with the body layer;
- wherein the seal film layer in contact with the body layer is a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer and the thermoplastic polymeric material comprises acid modification, anhydride modification, carbon monoxide modification, or a combination thereof.
3 more elements
A retroreflective article that comprises:
- a plurality of cube-corner elements;
- and
- a multilayered seal film layer having a first film layer and a second film layer, the second film layer adhered to portions of the cube-corner elements such that the seal film maintains an air interface with the cube-corner elements, the second film layer comprising a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer wherein the thermoplastic material has a different melt flow index than the seal film layer in contact with the body layer;
- wherein the seal film layer in contact with the cube-corner elements is a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer and the thermoplastic polymeric material comprises acid modification, anhydride modification, carbon monoxide modification, or a combination thereof.
1 more element
A method of making a retroreflective article comprising:
- providing a light transmissive polymeric body layer comprising a plurality of cube-corner elements projecting from a major surface of the body layer;
- and
- thermally bonding a multilayered seal film, having a first film layer and a second film layer, to portions of the body layer or to the cube-corner elements such that the seal film maintains an air interface with the cube-corner elements, the second film layer comprising a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer wherein the thermoplastic material has a different melt flow index than the seal film layer in contact with the body layer;
- wherein the seal film layer in contact with the body layer or cube-corner elements is a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer and the thermoplastic polymeric material comprises acid modification, anhydride modification, carbon monoxide modification, or a combination thereof.
1 more element
A microstructured article that comprises
- a plurality of polymeric microstructured elements;
- and
- a multilayered seal film having a first film layer and a second film layer, the second film layer adhered to portions of the microstructured elements such that the seal film maintains an air interface with the microstructured elements, the second film layer comprising a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer wherein the thermoplastic material has a different melt flow index than the seal film layer in contact with the body layer;
- wherein the seal film layer in contact with the microstructured elements is a thermoplastic polymeric material comprising reaction products of alkylene in an amount of at least about 50% by weight and reaction products of at least one non-acidic polar monomer and the thermoplastic polymeric material comprises acid modification, anhydride modification, carbon monoxide modification, or a combination thereof.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.