Patents Assigned to Flex Products, Inc.
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Patent number: 6246523Abstract: Methods for fabricating a color shifting multilayer interference film are provided. The interference film may be used to produce flakes for use in colorants having color shifting properties. The flakes can be interspersed into liquid media such as paints or inks which can subsequently be applied to objects or papers to achieve color variations upon shifts in angle of incident light or upon shifts in viewing angle. A five layer design of the interference film includes a first absorber layer, a first dielectric layer on the first absorber layer, a reflector layer on the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer on the reflector layer, and a second absorber layer on the second dielectric layer. The first and second dielectric layers are formed to have an optical thickness at a design wavelength that provides a color shift as the angle of incident light or viewing changes.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2000Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Richard A. Bradley, Jr., Matthew R. Witzman
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Patent number: 6243204Abstract: A color shifting multilayer interference film is provided which may be used to produce flakes for use in colorants having color shifting properties. The flakes can be interspersed into liquid media such as paints or inks which can subsequently be applied to objects or papers to achieve color variations upon shifts in angle of incident light or upon shifts in viewing angle. A five layer design of the interference film includes a first absorber layer, a first dielectric layer on the first absorber layer, a reflector layer on the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer on the reflector layer, and a second absorber layer on the second dielectric layer. The first and second dielectric layers are formed to have an optical thickness at a design wavelength that provides a color shift as the angle of incident light or viewing changes.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2000Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Richard A. Bradley, Jr., Matthew R. Witzman
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Patent number: 6242141Abstract: Color filters are provided which comprise a transparent substrate and a repeating pattern of colored pixels on the substrate thereby forming a color filter, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of small colorant areas, referred to as sub-pixels. Processes forming pixels comprising a plurality of sub-pixels exhibit a drastic increase in the formation of usable color filters, resulting in greatly improved yields.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2000Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventor: Roger Winston Phillips
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Patent number: 6241858Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for uniformly depositing a coating material from a vaporization source onto a powdered substrate material to form a thin coalescence film of the coating material that smoothly replicates the surface microstructure of the substrate material. The coating material is uniformly deposited on the substrate material to form optical interference pigment particles. The thin film enhances the hiding power and color gamut of the substrate material. Physical vapor deposition processes are used for depositing the film on the substrate material. The apparatus and systems employed in forming the coated particles utilize vibrating bed coaters, vibrating conveyor coaters, or coating towers. These allow the powdered substrate material to be uniformly exposed to the coating material vapor during the coating process.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 1999Date of Patent: June 5, 2001Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Roger W. Phillips, Vladimir Raksha
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Patent number: 6236510Abstract: A color shifting multilayer interference film is provided which may be used to produce flakes for use in colorants having color shifting properties. The flakes can be interspersed into liquid media such as paints or inks which can subsequently be applied to objects or papers to achieve color variations upon shifts in angle of incident light or upon shifts in viewing angle. A five layer design of the interference film includes a first absorber layer, a first dielectric layer on the first absorber layer, a reflector layer on the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer on the reflector layer, and a second absorber layer on the second dielectric layer. A three layer design of the interference film includes first and second absorber layers with a dielectric layer therebetween. The dielectric layers are formed to have an optical thickness at a design wavelength that provides a color shift as the angle of incident light or viewing changes.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 2000Date of Patent: May 22, 2001Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Richard A. Bradley, Jr., Matthew R. Witzman
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Patent number: 6202591Abstract: A linear aperture deposition apparatus and process are provided for coating substrates with sublimed or evaporated coating materials. The apparatus and process are particularly suited for producing flexible films having an optical interference coating with a very high surface thickness uniformity and which is substantially free of defects from particulate ejection of a source material. The apparatus includes a source box containing a source material, a heating element to sublime or evaporate the source material, and a chimney to direct the source material vapor from the source box to a substrate. A flow restricting baffle having a plurality of holes is positioned between the source material and the substrate to confine and direct the vapor flow, and an optional floating baffle is positioned on the surface of the source material to further restrict the vapor flow, thereby substantially eliminating source material spatter.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 1999Date of Patent: March 20, 2001Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Matthew R. Witzman, Richard A. Bradley, Jr., Christopher W. Lantman, Eric R. Cox
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Patent number: 6157489Abstract: A color shifting multilayer interference film is provided which may be used to produce flakes for use in colorants having color shifting properties. The flakes can be interspersed into liquid media such as paints or inks which can subsequently be applied to objects or papers to achieve color variations upon shifts in angle of incident light or upon shifts in viewing angle. A five layer design of the interference film includes a first absorber layer, a first dielectric layer on the first absorber layer, a reflector layer on the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer on the reflector layer, and a second absorber layer on the second dielectric layer. The first and second dielectric layers are formed to have an optical thickness at a design wavelength that provides a color shift as the angle of incident light or viewing changes.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 1998Date of Patent: December 5, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Richard A. Bradley, Jr., Matthew R. Witzman
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Patent number: 6150022Abstract: A flake-based pigment is provided having improved specular reflectance characteristics in the visible wavelength range. The flake-based pigment has a plurality of core flake sections each formed of a central reflector layer and dielectric support layers on opposing sides of the reflector layer. The resulting core flake section is a very thin three-layered structure that exhibits a uniaxial compressive strength much greater than a corresponding uniaxial tensile strength. This structure provides the benefits of rigidity and brittle fracture during manufacturing and application processes, which ultimately provides favorable planar and specular reflectance characteristics for the pigment in the visible wavelength range. A variety of outer coating layers can be formed around the core flake sections, such as various dielectric and absorber layers having thicknesses dependent upon the desired optical characteristics of the pigment.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 1998Date of Patent: November 21, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Kent E. Coulter, Thomas Mayer, Roger W. Phillips, John S. Matteucci
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Patent number: 6132909Abstract: The present invention is directed to color filters comprising a transparent substrate and a repeating pattern of colored pixels on the substrate thereby forming the color filter, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of small colorant areas, referred to as a sub-pixel. Processes forming pixels comprising a plurality of sub-pixels exhibit a drastic increase in the formation of usable color filters, resulting in greatly improved yields.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 1998Date of Patent: October 17, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventor: Roger Winston Phillips
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Patent number: 6120947Abstract: The present invention is directed to color filters comprising a transparent substrate and a repeating pattern of colored pixels on the substrate thereby forming the color filter, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of small colorant areas, referred to as a sub-pixel. Processes forming pixels comprising a plurality of sub-pixels exhibit a drastic increase in the formation of usable color filters, resulting in greatly improved yields.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 1999Date of Patent: September 19, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventor: Roger Winston Phillips
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Patent number: 6118377Abstract: A security system includes a security article and a corresponding detector. The security article comprises a substrate layer having a top surface and a bottom surface. The substrate layer is composed of an electrically nonconductive material. Deposited on the top surface of the substrate layer is a conductive thin film coating having a predetermined electrical resistance between two spaced apart points. In one embodiment, the conductive thin film coating is comprised of a transparent conductive compound and has a thickness in a range between about 7 nanometers to about 700 nanometers. Printing can be positioned either on top of the substrate layer or on top of the thin film coating. The detector corresponds to the security article and has a light source and a pair of spaced apart probes.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 1998Date of Patent: September 12, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Richard L. Bonkowski, Christopher W. Lantman
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Patent number: 6114018Abstract: An optically variable article comprising of a substrate and at least one non-overlapping pair of optically variable structures on the surface of the substrate, the optically variable structures having the same color at one angle of incidence and different colors at all other angles of incidence. The optically variable structures are formed from optically variable pigments, optically variable opaque foils, or optically variable multilayer thin film interference stacks.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1997Date of Patent: September 5, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Roger W. Phillips, Charles T. Markantes, Shari Powell Fisher, Robert G. Slusser, Patrick K. Higgins, Anton F. Bleikolm
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Patent number: 6105501Abstract: The present invention is directed to lithographic printing plates that are suitable for imaging by laser discharge using laser ablation. The lithographic printing plates according to the present invention comprise a vacuum deposited polymeric layer comprising polyvinylpyrrolidone having a thickness of up to about 6000 Angstroms, an absorbing layer underlying the first layer that absorbs infrared radiation and has a thickness in a range between about 100 and about 500 Angstroms, and a substrate underlying the absorbing layer. The polymeric layer and the substrate exhibit different affinities for at least one printing liquid selected from the group consisting of ink and an adhesive fluid for ink.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 1998Date of Patent: August 22, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Roger W. Phillips, Thomas Mayer
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Patent number: 6077634Abstract: The present invention is directed to color filters comprising a transparent substrate and a repeating pattern of colored pixels on the substrate thereby forming the color filter, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of small colorant areas, referred to as a sub-pixel. Processes forming pixels comprising a plurality of sub-pixels exhibit a drastic increase in the formation of usable color filters, resulting in greatly improved yields.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 1997Date of Patent: June 20, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventor: Roger Winston Phillips
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Patent number: 6031457Abstract: A security article comprises a substrate layer having a top surface and a bottom surface. The substrate layer is composed of an electrically nonconductive material. Deposited on the top surface of the substrate layer is a conductive thin film coating having a predetermined electrical resistance between two spaced apart points. In one embodiment, the conductive thin film coating is composed of a transparent conductive compound and has a thickness in a range between about 7 nanometers to about 700 nanometers. Printing can be positioned either on top of the substrate layer or on top of the thin film coating. An adhesive can be applied on the bottom surface of the substrate layer.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 1998Date of Patent: February 29, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Richard L. Bonkowski, Christopher W. Lantman
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Patent number: 6013370Abstract: A rigid and brittle bright metal flake is formed of a central layer of a reflective material supported on both sides by dielectric layers. In a preferred embodiment, the metal layer is aluminum having a thickness of about 100 nm and the dielectrics are either silicon dioxide or magnesium fluoride, each having a thickness of about 100 nm. The result is a very thin three-layered metal flake about 300 nm thick that exhibits a uniaxial compressive strength of about 8 times a corresponding uniaxial tensile strength. As a result, the metal flake is then afforded the benefits of rigidity and brittle fracture during the manufacturing and applicational processes which ultimately provides favorable planar and specular reflectance characteristics in the visible wavelength range.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 1998Date of Patent: January 11, 2000Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Kent Coulter, Thomas Mayer, Roger W. Phillips
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Patent number: 5993702Abstract: An embossed substrate comprising a substrate of a plastic material and having a surface and an embossed surface carried by the surface of the substrate. The embossed surface is characterized by having a pattern with an average roughness of between 100 nanometers and 300 nanometers with the roughness being distributed substantially uniformly over the surface, the pattern has ridges and valleys with the horizontal distance between adjacent ridges and/or valleys being greater than the depth between the ridges and the valleys. The peaks and the valleys are randomly disposed without periodicity to cause diffusion of light impinging thereon to minimize or eliminate interference effects when the embossed surface overcoated with thin planar organic layers is exposed to light.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 1997Date of Patent: November 30, 1999Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventor: Gregory F. Davis
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Patent number: 5989626Abstract: A composition of material of the formula MN.sub.x O.sub.y where M and N are metals selected from the group of elements consisting of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Ac, Th, and U where O is oxygen and x and y have values such that the oxygen-to-metal ratio is less than 4 and the ratio of y/(1+x) is also less than 4, said material being in the form of a single oxide phase and having a crystal structure of a single type alone with no detectable crystal structure of a second type, said material being sub-stoichiometric.Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 1997Date of Patent: November 23, 1999Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Paul G. Coombs, Russell E. DeLong, Charlotte R. LeGallee
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Patent number: 5939189Abstract: An optical article comprising a flexible plastic substrate having an index of refraction ranging from 1.55 to 1.71 and having first and second surfaces and an anti-reflection coating carried by the first surface. The anti-reflection coating consists of a high index material and a low index material in which the high index material has an index of refraction of 2.0 and greater to provide the index of refraction difference between the substrate and the high index material of 0.29 to 0.75. The low index material is formed of a material having an index of refraction of 1.38 or less to provide an index of refraction difference between the high index material to the low index material ranging from approximately 0.59 to 0.92.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 1995Date of Patent: August 17, 1999Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Roger W. Phillips, Charlotte R. LeGalle
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Patent number: 5931097Abstract: A laser imageable direct write printing member for use with a laser producing laser radiation comprising a flexible sheet of plastic having first and second surfaces serving as a film substrate. A vacuum-deposited laser ablative coating is carried by said first surface formed of a metal selected from a group consisting of titanium, zirconium, aluminum hafnium and alloys thereof.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 1998Date of Patent: August 3, 1999Assignee: Flex Products, Inc.Inventors: Stephen R. Neifert, Wilfred C. Kittler, Jr., Charlotte LeGallee