Patents Assigned to Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
  • Patent number: 8956720
    Abstract: A laser-markable, acrylic resin-based laminate having a thickness of 100 to 200 ?m and including (A3) a pigmented layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 10 to 100 mg KOH/g, (B3) a base layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 18 to 40 mg KOH/g, and (C3) a destructible layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking a mixture of an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 20 to 35 mg KOH/g and polymer beads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koudai Takeda, Osamu Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20140072791
    Abstract: A laser-markable, acrylic resin-based laminate having a thickness of 100 to 200 ?m and including (A3) a pigmented layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 10 to 100 mg KOH/g, (B3) a base layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 18 to 40 mg KOH/g, and (C3) a destructible layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking a mixture of an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 20 to 35 mg KOH/g and polymer beads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koudai TAKEDA, Osamu TANAKA
  • Patent number: 8603619
    Abstract: A laser-markable, acrylic resin-based laminate having a thickness of 100 to 200 ?m and including (A3) a pigmented layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 10 to 100 mg KOH/g, (B3) a base layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 18 to 40 mg KOH/g, and (C3) a destructible layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking a mixture of an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 20 to 35 mg KOH/g and polymer beads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koudai Takeda, Osamu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8459806
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective article and a producing method thereof. In the triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective article, a triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective element pair group is disposed in a closest-packed fashion on a common plane defined by three base lines, and the each of retroreflective elements in a pair having one base line (A-B) shared by the retroreflective elements in the pair. The triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective article includes a first element pair group, in which two interior angles (?=?BAC and ?=?ABC) formed by the shared base line of the element pair and two other base lines are different from each other and the element pair is line-symmetrically disposed in relation to the shared base line (A-B); and a second element pair group, in which the element pair is congruent to a line-symmetrical shape to the first element pair in relation to a line segment connecting vertexes of the base planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ikuo Mimura, Chihiro Hayashi, Keiji Amemiya
  • Publication number: 20120276359
    Abstract: A laser-markable, acrylic resin-based laminate having a thickness of 100 to 200 ?m and including (A3) a pigmented layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 10 to 100 mg KOH/g, (B3) a base layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 18 to 40 mg KOH/g, and (C3) a destructible layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking a mixture of an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 20 to 35 mg KOH/g and polymer beads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2012
    Publication date: November 1, 2012
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koudai TAKEDA, Osamu TANAKA
  • Patent number: 8201953
    Abstract: A retroreflection article formed of groups of grooves in three directions having substantially V-shaped cross sections, including a large number of pairs of cube corner retroreflection elements being disposed, the elements in each pair being formed to be rotationally symmetric while sharing one base line forming the retroreflection elements. A group of parallel V-shaped grooves in one direction (grooves x) forming the group of pairs of retroreflection elements has straight-line bottom tracks, the groups of parallel V-shaped grooves in the other two directions (grooves w1 and w2) have continuous bent-line bottom tracks bent at intersection points with the grooves x, the bottom tracks of the groups of parallel V-shaped grooves in the two directions (grooves w1 and w2) do not intersect with each other, and projection geometries of base planes (A-B-E1-D1 and A-B-E2-D2) forming the retroreflection elements are quadrilaterals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Patent number: 8198204
    Abstract: An alumina ceramic contains a Ba0.808Al1.71Si2.29O8 phase. The alumina ceramic has high reflectivity and is useful as a reflecting material for a light emitting element. The alumina ceramic which exhibits an X-ray diffraction pattern having a ratio of the peak intensity at 2?=43.3° to that at 22.5° of 0.5 to 2.5 has particularly high reflectivity. The alumina ceramic shows high reflectivity particularly at wavelengths ranging from 300 to 400 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Ida, Fumio Ishida, Yoshiaki Teraishi, Takuya Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8147075
    Abstract: This invention provides a retroreflective sheeting which at least comprises a printed image-incorporated retroreflective sheeting and an optical element array sheet in which a large number of light-transmissive optical elements are regularly disposed at least at a fixed location; more particularly a printed image-incorporated retroreflective sheeting which reveals a stereoscopic image when the printed image is seen through a lenticular lens sheet or a convex lens array sheet; and a reflective sheeting which uses the stereoscopic image for tamper prevention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ikuo Mimura, Keizo Takayama
  • Patent number: 7980710
    Abstract: A retroreflective article including a retroreflective element layer having an array of a large number of total internal reflective cube corner retroreflective elements, an optical property-adjusting layer partially provided on the back side of the retroreflective element layer, and an air layer on the back side of the optical property-adjusting layer. The retroreflective article exhibits optical properties suited for an intended use, such as a reflector of traffic or commercial signs, such as traffic signs, regulating signs, informative signs, and construction signs, or visible, laser or infrared light reflective sensors, by the presence of the optical property-adjusting layer with an adjusted hue or an adjusted area ratio. The retroreflective article can easily be produced at low cost and high efficiency by utilizing an existing retroreflective article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Chihiro Hayashi, Ikuo Mimura
  • Patent number: 7950813
    Abstract: Adoption of composite cube-corner retroreflective elements in which groups of each at least two sub-retroreflective elements which are each defined by three lateral faces mutually crossing at approximately right angles, as being configured by three-directional V-shaped parallel groove groups having substantially symmetrical sections and intersecting with each other, and which are arrayed in the closest-packed state, projecting on one side of their common sub-plane (SH-SH), each of said groups of sub-reflective elements being disposed on one main retroreflective element which is defined by three lateral faces mutually crossing at approximately right angles, as being configured by three-directional V-shaped parallel groove groups having substantially symmetrical sections and intersecting with each other, and which is disposed on the main plane (S-S).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Publication number: 20110065565
    Abstract: An alumina ceramic contains a Ba0.808Al1.71Si2.29O8 phase. The alumina ceramic has high reflectivity and is useful as a reflecting material for a light emitting element. The alumina ceramic which exhibits an X-ray diffraction pattern having a ratio of the peak intensity at 2?=43.3° to that at 22.5° of 0.5 to 2.5 has particularly high reflectivity. The alumina ceramic shows high reflectivity particularly at wavelengths ranging from 300 to 400 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Makoto Ida, Fumio Ishida, Yoshiaki Teraishi, Takuya Yamashita
  • Publication number: 20110013281
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective article and a producing method thereof. In the triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective article, a triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective element pair group is disposed in a closest-packed fashion on a common plane defined by three base lines, and the each of retroreflective elements in a pair having one base line (A-B) shared by the retroreflective elements in the pair. The triangular pyramidal cube corner retroreflective article includes a first element pair group, in which two interior angles (?=?BAC and ?=?ABC) formed by the shared base line of the element pair and two other base lines are different from each other and the element pair is line-symmetrically disposed in relation to the shared base line (A-B); and a second element pair group, in which the element pair is congruent to a line-symmetrical shape to the first element pair in relation to a line segment connecting vertexes of the base planes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2007
    Publication date: January 20, 2011
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ikuo Mimura, Chihiro Hayashi, Keiji Amemiya
  • Patent number: 7815319
    Abstract: To provide a retroreflective article formed of many triangular-pyramidal cube-corner retroreflective element pairs. One-side groove angle formed between a cross line between a plane vertical to the common plane and to a V-groove vertical plane which includes the base line of a V-shaped groove is vertical to the common plane, and a reflective lateral face containing the base line of the v-shaped groove, and the V-groove vertical plane, does not form a constant angle in the reflective lateral face but the lateral face forms a curved and/or multiple surface. A base line constituting any directional V-shaped groove in retroreflective element pairs is a nonlinear base line which does not form a linear trajectory and the reflective lateral face formed of the V-shaped groove forms a curved and/or multiple surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Publication number: 20100189979
    Abstract: A laser-markable, acrylic resin-based laminate having a thickness of 100 to 200 ?m and including (A3) a pigmented layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 10 to 100 mg KOH/g, (B3) a base layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 18 to 40 mg KOH/g, and (C3) a destructible layer made of a crosslinked acrylic resin obtained by crosslinking a mixture of an acrylic resin composition having a hydroxyl value of 20 to 35 mg KOH/g and polymer beads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2008
    Publication date: July 29, 2010
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koudai Takeda, Osamu Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20100165463
    Abstract: To provide a retroreflective article formed of many triangular-pyramidal cube-corner retroreflective element pairs. One-side groove angle formed between a cross line between a plane vertical to the common plane and to a V-groove vertical plane which includes the base line of a V-shaped groove is vertical to the common plane, and a reflective lateral face containing the base line of the v-shaped groove, and the V-groove vertical plane, does not form a constant angle in the reflective lateral face but the lateral face forms a curved and/or multiple surface. A base line constituting any directional V-shaped groove in retroreflective element pairs is a nonlinear base line which does not form a linear trajectory and the reflective lateral face formed of the V-shaped groove forms a curved and/or multiple surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Publication date: July 1, 2010
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Publication number: 20100110545
    Abstract: A retroreflective object having a retroreflective clement layer in which a large number of cube corner retroreflective elements of total internal reflection type are disposed. In the back surface of the retroreflective element layer, an optical characteristic adjusting layer is partially provided, and in the back surface of the optical characteristic adjusting layer, an air layer is provided. With the invention, an optical characteristic adjusting layer for adjusting a hue and occupant area ratio can be provided on the back surface of the retroreflective element layer of an existing object in a simple way for easy adjustment, thus enabling a retroreflective object to be manufactured at high productivity and low cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: May 6, 2010
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Chihiro Hayashi, Ikuo Mimura
  • Patent number: 7670013
    Abstract: To provide a retroreflective article formed of many triangular-pyramidal cube-corner retroreflective element pairs. One-side groove angle formed between a cross line between a plane vertical to the common plane and to a V-groove vertical plane which includes the base line of a V-shaped groove is vertical to the common plane, and a reflective lateral face containing the base line of the V-shaped groove, and the V-groove vertical plane, does not form a constant angle in the reflective lateral face but the lateral face forms a curved and/or multiple surface. A base line constituting any directional V-shaped groove in retroreflective element pairs is a nonlinear base line which does not form a linear trajectory and the reflective lateral face formed of the V-shaped groove forms a curved and/or multiple surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2010
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Publication number: 20090296216
    Abstract: A retroreflection article formed of groups of grooves in three directions having substantially V-shaped cross sections, including a large number of pairs of cube corner retroreflection elements being disposed, the elements in each pair being formed to be rotationally symmetric while sharing one base line forming the retroreflection elements. A group of parallel V-shaped grooves in one direction (grooves x) forming the group of pairs of retroreflection elements has straight-line bottom tracks, the groups of parallel V-shaped grooves in the other two directions (grooves w1 and w2) have continuous bent-line bottom tracks bent at intersection points with the grooves x, the bottom tracks of the groups of parallel V-shaped grooves in the two directions (grooves w1 and w2) do not intersect with each other, and projection geometries of base planes (A-B-E1-D1 and A-B-E2-D2) forming the retroreflection elements are quadrilaterals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: NIPPON CARBIDE KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Patent number: 7598874
    Abstract: An integrated circuit enclosed retroreflective product which comprises an integrated circuit module having built-in integrated circuit(s), a retroreflective element, and their carrier layer(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Ikuo Mimura
  • Patent number: 7584564
    Abstract: The invention provides an internally illuminated sign comprising an information display section having at least one flat or curved surface which retroreflects light coming from the front of said sign and transmits light from the interior of said sign; an illuminator disposed behind the information display section; and a housing which encloses and holds said information display section and the illuminator. Those retroreflective elements used in said information display section are prismatic retroreflective elements according to the principle of total internal reflection, a large number of which are densely arranged to form a continuous retroreflective plane, at least the retroreflecting area of the back of said large number of prismatic retroreflective elements has no bonded area to other layer(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: Nippon Carbide Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Matsuda, Yutaka Hamada, Ikuo Mimura