Abstract: A protective shield for use with headgear includes a unitary panel having a protective portion including opposing first and surfaces The unitary panel additionally includes at least one lateral tab connectable to the headgear. The protective portion is sized to extend over the face of a user when the at least one lateral tab is connected to the headgear and the headgear is worn on the user's head. The unitary panel is selectively connectable to the headgear in at least one of a first configuration and a second configuration. In the first configuration, the at least one lateral tab is connected to the headgear such that the first surface assumes a convex configuration and faces away from the user. In the second configuration, the at least one lateral tab is connected to the headgear such that the first surface assumes a concave configuration and faces toward from the user.

Abstract: A laminate includes a polycarbonate substrate and an ultraviolet hard coat film disposed on the polycarbonate substrate. The ultraviolet hard coat film may include a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer, an adhesive interposed between the PET layer and the polycarbonate substrate, and an exterior hard coat disposed on the PET layer opposite the polycarbonate substrate. The exterior hard coat may include UV stabilizers. The laminate may include additional ultraviolet hard coat films stacked on the ultraviolet hard coat film. The laminate may be thermoformed into the shape of a curved vehicle windshield.

Abstract: A removable lens stack comprises a base layer and one or more removable lens layers. The base layer may include a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first and may further include a moth eye coating on the first side of the substrate. Each removable lens layer may include a substrate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a moth eye coating on the first side of the substrate, and a fluoropolymer coating on the second side of the substrate. The removable lens layer(s) may be stacked on top of the base layer such that the second side of the substrate of each removable lens layer faces the first side of the substrate of an immediately preceding base layer or removable lens layer. Each fluoropolymer coating may be molded to fit the moth eye coating of the immediately preceding layer.

Abstract: A touch screen protector is removably attachable to a touch screen device. The protector attaches to the touch screen device about an outer peripheral portion of the touch screen, thereby not adhering to a central video display portion of the touch screen. The protector is pre-formed with a curvature that causes the protector, when attached to the device, to rise upwards and away from the touch screen. By biasing the protector away from the touch screen, the attached protector inhibits optical interference forming between the protector and the touch screen. The curvature is configured to provide a separation that is large enough to inhibit formation of optical interference between the protector and the touch screen, but small enough to maintain touch sensitivity of the touch screen.

Abstract: An eye protector includes a lens configured to protect the wearer from projectiles, and an optically clear stack attached to the lens. The stack can have one or more removable layers. The eye protector also includes an optically clear dry mount adhesive layer attaching the stack to the lens. The dry mount adhesive may be self-wetting to attach the stack to the lens so that air between the stack and the lens can be removed after the stack is attached and/or adhered to the lens, for example, by applying pressure across the surface of the stack. The refractive indices of the lens, the dry mount adhesive, and each removable layer are matched to within about 0.2.

Abstract: A roll if formed of a plurality of large but thin, elongated strips of decorative material. The strips may have a length greater than ten feet and a width of at least one foot and including at least a top strip and a bottom strip with the bottom side of each strip having a dry, pressure sensitive adhesive configured to releasably adhere to an adjoining top side of a different strip, except for the bottom strip which is releasably adhered to a release layer. Each elongated strip has a thickness less than 0.02 inches and a refractive index greater than 0.2, with a plurality of initial release areas at periodic locations along the length of the elongated strips.

Abstract: A tear-off capture system includes an eye protector with a base lens. The eye protector has a retention mechanism mounted on one side, and a support mechanism that supports the eye protector on the head of a wearer. A two-tabbed stack of laminated tear-off lenses mounts to the eye protector via an adhesive. The stack mounts so that the first tab of the stack aligns with the first side of the eye protector and the second tab engages with the retention mechanism. Via the second tab and the retention mechanism, released tear-off layers are directed toward the second side of the eye protector away from the base lens. A capturer helps hold the initially released tear-off layer to the eye protector. An exposed tacky surface on each released tear-off helps hold the subsequently removed tear-off layers.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a polymer film includes melting a resin, extruding the melted resin through a die to produce a polymer film, shaping the polymer film, cooling the polymer film, illuminating a surface with a light source, capturing an image of a shadow cast by the polymer film on the surface while the polymer film is between the light source and the surface, calculating a frequency spectrum of at least a portion of the captured image, and adjusting a process parameter of the melting, the extruding, the shaping, or the cooling based on the frequency spectrum.

Abstract: An optical web comprising includes a substrate with an anterior coating applied to the anterior side of the substrate and a posterior coating applied to the posterior side of the substrate. The refractive index of the anterior coating and the posterior coating is less than that of the substrate. A second coating layer may be applied to the anterior coating layer and/or the posterior coating layer, where the second coating layer has a refractive index less than that of the coating layer it is applied to. Additional coating layers may be applied to produce a stack of layers that decrease monotonically in refractive indexes moving outward from the substrate. The optical webs may be laminated together to form tear-off laminated lens stacks.

Abstract: A tear-off capture system includes an eye protector with a base lens. The eye protector has a retention mechanism mounted on one side, and a support mechanism that supports the eye protector on the head of a wearer. A two-tabbed stack of laminated tear-off lenses mounts to the eye protector via an adhesive. The stack mounts so that the first tab of the stack aligns with the first side of the eye protector and the second tab engages with the retention mechanism. Via the second tab and the retention mechanism, released tear-off layers are directed toward the second side of the eye protector away from the base lens. A capturer helps hold the initially released tear-off layer to the eye protector. An exposed tacky surface on each released tear-off helps hold the subsequently removed tear-off layers.

Abstract: A protective shield is provided for use with headwear having a brim and wearable by a user. The protective shield includes an elongate suspension strap portion and a pair of attachment tabs engageable with the headwear and positioned such that the elongate suspension strap portion extends between the pair of attachment tabs. A protective portion is connected to the suspension strap portion and is configured to extend over the user's eyes, nose, and mouth when the protective shield is attached to the headwear. The suspension strap portion and the protective portion collectively define a slot sized to receive the brim of the headwear to facilitate engagement between the protective shield and the headwear.

Abstract: A protective shield for use with headgear includes a unitary panel having a protective portion including opposing first and surfaces The unitary panel additionally includes at least one lateral tab connectable to the headgear. The protective portion is sized to extend over the face of a user when the at least one lateral tab is connected to the headgear and the headgear is worn on the user's head. The unitary panel is selectively connectable to the headgear in at least one of a first configuration and a second configuration. In the first configuration, the at least one lateral tab is connected to the headgear such that the first surface assumes a convex configuration and faces away from the user. In the second configuration, the at least one lateral tab is connected to the headgear such that the first surface assumes a concave configuration and faces toward from the user.

Abstract: A protective shield is provided for use with headwear having a brim and wearable by a user. The protective shield includes an elongate suspension strap portion and a pair of attachment tabs engageable with the headwear and positioned such that the elongate suspension strap portion extends between the pair of attachment tabs. A protective portion is connected to the suspension strap portion and is configured to extend over the user's eyes, nose, and mouth when the protective shield is attached to the headwear. The suspension strap portion and the protective portion collectively define a slot sized to receive the brim of the headwear to facilitate engagement between the protective shield and the headwear.

Abstract: An optical web comprising includes a substrate with an anterior coating applied to the anterior side of the substrate and a posterior coating applied to the posterior side of the substrate. The refractive index of the anterior coating and the posterior coating is less than that of the substrate. A second coating layer may be applied to the anterior coating layer and/or the posterior coating layer, where the second coating layer has a refractive index less than that of the coating layer it is applied to. Additional coating layers may be applied to produce a stack of layers that decrease monotonically in refractive indexes moving outward from the substrate. The optical webs may be laminated together to form tear-off laminated lens stacks.

Abstract: A protective barrier affixable to a curved substrate comprises a stack of two or more lenses, each of the two or more lenses including a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, a hard coat on a first side of the PET film, and an adhesive layer on a second side of the PET film opposite the first side. The stack of two or more lenses may have a modulation transfer function that exhibits a contrast value greater than 75% for a spatial resolution of one line-pair per 0.0003 radians at 65 degrees angle of incidence. Heat and pressure may be applied to conform the stack of two or more lenses to the shape of the curved substrate.

Abstract: A protective shield includes a rigid base layer, and a flexible outer cushioning layer formed from a flexible film material laminated to an outer surface of the base layer. The outer cushioning layer includes two or more layers of flexible film laminated together via an intermediary adhesive. The protective shield also has a mounting adhesive layer applied on the lower surface of the shield. The mounting adhesive allows the shield to be removably mounted to a display surface, such as a touch screen surface for an electronic device. When the shield is properly mounted to the display surface, the outer layer formed from flexible film material faces away from the display surface. The flexible cushioning layer on the outer surface of the shield allows the shield to protect the display surface such that the display surface can withstand higher levels of impacts without breaking or shattering.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a polymer film includes melting a resin, extruding the melted resin through a die to produce a polymer film, shaping the polymer film, cooling the polymer film, capturing an image of a test pattern through the polymer film, calculating a modulation transfer function value from the image, and adjusting a process parameter of the melting, the extruding, the shaping, or the cooling based on the calculated modulation transfer function value.

Abstract: A solar control system for a vehicle window includes a substrate made of biaxially-oriented polyethelene terephthalate, a thermochromic film formed on the substrate or on an intervening dielectric layer that is formed on the substrate, and a protective layer. The protective layer may be made of biaxially-oriented polyethelene terephthalate and may be laminated on the thermochromic film or on a thermochromic core comprising one or more thermochromic film(s) and/or dielectric layer(s). The thermochromic film may include vanadium dioxide nanocrystals. The solar control system may be applied to a vehicle window such as a windshield of an automobile.