Packaging for an optical sheet and a packaging method of the same

Abstract

An optical sheet having an adhesive layer is wrapped by a first packaging component of which the material includes a plastic base mixed with silicone. A second packaging component then wraps the first packaging component, and the second packaging component is opaque. The plastic base can be polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate, and the weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 5, preferably less than 3.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Application Serial Number 93100283, filed Jan. 6, 2004, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a packaging for an optical sheet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a packaging and a method for packaging an optical sheet having an adhesive layer.

2. Description of Related Art

Liquid crystal displays (LCD) have many advantages over conventional types of displays including having high display quality, having small volume, being lightweight, and having low driving voltage and low power consumption. Hence, LCDs are widely used in small portable televisions, mobile telephones, video recording units, notebook computers, desktop monitors, projector televisions and so on, and have gradually replaced the conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) as a mainstream display unit. Therefore, the market is mainly occupied by LCDs, especially due to their high display quality and low power consumption.

In the LCD, polarizers are configured on two sides of a liquid crystal cell, and liquid crystal molecules in the cell are controlled by an electric field, cooperating with the polarizers, to switch the light passing through the liquid crystal cell. Hence, the polarizers are significant and critical components for the LCD, and the quality of the polarizers substantially influences the display performance of the LCD.

Generally, the LCD manufacturer purchases polarizers from the polarizer manufacturer according to the considerations of costs and specifications for configuring them on LCD panels. In other words, the polarizers are always made by the polarizer manufacturer and then are transported to the LCD manufacturer for being adhered onto the two sides of every LCD panel.

However, the polarizers are delicate optical sheets, which are very easily damaged by touch and easily contaminated by dust in the air. Therefore, before transporting, the polarizers need to be packaged first to protect them from damage and contamination by the external environment. Moreover, the polarizer is made of multiple optical layers by adhesive layers. If the polarizer is only packaged by a common packaging, without any special packaging or packaging method, the sandwiched adhesive layer may be rubbed and brought out by the common packaging, and thus contaminate the surface of the polarizer.

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic view of a conventional packaging of a polarizer, and FIG. 1B illustrates a flow chart of the packaging method of FIG. 1A. Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a polarizer 102 is crisscross wrapped by two release films 112 and 114 (step 132). The surfaces of the release films 112 and 114 are given special treatments, and therefore do not bring out the adhesive layer of the polarizer. Next, the polarizer wrapped by the release films is put into an aluminum bag 122 (step 134), thus finishing the packaging of the polarizer. The aluminum bag shields external light from damaging the polarizer.

However, the release films 112 and 114 are expensive because the surfaces thereof have to be given some special treatments to prevent them from bringing out the adhesive layer. Moreover, the conventional packaging uses three packaging components, the release films 112 and 114 and the aluminum bag 122; and the release films 112 and 114 wrap the polarizer in the form of a crisscross. These give rise to the possibility of making mistakes, and increase the burden of material, effort and time. In addition, the complex packaging is not easily automated, and the polarizer manufacturer thus has difficulty enhancing manufacturing efficiency and yields.

SUMMARY

It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide a packaging for an optical sheet, in which a packaging containing silicone is used to wrap or bag the optical sheet, to prevent an adhesive layer of the optical sheet from being rubbed and brought out by the packaging and also to decrease the quantity of the packaging components to decrease the material cost and packaging time.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a method for packaging an optical sheet, of which the steps are reduced, to enhance the yields of the packaging process, decrease the packaging effort and cost, and facilitate automation.

In accordance with the foregoing and other objectives of the present invention, a packaging for an optical sheet having an adhesive layer is provided. A first packaging component wraps the optical sheet, and the material of the first packaging component comprises a plastic base and silicone. Next, a second packaging component wraps the first packaging component, and the second packaging component is opaque.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the optical sheet is a polarizer, sunglasses, or other optical element containing the adhesive layer. In addition to the single optical sheet, the packaging of the invention also can be used to pack a plurality of optical sheets. The plastic base is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyamide (nylon). A weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 5, preferably less than 3.

The first packaging component is selected from a group consisting of a packaging bag, a packaging paper, a packaging box and a packaging case. The second packaging component is an aluminum bag or other opaque packaging component, such as a packaging bag or box. Moreover, when several optical sheets are wrapped by the first packaging components, spacers can be added between the optical sheets and the first packaging components, to prevent damage on the surfaces of the optical sheets. In addition, in one preferred embodiment, an anti-static material is mixed into the first packaging component, to prevent damage from the generation of static electricity between the first packaging component and the optical sheet.

The invention uses the packaging essentially having two packaging components to replace the conventional packaging having at least three packaging components, thus decreasing the manufacturing cost and enhancing the manufacturing efficiency and yields. The first packaging component, which is used to wrap the optical sheet, comprises silicone so as to make the surfaces thereof smoother, and the sandwiched adhesive layer of the optical sheet is therefore not brought out while touching the first packaging component. Furthermore, the steps of the packaging method are easy and without any delicate manipulating, thereby enhancing the manufacturing yields, decreasing the effort and cost of manufacturing, and easily facilitating automation.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are examples, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic view of a conventional packaging of a polarizer;

FIG. 1B illustrates a flow chart of the packaging method of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A illustrates a schematic view of one preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2B illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2C illustrates a flow chart of the packaging steps of the two preferred embodiments;

FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3C illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3D illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

The invention uses the packaging essentially having two packaging components to replace the conventional packaging having at least three packaging components, thus decreasing the manufacturing cost and enhancing the manufacturing efficiency and yields. Moreover, the invention adds a specific weight percent of silicone into the material of the packaging component which is in contact with the optical sheet, in order to reduce the coefficient of friction between the inner surface of the packaging component and the optical sheet, and thereby mitigates the contamination caused by the adhesive layer being brought out.

FIG. 2A illustrates a schematic view of one preferred embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2B illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 2C illustrates a flow chart of the packaging steps of the two preferred embodiments. The following descriptions refer to FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C.

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, in this preferred embodiment, the first packaging component is a packaging bag 212a, the optical sheet is a polarizer 102, and the second packaging component is an opaque aluminum bag 222. The packaging bag 212a is used to wrap the polarizer 102 first (step 232), and then it is wrapped by the aluminum bag 222 (step 234), thus completing the total packaging of the polarizer 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 2B, in this preferred embodiment, the first packaging component is a packaging paper 212b, the optical sheet is a polarizer 102, and the second packaging component is an opaque aluminum bag 222. The packaging paper 212b is folded according to the dashed lines to wrap the polarizer 102 first (step 232), and then is wrapped by the aluminum bag 222 (step 234), thus completing the total packaging of the polarizer 102.

The embodiments of FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate that the first packaging component of the invention can be of various forms, such as the packaging bag 212a in FIG. 2A or the packaging paper 212b in FIG. 2B. The way of using the packaging paper is especially suitable for packaging large-sized optical sheets and facilitates automation.

Besides the packaging of the single-piece optical sheet, the invention also can be used to package a plurality of optical sheets. Moreover, for several optical sheets that are stacked together, the invention can easily and properly provide more suitable packaging. The following descriptions use several embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 2D to explain the different packaging components and methods of different forms of the invention.

FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention. In this preferred embodiment, the first packaging component is a packaging bag 212a, the plural optical sheets 302 are several stacked polarizers 102, and the second packaging component is an opaque aluminum bag 222. The packaging bag 212a is used to wrap the polarizers 102 (step 232) first, and then is wrapped by the aluminum bag 222 (step 234), thus completing the total packaging of the polarizers 102.

FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention. In this preferred embodiment, the first packaging component is a packaging paper 212b, the plural optical sheets 302 are several stacked polarizers 102, and the second packaging component is an opaque aluminum bag 222. The packaging paper 212b is folded according to the dashed lines to wrap the polarizers 102 (step 232) first, and then is wrapped by the aluminum bag 222 (step 234), thus completing the total packaging of the polarizers 102. In addition, spacers 304 can be placed on two sides of the plural polarizers 102, to prevent the surfaces of the two outermost polarizers 102 from being damaged.

FIG. 3C illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention. In this preferred embodiment, the first packaging component is a packaging box 306, the plural optical sheets 302 are several stacked polarizers 102, and the second packaging component is an opaque aluminum bag 222. The packaging box 306 encloses the polarizers 102 (step 232) first, and then is wrapped by the aluminum bag 222 (step 234), thus completing the total packaging of the polarizers 102. In addition, spacers 304 can be placed on two sides of the plural polarizers 102, to prevent the surfaces of the two outermost polarizers 102 from being damaged.

FIG. 3D illustrates a schematic view of another preferred embodiment of the invention. In this preferred embodiment, the first packaging component is a packaging case 308, the plural optical sheets 312 are several stacked polarizers 102, and the second packaging component is an opaque aluminum bag 222. The packaging case 308 fully encloses the polarizers 102 (step 232) first, and then is wrapped by the aluminum bag 222 (step 234), thus completing the total packaging of the polarizers 102.

Moreover, spacers 304 can be placed on two sides of the plural polarizers 102, to prevent the surfaces of the two outermost polarizers 102 from being damaged. In addition, in the invention, the packaging way of the plural optical sheets can be changed according to specific needs, like the plural optical sheets 302 being stacked and then packaged horizontally into the packaging box 306, or like the plural optical sheets 312 being stacked and then packaged vertically into the packaging case 308.

The optical sheet having an adhesive layer can be a polarizer, sunglasses, or other optical element containing the adhesive layer. The invention uses the first packaging component, of which the material includes a plastic base and silicone to wrap the optical sheet, and the contained silicone makes the surfaces of the first packaging component smoother to prevent the adhesive layer of the optical sheet from being rubbed and brought out by the first packaging component.

The plastic base is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (nylon) and other plastic materials, and the polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate are preferred by the invention because they are cheaper.

The invention also discloses the weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base. According to the foregoing preferred embodiments, the weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 5, and preferably less than 3. The following descriptions interpret the experimental results of the embodiments, in order to confirm that the invention certainly reduces the possibility of the polarizer being contaminated inside the packaging component.

In the experiments, the optical sheet is a 15″ polarizer, the first packaging component is a packaging paper, and the second packaging component is an aluminum bag. The experiments use four packaging papers: unmixed and mixed with 1%, 2% and 3% silicone, respectively. Generally, if the packaging component brings out the adhesive layer of the optical sheet, the adhesive layer generates contamination of white dots on the end faces of the optical sheet. The quantity of the white dots is proportional to the rubbing of the polarizer by the packaging component.

Several preparation processes are carried out on the polarizers to clean and remove dust from them, and as in the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 2B, the packaging paper is folded according to dashed lines to wrap the polarizer first, and then is wrapped by the aluminum bag. Table 1 lists the quantity of white dots generated on the end faces of the polarizer wrapped by the packaging papers with 0%, 1%, 2% and 3% silicone, respectively.

TABLE 1
The quantities of white dots on the end faces of polarizers wrapped by
different packaging papers with different weight percents of silicone.
	Weight percent of silicone
	(%)
	0	1	2	3
	Quantity of white dots	23	8	3	4
	A ratio of white dots to those	100	35	13	17
	generated by packaging paper
	without silicone (%)

From Table 1, after adding the silicone into the packaging paper for wrapping the polarizer, the possibility of contaminating the polarizer by bringing out the adhesive layer is significantly decreased. According to other embodiments of the invention, the preferred weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base depends on the material of the plastic base and the mixing processes thereof. However, the limitation of the mixed weight percent is about 5%.

In addition, the silicone also slightly enhances the antistatic ability of the first packaging component. However, in order to further enhance the anti-static ability of the first packaging component, the invention also adds an anti-static material, such as the anti-static agent with NH4⁺, into the first packaging component. Therefore, the packaging of the invention also prevents the optical sheet from being damaged by static electricity, in addition to reducing the contamination of white dots.

It is noted that the invention adds silicone into the packaging component, which is used to wrap the optical sheet for decreasing the possibility of rubbing the optical sheet and bringing out the adhesive layer to contaminate the optical sheet. Therefore, other various applications of the invention, such as the first and second packaging components being combined to form a complex packaging component, or the first packaging component being an opaque packaging component whose material has a dyed plastic and silicone, are all contained in the scope of the invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A packaging for an optical sheet having an adhesive layer, comprising:

a first packaging component wrapping the optical sheet, wherein a material of the first packaging component comprises a plastic base and silicone; and

a second packaging component wrapping the first packaging component, wherein the second packaging component is opaque.

2. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the plastic base is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate.

3. The packaging of claim 1, wherein a weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 5.

4. The packaging of claim 1, wherein a preferred weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 3.

5. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the first packaging component is selected from a group consisting of a packaging bag, a packaging paper, a packaging box and a packaging case.

6. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the second packaging component is an aluminum bag.

7. The packaging of claim 1, wherein the material of the first packaging component further comprises an anti-static material.

8. A packaging for packaging an optical sheet having an adhesive layer, comprising:

a first packaging bag wrapping the optical sheet, wherein a material of the first packaging bag comprises a plastic base and silicone, the plastic base is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate, and a weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 5; and

a second packaging bag wrapping the first packaging bag, wherein the second packaging bag is opaque.

9. The packaging of claim 8, wherein the preferred weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 3.

10. The packaging of claim 8, wherein the second packaging bag is an aluminum bag.

11. The packaging of claim 8, wherein the material of the first packaging bag further comprises an anti-static material.

12. A method for packaging an optical sheet having an adhesive layer, the method comprising:

wrapping the optical sheet with a first packaging component, wherein a material of the first packaging component comprises a plastic base and silicone; and

wrapping the first packaging component with a second packaging component, wherein the second packaging component is opaque.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plastic base is selected from a group consisting of polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 5.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein a preferred weight percent of the silicone to the plastic base is less than 3.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the first packaging component is selected from a group consisting of a packaging bag, a packaging paper, a packaging box and a packaging case.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the second packaging component is an aluminum bag.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the material of the first packaging component further comprises an anti-static material.