Adhesive mountable stack of removable layers

• US 10,226,095 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2017
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Racing Optics LLC
• Original Assignee: Racing Optics Incorporated
• Inventors: Wilson, Bart E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sutton, Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US15/673,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20170360610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 580 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/26 with cleaning means, e.g. wipers ; Movable or interchangeable vision films or sheets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/025 Special attachment of screens, e.g. hinged, removable; Roll-up protective layers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/045 Eye-shades or visors; Shields beside, between or below the eyes caps with means for protecting the eyes A42B1/018
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2250/244 All polymers belonging to those covered by group B32B27/36
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/412 Transparent
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/418 Refractive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2367/00 Polyesters, e.g. PET, i.e. polyethylene terephthalate
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/08 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/365 comprising polycarbonates
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/023 Optical properties
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/06 permitting easy separation
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/12 using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 133/12 Homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: C09J 7/30 characterised by the adhesive composition
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/14 Layer or component removable to expose adhesive

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.

Claims

1. A method of protecting an eye protector, the eye protector having a center portion defining a center of gaze of a wearer, the eye protector also having a lens configured to protect the wearer from projectiles, the lens having a continuous surface without holes or pins, the method comprising:

selecting an optically clear lens stack having a plurality of lens layers laminated to one another with a removable adhesive layer, each removable lens layer and removable adhesive layer having a refractive index matched to within about 0.2 of one another;

removing a protective liner from a bottom surface of the optically clear lens stack to expose an optically clear dry mount adhesive layer on the lens stack, the optically clear dry mount adhesive layer forming an outer periphery configured to correspond with the center portion of the eye protector, and

dry mounting the optically clear lens stack to the lens via the outer periphery of the dry mount adhesive layer,

wherein the dry mounting comprises positioning the optically clear lens stack so that it covers the center of gaze defined by the center portion of the eye protector,

wherein the dry mounting establishes a dry mounting adhesive peel strength between the optically clear stack and the lens that is greater than a peel strength between each removable layer of the optically clear lens stack,

wherein the outer periphery of the dry mount adhesive layer is configured to form a physical barrier that prevents debris from accumulating between a lowermost layer of the optically clear lens stack and the lens, and

wherein the dry mounting is performed without applying tension to the stack.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dry mount adhesive layer forms a continuous and uninterrupted adhesive layer over at least the center portion of the eye protector.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the dry mounting adhesive layer is self-wetting and has a dry mount adhesive layer refractive index matched to within about 0.2 of the refractive index of each removable lens layer and removable adhesive layer.

4. The method, of claim 3, further comprising the step of breaking an adhesive bond between the stack and an uppermost removable layer of the stack to remove the uppermost removable layer, the breaking step further comprising gripping and pulling a tab on the uppermost layer of the stack to remove the uppermost layer and expose a lower layer of the stack.