Method of producing reversible thermochromic display

• US 4,554,565 A
• Filed: 04/06/1984
• Issued: 11/19/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Pilot Ink Co. Ltd (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: The Pilot Ink Co. Ltd (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Inagaki, Hiroshi, Kataoka, Takashi, Shibahashi, Yutaka, Nakasuji, Norikazu, Kito, Tutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Bruce H.
• Application Number:
  US06/597,292
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 346/200, 346/226, 346/201, 346/202, 346/204, 346/206, 428/195, 428/199, 428/913, 427/150, 427/151, 427/152
• US Class Current: 503/201
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/284 Organic thermochromic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/305 with reversible electron-donor electron-acceptor compositions
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/12 using changes in colour, translucency or reflectance
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24835 including developable image or soluble portion in coating or impregnation [e.g., safety paper, etc.]

Abstract

A method for producing a reversible thermochromic display composed of multiple, overlapping color images. In accordance with the invention, a plurality of overlapping colored image layers are formed on a support, at least one of which layers provides a reversible thermochromic image. Each of the images on the various layers has a different visual density, and at least one reversible thermochromic image changes color at a temperature below or above a predetermined temperature and provides a color which is more intense and more easily discernible than the colors of the other ones of the images.

Claims

1. In a method for forming a reversible thermochromic display, the improvement comprising:

forming a plurality of overlapping colored image layers on a support, at least one of said layers providing reversible thermochromic image, said layers being so arranged to provide images having different visual densities, and the image on one of said layers being visible at any particular temperature range, and upon temperature change, the image on any reversible thermochromic layer becoming paler or darker than the densities of other images to develop an image more discernible from said already visible image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of said colored image layers provides a nonthermochromic image which is paler than said thermochromic image when developed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein all of said overlapping image layers provide reversible thermochromic images having different thermochromic temperatures.