Optical device, labeled article, and optical kit

• US 8,107,143 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Eri, Toda, Toshiki, Kishimoto, Yasushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phu
• Application Number:
  US12/153,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20080239216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 359/2
• US Class Current: 359/2
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/10 Metallic material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 2033/26 Liquid-crystal material
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/328 Diffraction gratings; Holograms
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/364 Liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 25/373 Metallic materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/10 with curved faces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1814 structurally combined with one or more further optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms or other diffraction gratings G02B5/189 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1861 Reflection gratings characterised by their structure, e.g. step profile, contours of substrate or grooves, pitch variations, materials G02B5/1809, G02B5/1828, G02B5/1833, G02B5/1838 and G02B5/1847 take precedence

Abstract

Increased is the variety of changes of an image in accordance with observation conditions displayed on an optical device including a solidified liquid crystal material. An optical device includes a layered structure including a recess-forming layer with light-transmitting property, a main surface of which includes one or more recess-forming regions each provided with first grooves equal in longitudinal directions to one another and adjacent to one another in a direction crossing the longitudinal directions, and a liquid crystal layer supported by the main surface and made of a solidified liquid crystal material, and a reflection layer facing the layered structure.

Claims

1. An optical device comprising:

a layered structure including

a recess-forming layer with light-transmitting property, a main surface of which includes one or more recess-forming regions each provided with grooves equal in longitudinal directions to one another and adjacent to one another in a direction crossing the longitudinal directions, wherein one or more of the grooves are discontinuous in the respective longitudinal directions, and

a liquid crystal layer supported by the main surface and made of a solidified liquid crystal material; and

a first reflection layer facing the layered structure, wherein the first reflection layer has a light-scattering property such that each portion of the optical device corresponding to the one or more recess-forming regions is seen silver whitely when the optical device is irradiated with white light and observed by the unaided eye.