Decal for manufacturing multi-colored retroreflective sticker

Abstract

A decal for manufacturing a multi-colored retroreflective sticker having a variety of colorful letters or patterns includes: a glass bead layer including a printing layer having the colorful letters or patterns made of dye-based ink, on one side of the glass bead layer; a transparent reflective layer formed on the other side of the glass bead layer and having a polarization element and a diffused reflection element sequentially deposited; an opaque bonding layer including a mixture of polyurethane and a white pigment and applied on the reflective layer to hold the glass bead layer; a thermal adhesive layer applied on the bonding layer; and a carrier sheet removably attached on the thermal adhesive layer by an adhesive remover layer, thereby obtaining uniform luminance under an artificial light source and high brightness and saturation under a natural light source.

Claims

1. A decal for manufacturing a multi-colored retroreflective sticker having a variety of colorful letters or patterns, comprising: a glass bead layer including a printing layer having the colorful letters or patterns made of dye-based ink, the printing layer being applied on one side of the glass bead layer; a transparent reflective layer formed on the other side of the glass bead layer and having a polarization element and a diffused reflection element sequentially stacked by a deposition process; an opaque bonding layer comprising a mixture of polyurethane and a white pigment and applied on the transparent reflective layer to hold the glass bead layer; a thermal adhesive layer applied on the bonding layer; and a carrier sheet including an adhesive remover layer that enables the carrier sheet to be removably attached on the thermal adhesive layer.

2. The decal of claim 1, further comprising an opaque first complementary color contrast layer loaded in gaps between beads of the glass bead layer using a white pigment to provide a background color of the printing layer.

3. The decal of claim 1, further comprising a transparent second complementary color contrast layer applied on the other side of the glass bead layer using a white dye to provide a background color of the printing layer together with the first complementary color contrast layer.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway top plan view illustrating a decal for manufacturing a multi-colored retroreflective sticker according to the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG. 1, illustrating a layered structure of the decal according to the present invention; and

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a process of cutting and separating a multi-colored retroreflective sticker from the sheet for the decal according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

(5) Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the appended drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a decal for manufacturing a multi-colored retroreflective sticker according to the present invention.

(6) According to the present invention, the decal is used to manufacture a multi-colored retroreflective sticker having a variety of colorful letters or patterns. In particular, the present invention is characterized to provide a multi-colored retroreflective sticker having high brightness and saturation under natural light while maintaining appropriate luminance under an artificial light source.

(7) The decal according to the present invention includes a carrier sheet 10 for storage and transport thereof, and a retroreflective structure layer comprising a glass bead layer 20 and a reflective layer 30.

(8) On the front side of the glass bead layer 20, a transparent printing layer 22 having colorful letters or patterns made of dye-based ink is provided using a spraying process. The printing layer 22 includes a first color 22a, a second color 22b, and a third color 22c, each of which has at least 1.

(9) On the rear side of the glass bead layer 20, a colorless and transparent reflective layer 30 is deposited in the form of a thin film. The reflective layer 30 includes a polarization element 32 and a diffused reflection element 34.

(10) The polarization element 32 of the reflective layer 30 plays a role in preventing diffused reflection of light reflected from the diffused reflection element 34 on the rear side of the glass bead layer 20, and also in reducing loss of light upon passing through the glass bead layer 20 and enabling light to travel horizontally. The polarization element 32 is preferably made of a birefringent material, for example, cryolite, beryllium, magnesium fluoride, or halite.

(11) The diffused reflection element 34 of the reflective layer 30 is preferably made of a fluorescent material, for example, rhodium, platinum, barium fluoride, zinc sulfide, tantalum, zinc, silicon nitride, or silicon carbide, having high visual color effects and high-efficiency stable emission properties.

(12) The polarization element 32 and the diffused reflection element 34 of the reflective layer 30 are sequentially stacked on the rear side of the glass bead layer 20 using a vacuum deposition process.

(13) Also, an opaque bonding layer 40 is applied on the reflective layer 30. The opaque bonding layer 40 comprises polyurethane and a white pigment mixed at an appropriate ratio, thus imparting stable bondability of the glass bead layer 20 formed on the front side of the decal and providing conditions suitable for complementary color contrast of the printing layer 22.

(14) Provided on the bonding layer 40 is a thermal adhesive layer 50 to adhere a sticker manufactured by cutting the decal to the corresponding item using a heat-sealing process.

(15) Also, the carrier sheet 10 is removably attached on the thermal adhesive layer 50 by means of an adhesive remover layer 12.

(16) The decal according to the present invention has a complementary color contrast structure to further increase brightness of the printing layer 22.

(17) The complementary color contrast structure has a first complementary color contrast layer 60 and a second complementary color contrast layer 70 on the glass bead layer 20.

(18) The first complementary color contrast layer 60 is composed of an opaque white pigment, which has relatively low viscosity and is loaded in the gaps between the beads of the glass bead layer 20 to provide first complementary color contrast of the printing layer 22.

(19) The second complementary color contrast layer 70 is composed of a transparent white dye, which has relatively high viscosity and is applied on the rear side of the glass bead layer 20 to provide complementary color contrast of the printing layer 22 together with the first complementary color contrast layer 60.

(20) The decal thus configured shows a white background color by means of the first and the second complementary color contrast layer 60, 70, thus obtaining the complementary color contrast effect of the printing layer having various colors, thereby increasing both brightness and saturation of a multi-colored retroreflective sticker manufactured from the decal of the invention.

(21) FIG. 3 illustrates a process of manufacturing the multi-colored retroreflective sticker using the decal according to the present invention. Specifically, the decal according to the present invention is cut in a cutting line L along the edge of the printing layer 22 using a predetermined pressing process. The cutting line L has a depth ranging from the glass bead layer 20 to before the adhesive remover layer 12 of the carrier sheet 10.

(22) After completion of the cutting process, the inside defined by the cutting line L is removed from the adhesive remover layer 12 of the carrier sheet 10, resulting in a multi-colored retroreflective sticker.

(23) Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.