WO2001068385A1

WO2001068385A1 - Glass facing plate

Info

Publication number: WO2001068385A1
Application number: PCT/CZ2000/000017
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eva ROLLEROVÁ
Original assignee: Kernel, A.S.
Priority date: 2000-03-14
Filing date: 2000-03-14
Publication date: 2001-09-20
Also published as: AU3270400A; JP2003526551A; CN1454165A; EP1301358A1; CA2402529A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to providing at least partially transparent plate like materials, e.g. of glass, with patterns or images having colour effect by using optical phenomena. Glass facing plate of transparent materials, preferably of glass, with patterns or images having colour effect by using optical phenomena. The plates are provided with a pattern or image developed by means of light effects reached by passage of light through a flat material in the shape of a plate provided with a system of arranged formations, preferably lines. Said plate is provided with a printing on its rear back side (2) and its front face side (3) of said flat material in the form of a plate (1). Said plate is of a thickness (t) at least on a part of the surfaces of said back rear side (2) and said front face side (3) of said plate (1). Said printing is formed by a plane raster containing parallel lines and slits (4, 6, 8) or characters (5, 7, 9) grouped into arrays with slits between them. The number of said arrays of said back printing and of said slits (4, 6, 8) of said face printing differ. The prevailing direction of said arrays of printing of said back rear side (2) are to more than 50 % identical with the direction of slits (4, 6, 8) in the printing of said front face side (3).

Description

GLASS FACING PLATE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a glass facing plate made of at least partially transparent material, preferably of glass, which plate is provided with a pattern or an image with a colour effect based on optical phenomena.

Background of the Invention

It is known to produce patterns or images characterised by special or unusual light effects, e.g. by light reflected back by matt or glossy surfaces, eventually reflected back by objects provided with reflecting surfaces in the material after light passes through some surface structure layers or through the whole structure which structure is provided with mirrors on its back side.

It is also known to produce colour decorative patterns showing a rainbow effect caused by light passage through a system of transparent materials and optical layers, where the resulting pattern varies according to illumination and view angle.

It is also known to produce hidden decorative patterns presenting colour effects by illuminating the respective element provided with a surface relief comprised of a series of traces formed of planar or relief structures and exhibiting a light diffraction effect when at a given illumination and a given view angle one or more images are generated. Further, it is known to produce varying or hidden decorative patterns showing colour effects by illuminating rasters put on each other, whereby, one of them can be an image raster and the other a reference one, e.g. characters, whereby, they form the resulting composite image and/or letters. The rasters are formed by a film provided with a great number of irregular, opaque, dark image elements (reference rasters) and a film provided with a great number of dark or colour image elements on a pale colour base.

Another known solution is represented by a decorative pattern of an object evoked in dependency on a variable angle of view which comprises a transparent or a translucent plate like element and two adjacently placed mutually crossing rasters each on one of the opposite surfaces of said element. The resulting system uses light interference to produce a certain resultant system of lines, the so called moire effect.

A decorative element has also been disclosed which comprises two smaller series of motives geometrically bound, whereby, when it is illuminated in darkness by the light of the invisible spectrum an image of the first series of motives is visible, but when illuminated by light of the visible spectrum an image of the other series of motives, different from the first one, is visible.

It has also been disclosed to create special images by light passage through a transparent material, eventually coloured one, which comprises a layer with a pattern.

CZ patent No. 274,488 discloses a decor in the form of a relief pattern on a sheet of organic or inorganic glass. On the back surface, said glass sheet is decorated by a raster comprised of optional elements and the face surface is decorated either by a negative of said raster, enlarged or diminished within the range of 0 to 15 % or by another raster differing from said back surface raster by plus minus 15 %, whereby, by mutual optical overlaying of both rasters a three dimensional pattern is created which forms a three dimensional glass decor. The elements can consist of lines or circles, etc. To enhance the effect, it is possible to provide the back surface of said glass e.g. with a paint layer or by a milky glass, optionally, it is also possible to combine the three dimensional decor with a normal flat printing or with another traditional decorative technique.

A decorative element is also known which is comprised of a base provided with a reflexive surface having a raster afixed to it, which raster is of stranded, crossed filaments. In this case a pattern is produced by the reflected light and depends on the angle of view.

None of the above mentioned solutions makes possible in one arrangement of optical environment to create a number of patterns accompanied by light effects produced on at least partially transparent and hard materials, e.g. glass, that are of a satisfactory quality, created in a simple manner and a moderate pricing is possible.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention enables to create various decorative patterns and colour effects on at least partially transparent and hard materials, preferably on glass, in a simple manner by means of optical phenomena.

An object of the present invention is a decorative element with a pattern or an image produced by means of light effects utilising passage of light through a plate like material, preferably a glass provided with a system of arranged formations, e.g. with lines, which element comprises a printing provided on its back rear side and on its front face side, and this at least on a part of the surfaces of said back rear side and said front face side of said plate, whereby, said element is in the form of a plate of a certain thickness, whereby said printing applied consists of a surface raster consisting of parallel lines and slits and characters grouped into formations with slits between them, whereby, the number of said formations of said back surface printing and of slits of the face printing is different and the prevailing direction of said printing formations of said back rear side is in more than 50 % identical with the direction of the slits of said printing of said front face surface.

Preferably, the decorative element plate is of thickness 1 to 25 mm.

Further, it is preferable if the printing of said front face side is formed by a system of parallel lines and slits, i.e. by a line raster, and if the printing of said rear back side is formed by a system of characters which characters are grouped into lines separated by slits from each other.

It is also preferable if the printing of said front face side is formed by a system of parallel lines and slits, i.e. by a line raster and if said printing of said rear back is formed by a system of characters grouped into formations having the form of lines with slits between them.

The solution according to this invention makes possible to create decorative patterns on hard materials so as on glass etc. in a quality that can not be reached in case of a use of usual decorative techniques and the invention is by relatively simple to practice and of a moderate price for broad use. In case fired colours and glass cullet are used, the printed materials are very abrasion resistant. Therefore, they provide a possibility to use the resulting product for example as facing tiles. This technical solution makes also simply possible to imitate also the so called metallic pigments having the colours of copper, silver or gold and others. The desired colour depends only on choosing the appropriate combination of optical methods used in production of the decorative pattern.

Further, it is advantageous if the direction of printing formations on the rear back side of said plate declines by up to 30 degrees away of the of from the more then 50 % of identical prevailing direction of formations. By this measure it is then possible to produce local, more or less differentiated, interference maxima and minima that are manifested by a substantial brightening of the face decor or by its darkening at the said places what can be used to express shadow and light on the depicted objects.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of a glass facing plate according to this invention are described below with reference to the drawings attached, whereby,

Figures la and Fig. 1 b show the directions of printings applied on sides of a tile which tile represents one specific embodiment of the glass facing plate according to this invention;

Figures 2a, 2b and 2c show decorative patterns of sides and their structure in case of a tile in another specific embodiment according to the present invention; Figures 3a, 3b and 3c show the third embodiment according to the present invention which is also a tile with printings applied on sides and their structure is also shown;

Figure 4 shows a schematic view of a structure showing the respective images if directions of printings applied o sides according to Figures la and lb; and

Figures 5a to 5i show various decorative patterns that can be obtained using the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

A special pattern and a colour effect according to this invention are obtained on the basis of such optical phenomena as are the diffraction of a light ray, interference, dispersion, reflecting and by mutual exposing or covering of the corresponding points of a printing applied on the front face and the rear back sides of said plate like material in relation to the angle of view.

So as it can be seen in Fig. 4 the material used to obtain the effect according to the present invention is a plate 1 of at least partially transparent material, e.g. of glass, which material has a thickness t. This plate 1_ comprises a front face side 3 and a back rear side 2. Both said sides 2 and 3_ are provided with a printed pattern having the form of a plane line raster or a raster with characters grouped into formations being in the form of lines and slits, whereby, the prevailing direction of said slits of said printing of said rear back side 2 is in an extent being more than 50 % identical with the direction of slits of said printing applied on said front face side 3, so as it is apparent in Figures la and lb. Figure 4 shows a point marked A of the front printing and points marked B and C of the back rear printing. It is apparent that so as the angle of view is changed and depending on the thickness t of the material used the mutually cooperating points change. While in the view angle 90 degrees on the front face side 3, light conditions of points A and B cooperate mutually, then when the view angle is changed by an angle α so that the view angle with regard to the front face side 3 is 90 degrees + α, the light conditions of the points A and C cooperate mutually. Therefore, a change of what we see is observed.

The above mentioned optical phenomena used to reach pattern and colour effects can be applied individually or mutually cooperating.

For example, it is possible to use diffraction, dispersion and interference in such a way that in said printing of said front face side 3 of said plate 1 diffraction openings or gaps are formed, what results in creation of interfaces between various optical environments, whereby, the passing light rays bend at interfaces of different optical densities and partially decompose to individual spectral colours and in their further optical path they interfere depending on their mutual vicinity. The bright or the dark interference points on said printing of said rear back side 2 than influence the resulting brightness of said printings on said sides 2 and 3. The diffraction openings can be made e.g. by a laser gun removing parts of the previously printed surface or by a special printing procedure or in the most easy way by admixing transparent grains of a size corresponding to the thickness of the printing, e.g. of grains of crushed glass or of Iceland spar, into the printing inks in accordance with a graphic design. The method of making diffraction openings can exhibit an influence on break-up of light spectrum to some extent. The strongest effect is obtained by using crushed glass as it brings about multiple refraction and thereby contributes to a higher spectral break-up.

In accordance with the present invention light ray reflection can be accomplished e.g. by a printing applied to the rear back side 2 of the plate 1 using inks of various ability to reflect light, whereby, mirror surfaces are formed. But it is also possible to use a mixture of inks and of a crushed transparent material, e.g. of crushed glass, that forms both mirror surfaces and refractory interfaces in its crystalic system. Such refractory interfaces can both break up and partially interfere the in coming light rays. The above mentioned reflexive or combined reflexive effect then varies both with the angle of view and with the transparency of individual points of said printing of said front face side 3.

The mutual exposing or hiding of points can be reached e.g. as follows. If the plate 1 is provided with a printing on both sides 2 and 3 and the front face side 3_ is transparent at least partially at various places according to the intended graphic design, the colour of said plate 1 always depends on light conditions of individual points of the printing on the rear back side 2, i.e. the effects of individual colour points of the front and the back sides 2 and 3 compose at the same time. At places where there are different light conditions in the printing of the rear back side 2, e.g. with regard to colour or brightness, etc., for individual points situated next to each other, the colours of the front and the rear sides 3 and 2 change simultaneously with the change of the angle of view, whereby, their composed effect changes as well. This can be used e.g. in such a way that a certain configuration of points, e.g. a pattern, is visible only if viewed from a specific angle in a pre-defined colour. If the viewing angle is changed the pattern disappears or changes its colour.

The above mentioned solutions influence the pattern and the colour scheme. Use of the printed fired inks and of the crushed glass make the printed materials very abrasion resistant. It is an advantage of this solution that it is stable and rather simple and of a moderate price. The plates according to this invention can e.g. easily imitate the so called metallic pigments, so as copper, silver, gold, etc.

A specific application product of this invention is represented by a glass tile. Such tile can have a side length of 1 to 200 cm and a thickness of 1 to 25 mm, whereby, the tile shape can be that of a rectangular, square, polygon or other. In the simplest case, so as shown in Fig. la, the tile is covered by a printing on its front face side 3 using the pattern of narrow slits 4 , represented substantially by parallel lines printed using an abrasion resistant ink. The lines are 0.1 to 2 mm thick with a pitch of 0.1 to 1.5 mm. There is a general rule that the smaller the dimensions the better the quality. But the dimensions specified are sufficient to obtain the expected effect. The rear back side 2, used to stick the tiles to a wall, is covered by a printing so as shown in Fig. lb or a film covered with a printing is glued to the whole surface as a light colour base and a chaotic formation of characters 5 is printed into this base, so that more than 50 % of them are of the same direction (forms rows), as a system of slits 4_ on the front face side 3 or so that the prevailing direction of said printing is substantially parallel to the direction of the printing slits 4 on the front face side 3. It this way, a state is obtained when light rays are refracted in the narrow slits 4 and at their incidence through at least partially transparent glass on the printing of said rear back side 2 additional refraction and interference is brought about at the interfaces of different optical environments. The mutual light effect of said slits 4 and of said formation of features 5 of said back printing a colour shift and interference takes place what results in an unusual brightness of the printing on the front face side 3 which printing layer acquires a colour shift which can not be obtained by another technology.

It is also possible to create different characteristics locally by non-keeping the above mentioned condition regarding the condition that both directions are parallel to the extent of more than 50 % and locally decline the direction of slits by an angle of up to 30 degrees. Then, local more or less differentiated interference minima and maxima are obtained. In such places, they manifest either by a substantially increased brightness of the face printing or, on contrary, by their greater darkness what can be used effectively to provide the decorative patterns shown with light or shade.

Figures 2a to 2c show such an embodiment.

The tile is printed both on the back rear and the front face sides by a printing layer arranged in four quadrants of a basic circle is such a way, which is described later, both on the back rear and the front face printing of said quadrant of said basic circle with coordinates +y, +x, i.e. of the left upper quadrant. Diameter of the basic circle, as well as the number of slits are proportional only to the tile size.

In this example the radius of said basic circle is 27 mm. The rear back side 2 of said tile is provided with a printing consisting of a system of characters 7 in the form of curves, whereby, their total number is 34, so as it can be seen in Fig. 2a. The front face side 3 is provided with a printing consisting in a system of slits 6 that can be seen in Fig. 2b, whereby, their total number is 27. When attached to each other both systems form a mutually shifted interference net having its maxima in intersections of characters 7 and slits 6. As it can be seen in Fig. 2c, said maxima are less dense in the third which is situated at the centre of said basic circle and their junction is in the form getting near to the form of a line declined only by several angle degrees to the axis of the basic circle. On the other hand, in the third situated at the circle perimeter the interference maxima are dense and their junction forms a circle of a radius which is greater then what is the one of the basic circle. If such systems are realised as printings on opposite sides of a flat glass sheet, an interference phenomena is produced as a result of a difference in the number of characters 1_ and the slits 6 and of acting of a narrow slit 6 with regard to light ray interference. A result of this, especially if other basic circle quadrants are also arranged in this way, is a colour effect of a pattern.

Similar other arrangement of interference maxima and minima are also possible to obtain the required pattern and colour effects. One of such arrangements is shown in Figures 3a to 3c. The rear back side 2 is covered by a printing consisting of a system of characters 9 in the form of inclined curves of a wave form. The face front side 3 is provided with a printing consisting of a system of parallel slits £3. If they are composed a system of minima and maxima is established, so as it is shown in Fig. 3c, which system corresponds to another colour pattern.

Various other possibilities of patterns obtainable by the invention are shown in Figures 5a to 5i . It is apparent that various geometric patterns of variably bright surfaces in one or more colours, as well as a three dimensional nature of such a pattern, ornamental patterns or patterns with image motives can be obtained.

Industrial Use

The present invention will find broad use in producing hard materials, preferably glass materials that are covered with applied printings. A broad variety of patterns and colours can be obtained by a rather simple method enabling a moderate pricing. Therefore, such products can be broadly used as facing tiles.

Claims

l.A glass facing plate provided with a pattern or image caused by means of light effects obtained by passage of light through a flat material in the shape of a plate provided with a system of arranged formations, preferably of lines, characterised in that said plate is provided with a printing on its rear back side (2) and its front face side (3) of said flat material in the form of a plate (1) having a thickness (t) at least on a part of said surfaces of said rear back side (2) and of said front face side (3) of said plate (1), whereby, said printing is formed by a plane raster containing parallel lines and slits (4,6,8) or characters (5,7,9) grouped into formations with slits between them, whereby, the number of said formations of said back printing and of said slits (4,6,8) of said face printing differ and the prevailing direction of said formations of printing of said rear back side (2) is to more then 50 % identical with the direction of said slits (4,6,8) in said printing of said front face side (3) .

2. Glass facing plate of Claim 1, characterised in that said plate (1) is of thickness (t) in the range of 1 to 25 mm.

3. Glass facing plate of Claims 1 or 2, characterised in that said printing of said front face side (3) is formed by a system of parallel lines and slits (4) and said printing of said rear back side (2) is formed by a system of characters (5) grouped into lines having slits between them.

4. Glass facing plate of Claims 1 or 2, characterised in that said printing of said front face side (3) is formed by a system of parallel lines and slits (6,8) and said printing of said rear back side (2) is formed by a system of characters (7,9) grouped into formations in the form of curves having slits between them.

5. Glass facing plate of anyone of the foregoing Claims, characterised in that the direction of said formations of said printing of said rear back side (2) of said plate (1) locally declines by an angle of up to 30 degrees from the more then to 50 % identical prevailing direction of formations.