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  Decorative materialUSPTO Application #: 20080075966Title: Decorative material Abstract: A decorative material, which can express uneven irregular shapes due to the differences in the surface gloss state even when the thickness thereof is thin and which is high in productivity and which includes a substrate; an expression region, which is a recess or a salient; a picture pattern on the substrate which corresponds to the expression region; and an ionizing radiation-curable resin layer; wherein the ionizing radiation-curable resin layer is provided in a vicinity of an outline of the picture pattern except immediately above the picture pattern so as to have a stepwise gradation in gloss conditions, and wherein a viscosity of the ionizing radiation-curable resin layer is 0.1 to 1 Pa·s. (end of abstract)
Agent: - , Inventors: Hideaki Mori, Kaori Imamichi, Takeshi Nakamura USPTO Applicaton #: 20080075966 - Class: 4285422 (USPTO) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080075966. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001]Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-257232, filed Sep. 22, 2006, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002]The present invention relates to a decorative material to be used for interior and exterior finishing of buildings and architecture, fittings, or surface decorations or the like of furniture. More specifically, the present invention relates to a decorative material which, in the case of a woodgrain pattern for example, expresses uneven irregularities such as vessel parts stereoscopically by differences in surface gloss. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003]When uneven irregular shapes are expressed by decorative materials, which have been used in assembled furniture of a knock down system, building materials of residences, furniture, or the like, instead of actually forming the shapes on the surface of decorative materials, there is a method to visually express the stereoscopic vision of irregularities using an illusion caused by the human eye by mutually differentiating surface gloss conditions among the parts to be expressed as a recess or a salient. According to this method, even when uneven irregular shapes do not actually exist, the parts with relatively high gloss and the parts with relatively low gloss are recognized as a salient and recess respectively by the human eye. [0004]Specifically, the following exemplifies the above method. A synthetic-resin coated layer which is transparent or semitransparent and which has low gloss is formed on the entire printing surface of the substrate where appropriate patterns including recess patterns are printed. Thereafter, on the surface of the synthetic resin layer except the part which corresponds to the recess patterns, a synthetic-resin coated layer which is transparent or semitransparent and which has high gloss is formed. Needless to say, when the relationship between high and low gloss is reversed, it is possible to obtain a decorative material where the relationship between recesses and salients is reversed. [0005]According to this method, only by preparing two kinds of coating materials with different glosses without any need or special agents or the like, it is possible to readily confer a stereoscopic appearance of uneven irregularities to any substrates. Moreover, since coated layers of coatings with different glosses can be formed by conventional printing methods such as the gravure printing method following the formation of picture patterns, special appliances are not required at all while the production efficiency thereof is high and the conformity with the picture pattern is also readily accomplished. In addition, since the thickness of the coated layers is far thinner compared to differences in levels of irregularities to be expressed, not only resin usage can be reduced but also flexibility thereof can be improved and thus, it is possible to readily realize decorative materials which are excellent in processing suitability for folding. Furthermore, since there are no irregularities with a large unevenness on the surface of decorative materials, there is also an advantage of avoiding contaminants to accumulate in recesses. [0006]From the viewpoints of many advantages as such, decorative materials which adopt this method are already used in large quantities. However, the actual situation of the above method is that it is still inferior to the method, which forms actual uneven irregularities, in terms of giving people the impression of high quality. The reason for the above situation can be considered as the follows. According to the embossing method by machinery, for example, uneven irregular shapes of vessels of natural wood or the like can truly be reproduced including the cross-sectional shape thereof. On the other hand, this method using two kinds of coating materials with different glosses can express only two kinds of irregularity levels since the level of surface gloss is of two kinds. Accordingly, there is a problem in that uneven irregular shapes, which have sloping sections where the depth (height) thereof changes continuously, like vessels of natural wood or the like cannot be expressed. [0007]Accordingly, by providing a gloss adjusting layer which expresses uneven irregular shapes, which have sloping sections where the depth (height) thereof changes continuously, a decorative material expressing uneven irregular shapes, which have sloping sections where the depth (height) thereof changes continuously, like vessels of natural wood or the like has been proposed (for example, refer to Patent document 1). [0008]However, when such a gloss adjusting layer is coated at a high speed of 80 m/min or more for example, satisfactory drying is not achieved and blocking may occur at the time of retrieving, which makes the production thereof difficult. [0009]On the other hand, the decorative material, which is provided with a surface-protective layer formed of an ionizing radiation-curable resin, is known (for example, refer to Patent document 2). Since this surface-protective layer is cured by irradiating an electron beam, blocking does not occur even when coating is carried out with relatively high speed. However, in order to avoid the effects of mutual adhesion with the ink layer or shrinkage due to the curing of resin, a certain coating thickness or an intermediate layer is required. [0010][Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 3629964 [0011][Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 3756406 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0012]The present invention is made in view of the above circumstances and its object is to provide a decorative material which can express uneven irregular shapes due to the differences in the surface gloss conditions even when the thickness thereof is thin and which is high in productivity. [0013]The present invention adopts the following method in order to solve the above problems. [0014]A first aspect of the decorative material according to the present invention is a decorative material provided with a picture pattern corresponding to an expression region, which is a salient or a recess, on a substrate and characterized in that an ionizing radiation-curable resin layer is provided with a stepwise gradation in gloss conditions in the vicinity of the outline of the picture pattern except immediately above thereof and the viscosity of the ionizing radiation-curable resin layer is 0.1 to 1 Pas. [0015]Since this invention is provided with the ionizing radiation-cured resin layer on the surface thereof so as to have a gradation in gloss conditions, it is possible to produce decorative materials expressing uneven irregular shapes where the depth (height) thereof changes continuously, with higher speed. Moreover, since the viscosity of the ionizing radiation-curable resin is 0.1 to 1 Pas, it is possible to favorably express uneven irregular shapes where the depth (height) thereof changes continuously without the ionizing radiation-curable resin being too soft to run off and it is also possible to produce continuously with high speed without difficulties in providing the layer due to the resin being too hard. [0016]In addition, a second aspect of a decorative material according to the present invention is the aforementioned decorative materials characterized in that a gloss adjusting layer having a gloss after its formation different to that of the ionizing radiation-curable resin layer after the formation thereof and also forms the surface of the aforementioned expression region, which is a recess or a salient, is provided and the ionizing radiation-curable resin layer is provided on the gloss adjusting layer. [0017]In this invention, when the ionizing radiation-curable resin layer is made as a high gloss layer and the gloss adjusting layer is made as a low gloss layer for example, uneven irregular shapes expressed due to gloss will be more explicit. The invention also satisfies the effect of stress relaxation at the time of curing the ionizing radiation-curable resin due to this gloss adjusting layer and thus, can maintain excellent design. [0018]Moreover, a third aspect of the decorative material according to the present invention is characterized in that it is the above-mentioned decorative material where a base pattern is provided on the entire surface of the substrate and the picture pattern is partially provided in the base pattern. [0019]This invention can achieve an excellent design stereoscopically by the base pattern present on the entire surface and the partially provided picture pattern, which expresses a recess or a salient. [0020]Moreover, a fourth aspect of the decorative material according to the present invention is characterized in that it is the above-mentioned decorative material where the picture pattern is formed from a water-based ink. Continue reading... Full patent description for Decorative material Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Decorative material patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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