Patent Application
20190184723
The present invention provides a cost-effective means of communicating the gloss finishes or sheens of different paints by using color chips of the same color in various gloss finishes or sheens.
The gloss or the gloss finish of a dried paint surface indicates the level of shininess or glass-likeness of the surface. The level of gloss ranges from flat/matte to high gloss. The gloss of a surface can be described as the reflection of light from the surface that is independent of color. To measure gloss, a single beam of light is deflected off the surface at a particular angle into a receptor, as shown in
ASTM method D 523 uses 60° angle for comparing surface glosses and to determine whether other angles such as 20° and 85° are warranted. The 20° angle is used when the surface sample has a 60° gloss value greater than 70 gloss units, and the 85° is used if the 60° gloss value is less than 30 gloss units. Referring to
Commonly, the term sheen is used to describe the low angle gloss, e.g., 85° from vertical or 5° above the surface to be measured. The 85° angle is preferred in measuring low gloss coatings, and is generally a more accurate indicator of the transition between flat and eggshell. Steep angles, such as 20°, are more often used with a high gloss surface such as automotive coatings.
The Master Paint Institute (MPI) categorizes the gloss finishes of paints as follows:
As discussed in http://www.paintinfo.com/mpi/approved/sheen.shtml, the gloss level of a coating is affected by its surface roughness. The protrusion of pigment or extender particles through the binder layer causes diffraction of light and gives the coating a dullness. Where the pigment or extender particles are covered by the binder layer, the coating surface is smoother and light incident at an angle is readily reflected. The gloss or reflected light can influence the visual color of a surface when viewed from various angles. This can be seen when coating surfaces have been tinted to the same color but with different finishes or gloss levels are applied side-by-side on the same substrate. Viewing from a position directly above and perpendicular to the coating surfaces, with the light directly behind, will show the closest color. Moving the field of view to an angle away from the perpendicular or moving the light source will show a color difference caused by the differences in gloss.
However, recognizing this color difference or the gloss levels on flat color chips available in paint stores tinted to the same color but different gloss levels remains challenging, due to the flatness of the color chips and to the necessity of moving the field of view and/or light source relative to the color chips, and due to the unavailability of the same color in various gloss finishes.
Hence, there remains a need for color merchandises, such as color chips, that readily illustrates the various gloss finishes as well as the color difference due to different gloss finishes.
Hence, the invention is directed to a three-dimensional gloss card comprising a substantially flat gloss layer having at least one color chip with a predetermined gloss finish and a top layer defining at least one window. The top layer is preferably positioned on top of the gloss layer so that the at least one color chip is visible through the at least one window. An activator preferably bends or reversibly bends the gloss layer so that the at least one color chip protrudes through the at least one window to exhibit the gloss finish of the color chip.
In another embodiment, the gloss layer comprises a plurality of color chips tinted the same color and having different gloss finishes and wherein the top layer comprises a plurality of windows, and wherein the activator reversibly bends the gloss layer so that the plurality of color chips protrudes through the plurality of windows to exhibit the gloss finishes of the color chips.
The plurality of chips has flat/matter, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and high gloss finishes. Alternatively, the plurality of chips has gloss units within a range from about 0 gloss unit to about 100 gloss units at 60°, and has a difference in gloss units of about ±5 gloss units, about ±10 gloss units, about ±15 gloss units, or about ±20 gloss units.
The three-dimensional gloss card may also have a cover layer attached at one edge to the top layer, and when the cover layer activates the activator to bend the color chips to display the gloss finishes.
The present invention is also directed to a method for displaying gloss finishes of color chips comprising the steps of
(i) providing a gloss layer having at least one color chip with a predetermined gloss finish under a top layer having at least one window, and
(ii) bending said gloss layer to a curved shape to protrude through said at least one window to exhibit the gloss finish of said at least one color chip.
In one embodiment, in step (i) the gloss layer comprises a plurality of color chips tinted the same color and having different gloss finishes and wherein the top layer comprises a plurality of windows, and alternatively, in step (ii) an activator bends the gloss layer so that the plurality of color chips protrudes through the plurality of windows to exhibit the gloss finishes of the color chips.
The activator can be connectors that connect the color chips with varying finishes together so that the color chips can bend together to display the finishes. The activator can also be a yarn or thread that can be pulled to bend the color chips.
In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views:
Referring to
While five gloss strips are shown, gloss card 10 may have at least one strip showing one gloss finish up to five or more strips. It is noted that any number of strips can be used. For example, gloss values within a range from 0 to 100 gloss units at 60° can be represented and each strip may have a gloss value that is ±5 or ±10 or ±15 or ±20, etc., gloss units from each other. In one example, the gloss values can range from about 10 to about 50 gloss units, e.g., 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 gloss units. In another example, the gloss values can range from about 5 to about 80 gloss units, e.g., 5, 20, 35, 50, 65 and 80 gloss units. Any gloss values within this range and gloss difference can be used.
Preferably, strips 18-26 are connected together by connectors 27, 28 so that when the connectors 27, 28 are pushed together as shown by arrows 30 in
As shown in
In another embodiment, gloss card 10 may have a cover layer 36 attached to top layer 12 at an edge, as shown in
Optionally tab 42, as shown in
Gloss or gloss finish is perceived through specular or angular reflectance, as discussed above and shown in
Also, as stated above, the difference in gloss may show a color difference in the same color. One advantage of the present invention is that when color chips tinted to the same color but with different finishes are bent or curved the consumer can visualize the color differences among the various gloss finishes and can expect how the paints with varying finishes may appear on walls and surfaces at home.
An advantage of the present invention is that the inventive 3-D gloss card 10 can be stored flat and the gloss strips 18-26 can bend or curved on demand to show gloss.
While it is apparent that the illustrative embodiments of the invention disclosed herein fulfill the objectives stated above, it is appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments, which would come within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
