Claims
- 1. A retroreflective sheet useful for co-molding, comprising a metallic reflective layer, a microspehrical lens layer disposed as a single layer, and a transparent focal resin layer disposed between the reflective layer and the microspherical lens layer, wherein the focal resin layer an elongation at break which is less than the elongation at break for the whole sheet; and wherein the relative positions of the micropherical lenses and the metallic reflective layer, and the thickness of the focal resin layer, remain substantially unchanged during elongation of the sheet when the sheet is stretched to the elongation at break of the focal resin layer.
- 2. A retroreflective sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet has been stretched to the elongation at break of the focal resin layer and the focal resin layer is uniformly and finely cracked between individual microsperical lenses or groups of lenses.
- 3. A retroreflective sheet according to claim 2, wherein the metallic reflective layer also is uniformly and finely cracked.
- 4. A molded retroreflective article having a curved surface, comprising a retroreflective sheet according to claim 1 and a co-molded resin.
- 5. A molded retroreflective article according to claim 4, wherein the sheet retains a significant portion of its reflection luminance as compared with the reflection luminance value of the sheet before co-molding.
- 6. A molded retroreflective article according to claim 4, wherein the sheet has been stretched to the elongation at break of the focal resin layer and the focal resin layer is uniformly and finely cracked between individual microspherical lenses or groups of lenses.
- 7. The molded retroreflective article according to claim 4, wherein the focal resin layer comprises a mixture of a brittle component with a resin component having good adhesion to the microspherical lens layer.
- 8. A retroreflective sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sheet has been stretched by 10% and the appearance of the sheet does not deteriorate after stretching.
- 9. A retroreflective sheet according to claim 2, wherein the focal resin layer fracture size is 1 mm or less.
- 10. The molded retroreflective article according to claim 6, wherein the focal resin fracture size is 1 mm or less.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
8-307821 |
Nov 1996 |
JP |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/972,594, filed Nov. 18, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,221,496.
US Referenced Citations (14)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 672 921 |
Sep 1995 |
EP |
0 699 519 |
Mar 1996 |
EP |
59-5051 |
Jan 1984 |
JP |
2545437 |
Nov 1988 |
JP |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/972594 |
Nov 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/764183 |
|
US |