Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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p~r~ouND OF T~E lNV~. ION
1. Field of the Invention
The present inven~ion relates to a method of manufacturing
an advertisement and/or decoration carrier in which a base member
is at least over portions of the surface thereof provlded wlth a
mirror layer which regularly reflects light, wherein the mirror
layer has a positively or negatively formed configuration of ~ -~
individual letters, numbers or ornaments, or a combination
thereof. ~;~
The present invention also relates to an advertisement
and/or decoration carrier manufactured by the method described
above.
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2. Description of the Related Art
Advertisement and/or decoration carriers of the above-
described type are particularly made of plate-shaped mirror glass
or transparent plastics material which is on one side thereof
provided with a mirror layer which regularly reflects light, ~ ;
i.e., a so-called one-way mirror or rear surface mirror. Such ;~
advertisement and/or decoration carriers are preferably used in
pharmacies, drug stores, game halls and discotheques, usually in
connection with direct or in direct light sources, in order to
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produce ~oticeable and/or easily Le.,-el.~ered optical effects.
Such advertisement and/or decoration carriers may also be
concavely or convexly shaped and be joined together fixedly or
releasably to form bodies of any desired shape. The mirror
layers may be produced by metallizing metal layers (usually
all-m;nl1m or silver) onto the base members or by using chemical
processes, for example, silver-plating in a bath. They may also
be reinforced by electroplating and they may be protected by -
electrocoppering and by an additional application of varnish. ~ ~
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The major problem of such advertisement and/or decoration ~ -
carriers is the manufacture of the positively or negatively
shaped configurations of individual letters, numbers or ornaments
or combinations of letters, numbers or ornaments, which are to
have a character which regularly reflects light. For example,
when the mirror layers are metallized onto the base members, it
is necessary to carefully cover those surface areas of the base
members prior to the metallizing process which finally may not
have a regularly reflecting effect from the viewing side of the
advertisement and/or decoration carrier. This is particularly
difficult if, for example, filigree letter patterns and/or number
combinations and/or ornaments are to be produced on the
advertisement and/or decoration carriers.
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The procedure becomes even more complicated if the desired
configuration is produced by mechanical processing of the base
member by means of cutting in~trument: or lasers.
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S~MMARY OF THE l~.V~. L lON
Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention
to provide a method of manufacturing an advertisement and/or
decoration carrier as well as an advertisement and/or decoration
carrier in which even filigree and complicated configurations can
be produced without problems and economically.
In accordance with the present invention, initially a
barrier layer is applied to the non-reflective rear side of the
mirror layer. The barrier layer is shaped in accordance with the ~ -~
desired configuration or the desired configuration is cut out of
the barrier layer. Subsequently, the areas of the mirror layer
adjacent the configuratively shaped barrier layer or the areas of
the mirror layer defined by the cut-out configuration of the
barrier layer are removed by means of a liquid dissolving ;
substance by rubbing the areas under slight pressure.
Accordingly, the present invention essentially starts from a
base member which is provided with or has on at least a portion
of its surface a mirror layer. In other words, at least one
mirror surface which regularly reflects light exists from the
viewing side, while the rear side of the mirror layer facing away
from the viewer is optically dull or also transparent from the
rear side, for example, in the form of an observation mirror or
two-way mirror. The base member may be plate-shaped or may have
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any other chosen geometrical shape, even in the form of a
cylindrical hollow body. The base member may be of colorless
material or of colored material. The base member may either be
transparent or impervious to light.
A barrier layer is then applied to the non-reflective rear
side of the mirror layer, so that the mirror layer is covered.
This barrier layer may be configured positively as an individual
letter, number or individual ornament or as a combination of
letters, numbers and/or ornaments. On the other hand, the
barrier layer may have cut-out areas so as to form a negative
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configuration of individual letters, numbers or ornaments or
combinations of letters, numbers or ornaments.
After the barrier layer has been applied, the areas of the
mirror layer which are not covered by the barrier layer are
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removed by means of a dissolving substance in a rubbing manner by
applying a slight pressure. The composition of the dissolving ~ ~ ;
substance is such that it completely removes the mirror layer, on
the one hand, while, on the other hand, it does not attack the
material of the base member and does not cause a dissolution of
the positive or negative barrier layer which, together with the
areas of the mirror layer covered by the barrier layer, is to
present to the viewer of the advertisement and/or decoration
carrier a clear reflective effect in the form of letters, numbers
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`211'~9
or ornaments.
The barrier layer has a thickness which does not impair the -
removal of the mirror layer. In addition, for removing the areas
of the mirror layer under which the base member is to be visible,
it is only necessary to apply a slight rubbing pressure with the
dissolving substance in order to ensure that no hair lines are
produced on the surface of the base member and that this surface
does not become milky dull. ;~
In accordance with a particularly advantageous feature of
the present invention, the areas of the base member which are
free of mirror layer can be covered with at least one color foil
which is at least partially permeable to light. This foil is
fastened on the rear side of the base member which faces away ~
from the viewer. The foil is applied particularly by gluing. As ~;
a result, together with background light, particularly effective
light configurations can be produced in connection with the
reflecting surfaces formed by the letters and/or numbers and/or `~
ornaments.
In the past, such effects could only be realized by
initially applying a mirror layer by metallization or coating in
a bath onto a base member composed particularly of transparent
material and subsequently removing the mirror layer in the
desired areas by cutting or laser operations using complicated
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machines. This resulted in the disadvantage that the grooves
produced in this manner inevitably caused surface damage in the
base members which l~mited the transparency when foils were
placed behind the base members.
In accordance with another feature, instead of applying a
color foil, after the removal of areas of the mirror layer, at
least one color layer which is at least partially pervious to
light is applied on the areas of the base member which are free `~ -
of the mirror layer.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous feature of
the present invention, the base member configured in accordance
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with the mirror layer is covered by at least one cover member,
for example, a colored cover plate. In particular, the cover
member is connected to the base member, preferably by gluing. As
a result, by interacting with the configurations which reflect
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toward the side of the viewer, it is possible to produce
extremely effective advertisement and/or decoration effects. The
cover members can also be used in combination with color foils
and/or color layers.
In accordance with another particularly advantageous feature
according to the present invention, the barrier layer is applied
by screen printing onto the mirror layer. This further
simplifies and facilitates the manufacture of the desired
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positive or negative configurations. ~
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In accordance with another feature of the present invention,
the barrier layer can be produced with the use of templates of
foil-like material. The templates composed particularly of a
thin foil-like material are preferably fastened by gluing.
However, a magnetic fastening is also conceivable which is
effective only for a limited time. Foil-like templates of the
described type can be easily produced in large numbers and can be
fastened by placing them simply and easily over the full surface
thereof against the non-reflective rear side of the mirror layer.
The material of the base m~mh~rs may either be mirror glass
or cast plastics material, wherein a combination of these
materials is conceivable, particularly in those instances where
advertisement and/or decoration carries in plane form or
concavely or convexly arched form are to be combined to form
bodies of any chosen configuration.
The various features of novelty which characterize the
invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims
annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better
understanding of the invention, its operating advantages,
specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to
the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated
and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the drawing:
Fig. 1 is a front view of a plate-shaped base member of
transparent plastics material; ;
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Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the base member
of Fig. 1 taken along sectional line II-II;
Fig. 3 is a rear view of the base member of Figs. 1 and 2
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- provided with a mirror layer;
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the coated base ~ '
member of Fig. 3 taken along sectional line IV-IV;
Fig. 5 is a rear view of the coated base member of Figs. 3
and 4 with an L-shaped template applied to the rear side of the
mirror layer;
- Fig. 6 is vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier of ~
Fig. 5 taken along sectional line VI-VI; ~ ~ -
Fig. 7 is a rear view of the base member of Figs. 5 and 6 in
which the mirror layer is removed adjacent the template;
Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier of
Fig. 7 taken along sectional line VIII-VIII; ; ~ ~
Fig. 9 is a front view of the base member of Figs. 7 and 8 ~ ;
in the direction of arrow IX of Fig. 8;
Fig. 10 is a rear view of a carrier provided with a mirror
layer and a template with cut out configurations applied to the
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mirror layer;
Fig. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier of
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Fig. 10 taken along sectional line XI-XI;
Fig. 12 is a view of the carrier of Fig. 10 after the
removal of the mirror layer in the area of the cutout
configuration;
Fig. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier of ;~
Fig. 12 taken along sectional line XIII-XIII;
Fig. 14 is a front view of the base member of Figs. 12 and ~;~
13 in the direction of arrow XIV of Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the carrier of
Fig. 12 with a color foil applied to the rear side of the
template taken along sectional line XIII-XIII; and
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the base member of Figs. 7
to 9 with a cover plate glued thereto.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF T~E P~r~Kk~:~ N ODIMENTS
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing show a square base plate 1 of a
transparent cast plastics material. The base plate 1 may be cut -
from a larger plate.
In accordance with the illustrations of Figs. 3 and 4, a
mirror layer 3 which is imperviable to light is applied by vacuum
metallization onto a flat side 2 of the base plate 1. This
mirror layer 3 may also already be previously provided, i.e., the
mirror layer 3 may be present before the base plate 1 is cut from
a larger plate. While the rear side 4 of the mirror layer is
optically dull, the surface 6 directed toward the other flat side
5 of the base plate 1 is constructed so as to be regularly light
reflecting. The mirror layer 3 may be, for example, silver
applied by metallization. The mirror layer 3 is reinforced by
electroplating and is protected by electrocoppering and by
additional coating of varnish. In the drawing, the thickness of
the mirror layer 3 is shown exaggerated in relation to the
thickness of the base plate 1 in order to be able to better
distinguish the mirror layer 3.
The base plate 1 provided with a mirror layer 3 shown in
Figs. 3 and 4 is also called a rear surface mirror or one-way
mirror. As illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, a template 7 is
subsequently glued with the full surface thereof against the rear ;
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side 4 of the mirror layer 3. The template 7 is composed of a
thin foil-like material, although, for better visibility, the
thickness of the template 7 is shown strongly exaggerated. The
configuration of the template 7 is a positive mirror-inverted "L~
8. This configuration 8 is shown as an example to represent
other individual letters, numbers or ornaments or combinations of ~;
letters, numbers or ornaments, such as, complete words or ~-
sentences.
Subsequently, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the mirror layer 3
adjacent the L-shaped configuration 8 of the template 7 is
removed by rubbing under slight pressure with the use of an -
appropriate liquid-dissolving substance. The composition of this
liquid is such that it does not impair the transparency of the
areas of the base plate 1 adjacent the template 7 and that it
does not dissolve the template 7.
Thus, as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawing, by applying the L-
shaped template 7 on the rear side 4 of the mirror layer 3, the ~-
viewer is presented from the flat side 5 of the base plate 1 with
a regularly reflecting "L" 8 within an otherwise transparent base
plate 1 as the advertisement and/or decoration 9.
Figs. 10 and 11 of the drawing show a variation in which a
thin foil-like template 10 which has a rectangularly cut-out
configuration 11 is applied onto a transparent base plate 1
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according to Figs. 3 and 4 provided with a mirror layer 3 which ; ~-
is impervious to light.
Accordingly, when the mirror layer 3 within the
configuration 11 is removed by means of the liquid dissolving
substance, a finished advertisement and/or decoration carrier 12
is produced, as shown in Figs. 12-14, wherein the carrier 12 has
a mirror rim 14 which regularly reflects light and
circumferentially surrounds a square 13 in the center of the rim
14.
Of course, it is understood that the negative configuration
11 according to Figs. 10 to 14 only is an example for individual
letters, numbers or ornaments. Thus, the configuration 11 can be
combined with additional letters, numbers or ornaments in any
chosen ~-nner. The thickness of the template 10 is again shown
exaggerated in relation to the thickness of the base plate 1.
In addition, as illustrated in Fig. 15, it is possible to
glue a color foil 15 against the rear side of the mirror layer 3. -~
The foil 15 is preferably fastened to the template 10. The
thickness of the foil 15 is again shown exaggerated. As a
result, by using a light source LQ, it is possible, in addition
to the reflecting rim, to produce for the viewer another optical
effect in the area of the transparent center area. The foil 15
may also be replaced by a color layer.
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Fig. 16 of the drawing shows another variation of the
present invention in which the advertisement and/or decoration
carrier 9 of Figs. 7 to 9 is covered with a cover plate 16, for
example, of black plastics material. The cover plate 16 may be
glued over the surface area thereof against the carrier 9. In ;
this case, the silver "L" 8 is visible even more effectfully
relative to the dark background. Of course, other color
combinations are also conceivable.
The invention is not limited by the embodiments described
above which are presented as examples only but can be modified in ~`
various ways within the scope of protection defined by the
appended patent claims.
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