US-12617229-B2 - Device with backlit colored display and method of manufacture

US12617229B2US 12617229 B2US12617229 B2US 12617229B2US-12617229-B2

Abstract

A device for displaying images having variable colors comprises a substrate; a light-transmissive coloring layer painted or laminated on the substrate, the coloring layer comprising colorants of different colors and having a rear side in contact with the substrate and a varnished front side; a display layer comprising a silvering material directly plated on the varnished front side of the coloring layer, the display layer comprising a display pattern forming a visible displayed image, the silvering material comprising a metal, a metalloid, or an oxide thereof to form a one-way-mirror; an illuminator configured and positioned to illuminate the coloring layer from the rear side of the coloring layer. When the coloring layer is unilluminated by the illuminator, the unilluminated coloring layer is hidden behind the one-way-mirror. When the coloring layer is illuminated by the illuminator, the illuminated coloring layer visibly colorizes the displayed image through the one-way-mirror.

Inventors

Jianqiao YANG
CHULONG YANG

Assignees

Jianqiao YANG
CHULONG YANG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20250530
Priority Date: 20201026

Claims (20)

1 . A backlit device for displaying an image having variable colors, comprising: a substrate having a front side and a rear side; a first layer attached, directly or indirectly, to the front or rear side of the substrate, the first layer providing a visible first image of a first color; a second layer attached, directly or indirectly, to the substrate and positioned at a rear side of the first layer, the second layer comprising a pattern of second colors; a third layer attached, directly or indirectly, to the substrate and positioned between the first layer and the second layer, wherein the third layer comprises a coating having a third color, the coating being (i) plated or (ii) formed from a mixture of a light-transmissive binding agent and pigments of the third color, wherein the substrate, the first layer and the second layer are light-transmissive, and the third layer is semi-light-transmissive and semi-reflective, such that the third layer appears opaque and conceals the second layer when the second layer is unilluminated by backlighting, thus providing a visible background of the third color for the first image in a displayed image, but is light-transmissive when the second layer is backlit, thus allowing coloring of the first image in the displayed image by the pattern of the second colors of the second layer.
2 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is attached to the front side of the substrate and the third layer is at the rear side of the substrate.
3 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is attached to the rear side of the substrate.
4 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the second layer is at the rear side of the substrate and the third layer is at the front side of the substrate.
5 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the second layer is at the front side of the substrate.
6 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the first image comprises a first outline and is painted, printed, plated, or laminated on a front side of the third layer, and the second image comprises a second outline, wherein the first outline of the first image and the second outline of the second image are of a same figurative shape and overlap.
7 . The backlit device of claim 3 , wherein the first image comprises a first outline and is painted, printed, plated, laminated, engraved, or laser-produced on the rear side of the substrate, and the second image comprises a second outline, wherein the first outline of the first image and the second outline of the second image are of a same figurative shape and overlap.
8 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the first layer comprise corresponding images superimposed to provide the first image.
9 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the pattern of the second colors of the second layer comprises a second image corresponding to the first image, so that, when the second layer is backlit by backlighting, the first image and the second image are superimposed in the displayed image.
10 . The backlit device of claim 9 , wherein the visible background provided by the third layer comprises a third image corresponding to the first image, wherein the first image and the third image are superimposed in the displayed image.
11 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein each of the first layer and the third layer is unicolored or multicolored.
12 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the coating is a deposited, painted, sprayed, plated, printed, glazed, or fired coating.
13 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the second layer is painted, sprayed, plated, printed, glazed, fired, deposited, or hand-drawn.
14 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the displayed image is three-dimensional.
15 . The backlit device of claim 1 , wherein the displayed image is two-dimensional.
16 . The backlit device of claim 1 , comprising an illuminator positioned behind the second layer to backlight the second layer.
17 . A backlit device for displaying an image having variable colors, comprising: a substrate having a front side and a rear side, the front side comprising a front relief and the rear side comprising a corresponding sunken-relief aligned with the front relief; a front layer plated, printed, painted, or laminated on the front side of the substrate and covering the front relief to form one or more three-dimensional (3D) figurative shapes of one or more first colors; and a rear layer attached to the rear side of the substrate at the sunken-relief, the rear layer comprising one or more shapes of second colors corresponding to and being aligned with the one or more 3D figurative shapes; wherein the substrate and rear layer are light-transmissive and the front layer is semi-light-transmissive and semi-reflective, such that the front layer appears opaque and conceals the rear layer when the rear layer is unilluminated by backlighting, thus displaying a 3D image of the one or more 3D figurative shapes in the one or more first colors; but is light-transmissive when the rear layer is backlit, thus allowing coloring of the 3D image by the second colors of the rear layer.
18 . A lampshade comprising: a first layer having a front side and a rear side, the first layer being light-transmissive and providing a first image of a first color visible on the lampshade; a second layer attached indirectly to the first layer at the rear side of the first layer, the second layer being light-transmissive and comprising a pattern of second colors for coloring the first image; a third layer between the first layer and the second layer, wherein the third layer has a third color and is semi-light-transmissive and semi-reflective such that the third layer appears opaque and conceals the second layer when the second layer is unilluminated by backlighting, thus providing a visible background in the third color for the first image in a displayed image, but appears light-transmissive when the second layer is backlit by backlighting, to allow coloring of the first image by the pattern of the second colors of the second layer in the displayed image.
19 . The lampshade of claim 18 , wherein the first image has a first outline and the pattern of second colors of the second layer comprises a second image having a second outline, wherein the first outline of the first image and the second outline of the second image are of a same figurative shape and overlap.
20 . The lampshade of claim 18 , further comprising a light-transmissive substrate, wherein at least one of the first layer or the second layer is attached to the substrate.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/636,935, filed Apr. 16, 2024, which is in turn a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/305,515, filed Apr. 24, 2023, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Parent application Ser. No. 18/305,515 is a continuation-in-part application of PCT/CN2021/125958, filed 25 Oct. 2021, which claims the benefit of and priority to Chinese patent application No. 202022428459.5, filed 26 Oct. 2020, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Parent application Ser. No. 18/305,515 also claims the benefit of and priority to each one of Chinese patent application Nos. 202221070638.9, 202222491588.8, 202222570333.0, and 202223168465.7, filed 3 May 2022, 19 Sep. 2022, 27 Sep. 2022, and 28 Nov. 2022, respectively, the entire contents of each one of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD The present invention relates generally to devices displaying colored images with backlighting, and particularly to devices displaying images that are dynamically colored by backlighting. BACKGROUND A known backlit ornament includes a light-transmissive plate with a pattern thereon and a light source for backlighting the light-transmissive plate. When no light is emitted by the light source, the pattern is visible to a viewer without backlighting. When the light source is turned on and emits light, the pattern is illuminated by backlighting. Pattern exhibits the same color(s) both when it is backlit and when it is not backlit. SUMMARY The present disclosure discloses a number of embodiments of different devices and methods. In a first aspect, there is provided a backlit device for displaying an image having variable colors, comprising a substrate; a light-transmissive coloring layer painted or laminated on the substrate, the coloring layer comprising a plurality of colorants of different colors and having a rear side in contact with the substrate and a varnished front side; a display layer comprising a silvering material directly plated on the varnished front side of the coloring layer, the display layer comprising a display pattern forming a visible displayed image, the silvering material comprising a metal, a metalloid, or an oxide thereof to form a one-way-mirror; and an illuminator configured and positioned to illuminate the coloring layer from the rear side of the coloring layer, wherein (i) when the coloring layer is unilluminated by the illuminator, the unilluminated coloring layer is hidden behind the one-way-mirror, and (ii) when the coloring layer is illuminated by the illuminator, the illuminated coloring layer visibly colorizes the displayed image through the one-way-mirror. The device described in the preceding paragraph may include one or more of the following features. The silvering material may be electroplated, vacuum-plated, or spray-plated on the varnished front side of the coloring layer. The silvering material may comprise aluminum, titanium, chromium, silver, titanium dioxide (TiO2), or silica. The varnished front side of the coloring layer may comprise a varnish coating, and the varnish coating may comprise an acrylic resin, a polyurethane, polycarbonate, or polyvinyl acetate. The varnish coating may be transparent. The varnish coating may alternatively be translucent and comprise a white pigment. The substrate may be light-transmissive and the illuminator may be attached to the substrate. The illuminator may comprise a light source positioned at an edge of the substrate and a light guide for guiding light emitted from the light source to the coloring layer through the substrate. The illuminator may comprise a light source embedded or enclosed in the substrate. The display pattern of the display layer may comprise a three-dimensional structure. The substrate may comprise a three-dimensional structure, the coloring layer may be laminated on the three-dimensional structure, and the display layer may be of a uniform thickness such that the displayed image of display layer exhibits the three-dimensional structure. The coloring layer may have a three-dimensional structure, and the display layer may be of a uniform thickness such that the displayed image exhibits the three-dimensional structure. The illuminator may comprise a plurality of light sources. The substrate may comprise a glass, plastic, acrylic polymer, or cured light-transmissive resin. The substrate may comprise a masking layer, the masking layer comprising one or more openings allowing light emitted from the illuminator to pass therethrough and illuminate one or more corresponding selected portions of the coloring layer. The display layer may comprise a spacing layer between the silvering material and the display pattern. The display layer may comprise a light-transmissive coating covering the display pattern. In another aspect, there is provided a method of formi