Sprayable reflector and method and means for manufacturing it

The present invention relates to a sprayable reflector and a method and means, with the aid of which it is possible to create the reflector.

Reflectors/reflective surfaces can be divided in several classes, according to their proposed use. One class contains the reflective surfaces independent of their manner of manufacture. A general example is the various reflective elements, which are used to show, for example, an obstacle to traffic in the dark. As another example can be mentioned reflective elements which have been assembled permanently to vehicles. Often the means of the aforementioned type have been manufactured e.g. of a membrane equipped with glue or of a hard material, the reflective parts of which are protected beneath a hard layer of plastic or glass.

The area of this invention is, however, non professional security means according to the standard EN 13356/2001, by the aid of which a person is tried to make visible e.g. in the traffic. For this purpose, numerous different versions are normally offered of hard or soft reflectors hanging on the end of a string, most of which are made for advertising purposes.

A drawback in the various hanging reflectors in that it is very difficult to control the position of a loose reflector. It may remain in a position that is disadvantageous in terms of reflectivity. Similarly, a hanging installation repeatedly causes the reflector to catch on some external obstacle, when the reflector is lost and, in the worst case the garment, to which it is attached, for example, by a safety pin, is torn.

It is possible to include reflectors as an integral part of a garment when manufacturing the garment or later. In this way the reflector is a reflector-band which can be sewn or glued into the garment. The final result is often quite good.

The various reflector-band solutions function, but have the drawback that they cannot be hidden, they are highly visible in well-lit conditions too, even though

they usually certainly do not at least add to the beauty of the garment to which they are attached.

The present invention is intended to create an entirely new way of thinking about and dimension to the use of a reflector. The intention is to create a personal reflector, and a method and means, with the aid of which, in well-lit conditions, the reflector becomes, when required, completely or nearly completely invisible, but in poor lighting conditions it is highly visible and functional. Additionally the reflector is, in a way, a fixed, but also easily removable.

The invention is additionally intended to create a reflector, method, and means, in an easy and quick and also removably way.

These and other advantages and benefits of the present invention are achieved by means of the method and means, the characteristic features of which are stated in the accompanying claims.

In brief, the basic idea of the invention is that the reflector is a sprayable composition in a bottle or can, from where it can be sprayed as a desired pattern on a desired object.

The invention is based on combining a light-reflecting material, which is usually in the form of retroreflective beads or microprisms, in a suitable liquid matrix, in which the desired adhesive agent is included, with the aid of which the material sprayed onto the surface, like a cloth, adheres to the surface.

One suitable manner is to pack the said material in an aerosol bottle, to which any conventional propellant, including normal compressed air, used in spray technology is added. By using the can construction that is, as such, known, the making of the reflector becomes a very rapid operation. The material is sprayed on the desired object and allowed to dry, after which it is ready to use.

It is obvious that the material can be sprayed on the object using alternatively spraying without a propellant. Many ready examples of spray bottles of this kind

can be found, for example, in the field of various washing agents. In that case, there will be no need at least to worry about the detrimental effects caused to the atmosphere by propellants.

In order that the method and means according to the invention will act as the embodiment that is regarded being best, the material mixture is made to be an essentially clear solution. In that case, for example, a thin layer that is sprayed onto a garment will not be visible in any way in well-lit conditions, without close examination.

It is also possible to add to the material components by which it is possible to improve the visibility or to obtain desired additional properties in it.

The mixture according to the invention can be sold ready to use as an aerosol can, as a spray bottle, or purely as a solution, in which case the user will use their own spray device to make a reflector. The sales package can also include, for example, various stencils, with the aid of which specific kinds of patterns can be created. On the other hand, it is also easy for the user to make a stencil, for example, by cutting the desired pattern in paper.

Retroreflective beads or prisms are, as such, known materials, the size of which is usually 2 - 1500 μm. When they strike the fabric, or other material of the object, the prisms or beads adhere to it according to the properties of the adhesive. This permits the use of different kinds of adhesive (for example, water, if only momentary reflectivity is desired). It can be said that, by varying the composition of the adhesive, the adhesive properties of the product can be changed and suitable for different use situations, without changing the new concept of the invention.

The material selections of the sprayable reflector follow the intended purpose. According to the basic principle the material selection will permit the sprayed reflector agent to be removed later from the object. For example, a reflector that is sprayed in a certain way onto garments (for example, using a pattern sprayed into a specific shape) can indeed be removed later by simple washing the garment at

its specific washing temperature. A new reflector can be sprayed onto the garment once the garment has dried.

Because the surface is at least into certain extent porous for creating/fixing a reflector on it by spraying, water or water containing a minor amount of other components, could be suitable for the basic material of the reflector according to the invention. The porosity of a garment is enough for the fact that a short-period reflector can be achieved in such a simple way. Water is thus working as a fixing agent. However, it is mandatory to add suitable adhesive agents to the water based material for achieving a longer-lasting but still removable reflector. Spray technology gives lots of alternatives for this purpose and thus this side of the matter is not dealed more in this context.

It is also possible to manufacture a sprayable reflector in such a way that it will detach by itself after a certain time, or at least can be removed very easily from the object material. One example that can be given is an adhesive suitable for this purpose, which reacts over time with the oxygen in the air and changes into a product that can be easily removed. Other alternatives can be various chemical or physical treatments, with the aid of which the adhesion of the adhesive can be reduced or removed.

The above describes one well-regarded embodiment of the invention, in various applications. However, it is obvious that the invention is not only restricted to them, but instead variations of embodiments that remain within the accompanying claims are also possible.