3d/flip/motion photo-substrate, imaging processes, and applications thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a photo-substrate for printing of lenticular images that comprises a lenticular lens array, and an energy-reactive material adhered to the backside of the lenticular lens array. According to the methods of the present invention, the lenticular image is printed directly through the lenticular lens array onto the energy-reactive material, using, for example, collimated light or laser. The photo-substrate of the present invention can be adapted for large scale or industrial production to print lenticular images on a wide array of substrates, including such things as packaging and clothing.

1 . A photo-substrate comprising:
 a) a lenticular lens array; and   b) a substrate comprising one or more energy-reactive materials adhered to the backside of the lenticular lens array.   
     
     
         2 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more energy-reactive materials are reactive to light, laser, infrared, ultraviolet, x-ray, gamma-ray, microwave, collimated light, or collimated laser. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the lenticular lens array is selected from the group consisting of linear, spherical, honeycomb-array, square-array, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the lenticular lens array is 1 μm to 10,000 μm. 
     
     
         6 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the lenticular lens array is of a uniform thickness; or wherein the lenticular lens array is a combination of two or more thicknesses. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the lenticular lens array is thermoformed, cold formed, mold formed, embossed, laser-cut, machine-cut, printed, or combinations thereof; or wherein the lenticular lens array is formed by lithography or indirect-image transferring; or wherein the lenticular lens array is formed by coating the substrate of  claim 1  with a monolayer of nano- or micro-glass beads. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the lenticular lens' focal plane is the same as or very close to the lenticular lens array's backside, where the substrate comprising the one or more energy-reactive materials is adhered. 
     
     
         12 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the refractive index of the lenticular lens is 1.35 to 1.75. 
     
     
         13 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is paper, plastic, flexible film, fabric, metal, ceramic, wood, composites, or 3D/parallax movie film. 
     
     
         14 . The photo-substrate of  claim 1 , which is in the form of sheets, plates, or continuous web. 
     
     
         15 . The photo-substrate of  claim 14 , wherein the continuous web is suitable for flatbed printing, or roll-to-roll printing. 
     
     
         16 . A method for in-situ image forming and automatic registration of images and lens for producing 3-D, and/or flip, and/or motion effect printed image with a lenticular lens comprising:
 a) providing the photo-substrate of  claim 1 ; and   b) exposing the photo-substrate to energy at different angles and/or depths through the lenticular lens array to form each image, wherein the energy reactive material forms an image at different locations at the focal plane;   
       wherein the images formed in step b) form images at different angles which correspond to the subsequent viewing geometry, and produce a 3-D and/or flip and/or motion effect of the image. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the energy to which the photo-substrate is exposed is from one or more RGB lasers; or wherein the energy to which the photo-substrate is exposed is from one or more Digital Light Processing (DLP) projectors. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A method of producing a 3D and/or flip and/or motion effect printed image or images comprising:
 a) providing the photo-substrate  claim 1 , wherein the photo-substrate is a continuous web substrate;   b) loading the photo-substrate on a roller train moving at a speed proportional to the recording ability of the substrate; and   c) providing:
 i) one or more Digital Light Processing (DLP) projectors; wherein the DLP projectors project images at different angles which correspond to the subsequent viewing geometry, at a speed synchronized to the speed of the substrate movement; or 
 ii) one or more lasers, each producing narrow and well collimated beams; wherein the lasers are scanned and modulated back and forth across the photo-substrate at different angles which correspond to the subsequent viewing geometry, as the photo-substrate is moved. 
   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the continuous web photo-substrate is a 3D/parallax movie film roll, wherein the 3D and/or flip and/or motion effects images are produced directly in a movie format. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the lasers are Red, Green, Blue (RGB) lasers. 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method of incorporating other pre-patterned layers into the 3D and/or flip and/or motion image before exposure of the photo-substrate, wherein the subsequent patterned layers may be positioned between the image and the first patterned layer on the substrate. 
     
     
         25 . An apparatus for directly producing 3D and/or flip and/or motion effect(s) printed images comprising:
 a) the photo-substrate of  claim 1 ; and   b) a camera designed to image the photo-substrate comprising:
 i. an optical system to convert incoming light to collimated light; and 
 ii. a part for rotating the photo-substrate at different angles with a pivot point or a pivot; and/or 
 iii. an optical system to change the incident irradiation angle of collimated light to the 3D photo-substrate; and/or 
 iv. a light projection optics to convert the incoming light to the camera for irradiating collimated light to the lenticular photo-substrate at different angles. 
   
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the camera includes one or more of a DLP based projection system, a visible/infrared/UV laser-based direct imaging system, and/or an X-ray/gamma-ray/microwave imaging system. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the photo-substrate reacts to IR laser light, and the incoming visible light to the camera is converted to IR laser pixel-by-pixel in one direction relative to the photo-substrate, to form color pixels. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the pixel-by-pixel IR light triggers the photo-reacting material on the photo-substrate to react and form color pixels to show different scales of hotness in the focused imaging area. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the photo-substrate reacts to UV laser light, and the incoming visible light to the camera is converted to UV laser pixel-by-pixel in one direction relative to the photo-substrate. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the formed pixels are the same as the incoming visible light color in the corresponding pixel. 
     
     
         31 . A printed article comprising the photo-substrate of  claim 1 .