Filing Information

Inventor(s)	Sanford Cobb · Kenneth Epstein · Wade Kretman · Mark Gardiner ·
Assignee(s)	3M ·  View assignee updates
Correspondent	MARSHALL, GERSTEIN & BORUN ·
Application Number	US10353888
Filing date	01/29/2003
Publication date	06/19/2003
Predicted expiration date	10/08/2019
U.S. Classifications	359/619  ·
International Classifications	G02B027/10  ·
Kind Code	A1
Related U.S. Application Data	RELATED APPLICATIONS 0001 This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/047,872, filed Jan. 16, 2002, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/415,873, filed Oct. 8, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,391.

Patent Family

Abstract

An optical turning film has a first surface including an array of prisms. The array has a plurality of first prisms, with each of the first prisms having a first prism configuration, and a plurality of second prisms, with each of the second prisms having a second prism configuration different from the first prism configuration. The optical film also has a second surface opposing the first surface, and light rays incident to the first surface are directed by the plurality of first prism and the plurality of second prisms along a direction substantially parallel to a viewing axis.

Independent Claims | See all claims (18)

1. 1. An optical turning film comprising: a first surface; an array of prisms formed in the first surface, wherein the array of prisms has: a plurality of first prisms, each of the first prisms having a first prism angular orientation with respect to a normal to the first surface; a plurality of second prisms, each of the second prisms having a second prism angular orientation, different from the first angular orientation, with respect to the normal; and a second surface opposing the first surface.
2. 14. An optical turning film comprising: a first surface; an array or prisms formed in the first surface, wherein the array of prisms has: a plurality of first prisms, each of the first prisms having a first prisms reflecting surface and a first prisms refracting surface and a first prism included angle between the first prisms reflecting surface and the first prisms refracting surface; a plurality of second prisms, each of the second prisms having a second prisms reflecting surface and a second prisms refracting surface and a second prisms included angle between the first prisms reflecting surface and the first prisms refracting surface, different than the first prisms included angle; and a second surface opposing the first surface.