Patent Publication Number: US-2005135086-A1

Title: Stationery item and ornamental device arrangement

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to stationery and, more particularly, to a stationery item and ornamental device arrangement, which enables the user to see the condensed projection of a design with one naked eye when aiming the stationery item at a light source.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Stationery suppliers may have their products such as rules, bookmarks, cards, pads, picture cards, etc. printed with any of a variety of patterns to attract the consumers to buy. However, because these printed patterns stand still, consumers become boring of these patterns and designs soon. Further, there are stationery suppliers who have their stationery items added with additional functions, for example, having a rule provided with distance and angle measuring devices, a magnifier, or a roller axis, or decorated with a miniature sculpture. These conventional designs still cannot attract consumers for long.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a stationery item and ornamental device arrangement, which enables the user to see a variable the condensed projection of a design with one naked eye when aiming the stationery item at a light source.  
      To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, the stationery item and ornamental device arrangement comprises a base material having a view hole, and a picture element disposed in the view hole of the base material and having a design capable of gathering light. The design of the picture element is made by pyramidal light gathering principle and by means of using IC fabrication process wet type anisotropic etching to form an inverted 3D pyramid structure on a silicon chip. The design on the silicon chip is then transferred to a plastic substrate by a heat press. When aiming the picture element at a light source, the user can view a condensed projection of the design from the picture element from the side opposite to the light source 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a stationery item and ornamental device arrangement according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the stationery item and ornamental device arrangement according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a front view of the stationery item and ornamental device arrangement according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic drawing showing the picture element aimed at a light source, the naked eye viewed the condensed projection of the design of the picture element according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged view of a part of  FIG. 4  showing the design of the picture element viewed.  
       FIG. 6  is an exploded view of an alternate form of the stationery item and ornamental device arrangement according to the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1, 2 , and  3 , a stationery item and ornamental device arrangement in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown comprised of a base material  1  and a picture element  2  arranged in the base material  1 , and a fastening member  3  securing the picture element  2  to the base material  1 . When aiming the picture element  2  at a light source (not shown), a condensed projection design  21  can be viewed right from the back side of the picture element  2  with one naked eye.  
      The base material  1  can be any of a variety of printed materials such as rule, bookmark card, pad, or picture card, which is made of paper, flexible plastics, hard plastics, or fabrics. The base material  1  has length measuring marks  11  marked thereon, and a view hole  12  through the top and bottom surfaces. If the base material  1  is molded from plastics, the picture element  2  can be directly bonded to the base material  1  by a heat press. If the base material  1  is made of paper or fabrics, the fastening member  3  is necessary to secure the picture element  2  to the base material  1 .  
      The picture element  2  is disposed in the view hole  12 , having a design  21  in it. The design  21  is invisible when viewed with one naked eye without a light source on the opposite side. The design  21  of the picture element  2  is made by conventional techniques, i.e., by means of pyramidal light gathering principle and by means of using IC fabrication process wet type anisotropic etching to form an inverted 3D pyramid structure on a silicon chip. During the fabrication of the silicon chip, 8000 Å silicon dioxide is grown on the surface of a silicon substrate  1 , and then a 1 μm photoresist is used to define the desired design  21  by means of photomask exposing. At this time, use hydrofluoric acid solution to remove silicon dioxide that is not masked with photoresist. And then, the silicon chip is put in potassium hydroxide solution and heated to 80° C. for 15 minutes to etch the silicon chip (this is the wet type anisotropic etching), so as to obtain the desired inverted 3D design  21 . The design  21  thus obtained is then transferred to a PVC substrate by a heat press. This heat pressing procedure is to make a nickel plate by means of the use of silicon chips and the application of electroforming process, and then to heat the nickel plate with steam, causing the nickel plate to transfer thermal energy to the PVC substrate, and therefore the design  21  is formed in the PVC substrate.  
      The fastening member  3  can be a paper or plastic adhesive tape adhered to the base material  1  to hold the picture element  2  in the view hole  12 .  
      Referring to FIGS.  3 ˜ 5 , when viewing the design  21  of the picture element  2 , aim the picture element  2  at the light source (light emitting diode or lamp bulb)  4 , for enabling light of the light source  4  to project onto the picture element  2 . At this time, a light gathering effect is produced at the design  21  of the picture element  2 , and the condensed projection of the design  21  of the picture element  2  is viewed when the user see the picture element  2  with one naked eye  5  from the side opposite to the light source  4 . When the user turning the substrate  1  (or picture element  2 ), the design  21  is moved with the substrate  1  (or picture element  2 ), producing a variable visual effect.  
       FIG. 6  is an exploded view of an alternate form of the stationery item and ornamental device arrangement according to the present invention. According to this embodiment, the stationery item and ornamental device arrangement comprises a base material la molded from hard plastics, the base material  1   a  having a view hole  12   a,  and a picture element  2  fastened to the view hole  12   a  of the base material  1   a  by a heat press. Alternatively, the picture element  2  can be directly integrally molded on the base material  1   a  within the view hole  12   a.  This alternate form eliminates the aforesaid fastening element  3 , reducing the manufacturing cost and time.  
      Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.