Patent ID: 7288283

Claim:
A method of forming an ultraviolet (UV) absorbent coating on a transparent substrate comprising the sequential steps of: (a) prepolymerizing a mixture consisting of a benzophenone, an epoxy alkoxysilane and a tertiary amine catalyst at an elevated temperature of between about 40° C. to about 130° C. for a time sufficient such that between about 30% to about 70% of the epoxy alkoxysilane moieties are in a ring-opened state; (b) forming a solution of the prepolymerized mixture in an aqueous acidic alcoholic solution and allowing the prepolymerized mixture to hydrolyze so as to form a hydrolyzed coating material therefrom; (c) coating a layer of the hydrolyzed coating material onto the surface of a transparent substrate; and thereafter (d) curing the hydrolyzed coating material of the coating layer at an elevated temperature of less than about 200° C. and for a time sufficient to cross-link the epoxy alkoxysilane.