Decorative Material With Grooved Low-Gloss Natural Texture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing decorative materials fail to replicate the natural texture and tactile feel of materials like wood or stone, often appearing too artificial due to high specular glossiness and uniform tactile feel.
Innovation Solution
A decorative material with a base material layer featuring grooves and a surface protection layer, where the first surface has an average specular glossiness of 18% or less and a standard deviation of 1.0% or more, combined with a specific range of static coefficient of friction, to mimic natural materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the surface protection layer is made with high gloss finish, then the visual appeal and ease of cleaning are improved, but the texture becomes too artificial and loses natural material characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface properties to different regions: the surface protection layer has low specular glossiness (18% or less) to replicate natural material texture, while the grooves contain filled portion ink with different optical properties. This local differentiation between surface and groove regions creates the natural appearance without requiring the entire surface to have uniform low-gloss properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the key parameter of specular glossiness from high to low (18% or less) and controls the standard deviation (1.0% or more) to achieve natural material appearance. This parameter transformation from glossy to matte finish is the core solution that resolves the contradiction between visual appeal and natural texture replication.
2Manufacturing precision
If the grooves are uniformly filled with ink, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the texture becomes too uniform and loses natural material variability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetry and variability into the groove filling process. While grooves are generally filled with ink, the filled portion is controlled to be within specific ranges (5-95% or 10-80% of groove cross-sectional area), allowing natural variability. This asymmetric filling pattern—where some grooves are fully filled, others partially, and some not at all—creates the irregular texture characteristic of natural materials while maintaining manufacturing control.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of uniformly filling all grooves completely, the patent applies partial filling where the ink occupies only a portion of the groove cross-sectional area. This partial action creates natural-looking texture variation while still providing sufficient ink presence to define the groove structure and achieve the desired tactile and visual properties.
3Strength
If the surface protection layer is applied thickly, then the protection and durability are improved, but the groove texture and natural appearance are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin film approach for the surface protection layer, keeping it thin enough (1-20 μm) to allow the underlying groove texture to show through, yet sufficient to provide protection. This thin film strategy balances the conflicting requirements of surface durability and texture visibility, as the protective layer acts as a transparent shell that preserves rather than obscures the natural material characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A decorative material has a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface and includes a base material layer and a surface protection layer disposed closer to the first surface than the base material layer is. The base material layer has a plurality of grooves in a surface thereof closer to the first surface, and at least a subset of the grooves has a filled portion therein. The average specular glossiness at 85° of the first surface pursuant to JIS Z8741:1997 is 18% or less, and the standard deviation σ of the specular glossiness at 85° of the first surface pursuant to JIS Z8741:1997 is 1.0% or more.