3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Bradley R Ray

Chester A Bacon, Jr

Ningyong Huang

Loretta L Lucas

William D Sell

Rong Wu

Shane M Klundt

Huijin Li

Stewart H Corn

Joy L Manske

Timothy S Skogland

Michael J Petrich

Thomas G Cheesebrow

Rodney A Ough

Chester A Bacon

An exposed lens retroreflective article that includes a binder layer; a layer of spaced apart optical elements that are partially embedded in the binder layer; a penetrated colored layer that is located between the spaced apart optical elements; and a reflective layer that is located functionally behind the layer of optical elements and the penetrated colored layer.

Exposed lens retroreflective article

A transfer article, a retroreflective article and methods of making the same. The transfer article can include an overlay. The retroreflective article can include an optical layer and an overlay. The optical layer can include a front surface and a rear surface, and can include retroreflective optical elements. The overlay can include a front surface and a rear surface adapted to be coupled to the front surface of a substrate, such as the optical layer. The overlay can further include a graphic, such that the graphic is buried with respect to the front surface of the overlay. A method of making the retroreflective article can include applying a graphic to the rear surface of the overlay, and coupling the overlay bearing the graphic to the front surface of a substrate, such as the optical layer.

Protective overlay bearing a graphic and retroreflective articles comprising the overlay

A prismatic retroreflective article and a method for making same. The retroreflective article can include a transparent polymeric body portion, an optical layer coupled to the body portion, and an image layer coupled to the body portion opposite the optical layer. The image layer can define imaged portions and non-imaged portions of the prismatic retroreflective article. The image layer can include cross-links formed between a polymer resin having hydroxyl functional groups and a cross-linking agent having isocyanate functional groups. The image layer can have a percent elongation of at least 80 percent and less than 200 percent. The method can include printing or coating an image layer onto to the body portion of the retroreflective sheeting opposite the optical layer, and cross-linking the image layer to form cross-links between the hydroxyl functional groups of the polymer resin and the isocyanate functional groups of the cross-linking agent.

Prismatic retroreflective article with cross-linked image layer and method of making same

The present invention relates to a novel method of producing graphics employing image-enhancing particles electrostatically. The invention also relates to novel electrostatically printable image-enhancing particles.

Method of electrostatically printing image-enhancing particles and said

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Bradley R Ray