3M Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Imation Corporation

Cathleen M Arsenault

James J Kobe

John J Dyer

Leon Levitt

John W Swanson

Brian T Hargrett

Susan K Nestegard

Eric Julius Donaldson

Thomas Herdtle

Robert D Kampfer

James A Wilson

Wayne M Hector

Gustavo H Castro

David J Wirtanen

Gregory A Laska

Vern E Radewald

Carey J Eckhardt

Ronald L Hilton

Antony J Davis

A novel metering valve having improved flow for delivery of an aerosol formulation is disclosed. Methods of delivering an aerosol formulation using a device comprising the novel metering valve are also disclosed.

Metering valve for a metered dose inhaler having improved flow

A method and apparatus for forming a mechanical fastener. A preferred embodiment of the method includes moving a substrate along a web path, where the substrate includes a first major surface and a plurality of stems extending from the first major surface of the substrate and each of the stems includes a stem end, radiantly heating the stem ends to form softened ends, and thereafter deforming the softened ends into convex heads with a deformable surface. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus includes a web conveyor, where the web conveyor defines a web path, a heating source located adjacent the web conveyor and a deformable surface located down the web path from the heating source, where the deformable surface includes a durometer hardness of greater than 10 Shore OO and less than 70 Shore A.

Apparatus and method for making a mechanical fastener

A dispensing valve cap mountable to a bottle is provided with a first valve part having a tubular portion having an air inlet, the first valve part further including a fluid outlet spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the tubular portion to form a constant head valve for dispensing fluid from the bottle. A second valve part of the valve movably mounted to the first valve part includes a tubular portion for simultaneously closing both the air inlet and the fluid outlet of the first valve part when fluid dispensing is not desired. The second valve part further includes an air inlet alignable with the air inlet of the tubular portion when fluid dispensing is desired. A sleeve of the second valve part is rotatably mounted to the first valve part. A cap is mounted to the first valve part for rotational and longitudinal movement. Rotation of the sleeve results in rotational and longitudinal movement of the cap. The dispensing valve cap controls fluid flow from the bottle. The bottle with the valve cap is useable with a dispenser assembly for mixing a concentrated fluid from the bottle with a dilutant. A tamper resistant lock prevents undesired rotation of the second valve part relative to the first valve part. The tamper resistant lock is deactivated upon insertion of the valve cap into the dispenser assembly.

Gravity feed fluid dispensing valve

A dispensing valve cap mountable to a bottle is provided with a first valve part having a tubular portion having an air inlet, the first valve part further including a fluid outlet spaced apart along a longitudinal axis of the tubular portion to form a constant head valve for dispensing fluid from the bottle. A second valve part of the valve movably mounted to the first valve part includes a tubular portion for simultaneously closing both the air inlet and the fluid outlet of the first valve part when fluid dispensing is not desired. The second valve part further includes an air inlet alignable with the air inlet of the tubular portion when fluid dispensing is desired. The dispensing valve cap controls fluid flow from the bottle. The bottle with the valve cap is useable with a dispenser assembly for mixing a concentrated fluid from the bottle with a dilutant. A tamper resistant lock prevents undesired rotation of the second valve part relative to the first valve part. The tamper resistant lock is deactivated upon insertion of the valve cap into the dispenser assembly.

Actuator system is used to dispense a defined volume of a formulation from a pressurized vial. The system houses the vial in a receptacle of a base section that also includes a dispensing section (e.g., a funnel) through which the formulation is sprayed. The system includes a sleeve that fits over at least the vial and that can be pumped by the user to controllably spray the formulation from the vial onto the host animal. For instance, in a preferred mode of operation, the user places the system onto the host at the desired treatment site and then pushes or pulls down on the sleeve. This actuates a valve mechanism on the vial to spray an amount of the formulation through the dispensing section onto the host.

Actuator system for spraying a formulation onto a host

A mechanical fastener including a plurality of engaging stems located in unordered arrangements, which repeat on a substrate. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a mechanical fastener with a plurality of repeating unordered arrangements, where the arrangements repeat in more than one direction. The unordered arrangements of the engaging stems allow pairs of the fasteners to interengage with themselves, or in other words, to self-mate. Additionally, the unordered arrangements of engaging stems allow the fasteners to interengage at any relative angular orientation with a relatively constant engagement force, and a relatively constant disengagement force regardless of their angular orientation. The unordered arrangements of engaging stems also allow pairs of fasteners to interengage at any relative planar position with a relatively constant engagement force and a relatively constant disengagement force regardless of their planar position.

Mechanical fastener

A plain carbon steel shutter for a removable data storage device includes a primary coating thereon to improve its appearance, wear, durability and resistance to corrosion. In addition to the primary coating, the shutter also includes a vapor corrosion inhibitor to reduce corrosion caused by ambient moisture in the atmosphere. To increase stiffniess, the fillet radius of the bends in the shutter are increased.

Plain carbon steel shutter for removable data storage cartridges

A lifter for cleaning a flexible magnetic recording disc. The lifter forces a fabric liner on the inner surface of a cartridge toward the rotating disc. The perimeter of the lifter is configured so that the force profile of the lifter taken across the width of its leading edge is not characterized by sudden changes in force across its width. The lifter can include a cut-out region within the area of the lifter, the region being configured to increase the force applied by the lifter along the inner tracks of the magnetic recording disc. The lifter does not significantly increase the torque required to drive the disc. The invention also includes a method of cleaning a disc using the lifter described above.

Lifter having an angled trailing edge and cut-out region for cleaning a

A hub secured to a substrate having a recording medium with a bond layer having a thickness of less than 1 millimeter. The bond layer bonds the hub with the substrate and includes a cross-linked adhesive with a monolayer of glass spheroids dispersed within the cross-linked adhesive. The bond layer thickness is no less than the effective maximum diameter of the spheroids.

Recording disk hub bond

A strip material from which portions may be severed and used together as a releasably engageable fastener. The strip material comprises a bonding layer in which are embedded a plurality of U-shaped monofilaments. Each U-shaped monofilament includes two headed stem portions adapted to engage the headed stem portions of another portion of the strip material. The U-shaped monofilaments are disposed in generally straight rows longitudinally of the strip material with a percentage of the center to center spacing dimensions between adjacent longitudinal rows being less than a maximum dimension equal to the diameter of the heads plus the diameter of the stems so that slippage of heads longitudinally of the strip material between these closely spaced rows will be restricted, and with the center to center spacing dimension between the rest of the adjacent rows being greater than the maximum dimension and being selected to help provide a desired level of engagement and disengagement forces between the portions. The U-shaped monofilmanets are also disposed in zig-zag rows transverse of the strip material and are spaced and shaped so that slippage of heads transversely of the strip material between the zig-zag rows will also be restricted and to help provide a desired level of engagement and disengagement forces between the portions. Thus, upon engagement the rows of headed stem portions of one portion of the strip material cannot readily slip between the rows of headed stem portions on another portion of the strip material.

Growing community of inventors

Hugo, MN, United States of America

Cathleen M Arsenault