James River Paper Company, Inc.

The Institute of Paper Chemistry

Fort James Corporation

James River Corporation of Virginia

Charles C Habeger, Jr

Kenneth A Pollart

Gary A Baum

Karl Josephy

Anthony J Swiontek

Michael A Schmelzer

James P Rettker

Richard M Thomas

Ellen E Pelky

Willmer A Wink

An RF EAS tag includes a substrate with a conductive element positioned on a face surface thereof and having electrically inductive properties. A capacitive element is positioned on the face surface and has electrically capacitive properties wherein the inductive and capacitive elements are operably coupled together to form a resonant circuit which resonates when an electrical signal of a predetermined resonant frequency is applied to the tag. The capacitive element comprises a dielectric ink substance having a high dielectric constant for producing the desired resonant circuit on a single face surface of the substrate. An alternative tag comprises a substrate with a conductive layer positioned thereon and a gap formed in the conductive layer exposing a portion of the substrate. This forms a slotline waveguide shorted at both ends. A high dielectric constant ink substance is then deposited in the slot. This greatly reduces the wavelength in the waveguide allowing an RF frequency 1/2 wavelength resonant line to be made of a practical length.

Electronic article surveillance tag product and method of manufacturing

A patterned metal foil/substrate laminate wherein the pattern is formed by laminating a sheet of metal foil to a substrate by applying an adhesive between the metal foil and substrate in a predetermined pattern which defines areas where adhesive is present and areas where no adhesive is present, cutting the metal foil, as by rotary die cutting or laser cutting, in a pattern which corresponds to the boundaries of the adhesive-containing areas and removing the areas of metal foil which are not adhesively adhered to the substrate. Particularly where the laminate is intended for microwave packaging, the laminate further includes a sheet of barrier layer material, preferably polymer film, laminated to the patterned metal foil layer. The polymer film layer-containing laminate can be formed into a container for packaging food intended for heating in a microwave oven, the container having at least one section, corresponding to the areas of the laminate from which metal foil was removed, that is substantially transparent to microwave energy and at least one section, corresponding to the foil-containing areas of the laminate, that is opaque to microwave energy for shielding food adjacent to the opaque section. Preferably, the metal foil is aluminum foil, desirably unannealed aluminum foil, and the substrate is selected from paper, coated or uncoated paperboard and polymer film.

Patterned metal foil laminate and method for making same

A food package including a package body forming a food receiving cavity for storing and heating a food item in a microwave oven. Specifically, the package body includes a bottom panel and a top panel with side panels joining the bottom and top panel. An impedance matching element is provided on at least one of the panels for impedance matching microwave energy entering the package. The impedance matching element is preferably a contiguous film of thinly flaked material embedded in a dielectric binder which is sized and shaped with respect to the food to cause impedance matching to elevate the temperature of the food in predetermined areas dependent upon the size and spacing of the film without interacting with the microwave energy to produce heat. The film may also be shaped in the form of a convex lens to direct impedance matched microwave energy toward the food to elevate the temperature of the food in a predetermined area. Further, the flake material may be present in the binder in an amount sufficient to provide microwave shielding.

Microwave impedance matching film for microwave cooking

A self-limiting dispersion of a conductive material in a binder is disclosed wherein the conductive material consists essentially of a carbon material having a structure selected to undergo percolation when dispersed in the binder at a concentration of from about 10 weight percent to about 45 weight percent. The binder comprises a thermoplastic material selected to go through a first order phase transition or a second order transition at a temperature from about 300.degree. F. to about 480.degree. F. and the dispersion is formulated near the conductance percolation threshold so that its electrical conductivity drops precipitously (e.g., at least about 1.5 orders of magnitude) above the binder transition temperature. The dispersion of the conductive material in the binder is especially suitable for use as a self-limiting microwave heater material which is either a molding composition, or surface coating composition, and especially a composition that can be applied to a substrate by printing.

Self limiting microwave heaters

A microwave responsive heating device useful in microwave packaging for capturing microwave energy in a microwave oven and transmitting the energy to a surface of a food item in a concentrated form to grill, crisp, or brown the surface thereof. The heating device includes an antenna for collecting the microwave energy and a transmission device for transferring the collected energy from the antenna to a surface of a food item. Preferably, the heating device forms an integral portion of the interior of a food package to allow a food item to be stored and cooked therein. The antenna and the transmission device are made from electrically conductive materials and are shaped to, not only, capture and transmit microwave energy efficiently, but also to enhance the intensity of the microwave energy in a concentrated form.

Antenna for microwave enhanced cooking

Apparatus for measuring fiber orientation anisotropy in a web of fibrous material includes a microwave generator, a waveguide through which a microwave signal is propagated axially and in which an electric field is established in one direction perpendicular to the waveguide axis, the waveguide having a gripping means which provides a gripping means for specimen insertion, a detector for measuring intensity of the microwave signal propagated through the waveguide and a metering means for numerically evaluating the intensity of the propagated signal. The intensity of the propagated signal is measured (1) with the waveguide empty, (2) with the specimen inserted in the waveguide in a plane normal to the axis and with its machine direction aligned with the electric field and (3) with the specimen inserted in the waveguide in the normal plane and with its cross direction aligned with the direction of the electric field. The ratio of attenuations by the specimen in the two orientations is a measurement of fiber orientation anisotropy.

Method and apparatus for measuring fiber orientation anisotropy

An ultrasonic transducer for coupling ultrasonic energy to a web-like porous sample includes a sample-contacting layer of soft neoprene, 5-15 durometer hardness, which conforms to the surface of the sample being tested when pressed thereagainst. A non-polarized backing layer of polyvinylidene fluoride eliminates reflections at the end of the transducer remote from the sample. A polystyrene impedance-matching layer is located between the sample-contacting and the backing layer to provide a low-loss, low-impedance coupling of ultrasonic energy to the sample-contactiong layer. A stack of two, and preferably four, metallized polyvinylidene fluoride films is located between the impedance-matching layer and the backing layer. The outer surfaces of the stack are grounded, while the inner surfaces are energized by the ultrasonic energy source. The outer layers are polarized in a first direction, opposite that of the polarization direction of the middle layer.

Ultrasonic transducer

A device which measures the velocity of ultrasonic waves in a moving web is provided. A pair of wheels is mounted for continuous surface contact with the paper and a transducer, which contacts the web on each revolution, is located in each wheel for relating electrical and mechanical signals. Timing means measures the time it takes a mechanical signal generated at the first wheel to reach the second wheel. Noise reducing and amplifying means are provided for effective operation.

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Charles C Habeger, Jr