Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Other

Dennis L Krueger

James F Dyrud

Desmond T Curran

Christopher P Henderson

John W Bryant

Daniel E Meyer

Graham J Bostock

Patrick Darby Hyde

Jeffery N Jackson

Richard J Rolando

William Ward Merrill

Thomas P Hanschen

Andrew T Ruff

Pamela S Tucker

Roy Wong

Felix P Lau

Leigh E Wood

Gerald Steven Deeb

John Allen Wheatley

Eumi Pyun

Robert H Menzies

Michael R Gorman

Randall L Alberg

Herbert W Morris

Rochelle L Lockridge

Thomas I Insley

Douglas A Swenson

Neil W Loeding

Herbert J Fox

Karen M Capik

Claudia I Poser

Hassan Bodaghi

David James Yarusso

Alan J Sipinen

Joseph T Bartusiak

Stanley C Erickson

Ronald P Leseman

Desiree L Thompson

Scott G Norquist

Eumi Pyum

Gregory P Karp

Clinton P Waller, Jr

Eugene G Joseph

Philip G Martin

James Stephen Mrozinski

Joaquin Delgado

Douglas A Devens, Jr

Harold J Seppala

Elfed I Williams

Philip D Radovanovic

Richard A Kollaja

Douglas Adelbert Devens, Jr

Robert J Kinney

Scott M Purrington

James C Nygard

James E Sax

Jane K Peterson

Paul R Suszko

Victor P Thalacker

Gregory B Gadbois

Robert W Shipman

Gary W Schlaeger

Marcia Christine Nichols

Gari P Krogseng

Ronald J Ramirez

David B Herridge

Richard L Volgren

Sharon N Mitchell

Jan Ockeloen

Thomas L Insley

Robert W G Shipman

Gerald S Deeb

Jeffrey N Jackson

Des T Curran

Chris P Henderson

Marcia C Nichols

A stretcher for processing a film is described. In particular, stretcher receives a film, graps edge portions of the film, conveys the film in a machine direction, and moves the opposing edge portions along diverging; substantially parabolic paths to form a stretched film.

Processes and apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character

A roll of multilayer optical film is described. The roll includes a substantially uniaxially-oriented multilayer optical film, where at least one layer of the multilayer optical film has indices of refraction in a length direction and a thickness direction that are substantially the same, but substantially different from an index of refraction in a width direction.

A personal respiratory protection device that comprises a multilayer body including a stiffening layer, filter media layer(s) and inner or outer cover layer(s). The mask body includes a central portion between first and second portions, the central portion being defined by a fold, bond, weld, seam, or combination thereof and having a width of about 160 to 220 mm and a height of about 30 to 110 mm. The device is capable of being folded flat for storage with the first portion in at least partial face-to-face contact with a surface of the central portion and the second portion contacting a surface of the first portion. When unfolded for use the device is capable of forming a cup-shaped off the face air chamber over the nose and mouth of a wearer.

Flat-folded personal respiratory protection devices and processes for preparing same

A personal respiratory protection device that includes a multi-layered structure and first and second means for attaching a headband. The multilayered structure includes a filter medium and is divided into a flat upper panel, a flat non-rectangular central panel, and a lower panel. The central panel is separated from each of the upper and lower panels by first and second lines of demarcation. The first and second lines of demarcation converge towards the first and second means for attaching a headband. The multi-layered structure can be folded at the respective lines of demarcation so that the device can be folded flat for storage and can be opened to form a cup-shaped off the face air chamber over the nose and mouth of the wearer while an upper peripheral edge and a lower peripheral edge contact the wearer's face when the device is in use.

Flat-folded personal respiratory protection devices

A stretcher for substantially uniaxially orienting a film includes a plurality of gripping members to hold opposing edge portions of the film, paths along which the gripping members travel to stretch the film in a stretching region, and a drive mechanism to convey the film and gripping members along a machine direction. At least a portion of the paths in the stretching region define diverging, curvilinear courses disposed in-plane. The paths are configured such that during the stretching an extent of uniaxial character, U, is between zero and unity and a minimum value of an extent of uniaxial character, U, is at least 0.70 over a final portion of the stretching after achieving a TDDR of 2.5. U is defined as U=(1/MDDR&#x2212;1)/(TDDR&#x2212;1), wherein TDDR is greater than 4 at an end of the stretching region.

A process for stretching films is described. The process preferably stretches films in a uniaxial fashion. Preferably, optical films are stretched including multilayer optical films. Other aspects of the invention include a roll of stretched film and an apparatus for stretching films.

Apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character

A personal respiratory protection device that comprises a mask body and an exhalation valve that is secured to the mask body. The mask body includes (i) a flat central panel; (ii) a flat first panel joined to the central panel through a fold-line, seam weld, or bond, the fold-line, seam, weld or bond of the first panel being substantially coextensive with an edge of the central panel; (iii) a flat second panel joined to the central panel through a fold-line, seam, weld or bond, the fold-line, seam, weld or bond of the second panel being substantially coextensive with an edge of the central panel. At least one of the center, first and second panels includes filter media. The device is capable of being folded for storage with the first and second panels in at least partial face-to-face contact with a common surface of the central panel and, during use, is capable of forming, over the nose and mouth of the wearer, a cup-shaped air chamber having a face-contacting periphery.

Fold-flat personal respiratory protection devices that have a flat substantially rectangular central portion having first and second edges, at flat first member joined to the first edge of the central portion through either a fold-line, seam, weld or bond, said fold, bond, weld or seam of the first member being substantially coextensive with said first edge of said central portion, and a flat second member joined to the second edge of the central portion through either a fold-line, seam, weld or bond, the fold, bond, weld or seam of the second member being substantially coextensive with said second edge of said central portion. At least one of the central portion and first and second members are formed from filter media. The device is capable of being folded flat for storage with the first and second members being in at least partial face-to-face contact with a common surface of the central portion and, during use, is capable of forming a cup-shaped air chamber over the nose and mouth of the wearer with the unjoined edges of the central portion and first and second members adapted to contact and be secured to the nose, cheeks and chin of the wearer. The outer boundary of the unjoined edges which are adapted to contact the nose, cheeks and chin of the wearer are less than the perimeter of the device in the flat folded storage state. Also provided are process for preparing such devices.

The present invention discloses methods of controlling the puncturability, and optionally the sealability (the ability of a film to conform around a puncturing object) and resealability (the ability of a film to close a hole made by a puncturing object), of polymeric films. Systems comprising a film and puncturing object are also disclosed. Puncturability is controlled by achieving targeted levels of the friction between the film and a puncturing object, the film's flexural rigidity, the film's recovering stress, and the film's elongation at break.

Controlled-puncture films

A die apparatus, a method of using the die apparatus to produce co-extruded polymeric articles, and co-extruded polymeric articles produced using the die apparatus and method are disclosed. The die apparatus includes a hollow vane configured to extrude a material into a chamber within the die, thereby producing a co-extruded web. The co-extruded web has a plurality of distinct, discontinuous phases in the cross-web direction, the phases having a uniform width as shown by a coefficient of variation of less than 8 percent for any three consecutive phases. The phases are substantially continuous down-web and are surrounded by a matrix having two or more layers.

Extrusion die and process

A method of making a personal respiratory protection device. The method comprises: (a) forming a multi-layered structure that comprises a first cover web, a filtration layer that comprises a web that contains electrically-charged microfibers, and a second cover web; and (b) adapting the multi-layered structure into a first panel, a central panel, and a second panel such that the central panel is separated from each of the first and second panels by first and second lines of demarcation, and each of the first, second, and central panels is non-pleated. The first and second cover webs are disposed on first and second opposing sides of the filtration layer, respectively, and at least one of the cover webs comprises spunbond fibers. The resulting respiratory protection device is capable of being folded flat at the respective lines of demarcation for storage and can be opened to form a cup-shaped air chamber over the nose and mouth of the wearer when in use.

Method of making a flat-folded personal respiratory protection device

Fold-flat personal respiratory protection devices are provided. The devices have a flat central portion having first and second edges, a flat first member joined to the first edge through either a fold-line, seam, weld or bond that is substantially coextensive with the first edge, and a flat second member joined to the second edge through either a fold-line, seam, weld or bond that is substantially coextensive with the second edge. At least one of the central portion and first and second members are formed from filter media. The device is capable of being folded flat for storage with the first and second members being in at least partial face-to-face contact with a common surface of the central portion and, during use, is capable of forming a cup-shaped air chamber over the nose and mouth of the wearer.

Processes for preparing flat-folded personal respiratory protection devices

Growing community of inventors

Hudson, WI, United States of America

Dennis L Krueger