3m Innovative Properties Company

Fay T Salmon

Albert I Everaerts

Dylan T Cosgrove

Leigh E Wood

Catherine A Leatherdale

Thomas J Nelson

Negus B Adefris

Michael J Wald

Richard E Raby

Jun Fujita

Ernest L Thurber

Joseph B Eckel

Michael R Gorman

Jia Hu

Ming-Lai Lai

Chaodi Li

Brian G Koethe

William C Egbert

Philip P Soo

Katherine A Brown

Ann M Hawkins

Yuyang Liu

Junting Li

John A Verdouw

Geoffrey I Wilson

Terry S Nees

Cory M Arthur

Thomas C Mercer

Scott M Niemi

David T Buckley

Vincent Jusuf

Alireza Ghaderi

Dominic J Triana

James D Clearly

Alex P Beane

A repositionable abrasive disc mounting assembly comprises a backup pad and a clamp assembly. The backup pad has a rotational axis of use and a major surface with projections extending outwardly therefrom. The backup pad further comprises an inwardly facing centrally disposed first fastening member, and also an outwardly facing centrally disposed second fastening member. The clamp assembly comprises inner and outer clamp members for securing an abrasive disc. The inner clamp member comprises an inwardly facing centrally disposed third fastening member adapted to repositionably engage the second fastening member in a discrete number of rotational orientations. The inner clamp member further comprises an outwardly facing centrally disposed fourth fastening member. The outer clamp member comprises an inwardly facing centrally disposed fifth fastening member adapted to securely engage the fourth fastening member. A method of abrading a workpiece using the repositionable abrasive disc is also disclosed.

Repositionable abrasive disc mounting assembly and method of using the same

Various apparatuses are disclosed including those that have curvature arresting properties. According to one example, the apparatus can optionally include a flexible first film, a second film and a first plurality of features. The first plurality of features can be disposed between the first film and the second film At least some of the first plurality of features are spaced apart from one another by a gap when the first film is not subject to an applied bending force or is subject to the applied bending force below a predetermined magnitude in one or both of the transverse direction and the longitudinal direction, and at least some of the first plurality of features contact one another to arrest a curvature of the first film when the applied bending force is at or above the predetermined magnitude.

Curvature limiting film

Flexible displays that include an interlocking device.

Flexible displays with interlocking devices

Electronic Devices Incorporating Flexible Component Layers with Interlocking Devices At least some aspects of the present disclosure directs to an electronic devicecomprising a rigid memberA,B, a flexible component layer, and an interlocking deviceA, HOB disposed between the flexible component layer and the rigid member. The flexible component layer has at least two sections when the flexible component layer is flexed. The interlocking device comprises a first interlocking component attached to or integrated with the flexible component layer, and a second interlocking component attached to or integrated with the rigid member configured to engage with the first interlocking component, such that the engagement prevents the separation of the flexible component layer from the rigid member along a direction generally perpendicular to a surface of the rigid member.

Electronic devices incorporating flexible component layers with interlocking devices

An orthodontic palatal expander may include a first shell configured to receive at least one tooth of a first posterior segment of a dental arch of a patient; a second shell configured to receive at least one tooth of a second posterior segment of the dental arch; and a split beam connected between the first shell and the second shell. The split beam may include a first beam comprising a relatively high modulus material, a second beam comprising the high modulus material, and a region between the first beam and the second beam.

Orthodontic palatal expander including split beams

At least some aspects of the present disclosure feature a bonding layer including a support layer and discrete adhesive patches disposed on one or both sides of the support layer. At least some aspects of the present disclosure feature a flexible display using a bonding layer including discrete adhesive patches.

Bonding layer having discrete adhesive patches

The present invention is a flexible display including a fluid cavity, fluid within the fluid cavity, and a strain/stress-sensitive module positioned within the fluid cavity. The strain/stress-sensitive module includes a flexible substrate, a flexible encapsulation layer, and an OLED layer positioned between the flexible substrate and the flexible encapsulation layer.

Flexible electronic device with fluid cavity design

At least some aspects of the present disclosure feature a flexible display including a first layer and a second layer, a bonding layer disposed between the first layer and the second layer. The bonding layer includes an interlocking device. The interlocking device includes a first interlocking component and a second interlocking component configured to engage with the first interlocking component such that the engagement prevent the separation of the first layer from the second layer.

At least some aspects of the present disclosure feature a flexible display including a plurality of functional layers, a plurality of bonding layers, and a stiff layer. Each of the plurality of bonding layers is disposed between two adjacent functional layers. The stiff layer having an elastic modulus greater than elastic modulus of the plurality of functional layers to adjust a position of a neutral plane of the flexible display within the display layer.

Flexible displays having stiff layers for neutral plane adjustment

A hand instrument for debonding an adhesively bonded orthodontic bracket from a patient's tooth includes two jaws, each of which includes a contact pad for engaging opposite sides of the bracket. When the jaws are moved together, at least a majority of the area of each contact pad that contacts the side of the bracket is located beneath the archwire slot of the bracket in a lingual direction in order to facilitate fracture of the adhesive bond and release of the bracket from the tooth surface.

Hand instrument for detaching orthodontic brackets from teeth

A durable radio frequency identification tag. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a durable radio frequency identification tag comprising: a flexible substrate including a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface; a radio frequency identification antenna attached to the first major surface of the substrate; an integrated circuit attached to the antenna; and a thermoplastic guard attached to the flexible substrate adjacent the integrated circuit. The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a durable radio frequency identification tag.

Durable radio frequency identification label and methods of manufacturing the same

Growing community of inventors

Eden Prairie, MN, United States of America

Fay T Salmon