3m Innovative Properties Company

Other

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Joseph M McGrath

Christopher Stewart Lyons

Robert J Fleming

Albert I Everaerts

Thomas P Hedblom

Thomas F Look

Bruce D Orensteen

Michael C McGrath

Eric E Rice

Robert V O'Keefe

Josephine McGrath

Terry L Bescup

Mark A Roehrig

Peter A Stark

Clark Ivan Bright

Suman K Patel

Franklin C Bradshaw

Seth M Kirk

Thomas I Bradshaw

Lang N Nguyen

Katherine A Brown

Michael R Kesti

Thomas A Kotnour

Sundar J Rajan

Edward G Stewart

Daryl D Johnson

Stephen F Wolf

Joseph R Zwack

Deana A Klein

Jesus R Ramos

Craig A Schmidt

Terrence W Miller

Robert F Watkins

Steven E Poss

Roy A Schnuell

William C Boyd

Laura J Maursetter

A tool for repair and maintenance of a rail extending about the perimeter of a bed, the rail separated from the bed by a predetermined distance. The tool comprises a shaft with first and second sides. The first side has a curved surface, and the shaft has a cross-section normal to the curved surface with a maximum width that is less than the predetermined distance. A flange extends from the second side, the combined shaft and flange having a cross-section normal to the curved surface with a maximum width that is at least the predetermined distance.

Side rail repair tool

A method of making a polymer coating on a microstructured substrate. The method may be performed by vaporizing a liquid monomer or other pre-polymer composition and condensing the vaporized material onto a microstructured substrate, followed by curing. The resulting article may possess a coating that preserves the underlying microstructural feature profile. Such a profile-preserving polymer coating can be used to change or enhance the surface properties of the microstructured substrate while maintaining the function of the structure.

Method of making a microstructured coated article

Microstructured substrates with profile-preserving organometallic coatings

Color shifting retroreflective articles can provide features such as decorative effects, evidence of tampering, security authentication or positional information. In some embodiments, the color shifting retroreflective article includes a layer of microspheres, and a reflective coating that is disposed in optical association with the layer of microspheres. The reflective coating includes a spacer layer disposed between a semitransparent first reflective layer and a second reflective layer. The first reflective layer includes a reflective layer disposed adjacent the layer of microspheres. At least one layer of the reflective coating includes a non-uniform thickness associated with each of a plurality of microspheres such that light incident on the article from a first direction is retroreflected at a first color and light incident on the article from a second direction is retroreflected at a second color visibly different from the first color.

Color shifting retroreflector and method of making same

Microstructured substrates with profile-preserving polymeric coatings

Adhesive articles and methods of applying and activating adhesive articles to bond to substrates using a fluid application aid. Preferably, the substrates are traffic devices such as traffic cones and the adhesive articles are retroreflective cone collars or sleeves.

Fluid-activatable adhesive articles and methods

Method of coating microstructured substrates with polymeric layer(s), allowing preservation of surface feature profile

The articles of the present invention comprise pavement marking articles which are retroreflective under dry and/or wet conditions. The articles comprise a monolayer of exposed-lens optical elements, a spacing layer, and a reflective layer. The present invention also provides a method of making said pavement marking articles.

Pavement marking articles having enhanced retroreflectivity under dry or wet conditions and method for making same

Methods for enhancing adhesion between at least two surfaces, preferably of at least two different materials, using a powdered surface preparation composition.

Methods of enhancing adhesion

A ball throwing practice system for improving a ball player's skills that includes a collapsible support frame having a first pair of legs and a second pair of legs, with the second pair of legs being pivotally coupled to one of the first pair of legs to permit pivoting of the second pair of legs with respect to the first pair of legs. The system also includes a target assembly secured to the support frame for defining a passage therethrough for representing a zone for an accurately thrown ball to pass through. Preferably, the target assembly comprises a pair of substantially horizontally oriented plate members disposed in a spaced relationship, with a lower one of the plate members being located below an upper one of the plate members. The lower plate member may be suspended below the upper plate member by a plurality of cords. Each of the plate members may have a central aperture therethrough which is defined by an inner perimeter of each plate member, and an outer perimeter of each plate member may be substantially parallel to the inner perimeter.

Baseball and softball practice device

A retroreflective article that has a layer of optical elements and a multilayer reflective coating disposed on the optical elements. The reflective coating reflects light back into the optical elements so that it can be returned toward the light source. The multilayer reflective coating has multiple polymer layers and has layers that possess different refractive indices.

Retroreflective articles having polymer multilayer reflective coatings

Microspheres comprise a polymer including one or more of 1) a plurality of C,or larger alpha-olefin units wherein the C,or larger alpha-olefin units are incorporated into the polymer so as to give an average number of less than one branch point per C,or larger alpha-olefin unit, 2) a plurality of C,alpha-olefin units wherein the C,alpha-olefin units are incorporated so as to give an average number of branch points greater than 0.01 per C,alpha-olefin unit, and 3) cyclopentene or substituted cyclopentene, the microspheres having an average diameter in the range of 1 to 300 micrometers. Optionally, the polymer of the microspheres can be crosslinked. The microspheres can be prepared by suspension or dispersion polymerization processes using aqueous or organic reaction media. Powder coatings can be prepared from the microspheres.

Polyolefin microspheres

A method for making retroreflective articles that have a layer of optical elements and a multilayer reflective coating disposed on the optical elements. The reflective coating reflects light back into the optical elements so that it can be returned toward the light source. The multilayer reflective coating has at least one polymer layer made by condensing a curing a pre-polymer vapor.

Method for making retroreflective articles having polymer multilayer reflective coatings

Growing community of inventors

Lake Elmo, MN, United States of America

Joseph M McGrath