3M Innovative Properties Company

Joseph W Woody

John Allen Wheatley

Audrey A Sherman

Kevin R Schaffer

Michael Alan Meis

Mikhail L Pekurovsky

Robert L Brott

Encai Hao

Rolf W Biernath

Matthew S Stay

Zhaohui Yang

David Scott Thompson

Manoj Nirmal

Cristin E Moran

Steven D Solomonson

Stephen P Maki

William J Bryan

Donald J McClure

Lijun Zu

Robert Stephen Davidson

Jeffrey H Tokie

Daniel M Lentz

Thomas Martin Lynch

This application describes a front-lit reflective display assembly including a reflective display and an illumination article for front-lighting the display when the article is optically coupled to a light source. The illumination article includes a variable index light extraction layer optically coupled to a lightguide. The variable index light extraction layer has first and second regions, the first region comprising nanovoided polymeric material, the second region comprising the nanovoided polymeric material and an additional material, the first and second regions being disposed such that for light being transported at a supercritical angle in the lightguide, the variable index light extraction layer selectively extracts the light in a predetermined way based on the geometric arrangement of the first and second regions. Front-lit reflective display devices including the front-lit reflective display assembly optically coupled to a light source are also described.

Front-lit reflective display device

Transfer tapes include an optically transparent adhesive layer with a first major surface and a second major surface, with at least one of the major surfaces including a microstructured pattern that is a permanent feature of the adhesive surface. The microstructured surface alters the direction of light. The optically transparent composition may include a low Tg polymeric component with a Tg of less than 20&#xb0; C., and an acid or base functionality, and a high Tg polymeric component with a Tg of greater than 20&#xb0; C., and an acid or base functionality, such that the functionality of the low Tg polymeric component and the functionality of the high Tg polymeric component form an acid-base interaction when mixed. The transfer tapes can be adhered to substrates to provide a microstructured surface to the substrate surface.

Microstructured transfer tapes

Metalized web substrate is wet etched in a reaction vessel by contacting with oxidizing and metal complexing agent to remove metal from unpatterned region. Following etching, substrate is rinsed, and rinse is at least partly recycled. Concentrations of oxidizing and metal complexing agents in the etchant bath are maintained by delivering replenishment feeds of each. Concentration of metal in the etchant bath is maintained by discharging some of the etchant bath. Replenishment rates of oxidizing and metal complexing agents and etchant removal rate are determined based at least in part on rate that metal etched from the substrate enters the etchant bath.

Methods of continuously wet etching a patterned substrate

A touch sensor including one or more multilayer electrodes, said electrodes including at least two transparent or semitransparent conductive layers separated by a transparent or semitransparent intervening layer. The intervening layer includes electrically conductive pathways between the first and second conductive layers to help reduce interfacial reflections occurring between particular layers in devices incorporating the conducting film or electrode.

Touch sensitive device with multilayer electrode having improved optical and electrical performance

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Joseph W Woody