3m Innovative Properties Company

Lynn E Lorimor

Michael F Weber

James P Endle

David C Kramlich

Shandon Dee Hart

James M Nelson

James M Jonza

Robert L Brott

Patrick R Fleming

Byron E Trotter

William J Kopecky

Tommie W Kelley

Bruce Brandon Wilson

Eumi Pyun

Kiu-Yuen Tse

Gregory L Bluem

Douglas K Fossum

Ying Zhang

Charles Allen Shaklee

Joan M Frankel

Shivshankar Venkataramani

Haohao Lin

Frederick J Fox

Gilles JB Benoit

Mamoru Kanno

Guang Zheng

Yuji Kashiwazaki

Polymer fibers are formed with concentric alternating layers of different polymer materials. The layers pairs have cross-sectional thicknesses selected for reflecting light at a selected visible wavelength. A cross-sectional dimension of the core is at least ten times an average of the selected thicknesses of the alternating layers. Some articles formed by the fibers are formed by attaching one fiber to another: the color of the fibers at the point of attachment is different from the colors of the fibers elsewhere. The fibers may be deformed to change its color properties by elongating the cross-section of the polymer fiber along a first cross-sectional axis. In some embodiments, the fibers are polarization sensitive.

Color shifting multilayer polymer fibers and security articles containing color shifting multilayer polymer fibers

Microlens sheetings with different types of composite images are disclosed, in which the composite image floats above, in, or below the sheeting, or some combination. One type of composite image may be viewable to the unaided eye or an observer and another type of composite image is viewable only to the aided eye of an observer. Methods for providing such an imaged sheeting are also disclosed.

Methods of forming sheeting with composite images that float and sheeting with composite images that float

A multilayer polymer film has an optical stack including a plurality of alternating polymer layers with skin layers having mechanical, optical, or chemical properties differing from those of the layers in the optical stack. In one embodiment, the multilayer polymeric film has one or more holograms that provide attractive and useful optical effects.

Multilayer polymer film with additional coatings or layers

A security laminate comprising (1) a protective layer having a first and a second surface, (2) a pattern of low adhesion coating bonded to a portion of the second surface of the protective layer, (3) at least one emblem bonded to a portion of the low adhesion coating/protective layer composite, (4) an adhesive bonded to the emblem layer/low adhesion coating/protective layer composite, and (5) a primer is not included between the low adhesion coating and emblem layers; wherein the bond between the emblem and the protective layer and the bond between the adhesive layer and protective layer are the most tenacious bonds, and the bond between the low adhesion coating and the protective layer is the least tenacious, whereby the emblems and adhesive layers are damaged in the pattern of the low adhesion coating during delamination. Also, secured documents comprising such security laminates and a method for securing documents utilizing such security laminates.

Durable security laminate with heat-shrinkable layer

Growing community of inventors

Minneapolis, MN, United States of America

Lynn E Lorimor