Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

International Business Machines Corporation

Lexmark International, Inc.

Life Technologies Corporation

Applera Corporation

Intellectual Property Company

Nicholas A Lee

Gordon D Henson

Michael Alan Meis

Scott Anthony Igl

Terry Lee Smith

Patrick R Fleming

Daniel Michael Kuchta

Jeannine Madelyn Trewhella

Mitchell S Cohen

John S Shigeura

Glen Walden Johnson

Joel R Dufresne

Sylvain E Ouimet

Barbara A DeBaun

Grieg A Olson

Michael Charles Lea

Larry J Carson

Daniel V Attanasio

Stephen Louis Spanoudis

Andre Lacerte

Stephane Tremblay

Luke Carlson

Michael Albert Haase

Moses Mekala David

Raymond Patrick Johnston

Joseph D Rule

Pingfan Peter Wu

Junkang Jacob Liu

Louis C Haddad

Marco Gauvin

Larry R Cox

Ross E Behling

Harry A Loder

Brian J Gates

Richard L Simmons

Dominic J Julian

Yin C Quintero

Rebecca A Shipman

Jack P Blomgren

Tanya L Beckwith

Anthony J Piekarczyk

Mark R Wollner

Nuran H Cubukciyan

Kevin R Wruble

Edward C Roberts

Monte L Otts

James E Toonen

Nicolas P LaBelle

Mark T Stender

Leslie M LeBow

Theodore J Stone

Dale R Wiehe

Jacquelyn A Wedell

An optical assembly includes a hermaphroditic cassette comprising a hood that includes a narrower section and a wider section. The narrower and wider sections are separated by slots such that the narrower section fits at least partially within a wider section of an identical mating hood of a mating optical assembly and the wider section receives a narrower section of the mating hood. The hood has first and second stop features configured to engage with second and first stop features of the mating hood. The first stop feature comprises a mating end of the narrower section of the hood and the second stop feature comprises a stop surface disposed within the wider section of the hood. Engagement of the stop features of the hood with stop features of the mating hood is configured to stop relative translational movement of the hood and the mating hood along the mating axis during mating.

Optical assembly with cassette

Ankle brace

A heat-debondable adhesive article having two opposing sides is provided that includes a shape-memory polymer sheet in its temporary strained shape that includes a plurality of slits therein and a first adhesive on one opposing side of the polymer sheet and a second adhesive on the other opposing side of the polymer sheet. The provided article, optionally, includes a first substrate in contact with the first adhesive and a second substrate in contact with the second adhesive. The article can be debonded by heating the article to a temperature equal to or greater than a transition temperature for the shape-memory polymer sheet.

Debondable adhesive article and methods of making and using the same

The method includes applying a fluorinated fluid to at least one of a surface of an object or an adhesive surface on an adhesive article, positioning the adhesive surface to face the surface of the object such that the fluorinated fluid is between the surface of the object and the adhesive surface; and removing at least some of the fluorinated fluid to permit bonding between the surface of the object and the adhesive surface. The fluorinated fluid generally facilitates the repositioning of the adhesive surface on the surface of the object before removing the fluorinated fluid. A kit comprising an adhesive article and a container including a fluorinated fluid is also described.

Method of making an article using fluorinated fluid

An analytical cell including a lightguide with a plurality of conduits filled with a migration medium. The medium, the lightguide and a surrounding medium have refractive indices selected such that light entering the lightguide is internally reflected within the lightguide to provide substantially uniform illumination of the conduits.

Analytical device with lightguide illumination of capillary and microgroove arrays

Analytical device with lightguide Illumination of capillary and microgrooves arrays

A multi-layer optical circuit has a plurality of optical circuit layers. Each optical circuit layer is positioned on a corresponding one of a plurality of substrates. An optical fiber extends between at least two of the optical circuit layers and forms a portion of the at least two of the plurality of optical circuit layers.

Multi-layer optical circuit and method for making

An apparatus for routing optical fibers to create a fiber optic circuit includes a substrate and a plurality of retaining structures on the substrate. The retaining structures removably retain an optical fiber adjacent the substrate.

Apparatus and method for creating a fiber optic circuit

A fiber optic connector having improved alignment and manufacturing characteristics over traditional connectors. A fiber optic connector of the present invention has a first connector ferrule and alignment means for aligning the first connector ferrule with a matching second connector ferrule. The fiber optic connector includes a first connector ferrule including a first mating surface. The mating surface defines at least one receiving cavity, and at least one protruding alignment rod is seated in the cavity and extends from the mating surface. The alignment rod has a diameter D and protrudes from the mating surface a protrusion distance p , wherein p &lE;2D . In an exemplary embodiment the rod has a spherical tip and 0.5D &lE;p &lE;2D .

Optical connector assembly using partial large diameter alignment features

Fluid handling devices including a substrate with a diamond-like film. The devices include capillaries and microfluidic articles.

Fluid handling devices with diamond-like films

A connector assembly for securing and optically aligning one or more optical fiber arrays, each optical fiber array having a plurality of optical fibers having an outer surface. The connector assembly includes a base having fiber receiving features configured to receive and align the plurality of optical fibers; and a retaining element that covers at least a portion of the alignment features and secures the plurality of optical fibers against the alignment features. The retaining element has a first contact surface that contacts the plurality of optical fibers, where the contact surface is able to conform to the outer surfaces of the plurality of optical fibers.

Optical fiber connector having compliant alignment features

A connector assembly for optically coupling a first optical waveguide array mounted to a first substrate to an optical device on an intersecting second substrate. The first waveguide array includes a plurality of parallel optical waveguides having a minimum desired bend radius. The first and the second substrate define a first and a second plane respectively and the longitudinal direction of the first waveguide array defines a first axis. The intersection of the two planes defines an intersection axis that is generally perpendicular to the first axis. The first waveguide array has a substrate portion mounted to the first substrate, a midspan portion, and an end portion. The connector assembly includes a first connector adapted to be detachably connected to the second substrate and aligned along a second axis generally perpendicular to the intersection axis. The first connector has a first retaining mechanism that receives and retains the end portion of the first optical waveguide array, where the end portion is suspended over the first plane at a distance along the second axis that is at least equal to the minimum desired bend radius. The midspan portion of the second optical waveguide array describes a suspended bend curve between the first and the second plane, the suspended bend curve having a bend radius that is equal to or greater than the desired minimum bend radius.

Fiber optic connector for coupling devices on intersecting planes

A fiber optic connector having improved alignment and manufacturing characteristics over traditional connectors. A fiber optic connector of the present invention has a first connector ferrule and alignment means for aligning the first connector ferrule with a matching second connector ferrule. The fiber optic connector includes a first connector ferrule including a first mating surface. The mating surface defines at least one receiving cavity, and at least one protruding alignment rod is seated in the cavity and extends from the mating surface. The alignment rod has a diameter D and protruded from the mating surface a protrusion distance p , wherein p &lE;2D . In an exemplary embodiment the rod has a spherical tip and 0.5D &lE;p &lE;2D .

Optical connector using large diameter alignment features

A fiber optic connector having improved alignment and manufacturing characteristics over traditional connectors. A fiber optic connector of the present invention has a first connector ferrule and alignment means for aligning the first connector ferrule with a matching second connector ferrule. The fiber optic connector includes a first connector ferrule including a first mating surface. The mating surface defines at least one receiving cavity, and at least one protruding alignment rod is seated in the cavity and extends from the mating surface. The alignment rod has a diameter D,and protrudes from the mating surface a protrusion distance p,, wherein p,&lE;2D,. In an exemplary embodiment the rod has a spherical tip and 0.5D,&lE;p,&lE;2D,.

Growing community of inventors

Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Nicholas A Lee