Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Paul E Marecki

Jeanine M Shusta

Olester Benson, Jr

Cheryl M Frey

Matthew R Atkinson

Richard J Kuo

Tadesse G Nigatu

Kenneth M White

Harlan L Krinke

Joseph R Zwack

Mathias Detjen

Brian W Dunne

James G Mitchell

A tamper-indicating printable sheet. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a tamper-indicating printable sheet comprising a retroreflective layer comprising a plurality of microbeads partially embedded in an inkjet receptive beadbond layer; and a reflector layer between one of the microbeads and the inkjet receptive beadbond layer. The present invention provides a method of making a tamper-indicating printable sheet.

Tamper-indicating printable sheet for securing documents of value and methods of making the same

A retroreflective article having at least one valve is disclosed. Each valve may include a channel extending from a first major surface to a second major surface of the retroreflective material, and at least one movable member proximate the channel. The at least one movable member is movable between a closed position and an open position. When in the closed position, the at least one movable member obstructs at least a portion of the channel. A method of making a retroreflective article having at least one valve is also disclosed.

Retroreflective article having at least one valve and method of making same

Glittering retroreflective sheeting

Glittering cube-corner retroreflective sheeting

A container for aerosols which contains 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane, or a mixture thereof as a propellant, wherein the container has at least one elastomeric sealing member comprising a thermoplastic copolymer of about 80 to about 95 mole percent ethylene and a total of about 5 to about 20 mole percent of one or more comonomers which may be 1-butene, 2-hexene, and 1-octene.

Container for aerosol formulation

A device for delivering an aerosol comprises a casing member, a valve stem, and a sealing member, wherein the sealing member comprises a thermoplastic elastomer comprising of a copolymer of about 80-95 mole % ethylene and about 5-20 mole % of at least one comonomer wherein the comonomer(s) are 1-butene, 1-hexene, or 1-octene. The device is used with pharmaceutical formulations containing 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and/or 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane as the propellant.

Device for delivering an aerosol

A glittering non-retroreflective sheeting 60 includes an array of cube-corner elements 30 that are arranged in the array such that the sheeting glitters when light is incident thereon. The glitter is in the form of many discrete points of light 68 that tend to blink off and on. The array may be configured such that a dihedral angle .alpha. varies between adjacent cube faces 31 of adjacent cube-corner elements 30 in each groove in one of the groove sets 45, 46, or 47 and such that the base plane 36 are not parallel to each other when the sheeting 60 is laid flat. Preferably, the dihedral angle .alpha. between faces 31 of adjacent cube-corner elements 30 varies in essentially all of the grooves such that the cube-corner elements are randomly tilted throughout the array. The glitter can make the sheeting very useful for aesthetic or decorative applications.

Glittering cube-corner article

A cube-corner retroreflective sheeting 60 includes an array of cube-corner elements 30 that are defined by three sets of intersecting parallel grooves 45, 46, 47. The cube-corner elements 30 are arranged in the array such that the sheeting 60 glitters when exposed to light. The glitter is in the form of many discreet points of light that tend to blink on and off when viewed by the naked eye. The array may be configured such that a dihedral angle .alpha. varies between adjacent cube faces 31 of adjacent cube-corner elements 30 in each groove in one of the groove sets 45, 46, or 47 and such that base planes are not parallel to each other when the sheeting 60 is laid flat. Preferably, the dihedral angle .alpha. between faces 31 of adjacent cube-corner elements 30 varies in essentially all of the grooves such that the cube-corner elements are randomly tilted throughout the array. The sheeting glitters very well under daytime viewing conditions and also to some extent under nighttime or retroreflective conditions. The glittering effect can enhance the sheeting's conspicuity, and hence highlight a person's presence to give them improved safety and security.

A retroreflective applique is provided that includes a layer of optical lens elements partially embedded in and protruding from a transfer adhesive layer prepared from ingredients comprising a vinyl plastisol and a substantially nonhydrolyzed aminosilane adhesion promoter; wherein the aminosilane adhesion promoter is used in an amount effective to produce an applique capable of:

Retroreflective transfer sheet and applique

A mold 79 that includes an array of cube-corner elements 80 that are arranged in the array such that a retroreflective cube-corner sheeting 60 that is formed thereon is capable of glittering when light is incident on the sheeting. The array may be defined by three sets of intersecting grooves 25, 26, 27 where each groove set includes two or more generally parallel grooves. At least one groove in at least one of the sets has faces 22 of adjacent cube-corner elements 30a, 30b arranged such that a dihedral angle .alpha. located between adjacent faces varies along the groove(s) in the set.

Mold for producing glittering cube-corner retroreflective sheeting

A method of making a glittering cube-corner sheeting, which method includes: (a) providing a first retroreflective sheeting that includes an array of cube-corner elements arranged in a repeating pattern; and (b) exposing the first retroreflective sheeting to heat, pressure, or a combination thereof to produce a second retroreflective sheeting that comprises an array of cube-corner elements that are randomly tilted; or which method may comprise: (a) providing a mold that has a structured surface that includes a multiplicity of cube-comer elements, the cube-corner elements each including a base plane and three faces, the cube-corner elements being arranged such that the base planes do not reside in the same plane when the sheeting is laid flat; and (b) forming a cube-corner sheeting from the mold.

Method of making glittering cube-corner retroreflective sheeting

A retroreflective sheeting having a multiplicity of discrete, cube-corner elements cured in situ on a transparent, polymeric overlay film deformed into a three-dimensional structure so that base edges of a plurality of cube-corner elements are non-planar with respect to one another. The retroreflective article preferably has at least one target optical property. The present invention is also directed to a method of deforming the retroreflective sheeting to form a retroreflective article in which the base edges of a plurality of cube-corner elements are non-planar with respect to one another.

Formed ultra-flexible retroreflective cube-corner composite sheeting

The present invention relates to retroreflective transfer sheets and graphic images produced therefrom, i.e., appliques. The retroreflective applique includes: a layer of optical lens elements partially embedded in and protruding from the front surface of a binder resin layer and a transfer adhesive layer comprising a vinyl plastisol disposed on the rear surface of the binder resin layer. The binder resin layer is prepared from ingredients comprising an isocyanate-functional hardener and a resin selected from the group consisting of a polyester resin and a polyurethane resin.

A device for delivering an aerosol, comprising: a casing member, a valve stem, and a diaphragm, wherein the diaphragm comprises a thermoplastic elastomer comprising a ethylene/1-butene copolymer. Also disclosed are sealing members comprising such an elastomer and thermoplastic polymer blends, e.g., for use in sealing members of the invention. The devices of the invention are particularly useful with formulations containing 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane or 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane as the propellant.

Growing community of inventors

May Township, MN, United States of America

Paul E Marecki