Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Robert H Heil

Frederic A Longworth

Allen J Rivard

Philip V Sadrakula

James D Cayford

Scott R Pribnow

Joseph D Lawless

Stanley W Widmer

Duncan R Russell

James F Pitzen

Michael D Hamerski

Jeffrey J Schwab

A roll of masking material comprising a coiled elongate thin flexible sheet, which sheet has longitudinal folds defining, in some embodiments with elongate edges of the sheet, edges of longitudinally extending portions of said sheet. Those longitudinally extending portions of the sheet include pleat-like portions of the sheet each having opposite major surfaces generally parallel with the axis of the roll, which pleat-like portions are superimposed major surfaces to major surfaces to form a laminate with outermost ones of the superimposed pleat like portions defining the opposite outer surfaces of the laminate. At least some of the edges of the superimposed pleat like portions are positioned generally radially aligned at the first end of the roll, and the longitudinally extending portions of the sheet further including a first radial portion extending radially along the radially aligned edges at the first end of the roll from the edge of one of the outermost pleat like portions at the first end of the roll, and a first distal portion having one of the elongate edges of the sheet and extending for a short distance along the outer surface of the laminate toward the second end of the roll from the edge of the first radial portion opposite the outer most pleat to which the first radial portion is attached. If the sheet has longitudinal edges they may be separably attached, having been formed by longitudinally scoring a tube of the sheet material during manufacture of the roll. Also, a large percentage of the folded sheet can be positioned adjacent one end of the roll to facilitate cutting it on a dispenser.

Roll of longitudinally folded masking material

A tape laminate comprising a support layer having first and second parts, and an anchor portion of one of its opposite major surfaces on each of the parts. The first and second parts of the support layer are disposed with the anchor portions on opposite sides of the support layer and in generally parallel relationship. The anchor portions can be bonded to the opposed surfaces of rigid objects so that the tape laminate supports one object from the other against a static force generally parallel to the anchor portions. One of those bonds is made by an attachment strip having a portion of its outer major surface defined by pressure sensitive adhesive and its inner major surface bonded to one of the anchor portions, and a manually engageable tab portion at one end. The attachment strip is stretchable by pulling its tab portion to release adhesive engagement of its outer major surface from an object to which it is adhered. The first and second parts of the support layer can be torn apart or pivoted away from each other to afford separation of rigid objects to which the anchor portions are bonded, thereby affording access to that tab portion and separation of the attachment strip from one of the rigid objects by stretching the attachment strip.

Removable tape laminate

A tape hub including a support portion defining a peripheral surface around an axis adapted to frictionally receive a cylindrical inner surface of a core wound with tape, and axially spaced radial projections and locating members on the tape hub for positioning a first edge of the length of tape wrapped around the core at either of two discrete tape edge positions axially with respect to the hub. The tape hub is useful on devices that adhere tape along one edge of masking material to afford selecting different amounts of overlap between the tape and the masking material. The tape hub can have a plurality of radially extending hub portions having spaces therebetween and axially extending ribs on the hub portions defining its peripheral surface with the peripheral surface being adapted to frictionally receive the cylindrical inner surface of cores of slightly different inner diameters.

Masking device hub providing two position tape support

A tape hub including a support portion defining a peripheral surface around an axis adapted to frictionally receive a cylindrical inner surface of a core wound with tape, and means on the tape hub for positioning a first edge of the length of tape wrapped around the core at either of two discrete tape edge positions axially with respect to the hub. The tape hub is useful on devices that adhere tape along one edge of masking material to afford selecting different amounts of overlap between the tape and the masking material. The tape hub can have a plurality of radially extending hub portions having spaces therebetween and axially extending ribs on the hub portions defining its peripheral surface with the peripheral surface being adapted to frictionally receive the cylindrical inner surface of cores of slightly different inner diameters.

A barrier laminate for attachment to the outer surface of a structure, such as a house prior to attachment of its siding, to cover joints between structural members assembled to form the structure. The barrier laminate comprises a flexible elongate barrier layer having minute passageways between its major surfaces affording passage of water vapor while restricting the passage of liquid water and air between its major surfaces. A portable carrier having a pair of hubs engaging a roll of the barrier laminate and having a pair of trailing rollers which may be used to adhere exposed layers of pressure sensitive adhesive along each of the opposite edges of the barrier layer to structural members on opposite sides of a joint therebetween.

Barrier laminate and method using a portable carrier for sealing gaps in

A barrier laminate for attachment to the outer surface of a structure, such as a house prior to attachment of its siding, to cover joints between structural members assembled to form the structure. The barrier laminate comprises a flexible elongate barrier layer having minute passageways between its major surfaces affording passage of water vapor while restricting the passage of liquid water and air between its major surfaces. Means providing an exposed layer of pressure sensitive adhesive along each of the opposite edges of the barrier layer are provided for adhering the barrier layer to structural members on opposite sides of a joint therebetween.

Barrier laminate and method for sealing gaps in building construction

A portable device for applying pressure sensitive adhesive coated tape to surfaces including along the top edges of baseboards and the like. The tape applying device includes two generally cylindrical application rollers rotatably mounted on a roller frame in parallel spaced relationship, together with a tape hub adapted to receive a tape roll. The tape hub and the application rollers define portions of first or second paths for tape being unwound from the tape roll with the rear surface of the tape backing disposed partially around the periphery of the first or the second application roller and extending from that to the periphery of the other application roller. Blades are mounted on the roller frame with their cutting edge transverse of portions of the paths between the tape roll and the application rollers, and the device includes manually actuatable means adapted to cause tape moving along one of the paths between the tape roll and one of the application rollers to engage and be transversely cut by the cutting edge of the adjacent blade.

Tape applying device

A portable device for guiding a length of pressure sensitive adhesive coated tape partially onto the outer wrap of a roll of masking material adjacent one of its edges to provide a composite masking sheet for use in masking surfaces comprising a length of the sheet material having the tape adhered along and extending widthwise past one edge by which the composite masking sheet can be adhered to a surface. The outer edge of the tape is not guided by the device, and a tendency that otherwise exists for the tape being adhered along the edge portion of the roll of masking material to move transversely away from the masking material so that less and less of the tape is adhered to the masking material is restricted by a tracking member mounted on a frame of the device between a hub supporting a roll of the tape and the roll of masking material. The tracking member engages the rear surface of the tape along its edge that overlaps the masking material for less than the full width of the tape and deflects the tape toward a plane through the axes of the rolls of tape and masking material from a plane which is mutually tangent to the peripheries of the rolls of tape and masking material.

Masking device with tape tracking member

A device with a first tape supply roll including a first length of tape helically wound about a first core with its adhesive coating on the side of its backing adjacent the core, a second tape supply roll comprising a second length of tape helically wound about a second core with its adhesive coating on the side of its backing opposite the core, and first and second hubs mounted on a frame for rotation about spaced parallel axes. The first hub is adapted to receive the core of the first tape supply roll and position a first edge of the first length of tape at a first predetermined position axially with respect to the first and second hubs, and the second hubs is adapted to receive the core of the second tape supply roll and position a first edge of the second length of tape at a second predetermined position axially with respect to the first and second hubs with the width of the first length of tape extending from the first position past the second position and the width of the second length of tape extending from the second position past the first position so that portions along the first edges of both lengths of tape are positioned between the first and second positions. Tapes are pulled from the first and second tape supply rolls along paths comprising a common path portion having a beginning position at which the portions along the first edges of both lengths of tape are adhered together to form a composite tape structure with a portion of a layer of adhesive exposed on each of its major sides.

Tape laminating device

A pin extending along an axis which is mutually parallel to the axis of rotation of a roll of tape and the axis of rotation of a roll of masking sheet in a masking machine deflects tape inboard from the normal tangential path between rolls whereby the tape is coursed into overlapping engagement while the edge of the roll of masking sheet material. An auxiliary roll of tape is rotatably carried by a subframe which is slidably engagable with a slot formed in the frame of a masking machine. The subframe, which is removable, is automatically retained by a manually releasable detent.

Growing community of inventors

New Richmond, WI, United States of America

Robert H Heil