3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Other

Ronald Carl Johansson

Jon A Kirschhoffer

Michael J Painter

Jeffrey R Burger

Michael A Lorenz, Jr

Mark E Mnich

Amelia A Williams

James F Pitzen

James L Bries

Michael D Hamerski

Mark D Sorlien

Steven E Turch

Albert H Fox

Casey L Carlson

Glendon D Kappel

Robert K Galkiewicz

Vivek Bharti

Kevin E Kinzer

Vaughn B Grannis

Gerald M Brostrom

Paula A Marrs

Ned B Johnson

Andy Fox

A clothes hanger having a hook section, a hanger section, and a flexible section, configured to connect the hook section and the hanger section. The hanger section having first and second shoulders that include respective first and second tabs at respective lateral ends of the shoulders. The lateral ends are separated by a space without a pants rod connecting the lateral ends. The flexible section includes a strap with a length and a flexibility to allow moving the hook section above or below the hanger section to be positioned in a symmetry plane of the hanger section while the hook section and the hanger section are connected by the flexible section.

Travel clothes hanger

The present invention provides a garment hanger intended to be packed into a suitcase with shirts left on the hangers. The clothes hanger has a hook section that is substantially C-shaped to hang on a closet rod or other means. The body portion is generally triangular for holding a shirt or other garment. The hook and hanger sections are spaced apart and connected by the flexible/strap section. The arms of the shirts can be folded across the front of the shirts on top of the hanger section. The shirts is folded again from the bottom. The flexible section is folded about 180 degrees to place the hook portion on top of the hanging portion with the bend in the flexible section even with the top of the triangular hanging section and if a shirt is on the hanger, even with the collar of the shirt.

A filter life sensor assembly within an air handling system is disclosed. The air handling system includes an air flow intake, an air flow exit, and a filter disposed between the air flow intake and air flow exit. The filter sensor assembly comprises a bypass connecting the air flow intake to the air flow exit, a dielectric sensor adjacent the bypass, wherein the dielectric sensor generates an electrical signal in response the air flow passing through the bypass.

Filter sensor

A portable air treatment device and system including a filter retaining mechanism for selectively retaining a replaceable filter assembly. The filter retaining mechanism includes a rigid, non-moveable body that reduces a size of an access opening to a filter chamber otherwise formed by the air treatment device housing, along with a bearing surface. The rigid body serves as a catch or latch, preventing unexpected dislodgement of a filter assembly from the chamber. The bearing surface is also rigid and non-moveable, and provides a means for easily inserting and removing a primarily non-permanently deflectable filter assembly about the rigid body.

Filter retainer mechanism for a portable air treatment system

An air filter monitoring system for indicating when to clean or replace a flexible air filter includes an air filter having a peripheral frame and an interior filtering region, a fixed support structure for receiving the air filter and maintaining the perimeter of the filter frame in a generally fixed position while allowing the interior filtering region to flex in response to air flow through the filter, and a filter change indicator having a predetermined bias force. The filter change indicator is arranged to contact the interior filtering region of the filter, wherein when the predetermined bias force is reached, the filter change indicator is activated to notify a user to clean or replace the filter.

Filter change indicator

A timer that starts a time cycle when a filter is placed into a housing is disclosed. The timer cycle will not reinitiate a new time cycle when the previously used filter is removed from the housing and reinserted into the housing. In one embodiment, the filter timer assembly includes a filter having a filter media surrounded by a filter frame, a housing for supporting the filter, a piercing post connected to the housing moveable between a first resting position and a second position in direct contact with the filter frame, and a timer connected to the piercing post. The piercing post punctures a portion of the filter frame to create an opening in the filter frame. The timer initiates a count when the piercing post is actuated to the second position.

Filter timer

A system for periodically or continuously monitoring the condition of a filter includes a filter having a peripheral frame and a flexible interior filtering region, a fixed support structure for receiving the filter and maintaining the perimeter of the filter frame in a generally fixed position while allowing the interior filtering region to flex in response to flow through the filter, and a force measuring device mounted on the downstream side of the filter adjacent the interior filtering region in a fixed position relative to the supporting structure, whereby as the interior filtering region flexes in response to flow through the filter, the interior filtering region exerts a force on the force measuring device that increases with the degree of clogging of the filter. A method of monitoring the condition of a filter is also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for monitoring the condition of a flexible filter

A pressure indicating structure comprising (1) a translucent or transparent sheet including reflective structure defining at least a portion of a second surface of that sheet for reflecting back through a first opposite surface of the sheet light entering the sheet through its first surface, that reflective structure comprising a multiplicity of peak portions and recessed portions having recessed surface portions of the second surface that define recesses from the peak portions; and (2) a deformable layer comprising pressure sensitive adhesive having a major surface along the second surface of the sheet over the peak portions of the reflective structure. A predetermined pressure between the first surface of the sheet and the surface of the deformable material opposite the reflective structure can deform the pressure sensitive adhesive into the recesses to wet part or all of the recessed surface portions of the reflective structure thereby causing light to pass through the second surface along the wetted recessed surface portions instead of being reflected, which is visually observable to indicate that the predetermined pressure has been applied.

Pressure indicating structure

A method of applying a tensile or compressive force to a selected location of a work piece or surface without damaging the work piece or the surface and without leaving adhesive residue thereon includes providing a device including a body member and a force applying member movably connected with the body member, attaching the body member and/or the force applying member to the work piece and/or surface using a double-sided stretch releasing adhesive such that one end of the force applying member is adjacent the selected location, and moving the force applying member toward the work piece or surface to generate a compressive force, or moving the force applying member away from the work piece or surface to generate a tensile force.

Method of applying a force to a work piece

A stretch releasable adhesive tape article includes an extensible adhesive strip having a non-adhesive pull tab and a shape retaining member arranged within or adjacent to the adhesive strip. The shape retaining member is repeatably manually movable between a first position allowing a user to manually grasp the non-adhesive pull tab to stretch release the adhesive strip from a substrate, and a displaced position for maintaining the non-adhesive pull tab at a position offset from the first position.

Stretch releasing adhesive article with shape retaining member

An article for use with a stretch releasing adhesive tape strip having a non-adhesive pull tab includes a unitary attachment member having a base plate portion sized to overlay the entire stretch releasing adhesive tape strip. The base plate portion includes a first portion that overlays the adhesive portion of tape strip and a flexible cover portion that overlays the non-adhesive pull tab. A user can manually urge the cover portion away from the pull tab, thereby accessing the pull tab and allowing the user to stretch remove the tape strip from the unitary attachment member and a substrate to which it is adhered.

Stretch releasing adhesive tape article with flexible cover

A dispenser from which sheet material may be dispensed from a supply of the sheet material carried on the dispenser. The dispenser has a frame on which the roll of sheet material is journaled for rotation about its axis. An elongate blade fixed to the frame has a sharp cutting edge that is adapted for transversely cutting the sheet material after a desired length of the sheet material has been dispensed. A guard strip of resiliently movable material extends along one major surface of the blade and along the cutting edge to help protect the sheet material and/or users of the dispenser from the cutting edge. That guard strip is resiliently movable by pulling the sheet material toward the cutting edge to allow the cutting edge to transversely sever the sheet material being pulled from the dispenser.

Rolled sheet material dispenser with protected sheet cutting means

A package assembly including a housing that has an attachable portion and a manually removable portion. Also included is a length of attachment strip material having opposite major surfaces defined by stretch release adhesive extending between its opposite ends. The length of attachment strip material has a first part adhered along the outer surface of the attachable portion of the housing, and a second part extending from one end of the first part; and that second part of the length of attachment strip material is disposed to restrict adhesion between it and a planar surface to which the first part of the length of attachment strip material is adhered to support the housing along that surface. The manually removable portion of the housing is manually removable from the attachable portion of the housing to afford stretching of the first part of the length of attachment strip material by pulling its second part away from its first part, thereby removing the first part of the attachment strip material from between the attachable portion of the housing and that surface.

Growing community of inventors

Stillwater, MN, United States of America

Ronald Carl Johansson