3m Innovative Properties Company

Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Inc.

Shri Niwas

Tushar A Kshirsagar

Philip D Heppner

Ying Xia

Bryon A Merrill

Michael A McCoy

Kyle J Lindstrom

Kui Chen-Ho

Chad A Haraldson

Joshua R Wurst

Michael J Rice

David S Hays

Kevin W Gotrik

Matthew R Radmer

Michael E Danielson

Scott J Jones

John F Gerster

William H Moser

Maureen Ann Kavanagh

Sarah A Strong

Ramasubramani Kuduva Raman Thanumoorthy

Gregory D Lundquist, Jr

George W Griesgraber

Matthew S Stay

Ryan B Prince

Jason D Bonk

Joan T Moseman

Scott E Langer

Bruce H Edwards

David T Amos

Ann M Gilman

Tien Yi T H Whiting

Sarah J Slania

Daniel M Lentz

Christopher A Merton

Cheryl S Elsbernd

Hugues M H Martin

Ruby Chakraborty

Duane Douglas Fansler

Mikhail L Pekurovsky

Yongshang Lu

Daniel J Schmidt

Alexander J Kugel

Jonathan E Janoski

Graham M Clarke

Gregory J Marszalek

Doris Stoermer

Cheryl L S Elsbernd

Corinne Elizabeth Lipscomb

David J Rowe

Mary M Caruso Dailey

Anthony F Schultz

Carla S Thomas

Sonja S Mackey

Karl J Manske

Denise A Barrera

Kenneth L Hanzalik

Cordell M Hardy

Chih-Chung Hsu

Loretta L Lucas

Douglas J Hall

Syud M Ahmed

David B Running

Matthew R Lehmann

Alyson C Phillips

Sarah C Slania

Sarah C Johannessen

Lok-Man Ng

Michael A Mccoy

Loretta L Freeman

Tien Yi TH Whiting

Hugues Martin

A breathable, high-visibility garment comprising an apertured fabric and a non-occlusive, unsupported, retroreflective laminate that is adhesively bonded to an outer major surface of at least one region of the apertured fabric.

Retroreflective apertured fabric and garment

A retroreflective article including a binder layer and a plurality of retroreflective elements. Each retroreflective element includes a transparent microsphere partially embedded in the binder layer. At least some of the retroreflective elements include a reflective layer that is a locally-laminated reflective layer that is embedded between the transparent microsphere and the binder layer. At least some of the locally-laminated reflective layers may be localized reflective layers.

Retroreflective article comprising locally-laminated reflective layers

A retroreflective article comprises a binder layer and a plurality of retroreflective elements, each retroreflective element comprising a transparent microsphere partially embedded in the binder layer. At least some of the retroreflective elements comprise a first locally laminated layer and a second locally laminated layer that may be reflective layers. A transfer article comprises a disposable carrier layer in which the retroreflective article is detachably disposed with at least some of the transparent microspheres in contact with the disposable carrier layer.

Retroreflective article comprising multiple locally-laminated layers

A retroreflective article including a binder layer and a plurality of retroreflective elements. Each retroreflective element includes a transparent microsphere partially embedded in the binder layer. At least some of the retroreflective elements include a reflective layer that is embedded between the transparent microsphere and the binder layer. At least some of the embedded reflective layers are localized reflective layers.

Retroreflective article comprising embedded reflective layers

Articles that include at least one application layer; at least one bead bond layer (); a layer of optical elements () that are partially embedded in the at least one bead bond layer (); and at least one reflective layer () that is located functionally between the layer of optical elements () and the bead bond layer (), wherein the at least one bead bond layer (), the at least one application layer, or both comprise a cured product of an adhesive compositions that include polymerized units of one or more (meth)acrylate ester monomers derived from an alcohol containing 1 to 14 carbon atoms; at least one of urethane acrylate polymer or at least one acrylic copolymer; and at least one initiator.

Articles having adhesive layers including urethane acrylate polymer or acrylate copolymer

A retroreflective article including a reflective-particle-containing binder layer and a plurality of retroreflective elements. Each retroreflective element includes a transparent microsphere partially embedded in the binder layer. At least some of the retroreflective elements comprise a primary reflective layer that covers a portion of the embedded surface area of the transparent microsphere, and a secondary reflective layer provided by portions of the reflective-particle-containing binder layer that are adjacent to portions of the embedded surface area of the transparent microsphere that are not covered by the primary reflective layer.

Retroreflective article comprising retroreflective elements comprising primary reflective layers and secondary reflective layers

Provided herein are retroreflective colored article having a predetermined pattern of beaded and unbeaded regions and at least one polymeric color layer () covering at least a portion of the beaded and unbeaded regions, a reflector layer () covering the colour layer, and a carrier (). Also disclosed are methods for making the articles.

Retroreflective colored articles

Retroreflective articles include a layer of optical elements, and a bead bond layer (). The optical elements include transparent microspheres (), a transparent polymeric polyurethane layer (), and at least one reflective layer (), where the transparent polymeric polyurethane layer () comprises a dried layer prepared from an aqueous polyurethane dispersion. The retroreflective articles have improved wash durability.

Retroreflective articles

Provided is a retroreflective article comprising a fibrous material and a perforated retroreflective material attached to said fibrous material. Embodiments of the article achieve desirable values under the ASTM F2731-11 Transmitted and Stored Energy Test, the E96/E96M-12 Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate Test, and ASTM E810-03 (2013) Standard Test Method for Coefficient of Retroreflection of Retroreflective Sheeting Utilizing the Coplanar Geometry.

Retroreflective article

Methods for preparing retroreflective articles include providing a thermoplastic polymeric carrier layer, partially embedding transparent microspheres into the surface of the carrier layer so that the beads partially protrude from the surface of the carrier layer, depositing a metal reflective layer on the microspheres, applying a treatment solution to the metal layer, and applying a bead bond layer to the treated metal layer, to form an intermediate article. Upon removal of the carrier layer, the deposited metal layer not in contact with the surface of the microspheres remains present on the carrier layer, to form retroreflective articles with a discontinuous layer of reflective metal disposed only on the surface of the transparent microspheres.

Retroreflective articles with anti-staining properties

Retroreflective article and precursor articles formed during the preparation of the retroreflective articles are provided. Also, methods of making both the precursor articles and the retroreflective articles are provided. The retroreflective articles and the precursor articles contain a reflective layer that includes both a reflective metal and a polymeric blend. The polymeric blend includes both a fluorinated polymer and a (meth)acrylate polymer. The retroreflective articles typically have anti-staining properties, anti-corrosion properties, or both.

Stain resistant retroreflective articles

Retroreflective articles include a layer of optical elements (), embedded in a bead bond layer (). The optical elements include transparent microspheres (), at least one colored polymeric layer () covering the transparent microspheres, and a reflective layer () covering the colored polymeric layer. The polymeric layer includes at least one nanopigment. The transparent microspheres have a diameter range of 80-120 micrometers, with at least 75% of the transparent microspheres having a diameter range of 85-105 micrometers.

Colored retroreflective articles

Retroreflective articles include a layer of optical elements, and a polyurethane bead bond layer. The optical elements include transparent microspheres, and at least one reflective layer. The polyurethane bead bond layer is the reaction product of a reaction mixture of at least one aliphatic polycarbonate polyol and at least one polyisocyanate, and the reaction mixture is free of polyols containing unsaturated groups. The retroreflective articles have improved wash durability.

Retroreflective articles with wash durable bead bond layers

Growing community of inventors

Maple Grove, MN, United States of America

Shri Niwas