Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Thomas J Packard

Joy A Packard

Thomas A Turgeon

Alan P Dieken

Edward J Moe

Thomas W Reeder

James H Quackenbush

Mary Jo Rossini

Matthew T Scholz

Kevin D Landgrebe

John J Stofko, Jr

Mark D Weigel

Timothy M Dietz

Larry S Hebert

David John Hastings

Jane W Loughridge

Kaveh Pournoor

Gerald F Fleischhacker

Sheila A Tesch

Monserrat R Lalonde

Linda K Olson

John C Loperfido

The present invention relates to indicators of surface preparation and methods of making such indicators.

Surface preparation indicators

Polymer compositions and articles incorporating them are provided that possess antimicrobial activity, preferably in both the light and the dark. Such compositions include one or more polymers and one or more photosensitizers.

Antimicrobial composition containing photosensitizers articles, and methods of use

Stethoscope chestpiece portion

A stethoscope has a dual-sided stethoscope head. The stethoscope head includes a body member having first and second opposite sound collecting sides. Each of the first and second sound collecting sides has a suspended diaphragm member. Preferably, one side is specially adapted for use with adult patients while the other side is specially adapted for use with pediatric or thin patients where it is difficult to obtain good surface contact.

Stethoscope chestpiece having two suspended diaphragms

A stethoscope with a chestpiece which has two microphones oriented at a very obtuse angle to each other. The user of the stethoscope can switch from one microphone to the other with just a slight tilt of the hand. In preferred embodiments, no special action needs to be taken to activate the selected microphone as merely touching it to the patient's body selects it for activation.

Stethoscope chestpiece

Stethoscope component

An ear tip having a central portion and two end portions is described. The end portions each have ear contacting surfaces that are sized and shaped to contact the ear of the user. The ear tips are easily cleaned. The ear tips also contribute to user comfort and convenience.

Ear tips having a plurality of ear contacting surfaces

An ergonometric chestpiece for a stethoscope adapted to receive auscultatory sounds from a body and adapted to be coupled to an earpiece for a user. The chestpiece is adapted to be grasped by a thumb and at least one finger of the user. The chestpiece has a bottom surface which is generally planar and is adapted to be placed near the body for receiving the auscultatory sounds. The chestpiece has an upper portion opposite the bottom surface. The upper portion has a raised center portion defining left and right indented gripping surfaces which form recesses defined by the left and right indented gripping surfaces and by a surface generally parallel to but opposite the bottom surface. The left and right indented gripping surfaces are adapted to receive the thumb and at least one finger of the user, respectively. The indented gripping surfaces have indented impressions adapted to be easily, securely and comfortably grasped by the thumb and fingers of the user. The indented gripping surfaces are each further defined by a protruding edge on the top surface of the raised center portion which prevent the fingers of the user from slipping upward and thus prevent the chestpiece from slipping out of the user's hand. The raised center portion form a physical stop to prevent the thumb and fingers of the user from slipping forward and contacting the body when the thumb and the at least one finger grasp the raised center of the upper portion. The left and right walls may be concave. The ergonometric chestpiece may be generally circular and the left and right walls are cylindrically concave around axes generally orthogonal to the bottom surface. The top surface of the raised center portion may be sloped with respect to the bottom surface, the top surface being closer to the bottom surface at the front of the chestpiece than at the rear of the chestpiece.

Ergonometric stethoscope chestpiece

Identification tag

This invention relates to the use of a flexible, heat resistant mold member. The mold member is useful in molding processes such as dip or slush molding. The mold member maintains its structural integrity and may therefore be used as an insert in the article being molded to provide flexible stability at specific locations within the article. The mold member is made of a material which is substantially non-reactive with the molded article. The molded article may be any article made from a plastisol such as a binaural for a stethoscope having single or double lumens.

Mold having elastomeric mold member therewith

Growing community of inventors

Somerset, WI, United States of America

Thomas J Packard