Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Thomas L Wood

Ronald P Leseman

Stephen C Koehn

Dart S Moy

Robert L Gordier

Sheila F Cox

Raymond D Zachrison

An applicator for a lint removal device includes a handle portion connected to a tape-receiving portion. The tape-receiving portion includes a tape-receiving surface, an inner lip, an outer lip, and grooves adjacent the lips. The outer lip is tapered. After a roll of tape traverses over the outer lip it is locked in place on the tape-receiving surface and cannot be removed by sliding it back over the outer lip.

Applicator for a coreless tape roll

A linerless, coreless roll of tape includes a backing layer having an adhesive layer formed on one side. The tape is formed into a roll having a plurality of wraps with the adhesive side facing outwardly. The tape is sufficiently stiff and self-supporting to obviate the need for support material, and the entire roll, including the last wrap, is completely usable for its intended purpose without wasting any tape. As lint removal tape, the tape is used while it is still on the roll, and the tape is removed from the roll only after use, to discard it. The roll can be sufficiently compressible to create a plane of contact during use to remove lint. The roll of tape can be mounted on an applicator.

Coreless lint-removing tape roll

A tape includes a backing layer and an adhesive layer formed on the backing layer. A plurality of lines of perforations extend across the tape to separate the tape into sheets. The sheets have progressively increasing lengths such that, when the sheets are wound into a roll, each sheet is longer than the sheet underneath it. When in a roll, the outermost sheet covers all of the lines of perforations to reduce instances of the tape tearing in a downweb direction.

Progressively perforated tape roll

Method of preparing a tape having a backing bearing on at least one major surface thereof a plurality of ribs disposed substantially longitudinally thereon, and further bearing on at least one major surface thereof a layer of adhesive. The ribs are joined to the backing such that the contact angle between the ribs and the surface of the backing ranges from about 10.degree. to about 160.degree.. At least 50% of the cross-section of the ribs must project from the rib-bearing surface of the tape. It is preferred that the adhesive be a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The tape of this invention can be prepared by means of coextrusion techniques.

Preparing tape having improved tear strength

Method for preparing a tape having a backing bearing on at least one major surface thereof a plurality of ribs disposed substantially longitudinally thereon, and further bearing on at least one major surface thereof a layer of adhesive. The ribs are joined to the backing such that there exists a notch-like separation between each end of the rib and the surface of the backing. No more than 50% of the cross-section of the ribs should project from the rib-bearing surface of the tape. It is preferred that the adhesive be a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The tape of this invention can be prepared by means of coextrusion techniques.

Method for preparing tape having improved tear strength

Tape comprising a backing bearing on at least one major surface thereof a plurality of ribs disposed substantially longitudinally thereon, and further bearing on at least one major surface thereof a layer of adhesive. The ribs are joined to the backing such that there exists a notch-like separation between each end of the rib and the surface of the backing. No more than 50% of the cross-section of the ribs should project from the rib-bearing surface of the tape. It is preferred that the adhesive be a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The tape of this invention can be prepared by means of coextrusion techniques.

Tape having partially embedded ribs

Tape comprising a backing bearing on at least one major surface thereof a plurality of ribs disposed substantially longitudinally thereon, and further bearing on at least one major surface thereof a layer of adhesive. The ribs are joined to the backing such that the contact angle between the ribs and the surface of the backing ranges from about 10.degree. to about 160.degree.. At least 50% of the cross-section of the ribs must project from the rib-bearing surface of the tape. It is preferred that the adhesive be a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The tape of this invention can be prepared by means of coextrusion techniques.

Growing community of inventors

Maplewood, MN, United States of America

Thomas L Wood