Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Timothy A Mertens

Alden R Miles

Mitchell B Grunes

John M Kruse

Peter M Eisenberg

Martin A Kenner

Cindy L Munson

David T Berquist

Mark S Vogel

Steven S Kantner

Ramesh C Kumar

David C Windorski

Joseph T Bartusiak

Kurt C Melancon

Wayne K Darvell

Kim K Tsujimoto

Gregory Francis Stifter

Donn R Anderson

Melvin R Collins

Dennis L Luense

Nora J Grayson

Mark G Gjertson

The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it&#xae; notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Software notes

A method for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.

Method for adhering linerless repositionable sheets onto articles

A method of applying repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheets to moving articles includes aligning a plurality of articles for sequential movement through a sheet application station. Each article has at least two different sheet landing areas defined on a common surface thereof A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a first applicator is applied at the sheet application station onto a first landing area of every other article as it passes the sheet application station. A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a second applicator is applied onto a second different landing area on all of the remaining articles as they pass through the sheet application station. The resultant stack of articles formed in this way does not have all of the note sheets aligned vertically in the stack, thus reducing the overall height of the stack by dispersing horizontally the added thicknesses of the note sheets on the articles.

Article assembly stacks

The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it&reg; notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Topography of software notes

The present invention implements in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it&reg; notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

A method and apparatus for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.

Method and apparatus for adhering linerless repositionable sheets onto articles

A web of sheet material has a plurality of longitudinal rows of indicia patterns printed on a front face thereon, with the indicia patterns all aligned on the web in common readability orientation. On its back face, the web has a plurality of longitudinally disposed patterns of repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive thereon, with the adhesive patterns being oriented in registration with the rows of indicia patterns. Longitudinal severing of the web thus results in a plurality of identical web strips. Lateral severing of the web strips results in a plurality of identical note sheets, each note sheet bearing one of the indicia patterns on its front face and a pattern of repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive on its back face. The note sheets are applied in registration to an advertising piece to create a promotional assembly. In this process, unique intermediate rolls of the web and web strips are developed. The web strips are provided in linerless form, or may be carried on a liner sheet for further processing and application to an advertising piece.

Repositionable note sheets and method of formation thereof

The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it.RTM. notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.

Indexing and topography of software notes

A method of applying repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheets to moving articles includes aligning a plurality of articles for sequential movement through a sheet application station. Each article has at least two different sheet landing areas defined on a common surface thereof. A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a first applicator is applied at the sheet application station onto a first landing area of every other article as it passes the sheet application station. A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a second applicator is applied onto a second different landing area on all of the remaining articles as they pass through the sheet application station. The resultant stack of articles formed in this way does not have all of the note sheets aligned vertically in the stack, thus reducing the overall height of the stack by dispersing horizontally the added thicknesses of the note sheets on the articles.

Method of article assembly formation

Attachment and control of software notes

A method for forming a custom printed sheet bearing a layer of adhesive using a printer that drives a sheet along a sharply arcuate path past printing head means on the printer. An elongate sheet composite is provided that includes an elongate primary sheet portion of a width adapted to be received and fed through the printer, and a secondary sheet portion positioned adjacent the primary sheet portion with edges of the primary and secondary sheet portions generally aligned; and a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive extending between the adjacent surfaces of the sheet portions. The sheet composite has transverse paths of weakness at spaced locations along its length to define a concatenation of sheet composite segments. The sheet composite is folded in opposite directions along successive transverse paths of weakness to form a stack of sheet composite segments. The sheet composite is fed from the stack longitudinally through the printer while the printer is actuated to form a desired message along a portion of the sheet composite, after which the printed portion of the sheet composite can be torn off, and its first and second portions separated to expose the layer of adhesive so that the message bearing portion of the sheet composite can be adhered to a substrate.

Elongate printable sheet composite

An article that is capable of accepting and anchoring printed indicia and yet, maintains good release properties. The article of the present invention is coated with a release agent on a substrate such as paper. Release coatings receptive to toner particles emitted by electrophotoconductive devices comprise a polymer having at least one vinyl polymeric segment having a T.sub.g between -10.degree. C. and 65.degree. C. and at least one siloxane polymeric segment.

Articles coated with electrophotographic toner receptive release coatings

A method for making custom printed notes or note pads. One or more sheet assemblies are provided which have first and second sheets and a pattern of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the rear major surface of each of the sheets that contacts and is releasably adhered to the rear major surface of the other sheet only in nonadhesive areas. Indicia is printed on the front major surfaces of the sheets using a conventional copy machine. The sheets can either be cut along predetermined lines to form the custom printed notes, or the sheets of a plurality of such printed sheet assemblies can be separated, stacked to adhere the patterns of pressure-sensitive adhesive on the rear major surfaces of the sheets to the front major surfaces of the sheets with the edges of the sheets in a predetermined orientation with respect to each other, and the stacked sheets can be cut along predetermined lines to form custom printed note pads.

Note or note pad preparation method

A sheet composite adapted to be printed in printers of the type commonly used with personal or other types of computers including lasers printers, ink jet printers and impact printers. The sheet composite comprises (1) a primary sheet portion having opposite first and second major surfaces of a size adapted to be received by the printers and having first and second opposite edges; (2) a secondary sheet portion having first and second opposite major surfaces and having first and second opposite edges, which secondary sheet portion has a width between its first and second edges that is no more than half the width of the primary sheet portion between its first and second opposite edges; and (3) a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive that is firmly adhered on the first surface of one of the sheet portions along its first edge.

Growing community of inventors

Cottage Grove, MN, United States of America

Timothy A Mertens