Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Wallace K Bingham

Vera L Lightle

Johann F Petersen

Lynn E Faykish

Terry R Bailey

Chester A Bacon, Jr

Geoffrey P Morris

Douglas K Fossum

Colorant clusters comprising an aggregation of a plurality of grains of sol-derived material and colorant. The clusters are particularly useful as pigments in liquid compositions, e.g., paints and inks, for forming coatings that are retroreflective immediately upon drying. Also, a process for preparing such colorant clusters comprising admixing colorant in a binder sol to yield a pigment sol and then removing liquid medium from the pigment sol to yield the clusters. Also, a coating composition comprising retroreflective elements, a vehicle, and the aforementioned colorant clusters. After application of the composition to a substrate, the resultant coating is immediately retroreflective upon drying.

Sol bonded colorant clusters and process for making

Flexible, self-supporting, air-permeable retroreflective sheeting comprising a two-sided, self-supporting, air-permeable web of thermoplastic filaments with retroreflective elements partially embedded in the filaments on one side of the web. On the other side of the web, the surfaces of the filaments are substantially free of retroreflective elements. In some embodiments, the web may be used as a bonding agent to secure the sheeting to a desired substrate.

Method for making permeable retroreflective sheeting

A retroreflective security laminate, designed to be applied to the surface of a document over information thereon, providing dual levels of verification. The laminates have primary legends which are viewable under both ordinary diffuse lighting conditions and retroreflective viewing conditions and may also have retro-legends which are viewable only under retroreflective viewing conditions.

Retroreflective security laminates with dual level verification

Permeable retroreflective sheeting

A retroreflective security laminate, designed to be applied to the surface of a document over information thereon, and having a protective cover sheet comprising an abrasion-resistant outer layer and a support layer which is resistant to deformation under localized pressure. Also methods for making such laminates.

Retroreflective security laminates with protective cover sheets

Retroreflective construction comprising a monolayer of microspheres with associated dielectric mirrors which are hemispherically surrounded by tangentially-oriented, preferably contour-conforming, reflective pigment nacreous flakes. The dielectric mirrors and reflective nacreous pigment flakes cooperate additively substantially without interfering with each other to provide a high brightness retroreflective sheet. The novel sheets retain much of their reflectivity after several launderings or drycleanings and, in some embodiments, can be made very flexible, making them well-suited for use as reflective fabrics.

Retroreflective sheet with enhanced brightness

A new trim material is disclosed comprising a fire resistant fabric having a weight of at least about 85 g/m.sup.2 and characterized by:

Thermally stable flame retardant reflective and retroreflective trim

A thread is provided which comprises a polymeric material onto which has been fixed a symbol or repeating multiple symbols which are detectable and readable under magnification. When incorporated into garments or garment labels, this thread is useful in identifying the true manufacturer of the goods, and the absence of such threads would help in the detection of counterfeit goods.

Threads for identification of garments

Coded threads and sheet material for making such threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments. The sheet material comprises transparent microspheres, a specularly reflective layer underlying the microspheres, and a polymeric layer underlying the specularly reflective layer and containing particulate matter which may be varied from sheet material to sheet material to encode information and allow identification of the sheet material. The sheet material is split in narrow widths and incorporated into threads.

Coded threads and sheet material useful for making such coded threads

Coating compositions for use in making fabrics brightly retroreflective at nighttime comprise a dilute coating vehicle and transparent retroreflective microspheres dispersed in the vehicle at a low concentration. The coating on the fabric is inconspicuous in daylight and leaves the garment with substantially its normal hand, feel, and breathability.

Coating composition for forming retroreflective treatments on fabrics

Retroreflective-treated fabrics, and products and methods for forming the treatments are taught. As an example, a free-flowing mass of minute retroreflectorization particles that each comprise hemispherically reflectorized transparent microspheres supported in a softenable binder material are cascaded onto a fabric. The binder material is softened during application to provide adhesion of the particles to the fabric. A very sparse retroreflective treatment can be provided, which leaves the fabric with nearly its full original appearance as well as hand, feel, and breathability. Yet the treatment will greatly increase the safety of a pedestrian by making him visible at night.

Growing community of inventors

North St. Paul, MN, United States of America

Wallace K Bingham