3M Innovative Properties Company

Ying Xia

Shri Niwas

Michael A McCoy

Kui Chen-Ho

Kevin W Gotrik

Scott J Jones

Ramasubramani Kuduva Raman Thanumoorthy

Matthew S Stay

Ann M Gilman

Tien Yi T H Whiting

Daniel M Lentz

Christopher A Merton

Mikhail L Pekurovsky

Duane Douglas Fansler

Yongshang Lu

Daniel J Schmidt

Alexander J Kugel

Jonathan E Janoski

Graham M Clarke

Corinne Elizabeth Lipscomb

David J Rowe

Mary M Caruso Dailey

Anthony F Schultz

Carla S Thomas

Bruce H Edwards

Cordell M Hardy

Syud M Ahmed

Lok-Man Ng

Michael A Mccoy

Tien Yi TH Whiting

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

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

Retroreflective articles include a layer of optical elements, the layer of optical elements being divided into at least a first segment () and second segment (), and a bead bond layer () containing a colorant. The optical elements are partially embedded in the bead bond layer. The optical elements include transparent microspheres (), a transparent polymeric layer (), and at least one reflective layer. In the first segment of optical elements, the reflective layer is a dielectric reflective layer (), and in the second segment of optical elements, the reflective layer is a reflective metallic layer (). The retroreflective articles have improved wash durability.

Colored retroreflective articles

An exposed lens retroreflective article (), transfer articles comprising same, and methods of making same. The retroreflective article can include a binder layer (); a layer of transparent microspheres () partially embedded in the binder layer; and reflective layer () disposed between the binder layer and the microspheres. The reflective layer () can include a dielectric mirror, which can include a first stack () and a second stack () positioned in planar contact with the first stack, wherein each of the first stack and the second stack comprises at least one bilayer (), wherein each bilayer comprises a first material with a first bonding group and a second material with a complementary second bonding group. The transfer article can include the retroreflective article and a carrier web. The method can include partially embedding transparent microspheres in a carrier web; applying the reflective layer to the microspheres, and applying a binder layer composition to the reflective layer.

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Woodbury, MN, United States of America

Ying Xia