The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 12, 2000
Filed:
Oct. 01, 1998
William W Merrill, White Bear Lake, MN (US);
John C Harvey, Woodbury, MN (US);
Reney R Langlois, River Falls, WI (US);
Michael W Mills, St. Paul, MN (US);
Rosalind E Peebles, Chicago, IL (US);
Fred J Roska, Woodbury, MN (US);
3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
An assembly comprising a film bounded by a frame, the film having a first thermal expansion coefficient along a first direction parallel to the film and a second thermal expansion coefficient along a second direction parallel to the film, wherein thermal expansion of the film compared to that of the frame is greater along the first direction than along the second direction, and wherein the film has a shape at an ambient reference temperature different from that of the frame, the shape of the film being selected to reduce clearance while allowing sufficient room between the film and the frame for thermal expansion in the first direction for temperatures up to a predetermined elevated reference temperature.