Patents Represented by Attorney Gary Griswold
  • Patent number: 6054091
    Abstract: A method of making a hook strip having J-shaped hooks that can be used as a mechanical fastener. The method includes using an initial substrate of material formed as an array of upstanding precursor stems having distal tips at their ends opposite a backing. In addition, a heat source adapted for heating and a mechanism for deforming stem tips is provided. The substrate is positioned relative to the heat source such that a portion of the upstanding stems on the array is heated. Subsequently, the substrate is moved to a position relative to the mechanism for deforming to create a hook strip of J-shaped hooks from the heated portion of the upstanding stems. In addition, an article of manufacture, made in accordance with the method, is provided which includes a hook portion of a hook-and-loop type of mechanical fastener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.
    Inventors: Philip Miller, William L. Melbye
  • Patent number: 5902361
    Abstract: A filter device for filtering a fluid, in particular for filtering the air flowing into the passenger compartment of a vehicle. The filter element (10; 60) including filter material (12; 62) with a border (14; 64) and a filter element frame (20; 70) connected with the filter material (12; 62) and extending at least partly along the border (14; 64), the filter element frame (20; 70) being provided with a projecting resilient sealing lip (24; 74) for abutting a device (42, 44, 48) receiving the filter element (10; 60), the sealing lip (24; 74) having at least one bending section (26) of a first thickness (30) facing the filter element frame (20; 70) and at least one enlarged section (28) adjoining the at least one bending section (26) and facing away from the filter material (12; 62), at least a part (40) of the enlarged section being of a second thickness (32) greater than the first thickness (30) in the at least one bending section (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.
    Inventors: Klaus Pomplun, Roland Beck
  • Patent number: 5792242
    Abstract: There is provided a nonwoven electret fiber filter formed with a nonwoven web of electret fibers needle-punched to an open scrim support. The scrim support material has individual discrete open areas with an average cross-sectional area as viewed from the plane of the filter media of at least 0.25 mm.sup.2, preferably 1.0 mm.sup.2, and a pressure drop across the scrim support, without the filter web, of less than 1.5 mm H.sub.2 O measured at 98.4 meters/min gaseous face velocity. The resulting filter has enhanced lifetimes, a low pressure drop and high filtration efficiencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 11, 1998
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.
    Inventor: Thomas E. Haskett
  • Patent number: 5725989
    Abstract: A thermal transfer donor element is provided which comprises a support, a light-to-heat conversion layer, an interlayer, and a thermal transfer layer. When the above donor element is brought into contact with a receptor and imagewise irradiated, an image is obtained which is free from contamination by the light-to-heat conversion layer. The construction and process of this invention is useful in making colored images including applications such as color proofs and color filter elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Inventors: Jeffrey C. Chang, John S. Staral, William A. Tolbert, Martin B. Wolk, Claire A. Jalbert, Hsin-hsin Chou
  • Patent number: 5602531
    Abstract: An electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems includes an asynchronous noise suppression adaptive filter which removes asynchronous interference from the signal of interest with minimum distortion of the transients emitted when a sensitized tag is interrogated. The system also includes a synchronous noise suppression filter which removes interrogation synchronous noise from the signal of interest. The resulting EAS system increases the likelihood that a sensitized tag will be detected when one is present and reduces the occurrence of false alarms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Rude, Samuel H. Tao, John E. Nelson
  • Patent number: 5468532
    Abstract: A multilayer graphic article comprises a substrate, at least one color layer disposed on the substrate, and a protective surface layer that overlies the substrate and the color layer. The color layer is visible through the surface layer and comprises a color agent in a copolymeric binder. The binder comprises the copolymerization product of an olefinic monomer and a second monomer having a pendant carboxyl group. The substrate may be a polymeric film, an adhesive or a temporary, removable liner. The protective surface layer may be formulated to impart interior surface protection properties to the graphic article or it may be formulated to render the graphic article weatherable and resistant to chemical exposure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Chia-Tie Ho, Carl W. McMullen, Raymond M. Sawka
  • Patent number: 5399701
    Abstract: Compounds are provided which comprise a fluorocarbon terminal portion and a chiral hydrocarbon terminal portion, said terminal portions being connected by a central core, said compounds having tilted smectic mesophases or having latent tilted smectic mesophases which develop when said compounds having said latent mesophases are in admixture with said compounds having tilted smectic mesophases or said compounds having latent tilted smectic mesophases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Eugene P. Janulis
  • Patent number: 5216084
    Abstract: Organic groups covalently bound to a polymer backbone provide second or third order nonlinear susceptibilities to the polymer. In another aspect, a method is disclosed for providing the novel polymers of the invention. Polymers of the invention can be directionally oriented to provide useful optically nonlinear media for use in nonlinear optical devices such as optical switches or light modulation devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1993
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Cecil V. Francis, Steven M. Heilmann, Larry R. Krepski, Jerald K. Rasmussen
  • Patent number: 4233976
    Abstract: A styptic device capable of stopping bleeding in minor wounds without causing significant pain in the injured person comprising a porous web, at least about 50 microns thick, and comprising hydrophobic fibers, said web containing about 0.05 to 0.9 gram of styptic material per cubic centimeter of web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1978
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1980
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Wayne K. Dunshee