Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm William J. Bond
  • Patent number: 6454096
    Abstract: A package for dispensing individual oil absorbing polymeric sheets from a stack of such sheets, where the package includes a cover flap repeatedly moveable between an open position and a closed position, a pocket, a plurality of oil absorbing polymeric sheets arranged in a stack and positioned in the pocket, and a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition disposed on the cover flap such that closing the cover flap positions the pressure-sensitive adhesive composition for contact with a major surface of the first sheet of the stack of sheets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Kazunori Kondoh, Hiroto H. Katagiri, Gene H. Shipman, Alan J. Sipinen
  • Patent number: 6436294
    Abstract: A process for modifying a medium is disclosed that includes treating a medium having a metal ion sorption capacity with a solution that includes: A) an agent capable of forming a complex with metal ions; and B) ions selected from the group consisting of sodium ions, potassium ions, magnesium ions, and combinations thereof, to create a medium having an increased capacity to sorb metal ions relative to the untreated medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Susan H. Lundquist
  • Patent number: 6419729
    Abstract: Filter assemblies with adhesive attachment systems are provided. In one embodiment, a filter assembly includes a porous filter member and an adhesive disposed on a reinforcement scrim adhesively attached to at least a portion of at least one major surface of the porous filter member, wherein the reinforcement scrim has discrete open areas. In an alternative embodiment, a filter assembly includes a porous filter member that includes fibrous filter media and an adhesive impregnated into discrete regions of the porous filter member such that there is a substantially continuous adhesive region throughout at least about 25% of the thickness of the porous filter member in the discrete regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Dean R. Duffy, William M. Stevenson, John F. Reed, David J. Andrews
  • Patent number: 6406509
    Abstract: A framed filter media comprising a filter media having a fluid inlet face and a fluid outlet face with peripheral sidewalls. The peripheral sidewalls are attached to a strip frame by an adhesive-potting compound. The continuous strip frame is formed into three or more (up to an infinite number if the sidewall sections(s) is formed into a circular filter frame) sidewall sections having a substantially flat sidewall and at least two projecting filter retaining tabs which form a channel on a first face of the sidewall section for containing the adhesive potting compound. The sidewall sections are separated by corner notches extending through the retaining tabs at least to the substantially flat sidewalls. Two terminal sidewall sections meet to form a seam such that the sidewall sections circumscribe the filter media peripheral sidewalls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Dean Duffy
  • Patent number: 6393673
    Abstract: The invention relates to a mechanical fastening element comprising a multiplicity of flexible hook elements emanating from a backing layer (1) and comprising stems (2) terminating in hook heads (3), said fastening element being releasably engageable with a complementary mechanical fastening element, the top portions of the hook heads (3) and/or at least part of the interstitial spaces (4) between the stems (2) of said fastening means being coated with a hot-melt pressure-sensitive adhesive (5) so that the level of the adhesive in the interstitial spaces (4), where present, does not exceed the length of the stems (2), and so that essentially no adhesive bridges are present between adjacent hook heads (3), said hot-melt pressure sensitive adhesive (5) having a viscosity as measured at the coating temperature of between 2,000 and 18,000 mPa-s.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Konstantinos Kourtidis, Rolf Preissel
  • Patent number: 6394330
    Abstract: A method of converting a web of indefinite length into a plurality of web portions by slitting the web at a transverse point prior to processing the web portions into a plurality of use supply forms (such as rolls), wherein the plurality of web portions are separated by a two-stage process. A first stage of the process is a partial separation operation that almost entirely separates the web portions, but leaves the web portions connected, such as by a slitting operation that leaves a series of connected zones. The second stage includes the complete separation, such as by breaking of the connected zones. The complete separation of the web portions preferably occurs near the station at which the use supply forms are created, such as a winding station. Thus, the web portions, after substantial separation at the first stage can be handled (for example, guided and tensioned) as if the plurality of web portions were a full width web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Byron M. Jackson
  • Patent number: 6379409
    Abstract: The invention relates to a dust bag to be used primarily in vacuum cleaners, the dust bag having at least two opposing wall portions of filter material in an overlaying state and an intake opening for receiving a socket piece of a vacuum cleaner. The two opposing wall portions are connected to each other at one edge forming an outer edge of the dust bag. The wall portions each have recess open to the outer edge. The recesses (36a, 36b) are identical in their shape and size and opposed to each other in the overlaying state. The two recesses of the wall portions form the intake opening. Additionally, the intake opening can be surrounded by a mounting means for mounting the dust bag at a socket piece from which dust-like material is discharged. The mounting means includes at least two mounting elements each fixed to one of the two wall portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Bertus Dijkman
  • Patent number: 6375699
    Abstract: The injection mold for insert-molding a synthetic material around the edge of a filter material comprising at least one particle filter layer and at least one active carbon layer of active carbon particles, is provided with a first mold half and a second mold half which comprise mutually confronting mold walls. In their assembled state, the two mold halves define a receiving space for the filter material, a molding space for accommodating the edge of the filter material and for forming the synthetic material to be arranged by insert molding around the edge of the filter material, with at least one injection channel entering the molding space, and a transition space arranged between the receiving space and the molding space for accommodating the edge portion of the filter material adjacent the edge of the filter material. The transition space is formed with a constricted portion for preventing the leakage of synthetic material from the molding space into the receiving space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Roland Beck
  • Patent number: 6368097
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for capping a headed stem fasteners. The precursor web having a backing with a rear surface, a front surface, and a multiplicity of polymeric stems projecting distally from the front surface of the backing is fed into a variable nip between a heated member opposite a support surface. The support surface has a shape generally conforming to the contour of the heated member. The variable nip compressively engages the polymeric stems between the heated member and the support surface so that distal ends of the polymeric stems are deformed. The heated member can be a heated roll or a heated belt. The support surface may be a curved capping shoe or a belt shaped to create a particular nip profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Philip Miller, Thomas R. LaLiberte
  • Patent number: 6368687
    Abstract: A low trauma pressure-sensitive adhesive coated substrate comprising a sheet material, tape or laminate structure designed to adhere to skin or like surfaces. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of this adhesive coated substrate is a fibrous adhesive layer generally having a basis weight of from 5 to 200 g/m2 applied to a conformable backing or substrate. The fibrous adhesive layer has a textured outer face and persistent porosity between discrete adhesive fibers. Generally, the fibrous adhesive layer has a MVTR (measured by ASTM E 96-80 at 40° C.) of at least 1000 g/m2/day, preferably at least 6000 g/m2/day.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Eugene G. Joseph, Richard Ferber, Donald Battles, Joseph Tucker, James K. Young
  • Patent number: 6363587
    Abstract: There is provided a mechanical fastener tape tab laminate comprising a tape tab backing having at least a first distal end portion, an inner tab portion and second distal end portion, the second distal end portion provided with a mechanical fastener material. The first distal end portion is provided with an adhesive layer for attachment to a disposable absorbent article. The tape tab backing further has a folded tape portion comprising a backing having an adhesive layer on an outer face and having at least an inner leg portion and an outer leg portion. The outer leg portion has an exposed adhesive provided for attachment to the disposable absorbent article. The inner and outer leg portions are separated by at least one fold. The folded tape portion backing has a line of weakness along the at least one fold. The line of weakness is provided on a portion of the tape tab backing spaced from the first distal end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Gerhard Ludwig Richter, Randall Lynn Alberg
  • Patent number: 6348086
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the filter cartridge comprises a mesh structure forming a generally annular cylinder comprising a center opening, a plurality of compartments containing a filter medium, and spaces between the compartments. The spaces between the compartments comprise substantially unimpeded airflow passages that permit airflow even when the filter medium is fully loaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Michael R. Harms, Charles D. Cowman
  • Patent number: 6280824
    Abstract: A filtration media array is provided having at least one contoured polymeric film layer having surface structures. The film layers may be configured as a stack that has the contoured film layer defining a plurality of ordered inlet openings through a face of the stack and corresponding air pathways, thereby forming an open, porous volume. The air pathways may be defined by a plurality of flow channels formed by the contours of the structured contoured film layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Thomas I. Insley, Todd W. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6277176
    Abstract: There is provided an air delivery device and method of moving and filtering air. The air delivery device comprises a housing having an air inlet and an air outlet. Between the air inlet and the air outlet is located an air delivery fan having at least two rotating air moving elements, the rotating air moving elements intersects the flow of air between the air inlet and the air outlet and establishes a higher pressure zone at the air outlet relative to the air inlet. The air delivery fan further comprises at lest one filter element, having at least one upstream filter face and at least one downstream filter face, defining at least one primary flow channel, and rotating along the same axis of rotation as the air moving elements and preferably forming the air moving elements at least in part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Yuan-Ming Tang, Ricardo Lira, Michael Harms
  • Patent number: 6270609
    Abstract: There is provided a method of forming a shaped sorbent filter preferably having a three dimensional shape. The method generally entails: a) providing porous flexible tubular web structure having two open ends; b) sealing a first end of the tubular web structure; c) filling the sealed tubular web structure with flowable filter material of sorbent material and binder; d) sealing the opposite open end of the tubular web material; and e) heating the tubular web structure to active the binder and form a shaped sorbent filter. The tubular web structure preferably is deformed while it is heated so that there is provided at least one permanently deformed bending portion. The invention method provides a simple effective process for forming complex overwrapped shaped small sorbent filters for use in the electronics industry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Craig G. Markell, David J. Andrews
  • Patent number: 6270910
    Abstract: Described are anisotropic films comprising a continuous elastic phase comprising a polyolefin elastomer; and a discontinuous phase oriented within the continuous phase such that the film exhibits anisotropic properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Jobst Tilman Jaeger, Alan J. Sipinen
  • Patent number: 6251154
    Abstract: A dust bag comprises a filter bag consisting of a filter material. In a first wall portion of the filter bag, an inlet opening is provided through which the air flow to be cleaned gets into the filter bag. On the inner surface of the wall portion opposite the inlet opening, there lies a protective layer of a resistant material of great tensile strength. This protective layer extends as a strip through the filter bag and prevents damage to the inner surface of the filter bag caused by particles striking the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Leonard M. van Rossen
  • Patent number: D454303
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventor: Alan J. Sipinen
  • Patent number: D460351
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Alan J. Sipinen, Diane R. Cordes
  • Patent number: D460888
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Inventor: Alan J. Sipinen