Patents Assigned to Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
  • Patent number: 6106551
    Abstract: A medical assembly, such as an artificial heart assembly, adapted to be implanted within a living subject is composed of an implantable data communications interface adapted to receive an encoded data signal from a data communications interface located outside the subject at a position remote from the medical assembly. The encoded data signal is transmitted in a plurality of periodic signal bursts, which are transmitted at a first frequency to represent a first data value and a second frequency to represent a second data value. Each of the bursts comprises a plurality of signal transitions having a third frequency greater than both the first and second frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Stanley J. Crossett, Richard A. Nazarian, Michael Hamerly
  • Patent number: 6041516
    Abstract: An article for cooling an imaging material which has been heated to a first temperature by a thermal processor. The article includes a first cooling section on which the imaging material rides after the imaging material exits the thermal processor. The first cooling section is at a lower temperature than the first temperature. The first cooling section has a curved shape such that the imaging material is curved when riding on and being cooled by the first cooling section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Duane A. Preszler, Kent R. Struble, David J. McDaniel, George G. Lunde
  • Patent number: 6027810
    Abstract: The performance of phosphor screens can be improved by adding an antistatic agent into the protective topcoat of the radiographic screen when the antistatic agent preferably comprises a fluorocarbon or silicone antistatic agent. These antistatic agents are particularly useful where the screen is made by coating phosphor dispersion/mixture onto a substrate while the dispersion/mixture contains less than 5% by weight of polymerizable components with a molecular weight less than 300, preferably with less than 5% by weight of polymerizable components having molecular weights less than 500, and a topcoat contains the antistatic agent. Formation of the antistatic topcoat is preferably formed by inclusion of the antistatic agent into the polymerizable composition and allowing the antistatic agent to migrate to the surface of the composition during polymerization to form a layer consisting essentially of the antistatic agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2000
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: John C. Dahlquist, Subodh K. Kulkarni
  • Patent number: 5898358
    Abstract: Fuse comprising ceramic oxide fibers and vermiculite particulate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Thomas L. Tompkins, Margaret M. Vogel-Martin
  • Patent number: 5780126
    Abstract: Fluid permeable filter material comprising a self supporting fluid permeable wall and a fluid permeable filter layer. The self supporting wall comprises ceramic oxide fibers, ceramic oxide particles, and silicate ceramic oxide bonding phase. The filter layer comprises non-woven ceramic oxide fibers and silicate ceramic oxide bonding phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignees: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing, Hexcel Corporation
    Inventors: Robert G. Smith, Joseph H. Eaton, Edward M. Fischer, Larry R. Visser, Venecia M. Grobelny, Kevin D. McVicker
  • Patent number: 5718577
    Abstract: A dental impression tray has wall portions defining at least one channel for receiving a quantity of photocurable dental impression material. At least one of the wall portions is located next to the chamber and is made of a material that transmits electromagnetic actinic radiation. The tray also includes a chamber for receiving a chemiluminescent composition. Light emitted from the chemiluminescent composition induces the curing of the impression material in a uniform manner along the length of the channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 17, 1998
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Joel D. Oxman, Cary A. Kipke, Bruce R. Broyles
  • Patent number: 5711665
    Abstract: An orthodontic bracket includes a base with a central opening, and a body with a passage aligned with the opening. A curing light assembly includes an outer end portion that is removably received in the passage for curing adhesive beneath the central section of the bracket body. Once the adhesive beneath the central section of the bracket body has cured to temporarily tack the bracket base to the patient's tooth, adhesive extruded from the peripheral edge of the bracket base can be readily removed without dislodging the bracket from its intended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Randall E. Adam, Leonard A. Preston
  • Patent number: 5607827
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a silver halide photographic material comprising a support and at least one silver halide emulsion layer coated thereon, wherein said silver halide photographic material comprises tabular silver halide grains having an average aspect ratio higher than 3:1 dispersed in highly deionized gelatin, and a pyridinium carbamoyl hardener having the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each independently represents an alkyl group having from 1 to carbon atoms, an aryl group having from 6 to 15 carbon atoms, an aralkyl group having from 7 to 15 carbon atoms, or R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 together form the atoms required to complete a heterocyclic ring, R.sub.3 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, a carbamoyl group, a ureido group, and R.sub.4 represents an alkylene group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a single chemical bond.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Mark P. Kirk, Stefano Parodi, Paolo Vacca
  • Patent number: 5523839
    Abstract: The present invention is an on-line manufacturing process control system and method using a twin or dual beam heterodyned optical interferometer as the monitor of changes in the surface characteristics of an object while the object is being manufactured. The changes in the surface characteristics can then be used as data by automated equipment either to determine whether the manufactured object monitored at a given time meets predetermined quality standards or to automatically alter various individual phases of the manufacturing process in order for the surface characteristics of the manufactured object to conform to predetermined quality standards.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventors: Glen M. Robinson, Timothy B. Carlson, Richard W. Peterson, Steven M. Denzer, Robert P. Groschen, Jr., Michael J. Schmainda
  • Patent number: 5026599
    Abstract: An array of densely packed discrete metal microspheres which may be deformable and electrically conductive may be formed on a substrate by a method including the steps of providing a substrate having a depositing surface in the chamber forming a metal vapor in the chamber and depositing the metal vapor on the depositing surface, the depositing surface having a temperature at or above the melting point of the metal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
    Inventor: David C. Koskenmaki