Patents Examined by Paul Thibodeau
  • Patent number: 6716501
    Abstract: This invention relates to a multilayered film for use as in-mold label, comprising: a core layer having a first surface and a second surface, the core layer being comprised of a polymeric material and particulate solids dispersed in the polymeric material; and a first skin layer overlying the first surface of the core layer; the film being formed by co-extruding the core layer and first skin layer to form the multilayered film, hot-stretching the film at a temperature above the expected service temperature of the label to provide the film with a machine direction orientation, the density of the film being reduced by about 5% to about 25% during hot-stretching, and annealing the film at a temperature above the expected service temperature of the label; the film having a machine direction Gurley stiffness value in the range of about 30 to about 120, a machine direction shrinkage of less than about 2%, and a machine direction shrink tension at 200° F. (93.3° C.) of less than about 100 psi.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
    Inventors: John Kovalchuk, Bernard S. Mientus
  • Patent number: 6714380
    Abstract: A lower magnetic pole layer and/or an upper magnetic pole layer are formed of a CoFe&agr; alloy in which the component ratio X of Co is 8 to 48 mass %, the component ratio Y of Fe is 50 to 90 mass %, the component ratio Z of the element &agr; (the element &agr; is at least one of Ni and Cr) is 2 to 20 mass %, and the equation X+Y+Z=100 mass % is satisfied. Consequently, the saturated magnetic flux density can be 2.0 T or more, and a thin-film magnetic head have a higher recording density can be manufactured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuo Kawasaki, Yoshihiro Kanada
  • Patent number: 6709767
    Abstract: Disclosed is a spin-valve sensor employing one or more in-situ oxidized films as cap and/or gap layers in order to achieve an increased GMR coefficient and improved thermal stability. A fabrication method comprises depositing multilayer metallic films on a wafer in ion-beam and DC-magnetron sputtering modules of a sputtering system, and then transferring the wafer in a vacuum to an oxidation module where in-situ oxidation is conducted. When the method is used to form a cap layer, the cap layer may only be partially oxidized. A magnetic-field annealing may be subsequently conducted without the substantial occurrence of interface mixing and oxygen diffusion during the anneal process. The resulting spin-valve sensor exhibits an increased GMR coefficient, possibly due to induced specular scattering of conduction electrons and improved thermal stability mainly due to the protection of an underlying sensing layer from interface mixing and oxygen diffusion during the annealing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Tsann Lin, Daniele Mauri
  • Patent number: 6710986
    Abstract: There is proposed a high-sensitive TMR element wherein the selection of electronic state contributing to tunnel conduction is optimized. In this invention, a junction plane between a ferromagnetic layer (210) having a bcc structure and a tunnel barrier layer (310) is constituted by (211) plane or (110) plane of the ferromagnetic layer (210). The tunnel barrier layer (310) is formed of a thin aluminum oxide film which is formed through two stages, i.e. a first stage wherein an aluminum film having a thickness of 1 nm or less is formed on the surface of a magnetic metal by taking advantage of the excellent wettability of aluminum to the surface of metallic film, the resultant aluminum film being subsequently naturally oxidized or oxidized by oxygen radical; and a second stage wherein an aluminum thin film is formed directly from an aluminum flux in an oxygen atmosphere or an atmosphere of oxygen radical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Agency of Industrial Science and Technology
    Inventors: Toshihiko Sato, Shinji Yuasa
  • Patent number: 6706342
    Abstract: A polymeric label comprising a core layer comprising at least about 50% by weight of a linear ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer and at least about 5% by weight of a propylene copolymer; and a first skin layer comprising a propylene copolymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Dan-Cheng Kong, Terry Otto Jensen
  • Patent number: 6706411
    Abstract: A lubricated steel material has a lubricating film on the steel surface. The film has good press formability, film removability, and blocking resistance, and possesses a high level of rust preventing properties in that it can prevent the steel material from rusting when kept in stacked or coiled conditions with no oil application. The lubricated steel material is produced by coating a steel material with a coating composition comprising from 74% to 97.7% by weight of an acrylic resin having an acid number of from 30 to 150 and a glass transition temperature of from 5 to 90° C., from 2% to 20% by weight of a water repellant, preferably one or more classes selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acid esters, metal soaps, polyethylene fine powder, and fluoroplastic fine powder, and from 0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignees: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., NOF Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuji Kawanishi, Junji Matsuda, Hiroyuki Ito
  • Patent number: 6706385
    Abstract: The laminate of the invention comprises a sliding member of a resin composition and a Substrate layer of a thermoplastic olefin elastomer (A), and is obtained by co-extruding: the resin composition which is obtained by melt kneading a thermoplastic olefin elastomer (A), an ultra-high-molecular weight polyolefin (except a powder thereof having a particle diameter of 1 to 100 &mgr;m) having an intrinsic viscosity, as measured in a decalin solvent at 135° C., of 1 to 40 dl/g, an inorganic or organic filler powder, and optionally, a polyolefin resin, an organopolysiloxane, a fatty acid amide and a fluororubber in a twin-screw extruder, and the thermoplastic olefin elastomer (A). The laminate has excellent sliding properties with window glass and excellent abrasion resistance. Moreover, the laminate can be produced by a simple process because it requires no adhesive, and the laminate has great bonding strength between the substrate layer and the sliding member layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
    Inventor: Masato Karaiwa
  • Patent number: 6701529
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an energy absorbent medium which is compliant and conformable in the absence of an applied force, and stiffens in response to the rate of an applied force to dissipate energy. The medium comprises a blend of a polymer and a lubricant incompatible with the polymer to produce a conformable absorbent which exhibits dilatant (shear thickening) characteristics under high rates of force or stress. The polymer has reformable sacrificial chemical bonds which are broken under a high rate of deformation and which reform under static conditions. Suitable polymers for the invention include polyborosiloxanes. Applications for the medium include absorbent for sports padding, athletic equipment, motor vehicle seats, bulletproof vests, medical equipment, industrial equipment, weaponry, and playing fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Extrude Hone Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence J. Rhoades, John M. Matechen, Mark J. Rosner
  • Patent number: 6703141
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a matte surface film comprising: (a) a base layer comprising a polyolefin; and (b) a matte surface layer comprising a blend of a non-hydrocarbon polymer with at least one incompatible polyolefin, wherein said non-hydrocarbon polymer includes monomeric units with polar functional groups. The film may be used for packaging and label applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Pang-Chia Lu, Lyle J. Harley, Francis D. Tran
  • Patent number: 6703139
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a weather-resistant composition comprising a bisbenzotriazolylphenol compound represented by the general formula (1): [wherein A represents an alkylene group, and R1 and R2 represent a group (B): (in which R3 and R4 represent an alkyl group)], a meth)acrylate compound, and a curing agent; a coating material containing the weather-resistant composition as a main component; and a molded article. The composition can form a coating film which is not impaired in mechanical strength, exhibits excellent weather resistance, metal ion resistance and transparency for a prolonged period, and is less likely to cause surface cracks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Otsuka Chemical Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Ogawa, Koji Mori, Mitsuo Akada
  • Patent number: 6703099
    Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording media with a patterned soft magnetic underlayer is disclosed. The recording media may be a disk including a substrate, a patterned underlayer, and a magnetically hard recording layer. The underlayer may be provided in the form of concentric bands having widths less than the track widths of the recording layer. The patterned underlayer reduces or eliminates adjacent track interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Seagate Technology LLC
    Inventor: Karl Arnold Belser
  • Patent number: 6699588
    Abstract: Sputter-deposited amorphous NiNb films on glass or glass-ceramic substrates have good adhesion with the substrates, and reduce lithium migration significantly. Longitudinal magnetic recording media deposited on oxidized NiNb sealing layers have very good magnetic recording performances and are suitable for high density recording application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Qixu (David) Chen, Liji Huang, Charles Leu, Rajiv Yadav Ranjan
  • Patent number: 6699583
    Abstract: To provide a lathing method and apparatus capable of realizing lathing of a bar member made of a hard cutting material and lathing a stock made of a hard cutting material by a lathe including an NC automatic lathe, although lathing of the hard cutting material is impossible in a conventional case, a round bar is rotatably held to be fed along the longitudinal direction of the round bar by a guide bush fixed on the main body side of the lathing apparatus, and the round bar is sequentially fed from the guide bush to a machining tool arranged on the main body side, thereby lathing the round bar in a cantilevered state. For this purpose, a round bar having a solid lubricant layer having a predetermined thickness on the outer surface of the round bar in advance, thereby lathing the round bar so as to reduce friction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Matsuo Kogyo Sho, Nitto Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Matsuo
  • Patent number: 6696172
    Abstract: A magnetic recording medium has at least a non-magnetic under-layer, a magnetic layer, a protective layer and a liquid lubricant layer sequentially laminated on a non-magnetic substrate. The magnetic layer includes ferromagnetic grains and non-magnetic grain boundaries formed of metallic oxide or carbide surrounding the ferromagnetic grains. A non-magnetic intermediate layer, having grains of non-magnetic substance and non-magnetic grain boundaries, formed of metallic oxide or carbide, surrounding the grains of non-magnetic substance, is provided between the non-magnetic under-layer and the magnetic layer. The resulting magnetic recording medium exhibits a high coercive force, Hc, and low noise. Furthermore, the resulting magnetic recording medium prevents the deterioration of the media characteristics in an initial growth region in the granular magnetic layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadaaki Oikawa, Hiroyuki Uwazumi, Takahiro Shimizu, Naoki Takizawa
  • Patent number: 6696155
    Abstract: Printed wiring boards improved in the drilling processability and insulation properties are produced either by treating the surfaces of base materials or inorganic fillers with silicone oligomers having specified structures, particularly, a three-dimensionally crosslinked silicone oligomer, or by using resin varnish prepared by compounding such a silicone oligomer with a resin varnish for impregnation of the base materials, or by dipping the inorganic fillers in a solution of such a silicone oligomer for surface treatment and then directly compounding resin materials with the solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nozomu Takano, Shigeo Sase, Tomio Fukuda, Michitoshi Arata
  • Patent number: 6696140
    Abstract: Disclosed are an antiglare film having a high level of anti-scintillation properties, high sharpness of transmitted images, high light transmittance (total light transmittance), and a high level of external light reflection preventive properties, and a process for producing the antiglare film. A resin and non-agglomerative particles having a specific particle diameter are selected so that the difference in refractive index between the resin and the particles is 0.05 to 0.15. The resin and the non-agglomerative particles are brought to a coating composition using, as a solvent, a good solvent for the resin and a poor solvent for the resin. The coating composition is coated onto a substrate film to form a coating which is then dried. In the course of the drying, as the amount of the good solvent in the coating decreases, the poor solvent acts to cause the gelation of the particles and the resin. Thus, good concaves and convexes can be advantageously formed on the surface of the coating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6692843
    Abstract: A magnetic recording medium having first undercoating layers 40, 40′ formed directly or via substrate face undercoating layers on a substrate 40, second undercoating layers 42, 42′ directly formed on the first undercoating layers 40, 40′, magnetic films 43, 43′ formed on the second undercoating layers 42, 42′, and protective films 44, 44′ formed on the magnetic films 43, 43′. Clusters having a large amount of oxygen are dispersed on the boundary face of the first and second undercoating layers. Preferably, the first undercoating layer is made of an alloy which includes two kinds of elements in which the difference between oxide formation standard free energies &Dgr;G° of the elements at the temperature of 250° C. is large.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Japan, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshibumi Matsuda, Akira Ishikawa, Yotsuo Yahisa, Yuzuru Hosoe, Tetsuya Kanbe, Koji Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6692840
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to the use of a polymer coating composition having a dispersant, microbeads and a high Tg polymer with a Tg of greater than −10° C. for the inner coating on natural and synthetic rubber articles, particularly for latex gloves. The coating for rubber articles, provides an inner surface coating that reduces friction between the latex and the hand to allow convenient donning. They are deliverable from aqueous solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Stanislaw Petrash, Chaodong Xiao, Apala Mukherjee, Zhixin Li, John S. Thomaides
  • Patent number: 6689456
    Abstract: A magnetic recording medium comprising a substrate 1, an inorganic compound layer 2 which works as a shielding layer, a magnetic layer 3 and a protective layer 4 which are laminated on said substrate; wherein said inorganic compound layer 2 comprises column-like crystal particles 6 and amorphous grain boundary phases isolating said particles 6, wherein said magnetic layer 3 has magnetic particles 14 arranged regularly and epitaxially grows on said inorganic compound layer 2, and wherein the grain sizes and the standard grain size deviation of magnetic particles 14 of said magnetic layer 3 reflect those of said inorganic compound layer 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuo Nakazawa, Yuzo Kozono, Takashi Naito, Tatsumi Hirano, Hiroki Yamamoto, Takashi Namekawa, Yasutaka Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6682813
    Abstract: Magnetic acicular alloy particles containing iron as a main component according to the present invention, have an average major axial diameter of 0.05 to 0.2 &mgr;m, and pH values of water suspensions of said magnetic acicular alloy particles containing iron as a main component, which satisfies the formula: (pH value of water suspension treated by A method)−(pH value of water suspension treated by B method)<0 Such magnetic acicular alloy particles containing iron as a main component exhibit an excellent dispersibility in a vehicle, especially such a vehicle composed of a binder resin having a polar group such as —SO3M (wherein M is H, Na or K), —COOH or the like, and in which an orientation and a packing density in coating film are improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Toda Kogyo Corporation
    Inventors: Kohji Mori, Yasutaka Ota