Patents by Inventor Neal C. Rothwell

Neal C. Rothwell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method of separating strands on a stretching surface
    Patent number: 9630359
    Abstract: A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting is disclosed. The method includes providing a polymeric netting having a length in a machine direction and running the polymeric netting in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface. The polymeric netting is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, and for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface is stretching in the cross-machine direction. The traction between the polymeric netting and the stretchable surface during the stretching increases the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting in the cross-machine direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Neal C. Rothwell, Peter J. Bugeja, Thomas J. Gilbert, Timothy J. Diekmann, Mark A. Peltier, Ryan M. Luepke
  • METHOD OF SEPARATING STRANDS ON A STRETCHING SURFACE
    Publication number: 20160229112
    Abstract: A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting is disclosed. The method includes providing a polymeric netting having a length in a machine direction and running the polymeric netting in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface. The polymeric netting is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, and for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface is stretching in the cross-machine direction. The traction between the polymeric netting and the stretchable surface during the stretching increases the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting in the cross-machine direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: August 11, 2016
    Inventors: Neal C. Rothwell, Peter J. Bugeja, Thomas J. Gilbert, Timothy J. Diekmann, Mark A. Peltier, Ryan M. Luepke
  • Method of separating strands on a stretching surface
    Patent number: 9314962
    Abstract: A method of separating strands of a slit web is disclosed. The method includes providing a slit web having a length in a machine direction and running the slit web in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface. The slit web includes multiple strands provided by a plurality of slits extending in a first direction not parallel to a cross-machine direction. The slit web is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, and for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface is stretching in the cross-machine direction. The traction between the slit web and the stretchable surface during the stretching at least partially separates at least some of the multiple strands of the slit web in a second direction transverse to the first direction. A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Neal C. Rothwell, Peter J. Bugeja, Thomas J. Gilbert, Kristopher K. Biegler, Mark A. Peltier, Ryan M. Luepke, Steven J. Perron, Timothy J. Diekmann
  • METHOD OF SEPARATING STRANDS ON A STRETCHING SURFACE
    Publication number: 20140332999
    Abstract: A method of separating strands of a slit web is disclosed. The method includes providing a slit web having a length in a machine direction and running the slit web in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface. The slit web includes multiple strands provided by a plurality of slits extending in a first direction not parallel to a cross-machine direction. The slit web is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, and for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface is stretching in the cross-machine direction. The traction between the slit web and the stretchable surface during the stretching at least partially separates at least some of the multiple strands of the slit web in a second direction transverse to the first direction. A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
    Inventors: Neal C. Rothwell, Peter J. Bugeja, Thomas J. Gilbert, Kristopher K. Biegler, Mark A. Peltier, Ryan M. Luepke, Steven J. Perron, Timothy J. Diekmann