Patents by Inventor Timothy A. Mertens

Timothy A. Mertens 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).

  • Publication number: 20240227357
    Abstract: A method of bonding a substrate is described comprising providing a fluoropolymer film comprising: i) a first fluoropolymer comprising at least 80, 85, or 90 wt. % of polymerized perfluorinated monomers; ii) optionally a second fluoropolymer having a greater amount of polymerized tetrafluoroethylene than the first fluoropolymer; wherein the first fluoropolymer and/or second fluoropolymer when present comprises halogen cure sites; and iii) one or more compounds comprising an electron donor group and one or more ethylenically unsaturated groups; applying the fluoropolymer film to a substrate; and heating the fluoropolymer film to a temperature of at least 150, 160, 170, 180, 190 or 200° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2023
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Inventors: Naiyong Jing, Xiaoming Kou, Leon M. Lillie, Maria C. Lindsay, Tatsuo Fukushi, Steffen Vowinkel, Jun Chen, Hong Qian, Zai-Ming Qiu, Timothy A. Mertens
  • Publication number: 20240209217
    Abstract: An electronic telecommunication article is described comprising a layer of fluoropolymer composition comprising an uncrosslinked fluoropolymer comprising at least 80, 85, or 90% by weight of polymerized units perfluorinated monomers including one or more unsaturated perfluorinated alkyl ethers. In typical embodiments, the uncrosslinked fluoropolymer comprises at least 10, 20, or 30 wt. % of one or more unsaturated perfluorinated alkyl ethers. The uncrosslinked fluoropolymer may be characterized as amorphous. The uncrosslinked fluoropolymer is soluble in fluorinated solvent. Also described are coated (e.g. copper) substrates, methods, and compositions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2022
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Inventors: Naiyong Jing, Klaus Hintzer, Xiaoming Kou, Cheng Li, Zai-Ming Qiu, Siwei Leng, Leon M. Lillie, Michael C. Dadalas, Steffen Vowinkel, Timothy A. Mertens, Tatsuo Fukushi
  • Publication number: 20240194371
    Abstract: Electronic telecommunication articles are described comprising a layer of fluoropolymer composition comprising a fluoropolymer or fluoropolymer blend comprising at least 1 wt. % and less than 30 wt. % of polymerized units of unsaturated (per)fluorinated alkyl ether(s). Also described are methods of making a coated substrate, a substrate comprising a fluoropolymer composition, and fluoropolymer compositions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Publication date: June 13, 2024
    Inventors: Naiyong Jing, Klaus Hintzer, Xiaoming Kou, Cheng Li, Zai-Ming Qiu, Siwei Leng, Leon M. Lillie, Michael C. Dadalas, Steffen Vowinkel, Timothy A. Mertens, Tatsuo Fukushi
  • Publication number: 20240186031
    Abstract: Electronic telecommunication articles are described comprising a layer of fluoropolymer composition comprising: an amorphous fluoropolymer comprising at least 80, 85, or 90% by weight of polymerized units perfluorinated monomers including one or more unsaturated perfluorinated alkyl ethers; and crystalline fluoropolymer; wherein the fluoropolymer composition lacks crosslinks of a chemical curing agent. Also described are methods of making a coated substrate, substrates comprising a fluoropolymer composition, and fluoropolymer compositions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Publication date: June 6, 2024
    Inventors: Naiyong Jing, Klaus Hintzer, Xiaoming Kou, Cheng Li, Zai-Ming Qiu, Siwei Leng, Leon M. Lillie, Michael C. Dadalas, Steffen Vowinkel, Timothy A. Mertens, Tatsuo Fukushi, Maria C. Lindsay
  • Publication number: 20230365228
    Abstract: A pontoon boat has a planing panel located between pontoons and configured such that a substantial portion of the planing panel planes or rides on top of the water while the boat is traveling at planing speeds, thus reducing friction and increasing efficiency and maneuverability. The boat may be a “tritoon” boat having three laterally spaced pontoons, in which case at least two planing panels are provided in the spaces or gaps between each pair of adjacent pontoons. Each planing panel may be segmented from front to rear, with the rear segment(s) being higher than the front segment to enhance the ability of the bow of the boat to ride out of the water while preventing water from impinging against the rear of the boat's underdeck. An inclined panel may be provided in front of the planing panel to reduce wave impact energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2023
    Publication date: November 16, 2023
    Inventors: Timothy Merten, Matthew Merten, Gerard Pettefer
  • Patent number: 7503008
    Abstract: The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it® notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: David T. Berquist, Peter M. Eisenberg, Mitchell B. Grunes, Martin A. Kenner, John M. Kruse, Timothy A. Mertens, Cindy L. Munson
  • Publication number: 20060129944
    Abstract: In a data processing system, a note can be displayed and an image can be displayed in the note. The image may be acquired by a camera such as photographic camera, a digital camera, or other camera.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2005
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Inventors: David Berquist, Peter Eisenberg, Mitchell Grunes, Martin Kenner, John Kruse, Timothy Mertens, Cindy Munson, David Hering, Gregory Anderson, Gary Uebel, Brian Westover
  • Publication number: 20040180170
    Abstract: A method for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2004
    Publication date: September 16, 2004
    Inventors: Timothy A. Mertens, Alden R. Miles, Mark G. Gjertson, Melvin R. Collins, Nora J. Grayson, Dennis L. Luense
  • Patent number: 6773539
    Abstract: A method for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Timothy A. Mertens, Alden R. Miles, Mark G. Gjertson, Melvin R. Collins, Nora J. Grayson, Dennis L. Luense
  • Patent number: 6544640
    Abstract: A method of applying repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheets to moving articles includes aligning a plurality of articles for sequential movement through a sheet application station. Each article has at least two different sheet landing areas defined on a common surface thereof A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a first applicator is applied at the sheet application station onto a first landing area of every other article as it passes the sheet application station. A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a second applicator is applied onto a second different landing area on all of the remaining articles as they pass through the sheet application station. The resultant stack of articles formed in this way does not have all of the note sheets aligned vertically in the stack, thus reducing the overall height of the stack by dispersing horizontally the added thicknesses of the note sheets on the articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Alden R. Miles, Timothy A. Mertens
  • Patent number: 6437807
    Abstract: The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it® notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: David T. Berquist, Peter M. Eisenberg, Mitchell B. Grunes, Timothy A. Mertens, Cindy L. Munson, Martin A. Kenner, John M. Kruse
  • Patent number: 6411310
    Abstract: The present invention implements in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it® notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.
    Inventors: David T. Berquist, Peter M. Eisenberg, Mitchell B. Grunes, Martin A. Kenner, John M. Kruse, Timothy A. Mertens, Cindy L. Munson
  • Patent number: 6383591
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Alden R. Miles, Timothy A. Mertens
  • Publication number: 20020034602
    Abstract: A method for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Publication date: March 21, 2002
    Inventors: Timothy A. Mertens, Alden R. Miles, Mark G. Gjertson, Melvin R. Collins, Nora J. Grayson, Dennis L. Luense
  • Patent number: 6352751
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for sequentially and precisely registering cut sheets for application onto advertising signatures at high speeds employs an initial roll of sheeting material. The sheeting material is unwound to track a process path, where eyemarks on the sheeting material are detected for use in registering the sheeting material to be cut into discrete sheets and to be aligned with a moving advertising signature for affixation thereto. The sheeting material has a repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive along one side edge thereof for use in adhering the cut sheet to the advertising signature. In one embodiment, the sheeting material is generally opaque adjacent one side edge and is sufficiently transparent adjacent its other side edge so that when a sheet cut from the sheeting material is adhered to an advertising signature, images on the advertising signature are visible through at least a portion of the sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Alden R. Miles, Timothy A. Mertens
  • Patent number: 6268032
    Abstract: A web of sheet material has a plurality of longitudinal rows of indicia patterns printed on a front face thereon, with the indicia patterns all aligned on the web in common readability orientation. On its back face, the web has a plurality of longitudinally disposed patterns of repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive thereon, with the adhesive patterns being oriented in registration with the rows of indicia patterns. Longitudinal severing of the web thus results in a plurality of identical web strips. Lateral severing of the web strips results in a plurality of identical note sheets, each note sheet bearing one of the indicia patterns on its front face and a pattern of repositionable pressure sensitive adhesive on its back face. The note sheets are applied in registration to an advertising piece to create a promotional assembly. In this process, unique intermediate rolls of the web and web strips are developed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Timothy A. Mertens, Alden R. Miles, Mark S. Vogel, Gregory F. Stifter, Kim K. Tsujimoto
  • Patent number: 6151021
    Abstract: The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it.RTM. notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: David T. Berquist, Peter M. Eisenberg, Mitchell B. Grunes, Timothy A. Mertens, Cindy L. Munson, Martin A. Kenner, John M. Kruse
  • Patent number: 6063229
    Abstract: A method of applying repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheets to moving articles includes aligning a plurality of articles for sequential movement through a sheet application station. Each article has at least two different sheet landing areas defined on a common surface thereof. A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a first applicator is applied at the sheet application station onto a first landing area of every other article as it passes the sheet application station. A repositionable pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet from a second applicator is applied onto a second different landing area on all of the remaining articles as they pass through the sheet application station. The resultant stack of articles formed in this way does not have all of the note sheets aligned vertically in the stack, thus reducing the overall height of the stack by dispersing horizontally the added thicknesses of the note sheets on the articles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company
    Inventors: Alden R. Miles, Timothy A. Mertens
  • Patent number: 5821931
    Abstract: The present invention implements, in a data processing environment, many of the attributes of paper Post-it.RTM. notes. The note program of the present invention need not be resident in an application program, and the notes of the present invention may be moved directly between windows or between regions without being saved in an intermediate memory, may be easily dispensed either from a note dispenser of a window or on a desktop, may overlap the boundary of a window, may be automatically saved, may be attached to a document within a window so that the note moves with the document, may overlap a boundary of a window, may be resized with the constraint that the note may not be resized off of a window, may be moved across a window boundary, and may be attached to an object, such as a character, a word, a sentence, or paragraph of a document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: David T. Berquist, Peter M. Eisenberg, Mitchell B. Grunes, Martin A. Kenner, John M. Kruse, Timothy A. Mertens, Cindy L. Munson
  • Patent number: 5776591
    Abstract: A method for forming a custom printed sheet bearing a layer of adhesive using a printer that drives a sheet along a sharply arcuate path past printing head means on the printer. An elongate sheet composite is provided that includes an elongate primary sheet portion of a width adapted to be received and fed through the printer, and a secondary sheet portion positioned adjacent the primary sheet portion with edges of the primary and secondary sheet portions generally aligned; and a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive extending between the adjacent surfaces of the sheet portions. The sheet composite has transverse paths of weakness at spaced locations along its length to define a concatenation of sheet composite segments. The sheet composite is folded in opposite directions along successive transverse paths of weakness to form a stack of sheet composite segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 7, 1998
    Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
    Inventor: Timothy A. Mertens