US3852092A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thermally responsive elastic membrane
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-06-05
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Granted: 1974-12-03
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Expires: 1992-06-05
Abstract
Abstract A thin sheet or membrane of an elastic material, such as natural rubber latex, is described which has incorporated therein encapsulated particles of cholesteric material which exhibit anisotropic optical properties. The membrane also includes in intimate mixture with the cholesteric particles, particles of a material which is incompressible relative to such cholesteric particles. The incompressible particles are larger in size than the cholesteric particles so as to protect the latter from internal compressive stresses caused within the elastic membrane by flexing or stretching thereof. In one described embodiment, each encapsulated particle of cholesteric material includes a central core of a light absorptive material which improves the light scattering properties of the cholesteric material and enables the sizing of the particles to be more closely controlled.
Inventors
- 👤 E Finkle
- 👤 J Patterson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 09:56
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B5/00; A61B5/01; A61B5/015; B; B41; B41M; B41M5/00; B41M5/26; B41M5/28; B41M5/281; G; G01; G01K; G01K11/00; G01K11/12; G01K11/16; G01K11/165; G01K13/00; G01K13/20; A61B2562/00; A61B2562/02; A61B2562/0271; A61B2562/0276; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/913; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/25
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
THIN SHEET OF MATERIAL FOR INDICATING TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIALS COMPRISING AN ELASTIC MEMBRANE OF MATERIAL HAVING IMBEDDED AS A LAYER THEREIN AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF ENCAPSULATED PARTICLES OF A CHOLESTERIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL EXHIBITING DIFFERENTIAL SURFACE REFLECTION OF LIGHT DEPENDENT UPON THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF AND TO PARTICLES OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS INCOMPRESSIBLE RELATIVE TO SAID ENCAPSULATED PARTICLES, SAID INCOMPRESSIBLE PARTICLES BEING LARGER IN SIZE THAN SAID ENCAPSULATED PARTICES TO PROTECT THE LATTER FROM COMPRESSIVE STRESS WITHIN SAID FILM; SAID ENCAPSULATED PARTICLES OF A CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL EACH INCLUDING A CENTRAL BODY WHICH IS LIGHT ABSORPTIVE AT ITS SURFACE, A LAYER OF SAID CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL OVERLYING THE EXPOSED LIGHT ABSORPTIVE SURFACE OF SAID BODY, AND A PROTECTIVE LAYER OF A LIGHT TRANSPARENT MATERIAL FOR ISOLATING SAID CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL FROM THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING SAID BODY AND SAID LAYER OF CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL THEREON.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
140 words
THIN SHEET OF MATERIAL FOR INDICATING TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIALS COMPRISING AN ELASTIC MEMBRANE OF MATERIAL HAVING IMBEDDED AS A LAYER THEREIN AN INTIMATE MIXTURE OF ENCAPSULATED PARTICLES OF A CHOLESTERIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE MATERIAL EXHIBITING DIFFERENTIAL SURFACE REFLECTION OF LIGHT DEPENDENT UPON THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF AND TO PARTICLES OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS INCOMPRESSIBLE RELATIVE TO SAID ENCAPSULATED PARTICLES, SAID INCOMPRESSIBLE PARTICLES BEING LARGER IN SIZE THAN SAID ENCAPSULATED PARTICES TO PROTECT THE LATTER FROM COMPRESSIVE STRESS WITHIN SAID FILM; SAID ENCAPSULATED PARTICLES OF A CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL EACH INCLUDING A CENTRAL BODY WHICH IS LIGHT ABSORPTIVE AT ITS SURFACE, A LAYER OF SAID CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL OVERLYING THE EXPOSED LIGHT ABSORPTIVE SURFACE OF SAID BODY, AND A PROTECTIVE LAYER OF A LIGHT TRANSPARENT MATERIAL FOR ISOLATING SAID CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL FROM THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING SAID BODY AND SAID LAYER OF CHOLESTERIC MATERIAL THEREON.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The thin sheet of material for indicating temperature differentials of claim 1 wherein said encapsulated cholesteric particles are generally in the size range of 2-30 microns in diameter, and said particles of an incompressible material are generally in the size range of 50-60 microns in diameter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
The thin sheet of material for indicating temperature differentials of claim 2 wherein said encapsulated cholesteric particles are generally in the size range of 2-20 microns in diameter so as to be tuned by size for the reception of infrared radiation.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The thin sheet of material for indicating temperature differentials of claim 3 wherein the material of said membrane is natural rubber latex.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The thin sheet of material for indicating temperature differentials of claim 4 wherein said membrane has a thickness of about 5 mils or less.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
The thin sheet of material for indicating temperature differentials of claim 4 further including a light absorptive backing layer on said membrane to inhibit the effect of transmitted and internally reflected light on the light reflected from the surface of said cholesteric particles.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-02 | 1978-06-03 | 1978-12-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-02 | 1982-06-03 | 1982-12-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-02 | 1986-06-03 | 1986-12-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |