US4397142A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Coded threads and sheet material useful for making such coded threads
Assignee: 3M Co
•
Filing: 1981-12-07
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Granted: 1983-08-09
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Expires: 2001-12-07
Abstract
Abstract Coded threads and sheet material for making such threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments. The sheet material comprises transparent microspheres, a specularly reflective layer underlying the microspheres, and a polymeric layer underlying the specularly reflective layer and containing particulate matter which may be varied from sheet material to sheet material to encode information and allow identification of the sheet material. The sheet material is split in narrow widths and incorporated into threads.
Inventors
- 👤 Wallace K. Bingham
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 20:59
CPC Classifications
B; B32; B32B; B32B33/00; B32B5/00; B32B5/16; B32B27/00; B32B27/14; B32B7/00; B32B7/04; B32B7/12; D; D02; D02G; D02G3/00; D02G3/22; D06; D06H; D06H1/00; G; G09; G09F; G09F3/00; B32B2264/00; B32B2264/12; B32B2307/00; B32B2307/40; B32B2307/402; B32B2307/404; B32B2437/00; B32B2519/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/916; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/25; Y10T428/29; Y10T428/2913; Y10T428/2927
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
A set of sheet materials for preparing distinctly coded threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments, each sheet material comprising a monolayer of transparent microspheres optically exposed at the front of said sheet material, a specularly reflective layer underlying the microspheres at the approximate point where the microspheres focus light that is incident on the front of said sheet material, and a polymeric layer underlying the specularly reflective layer and containing particulate matter dispersed therein, the composition of the particulate material in each distinct sheet material of the set differing in a predetermined manner from the composition of the particulate material in all other sheet materials of the set, and the different compositions providing coded information which may be read by an observer to identify the sheet material and a thread made from the sheet material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
A set of sheet materials for preparing distinctly coded threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments, each sheet material comprising a monolayer of transparent microspheres optically exposed at the front of said sheet material, a specularly reflective layer underlying the microspheres at the approximate point where the microspheres focus light that is incident on the front of said sheet material, and a polymeric layer underlying the specularly reflective layer and containing particulate matter dispersed therein, the composition of the particulate material in each distinct sheet material of the set differing in a predetermined manner from the composition of the particulate material in all other sheet materials of the set, and the different compositions providing coded information which may be read by an observer to identify the sheet material and a thread made from the sheet material.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
Sheet material of claim 1 in which the particles average between about 2 and 50 micrometers in diameter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
43 words
Sheet material of claim 1 in which the particulate material comprises a plurality of differently colored particles, and the particulate materials in the different sheet materials differ as to the color of particles or proportion of particular colored particles in the particulate material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
Sheet material of claim 3 in which the colored particles comprise spherical pigment particles having an average diameter between about 2 and 50 micrometers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
Sheet material of claim 1 which includes a transparent polymeric film which carries a specularly reflective layer underlying the polymeric layer.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
115 words
Sheet material for preparing coded threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments comprising (1) a transparent polymeric film which carries a specularly reflective layer; (2) a retroreflective layer which comprises (a) a sublayer of binder material, (b) a monolayer of transparent microspheres partially embedded in the sublayer of binder material and partially exposed above said sublayer, and (c) a sublayer of specularly reflective material underlying the microspheres; and (3) an adhesive layer by which the retroreflective layer is adhered to the polymeric film, the adhesive layer including a plurality of colored particles of at least two different colors dispersed in the layer, whereby an observer may identify the sheet material and threads made from the sheet material.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
115 words
Sheet material for preparing coded threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments comprising (1) a transparent polymeric film which carries a specularly reflective layer; (2) a retroreflective layer which comprises (a) a sublayer of binder material, (b) a monolayer of transparent microspheres partially embedded in the sublayer of binder material and partially exposed above said sublayer, and (c) a sublayer of specularly reflective material underlying the microspheres; and (3) an adhesive layer by which the retroreflective layer is adhered to the polymeric film, the adhesive layer including a plurality of colored particles of at least two different colors dispersed in the layer, whereby an observer may identify the sheet material and threads made from the sheet material.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
Sheet material of claim 6 in which the colored particles comprise spherical pigment particles.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
A thread comprising sheet material of claim 1 or 6 slit to a narrow width and intertwined with other yarns.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
A label comprising a thread which comprises sheet material of claim 1 or 6 slit to a narrow width and intertwined with other yarns.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
24 words
A garment comprising a thread which comprises sheet material of claim 1 or 6 slit to a narrow width and intertwined with other yarns.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
127 words
A set of different coded threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments comprising a long narrow width of sheet material which comprises a monolayer of transparent microspheres optically exposed at the front of said sheet material, a specularly reflective layer underlying the microspheres at the approximate point where the microspheres focus light that is incident on the front of the sheet material, and a polymeric layer underlying said specularly reflective layer and containing particulate material dispersed therein; the composition of the particulate material in each distinct coded thread of the set differing in a predetermined manner from the composition of the particulate material in all other coded threads of the set, and the different compositions providing coded information which may be read by an observer to identify the thread.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
127 words
A set of different coded threads useful in counterfeit-inhibiting garments comprising a long narrow width of sheet material which comprises a monolayer of transparent microspheres optically exposed at the front of said sheet material, a specularly reflective layer underlying the microspheres at the approximate point where the microspheres focus light that is incident on the front of the sheet material, and a polymeric layer underlying said specularly reflective layer and containing particulate material dispersed therein; the composition of the particulate material in each distinct coded thread of the set differing in a predetermined manner from the composition of the particulate material in all other coded threads of the set, and the different compositions providing coded information which may be read by an observer to identify the thread.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
Coded threads of claim 11 in which the particulate material comprises a mixture of at least two different varieties of differently colored particles.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
Coded threads of claim 12 in which the colored particles comprise spherical pigment particles having an average diameter between about 2 to 50 micrometers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
10 words
Garment labels comprising threads of claims 11, 12 or 13.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
9 words
Garments comprising threads of claims 11, 12 or 13.
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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) | 1986-08-08 | 1987-02-07 | 1987-08-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-08-08 | 1991-02-07 | 1991-08-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-08-08 | 1995-02-07 | 1995-08-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |