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US 12,202,226 B2Granted
Tension-activated, expanding sheets
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorsThomas R. Corrigan, Patrick R. Fleming, Dylan T. Cosgrove, Delony L. Langer-Anderson, Lisa M. Miller, Manoj Nirmal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates generally to tension-activated, expanding articles, films, and sheets. In some embodiments, these articles, films, and/or sheets are used as cushioning films and/or packaging materials. The present disclosure also relates to methods of making and using these tension-activated, expanding articles, films, and sheets.
Claims20
An expanding material having a pretensioned state defining a pretensioned plane, comprising:
- a material defining a plane having an axial direction and a transverse direction that is orthogonal to the axial direction, including a plurality of slits each having a curved transverse portion in the transverse direction between terminal ends that each extend in the axial direction, such that when a threshold amount of tension is applied to the material along a tension axis of the material, a plurality of regions of the material rotate at least 90° relative to the pretensioned plane.
An expanding material comprising:
- a sheet defining a plane having an axial direction and a transverse direction;
- and
- a plurality of slits through the sheet,
- wherein the plurality of slits define a first plurality of beams extending in the axial direction,
- wherein the first plurality of beams form a first column extending across the sheet in the axial direction,
- wherein the plurality of slits comprises a first group of slits each having a curved transverse portion that is positioned axially between beams in the first plurality of beams and at least one axial portion that is connected to the curved transverse portion and is generally parallel to the axial direction,
- wherein the plurality of slits define a second plurality of beams extending in the axial direction,
- wherein the second plurality of beams form a second column extending across the sheet in the axial direction, and the second plurality of beams are spaced from the first plurality of beams in the transverse direction,
- wherein the plurality of slits comprises a second group of slits each having a curved transverse portion that is positioned axially between beams in the second plurality of beams and at least one axial portion that is connected to the curved transverse portion and is generally parallel to the axial direction, and
- wherein each beam of the first plurality of beams has a terminus that is aligned with a terminus of a beam of the second plurality of beams along a transverse axis.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.