# US 4,397,142 A · Coded threads and sheet material useful for making such coded threads > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 4,397,142 A - Document ID: US4397142A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 06/327,803 - Filed: 1981-12-07 - Granted: 1983-08-09 - Earliest claimed: 1981-12-07 - Assignees: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company - Inventors: Wallace K. Bingham - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4397142A ## CPC - B32B 5/16: characterised by features of a layer formed of particles, e.g. chips, powder {or granules (layer formed of natural mineral particles B32B19/00; layer being formed of wood fibres, chips or particles B32B21/02)} - B32B 7/12: using interposed adhesives or interposed materials with bonding properties - B32B 27/14: next to a particulate layer - B32B 33/00: Layered products characterised by particular properties or particular surface features, e.g. particular surface coatings; Layered products designed for particular purposes not covered by another single class - D02G 3/22: Yarns or threads characterised by constructional features {, e.g. blending, filament/fibre (piecing of yarns or threads D01H15/00)} - D06H 1/00: Marking textile materials; Marking in combination with metering or inspecting - G09F 3/00: Labels, tag tickets, or similar identification or indication means (medals or badges A44C3/00; making labels B31D1/02; sheets temporarily attached together B42F; labelling B65C; labels on record carriers G11B23/38, G11B23/40); Seals; Postage or like stamps - B32B 2264/12: Mixture of at least two particles made of different materials - B32B 2307/404: Multi-coloured - B32B 2437/00: Clothing - B32B 2519/00: Labels, badges - Y10S 428/916: Fraud or tamper detecting - Y10T 428/25: Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles - Y10T 428/2927: including structurally defined particulate matter - B32B: LAYERED PRODUCTS, i.e. PRODUCTS BUILT-UP OF STRATA OF FLAT OR NON-FLAT, e.g. CELLULAR OR HONEYCOMB, FORM - D02G: CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, OR YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS - D06H: MARKING, INSPECTING, SEAMING OR SEVERING TEXTILE MATERIALS (seaming by sewing D05B) - G09F: DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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 (depends on 1) Sheet material of claim 1 in which the particles average between about 2 and 50 micrometers in diameter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) 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 4 (depends on 3) 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 5 (depends on 1) Sheet material of claim 1 which includes a transparent polymeric film which carries a specularly reflective layer underlying the polymeric layer. ### Claim 6 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 7 (depends on 6) Sheet material of claim 6 in which the colored particles comprise spherical pigment particles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1, 6) A thread comprising sheet material of claim 1 or 6 slit to a narrow width and intertwined with other yarns. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 6) 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 10 (depends on 1, 6) 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 11 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 12 (depends on 11) Coded threads of claim 11 in which the particulate material comprises a mixture of at least two different varieties of differently colored particles. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) 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 14 (depends on 11, 12, 13) Garment labels comprising threads of claims 11, 12 or 13. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11, 12, 13) Garments comprising threads of claims 11, 12 or 13.