Threads for identification of garments
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorWallace K. Bingham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thread is provided which comprises a polymeric material onto which has been fixed a symbol or repeating multiple symbols which are detectable and readable under magnification. When incorporated into garments or garment labels, this thread is useful in identifying the true manufacturer of the goods, and the absence of such threads would help in the detection of counterfeit goods.
Claims18
A thread comprising a filament made of polymeric material to which has been applied a microscopic symbol which is visibly detectable and readable only under magnification.
An encoded thread comprising a length of slit sheet material which carries a repeating series micro-symbols formed by a process comprising:
- (a) coating the sheet material with a photosensitive composition;
- (b) exposing the coated sheet material to light which has passed through a negative showing the symbols;
- (c) developing the image of the symbols on the sheet material;
- and (d) slitting the sheet material into strands which can be manipulated as threads.
A process for manufacturing a polymeric thread comprising the steps of:
- (a) coating a polymeric material with a photo-sensitive chemical composition;
- (b) exposing the coated polymeric material to light which has passed through a negative showing a symbol to be imparted to the polymeric film;
- (c) developing the image of the symbol imparted to the film in step (b);
- and
- (d) slitting the polymeric film into strands which can be manipulated as threads.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.