Retroreflective sheet with nonwoven elastic backing
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsMichael D. Crandall, Eugene G. Joseph
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Abstract
A retroreflective sheet comprising a monolayer of retroreflective elements partially embedded in and partially protruding from the front surface of a binder layer and a backing bonded to the back surface of the binder layer wherein the backing is elastic and comprises a highly conformable and deformable nonwoven web comprising melt-blown microfibers having multiple layers of a relatively low modulus material and a high modulus material.
Claims32
A retroreflective sheet comprising a monolayer of retroreflective elements partially embedded in and partially protruding from the front surface of a binder layer and a backing bonded to the back surface of said binder layer wherein said backing is elastic and comprises extensible nonwoven web comprising melt-blown microfibers each of said microfibers having at least two substantially continuous layers throughout said microfiber length comprised of at least one first layer of a low modulus material and at least one second layer of a relatively nonelastic higher modulus material capable of undergoing substantial permanent deformation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.