28391 results about "Sheet material" patented technology

Thermoplastic starch compositions that include a particulate filler, e.g. an inorganic filler component, and optional fibrous component The compositions include a thermoplastic phase comprising a thermoplastic starch melt that contains, at a minimum, starch blended with an appropriate plasticizing agent under conditions in order for the starch to form a thermoplastic melt. The thermoplastic phase may also include one or more additional thermoplastic polymers and other optional reactants, liquids or cross-linking agents to improve the water-resistance, strength, and/or other mechanical properties of the thermoplastic melt, particularly upon solidification. The inorganic filler component may affect the mechanical properties but will mainly be added to reduce the cost of the thermoplastic starch compositions by displacing a significant portion of the more expensive starch or starch/polymer melt. Fibers may optionally be included in order to improve the mechanical properties of the thermoplastic starch compositions. The thermoplastic starch compositions may be shaped into a wide variety of useful articles, such as sheets, films, containers, and packaging materials. Because the thermoplastic starch compositions will typically include a thermoplastic phase that is biodegradable, and because the other components will either constitute a naturally occurring mineral and optionally a natural fiber, the overall composition will typically be more environmentally friendly compared to conventional thermoplastic materials.

The present invention concerns an apparatus for conducting a microfluidic process. The apparatus comprises integral first and second plates. The first plate comprises an array of sample receiving elements for receiving a plurality of samples from an array of sample containers and dispensing the samples. The second plate comprises a planar array of microfluidic networks of cavity structures and channels for conducting a microfluidic process. Also disclosed is a method for processing an array of samples. At least a portion of each sample in an array of sample wells is simultaneously transferred to a corresponding array of microfluidic networks of cavity structures and channels by means of a corresponding array of sample receiving elements that is in integral fluid communication with the array of microfluidic networks. The samples are then processed. Also disclosed is a device for conducting a microfluidic process wherein the device comprising a planar substrate having a planar array of microfluidic networks of cavity structures and channels for conducting a microfluidic process. A plurality of such devices may be present on a continuous sheet. The invention further includes kits for carrying out microfluidic processes comprising an apparatus as described above.

An infusion device (1) comprising a housing (3) with an upper face plate (4) and a lower face plate (5) and an adhesive sheet material (101) placed on the lower face plate (5) for securing the infusion device (1) to the skin, the adhesive sheet material (101) comprising a backing layer (102) which has an adhesive layer (103) on one surface, the adhesive layer (103) being covered by a removable release liner (104), and wherein the release liner (104) comprising at least one score line (106) comprising a spiral or helix, wherein the starting point (107) for the score line (106) is placed in the periphery (108) of the release liner (104) and wherein the score line (106) continues to an end point placed on the border of the periphery (110) of a central aperture (105) of the release liner.

Metal foils, wires, and seamless tubes with increased mechanical strength are provided. As opposed to wrought materials that are made of a single metal or alloy, these materials are made of two or more layers forming a laminate structure. Laminate structures are known to increase mechanical strength of sheet materials such as wood and paper products and are used in the area of thin films to increase film hardness, as well as toughness. Laminate metal foils have not been used or developed because the standard metal forming technologies, such as rolling and extrusion, for example, do not lend themselves to the production of laminate structures. Vacuum deposition technologies can be developed to yield laminate metal structures with improved mechanical properties. In addition, laminate structures can be designed to provide special qualities by including layers that have special properties such as superelasticity, shape memory, radio-opacity, corrosion resistance etc. Examples of articles which may be made by the inventive laminate structures include implantable medical devices that are fabricated from the laminated deposited films and which present a blood or body fluid and tissue contact surface that has controlled heterogeneities in material constitution. An endoluminal stent-graft and web-stent that is made of a laminated film material deposited and etched into regions of structural members and web regions subtending interstitial regions between the structural members. An endoluminal graft is also provided which is made of a biocompatible metal or metal-like material. The endoluminal stent-graft is characterized by having controlled heterogeneities in the stent material along the blood flow surface of the stent and the method of fabricating the stent using vacuum deposition methods.

An electro-optic display comprises, in order, a backplane comprising a plurality of pixel electrodes; a layer of a solid electro-optic medium; a main adhesive layer; and at least one of a light-transmissive protective layer and a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer. The electro-optic layer may be in direct contact with the backplane or separated therefrom by a thin auxiliary layer of adhesive. The main adhesive layer may be colored to provide a color filter array. An inverted front plane laminate useful in forming such a display comprises the same layers except that the backplane is replaced by a release sheet. The display combines good low temperature performance and good resolution at higher temperatures.

In an ultra-thin absorbent sheet member 1a in which an absorbent polymer powder 3 is adhered to one surface of a first nonwoven fabric 2 by a hotmelt adhesive such that absorbent polymer powder present areas 2c and absorbent polymer powder absent areas 2a, 2b exist; the absorbent polymer powder absent areas are present at opposite widthwise ends (2a) of the ultra-thin absorbent sheet member and at least one position (2b) between the opposite ends; the absorbent polymer powder 3 is bonded to the first nonwoven fabric 2 by first hotmelt adhesive layers S1 formed on an upper side of the first nonwoven fabric 2 and on a lower side of the absorbent polymer powder 3 and a second hotmelt adhesive layer S2 formed to cover upper sides of the absorbent polymer powder present areas 2c and the absorbent polymer powder absent areas 2a, 2b; and the first hotmelt adhesive layer S1 and the second hotmelt adhesive layer S2 are both made of an aggregate of linear hotmelt adhesive pieces.

A process for making absorbent cellulosic paper products such as sheet for towel, tissue and the like, includes compactively dewatering a nascent web followed by wet belt creping the web at an intermediate consistency of anywhere from about 30 to about 60 percent under conditions operative to redistribute the fiber on the belt, which is preferably a fabric. In preferred embodiments, the web is thereafter adhesively applied to a Yankee dryer using a creping adhesive operative to enable high speed transfer of the web of intermediate consistency such as a poly(vinyl alcohol)/polyamide adhesive. An absorbent sheet so prepared from a papermaking furnish exhibits an absorbency of at least about 5 g/g, a CD stretch of at least about 4 percent, and an MD/CD tensile ratio of less than about 1.1, and also exhibits a maximum CD modulus at a CD strain of less than 1 percent and sustains a CD modulus of at least 50 percent of its maximum CD modulus to a CD strain of at least about 4 percent. Products of the invention may also exhibit an MD modulus at break 1.5 to 2 times their initial MD modulus.

A gastric constriction device (160) comprises a sheet (131) extending over part of the wall of the stomach (24). Five bands (151) extend around the stomach (24) to fix the sheet (131) in position relative to the stomach (24). The lower two bands (151) extend from the first side (152) of the sheet (131) around the stomach (24) only partially towards the second side (153). These lower two bands (151) are not fixed to the second side (153). This arrangement results in an unconstricted portion of the stomach (161). In this manner, the device (160) restricts expansion of the majority of the stomach wall while facilitating expansion of this unconstricted portion (161). The unconstricted portion (161) is therefore free to expand or bulge outwardly upon ingestion. This expansion may trigger the feeling of satiation due to the presence of the vagal nerves in this portion (161) of the stomach (24).

A laminated ultrasonic waveguide and a method of fabrication thereof including stamping at least two pieces of sheet stock to form stamped parts of the laminated ultrasonic waveguide. The stamped parts are then laminated together to form a laminated ultrasonic waveguide for transferring ultrasonic acoustic energy along a longitudinal axis of the laminated ultrasonic waveguide. The laminated ultrasonic waveguide may be part of an ultrasonic surgical instrument having an active tip end-effector, which is placed in contact with tissue of a patient to couple ultrasonic energy transferred along the laminated ultrasonic waveguide to the tissue. The stamped pieces of sheet stock can also be stamped to form one or more channels extending along the length of the laminated ultrasonic waveguide. The laminated ultrasonic waveguide can also define a connector at a proximal end thereof to transfer ultrasonic energy into the laminated ultrasonic waveguide. In different embodiments, the laminated ultrasonic waveguide comprises first and second (and third or more) stamped pieces of sheet stock that are laminated together.

One or more actuator driven devices on a sheet forming machine receive power and engage in bi-didrectional communications with one or more quality control systems either by having no physically connected cables to transmit the power to the actuators and no physically connected cables used for the bi-directional communications; or contactless power and communication on a power cable; or a cable connected from the power source to the actuators to provide both power and bi-directional communications; or power is provided to the actuators by a cable and the bi-directional communications are wireless.

A breathable composite sheet material, a method for making such a sheet material, and an absorbent article utilizing the sheet material are provided. The composite sheet material is comprised of a thermoplastic film adhered directly to a fibrous substrate. The thermoplastic film comprises at least 50% by weight of a polymer material from the group of block copolyether esters, block copolyether amides and polyurethanes. The substrate comprises a fibrous web of at least 50% by weight of polyolefin polymer synthetic fibers. The composite sheet exhibits a peel strength of at least 0.1 N/cm, a dynamic fluid transmission of less than about 0.75 g/m² when subjected to an impact energy of about 2400 joules/m², and a moisture vapor transmission rate, according to the desiccant method, of at least 1500 g/m²/24 hr. The absorbent article comprises (a) a topsheet; (b) a backsheet; and (c) an absorbent core located between the topsheet and the backsheet; wherein the backsheet comprises the non-porous, substantially fluid impermeable, moisture vapor permeable composite sheet material described above. The composite sheet material is oriented such that the film layer of the composite sheet material faces toward the absorbent core. The absorbent article may comprise a disposable diaper.

A resorbable, flexible implant in the form of a continuous macro-porous sheet is disclosed. The implant is adapted to protect biological tissue defects, especially bone defects in the mammalian skeletal system, from the interposition of adjacent soft tissues during in vivo repair. The membrane has pores with diameters from 20 microns to 3000 microns. This porosity is such that vasculature and connective tissue cells derived from the adjacent soft tissues including the periosteum can proliferate through the membrane into the bone defect. The thickness of the sheet is such that the sheet has both sufficient flexibility to allow the sheet to be shaped to conform to the configuration of a skeletal region to be repaired, and sufficient tensile strength to allow the sheet to be so shaped without damage to the sheet. The sheet provides enough inherent mechanical strength to withstand pressure from adjacent musculature and does not collapse.

An absorbent sheet of cellulosic fibers includes a mixture of hardwood fibers and softwood fibers arranged in a reticulum having: (i) a plurality of pileated fiber enriched regions of relatively high local basis weight interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased along the machine direction between pileated regions interconnected thereby, wherein the sheet exhibits a % CD stretch which is at least about 2.75 times the dry tensile ratio of the sheet. Tensile ratios of from about 0.4 to about 4 are readily achieved.

This invention generally pertains to a composite building material comprising a lightweight core with a thin fiber cement facing on one side of the core and a second facing material on the other side. The fiber cement facing that is used on at least one of the faces of the building material is 3/16″ or less, more preferably ⅛″ or less. The green fiber cement facing is preferably formed by a slurry-dewatering process to form a sheet that is in a plastic, uncured, state prior to manufacture of the composite. The composite building material is assembled in an uncured state and then cured.

The present invention pertains to an orthopedic support having a flexible inner member and an exo-skeleton that is molded directly onto the flexible inner member. In one particular embodiment, a versatile, multi-medium orthopedic ankle support assembly has an inner fabric support for extending at least partially around an injured part of the anatomy and for providing basic support for the injury. A plastic exo-support is injection molded into said fabric support and supplies supplemental support for resisting motion of the injured part in undesired directions. The fabric support has a main body portion for extending at least part way around the injured part of the anatomy and has edges to be secured together after the fabric support is fitted to the injured part. The invention is not limited to ankle braces, of course, as the general principle of molding an exo-skeleton onto a flexible inner member may be used in conjunction with numerous different supports. An efficient method for constructing an orthopedic support includes the steps of first placing a sheet of flexible material across a mold, cutting the sheet, injection molding the exo-structure onto the sheet material in the mold, and securing the sheet into an orthopedic support.

A method of making an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes the steps of designing an article of footwear via a website, converting a footwear representation into a set of two-dimensional portions, printing the two dimensional portions onto a sheet material, cutting and assembling the two dimensional portions into a finalized article of footwear. The method further includes a step of shipping the article of footwear to a pre-designated shipping address.