US 12,202,226 B2
Tension-activated, expanding sheets
Thomas R. Corrigan, St. Paul, MN (US); Patrick R. Fleming, Lake Elmo, MN (US); Dylan T. Cosgrove, Oakdale, MN (US); Delony L. Langer-Anderson, Hugo, MN (US); Lisa M. Miller, Spring Valley, WI (US); and Manoj Nirmal, St. Paul, MN (US)
Assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US)
Appl. No. 17/787,366
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
PCT Filed Dec. 16, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/062065
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 20, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/130616, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 1, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/058,116, filed on Jul. 29, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/952,778, filed on Dec. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0380107 A1, Dec. 1, 2022
Int. Cl. B31D 5/00 (2017.01); B31D 1/00 (2017.01); B32B 5/04 (2006.01); B65B 11/00 (2006.01); B65D 81/02 (2006.01); B65D 81/03 (2006.01)
CPC B31D 5/0065 (2013.01) [B31D 1/0031 (2013.01); B32B 5/04 (2013.01); B65B 11/004 (2013.01); B65D 81/022 (2013.01); B65D 81/03 (2013.01); B31D 2205/0064 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. 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.