text:
"Tommy Hearns had a weak chin"
View Single Post
New England
Strong champion.
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Boston.
Posts: 36,563
Quoted: 3476 Post(s)
Rep Power:
Points: 10,100,006,002,681,845,760.00
Bank: 151,332,495,539,274,976.00
Total Points: 10,251,338,498,221,121,536.00
hearns didn't have a great chin in the sense that it matched most of the rest of his characteristics, but it wasn't bad. he would have never gotten to the levels he reached with a "weak" chin.
he was a massive WW. a stoppage loss to ray leonard is nothing to scoff at. leonard could really punch. it's likely that leonard is one of the only WW in history who would stop hearns. robinson, leonard, and who else really, do you pick to stop tommy hearns at WW?
armstrong? nah. he'd probably lose.
gavilan, napoles, ross? doubt it.
name some other top historic WW. they probably lose to tommy hearns, many via stoppage.
his stoppage losses to leonard and hagler, as well as his long physique and a the tendency of a bodies like that to show damage, contributed to the myth that his chin was as vulnerable as it's made out to be by some.
New England
View Public Profile
Send a private message to New England
Find More Posts by New England
New England
View Public Profile
Send a private message to New England
Find More Posts by New England


text:
f you've flown with a power mobility product, you know that there's some risk to your equipment. That is, handing your power wheelchair over to airline personnel for stowage can be a bit like a child's Easy-Bake Oven - what goes in may not be what comes out.
However, while we often hear consumer horror stories of mishandled or damaged power wheelchairs by seemingly careless airlines, we never hear the airlines' side of the story. And, it turns out that it's an intriguing story, indeed, as I recently learned via a stakeholders' meeting regarding airline transport of mobility products.
Designed for Baggage, Not Wheelchairs
The fact is, most commercial planes were designed well before the Americans with Disabilities Act - with many still in the air today that were literally flying before the ADA - with no provisions built-in to transport a power wheelchair. Cargo loading and stowage was designed around suitcases, not wheelchairs, resulting in narrow conveyor belts for loading, and cargo door openings as low as 34". What's more, there's no designated space or securement method for power wheelchairs within cargo compartments. And, on small, regional jets, the interior of the cargo compartment can be lower in height than the door opening, making it extremely difficult to stow a power wheelchair.
As a result, ground crews often must get creative, doing what they can to make a square peg fit in a round hole, so to speak. For example, if a power wheelchair exceeds the height needed to fit in a 34" cargo door opening, it must be laid on its side for clearance (most power wheelchairs are 23" to 28" tall when on their side, so they're substantially lower than when upright). Similarly, in cramped cargo holes, a power wheelchair may need to be transported on its side, as well. This may sound alarming to consumers, but it's often the only solution for transport if a power wheelchair is too tall.
Everyone Can't Know Everything
With countless power wheelchair models rolling around - and aspects like free-wheel releases vital to airline transport varying widely - it's impossible for everyone to know everything about every power wheelchair passing through the airport. What's more, the ground crew that loads a power wheelchair at one airport has no contact with the crew at the destination airport. Therefore, there's an obvious gap in knowledge as to what may have been done to the power wheelchair in preparation for stowage. In these ways, as well-meaning as airline ground crews are, they're still working with unfamiliar products, with no shared knowledge - and that leads to issues for everyone. Truly, those who load power wheelchairs are baggage handlers trying to make the best of loading, stowing, and unloading an unfamiliar device (and, by manually lifting heavy power wheelchairs, they're often violating OSHA regulations - yet they still do it). Under these circumstances, it's seen how easily components can get lost or accidentally damaged.
Airport Logistics
Just as airplanes weren't designed for wheelchair transport, neither were most major airports. To get a gate-checked power wheelchair from the boarded passenger, down to the tarmac for stowage, takes an average of 25-minutes at the major airports. The power wheelchair must be pushed (or driven), by a ground crew member up the jetway, through the terminal, to a service elevator, and back to the plane on the tarmac for stowing. Most major airports don't have terminal-to-tarmac elevators, so the route required to get a power wheelchair from the plane's entrance, down to the tarmac, is often quite long. The reverse process must be followed when landing, which explains why it can take so long to get one's wheelchair back after landing.
Making the Skies More Friendly
As expressed by the airlines, there are steps that both mobility product manufacturers and consumers can take to ensure power wheelchairs are made friendlier for flying. Clearly-marked free-wheel levers allow the ground crew to recognize how to disengage and brake the power wheelchair (and bright yellow levers have been becoming the industry standard). A folding backrest that lowers the power wheelchair's height to less than 34" allows it to fit in virtually all cargo door openings, without tipping the power wheelchair on its side. And, removing protruding components like legrests can reduce the likelihood of damage. These three steps alone, according to the airlines, can dramatically improve airline transport, ultimately benefiting all involved.
Behind the Curtain
Surely, when we roll up to board an airplane, all appears polished and composed, from sharply-dressed stewardesses to spotless cabins. However, behind the scenes, it's an all-out race to get the plane loaded and in the air as quickly as possible - and a power wheelchair adds to that process. The fact is, airplanes weren't designed to transport power wheelchairs, nor were baggage-handling procedures designed to load them. Yet, the airline industry, as well as power wheelchair manufacturers, have been making the best of a challenging circumstance, improvising protocols and optimizing products to make
transporting power wheelchairs as foolproof as possible - but it's still a work in progress.
Published 9/2011,
Copyright 2011, WheelchairJunkie.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Closing Market Numbers -- 08/19/99DJIA 10963.84 -27.54 (-0.25%) S&P 500 1323.59 -9.25 (-0.69%) Nasdaq 2621.43 -36.30 (-1.37%) Russell 2000 432.77 -0.33 (-0.08%) 30-Year Bond 101 5/32 -17/32 6.04 Yield
U.S. Foodservice, Netro Corp, CV Therapeutics, Venator Group, The Bank of New York, eBay, and other market movers... August 19, 1999
UPSFood products distributor U.S. Foodservice (NYSE: UFS) served investors a warm helping of one-day gains, jumping $3 1/4 to $22 after delivering its 20th consecutive quarter of record sales and operating earnings. The company posted diluted EPS before extraordinary charges of $0.91, a 34% increase from $0.68 a year ago.
Broadband wireless system provider Netro Corp. (Nasdaq: NTRO) rocketed $15 1/2, or 193.8%, to $23 1/2 after selling 5 million shares in an initial public offering at $8 each. E-commerce software company Wink Communication Inc. (Nasdaq: WINK) soared during its trading debut as well, rising to $19 11/16 to $35 11/16.
Cardiovascular disease drugmaker CV Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CVTX) strode $4 15/16 to $13 13/16 after announcing positive results from treadmill tests for Ranolazine, an experimental drug used to treat patients with stable angina. The trial was the first of two key phase-three tests for the drug. CV Therapeutics estimates that 7.2 million Americans suffer from angina.
Web-based email software company CommTouch Software Ltd. (Nasdaq: CTCH) delivered $3 3/16 to $14 1/4 despite reporting a second quarter loss of $1.66 per share compared to $0.72 per share a year ago. Analysts at Warburg Dillon Read and U.S. Bancorp. Piper Jaffray rated the stock a "strong buy."
DOWNSFoot Locker stores operator Venator Group (NYSE: Z) stumbled today, fumbling $1 5/8 to $8 3/8 after the company reported Q2 EPS of $0.04 (before restructuring charges), a penny better than expected but just flat with last year's levels. Same-store sales, both quarter-to-quarter and year-to-date, are flat with last year's levels. Gross margins fell nearly 3% from a year ago. Venator closed 84 stores, opening 49.
Shares of The Bank of New York (NYSE: BK) lost $1 5/8 to $37 today. The company is reportedly cooperating with U.S. investigators to find out whether Russian mobsters used the bank to launder some $10 billion since last year. A company spokesman told reporters that the bank isn't facing any allegations of wrongdoing and no customers or funds have been lost in connection with the allegations.
After rising yesterday on the words of Merrill Lynch net analyst Henry Blodget, the market let the air out of several big name Internet stocks. eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) slipped $12 3/16 to $113 3/4, Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) dipped $7 to $106 1/8, and Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) missed $5 7/8 to $139 3/16.
Telecommunications equipment maker ADC Telecommunications (Nasdaq: ADCT) dropped $3 7/16 to $40 7/16 after reporting fiscal third quarter earnings (before a one-time charge related to purchase and development expenses) of $0.37 per diluted share, slightly below the high-end of earnings estimates.
Computer component maker Smart Modular Technologies (Nasdaq: SMOD) lost $1 3/16 to $18 13/16 after announcing it had reached agreement with Compaq Computer (NYSE: CPQ) to buy its embedded and real-time product line. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Data and voice network services firm Convergent Communications (Nasdaq: CONV), which said John Phibbs resigned as CFO, retreated $1 1/4 to $11 7/16 today. The company said Steven Hansen, vice president of finance, will fill in during the search for a replacement.


text:
Christie Lake Engagement from Wendy Alana PhotographyThree things that bring me joy: adorable duos in love, cute pups and a whole lot of happy. And this awesome e-sesh from Wendy Alana Photography? Well, it most definitely has all three with two cuties celebrating their upcoming nuptials in the
View CreditsRead More


text:
This event has passed and is archived.
The Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will host a presentation by ULI's Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) of their initial findings of their study of downtown Long Beach's waterfront area. Recognizing the need to create stronger pedestrian connectivity within downtown's waterfront, as well as between the waterfront and other downtown neighborhoods, the DLBA has enlisted the expertise of a ULI TAP to explore and develop recommendations to improve pedestrian activity in the area. Attendees will have the opportunity to provide feedback and ask questions following the presentation. For more information on the study, click here
Tune in Live
This speaking engagement will be streamed live via the web. It's free and you can participate in the Q&A session at the end via Twitter. Times posted are in Pacific Time. Please note that if you tune in early, you may see either a placeholder image or another scheduled guest speaker engagement.Launch the live web stream
|Archived Event Information
Friday, Aug 1, 2014 | 3:30 PM–5:00 PM
Check in during this lecture to see a live feed of this speaking engagement. Submit your questions and comments with your own Twitter account. @AquariumPacific and tag your question with #DTLBwaterfont for a chance to have your question answered at the end during the question and answer session.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Dec 26, 2006
|Filing date
|Sep 3, 2004
|Priority date
|May 28, 2002
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Jeffery N. Jackson, William Ward Merrill, Andrew T. Ruff, Desiree L. Thompson, Dennis L. Krueger
|Original Assignee
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (54), Non-Patent Citations (1), Referenced by (13), Classifications (8), Legal Events (3)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/294,940, which is incorporated herein by reference.
This application is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 10/156,348, filed May 28, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,440 the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to stretching films, particularly optical films and more particularly to optical films that are to be substantially uniaxially oriented. The present invention also comprises an apparatus suitable for stretching such films and the resultant films stretched by the apparatus.
There are a variety of reasons to stretch films. PCT WO 00/29197 discloses a method of biaxially stretching a polymeric film. The method may be used to impart mechanical characteristics to products such as film backing.
Stretching may enhance physical properties of crystalline plastic films. U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,772 discloses a machine for stretching film that includes circular discs that grasp edge portions of a film and stretch the film transverse to a machine direction of the film.
Tenter apparatus are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,618,012, 3,502,766, 3,890,421, 4,330,499; 4,525,317 and 4,853,602. Conventional tenters suffer many drawbacks. The angle of divergence in conventional tenters is typically small, usually less than 10 degrees. Boundary trajectories return to a parallel, or nearly parallel, state prior to quenching the polymeric film and slitting. Referring to
As used herein, the ratio of the final T′ to initial thickness of the film T (see
The NDDR is roughly the reciprocal of the TDDR in a conventional tenter, while the MDDR is essentially unchanged. This asymmetry in MDDR and NDDR draw causes differences in the various molecular, mechanical and optical properties of the film above and beyond the differences in properties between these directions and the stretch direction (TD). Illustrative examples of such properties include the crystal orientation and morphology, thermal and hygroscopic expansions, the small strain anisotropic mechanical compliances, tear resistance, creep resistance, shrinkage, the refractive indices and absorption coefficients at various wavelengths.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,564 discloses an apparatus for stretching a thermoplastic material web. The device includes an exponential or other curvilinear stretching profile. The apparatus provides a constant rate of stretch to the web, as opposed to the sharp peak and varying rate of stretch provided with conventional straight course tenter apparatus.
Uniaxially drawn films have superior performance to simply monoaxially drawn films. For example, uniaxially drawn films are more easily fibrillated or torn along the stretch direction (TD). In optical applications, matching the MD and ND indices of refraction is often advantageous. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,882,774; 5,962,114; and 5,965,247 (Jonza, et. al.) disclose materials with matched indexes of refraction for improved off-normal angle performance in brightness enhancement applications of multilayer reflective polarizers.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 5-11114 teaches that compensation films with matched MD and ND indices of refraction allow wider viewing angles in liquid crystalline displays.
A conventional method for attempting to make a uniaxially drawn film is to use a length orienter (L.O.) that draws the film longitudinally in MD across at least one span between rollers of differing speed. The MDDR imparted along this span or draw gap is essentially the ratio of the speed of the downstream roll to the upstream roll. Because the film freely spans the rollers without edge constraints, the film can neck down in width as well as thin in caliper as it draws. Thus the TDDR can be reduced substantially below unity and can possibly be made to equal the NDDR. The method is fraught with difficulties and limitations. One disadvantage is the limitation on part size. An initial web of given width is reduced in width by a factor of the square root of the reciprocal of MDDR. Thus a final film made with an L.O. has a substantially reduced width. When contrasted to a film made by a tenter, which increases the width by roughly the TDDR (excluding edge losses from gripping), the L.O. under uniaxial conditions reduces the possible part size substantially.
Stretching longitudinally tends to amplify machine direction propagated caliper imperfections such as die lines. In order to achieve a high degree of uniaxial character, the L.O. needs a long span relative to the film initial width. Practically, this requires a large device and long film spans that may be hard to control.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei 6-34815 points out another limitation of making films for optical applications over rollers. This document points out that rollers can scratch or otherwise damage the surface of the film. Films with delicate coatings or with soft skin layers could be easily deleteriously impacted.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Hei-150115, the effective initial width is reduced by introducing MD oriented slits into the film in a periodic fashion. This method even more severely limits the available part width.
There have been many attempts to draw films in a uniaxial fashion. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. Hei 5-288931, 5-288932, 6-27321 and 6-34815 (H. Field, et. al.) describe methods where film is fed into clips whose gripping surfaces form an out-of-plane waveform. Since the actual contour length along MD of the film is much longer than the in-plane projection of that contour length along MD of the tenter, the actual rate of film fed in is higher than its planar projection. The film is initially fed in a similar out-of-plane waveform (e.g. it is corrugated). The method makes use of the MD tension that develops during draw to take up the slack of the corrugation and flatten the final film. In a variation, the film is drawn normally and then placed in the waveform clips. Heat treatment under tension after draw and the resulting shrinkage forces are then relied on to flatten the web. The method is described in conjunction with polysulfone films at low levels of overfeed (under 20%). The method is likely limited by process issues such as the draw ratio range required and heat transfer. Many useful uniaxially oriented films require draw ratios in excess of 4. These in turn would require overfeeds in excess of 100%, resulting in deep out-of-plane folds that would be difficult to heat uniformly. For example, the heat transfer to the tops and bottoms of the folds could be much higher than in the center plane due to the closer proximity to the heating plenums. This would tend to limit line speeds. Such large folds could also collapse and stick to each other as the web strength weakened in the pre-heat needed to effect draw, thereby causing the method to fail. At low levels of overfeed, the method reports good flattening across the film. As the boundary waveform became deeper, it is believed that the yield and quality of the final film would be adversely impacted.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications, Hei 5-241021, 6-51116 and 6-51119 disclose clip gripping surfaces remaining in-plane during draw. The film is fed into the clips at an out-of-plane angle while the clips are moving around an out-of-plane radius. The out-of-plane radius creates a temporary increase in the separation between the individual clips. After rounding the curve, the clip gripping surfaces return in-plane, the clips remain separated but more closely spaced, and corrugated portions of the film provide extra slack lie between the clips. The method relies on the tension during draw to flatten the film in-plane. The method may suffer the disadvantages of large corrugations for high draw ratio conditions. Additionally, since the clips remain separated prior to draw, the edges of the film forming the initial corrugations are unsupported. As the drawing proceeds and stresses build, these unsupported edges begin to pull inwards towards the film centerline. Eventually large scallops form between the clips. The scallops not only make the edges unusable, but also create large caliper variations through the film. This adversely impacts the yield and quality of the final film.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications, Hei 5-11113 discloses decoupling the MD line speed from the instantaneous film MD velocity by making the process partly discontinuous in mass flow. Transversely oriented slits are introduced into the web. These allow central portions of the otherwise continuous film to pull away from each other, allegedly allowing more substantially uniaxially drawn material in these portions. This method puts severe limits on usable part size and yield.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,500 (Yazawa, et. al.) discloses a film fed between two rotating disks or wheels. The film is gripped by two continuous belts. The film and the disks all lie in the same plane. The film stretches transversely between the counter rotating disks as its edges follow the diverging circumferential edges of the disks. The divergence angle of the draw becomes large, and the MD velocity of the film slows by the cosine of this divergence angle. The belt speed remains constant. In this manner, the output velocity is reduced from the input velocity of the film. The film is released from its gripping belts and the film is taken up at the slower MD velocity.
The method discloses the adjustment of the separation distance between the centers of rotation of the disks and the size of the disks. One disadvantage of this method, discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,314, is the difficulty of maintaining good gripping of the film with the belt system. This would be particularly challenging in the stretching of films that develop high levels of drawing stress, e.g. polyesters drawn near their glass transition temperatures. It is believed that many materials used in this process would acquire a wrinkle or a non-uniaxially drawn permanent set using this method. For example, polyesters monoaxially drawn near their glass transitions while holding their MD lengths fixed may wrinkle rather than snap back in-plane when the final width is reduced in a succeeding step towards that anticipated for the substantially uniaxial case. Wrinkling also can occur when the MD reduction is applied too late in the TD drawing step.
Swenson U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,036 describes a canted wheel film drawing apparatus. Here the disks are no longer in-plane with the film and thus the sheet is stretched between out-of-plane boundary trajectories defined by the circumferences of the canted wheels. The method is described as a means of stretching films comprising elastomeric layers. As pointed out in U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,004, due to the developing MD tension along the progress of the draw, stretching between such out-of-plane curved surfaces causes the film surface to become saddle shaped. The central portion of the film straightens out as it is not directly held, as is the film at the boundary trajectories, and thus it draws along a different path than the edges. This non-uniform drawing can result in significant caliper and property variations across the web, and is a major disadvantage for drawing films along boundary trajectories that move out-of-plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,004 described a variety of methods for partially dealing with the saddle formation. Profiling the initial film thickness or temperature distribution is suggested as a means to uniform caliper, although property variations due to different drawing histories would remain. Alternatively, a support device could force the film in the central portion to conform to the curved out-of-plane trajectory. Friction and concomitant damage to the film surface might be reduced by various methods including an air cushion. Saddling also manifests in various operations with the aforementioned disk orienter as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,128. A convex guide surface is used to counter the saddling. Damage to the film surface from the application of such methods is another disadvantage to the method. In particular, films used in optical applications are particularly sensitive to surface defects as may be caused by scuffing and other contact-related defects.
The present invention comprises processes for stretching film to provide desirable properties (e.g. optical properties), films stretched according to such processes and apparatus for stretching films. In preferred embodiments, the invention addresses shortcomings of the prior art such as excessive thickness deviation across the width of desired use of the final film, excessive anisotropic property deviation from fiber symmetry across the width of desired use of the final film, wrinkles and other non-flat imperfections in the final film, and surface contacting that can cause surface damage to the final film.
In one aspect, the present invention includes a process for forming an optical film with predetermined optical properties, including the steps of providing a multilayer film having alternating layers of polymeric materials with predetermined optical properties, such that the film is defined in reference to a coordinate system of first and second orthogonal in-plane axes and a third mutually orthogonal axis in a thickness direction of the film; feeding the multilayer film to a stretcher; stretching the film along the first in-plane axis of the film with the stretcher while allowing contraction of the film in the second in-plane axis and in the thickness direction of the film, with the stretching achieved by grasping edge portions of the film and moving the edge portions of the film along predetermined paths which diverge to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film.
In one embodiment, the predetermined paths are shaped so as to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film. In a preferred embodiment, at least one of the edge portions of the film is moved along a predetermined path that is substantially parabolic.
In a different embodiment, the speed of the edge of the film is controlled to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film.
In another embodiment, at least one of the edge portions of the film is moved along a predetermined path at a substantially constant speed.
In a preferred embodiment, the process is a continuous process and the film is fed continuously to the stretcher. The film may be fed continuously to the stretcher from a roll, or the film may be extruded or coextruded in-line with the stretcher.
In another embodiment, the strain rate along the stretch direction of the first in-plane axis is not constant during at least a portion of the stretch.
Preferably, the proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film are substantially the same throughout substantially all of the draw history.
In another embodiment, the edge portions of the film move along predetermined paths that lie substantially within a plane defined by the first and second in-plane axes.
In yet another embodiment, the edge portions of the film move along a predetermined path that is three-dimensional.
Preferably, the edge portions of the film move along predetermined paths that are substantially symmetrical about a center axis.
More preferably, the film has first and second major surfaces and the film is stretched without physically contacting the first and second major surfaces of the film except at the edge portions of the film.
In another aspect, the present invention includes a process for forming film with predetermined properties, including the steps of providing a film that is defined in reference to a coordinate system of first and second orthogonal in-plane axes and a third mutually orthogonal axis in a thickness direction of the film; feeding the film to a stretcher; stretching the film along the first in-plane axis of the film with the stretcher while allowing contraction of the film in the second in-plane axis and in the thickness direction of the film, with the stretching accomplished by grasping edge portions of the film and moving edge portions of the film along predetermined paths that are shaped to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film throughout substantially all of the stretching step.
In another aspect, the present invention includes a process for forming film with predetermined properties, including the steps of providing a film that is defined in reference to a coordinate system similar to that described above; feeding the film to a stretcher in a direction of travel of the film; stretching the film along the first in-plane axis of the film with the stretcher while allowing contraction of the film in the second in-plane axis and in the thickness direction of the film, with the stretching accomplished by grasping edge portions of the film and moving the edge portions of the film along substantially parabolic paths that diverge.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention includes a continuous process for forming film with predetermined properties, including the steps of providing a film that is defined in reference to a coordinate system similar to that described above; continuously feeding the film to a stretcher in a direction of travel of the film; stretching the film along the first in-plane axis of the film with the stretcher while allowing contraction of the film in the second in-plane axis and in the thickness direction of the film, with the stretching accomplished by grasping edge portions of the film and moving the edge portions of the film along predetermined paths that diverge in such a way that the strain rate in the direction of the first in-plane axis is not constant during at least a portion of the stretching step.
In another aspect, the present invention includes a roll of optical film with predetermined optical properties defined in reference to a coordinate system of first and second orthogonal in-plane axes and a third mutually orthogonal axis in a thickness direction of the film, such that the roll of optical film is constructed by the process of continuously feeding a roll of film to a stretcher and continuously stretching the film along the first in-plane axis of the film with the stretcher while allowing contraction of the film in the second in-plane axis and in the thickness direction of the film to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film.
Preferably, the roll of optical film is a multilayer optical film having alternating layers of polymeric materials having predetermined optical properties.
More preferably, the roll of optical film has portions suitable for being incorporated into a polarizer. Even more preferably, the polarizer may be a reflective polarizer.
Preferably, the roll of film is constructed by the process of stretching the film so that substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film are created throughout substantially all of the stretching process.
In yet another aspect, the present invention is a stretcher for continuously processing film, including a means for receiving a continuous supply of film having predetermined properties, with the film being defined in reference to a coordinate system as described above; clamping means for grasping edge portions of the film; and stretching means for continuously moving the clamping means along predetermined paths that diverge so that the film is stretched along the transverse direction while allowing contraction of the film in the machine direction and the thickness direction, with the predetermined paths having shapes that are selected to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the machine direction of the film and in the thickness direction of the film to impart predetermined optical properties into the film.
The stretcher preferably includes a means for receiving a supply of the film which includes a means for receiving the film from a roll of said film.
The stretcher also preferably includes take away means for removing the stretched film from the stretcher. In a preferred embodiment, the take away means includes means for severing the stretched film from rapidly diverging edge portions of the film and moving the stretched portion out of the stretcher.
The invention may be more completely understood in the following detailed description of various embodiment of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms. Specifics of the invention are shown in the drawings by way of example only. The intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. Instead, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
The present invention is applicable generally to a number of different films, materials and processes. The present invention is believed to be particularly suited to fabrication of polymeric optical films where the visco-elastic characteristics of materials used in the film are exploited to control the amount, if any, of molecular orientation induced in the materials when the film is drawn during processing. As described below, consideration of the various properties of the materials used to produce optical films may be exploited to improve the optical films. The improvements include one or more of improved optical performance, increased resistance to fracture or tear, enhanced dimensional stability, better processability and the like.
A variety of optical films may be stretched or drawn according to the present invention. The films may comprise single or multi-layer films. Suitable films are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,699,188; 5,825,543; 5,882,574; 5,965,247; 6,096,375; and PCT Publication Nos. WO 95/17303; WO 96/19347; WO 99/36812; WO 99/36248 (the entire contents of each of which are herein incorporated by reference).
Films made in accordance with the present invention may be useful for a wide variety of products including polarizers, reflective polarizers, dichroic polarizers, aligned reflective/dichroic polarizers, absorbing polarizers, retarders (including z-axis retarders). The films may comprise the optical element itself or they can be used as a component in an optical element such as matched z-index polarizers used in beamsplitters for front and rear projection systems, or as a brightness enhancement film used in a display or microdisplay. It should also be noted that the stretcher described below in accordance with the present invention may be used with a length orienter to make a mirror from a multi-layer optical film.
A process for fabricating an optical film in accordance with one particular embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
The process includes the steps of feeding the film 40 to a stretcher (see region 30′); stretching the film along the first in-plane axis of the film with the stretcher while allowing contraction of the film in the second in-plane axis and in the thickness direction of the film (see region 34′), with the stretching achieved by grasping edge portions of the film and moving the edge portions of the film along predetermined paths 64 which diverge to create substantially the same proportional dimensional changes in the second in-plane axis of the film and in the thickness direction of the film.
The process may optionally include a preconditioning step (see region 32′) such as providing an oven 54 or other apparatus. The preconditioning step may include a preheating zone (see region 42 of the film) and a heat soak zone (see region 44).
The film is stretched in region 34′. Edges of the film may be grasped by mechanical clips that are moved by rollers 62 in the direction of the arrows. In a preferred embodiment, paths 64 are parabolic or substantially parabolic.
The process includes an optional post-conditioning step (see region 36′). For example, the film may be set in region 48 and quenched in region 50. A belt and rollers may optionally be used to progress the film in this region. A cut may be made at 58 and flash or unusable portion 56 may be discarded.
To maintain a substantially uniaxial draw throughout substantially all of the draw history (as shown in
Release of the selvages from a continuous gripping mechanism can be done continuously; however, release from discrete gripping mechanisms, such as tenter clips, should be done over discrete MD section of the film, e.g. all the material under any given clip is released at once. This discrete release mechanism may cause larger upsets in stress that may be felt by the drawing web upstream. In order to assist the action of the isolating takeaway device, it is preferred to use a continuous selvage separation mechanism in the device, e.g. the "hot" slitting of the selvage from the central portion of a heated, drawn film.
The slitting location is preferably located near enough to the "gripline", e.g. the isolating takeaway point of first effective gripper contact, to minimize stress upsets upstream of that point. If the film is slit before the gripping, instable takeaway can result, e.g. by film "snapback" along TD. The film is thus preferably slit at or downstream of the gripline. Slitting is a fracture process and, as such, typically has a small but natural variation in spatial location. Thus it may be preferred to slit slightly downstream of the gripline to prevent any temporal variations in slitting from occurring upstream of the gripline. If the film is slit substantially downstream from the gripline, the film between the takeaway and boundary trajectory will continue to stretch along TD. Since only this portion of the film is now drawing, it now draws at an amplified draw ratio relative to the boundary trajectory, creating further stress upsets that could propagate upstream, e.g. undesirable levels of machine direction tension propagating upstream.
The slitting is preferably mobile and re-positionable so that it can vary with the changes in takeaway positions needed to accommodate variable final transverse draw direction ratio. An advantage of this type of slitting system is that the draw ratio can be adjusted while maintaining the draw profile simply by moving the take-away slitting point 58.
A variety of slitting techniques may be used included a heat razor, a hot wire, a laser, a focused beam of intense IR radiation or a focused jet of heated air. In the case of the heated jet of air, the air may be sufficiently hotter in the jet to blow a hole in the film, e.g. by heat softening, melting and controlled fracture under the jet. Alternatively, the heated jet may merely soften a focused section of the film sufficiently to localize further drawing imposed by the still diverging boundary trajectories, thus causing eventual fracture downstream along this heated line through the action of continued film extension. The focused jet approach may be preferred in some cases, especially when the exhaust air can be actively removed, e.g. by a vacuum exhaust, in a controlled fashion to prevent stray temperature currents from upsetting the uniformity of the drawing process. For example, a concentric exhaust ring around the jet nozzle may be used. Alternatively, an exhaust underneath the jet, e.g. on the other side of the film, may be used. The exhaust may be further offset or supplemented downstream to further reduce stray flows upstream into the drawing zone.
The process also includes a removal portion in region 38′. Optionally a roller 65 may be used to advance the film, but this may be eliminated. Preferably the roller 65 is not used as it would contact the stretched film 52 with the attendant potential to damage the stretched film. Another cut 60 may be made and unused portion 61 may be discarded.
The present invention is not limited to perfect uniaxial stretching. Instead, the present invention includes processes, apparatus and films that are "substantially" uniaxially stretched. The following discussion and observations are provided to define what is within the scope of the present invention. "Substantially" uniaxially drawn films preferably possess fiber symmetry in which the properties in MD and ND are similar within a given material layer (as films comprising multiple layers may not themselves possess fiber symmetry due to the layered natured of the film composite). This may exist in an elastic material when two of the draw ratios are equal. When one of the directions, e.g. TD, is stretched, then the other two directions, e.g. MD and ND, preferably have equal draw ratios. Assuming volume conservation, the MDDR and NDDR both should approach the square root of the reciprocal of the TDDR. Films drawn in a conventional tenter are not substantially uniaxially drawn even though they have been physically drawn in only one direction (so-called "monoaxial" drawing) because the boundary constraints of the process impart differences between MDDR and NDDR.
The present invention is also not limited to those processes that stretch film under uniaxial conditions throughout the entire history of the stretch or draw. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention addresses the inadequacy of prior art processes (e.g. the disk orienters) to provide the substantially uniaxial constraint on machine direction draw ratio (MDDR) and transverse direction draw ratio (TDDR) throughout the entire history of the draw. The failure of the prior art to provide the uniaxial condition throughout the draw is a cause of wrinkling and other out-of-plane defects in the final film.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a process in which a substantially uniaxial draw is provided via the boundary trajectories throughout the drawing step. More preferably, the process provides this history dependence while maintaining the film in-plane. However, the stretching step need not be performed within a substantially planar region (as depicted in
Preferably the present invention maintains the deviation from a uniaxial draw within certain tolerances throughout the various portions of the drawing step. Optionally, the present invention may maintain these conditions while deforming a portion of the film out-of-plane in an initial portion of the draw, but return the film in-plane during a final portion of the draw.
In a uniaxial transverse draw maintained throughout the entire history of the draw, the instantaneous MDDR equals the square root of the reciprocal of the TDDR. As discussed above in conjunction with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the film may be drawn out-of-plane using out-of-plane boundary trajectories, i.e. boundary trajectories that do not lie in a single Euclidean plane. There are innumerable, but nevertheless particular, boundary trajectories meeting relational requirements of this preferred embodiment of the present invention, so that a substantially uniaxial draw history may be maintained using out-of-plane boundary trajectories.
The boundaries may be symmetrical, forming mirror images through a central plane, e.g. a plane comprising the initial center point between the boundary trajectories, the initial direction of film travel and the initial normal to the unstretched film surface. In this preferred embodiment the film may be drawn between the boundary trajectories along a cylindrical space manifold formed by the set of line segments of shortest distance between the two opposing boundary trajectories as one travels along these boundary trajectories at equal rates of speed from similar initial positions, i.e., colinear with each other and the initial center point. The trace of this ideal manifold on the central plane thus traces out the path of the film center for an ideal draw. The ratio of the distance along this manifold from the boundary trajectory to this central trace on the central plane to the original distance from the start of the boundary trajectory to the initial center point is the instantaneous nominal TDDR across the film spanning the boundary trajectories, i.e. the ratios of the half-distances between the current opposing points on the boundary trajectories and the half-distances between the initial positions of the opposing points on the boundary trajectories. As two opposing points move at constant and identical speeds along the opposing boundary trajectories, the corresponding center point on the central trace changes speed as measured along the arc of the central trace, i.e. the curvilinear MD. In particular, the central trace changes in proportion with the projection of the unit tangent of the boundary trajectory on the unit tangent of the central trace.
Uniaxial draw may be maintained along the entire history of the draw as long as the speed of the central point reduces at every point along the central trace from its initial speed by a factor of exactly the square root of the reciprocal of the instantaneous TDDR measured between the corresponding opposing points on the opposing boundary trajectories. This is the uniaxial condition when viewing the instantaneous MDDR of a differential film arc along the idealized central trace. The uniaxial condition may be achieved by controlling the ratio of the instantaneous rate of change of arc length along the central trace to the instantaneous rate of change of arc length at a corresponding opposing point on a boundary trajectory, i.e. the curvilinear MDDR. By maintaining this constraint, suitable boundary trajectories within the general class of three dimensional space curves may be found and specified within the context of this preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Preferably, the film is drawn in plane such as shown in
x/x 0=(�)(y/x 0)2+1
The left bounding parabolic trajectory is obtained by multiplying the left-hand side of the above equation 1 by minus unity.
The parabolic trajectory of equation 1 provides the uniaxial condition. As such it represents the in-plane drawing state in which MD tension should be negligible. In order to obtain good yield and property uniformity across the usable width of the final film, the principal axes of molecular orientation and of the resulting properties as induced by the draw preferably remain nearly constant. In this case, straight lines drawn along TD, the principal draw direction, remain substantially straight after drawing. In tenter processing of biaxially oriented films, this is typically not the case.
It should be again noted that the present invention is not limited to perfectly uniaxially drawn films. In practice, nearly or "substantially" uniaxially drawn films are sufficient to make components of sufficient desired properties. Often, the uniformity of such films is more important than the precise manifestation of uniaxial character. A discrepancy in uniaxial character in properties such as refractive index is tolerable in many applications. For example, the off-angle characteristics of reflective polarizers used in liquid crystalline display applications is strongly impacted by the difference in the MD and ND indices of refraction when TD is the principal mono-axial draw direction. An index difference in MD and ND at 633 nm of 0.08 may be acceptable in some applications. A difference of 0.04 is allowable in others. In more stringent applications, a difference of 0.02 or less is preferred. Thus preferred embodiments of films according to the present invention include the class of nearly or substantially uniaxially drawn films, processes for creating such substantially uniaxially drawn films and apparatus for creating such substantially uniaxially drawn films.
A preferred method for calculating trajectories within a specified envelope of nearly or substantially uniaxial character is discussed. The method determines the "right" boundary trajectory directly, and the "left" boundary trajectory is taken as a mirror image. First, the envelope constraint is set by defining an instantaneous functional relationship between TDDR measured between the opposing boundary trajectories and the MDDR defined as the cosine of the non-negative divergence angle of those boundary trajectories, over a chosen range of TDDR. Next, the geometry of the problem is defined as described in the discussion of the parabolic trajectories. X1 is defined as the initial half width between the boundary trajectories and ratio (x/x1) is identified as the instantaneous TDDR, where x is the current x position of an opposing point on the boundary trajectory. Next, the instantaneous functional relationship between the TDDR and MDDR is converted to a relationship between TDDR and the divergence angle. Next, the boundary trajectory is constrained to satisfy the differential equation, equation 2:
d(x/x 1)/d(y/x 1)=tan (θ)
where tan(θ) is the tangent of the divergence angle θ, and y is the y coordinate of the current position of the opposing point on the right boundary trajectory corresponding to the given x coordinate. Next, the differential equation may be solved, e.g. by integrating 1/tan(θ) along the history of the TDDR, (x/x1), from unity to the maximum desired value to obtain the complete coordinate set {(x,y)} of the right boundary trajectory, either analytically or numerically. The divergence angle is the non-negative, smallest angle made between the direction of travel of the centerline of the film and the instantaneous boundary trajectory at (x,y). In the symmetric, in-plane case of equation 2, the travel of the center line is along MD, e.g. the divergence angle is zero, when the boundary trajectories are parallel to MD, as is nearly the case in a conventional tenter.
The method of a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by way of the parabolic trajectory example. First the envelope is chosen as the uniaxial constraint. The TDDR is shown to equal the square of the reciprocal of the cosine of the divergence angle. The TDDR is equal to the square of the tangent of the divergence angle plus unity. This allows direct substitution of the left-hand side of the equation by a function of TDDR only. The equation can then be analytically integrated to discover the result, equation 1.
In another preferred embodiment, let the extent of uniaxial character U, be defined by a simple ratio according to equation 3:
The state U=1meets the uniaxial condition. States of U between zero and unity represent intermediate states in which some level of MD tension will develop. States near unity are nearly or substantially uniaxial. States of U greater than unity represent various levels of over-relaxing. These over-relaxed states effect an MD compression from the boundary edge. If the level of MD compression is sufficient for the geometry and material stiffness, the film will buckle or wrinkle.
The following discussion is also useful in understanding what is meant by a preferred "substantially" uniaxially drawn film in the context of the present invention. One class of preferred curves within an envelope of final film acceptability are those that maintain the extent of uniaxial character above a desired threshold value throughout the course of the draw, since in many final film applications, a final extent of uniaxial character less than unity can provide acceptable performance. For example, the extent of uniaxial character of 0.85 is sufficient in many cases to provide an index of refraction difference between the MD and ND directions in polyester systems comprising polyethylene naphthalate of 0.02 or less at 633 nm for mono-axially transverse drawn films. For some polyester systems, such as polyethylene terephthalate, a lower U value of 0.80 or even 0.75 may be acceptable, e.g. because of lower intrinsic differences in refractive indices in non-substantially uniaxially drawn films. When a specific value of U is chosen, Equation 3 provides a specific relationship between MDDR and TDDR which, when coupled with the aforementioned algorithm or method, specifies a broader class of boundary trajectories that also includes the parabolic trajectories as a limiting case when U approaches unity. Trajectories that exhibit values of U below unity for at least a final portion of the draw are referred to herein as sub-parabolic trajectories.
The condition of constant U less than unity may be approximated by a preferred class of in-plane "sub-parabolic" trajectories in which the parabolic trajectory of equation 1 is used with smaller initial effective web widths. If x1 is still taken as the true effective half width of the drawable central portion of the web after effective gripping (i.e. the initial width minus the selvages held by the grippers which is the initial half distance between opposing boundary trajectories), then this class of trajectories is described by equation 4:
(x+c)/(x 1 +c)=(�)(y/(x 1 +c))2+1
where "c" is a positive offset distance. This class of trajectories is a preferred approximation to constant U for TDDR under 8.
Still another class of boundary trajectories may be preferred in suppressing residual wrinkles. Because the uniaxial condition in the absence of shear provides a principal MD stress of zero, it is anticipated, using finite strain analysis, that the principal MD stress will actually go into slight compression under these conditions. Using finite strain analysis and a Neo-Hookean elastic solid constitutive equation, it is discovered that a suitable criterion for preventing compressive stresses may optionally be given by equation 5:
((TDDR)(MDDR))−4+((TDDR)(MDDR))2−(TDDR)−2−(MDDR)−2−sin 2(θ)((TDDR)(MDDR))−2=0
MDDR is the cosine of the divergence angle. This optional method of the present invention then specifies this class of boundary trajectories.
The class of trajectories described above are illustrative and should not be construed as limiting. A host of trajectory classes are considered to lie within the scope of the present invention. The present invention preferably encompasses all nearly uniaxial boundary trajectories comprising a minimum value of U of about 0.70, more preferably approximately 0.75, still more preferably about 0.80 and even more preferably about 0.85. The minimum U constraint may be applied over a final portion of the draw defined by a critical TDDR preferably of about 2.5, still more preferably about 2.0 and more preferably about 1.5. Above a critical TDDR, certain materials, e.g. certain monolithic and multilayer films comprising orientable and birefringent polyesters, may begin to lose their elasticity or capability of snap back, e.g. because of the development of structure such as strain-induced crystallinity. The TDDR may coincide with a variety of material and process (e.g. temperature and strain rate) specific events such as the critical TDDR for the onset of strain-induced crystallization. The minimum value of U above such a critical TDDR could relate to an amount of non-uniaxial character set into the final film. As discussed above, it may be preferred to introduce a small level of MD tension into the film to suppress wrinkling. Preferably, the amount of such MD tension increases with decreasing U.
It may be preferred to increase the tension as the draw proceeds. For example, a smaller value of U earlier in the draw may tend to set more non-uniaxial character into the final film. Thus it may be advantageous to combine the attribute of various trajectory classes into composite trajectories. For example, the parabolic trajectory may be preferred in the earlier portions of the draw, while the later portions of the draw may converge on a trajectory of the more expanded parabola of equation 4 or the trajectory class of equation 5. In another arrangement, U may be taken as a non-increasing function with TDDR, as opposed to a prior art disk orienter that decreases U with TDDR.
The parabolic trajectory assumes a uniform spatial drawing of the film. Good spatial uniformity of the film may be achieved with many polymeric systems with careful control of the crossweb and downweb caliper (thickness) distribution of the initial, undrawn film or web, coupled with the careful control of the temperature distribution at the start of and during the draw. For example, a uniform temperature distribution across the film initially and during draw on a film of initially uniform caliper should suffice in most cases. Many polymeric systems are particularly sensitive to non-uniformities and will draw in a non-uniform fashion if caliper and temperature uniformity are inadequate. For example, polypropylenes tend to "line draw" under mono-axial drawing. Certain polyesters, notably polyethylene naphthalate, are also very sensitive.
The invention includes means for gripping the film, preferably the edges of the film. Preferably, the film is sandwiched between gripper faces on a mechanical clip assembly. The effective edge of the gripper face where the film is no longer effectively held defines the edge of the central portion of the film that will be drawn. This gripper edge defines a boundary edge for the drawing film. The motion of the gripper may also define a boundary trajectory that is, at least in part, responsible for the motion and drawing of the film (while other effects, e.g., downweb tension and take-up devices, may account for the rest of the motion and drawing.). Preferably, although not required, the gripper face edges are designed so that the center of the edge measured along one clip instantaneously follows the tangent of a chain riding along a rail or inside a channel cut into the rail. The boundary trajectory may also be defined by the rail when offset of the gripper edge face from the rail channel are included. In practice, the effective edge of the gripper face can be somewhat obscured by slight film slippage from or flow out from under the faces, but these deviations can be made small. Since the film is held by two sets of opposing grippers mounted on pairs of chains and rails, there are two opposing boundary trajectories. Preferably, these trajectories are mirror images about the MD center line of the drawing film.
The rails are traditionally formed by a series of straight segments whose angle of divergence, e.g. the angle formed between the boundary trajectories and the direction of film travel (e.g. MD), may be adjusted. Curved trajectories have also been explored.
The means for gripping the film according to the present invention may be discrete or continuous in nature.
Preferred continuous gripping mechanisms provide the advantage of continuously following the changing boundary trajectories along every portion of the boundary edge. Segmented, discrete gripping systems are within the present invention and tend to only approximate the boundary trajectory along portions of the film at the boundary edges. For example, a tenter clip has a straight clip face edge. The clip is mounted so that the center of this clip face edge remains tangent to the boundary trajectory, e.g. tangent to the tenter rail, throughout the course of travel and draw. This means that the film gripped at the center does follow the boundary trajectory; however, the rest of the film gripped along the rest of the clip is constrained to a path deviating from the boundary trajectory, unless the boundary trajectory is straight. The film, at the edge, gripped by single clip would otherwise tend to exhibit the divergence angle at the clip center along the whole distance of the clip. As a result, film upstream of the clip face edge center would tend to have too large of a divergence angle relative to the intended boundary trajectories, while film downstream of the clip face edge center would tend to have too small of a divergence angle relative to the intended boundary trajectories. In accordance with the present invention, a small MD fluctuation in the film properties and uniaxial characteristics may develop. In practice, these MD fluctuations may be maintained small by using short enough clips for a given device. For example, the length of a clip face edge may preferably be no more that one-half, and more preferably no more than one-quarter, the total initial distance between the boundary trajectories. Smaller clips will in general provide better approximations to the boundary trajectories and smaller MD fluctuations.
Precise control of the divergence angle actually manifested by the gripper mechanism is a design consideration because it is the divergence angle that contributes to setting the condition for MDDR compatibility with the edge. The interactions of the stress field of the film with the boundaries may also tend to moderate approximation errors at the edges as one proceeds towards the film MD centerline. It may be useful in some case to reduce the gripper contact to less than the total length of the clip. For example, the film in between two sequential clips experiences a condition of under-approximated divergence angle from the leading edge of the upstream clip to over-approximated divergence angle from the trailing edge of the downstream clip. A slight relaxation of the contact areas at these edges could reduce sharp variations in MDDR and alleviate undesired stress fields that could cause defects. Loss of gripper action at a portion of the edge may be carefully balanced to reduce undue scalloping at the unsupported edge.
Optionally, the stretcher apparatus may direct airflow towards or into the boundary edge, e.g. to have air exhaust through the gripper region to improve heat transfer to the drawable film near the gripper faces. The apparatus may optionally apply active cooling to the gripper mechanism, e.g. to the clips, to maintain good gripping of the gripped portion of the film, e.g. by preventing flow out from under the gripper mechanism. The particulars of the active heating and cooling will help to establish the effective boundary edge region. Typically, it is preferred to have the boundary edge be reasonably approximated by the gripper face edges or by a small offset from these towards the film centerline. However, in some cases, e.g. where there is limited ability to control the shape of the boundary trajectories, it may be preferred to cool or keep cold a small edge region near the gripper face edges in order to adjust the effective boundary edge from that dictated by the boundary trajectory. In such cases, reasonable attention to adequate control of the temperature uniformity across the major central portion of the film would be desirable to maintain uniformity of the drawing.
The boundary trajectories may be fixed or adjustable. The underlying control of the boundary trajectories may be like the rails, a moving surface or some other means of support for a discrete or continuous system. The rails may also be segmented and adjustable in part or as a whole. For example, adjustment of the rails or underlying support for a belt system could be made either at junctions or by physical bending, and by various means.
The driving means can be any number of methods. For example, it can be the motion of the chain as propelled by gears connected to a drive, or the motion of the belt by an independent drive or by the motion of the underlying support, e.g. the disk in a disk orienter.
The means of release can be either a physical release of the selvages held by the gripping means or a physical separation of the selvages from a central portion of the drawn film.
In the above description, the position of elements has sometimes been described in terms of "upper", "lower", "over", "under", "right", "left", "top" and "bottom". These terms have been used merely to simplify the description of the various elements of the invention, such as those illustrated in the drawings. They should not be understood to place any limitations on the useful orientation of the elements of the present invention.
Accordingly, the present invention should not be considered limited to the particular examples described above, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention as fairly set out in the claims. Various modifications, equivalents, as well as numerous structures to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art to which the present invention is directed upon review of the present specification. The claims are intended to cover such modifications and devices.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Aug 17, 1946
|Jun 14, 1949
|Wingfoot Corp
|Apparatus for stretching
|May 14, 1948
|Nov 18, 1952
|American Viscose Corp
|Method and apparatus for two-way stretching a continuous sheet
|Sep 2, 1955
|Sep 5, 1961
|William E Land
|Plastic bonded explosives rocket warhead
|Mar 16, 1960
|Feb 26, 1963
|American Viscose Corp
|Method and apparatus for biaxial stretching of beaded edge film
|Oct 19, 1961
|Jul 13, 1965
|Dynamit Nobel Ag
|Device for the continuous simultaneous transverse and longitudinal drawing of thermoplastic strips
|Jun 4, 1968
|Mar 24, 1970
|Nippon Rayon Kk
|Process for the improvement of polyamide films
|Dec 20, 1967
|May 4, 1971
|Johnson & Johnson
|Apparatus for continuously transversely stretching orientable sheet material
|May 17, 1971
|Apr 30, 1974
|Hoechst Ag
|Device for drawing thermoplastic sheet material
|Aug 1, 1972
|Jun 17, 1975
|Cellophane Sa
|Method for biaxially drawing plastic films
|Dec 11, 1979
|May 18, 1982
|Internationale Octrooi Maatschappij "Octropa" B.V.
|Process and apparatus for the simultaneous biaxial stretching of a plastic film
|Mar 24, 1980
|Sep 14, 1982
|Nippon Petrochemicals Co., Ltd.
|Method for stretching a fibrous or film-like material
|Mar 29, 1982
|Feb 28, 1984
|Nippon Petrochemicals Co., Ltd
|Method and apparatus for stretching thermoplastic polymer films
|Jun 10, 1983
|Jun 25, 1985
|Nippon Petrochemicals, Co., Ltd.
|Method and apparatus for stretching film or fibrous web
|May 17, 1988
|Aug 1, 1989
|E. I. Dupont De Nemours And Company
|System for using synchronous secondaries of a linear motor to biaxially draw plastic films
|Nov 9, 1987
|Sep 5, 1989
|Mobil Oil Corporation
|Apparatus for stretching a thermoplastic material web
|Mar 30, 1990
|Aug 27, 1991
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Width stretching device
|Nov 13, 1990
|Dec 17, 1991
|E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company
|Apparatus for drawing plastic film in a tenter frame
|Jun 6, 1994
|May 21, 1996
|The Procter & Gamble Company
|Apparatus for continuously stretching or continuously releasing stretching forces from a web using two pairs of opposing non-planar belts
|Aug 3, 1995
|Oct 1, 1996
|Kimberly-Clark Corporation
|Apparatus and method for stretching an elastomeric material in a cross machine direction
|Jun 26, 1995
|Dec 16, 1997
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Co.
|Metal-coated multilayer mirror
|Feb 29, 1996
|Oct 20, 1998
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Diffusely reflecting polarizing element including a first birefringent phase and a second phase
|Dec 28, 1995
|Oct 27, 1998
|Nippon Petrochemicals Company, Limited
|Device for transversely stretching web
|Oct 14, 1997
|Mar 16, 1999
|Owens-Brockway Plastic Products Inc.
|Injection extrusion blow molding process for making multiple compartment plastic containers
|Oct 28, 1997
|Oct 5, 1999
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Polarizing beam-splitting optical component
|Oct 28, 1997
|Oct 12, 1999
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Process for forming reflective polarizer
|Feb 16, 1999
|Aug 1, 2000
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Optical polarizer
|Jan 26, 1987
|Sep 9, 1987
|Societe Francaise D'extrusion Et De Calandrage (Sfec)
|Device for the continuous transverse stretching of a plastic film
|Jul 1, 1999
|Jan 5, 2000
|C.R.F. Societa' Consortile per Azioni
|Light-emitting device based on an electroluminescent organic material, having a shaped outer interface
|Jun 8, 2001
|Dec 19, 2001
|General Electric Company
|Outdoor electroluminescent display devices
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Dec 20, 1994
|Jun 29, 1995
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Multilayered optical film
|Dec 19, 1995
|Jun 27, 1996
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Multilayered optical film
|Jan 13, 1999
|Jul 22, 1999
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Process for making multilayer optical films
|Dec 10, 1998
|Jul 22, 1999
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|An optical film and process for manufacture thereof
|Mar 25, 1999
|May 25, 2000
|Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
|Methods of stretching films and such films
|Oct 30, 2000
|May 10, 2001
|Trustees Of Princeton University
|Organic light emitting diode having spherical shaped patterns
|Weber, Michael F., et al., "Giant Birefringent Optics in Multilayer Polymer Mirrors," Science, vol. 287, pp. 2451-2456 (Mar. 31, 2000).
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jan 18, 2007
|Jun 22, 2010
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Processes and apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character
|Jun 21, 2010
|Apr 19, 2016
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Processes and apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character
|Dec 30, 2013
|Aug 16, 2016
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Post-formed successively peelable coextruded polymer film
|Sep 25, 2015
|Jan 31, 2017
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Method of making optical films and stacks
|Sep 25, 2015
|Jan 31, 2017
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Head-mounted display
|Sep 25, 2015
|Feb 28, 2017
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Optical stack and optical system
|Sep 25, 2015
|Feb 28, 2017
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Optical system
|Sep 25, 2015
|Mar 21, 2017
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Thermoformed multilayer reflective polarizer
|Nov 28, 2006
|May 3, 2007
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Methods and devices for processing polymer films
|Dec 4, 2006
|May 24, 2007
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Processes and apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character
|Jan 18, 2007
|Jun 14, 2007
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Processes and apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character
|Feb 22, 2008
|Aug 28, 2008
|Nexcel Synthetics, Llc
|Methods and systems for manufacturing yarns for synthetic turf
|Jun 21, 2010
|Oct 7, 2010
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Processes and apparatus for making transversely drawn films with substantially uniaxial character
|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Apr 10, 2007
|Certificate of correction
|May 27, 2010
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|May 28, 2014
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8


text:
> Home > Company information
DJguard is a trading style of Thistle Insurance Services Limited which is a part of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc.
As a company we have continued to increase our range of products specifically in niche areas which has resulted in Leisure & Lifestyle and SME Commercial Insurance offerings.
Thistle Insurance Services Limited is a full service Managing General Underwriter providing complete underwriting and claims services on behalf of selected insurers. We provide and distribute insurance products on a direct basis, via affinity groups and via insurance brokers.
We are particularly well known in areas such as:
Thistle is part of Jardine Lloyd Thompson, an international Group of Risk Specialists and Employee Benefits Consultants and one of the largest companies of its type in the world. Employing over 7000 people in 36 countries
About DJguard
Terms of business
Other insurance sites
Privacy policy
Terms of use
JLT Group
We use cookies to manage your application, report traffic statistics, track referrals of visitors, and target advertising. By using this site you are consenting to this. You may change these settings at any time. Please note - Our cookie policy changed on 5/1/2015.
Your current cookie settings:
Strictly necessary cookies Performance cookies Functionality cookies Targeting/advertising cookies
DJguard is a trading style of Thistle Insurance Services Limited. Lloyds Broker. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.A JLT Group company. Registered office: The St Botolph Building, 138 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AW. Registered in England No 00338645, VAT No. 244 2321 96.


text:
Welcome to PHCorner Forums. Take a moment to Sign up and gain unlimited access and extra privileges that guests are not entitled to, such as:
- Ask support for computer & mobile issues.
- Learn free internet tricks for your android phone, mobile network, and computer.
All that and more! Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Sun Katay na nmn ps, buti nlng may backup, close muna
Discussion started by Frankenste1n, Jan 7, 2017.
Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8


text:
Donation sent.
C4, all the way!
Donation sent.
C4, all the way!
Just wanted to thank everyone for offering their time and $$$ to help make this happen. It is events like this that helps show that despite all of our differences, TDH is an amazing community!!! A special thanks goes out to Mirax for really working hard to pull all of this together. Keep up the good work everyone!
Donation Sent!
Is there still a plan to donate goods for auction to help the cause? Perhaps we can sticky a thread in the cargo hold with the donated items. We can then have a silent auction that ends at a certain time. Bids can all go to one member, to keep it easy. I would volunteer for it even. Payments for those items can go directly to the donation account. What do you say everyone? I will donate a vinyl belt to the cause.
Hey Mirax, I can also work from 6PM - 7PM on Friday, so I'll take that open spot right there.
I'm planning a trip to Europe around this time that may conflict with CIV.
You can put me down tentatively for 2-4 on Friday if you like. I should know for sure if I can be there soon.
Donation sent.
well I was just able to register for C IV as soon as I know what I am doing with my local fan force I am so there.
Donation sent as I'm flying over and apart from your t-shirts, finding out who's who will be a little difficult.
Great you have a table! I'll keep an eye out for the banner
with out this board I would have never got my Boba to the point it is now!
if ya don't mind having a rookie on the team I would be willing to donate my time at C-IV to help with the table and I Can be there on Thursday May 24th
6-8pm and on Saturday May 26th 4-6pm.
Also if there is any art or graphics work for posters or cards to give out that needs to be done, then just pm me and ill get right on it
I would like to have some alternates, folks whom we can call on if someone doesn't show up. Also, once we get this finalized, I will need to get contact #'s for everyone.
Last edited by Star Wars Chick; Mar 29, 2007 at 11:22 AM.
I guess I'll do Sunday 6-7pm Not sure if I'll be in a costume or not, but I have 3 TDH shirts so all's good.
Oh and $50 donated I'll see you all there...
Im willing to be an alternate for whenever. Like i said i really dont mind working more than one shift a day Donation is coming when my paycheck comes
Thank you all for the donations, you have all been very generous and we appreciate it!
I also want to let you know that Cruzer, Commander Voltaire, and MandalorFett have all been part of the committee that helped us get the application together and who will be in integral part of the organizing at C4. They will be helping to make sure everything runs smoothly at the table. I would like to say thank you to them for helping make this possible.
I was not sure if you stated this or not but did you want us in costume?? or civillian clothes
BTW you can put me down for 24 may 4-6
I also think I need to get a TDH T-shirt who do I talk to for those??
We would love as many in costume as possible! We would love anyone who isn't working to come by and hang out in costume as well! We really want to show folks what CAN be done! Hold of just for the moment on getting a shirt, we may be able to do something about that...we'll see.
Looks like only Three more slots left!!
Donation sent!
Last edited by Spideyfett; Mar 29, 2007 at 8:40 AM.
This filled up fast! How is the actually booth looking right now?
I'm willing to work the 6-7shirft on sunday. So put me down for that one.
I am wondering if the 2-4pm slot for monday will be that fillable. Most folks will be on a plane or driving home at that time.
Yeah, our group talked about that yesterday. Probably not but I don't think it will be a problem- we will just plan to tear things down during that time.
Thanks to all who have been so generous in their donations. So far we have raised $650!! We have looked over what we will be needing this morning and it looks like we will need about $1000 for all that we need for our display. So we need some more help from everyone! Especially those who can't make it, if you can help out with a donation, it would be greatly appreciated! Again, thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible!!!
Wow! I just have to say this is going to be great! As a volunteering member of the TDH fan table committee, I look forward to working with everybody involved!


text:
Delivery To Ashburn Edit
*Shipping is FREE for all orders in the 48 contiguous states, except for a handling charge.
FREE SHIPPINGHandling May ApplyDetails Handling May Apply
Command your pool cleaning duties like a professional with the Pool Blaster PRO 900 pool vacuum. Designed for professional and commercial applications, this revolutionary battery-power-packed pool vac is easy to operate yet doesn't skimp on the effectiveness. It features three times the cleaning power of similar products per charge as well as three times the filter capacity.
Double your vacuuming strength and tackle even the most challenging of cleaning tasks. The Pool Blaster PRO is the only portable vacuum with Switch On-the-Go battery packs, so you never have to take a break to make a change. The 15-inch cleaning path lets you power through large jobs, and the 1 ½-inch intake sucks up even large debris. Other features include smooth-moving wheels and brushes that will destroy stains on any surface.read more
Super Pool Shock
3 Inch Chlorine Tablets
Pro Dual Cam Telepole


text: I'm parting out my 1996 Z3 roadster convertible. I'm selling both seats from the car. They're red leather and in in good condition. If you need them to be another color let me know and I can have them dyed. Each seat is electric and works very well. The seat runner is also included. Let me know if you have any questions or would like photos. Contact me if you need any other parts from this car. The entire thing is going.


text:
Argentine midterm primary delivers political slap to leader Fernandez
By Hugh Bronstein
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - A possible re-election bid by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez seemed less likely on Sunday after Buenos Aires province rejected her candidate in the midterm congressional primary, nominating instead a pro-business, small-town mayor.
The win by Sergio Massa - from the affluent suburb of Tigre, known for its picturesque canals - makes him a national figure and may set the stage for him to run for president in 2015.
Argentine bonds were expected to rise after Massa easily won his primary against a candidate hand-picked by left-wing nationalist Fernandez. Nationwide, her coalition clinched only 25 percent of the vote. Wall Street analysts had said anything less than 40 percent would boost Argentine asset prices.
Re-elected in 2011 on promises of increasing government's role in economy, Fernandez says she is not thinking about a possible third term. But talk persists that her supporters want the constitution amended to let her to run again.
Candidates for October legislative elections were chosen in Sunday's primary vote.
"If October replicates this primary result, forget about re-election," said Ignacio Labaqui, an analyst for emerging markets consultancy Medley Global Advisors.
With no competition among candidates on the lists offered by most parties in the primary, and with voters allowed to split the ticket among their choices for the Chamber of Deputies and Senate, the primary served as a mega-opinion poll on Fernandez's interventionist economic policies.
With 42 percent of the vote counted, Massa led Fernandez's candidate, Martin Insaurralde, by 6 percentage points. Continued...


text:
As our digital multimedia consumption continues to increase, the desire to have everything stored in, or at least accessible from, a single location is becoming ever more prevalent. From digital TV to mp3 collections and downloaded films to Internet radio, all these things on their own are well and good but the true holy grail is having a single box (and remote) that can control the lot.
Enter, then, the Emtec Movie Cube S800. This sleek black and white box incorporates a twin digital and analogue TV tuner with PVR capabilities, a 500GB hard drive for storing all your music and videos on, and both wired and wireless network connections for sharing your content around the home and tuning into Internet radio stations. So, on the surface, it would appear to have just about all (baring DAB radio, and video streaming) the digital multimedia bases covered. However, as we'll see later, these initial impressions don't really hold up once you delve a little deeper.
As soon as you get it out of the box, the S800 makes an impact. While the two-tone styling and relatively short and fat stance (compared to conventional AV equipment) may not be to everyone's liking, and the plastic outer panels not that resistant to scratches, the overall impression is one of quality. There are no creaks or flexing panels on show as you manhandle the device and the back panel looks and feels solid with its multitude of clearly labelled connections arranged neatly in a tough steel plate.
Picking out a few of the more interesting connections, you'll see that the S800 has an HDMI socket, which will be all the outputs most people will need, I'm sure. If not, there are composite and component video, and coaxial, optical and analogue stereo audio outputs. There's even that golden-oldie, SCART, so no matter how old your TV you should be able to hook this box up to it. As well as the outputs, there's inputs for composite video and stereo audio. Also of note is the TV aerial socket at the bottom and the USB sockets at the top.
You'll also notice the small fan at the rear. This is the main method of ventilation for this box, along with half a dozen slits in the bottom, and as such it gets spinning reasonably fast when you've been working the S800 hard. Fortunately the resultant noise isn't too intrusive and you'll certainly notice noise from the hard drive over and above it. Not that the hard drive is particularly noisy but we did notice it when the S800 was just sat next to our telly and we were sat on our sofa. If you were to hide it away in a TV cabinet or tuck it into a corner, the disturbance should be minimal.
More information -
Trusted Reviews is part of the Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Technology Network
Get TrustedReviews' award-winning reviews and advice delivered to your inbox for free!


text:
Is it OK or recommended to use the same timestamp value for all Column and Deletion records sent in a batch mutation?
Am thinking of cases where there is a potential for multiple clients to update the same key (with multiple columns) at the same time. In the use case it's acceptable, as the client software is responsible for coordination. I just want to ensure there is consistency with regard to one update winning.


text:
Powered by our sister site, Family Vacation Critic
Ive got a girl and Ruby is her name...Author: rumcokenice
Date of Trip: November 2009
Hi all....back from the Ruby yesterday (it was our tenth cruise: Norway, Mariner, Zenith, Oosterdam, Liberty, Grand, Millennium et al)...and I have to say it was one of the best cruising experiences we've ever had.
Embarkation was remarkable - we got to Port Everglades at 1.30pm and were expecting the usual shuffling lines and (im)patiently waiting around, but I kid you not, from stepping out of the cab to stepping into our stateroom took less than 5 minutes!....
Stateroom was lovely - Mini Suite on Dolphin deck (D727) uncovered balcony, which concerned me slightly pre-cruise - but I ended up loving it...enjoyed chatting with folks above me - and lots more sun than i'm used to on a balcony!...would definitely go open again
Food - despite the excellent embarkation lunch buffet in the Horizon (short ribs and creamy mash yum yum yum!) - we were initially disappointed with the meal arrangements - we were anytime dining for the first two nights but the service was poor and the food was bland to average - we switched to the Cafe Carribe for the remainder of the cruise and it was the best decision of the holiday - Cafe Carribe food was delicious, different theme every night and the service / waiters and overall mood of the place was superb..... ...elsewhere dont miss the Hot Dogs on the pool deck ...and the delights of the International cafe in the Piazza....including the delicious Ice dream ($1,50) three mixed scoops on an ice cold dish - hit the spot every time
Entertainment was an eye opener....to be honest we dont usually bother with the cruise shows, not really our thing ...but we loved the entertainment on the Ruby....highlight was the comedy Hypnotist Tim Tripp who did a cracking show in the main theatre and then an hilarious adults only Midnight show in Club Fusion...didnt finish till almost 2.00am and the place was in hysterics at what the volunteers (victims) got up to! ...I was going to take part - I'm so glad my wife stopped me ..........the Ventriloquist show was also hugely entertaining...and the Crew Show was a very pleasant surprise - featuring some Benny Hill'esque comedy from the entertainment staff ...corny but great fun
Excursions were very expensive (is this the case with all lines now?) but we love the Catamaran trips so took two - Honeymoon Beach at St John ...gorgeous.....and half day Champagne snorkelling and Turtle encounter at Barbados...both of which supplied me with memories that will sustain me throughout the damp cold grey UK winter ...........however the Catamaran and and snorkle trip in Antigua was a big let down - there was just too many people on it - should definitely have split the crowd onto two craft - and the snorkle spot was a fish free zone!.....whatever, by my reckoning 2 out of 3 aint bad and I was soon sitting in various shack bars in Antigua swigging cheap cold beer and discussing cricket with the locals
Disembarkation was again a breeze...we'd booked the Fort Lauderdale CarrieB tour to take the sting out of going home and waiting around an airport all day (great move btw..v much recommended) and we were swept off the ship and onto the tour coach at 8.30 without so much as a backward glance
So there you have it - ....add the splendid 3 days pre-cruise stay in Hollywood beach to the mix, together with the almost perfect weather every day for the entire holiday - meeting some lovely fellow cruisers and two hassle free transatlantic flights.....and you can see why Im now sitting here green with envy at anyone who's currently on - or will shortly be sailing on the beautiful Ruby Princess.
Bon Voyage to all .....
Related Trip ReviewsBarbados Trip Reviews
U.S. Virgin Islands Trip Reviews
Caribbean Trip Reviews
Send Us Your Trip Review!


text:
Hotel Maggiore Bologna
Select your stay dates to check availability at Hotel Maggiore Bologna
Hotel Maggiore Bologna
About the Hotel
Property Location
With a stay at Hotel Maggiore Bologna in Bologna (Western Bologna), you'll be minutes from Ospedale Maggiore di Bologna and close to Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. This family-friendly hotel is within close proximity of Certosa di Bologna and Thousand Voices and Thousand Sounds Museum.
Make yourself at home in one of the 50 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and minibars. Rooms have private balconies. LCD televisions with digital programming provide entertainment, while complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature bidets and hair dryers.
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as bicycles to rent, or other amenities including complimentary wireless Internet access and concierge services. Additional amenities at this hotel include an arcade/game room and a television in a common area.
Enjoy a bite to eat at a coffee shop/café, or stay in and take advantage of the hotel's room service (during limited hours). Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include limo/town car service, a computer station, and express check-in. Planning an event in Bologna? This hotel features 1098 square feet (102 square meters) of event facilities. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available 24 hours), and free self parking is available onsite.
Hotel Facilities
- Laundry facilities
- Elevator/lift
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Year Built 1965
- Accessible bathroom
- Free self parking
- Conference space size (feet) - 1098
- Concierge services
- Bar/lounge
- Snack bar/deli
- Safe-deposit box at front desk
- Free RV, bus, truck parking
- Library
- Arcade/game room
- Coffee shop or café
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Luggage storage
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Express check-in
- Porter/bellhop
- Computer station
- Dry cleaning/laundry service
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Roll-in shower
- Limo or Town Car service available
- Smoke-free property
- Free WiFi
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Conference space size (meters) - 102
- Express check-out
- Total number of rooms - 50
- Television in common areas
- Coffee/tea in common areas
- Multilingual staff
- Number of floors - 9
- In-room accessibility
Room Facilities
- Desk
- Air conditioning
- Room service (limited hours)
- Cribs/infant beds available
- Private bathroom
- Free WiFi
- Minibar
- Soundproofed rooms
- Bidet
- Daily housekeeping
- In-room climate control (air conditioning)
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Refrigerator
- Hair dryer
- Connecting/adjoining rooms available
- Shower/tub combination
- Iron/ironing board (on request)
- Balcony
- Digital TV service
- Coffee/tea maker
Hotel Policy
Know Before You Go
- All guests, including children, must be present at check-in and show their government-issued photo ID card or passport.
- Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 2999.99, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation.
- This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply). Guests must contact the property with arrival details 24 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
- One child 12 years old or younger stays free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.
- The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation.
- In accordance with national/local laws, air conditioning may be restricted to certain hours from 1 May to 30 September.
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Fee for buffet breakfast: EUR 5.00 for adults and EUR 5.00 for children (approximately)
- Pet fee: EUR 10 per pet, per night
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
Mandatory Fees and Taxes
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property:
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 5.00 per person, per night. This tax does not apply to children under 14 years of age.
We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.A tax is imposed by the city and will be collected at the property. The tax ranges from EUR 1.50 to EUR 5 per person, per night. The amount has been determined by the local administration and depends on the length of stay, property classification, and room price. This tax does not apply from the 6th consecutive night of stay onward. Guests exempted from this tax include residents of Bologna and children under 14 years of age. Please note that further exemptions may apply. For further details, please contact the property using the information contained in the confirmation received after booking. Show all hotel policy Show less hotel policy