A new and useful all plastic disposable thermometer is disclosed, which dispenses with the prior art employment of an aluminum or other metal-based substrate. The novel thermometer can either be employed with opaque indicator means or with heat-sensitive compositions of matter that change color with a change in phase, such as those enumerated in copending application Ser. No. 946,935, filed Sept. 28, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,552.
RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PATENTS
This application is a continuation-in-part of United States Ser. No. 946,935, filed Sept. 28, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,552, entitled "TEMPERATURE INDICATING COMPOSITIONS OF MATTER", by Craig R. Hof and Roy A. Ulin, which is a continuation-in-part of United States Ser. No. 895,422, filed Apr. 13, 1978, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part to United States Ser. No. 844,334, filed Oct. 21, 1977, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of United States Ser. No. 796,492, filed May 12, 1977, now abandoned. This application is related by subject matter to (1) United States Ser. No. 896,406, filed Jan. 16, 1978, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,007, entitled "SUPPORT MEMBER FOR A DISPOSABLE THERMOMETER" (issued Dec. 5, 1978), by Roy A. Ulin; (2) United States Ser. No. 896,114, filed on Apr. 13, 1978 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,942, entitled "TEMPERATURE INDICATING DEVICE USING A PRESSURE SENSITIVE ADHESIVE SEAL", by E. A. Giezen, G. D. B. van Houwelingen and M. Cramer, based upon Netherlands Application No. 7,704,765 (May 2, 1977); (3) United States Ser. No. 015,080, filed Feb. 26, 1979, entitled "PROTECTIVE PACKAGING FOR THERMOLABILE GOODS", by Craig R. Hof and Hasmukh Shah; and (4) Ser. No. 104,411, filed on Jan. 7, 1980, by Craig R. Hof, Roy A. Ulin and Concepcion Osio, entitled "IMPROVED DISPOSABLE REVERSIBLE THERMOMETER", all of (1)-(4) incorporated herein by reference. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,107, incorporated herein.
A method is disclosed for improving the signal retention of a liquid crystal sensing element comprising an embossed cavity containing the liquid crystal and a cover layer sealing the liquid crystal in the cavity by heat treating at about 95 to about 120.degree. C. for a time sufficient to cause the embossed cavity to shrink to substantially its original form thereby forcing the liquid crystal to be forced up against the cover layer to form a domed structure. Essential to the success of the process is incorporation in the cavity of about 10 to about 50% by volume of air based on the volume of the cavity.
A method is disclosed for improving the signal retention of a liquid crystal sensing element comprising an embossed cavity containing the liquid crystal and a cover layer sealing the liquid crystal in the cavity by heat treating at about 95.degree. to about 120.degree. C. for a time sufficient to cause the embossed cavity to shrink to substantially its original form thereby forcing the liquid crystal to be forced up against the cover layer to form a domed structure. Essential to the success of the process is incorporation in the cavity of about 10 to about 50% by volume of air based on the volume of the cavity.
A new and useful composition of matter, solid at room temperature, is disclosed, comprising: (1) an effective amount of a suitable nucleating agent substantially uniformly dispersed in (2) a suitable pressure-sensitive adhesive for encapsulating a temperature-sensitive solid mixture having a given nucleation efficiency and which melts at a predetermined temperature, whereby the suitable nucleating agent is (a) inert to both the pressure-sensitive adhesive and the temperature-sensitive solid mixture, and (b) capable of raising the nucleation efficiency of said solid mixture. The novel composition of matter overcomes the extreme super-cooling achieved by temperature-indicating compositions of matter in U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,552 (which change color with a change in phase) without the use of classical nucleating agents being employed in such temperature-indicating compositions of matter. The novel adhesive composition of matter has been found to be especially suitable in conjunction with a preferred '552 temperature-indicating composition of matter comprising pinacyanol iodide dissolved in a solvent comprising ortho-chloronitrobenzene and ortho-bromonitrobenzene. An especially suitable novel adhesive of the instant invention comprises 0.5 to about 5.0 phr talc in polyisobutylene.
A merchandise display assembly includes a support member and a hook projecting from the support member for slideably suspending associated merchandise items. The hook includes a back end which is mounted to the support member and a front end having a retainer construction for preventing merchandise items from sliding off the hook. A resilient one piece label holder is mounted on the hook for providing product information concerning merchandise items suspended on the hook. The holder includes a mounting section by which the holder is mounted on a back end of the hook. The holder also includes an intermediate section extending from the mounting section. The intermediate section includes a plateau and a border region surrounding the plateau. The plateau is located out of a plane of the border region to add stiffness to the intermediate section. A display section, which extends forwardly from the intermediate section, is so positioned and located as to extend in front of a tip of the hook.
A display tag holder that has a mounting portion, an intermediate portion, and a display portion. The mounting portion mounts to a merchandise display hook hanging on a wall with the intermediate portion extending above and supported by the hook so that the display portion extends downwards and forwards of the tip of the hook to display the pertinent merchandise information. The mounting portion has two wedge shaped protrusions, which fit between the hook and wall, and the intermediate portion has a raised portion, which increases the stiffness of the holder. These features help to prevent the holder from falling off the hook or hanging under the hook in the event that a customer accidentally bumps or brushes against the holder.
