U.S. patent application number 13/890751 was filed with the patent office on 2013-09-19 for composite hook and loop fasteners, methods of their manufacture, and products containing them.
This patent application is currently assigned to Velcro Industries B.V.. The applicant listed for this patent is VELCRO INDUSTRIES B.V.. Invention is credited to William P. Clune, William H. Shepard.
Application Number | 20130239371 13/890751 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22691097 |
Filed Date | 2013-09-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130239371 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shepard; William H. ; et
al. |
September 19, 2013 |
Composite hook and loop fasteners, methods of their manufacture,
and products containing them
Abstract
A composite hook and loop fastener in the form of an elongated
strip has an elongated loop component, a hook component permanently
affixed to the loop component, and a backing layer disposed on a
face of the wrap tie in a discrete region. The backing layer is
used for permanent attachment of the wrap tie to a supporting
surface. One end of the loop component is available for encircling
an object to be wrapped and engaging the fastener elements of the
hook component. The loop component has a self-supporting web of
entangled fibers, the fibers forming both a sheet-form body and
hook-engageable, free-standing loops extending from at least one
surface of the body, and the hook component has fastener elements
extending from a common base. The backing layer may be a pressure
sensitive adhesive or a synthetic resin.
Inventors: |
Shepard; William H.;
(Amherst, NH) ; Clune; William P.; (Hillsboro,
NH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VELCRO INDUSTRIES B.V. |
Willemstad |
|
NL |
|
|
Assignee: |
Velcro Industries B.V.
|
Family ID: |
22691097 |
Appl. No.: |
13/890751 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10271494 |
Oct 15, 2002 |
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13890751 |
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09818197 |
Mar 26, 2001 |
6481063 |
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10271494 |
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09187936 |
Nov 6, 1998 |
6205623 |
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09818197 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/448 ;
156/244.19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y10T 24/33 20150115;
B29L 2031/729 20130101; A44B 18/0049 20130101; Y10T 24/2708
20150115; B29C 2043/465 20130101; Y10T 24/2758 20150115; Y10T
24/2775 20150115; Y10T 24/2742 20150115; Y10T 24/2792 20150115;
A44B 18/008 20130101; Y10T 24/15 20150115; A44B 18/0088
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/448 ;
156/244.19 |
International
Class: |
A44B 18/00 20060101
A44B018/00 |
Claims
1-56. (canceled)
57. A wrap tie in the form of an elongated strip for closing a bag,
the wrap tie comprising: an elongated loop component having
hook-engageable loops extending therefrom, the loop component
comprising a needled non-woven web.; a hook component permanently
affixed to a first end of the loop component at one end of the wrap
tie, the hook component comprising a base of synthetic resin; and
an array of loop-engageable fastener elements integrally molded
with and extending from a first surface of the base; and a backing
layer permanently affixed to a second surface of the base opposite
the fastener elements, for permanent attachment of the hook
component of the wrap tie to a bag near an open end of the bag,
with the elongated loop component free to be wrapped around the bag
to engage the fastener elements of the hook component to close the
bag, wherein the backing layer comprises a pressure sensitive
adhesive, and a removable release liner covering the pressure
sensitive adhesive backing layer in which the release liner
longitudinally overlaps the loop component such that a portion of
the release liner is exposed for grasping.
58. A method of manufacturing sheet-form composite touch fasteners,
the method comprising the steps of: providing a longitudinally
continuous sheet of a loop material comprising a non-woven web of
entangled fibers, the fibers forming both a sheet-form web body
having oppositely directed faces and hook-engageable loops
extending from at least one face of the web body; introducing the
loop material and molten resin to a gap adjacent a mold roll that
has a cylindrical outer surface from which cavities extend in
discrete longitudinal regions of the outer surface, the molten
resin being introduced to the gap in discrete regions between the
mold roll and a receiving face of the continuous sheet of loop
material, such that longitudinal edges of the resin engage the
outer surface of the mold roll in cavity-free regions between the
discrete longitudinal regions in which the cavities extend and such
that the resin is subjected to pressure between the mold roll and
the loop material, forcing the resin into the cavities defined in
the mold roll to form a laminate with a surface having spaced-apart
resin-covered regions and exposed regions of the loop material, the
resin-covered regions each having a resin base and multiple,
loop-engageable fastener elements having stems integrally molded
with and extending from the resin base in the direction in which
the receiving face is directed, resin of the bases encapsulating
fibers of said web body at the receiving face of the loop material
in the resin-covered regions, thereby bonding the resin to the loop
material; and then cutting the laminate to form said composite
touch fasteners, each composite touch fastener having a surface
comprising at least a portion of one of the exposed regions of the
loop material, and at least a portion of one of the resin-covered
regions.
59. The method of claim 58, wherein molten resin is introduced to
the gap as multiple, spaced-apart bands of resin.
60. The method claim 59, wherein the bands are longitudinally
continuous.
61. The method of claim 58, wherein the gap is in the form of a nip
defined between the mold roll and a counter-rotating pressure
roll.
62. The method of claim 58, wherein the laminate is cut across both
loop material and one or more resin bases, such that the composite
touch fastener formed comprises both loops and at least a portion
of one or more resin-covered regions.
63. The method of claim 58, wherein portions of the loop material
where the molten resin is introduced, and portions containing
exposed fastener loops in the composite touch fasteners, are of the
same construction.
64. The method of claim 58, wherein the mold roll defines mold
cavities each having outer and inner mold cavity portions, the
outer mold cavity portions shaped to form the stems integral with
the outer surfaces of the base portion and the inner mold cavity
portions shaped to form loop-engageable features on distal ends of
the stems.
65. The method of claim 58, including so selecting the loop
material, so conducting the method of forming the laminate, and so
cutting the resulting laminate, as to provide composite touch
fasteners capable of being wrapped about one or more objects and
secured by engagement of loop-engageable fastener elements with
fastener loops of the composite touch fasteners.
66. The method of claim 58, including applying adhesive to a
selected region of the laminate for attaching the composite touch
fastener to an article.
67. The method of claim 58, wherein a distribution of the
loop-engageable fastener elements is produced that is narrower than
a region of the receiving face that is substantially free of the
resin.
68. The method of claim 58, wherein the face of the loop material
opposite to the receiving face is entirely covered with engageable
fastener loops.
69. The method of claim 58, wherein the exposed regions of the loop
material of the surface are disposed between spaced-apart
resin-covered regions, such that the laminate has a broad side with
both hook-engageable loops and loop-engageable hooks.
70. The method of claim 58, wherein the loop-engageable fastener
elements are formed as loop-engageable fastener hooks having
crook-form tips.
71. The method of claim 58, wherein the loop-engageable fastener
elements are formed as loop-engageable mushrooms.
72. A method of manufacturing sheet-form composite touch fasteners,
the method comprising the steps of: providing a fix and
longitudinally continuous sheet of a loop material comprising a
non-woven web of entangled fibers, the fibers forming both a
sheet-form web body having oppositely directed faces and
hook-engageable loops extending from at least one face of the web
body; introducing the loop material and molten resin to a gap
adjacent a mold roll, the molten resin being introduced to the gap
in discrete regions between the mold roll and a receiving face of
the continuous sheet of loop material, such that the resin is
subjected to pressure between the mold roll and the loop material,
forcing the resin into cavities defined in the mold roll to form a
laminate with a surface having spaced-apart resin-covered regions
and exposed regions of the loop material, the resin-covered regions
each having a resin base and multiple, loop-engageable fastener
elements having stems integrally molded with and extending from the
resin base in the direction in which the receiving face is
directed, resin of the bases encapsulating fibers of said web body
at the receiving face of the loop material in the resin-covered
regions, thereby bonding the resin to the loop material; and then
cutting the laminate to form said composite touch fasteners, each
composite touch fastener having a surface comprising at least a
portion of one of the exposed regions of the loop material, and at
least a portion of one of the resin-covered regions. wherein the
mold roll has a cylindrical outer surface from which the cavities
extend in two discrete longitudinal regions of the outer surface,
each of the longitudinal regions corresponding to a respective one
of the spaced-apart resin-covered regions of the outer surface and
separated from each other by a length of the cylindrical outer
surface void of the cavities and corresponding to one of the
exposed regions of the laminate.
73. A method of manufacturing a composite material having fastener
loops and loop-engageable fastener elements, the method comprising:
providing at least one longitudinally continuous flexible material
having oppositely directed faces, the flexible material having
fastener loops extending from at least one of its faces,
introducing molten resin to a plurality of spaced-apart, discrete
regions of a resin-receiving face of the flexible material while
leaving free of resin other regions of the resin-receiving face of
the flexible material, at least some fastener loops of the flexible
material on one or both faces of the flexible material remaining
free of resin and positioned to be engaged by loop-engageable
fastener elements; and forming the resin to provide both a resin
base portion joined to the resin-receiving face of the flexible
material and resin loop-engageable fastener elements having resin
stems integrally formed with and extending outwardly from an outer
surface of the resin base portion, the stems extending in the same
direction as the direction faced by the resin-receiving face of the
flexible material.
74. The method of claim 73, wherein the flexible material is of the
same construction where the molten resin is introduced and where
the fastener loops free of resin are positioned.
75. The method of claim 73, wherein the flexible material is
selected from the group consisting of nonwoven, knit and woven
sheet material.
76. The method of claim 73, wherein the resin-receiving face of the
flexible material is comprised of fibers, resin of the base portion
encapsulating fibers at the resin-receiving face of the flexible
material to bond the resin to the flexible material.
77. The method of claim 73, wherein forming the resin comprises
employing a rotating roll having an outer surface constructed to
form the outer surface of the resin base portion, the outer surface
of the roll defining cavities constructed to form the stems of the
fastener elements integrally with and extending outwardly from the
surface of the base portion.
78. The method of claim 77 in which the rotating roll is a mold
roll that is paired with a counter-rotating second roll to form a
nip, and in which the sheet material is introduced into the nip
with the resin-receiving face of the flexible material directed
toward the mold roll and with the molten resin located between the
mold roll and the resin-receiving face of the flexible
material.
79. The method of claim 78, wherein multiple, spaced-apart
continuous bands of molten resin of limited transverse dimension
enter the nip with the flexible material and are formed into base
portions joined to the flexible material and stems integral with
and extending outwardly from the outer surfaces of the respective
base portions.
80. The method of claim 77, wherein the roll is a mold roll having
mold cavities constructed with outer and inner mold cavity
portions, the outer mold cavity portions shaped to form the stems
integral with the outer surfaces of the base portion and the inner
mold cavity portions shaped to form loop-engageable features on the
outer ends of the stems.
81. The method of claim 73, including so selecting the flexible
material, and so conducting the method of forming the composite
material, as to result in a composite material capable of being
wrapped about one or more objects and secured by engagement of
loop-engageable fastener elements with fastener loops of the
product.
82. The method of claim 73, including applying adhesive to a
selected region of the composite material.
83. The method of claim 73, comprising forming multiple, spaced
apart regions of loop engageable fastener elements separated by
separate bands of flexible material.
84. The method of claim 73, wherein a distribution of the
loop-engageable fastener elements is produced that is narrower than
a region of the resin-receiving face that is substantially free of
the resin.
85. The method of claim 73, wherein the face of the flexible
material opposite to the resin-receiving face is entirely covered
with engageable fastener loops.
86. The method of claim 73, wherein the free of resin other regions
of the resin-receiving face of the flexible material are disposed
between spaced-apart resin-covered regions, such that the composite
material has a broad side with both hook-engageable loops and
loop-engageable hooks.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This invention relates to composite hook and loop fasteners,
methods of their manufacture and products containing them.
[0002] A typical composite hook and loop fastener is produced by
taking preformed hook and loop material and overlapping and
attaching the two materials together along their edge margins or by
totally overlapping one on top of the other. The attaching is
usually done by ultrasonic welding, thermal fusing or an adhesive
bond. This step of attaching preformed hook and loop material to
form the composite fastener adds additional cost to the
manufacturing process. Hook and loop materials may also be
laminated in-situ during the formation of the hook component.
[0003] One particular application for an improved composite
fastener, discussed in more detail below, is as a wrap tie for
closing bags. An economical bag tie commonly used in retail stores
comprises a wire covered with paper. The wire tie is wrapped around
an open end of a bag and the ends of the wire are twisted together
to close the bag. Another common type of a bag tie is a clip tie
that consists of a piece of plastic with an opening. A gathered
open end of the bag is pushed through the side of the opening to
close the bag. Other closures include strings and tapes and closing
arrangements that employ adhesives or removably engageable
elements.
[0004] The wire ties and clip ties are often used in retail stores
where items such as bakery products, fresh produce, dry goods,
nails, etc. are placed in a bag and sold by weight or number. The
consumer usually stores these products in the bags. The ties may be
opened and closed several times before the bag is emptied. There is
a need for low-cost dependable repeated-use closures for this and
many other applications.
SUMMARY
[0005] A composite hook and loop fastener in the form of an
elongated strip includes a loop component, a hook component
permanently affixed to the loop component, and a backing layer
disposed on a face of the wrap tie in a discrete region. The
backing layer is used for permanent attachment of the wrap tie to a
supporting surface. One end of the loop component is available for
encircling an object to be wrapped and engaging the fastener
elements of the hook component. The loop component has a
self-supporting web of entangled fibers, the fibers forming both a
sheet-form body and hook-engageable, free-standing loops extending
from at least one surface of the body, and the hook component has
fastener elements extending from a common base.
[0006] In general, in one aspect, the invention provides a wrap tie
in the form of an elongated strip. The wrap tie has an elongated
loop component having a web of fibers forming both a sheet-form
body and hook-engageable loops extending from at least one surface
of the body, a hook component permanently affixed to a first end of
the loop component, the hook component comprising a base of
synthetic resin and an array of loop-engageable fastener elements
integrally molded with and extending from a first surface of the
base, and a backing layer permanently affixed to a second surface
of the base opposite the fastener elements, for permanent
attachment of the wrap tie to a supporting surface. A second end of
the loop component is available for encircling an object to be
wrapped and engaging the fastener elements of the hook
component.
[0007] Implementations of this aspect of the invention may include
one or more of the following features. The web of the loop
component may be non-woven and specifically a needled non-woven.
The non-woven needled web may weight less than about 2 ounces per
square yard (68 grams per square meter). The non-woven web may be
in a stretched, stabilized state. The loops of the loop component
may extend from loop structures, and at least some of the loop
structures may each have a common, elongated trunk portion
extending from the web from an associated knot and multiple loops
extending from the trunk portion. The loop component may have an
edge margin encapsulated in resin of the hook component, and a
remainder free of hook component resin. The edge margin may be
about 10% of the area of the loop component. The loop component may
have an entire face encapsulated in resin of the hook component.
The loop component may have two broad, opposite sides, and loops
may extend from both sides. The hook component may be shorter than
the loop component, as measured along the wrap tie, and the backing
layer may overlap longitudinally the hook component and may be
disposed on a side of the wrap tie opposite the fastener elements.
The fastener elements of the hook component may be hook- or
mushroom-shaped. The hook component may be disposed at one end of
the elongated wrap tie, and the hook-shaped fastener elements may
extend toward the other end of the wrap tie. The base of the hook
component may include an integral extension void of fastener
elements, for overlapping the loop component and for face-to-face
attachment. The backing layer may be a pressure sensitive adhesive
or a synthetic resin. A removable release liner may cover the
pressure sensitive adhesive layer. The release liner may overlap
longitudinally the loop component such that a portion of the
release liner is exposed for grasping.
[0008] According to another aspect of the invention, a wrap tie has
an elongated hook component having a base of synthetic resin and an
array of fastener elements extending from a first surface of the
base, a loop component permanently affixed to a first end of the
hook component, the loop component having a web of fibers forming
both a sheet-form body and hook-engageable loops extending from at
least a first surface of the body, and a backing layer permanently
affixed to a second surface of the body of loop component for
permanent attachment of the wrap tie to a supporting surface. A
second end of the hook component is available for encircling an
object to be wrapped and engaging the hook-engageable loops of the
loop component. The hook component may be in a stretched state.
[0009] According to another aspect of the invention, a bag has an
open end and an elongated, strip-form wrap tie according to this
invention, permanently affixed to an outer surface of the bag for
closing the open end. The wrap tie is permanently bonded to the
outer surface of the bag in a discrete region along the length of
the wrap tie. One end of the loop component is available for
encircling the open end of the bag to secure the bag in a closed
state. The wrap tie may be permanently affixed to the bag by a
pressure sensitive adhesive layer or a synthetic resin. The bag may
be made of synthetic resin or paper.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention a sheet-form
composite touch fastener includes a loop component having a
self-supporting non-woven web of entangled fibers, the fibers
forming both a sheet-form web body and hook-engageable
free-standing loops extending from at least one surface of the web
body, and a hook component having a base of synthetic resin to
which loop-engageable hooks are integrally molded. The resin of the
hook component extends at least partially underneath the loop
component and encapsulates fibers of the web body of the loop
component.
[0011] Implementations of this aspect of the invention may include
one or more of the following features. The loop component may have
an edge margin encapsulated in resin of the hook component, and a
remainder free of hook component resin. The edge margin may be
about 10% of the area of the loop component. The loop component may
have an entire face encapsulated in resin of the hook component.
The loops of the loop component may extend from a common side of
the sheet-form touch fastener. The loops of the loop component may
be arranged on a side of the sheet-form composite touch fastener
opposite to the hooks of the hook component. The fibers of the loop
component may be encapsulated in the resin of the hook component
and the loop component may comprise regions which are more
encapsulated by resin than other regions.
[0012] According to another aspect of the invention a sheet-form
composite touch fastener includes a sheet-form loop component
having a web of fibers forming both a sheet-form web body and
hook-engageable loops extending from at least one surface of the
web body and a sheet-form hook component comprising a base of
synthetic resin to which loop-engageable hooks are integrally
molded. One edge region of the hook component is permanently
attached to a first edge of the loop component and fibers of the
first edge of the loop component are encapsulated by resin of said
edge region of the hook component. The loop component has a second
edge, opposite said first edge, substantially free of resin of the
hook material.
[0013] According to another aspect of the invention a method is
provided for manufacturing the elongated, strip-form wrap ties of
this invention. The method includes the following steps: Provide a
longitudinally continuous sheet of a loop material of finite width,
the loop material having loops extending from at least a first
surface. Permanently bond a longitudinally continuous strip of
plastic hook material to the loop material to form a laminate, with
the hook material at least partially overlapping the loop material
widthwise and having a width significantly less than the width of
the loop material, the hook material having a strip-form base and
fastener elements integrally molded with and extending from the
strip-form base. Apply pressure sensitive adhesive to a
predetermined region of a side of the laminate opposite the
fastener elements. Cut the laminate to form the wrap ties, each
wrap tie having a portion of the loop material, a portion of the
hook material, and a layer of the adhesive.
[0014] Implementations of this aspect of the invention may have one
or more of the following features. For a wrap tie that has a
removable release liner covering the layer of adhesive, the method
further includes, before the step of cutting, applying a
longitudinally continuous release liner to the laminate to cover
the adhesive. The cutting at least perforates the loop material and
the base of the hook material to define longitudinal edges of the
individual wrap ties, and leaves the release liner longitudinally
continuous. The cut wrap ties may be spooled upon the continuous
release liner for subsequent separation. The hook material may be
bonded to the loop material by ultrasonic welding, thermal welding,
or pressure sensitive adhesive. The step of bonding may also
include continuously feeding the loop material through a nip
defined between a rotating mold roll and a pressure roll, the
rotating mold roll defining a multiplicity of fixed cavities about
its periphery for molding the fastener elements of the hook
material, while continuously introducing molten resin to the mold
roll under conditions which cause the resin to fill the cavities of
the mold roll and form the hook material, such that pressure in the
nip bonds the loop material to the hook material. The molten resin
may be introduced to the mold roll in multiple, discrete regions
along the roll, thereby forming multiple, parallel strips of hook
material laminated to the loop material. After the bonding step and
before the cutting step, the laminate is slit longitudinally into
multiple, longitudinally continuous bands, each band including both
hook material, loop material and adhesive. The loop material may be
fed through the nip in the form of multiple parallel strips, while
forming the hook material to fill gaps between adjacent strips of
hook material in the nip.
[0015] According to another aspect of the invention a method is
provided for manufacturing the elongated strip-form wrap ties of
this invention. The method includes the following steps: Provide a
longitudinally continuous sheet of a loop material of finite width,
the loop material having loops extending from at least a first
surface of the loop material. Provide a longitudinally continuous
strip of plastic hook material, the hook material having a width
significantly less than the width of the loop material, the hook
material having a first surface with fastener elements integrally
molded with and extending from the first surface, and a second
surface, opposite the first surface, having a layer of pressure
sensitive adhesive. Bond the hook material and loop material along
their length, with the loop material overlapping a longitudinal
edge of the hook material and leaving the layer of adhesive
uncovered by loop material. Cut the laminate to form the wrap ties,
each wrap tie having a portion of the loop material, a portion of
the hook material, and a layer of the adhesive.
[0016] According to yet another aspect of the invention a method is
provided for manufacturing a sheet-form composite touch fastener.
The method includes the following steps: Provide a longitudinally
continuous sheet of a loop material of finite width, the loop
material having a self-supporting non-woven web of entangled
fibers, the fibers forming both a sheet-form web body and
hook-engageable free-standing loops extending from at least one
surface of the web body, said loop material having a substantially
constant fiber density across its width. Permanently bond a
longitudinally continuous strip of plastic hook material to the
loop material to form a laminate, the hook material having a
strip-form base of synthetic resin with fastener elements
integrally molded with and extending therefrom and wherein said
synthetic resin of the base of the hook component extends at least
partially underneath the loop component and encapsulates fibers of
said web body of the loop component. Cut the laminate to form the
composite touch fasteners, each composite touch fastener having a
portion of said loop material, and a portion of said hook
material.
[0017] According to yet another aspect of the invention an
apparatus is provided for manufacturing the elongated, strip-form
wrap ties of this invention. The apparatus includes a cooled,
rotating forming roll defining a plurality of inwardly extending,
fixed fastener element cavities at its periphery; a pressure roll
positioned to cooperate with the forming roll to define a nip, the
pressure roll having an outer surface for supporting a continuous
sheet of a loop material fed into the nip; and an extrusion nozzle
positioned to direct a continuous flow of molten resin toward the
forming roll under conditions which cause the resin to fill the
fastener element cavities and to form a continuous layer of resin
against the forming roll, such that the layer of resin is bonded to
the loop material by pressure in the nip, to form a laminate. The
apparatus further includes an applicator arranged to apply a
longitudinally continuous layer of pressure sensitive adhesive, to
a discrete region of a side of the laminate opposite the fastener
elements; a guide arranged to direct a longitudinally continuous
release liner to cover the applied layer of adhesive; and a blade
arranged to cut in a transverse direction across the laminate to
form individual wrap ties.
[0018] According to yet another aspect of the invention a method is
provided for releasably securing a container in a closed state. The
method includes providing a wrap tie according to this invention;
permanently adhering the wrap tie to a surface of the container;
wrapping one end of the loop component about the container; and
engaging the fastener elements of the hook component with the loops
of the loop component to retain the container in a closed
state.
[0019] Among the advantages of the invention may be one or more of
the following. The wrap-tie of this invention does not have any
sharp or metal parts, which may cut the bag when they become
exposed, pose injury risk for the consumer or oxidize and thus
contaminate the bag and its contents. There is no preferred
direction or need to twist the wrap tie, thus making it easy to
open and close the bag opening. Further the wrap tie of this
invention can be pre-attached to a bag automatically or can be
dispensed from a wrap tie dispenser for manual attachment to a bag.
The very low thickness and stiffness of both the non-woven loop
material and the hook material, along with its low cost and good
closure performance, make the wrap tie a particularly useful
component of many products.
[0020] Other features and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following description of embodiments, and from
the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrap tie having an
elongated loop component overlapping an end of a short hook
component and adapted for permanent union with a bag or similar
article.
[0022] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a bag having the wrap tie
of FIG. 1 attached to its surface.
[0023] FIG. 1B is a side view of a wrap-tie having loops on both
sides of an elongated loop component.
[0024] FIG. 1C is a side view similar to FIG. 1B, of a wrap-tie
having an elongated loop component, an end portion of which
overlaps the entire back surface of a hook component.
[0025] FIG. 1D is a side view of a wrap-tie in which a hook
component is attached in the middle of an elongated loop
component.
[0026] FIG. 1E is a side view of a wrap-tie in which an elongated
stretched hook component overlaps an end of a short loop
component.
[0027] FIG. 1F is a side view of a wrap-tie in which the hook strip
is attached face-to-face to the loop strip.
[0028] FIG. 2A is a photograph of a preferred non-woven loop
material for use as a loop component, enlarged 50.times..
[0029] FIG. 2B is a schematic view of the face of the non-woven
loop material shown in FIG. 2A.
[0030] FIG. 2C is a sketch of the non-woven loop material
illustrating clusters of loop fibers extending from a fibrous
mat.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a side view of a twisted wrap tie according to the
invention.
[0032] FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective magnified views of portions
of a hook fastener and a stretched hook fastener, respectively.
[0033] FIG. 5 illustrates an apparatus for forming and uniting
components of a wrap tie.
[0034] FIG. 6A is a perspective view of a portion of the apparatus
of FIG. 5 for forming the preform product of FIG. 7, while FIG. 6B
is a view taken in plane 6B-6B of FIG. 6A.
[0035] FIG. 7 illustrates a web comprised of attached loop and hook
bands formed with the apparatus of FIGS. 5, 6A and 6B.
[0036] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of four hook and loop segments
formed by slitting the web shown in FIG. 7.
[0037] FIG. 9 is a top view of a hook and loop segment that has
been perforated cut.
[0038] FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view of the hook and loop
segment, taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 9.
[0039] FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view of the interface between
the hook and loop segments, taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 10.
[0040] FIG. 12 is an enlarged side view of area 12 in FIG. 10.
[0041] FIG. 13 illustrates reciprocating ultrasonic welding of
bands of hook and loop material to form a wrap tie preform.
[0042] FIG. 13A illustrates rotary ultrasonic welding of bands of
hook and loop material to form a wrap tie preform.
[0043] FIG. 14 illustrates thermal fusing of bands of hook material
and loop material to form a wrap tie preform.
[0044] FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus that
dispenses wrap ties from a carrier sheet.
[0045] FIG. 15A is a schematic illustration of area A in FIG.
15.
[0046] FIG. 15B is a schematic illustration of an automatic label
dispensing apparatus.
[0047] FIG. 16A is a side view of stacked wrap ties.
[0048] FIG. 16B is a schematic illustration of a box dispenser for
the stacked wrap ties of FIG. 16A.
[0049] FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of an application of a
wrap tie as a support of a pipe against a wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0050] Referring to FIG. 1, a wrap tie 100 features an elongated
strip of non-woven loop material 110, attached to a short strip of
hook material 120.
[0051] The strip of non-woven loop material has a first surface 114
with hook-engageable loops 112 and a second relatively smooth
surface 116. The strip of hook material 120 has a first surface 122
with integrally molded fastener elements 126 and a second smooth
surface 124. The fastener elements may be hook- or mushroom shaped.
The hook-shaped fastener elements extend toward the loop material.
The smooth surfaces of the hook and loop strips overlap distance d
and are attached at joint 128 so that the loops and hooks extend in
opposite directions of the wrap tie. A pressure sensitive adhesive
layer 130 covers the remainder of the smooth surface 124 of the
hook strip 120. For a face-to-face attachment of the hook and loop
strips (FIG. 1F), i.e., attaching the surface of the loop strip
having the loops to the surface of the hook strip having the hooks,
the base portion of the hook strip 120 has an integral extension
129 without hooks for overlapping the loops of the loop strip 110.
The pressure sensitive adhesive layer 130 is covered with a release
liner 132, such as silicon coated paper. The release liner 132
overlaps longitudinally the loop component such that a portion of
the release liner is exposed for grasping. In one example, the tie
is 0.5 inch wide, dimension w, the loop strip is 3 inch long,
dimension l, the hook strip is 0.75 inch long, dimension l.sub.1,
and the overlap area 128 is 0.4 inch long, dimension d, all
components having the same width w. The thickness of the loop
material may vary between about 0.150 inch and 0.0100 inch, and the
thickness of the hook material may vary between about 0.100 inch
and 0.010 inch.
[0052] Referring to FIG. 1A, the wrap tie of FIG. 1 is attached to
an open end of a bag by the adhesive layer. The elongated non-woven
loop strip is wrapped around the bag opening and the free end of
the loop strip is secured to the hook strip by engaging the loops
with the hooks. The wrap tie may be prefastened and integrated with
the bag, e.g., during manufacture of the bag, or it may be applied
to the bag at the time of its use, by removing the release layer
and pressing the adhesive component against the material of the
bag. The bag may be made of synthetic resin or paper. In some
instances the wrap tie may have, instead of the pressure sensitive
adhesive layer, a synthetic resin layer which can be thermally
fused to the bag surface.
[0053] In such applications in which the products are considered
disposable after single use, the loop material only need withstand
a relatively small number of hooking cycles (e.g., 3 to 5) over the
product's useful life. We refer to these as "low cycle"
applications. Loop products in this category may be fabricated to
advantage with needled fabric that has needle-formed loops on one
or both sides. In certain cases, the material is in a permanently
stretched and stabilized state, having been stretched to increase
its area in excess of 100%, as much as 150% or more from its
as-needled condition. A preferred needled and stretched material is
formed of staple polyester yarns of between about 18 and 4 denier,
preferably 6 denier.
[0054] Other applications, such as strapping or bundling, may
require the hook-engageable loops to withstand a higher number of
cycles and higher stress. These relatively "high cycle", high
strength applications generally are preferably achieved by using
woven or knitted material or by forming loops with higher denier
(or higher tenacity) fibers than those suitable for lower
performance conditions. Loop products in this category may be
prepared by stretching an appropriate needled loop fabric in the
range of 50 percent to 100 percent stretch, for example, followed
by stabilization.
[0055] For certain applications, specially treated loop material
may be used in a wrap tie. For example, on a bag that holds an
electronic device and needs to dissipate static electricity,
non-woven loop impregnated with carbon or stainless steel may be
used. Carbon or stainless steel fibers may also be blended with
staple fiber to form a static electricity dissipative non-woven
loop material. A two-sided non-woven loop material may be used on a
wrap tie that, no matter if twisted, can be fastened to the
hook.
[0056] Additional configurations of a wrap tie include among others
the following: the loop strip 110 has loops on both surfaces 114
and 116 (FIG. 1B), the loop strip 110 overlaps and attaches to the
entire smooth surface 124 of the hook strip 120, with the adhesive
layer 130 being intimately bonded to the loop side 114 of the strip
(FIG. 1C), the hook strip 120 attaches to the middle of the loop
strip 110 (FIG. 1D), and an elongated hook strip 120, which may be
of formed and stretched material, is attached to a short loop strip
110 (FIG. 1E).
[0057] In preferred embodiments, the non-woven loop material 110
(FIG. 1) is very thin, but still self-supporting, and has
relatively free fibers forming loops extending from one side or
both sides of a continuous, tangled mat of fibers. In preferred
embodiments the non-woven loop material 110 comprises a needled
fabric of staple fibers which has been stretched longitudinally and
transversely, to form a fabric of the form depicted in FIGS. 2A and
2B.
[0058] In such a fabric the individual fibers of the mat follow no
definite pattern as in a woven product, but extend in various
directions within the plane of the fabric mat. The loops that
extend from the loop product are of the same fibers that comprise
the mat but extend beyond the general mass of the mat, out of the
plane of the mat, generally from associated knots 180, in the form
of well anchored loop trees 250 (FIG. 2C).
[0059] As shown photographically in FIG. 2A, and in the diagram of
FIG. 2B, in relatively low density fiber regions of a preferred mat
a substantial number of the fibers of the mat of loop material 110
are taut (i.e., not slack, regionally straight), and extend between
knots 180 of the loop material fabric. The taut fibers 182 have
been straightened by tension applied in at least one direction in
the plane of the fabric mat 170, while the knots have been produced
by slippage and agglomeration caused during the application of
stretching forces to the needled non-woven fabric.
[0060] The knot density of the sample shown in the photograph was
determined to be approximately 180 knots per square inch by
counting the number of visible knots within a given square area.
The knots themselves are fairly tight, made up of several
monofilament fibers, and are interconnected by the taut fibers seen
running between them. Between knots, the thin fiber mat is not very
dense and is sheer enough to permit images to be readily seen
through it. For low cost applications, the fabric preferably weighs
less than about 2 ounces per square yard (68 grams per square
meter).
[0061] In this particular embodiment, the fibers of the mat are
held in their taut, straightened condition by a water-based,
acrylic binder (not visible in the photograph) applied to the side
of the mat opposite the loops to bind the mat fibers in their
straight condition to stabilize the areal dimensions of the fabric,
and to secure the loops at their associated knots. The binder
generally ranges between 20 and 40% of the total weight of the
fabric and in the presently preferred embodiments accounts for
about one third of the total weight of the loop component. The
resulting fabric is dimensionally stable and strong enough to be
suitable for further processing by standard fabric-handling
techniques. While the fabric has a slight stiffness, like a
starched felt, the stiffness can be mitigated where desired by
softeners or mechanical working
[0062] As seen in FIG. 2C, loops 112 extend from free-standing
clusters of loop fibers extending from the fibrous mat 170. The
clusters 250 which have several mono-filament loops 112 extending
from a common elongated, substantially vertical trunk 252 we call
"loop trees". Each loop tree 250 extends from a corresponding knot
180 in which the loops of the cluster are anchored. Interstices
between individual filaments in the trunk portion 252 of each tree
or at the base of each bush, and in each knot 180 provide paths for
the wicking of liquid binder, under the influence of surface
tension of the liquid binder, to provide additional localized
stiffness and strength. Importantly, the density of clusters in the
plan view is very low, leaving sufficient room between the
"branches" of neighboring trees to accommodate hooks and deflected
loop material during engagement.
[0063] A more complete description of suitable non-woven loop
materials may be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
08/922,292, and a related PCT patent application entitled Loop
material, its manufacture and its use in products , filed on Sep.
3, 1998, as a continuation in part of the foregoing application,
the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 3, the flexibility of the non-woven
material 110 allows it to be twisted several times and fastened on
the hook fastener strip 120. Even if there are loops on only one
face of the strip, hook engageable loops occur at all quadrants of
the twist, to ensure engagement with the hook component. Further
the loops around the slit edges of the loop strip are oriented in
line with the fibrous mat 170, making the edges hook
engageable.
[0065] A hook strip 120 compatible with the loop material is used.
For a non-woven loop material made from staple polyester fibers
having a denier of 6, a hook may be of the CFM-29 designation,
available from Velcro USA Inc. of Manchester, N.H., U.S.A. The
CFM-29 hook strip has hooks of only 0.015 inch (0.38 mm) height.
Especially when the hook component is the elongated component as
depicted in FIG. 1E, the hook strip may be a stretched hook
product. Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, when a hook product is
subjected to lateral stretching, the material of the base web 150
decreases in thickness, from the original thickness t.sub.0 of FIG.
4A to the reduced thickness t.sub.1 of FIG. 4B. The areal density
of the fastener elements is accordingly reduced. For example, with
hook form elements of a type having a conventional height of about
0.035 inch and a spacing l.sub.0 of about 0.050 inch along the
rows, starting with a spacing w.sub.0 of the rows of about 0.025
inch and ending with a spacing w.sub.1 of FIG. 4B of about 0.100
inch, the areal density changes by a factor of 4, from about 800
fastener elements 11 per square inch to about 200 fastener elements
per square inch. Starting with higher hook densities, higher final
densities can be achieved to match the hooking needs of particular
applications, while still of low cost.
[0066] The product of FIG. 1 may be economically formed by the
process and apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5. Extruder barrel 308
melts and forces the molten plastic 310 through a slot-form die
312. The extruded plastic enters the nip 314 between base roll 316
and mold roll 318 containing mold cavities shaped to form the hooks
of a strip-form hook fastener component of the well known hook and
loop type. The strip fastener material formed in nip 314 travels
about the periphery of mold roll 318 to stripping roll 320, which
assists in pulling the finished product 300 from the mold roll, and
from there to a windup device, not shown.
[0067] For more detail about the general operation of the apparatus
of FIG. 5, the reader is referred to U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,015 to
Kennedy, et al., which discloses laminates made with loop
materials.
[0068] There are many possible methods of feeding the non-woven
sheet material to the forming section of the hook forming device.
In one example, shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, several transversely
spaced apart bands of non-woven material 350 are introduced about
the periphery of the base roll 316 and enter nip 314 at the same
time molten plastic 310 enters the nip at regions between the bands
of loop material. The slot-form die has alternating plugs and open
die spaces, the spaces arranged to provide molten resin that fills
the spaces 352 between the bands of the non-woven loop material and
produce limited overlap of the resin and the bands of non-woven
(FIG. 6B), for forming joints 128. The edge margins of the bands of
non-woven material bond intimately with the edge margins of the
molten resin with which bands of hook fasteners 354 are integrally
formed. The bond is formed by encapsulating fibers of the loop
material with the molten resin of the hook material. Thereby a
composite structure of joined alternating bands of loop component
and hook component are formed.
[0069] In one example, a web includes (FIG. 7), starting from the
left, a 3 inch wide strip of non-woven loop, an inch and a half
wide strip of hook material, a 6 inch wide strip of non-woven loop,
an inch and a half wide strip of hook material and a 3 inch wide
strip of non-woven loop. The alternating strips of non-woven and
hook material overlap partially, being bonded at joints 128. The
overlap areas are for instance 0.4 inch wide. After formation, the
web passes through a slitter where it is longitudinally slit at the
mid-points A and C of the hook segments, and at the midpoint B of
the 6 inch loop segment. This results in four continuous length
composite webs, each comprising a narrow band of hook material
joined to a relatively wide band of non-woven loop material (FIG.
8).
[0070] In the next step each of the four webs passes through a
coating line where a pressure-sensitive adhesive is applied to the
back of the hook strip material, this followed by a step where a
release liner is placed on the adhesive layer.
[0071] At that point each of the four continuous webs is
perforated-cut (kiss-cut) along lines 400 through the loop and hook
side but not through the release liner 132, as shown in FIGS. 9,
10, and 12, to form a series of elongated bag ties. The direction
of the kiss-cut 400 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 402
of the composite web, which coincides with the machine direction. A
cross section of the web along the indicated direction 11-11 is
shown in FIG. 11.
[0072] An alternative way to manufacture the wrap tie is to
ultrasonically seal respective preformed bands of hook and loop
material. The two materials are slit to the appropriate width and
their edges overlapped and ultrasonically welded with a
reciprocating ultrasonic welder, as shown in FIG. 13, or a rotary
ultrasonic welder, as shown in FIG. 13A. The back of the hook
material is coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive prior to
welding.
[0073] Another way to manufacture the wrap tie is to thermally fuse
overlapping edge margins of preformed bands of hook and loop
materials. Thermal fusing is performed with two rotary wheels 160
and 162, shown in FIG. 14. Both rotary wheels are heated, and may
have a knurl pattern on them. The wheels come in contact and nip
the area to be joined, which in this case is the overlap area
between the edges of the loop and hook bands. The heated wheels
melt the hook resin and fuse it into and around the fibers of the
non-woven loop, thereby forming a bond between the margin portions
of the two bands. The mechanical surrounding of the fiber with the
melted, then solidified resin provides the necessary bond
strength.
[0074] Different type of resins may be used to form either the hook
or the non-woven material. In certain preferred cases, as
mentioned, the non-woven material is made from polyester fibers and
the hook material from polyethylene.
[0075] The hook and loop material preferably differ in their heat
properties. For example, the polyethylene melts at a lower
temperature than the polyester and thereby allows the thermal
fusing of the hook resin around the polyester fiber of the loop
material, to form a strong mechanical bond with dimensional
stability.
[0076] The adhesive for layer 130 is preferably a pressure
sensitive type adhesive. In some instances, layer 130 may be a
synthetic resin suitable for thermal fusion onto a substrate.
[0077] Wrap ties carried by a common release liner 202 may be
rolled into a roll 210. The wrap ties 206 have one end 208 attached
to the release liner with the pressure sensitive adhesive and a
free end 209. The roll 210 may be fed to a standard labeler 200,
shown diagrammatically in FIG.15. The release liner is arranged to
pass under a sharp angle 212 around a peel plate 204, where it
reverses direction. The release liner is flexible and can change
easily direction. However, the wrap tie has a certain amount of
stiffness that causes the edge of the wrap tie 207 not to follow
the release liner 202 around the peel plate 204, and to protrude at
the point where the release liner reverses its direction (FIG.
15A). In this way the peel plate automatically separates the wrap
tie from the release liner. The wrap tie may either be indexed or
dynamically placed upon a moving bag on a bagging machine which
produces polyethylene bags. Automatic label dispensing on a moving
bag is shown in FIG. 15B. The leading edge 217 of the moving bag
218 trips an electric eye 216. The electric eye may be a light
emitting diode. The electric eye 216 sends a signal to the label
dispenser 200 and the dispenser accelerates and transports the wrap
tie 206 towards the moving bag 218. When the wrap tie 206 reaches a
predetermined location 219 on the bag 218 and while the wrap tie is
still connected to the release liner 202 a tamp roller 214 presses
edge 207 of the wrap tie 206 onto the bag 218. The wrap tie 206,
the bag 218, and the release liner 202 continue to move at the same
speed, while the tamp roller 214 presses the wrap tie onto the bag.
Once the wrap tie is fully released from the release liner and
attached to the bag, the release liner stops moving while the bag
continues to move away from the dispenser region. The process
repeats again when the next bag moves close to the dispenser area
and trips the electric eye 216. The advancement of the wrap ties
may be controlled by a separate sensor (not shown) for increased
accuracy.
[0078] When the backing layer 130 is made of synthetic resin, the
tamp roller 214 is heated to thermally fuse the wrap tie onto the
bag.
[0079] In another embodiment, the wrap ties 206 may be stacked one
on top of the other (FIG. 16A), having one end 226 of each tie
releasably adhered together and a free end 224. The stacked wrap
ties may be placed in a dispenser box 220 (FIG. 16B). The dispenser
box has an opening 222, allowing the free ends 224 of the wrap ties
to be successively pulled out of the box.
[0080] Other features and advantages of this invention may include
one or more of the following. The web in FIG. 7 may be first coated
with the pressure sensitive adhesive and then pass through the
slitter where it is longitudinally slit to form the hook and loop
segments. The very low thickness of both the non-woven loop
material and the hook material, along with its low cost and good
closure performance, make the wrap tie a particularly useful
component of many products. The wrap ties may be employed, for
instance, to close a plastic bag as described above (FIG. 1A), to
secure pipes or other building materials (FIG. 18), to bundle
cables and secure bundled cables, etc.
[0081] Other features and advantages of the invention will be
realized, and are within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *