Deformable Fastening Device

Abstract

There is described a deformable fastening member of a separable type fastener including a flexible backing strip and a multiplicity of hooking elements projecting from one surface thereof. The backing strip includes a plurality of spaced apart relief slots extending into the strip from the edge portions thereof. The slots allow the strip to be easily bent and attached to substantially any curved surface.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Separable fasteners such as the hook and loop fasteners described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,717,437 and 3,009,235 are widely used for the purpose of attaching one object to another. In general, fasteners of this type include separable members each having a pile-like surface of hooking elements. Upon being pressed together in face-to-face relationship, the hooking elements of the separable members releasably interengage one another to hold the members together. In the above-mentioned U.S. patents, each separable member comprises a sheet of woven synthetic material having raised loop threads wherein the loops of one member are cut at their outer extrememities to form hook-type hooking elements while the loop threads of the other member remain uncut to form loop-type hooking elements. When these two members are pressed together in face-to-face relationship, there is a substantial engagement of the hook-type hooking elements with the loop-type hooking elements. A considerable effort must be applied to separate the members unless they are peeled apart in which case the members are separated quite easily. The shape of the hook-type elements may also be obtained by thermally treating the synthetic material being used.

Hook and loop type fastener strips comprising a flexible backing having a plurality of hooking elements projecting therefrom, lend themselves quite easily to a variety of applications. Mating strips comprising respectively a pile of resilient hook-type hooking elements interengage with a multiplicity of loop-type hooking elements to form an extremely useful separable fastener. Such fasteners are well known and have considerable convenience since the mating fastener elements interengage simply upon contact and disengage by peeling one fastener element away relative to the other.

Hook and loop type fastener strips have a variety of useful applications such as, for example, when they are attached on a boat or aircraft to fasten other objects thereto. There are, however, disadvantages which prevent the strip fastener from being ideally suited in these and numerous other environments. One of the most significant of these disadvantages is discovered when the fastening strips are attached to various curved surfaces extending in different directions. Although the strip fastener is generally flexible, it has a natural rigidity which prevents one from securing the strip fastener to substantially any curved surface. Thus, there are instances when it becomes inconvenient or unsuitable to attach the strip fastener along a curved surface.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages noted hereinabove by providing an improved strip fastening member, which member has a degree of flexibility which has not heretofore been obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention a flexible fastening member of a separable type fastener in strip form comprises a backing strip formed of a flexible resilient material having a multiplicity of hooking elements projecting from one surface of the backing strip. The member includes a plurality of spaced apart relief slots spaced longitudinally along the member and extending into the member from the edge portions thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the fastener strip according to the present invention, illustrating one type of preferred relief slot;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail showing the fastening strip secured to a curved structural member; and

FIG. 4 is a second fragmentary detail showing the fastening strip secured in a curved manner to a structural member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, there is illustrated a fastener strip member incorporating the principles of the present invention. The fastening member 11 of the present invention comprises a flexible backing strip 12 formed of a suitable plastic material which has extending from one surface thereof in a well-known manner, a multiplicity of hooking elements 13. In the embodiment shown, the flexible backing strip 12 has secured to one surface a fastening tape member 14 upon which surface project the hooking elements 13. The fastening tape member in the form of a strip, is secured to the backing strip 12 by any suitable means such as, for example, by adhesively bonding the tape member to the strip.

The outwardly facing surface of the tape member 14 is defined by a plurality of upwardly projecting hooking elements 13 of flexible resilient material. The tape member can, for example, comprise a base sheet 15 of fabric material having a plurality of raised threads of material engaging hooking elements. These hooking elements are shown in the drawing as material engaging hooks. In one preferred embodiment, the base sheet 15 is made of a woven synthetic resin material such as nylon. The material engaging hooking elements 13 are also preferably made of synthetic resin material which is interwoven with the base sheet 15. Other materials may be substituted for the base sheet and the hooking elements, as, for example, threads of fine wire; or the hooking elements could be made with some method other than weaving, such as a continuous casting operation.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the hooking the 13 comprise tiny upstanding hooks. For the purpose of attaching a first object to the surface of a second object having secured thereto the fastening member according to the present invention, the surface of the first object would have complimentary hooking elements comprising, for example, tiny upstanding loops. Upon being pressed together in face-to-face relationship, the hook-type elements releasably interengage the loop-type elements to hold the objects together. It will be recognized that the hooking elements 13 may comprise either the hook-type hooking elements or the loop-type hooking elements. In fact, it is contemplated by the present invention that the hooking elements on tape member 14 may be comprised of both hook-type hooking elements and loop-type hooking elements.

The backing strip 12 is formed of a material which is flexible in the sense that it is resilient enough to bend to an applied stress and then return to its original configuration when the stress is relieved. For example, a backing strip of vinyl formed by an extrusion process is eminently suitable.

The flexible fastening member 11 is provided with a series of spaced apart relief slots 16 spaced longitudinally along the member which extend into the member from the edge portions thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the relief slots 16 extend substantially perpendicular to the edge portions of the fastening member. The relief slots preferably extend inwardly from the two longitudinal edge portions of the member as shown. Also, it is preferred that the relief slots be formed in pairs, each of the relief slots of the pair lying in substantially the same axis. The relief slots can be formed by any of numerous well-known techniques, such as, for example, a punching operation.

The relief slots 16 may be in any of numerous shapes. As shown in FIG. 1, the relief slots are in the shape of a keyhole. However, the relief slots can also assume other shapes such as, for example, the shape of a V. Additionally, the spacing between the relief slots measured longitudinally along the edge portions of the fastening member 11 will vary depending upon the degree of flexibility desired. I have found that the preferred distance between the axis of the relief slots lies in the range of five-eighths inch to 11/2 inches.

The fastening strip member in accordance with the present invention can be secured to substantially any curved surface such as the surface 17 shown in FIG. 3 and can follow substantially any curved pattern on a surface 18, as shown in FIG. 4. The fastening member 11 may be secured to the surface 17 by any of numerous well-known attachment methods such as by using rivets, screws, an adhesive, etc. When the fastening member 11 contains the relief slots in accordance with the present invention, the member is no longer restricted by its natural rigidity to a limited amount of bending and can be bent to conform to substantially any curved surface and follow substantially any curved pattern.

The tape member 14 with associated upstanding hook-type or loop-type hooking elements may consist of the woven hook pile or loop pile material described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,717,437 and 3,009,235 or of the knitted loop pile or hook pile material described in commonly assigned co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 659,669 filed Aug. 10, 1967. Alternatively, these hook and loop type hooking elements may consist of the molded plastic hook pile or loop pile material described in commony assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 824,597 filed May 14, 1969. Also, in the event molded plastic material is used, the hooking elements may be molded integrally with the support member.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that a very simple yet effective means for attaching fastening strips having hooking elements to various curved surfaces has been devised. The relief slots on the fastening member provide a very simple and quick way of increasing the flexibility of an already flexible fastening strip member so that the member is no longer restricted by its natural rigidity and therefore can be secured to various curved surfaces or secured to a surface and follow various curved patterns to provide a smooth contour.

Claims

I claim:

1. A flexible fastening member of a separable type fastener in strip form comprising an elongated backing strip formed of a flexible resilient material, a multiplicity of hooking elements projecting from one surface of the backing strip, said member having a plurality of spaced apart relief slots spaced longitudinally along the member and extending into the member from the edge portions thereof, said relief slots allowing the fastening member to overcome its natural rigidity and thereby follow substantially any curved pattern, and said backing strip being substantially uninterrupted along its longitudinal axis except for said relief slots.

2. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1, wherein the hooking elements extend from a tape member, said tape member including a base having a plurality of threads of synthetic resin material in the form of hooking elements interwoven therein, the tape member being secured to the backing strip along one surface thereof.

3. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1, wherein the hooking elements are hook-type hooking elements.

4. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1, wherein the relief slots are key-hole in shape.

5. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1, wherein the backing strip is formed of extruded vinyl.

6. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1, wherein the relief slots extend inwardly in pairs from each of the longitudinal edge portions of the member, each of the relief slots of the pair lying along substantially the same axis.