U.S. patent number 3,748,701 [Application Number 05/132,513] was granted by the patent office on 1973-07-31 for adhesive element in cloth form.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Velcro S.A.. Invention is credited to George De Mestral.
United States Patent |
3,748,701 |
De Mestral |
July 31, 1973 |
ADHESIVE ELEMENT IN CLOTH FORM
Abstract
A fastening member is disclosed for use in a separable fastening
device of the type including two fastening members each having an
engaging surface defined by a plurality of hooking elements. At
least one of the members comprises a base sheet having a plurality
of resilient threads in the form of arches secured to the base
sheet and extending from one surface thereof. The threads are of
unitary construction and include a core portion and at least one
lobe extending from the core. Each of the lobes include a plurality
of serrated notches which define a multiplicity of hook-type
hooking elements along each of the lobes.
Inventors: |
De Mestral; George (Vaud,
CH) |
Assignee: |
Velcro S.A. (Soulie, Nyon,
CH)
|
Family
ID: |
4309363 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/132,513 |
Filed: |
April 8, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 1970 [CH] |
|
|
6422/70 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/445; 24/449;
139/391; 428/100 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B
18/0038 (20130101); D01D 5/253 (20130101); D03D
27/00 (20130101); D01D 4/02 (20130101); Y10T
24/2733 (20150115); Y10T 24/2767 (20150115); Y10T
428/24017 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A44B
18/00 (20060101); D01D 4/00 (20060101); D01D
5/253 (20060101); D01D 5/00 (20060101); D03D
27/00 (20060101); D01D 4/02 (20060101); A44b
017/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/204,DIG.18
;139/391 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gelak; Bernard A.
Claims
I claim:
1. A fastening member for a separable type fastener comprising a
base sheet, a plurality of resilient threads in the form of arches
secured to the base sheet and projecting from one surface thereof,
substantially each thread being of unitary construction and
including a core portion substantially circular in cross-section
and at least one rib-like lobe integrally extending from the core
portion substantially the entire length of the thread, each lobe
including a plurality of notches defining a multiplicity of
hook-like hooking elements along the length of each lobe.
2. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1 wherein the
threads have three lobes extending from the core.
3. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1 wherein each
lobe extends from the core at substantially the same distance.
4. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1 wherein the
base sheet is formed of woven synthetic material.
5. A flexible fastening member according to claim 4 wherein the
threads are formed of a synthetic resin material interwoven in the
base sheet.
6. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1 wherein the
notches are spaced at substantially regular intervals along each
lobe.
7. A flexible fastening member according to claim 1 wherein the
notches are distributed along each lobe in a manner which forms a
spiral formation of the notches along the length of the
threads.
8. A fastening member according to claim 1 wherein the base sheet
is formed of a solid material.
9. A separable fastening device of the type including first and
second fastening members each member having an engaging surface
defined by a plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient
material, at least the first of the members comprising a base
sheet; a plurality of resilient threads in the form of arches
secured to the base sheet and projecting from one surface thereof,
substantially each thread being of unitary construction and
including a core portion substantially circular in cross-section
and at least one rib-like lobe integrally extending from the core
portion substantially the entire length of the thread, each lobe
including a plurality of notches defining a multiplicity of
hook-like hooking elements along the length of each lobe.
10. A separable fastening device according to claim 9 wherein the
second member comprises a base sheet and a multiplicity of
loop-type hooking elements projecting therefrom.
11. A separable fastening device according to claim 9 wherein the
threads have three lobes extending from the core.
12. A separable fastening device of the type including two
fastening members each member having an engaging surface defined by
a plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient material,
each member comprising a base sheet, a plurality of resilient
threads in the form of arches secured to the base sheet and
projecting from one surface thereof, substantially each thread
being of unitary construction and including a core portion
substantially circular in cross-section and at least one rib-like
lobe integrally extending from the core portion substantially the
entire length of the thread, each lobe including a plurality of
notches defining a multiplicity of hook-like hooking elements along
the length of each lobe.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a fastening member for use in a separable
fastening device, and more particularly to a fastening member for
use in a separable fastening device of the type having two members
at least one of the members being provided with a base and a large
number of resilient inter-engageable hooking elements extending
from the base characterized in that the member includes on one
surface thereof a multiplicity of small arches distributed over the
entire surface, the arches being formed of threads of synthetic
material having a plurality of notches distributed over their
entire length.
Separable fasteners such as the hook and loop fasteners described
in U.S. Pat. No. 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. patent, 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 extremeties
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.
Other fastening members, used particularly in separable fastening
devices, are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,717,437 and 3,114,951.
In some of the particular embodiments illustrated in these patents,
the fastening members are constructed of a fabric having raised or
flatened fibers which are provided with notches. When manufacturing
these raised fiber fabric, a fabric having a plurality of the
fibers in the form of loops extending from one surface of the
fabric is first formed, and subsequently the loops are cut. The
basic disadvantage of these members is that they require extra
processing steps during manufacture, since the first operation to
be performed consists of weaving a fabric with fibers in the form
of loops and subsequently cutting the loops to form the raised or
flattened fibers. Furthermore, when used as a member of a fastening
device a relatively weak bond is obtained.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,637 describes a self-gripping cloth fastening
element formed of threads or filaments comprising an elongated body
having a series of sharp-edged hooks extending from and anchored to
the elongated body and spatially staggered along the length of the
body. Unlike the present invention, the self gripping element
presents numerous disadvantages. First, the threads with the
extending hooks are manufactured by a method which would not only
be very difficult to achieve in practice, but also very costly.
Furthermore, it also appears from the patent that a fastening
device employing the self gripping cloth would not produce a firm
grip in all directions.
It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to
avoid all of the disadvantages stated hereinabove by presenting
herein a description of a fastening member which provides an
extremely strong bond when used in a separable fastening device and
yet is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention a fastening member for a
separable type fastener comprises a base sheet and a plurality of
resilient threads in the form of arches secured to the base sheet
and projecting from one surface thereof. The threads are of unitary
construction and include a core portion and at least one lobe
extending from the core. Each lobe has a plurality of serrated
notches which define a multiplicity of hook-type hooking elements
along each lobe.
The present invention also includes within its scope a separable
fastening device of the type including first and second fastening
members each member having an engaging surface defined by a
plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient material. At
least the first of the members comprises a base sheet and a
plurality of resilient threads in the form of arches secured to the
base sheet and projecting from one surface thereof. The threads are
of unitary construction and include a core portion and at least one
lobe extending from the core portion. Each lobe has a plurality of
serrated notches which define a multiplicity of hook-type hooking
elements along each lobe.
Both members of the fastening device in accordance with the present
invention may consist of the fastening member as described herein,
or the second member of the device may comprise a tape member
having a plurality of complementary hooking elements in the form of
tiny loops. In addition, each of the members may comprise threads
having notches forming hook-type hooking elements as described
herein in combination with a plurality of loops, both projecting
from the same base. In either event, when the members of the
fastening device are brought firmly into face-to-face engagement a
large number of hooking elements on the first fastening member
engage a large number of hooking elements on the second fastening
member. The members so engaged resist separation, but may be
separated readily by a peeling force applied substantially normal
to the interfacial plane of engagement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawings show, schematically and by way of example, a preferred
embodiment of the fastening element according to the present
invention in which;
FIG. 1 is a perspective view on a greatly enlarged scale of a
section of the textile fiber for manufacturing the fastening
members;
FIG. 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view at enlarged scale of a
fastening member;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a weaving diagram for a
fastening member such as the one illustrated in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view in section showing a fastening member
in combination with a loop fabric cloth.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to the drawing and specifically to FIG. 1 thereof,
there is shown a textile fiber or thread used in manufacturing a
fastening member according to the present invention. The thread 10
of unitary construction, includes a core portion 11 which is
encircled by a number of lobes 12. In the specific embodiment
shown, three lobes are illustrated (a trilobal thread). However,
the number of lobes on the thread may vary and includes but is by
no means limited to, as specific examples, one, two, three or more
lobes. The threads 10 are preferably made of a synthetic resin
material, such as polyamide threads. A specific example of a
material is nylon. However, any material having the requisite
degree of stiffness and resiliency may be used. For example, the
fibers could be formed of glass, metal or numerous plastic
materials.
The threads 10 includes a plurality of notches 13 formed at
substantially regular intervals along lobes 12. These notches form
a plurality of hook-type hooking elements 14 along the length of
the threads. In one preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the
notches 13 are distributed along each of the lobes 12 in a manner
forming a spiral distribution of notches along the length of the
thread.
The threads described above with reference to FIG. 1 are used for
the manufacture of the fastening member in cloth form in accordance
with the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3
(corresponding to a satin weave) one embodiment of the present
invention includes a fastening member 15 having a series of warp
threads 16 comprised of ordinary threads (threads which do not have
the encircled lobes). The fabric also includes a series of weft
threads 17 formed of ordinary threads as described. These ordinary
threads are also preferably made of synthetic resin material, such
as polyamide threads, and are preferably made of the same synthetic
resin material as the thread 10 described above. In addition to the
ordinary threads 16, 17, the fastening member also includes a
series of continuous threads 18, 19, whose construction is
precisely that of threads 10 as described with reference to FIG. 1.
When th member is woven, threads 18, 19 are woven in a manner so
that they form arches 20.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the threads 18 include a
plurality of hook-type hooking elements 14 which face in one
direction along the threads while threads 19 include a plurality of
hook-type hooking elements 14 which face in a direction opposite to
those on threads 18. By having this type of configuration, the
arches 20 formed by threads 18, 19 exhibit remarkable fastening
qualities when they are pressed in face-to-face relation against,
for example, a fabric having a plurality of loop-type hooking
elements, a fabric of jersey cloth or tricot or a second fastening
member having the same configuration as shown in FIG. 2. However,
the invention is in no way limited to fastening members formed of
threads having hooking elements extending in two different
directions, but includes fastening members whose threads have
hooking elements extending in only one direction.
One specific embodiment of a fastening device in accordance with
the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 4 in which there is
shown in simplified form two fastening members 21 and 22 in
face-to-face engagement. Fastening member 21 includes threads 22
with hook-type hooking elements 23 as shown in FIG. 1 forming a
plurality of arches 24. The second fastening member 22 with
complementary loop-type hooking elements includes a base member 25
having projecting therefrom a plurality of multifiliment loops 26.
The hook-type elements 23 on threads 22 are interengaged with the
loops 26 forming a strong bond which resists separation, but may be
separated readily by a peeling force applied substantially normal
to the interfacial plane of engagement.
The fastening member described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and
3 refers basically to a fastening member whose base or backing is
woven. However, the present invention is not limited to a fastening
member having a woven backing, but includes a fastening member
having a base sheet formed of a solid material, such as a plate
formed of a plastic. When using a solid backing the threads
provided with hook-type hooking elements forming arches, may be
fixed to the solid backing by any of numerous methods. For example,
the threads can be fixed to the backing by soldering, using an
adhesive, or encasing parts of the threads in the material forming
the backing.
Furthermore, in addition to the specific fastening member shown in
the drawings, a fastening member entirely within the scope of the
present invention may include in combination with the threads
provided with notches forming hook-type elements in the form of a
plurality of arches, a plurality of loops, formed of nono-filiment
or multifilment ordinary threads projecting from the same surface
as the hooks. The loops are distributed substantially throughout
the base so as to form a fastening member having a surface defined
by both hook and loop type hooking elements.
It will be seen from the foregoing description that a very
effective means for use in a separable fastening device has been
devised. In comparision with prior fastening devices as herein
described, the fastening members according to the present invention
allows for a straight weave (i.e., with no warp twist), with the
elimination of delicate cutting operations. In manufacturing, the
speed of weaving a fastening member as described herein is
considerably greater than the speed of weaving the prior devices
referred to above. The fastening member according to the present
invention may be woven on looms, with no shuttle, at speeds of
approximately 1,000 to 2,000 strokes per minute as compared to 150
to 200 strokes per minute with the warp twist looms used for the
prior devices. Thus, weaving may be performed by the simple means
of continuous jersey, satin or loop weaving, which is not true for
prior devices. Furthermore, weaving utilizing the notched threads
according to the present invention allows an elastic fastening
member to be made in the simplest way by simply replacing the
threads with an elastic thread stretched, for example, at the time
of weaving.
The fastening devices according to the present invention exhibit
remarkably strong bonds in view of the very large number of
hook-type hooking elements distributed over each square centimeter
of the fastening member. In effect, because of the multitude of
notches forming the hook-type hooking elements and their
distribution on each arch, the possibility of a hook element
engaging with, for example, a loop is greatly improved, since each
arch simultaneously hooks onto several loops as shown in FIG. 4.
Furthermore, since the means of retention provided by the hooks are
on continuous threads, there is provided greater elasticity in the
hooking ability of the member, thus preventing separation of two
fastening members in the event of a strong momentary pull.
* * * * *