Adherent fasteners

Claim 1

A FASTENER COMPRISING A COMPLEMENTARY PAIR OF INTERENGAGING ARTICLES EACH HAVING (1) A RELATIVELY RIGID BASE WHICH REMAINS ESSENTIALLY UNDEFORMED AT ALL TIMES DURING USE (2) A MECHANICAL FUNCTIONAL SURFACE ON ONE SIDE THEREOF COMPRISING A MULTIPLICITY OF ENGAGING ELEMENTS DISTRIBUTED THEREOVER, SAID MECHANICAL SURFACE BEING CAPABLE OF MECHANICAL INTERENGAGEMENT AND HOLDING WITH THE SEPARATION FROM THE MECHANICAL FUNCTIONAL SURFACE OF THE OTHER ARTICLE AND (3) A PRESSURE-SENSITIVE SURFACE ON THE REVERSE SIDE THEREOF COMPRISING A SOFT VISCOELASTIC FOAM LAYER THAT IS UP TO ABOUT 1/4 INCH THICK AND IS CONTINUOUSLY COVERED ON THE SIDE THEREOF FACING AWAY FROM THE BASE BY A THIN STRETCHY INTEGRAL FLAT SURFACES SKIN TO WHICH IS UNITED A CONTINUOUS, FLAT SHINY-SMOOTH VISCOELASTIC AGGRESSIVELY-TACKY PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE COATING, SAID PRESSURE-SENSITIVE SURFACE BEING DISPOSED TO BE PRESSED AGAINST AND REMAIN FIRMLY AFFIXED TO A SUBSTRATE, THE COMBINATION OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MECHANICAL AND PRESSURE-SENSITIVE SURFACES BEING SUCH THAT THE TOTAL RESISTANCE TO A SEPARATING FORCE IS SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER BETWEEN EACH PRESSURE-SENSITIVE SURFACE AND AN ORDINARY SUBSTRATE TO WHICH IT IS AFFIXED THAN BETWEEN THE MECHANICAL SURFACES WHEN THE LATTER ARE INTERENGAGED.