US3801245A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for the manufacture of a separable fastener
Assignee: American Velcro Inc
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Filing: 1972-08-28
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Granted: 1974-04-02
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Expires: 1992-08-28
Abstract
Abstract A hook member is formed from non-woven sheet material for use in a separable fastening device of the type having two complementary members each provided with an engaging surface having thereon a very large number of hooking elements of the hook and loop type; the members are joined by pressing the engaging surfaces together with a large number of hooks and loops becoming inter-engaged whereupon they become resistant to separation by forces generally parallel to the interface plane of the surfaces and are readily separable by peeling forces applied substantially normal to the plane. The hooks in the hook member are formed from portions of the non-woven sheet displaced out of the plane thereof into a generally upright position by the steps of displacing the portions of the sheet material, and deflecting and heat treating these portions to form the hooks.
Inventors
- 👤 G Erb
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 19:11
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C61/00; B29C61/02; A; A44; A44B; A44B18/00; A44B18/0046; A44B18/0061; B29C35/00; B29C35/02; B29C35/08; B29C35/0805; B29C2035/0822; B29K; B29K2067/00; B29K2067/003; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/727; B29L2031/729; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T24/00; Y10T24/27; Y10T24/2775; Y10T24/2792; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/249921; Y10T428/249923
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
277 words
Apparatus for making a fastener member for use in a fastening device of the type including at least two fastening members wherein at least one member includes a base sheet of plastic material, each member having an engaging surface defined by a plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient material, certain of the hooking elements being hook-type and others being loop-type, the fastening device being characterized by the property that when the respective engaging surfaces of the fastening members are pressed together in face-to-face relationship a large number of hook-type hooking elements engage a large number of loop-type hooking elements to constitute a bond which resists separation by forces generally parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement, comprising: a. a base sheet of flexible resilient material; b. a wheel rotatably mounted on a base member, the wheel including a plurality of teeth which extend radially outwardly from its peripheral surface and are spaced to correspond with displaced portions on the base sheet to carry the sheet and deflect the displaced portions by extending through said base sheet when the wheel is rotated; c. drive means for rotating the wheel; and d. a heat source disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the wheel and providing at least one beam of heat to the base sheet of plastic material as it passes over the wheel and is exposed to the heat source, the sheet and heat source having relative motion such that heat is applied to each deflected portion progressively from a tip-portion to a base-end to curl them inwardly to an upright position toward the base sheet to form a plurality of Flexible, resilient hooktype hooking elements.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
277 words
Apparatus for making a fastener member for use in a fastening device of the type including at least two fastening members wherein at least one member includes a base sheet of plastic material, each member having an engaging surface defined by a plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient material, certain of the hooking elements being hook-type and others being loop-type, the fastening device being characterized by the property that when the respective engaging surfaces of the fastening members are pressed together in face-to-face relationship a large number of hook-type hooking elements engage a large number of loop-type hooking elements to constitute a bond which resists separation by forces generally parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement, comprising: a. a base sheet of flexible resilient material; b. a wheel rotatably mounted on a base member, the wheel including a plurality of teeth which extend radially outwardly from its peripheral surface and are spaced to correspond with displaced portions on the base sheet to carry the sheet and deflect the displaced portions by extending through said base sheet when the wheel is rotated; c. drive means for rotating the wheel; and d. a heat source disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the wheel and providing at least one beam of heat to the base sheet of plastic material as it passes over the wheel and is exposed to the heat source, the sheet and heat source having relative motion such that heat is applied to each deflected portion progressively from a tip-portion to a base-end to curl them inwardly to an upright position toward the base sheet to form a plurality of Flexible, resilient hooktype hooking elements.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
79 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the heat source comprises: a. a housing; b. an infra-red lamp mounted in the housing, the lamp having a generally cylindrical shape with its axis generally parallel to the wheel axis; and c. a cylinder rotatably mounted in the housing and disposed concentrically about the lamp, the cylinder including a lengthwise perforation for permitting a progressive beam of heat to be emitted from the housing as the cylinder rotates about the lamp.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
98 words
Apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the heat source further comprises a second cylinder concentrically spaced about the first cylinder and mounted in the housing for rotation in the direction opposite that of the first cylinder, each cylinder having two lengthwise and circumferentially spaced perforations which cooperate to provide two initally spaced and then converging heat beams for simultaneously heating two adjacent rows of oppositely aligned tabs, the tabs being disposed in spaced rows, all the tabs in each row are similarly aligned and the alignment in each row is opposite that of the immediately adjacent rows.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
252 words
Apparatus for making a fastener member for use in a fastening device of the type including two fastening members wherein at least one member includes a base sheet of plastic material, each member having an engaging surface defined by a plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient material, certain of the hooking elements being hook-type and others being loop-type, the fastening device being characterized by the property that when the respective engaging surfaces of the fastening members are pressed together in face-to-face relationship a large number of hook-type hooking elements engage a large number of loop-type hooking elements to constitute a bond which resists separation by forces generally parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement, wherein the plastic base sheet of plastic material is heat treatable and is pre-stretched and thereby oriented along at least one axis, comprising: a. a base sheet of flexible resilient material b. a support member having a plurality of teeth spaced to correspond with the spacing of displaced integral portions in the base sheet, the teeth extending through the base sheet to deflect the displaced portions; c. a heat source disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the support member and adapted to direct a beam of heat to the sheet on the support; and d. a heat-resistant shield strip having perforations spaced to correspond with the spacing of the deflected portions of the base sheet, the shield being disposed between the heat source and the base sheet during the application of heat to the deflected portions.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
252 words
Apparatus for making a fastener member for use in a fastening device of the type including two fastening members wherein at least one member includes a base sheet of plastic material, each member having an engaging surface defined by a plurality of hooking elements of flexible resilient material, certain of the hooking elements being hook-type and others being loop-type, the fastening device being characterized by the property that when the respective engaging surfaces of the fastening members are pressed together in face-to-face relationship a large number of hook-type hooking elements engage a large number of loop-type hooking elements to constitute a bond which resists separation by forces generally parallel to the interfacial plane of engagement, wherein the plastic base sheet of plastic material is heat treatable and is pre-stretched and thereby oriented along at least one axis, comprising: a. a base sheet of flexible resilient material b. a support member having a plurality of teeth spaced to correspond with the spacing of displaced integral portions in the base sheet, the teeth extending through the base sheet to deflect the displaced portions; c. a heat source disposed in spaced relationship with respect to the support member and adapted to direct a beam of heat to the sheet on the support; and d. a heat-resistant shield strip having perforations spaced to correspond with the spacing of the deflected portions of the base sheet, the shield being disposed between the heat source and the base sheet during the application of heat to the deflected portions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-04-01 | 1977-10-01 | 1978-04-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-04-01 | 1981-10-01 | 1982-04-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-04-01 | 1985-10-01 | 1986-04-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |