US3851357A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Fastener
Assignee: American Velcro Inc
•
Filing: 1971-02-03
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Granted: 1974-12-03
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Expires: 1991-02-03
Abstract
Abstract A fastening structure and method of making same is disclosed which comprises a fastening member having a base element and a plurality of hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and a snap fastening member having a base member and a holding means protruding centrally from one side of the base member for attaching the snap fastening member to a mounting plate, said fastening member and snap fastening member being secured together in melt-bonded relationship.
Inventors
- 👤 W Ribich
- 👤 D Russell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 12:05
CPC Classifications
B; B29; B29C; B29C65/00; B29C65/02; B29C65/06; B29C65/069; A; A44; A44B; A44B17/00; A44B17/0029; A44B17/0035; A44B18/00; A44B18/0069; A44B18/0073; B29C65/0672; B29C66/00; B29C66/01; B29C66/05; B29C66/10; B29C66/11; B29C66/112; B29C66/1122; B29C66/302; B29C66/3022; B29C66/30223; B29C66/40; B29C66/47; B29C66/474; A44D; A44D2205/00; B29C66/70; B29C66/71; B29L; B29L2031/00; B29L2031/727; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T24/00; Y10T24/27; Y10T24/2708
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
266 words
A fastening device adapted to be securely attached to a mounting plate, said fastening device comprising: a. a fastening member including: 1. a flexible base element; and 2. a multiplicity of flexible resilient hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and adapted to be secured to a surface having complementary hooking elements by pressing opposed hooking elements and complementary hooking elements together in face-to-face relation; and b. at least one snap fastening member securely affixed to said fastening member and including: 1. a flexible base member joined integrally to the other surface of said base element; and 2. holding means including (i) at least two spaced retaining members; and (ii) support means for supporting said retaining members on said base member for resilient relative movement toward and away from each other upon flexing of at least a portion of said flexible base member out of its normal plane, said retaining members being adapted for snapping into locking engagement in an opening in the mounting plate to secure the snap fastener member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate, said holding means characterized by the property that applying peeling forces to separate the hooking elements from the complementary hooking elements will flex at least a portion of the base member and the fastening member out of their normal planes and increase the separation between the retaining members to thereby increase the gripping action of the holding means in said opening and further resist separation of the fastening member from the mounting plate to retain said base member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
266 words
A fastening device adapted to be securely attached to a mounting plate, said fastening device comprising: a. a fastening member including: 1. a flexible base element; and 2. a multiplicity of flexible resilient hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and adapted to be secured to a surface having complementary hooking elements by pressing opposed hooking elements and complementary hooking elements together in face-to-face relation; and b. at least one snap fastening member securely affixed to said fastening member and including: 1. a flexible base member joined integrally to the other surface of said base element; and 2. holding means including (i) at least two spaced retaining members; and (ii) support means for supporting said retaining members on said base member for resilient relative movement toward and away from each other upon flexing of at least a portion of said flexible base member out of its normal plane, said retaining members being adapted for snapping into locking engagement in an opening in the mounting plate to secure the snap fastener member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate, said holding means characterized by the property that applying peeling forces to separate the hooking elements from the complementary hooking elements will flex at least a portion of the base member and the fastening member out of their normal planes and increase the separation between the retaining members to thereby increase the gripping action of the holding means in said opening and further resist separation of the fastening member from the mounting plate to retain said base member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
a multiplicity of flexible resilient hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and adapted to be secured to a surface having complementary hooking elements by pressing opposed hooking elements and complementary hooking elements together in face-to-face relation; and b. at least one snap fastening member including:
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
49 words
a multiplicity of flexible resilient hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and adapted to be secured to a surface having complementary hooking elements by pressing opposed hooking elements and complementary hooking elements together in face-to-face relation; and b. at least one snap fastening member including:
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
a multiplicity of flexible resilient hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and adapted to be secured to a surface having complementary hooking elements by pressing opposed hooking elements and complementary hooking elements together in face-to-face relation; and b. at least one snap fastening member securely affixed to said fastening member and including:
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
a multiplicity of flexible resilient hooking elements projecting from one surface of the base element and adapted to be secured to a surface having complementary hooking elements by pressing opposed hooking elements and complementary hooking elements together in face-to-face relation; and b. at least one snap fastening member securely affixed to said fastening member and including:
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
165 words
holding means including (i) at least two spaced retaining members; and (ii) support means for supporting said retaining members on said base member for resilient relative movement toward and away from each other upon flexing of at least a portion of said flexible base member out of its normal plane, said retaining members being adapted for snapping into locking engagement in an opening in the mounting plate to secure the snap fastener member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate, said holding means characterized by the property that applying peeling forces to separate the hooking elements from the complementary hooking elements will flex at least a portion of the base member and the fastening member out of their normal planes and increase the separation between the retaining members to thereby increase the gripping action of the holding means in said opening and further resist separation of the fastening member from the mounting plate to retain said base member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
165 words
holding means including (i) at least two spaced retaining members; and (ii) support means for supporting said retaining members on said base member for resilient relative movement toward and away from each other upon flexing of at least a portion of said flexible base member out of its normal plane, said retaining members being adapted for snapping into locking engagement in an opening in the mounting plate to secure the snap fastener member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate, said holding means characterized by the property that applying peeling forces to separate the hooking elements from the complementary hooking elements will flex at least a portion of the base member and the fastening member out of their normal planes and increase the separation between the retaining members to thereby increase the gripping action of the holding means in said opening and further resist separation of the fastening member from the mounting plate to retain said base member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
88 words
The fastening device according to claim 1 wherein; a. at least one of said fastening member and snap fastening member being made of a meltable material; and b. said fastening member and each snap fastening member being joined together in integral melt bonded relation at an interface therebetween defined by contacting portions of the surface of the base element opposite to the surface thereof from which the hooking elements project and the surface of the base member opposite to the surface thereof from which the holding means protrudes.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
183 words
holding means protruding from one surface of the base member, said holding means comprising: (i) a pair of spaced elongated rigid gripping members being mounted for resilient movement toward and away from each other upon flexing of at least a portion of said base member; and (ii) a retaining ear positioned on the free end of each gripping member, said retaining ears being spaced apart and adapted for snapping into locking engagement in an opening in a mounting plate and gripping the mounting plate to secure the snap fastener member in contiguous relation thereto, said holding means characteRized by the property that applying peeling forces to separate the hooking elements from the complementary hooking elements will flex at least a portion of the base member and the fastening member out of their normal planes and increase the average separation between the gripping members and the retaining ears thereby increasing the gripping action of the retaining ears in said opening and further resist separation of the fastening member from the mounting plate to retain said base member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
183 words
holding means protruding from one surface of the base member, said holding means comprising: (i) a pair of spaced elongated rigid gripping members being mounted for resilient movement toward and away from each other upon flexing of at least a portion of said base member; and (ii) a retaining ear positioned on the free end of each gripping member, said retaining ears being spaced apart and adapted for snapping into locking engagement in an opening in a mounting plate and gripping the mounting plate to secure the snap fastener member in contiguous relation thereto, said holding means characteRized by the property that applying peeling forces to separate the hooking elements from the complementary hooking elements will flex at least a portion of the base member and the fastening member out of their normal planes and increase the average separation between the gripping members and the retaining ears thereby increasing the gripping action of the retaining ears in said opening and further resist separation of the fastening member from the mounting plate to retain said base member in contiguous relation with the mounting plate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The fastening device according to claim 1 wherein said fastening member and each snap fastening member being joined together at an interface therebetween defined by an adhesive.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fastening device according to claim 3 wherein said adhesive is a heat sensitive adhesive.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
55 words
The fastening device according to claim 2 wherein; a. the base member of the snap fastening member includes at least two spaced concentric ridges on said opposite surface thereof; and b. the melt bond between said opposite surfaces of the base element and base member is formed along concentric bands defined by said concentric ridges.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
The fastening device according to claim 5 wherein; a. the base member of the snap fastening member is circular in shape; and b. one of the concentric ridges lies closely adjacent the outer periphery of the circular base member and another concentric ridge is positioned centrally of the circular base member.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
47 words
The fastening device according to claim 6 wherein; a. the base element of the fastening member is circular in shape with the diameter of the circle defined thereby being approximately equal to the diameter of the circle defined by the base member of the snap fastening member.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The fastening device according to claim 2 wherein the fastening member comprises a woven material.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
The fastening device according to claim 8 wherein the woven material includes at least some synthetic meltable plastic yarns.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
17 words
The fastening device according to claim 8 wherein the woven material includes at least some metallic yarns.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The fastening device according to claim 2 wherein the fastening member comprises a molded meLtable plastic material.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
The fastening device according to claim 11 wherein the snap fastening member is made of a meltable plastic material.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
The fastening device according to claim 12 wherein the fastening member and snap fastening member are made of similar meltable plastic materials.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The fastening device according to claim 13 wherein the snap fastening member and fastening member are made of nylon.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
48 words
The fastening device according to claim 2 wherein the holding means of the snap fastening member includes; a. a pair of spaced rigid gripping members, said gripping members being mounted for resilient movement relative to said base member upon being pressed into the hole in the mounting plate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The fastening device according to claim 15 wherein the gripping members are mounted centrally on the base member and are resiliently connected to the base member for said resilient movement.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
101 words
The fastening device according to claim 16 wherein the central portion of the base member defines at least three slot-like apertures relatively positioned to form an H-like configuration, said slots defining two integrally connected oppositely facing cantilevered mounting platforms for the gripping members, said mounting platforms being resiliently flexible with respect to the base member and said gripping members being mounted on the oppositely facing end portions of said cantilevered mounting platforms such that flexible bending of said mounting platforms provides relative spring movement between the rigid gripping members such that the gripping members move toward and away from each other.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
119 words
The fastening device according to claim 17 wherein the outer remote sides of the gripping member are formed with outwardly projecting retaining ears, said retaining ears having cam surfaces which slope outwardly and downwardly in opposite directions relative to the central portion of the base, said cam surfaces being positioned above the retaining ears and configured such that forces tending to secure the fastening device in contiguous relation with the mounting plate causes the cam surfaces to engage the opening in the mounting plate and move toward each other until the retaining ears move past the plate and the gripping members resiliently move away from each other such that the fastening device is tightly gripped to the mounting plate.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
59 words
The fastening device according to claim 18 wherein each gripping member has a tapered cross-sectional configuration defining a wider base portion than its terminal portion such that movement of the gripping members is permitted by the tapered configuration thereby facilitating insertion of the gripping members into the opening of the mounting plate for gripping of the fastening device thereto.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
18 words
A fastening device adapted to be securely attached to a mounting plate comprising: a. a fastening member including:
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
18 words
A fastening device adapted to be securely attached to a mounting plate comprising: a. a fastening member including:
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
30 words
The fastening device according to claim 20 wherein said gripping members are mounted centrally on the base member and are resiliently connected to the base member for said resilient movement.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
63 words
The fastening device according to claim 21 wherein the central portion of the base member has an H-shaped slot formed therein, said slot defining two integrally connected cantilevered mounting platforms for the gripping elements, said mounting platforms being resiliently flexible with respect to the base member whereby spring deflection of said mounting platforms allow said relative spring movement between the rigid gripping members.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
35 words
The fastening device according to claim 22 wherein the outer remote sides of the gripping members are formed with outwardly projecting retaining ears and outwardly and downwardly sloping cam surfaces positioned above the retaining ears.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
27 words
The fastening device according to claim 23 wherein each gripping member has a generally tapering cross-sectional configuration wider at its base portion than at its terminal portion.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-02 | 1978-06-03 | 1978-12-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-02 | 1982-06-03 | 1982-12-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-02 | 1986-06-03 | 1986-12-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |