US3417440A - Hook and loop fastener - Google Patents

Description

1968 J. BILLARANT HOOK AND LOOP FASTENER 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed July 21, 1966 Dec. 24, 1968 J. BILLARANT 3,417,440

HOOK AND LOOP FASTENER Filed July 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

df/M 5/1 L/I PA N 7' BY 3,417,440 HOOK AND LOOP FASTENER Jean Billarant, Nogent-sur-Marne, Val-(le-Marne, France, assignor to Velcro S.A., Lenzerheide, Grisons, Switzerland Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 245,247, Dec. 17, B62. This application July 21, 1966, Ser. No. 567,012

Claims. (Cl. 24204) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flexible band having hooked and/or looped shaped elements for engagement with a similar flexible band to provide a fastener, in which the engageable elements are formed of a metal wire having elastic properties. The elements may be coated with a thermoplastic material thermally related to the melting point of the base sheet to which the metal wires are anchored.

This is a continuation-in-part of my copending US. patent application Ser. No. 245,247 filed Dec. 17, 1962, entitled, Separable Fastening Element now US. Patent No. 3,277,547. There is disclosed in that patent, flexible bands which are provided with filament type hooked or looped fastening elements, as well as a machine and method for producing same. Such flexible bands are intended in particular for the execution of closing or securing means operating instantaneously through the engagement of the elastic hook-shaped elements of one band with the loop-shaped elements of another; the opening or release being obtained also instantaneously under the action of a simple separating force exerted between said bands so as to open the hook-shaped elements, which then return to their original shape, under the action of their inherent elasticity. The method consists in arranging a sheet of parallel threads, in imparting said sheet an undulating configuration in longitudinal direction, and in dipping one face of said sheet, shaped in this manner, into a liquid or pasty material adapted to set, thus forming a sole or base sheet which adheres to the corresponding crests of the undulations of the threads, the other parts of which form loops on the other face of the sheet of threads. Furthermore, in order to obtain hooked elements, one arm of the thread loops is cut at a predetermined distance from their crests.

In my aforementioned Patent No. 3,277,547, there are used threads of thermoplastic material, for instance superpolyamides, such as nylon, which are subjected, after the forming of the loops, to a suitable treatment such as a heat treatment, in order to fix the configuration of said loops and possibly of the hooks from which the latter are formed.

The object of the present invention is to utilize elastic wires, particularly steel spring wires, to form the hooks and/ or loops.

The term elastic is intended to refer to a wire having the property of returning to its shape after deformation, such as the hook-shaped element restored to its original configuration after opening up to release a captured hook; or the hook which may be deformed in the process of its release from a loop, restored to its original hooked configuration in the relaxed state.

In one advantageous manner of operation, there are used wires which are coated with a thermoplastic material, the melting point of which is close to that of the thermoplastic material of which the base sheet is made, and preferably of the same material as the base sheet. The depositing of the layer of thermoplastic material of the base sheet is effected under temperature conditions Patented Dec. 24, 1968 such that the coating of the loops of wires imbedded in the said sole is softened and melts together with the material of the sole so that the filament type hooking elements can no longer be separated from the base sheet.

In order to transform the wire loops into hooks, one of their arms is cut at a certain distance from the crest, as explained in my aforementioned copending application, by any suitable means, for instance by means of a saw wheel.

Flexible bands provided solely with looped fastening elements intended to cooperate with flexible bands provided solely with hooked fastening elements can be made.

Furthermore, one can create assemblies formed of a flexible band provided with metal hook-fastening elements, and a flexible band formed of loop-fastening elements of non-metallic material such as natural, artificial, or synthetic textile threads.

The invention also contemplates, by way of novel industrial product, to flexible bands provided with filament type fastening elements obtained by the carrying out of the method described above.

Such flexible bands provided with looped or hooked filament type fastening elements therefore consists of a base sheet of thermoplastic material in which there are firmly imbedded the crests of one face of a sheet of parallel undulated metal wires, in such a manner that the wire loops thus imbedded in the base sheet, and possibly cut to form hooks, can no longer be separated therefrom.

These bands may furthermore have at least one of the following features:

(a) The parallel undulated wires are coated with a thermoplastic material, the melting point of which is close to that of the thermoplastic material of which the base sheet is made, and preferably of the same material as the base sheet, the coating of the crests of the said loops being melted together with the material of the sole so as to be absolutely integral with same.

(b) One of the arms of certain loops, at least, is out a certain distance from the crest of the loop so as to form a hook.

(c) Each flexible band has only hooked filament type fastening elements, or else only looped filament type fastening elements.

(d) Each tape includes both looped and hooked filament type fastening elements.

The invention relates finally to fastening or connecting devices comprising flexible bands provided with hooked filament type elements and looped filament type elements, in which the hooked filament type elements consist of elastic metal wires, while the looped filament type elements consist either of elastic metal wires or of natural, artificial or synthetic textile threads.

In the accompanying figures:

FIGURE 1 represents a cross-sectional view of a portion of the novel article of manufacture, having metallic loops, and

FIGURE 2 is represents a cross-sectional view of a portion of the article having the loops cut to produce hookshaped elements.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, corresponding to FIG- U'RE 1, but wherein the metal wires have been coated with a thermoplastic material.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, corresponding to FIG- URE 2, but wherein the metal wires have been coated with a thermoplastic material.

FIG. 5 is a generalized perspective view, showing a yieldable strip manufactured in accordance with my invention, which includes both hook and loop shaped elements on the same base sheet.

As is fully discussed in my Patent No. 3,277,547, the flexible band or yielding strip 10 includes a base sheet 12 constituted of a yielding plastic material. A plurality of generally parallel extending threads 15 (FIG. 1) are given a longitudinally undulating shape. Successive first porrtions 14 of the threads are embedded in and firmly anchored to the base sheet 12, and successive second portions 16 extend out of the base sheet to form a successive plurality of loops. In accordance with the instant invention, the threads 15 are formed of elastic metal wires, such as spring steel. The wires 15 may be coated with a thermoplastic material having a melting point sufficiently close to the thermoplastic material forming the base sheet 12, such that when subjected to a similar temperature, the coating of the metallic wires is softened and melts together with the material of the base sheet to provide firm anchorage.

In FIGURE 2, the undulated threads 15, corresponding to the threads 15 of FIG. 1, have been out open at 16a, a predetermined distance from the outermost ends of extending portion 16, to provide hook-shaped elements. As is fully discussed in my aforesaid parent application, the hooked elements 16 of one flexible band may interengage with the looped elements 16 of another flexible band to provide a separable fastening device. The flexible bands may be constructed so that either all of the fastening elements thereof are solely of the loop or hook variety; or a single flexible band may have only some of its threads cut open, such that it will include both loops and hooks.

FIGURES 3 and 4 correspond to FIGURES 1 and 2 respectively, but show the additional modification of coating the metal wires with a thermoplastic material 14. As previously noted, the thermoplastic material of coat 14 is selected to have a melting point which is close to the material forming the thermoplastic base 12. The depositing of the layer of thermoplastic material is elfected under such temperature conditions that the coating 14 of the undulations embedded in the base sheet will melt together with the material of the base sheet, thereby providing an extremely firm anchorage.

FIGURE 5 shows a flexible band manufactured in accordance with my invention, in which a single base sheet 12 includes both loop shaped elements 16 and hook shaped elements 16,

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege or propery is claimed are defined as follows.

I claim:

1. In a flexible band of the character described comprising a base sheet constituted of a yielding plastic material; and solely of a plurality of generally parallel extending threads, having a longitudinally undulating shape; said undulation having a first and second portion; successive ones of said first portions embedded in said base sheet to provide the sole means for fixedly securing said threads to said base sheet; and successive ones of said second portions extending out of said base sheet and forming a successive plurality of loops securably anchored to said base sheet; the improvement comprising at least some of said parallel extending threads being formed of metal Wires having the property of elastic restoration, thereby providing elastic type metal loops; at least a number of said metal loops cut open a short distance from their outer ends to produce hook-shaped elements.

2. In a flexible band of the character described comprising a base sheet constituted of a yielding plastic material; and solely of a plurality of generally parallel extending threads, having a longitudinally unduating shape; said unduation having a first and second portion; successive ones of said first portions embedded in said base sheet to provide the sole means for fixedly securing said threads to said base sheet; and successive ones of said second portions extending out of said base sheet and forming a successive plurality of loops securably anchored to said base sheet; the improvement comprising at least some of said parallel extending threads being formed of metal wires having the property of elastic restoration, thereby providing elastic type metal loops; said elastic metal wires coated with a thermoplastic material and said base sheet formed of a thermoplastic material, said Wire coating having a melting point sufficiently close to the material of said base sheet such that when subjected to a similar temperature, the coating of said metallic wires is softened and melts together with the material of the base sheet to provide a firm anchorage.

3. In a separable fastening device, having first and sec ond cooperating members, each of said members comprising a base sheet constituted of a yielding plastic material, and solely of a plurality of generally parallel extending threads, having a longitudinally undulating shape; said undulation having a first and second portion; successive ones of said first portions embedded in said base sheet to provide the sole means for fixedly securing said threads to said base sheet; and successive ones of said second portions extending out of said base sheet; said second portions forming a successive plurality of loops securably anchored to said base sheet; at least a number of the loops of said first member closed at their outer ends; at least a number of the loops of said second member cut open at a short distance from their outer ends to produce hook-shaped elements; said hook-shaped elements adapted to cooperatively engage said closed loops for fastening said first and second members together, the improvement comprising at least some of said parallel extending threads of at least one of said members being formed of metal wires having the property of elastic restoration, thereby providing elastic type metal loops.

4. Ina separable fastening device as set forth in claim 3:

each of said first and second members including both closed loops and hook-shaped elements, at least said hook-shaped elements formed of elastic metal wires.

5. In a flexible band of the character described, comprising a base sheet constituted of a solidified plastic material, and solely of a plurality of generally parallel extending threads, each of said threads having successivefirst portions embedded in said base sheet, with a substan' tial region thereof extending into said base sheet and firmly anchored thereto to provide the sole means for fixedly securing said thread to said base sheet, and successive second portions of said threads communicating with said first portions and freely projecting outward of said base sheet to provide connecting means for separably fastening said strip to a cooperating strip, said connecting means forming a successive plurality of loops securably anchored to said base sheet, the improvement comprising at least some of said parallel extending threads being formed of metal wires having the property of elastic restoration, thereby providing elastic type metal loops, said elastic metal wires coated with a thermoplastic material and said base sheet formed of a thermoplastic material, said wire coating having a melting point sufiiciently close to the material of said base sheet, such that when subjected to 'a similar temperature the coating of said metallic wires is softened and melts together with the material of the base sheet to provide a firm anchorage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,671,494 3/1954 Coulliette 154-1.1 2,845,648 8/ 8 Peterson. 3,009,235 11/1961 De Mestral. 3,03 8,292 6/ 1962 Lely. 3,134,152 5/1964 Pei 24-203 X 3,142,604 7/ 1964 Mills. 3,206,343 9/ 1965 McFarlane 156-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 526,921 3/1954 Belgium.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner.

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