Molded surface fastener and molded surface fastener manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10524547-B2
Application number	US-201415318504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2014
Priority date	Jul 3, 2014
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A molded surface fastener has engagement regions in which engaging elements are disposed in an erect manner and space regions with no engaging elements, the engagement regions and the space regions alternating in the longitudinal direction. Each space region has a pair of left and right vertical wall portions that are disposed on a substrate portion in an erect manner and a convex rib portion that protrudes from the center of the substrate portion in the width direction, and the convex rib portion is integrally connected to a main lateral wall portion disposed in the width direction of the engagement region. By implementing a simple cutting process, this molded surface fastener can be easily adapted to usages in which the fastener has to be in a curved shape bending in the width direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A molded surface fastener made of thermoplastic resin which is integrated to a surface of a cushion body when the cushion body is foamed and molded,
including a plurality of engaging regions in which a plurality of hook-shaped engaging elements stand on a first surface of a thin plate-shape substrate portion and a plurality of space regions having a flat surface in which the engaging elements are excluded on the substrate portion,
wherein the plurality of engaging regions and the plurality of space regions are disposed alternately in a length direction,
wherein each of the engaging regions has a pair of left and right resin intrusion barrier portions standing along the length direction at left and right side edge portions of the substrate portion and main lateral wall portions standing along a width direction at a front end edge portion and a rear end edge portion of the engaging region so as to compart from adjacent of the space regions,
wherein each of the space regions has a pair of left and right vertical wall portions standing along the length direction at the left and right side edge portions of the substrate portion and a convex rib portion projecting integrally from the substrate portion along the length direction at a center portion in the width direction of the substrate portion, and the convex rib portion is integrally connected to the main lateral wall portions adjacent to the space region in the length direction.

2. The molded surface fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate portion, the resin intrusion barrier portions, the main lateral wall portions, the vertical wall portions and the convex rib portions are configured to use the same thermoplastic resin.

3. The molded surface fastener according to claim 2 , wherein
the plurality of space regions includes the space regions having front and rear cut end portions formed by a cutting processing that cuts a part of the respective space region so that at least the convex rib portion remains, and
the space regions having the front and rear cut end portions formed by the cutting processing comprise flexible connecting portions including the respective convex rib portions, and the molded surface fastener is formed to be able to bend in the width direction.

4. The molded surface fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the resin intrusion barrier portion of the engaging region and the vertical wall portions of the space region are formed as a series of continuous wall portions standing continuously along the length direction on the entire substrate portion.

5. The molded surface fastener according to claim 4 , wherein
the plurality of space regions includes the space regions having front and rear cut end portions formed by a cutting processing that cuts a part of the respective space region so that at least the convex rib portion remains, and
the space regions having the front and rear cut end portions formed by the cutting processing comprise flexible connecting portions including the respective convex rib portions, and the molded surface fastener is formed to be able to bend in the width direction.

6. The molded surface fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging region has auxiliary lateral wall portions disposed along the width direction at intermediate positions between the main lateral wall portion on a side of the front end edge portion and the main lateral wall portion on a side of the rear end edge portion.

7. The molded surface fastener according to claim 6 , wherein
the plurality of space regions includes the space regions having front and rear cut end portions formed by a cutting processing that cuts a part of the respective space region so that at least the convex rib portion remains, and
the space regions having the front and rear cut end portions formed by the cutting processing comprise flexible connecting portions including the respective convex rib portions, and the molded surface fastener is formed to be able to bend in the width direction.

8. The molded surface fastener according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of space regions includes the space regions having front and rear cut end portions formed by a cutting processing that cuts a part of the respective space region so that at least the convex rib portion remains, and
the space regions having the front and rear cut end portions formed by the cutting processing comprise flexible connecting portions including the respective convex rib portions, and the molded surface fastener is formed to be able to bend in the width direction.

9. The molded surface fastener according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the space regions is spaced between two of the main lateral wall portions.

10. A method for manufacturing a molded surface fastener in which a plurality of surface fastener members in which a plurality of hook-shaped engaging elements stand on a first surface of a substrate portion are connected in a length direction by a flexible connecting portions, and which can be integrated to a surface of a cushion body in a bent state in a width direction when the cushion body is foamed and molded, wherein the method includes:
molding the molded surface fastener as a primary product using a die wheel in which a cavity space is formed on a periphery, in which the substrate portion has engaging regions on which the plurality of the engaging elements stand on the substrate portion and space regions having a flat surface on which the engaging elements are excluded on the substrate portion alternately in the length direction, the engaging region has a pair of left and right resin intrusion barrier portions standing along the length direction at left and right side edge portions of the substrate portion and main lateral wall portions standing along the width direction continuously between the left and right resin intrusion barrier portions at both end edge portions in the length direction of the engaging region so as to compart from the space region, the space region has a pair of left and right vertical wall portions standing along the length direction at the left and right side edge portions of the substrate portion and a convex rib portion projecting integrally from the substrate portion along the length direction at a center portion in the width direction of the substrate portion,
peeling off the molded surface fastener as the primary product from the die wheel,
detecting a position of the molded surface fastener by inserting a positioning member to the space region in the molded surface fastener as the primary product and
performing a cutting processing to the molded surface fastener whose position is detected to cut off the space region so that at least the convex rib portion is remained.

11. The method for manufacturing the molded surface fastener according to claim 10 , including:
inserting the positioning member to the space region by intermittently stopping the conveyance of the molded surface fastener when detecting a position of the molded surface fastener as the primary product and
performing the cutting processing when the molded surface fastener is stopped by moving up and down a cutting punch having a tip cutting blade portion sloped outward from a center portion in the width direction of the substrate portion at a predetermined position.

12. The method for manufacturing the molded surface fastener according to claim 10 , including:
conveying continuously the molded surface fastener as the primary product and inserting the positioning member to the space region while moving along a conveying direction of the molded surface fastener when detecting a position of the molded surface fastene

Assignees

• Ykk Corp

Inventors

• Okuda Kenji
• Terada Mineto
• Imai Shinichi
• Minato Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• A44B18/0076 Primary

  Adaptations for being fixed to a moulded article during moulding · CPC title

• A44B13/0052

  Strips of hook or eye fasteners · CPC title

• A44B18/0069

  Details · CPC title

• A44B13/0047

  welded or moulded · CPC title

• A44B18/0049 Primary

  obtained by moulding processes (compression moulding or articles of indefinite length characterised by the shape of the surface B29C43/222; screen moulding B29C67/08) · CPC title