Water-soluble male molded hook-and-loop fastener and method for producing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12144402-B2
Application number	US-202117904900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2021
Priority date	Feb 27, 2020
Publication date	Nov 19, 2024
Grant date	Nov 19, 2024

Abstract

A water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener includes a substrate and a plurality of male-type engaging elements, arranged in rows, protruding from the substrate surface. The engaging elements have a shape rising from the substrate surface and curving mid-course in a row direction, or a shape rising from the substrate surface, branching forward and backward mid-course in the row direction and curving in the row direction, with tip portions oriented toward the substrate surface in either shape. The substrate and the engaging elements both contain a mixture of a polyvinyl alcohol, 5 to 30 parts by mass of a polyhydric alcohol- or ethylene oxide-based polymer, and 3 to 20 parts by mass of a layered inorganic particle, based on 100 parts by mass of the polyvinyl alcohol. The polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of polymerization of 300 to 700 and a degree of saponification of 60 to 80% by mole.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener, comprising:
a substrate, and
a plurality of male-type engaging elements protruding from a surface of the substrate,
wherein the water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener satisfies the following (1) to (3):
(1) the plurality of male-type engaging elements are arranged in rows, and each of the male-type engaging elements has a shape in which the male-type engaging element rises from the substrate surface, curves in mid-course, in a row direction so that a tip portion thereof is oriented toward the substrate surface, or each of the male-type engaging elements has a shape in which the male-type engaging element rises from the substrate surface, branches in mid-course forward and backward in the row direction so as to curve in the row direction so that each branched tip portion is oriented toward the substrate surface,
(2) the substrate and the male-type engaging elements both contain a mixture of a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol- or ethylene oxide-based polymer, and a layered inorganic particle, the polyhydric alcohol- or ethylene oxide-based polymer being mixed in a proportion in the range of 5 to 30 parts by mass and the layered inorganic particle being mixed in a proportion in the range of 3 to 20 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the polyvinyl alcohol, and
(3) the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of polymerization of 300 to 700 and a degree of saponification of 60 to 80% by mole.

2. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein when each of the male-type engaging elements has a shape in which the male-type engaging element rises from the substrate surface, curves in mid-course, in the row direction so that a tip portion thereof is oriented toward the substrate surface, the male-type engaging element has a height from the substrate surface to a top of the male-type engaging element of 1.2 mm or less, and when each of the male-type engaging elements has a shape in which the male-type engaging element branches in mid-course forward and backward in the row direction so as to curve in the row direction so that each branched tip portion is oriented toward the substrate surface, the male-type engaging element has a height from the substrate surface to a top of the male-type engaging element of 0.6 mm or less.

3. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the polyhydric alcohol- or ethylene oxide-based polymer is a polyethylene glycol, the polyethylene glycol having a number average molecular weight of 300 to 700.

4. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the layered inorganic particle is talc.

5. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener has such a water solubility as to completely dissolve in water of 25° C. within 20 minutes.

6. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein 98% or more of the male-type engaging elements each have a tip portion that is oriented toward the substrate surface without ending in mid-course.

7. A combination of the water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 and a water-soluble loop-type hook-and-loop fastener made of a water-soluble fiber.

8. The combination according to claim 7 , wherein the water-soluble loop-type hook-and-loop fastener is a nonwoven fabric or woven or knitted fabric made of a polyvinyl alcohol-based fiber, and has loops made of the same polyvinyl alcohol-based fiber on a surface thereof.

9. A method of producing the water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
pouring a molten product of a mixture that satisfies the following (4) and (5) onto a surface of a metal roll that satisfies the following (A), while press-filling the molten product into cavities each having a male-type engaging element-shape perforated in the metal roll surface,
cooling and solidifying the molten product as it is, and
peeling the solidified product from the metal roll surface while pulling the solidified product out of the cavities,
wherein (A), (4), and (5) are as follows:
(A) the metal roll is thin ring-shaped dies superposed, the thin ring-shaped dies each having a plurality of male-type engaging element-shaped cavities engraved on an outer circumference thereof so that a plurality of cavities for male-type engaging element are arranged in rows on the metal roll surface in a circumferential direction of the roll, and each of the cavities curves in mid-course, in a cavity-row direction so that a tip portion thereof approaches the metal roll surface, or each of the cavities branches in mid-course into two lines so as to curve in the row direction so that each tip portion thereof approaches the metal roll surface,
(4) the mixture contains a mixture of a polyvinyl alcohol, a polyhydric alcohol- or ethylene oxide-based polymer, and a layered inorganic particle, the polyhydric alcohol- or ethylene oxide-based polymer being mixed in a proportion in the range of 5 to 30 parts by mass and the layered inorganic particle being mixed in a proportion in the range of 3 to 20 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the polyvinyl alcohol, and
(5) the polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of polymerization of 300 to 700 and a degree of saponification in the range of 60 to 80% by mole.

10. The method of producing a water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 9 , wherein when each of the cavities has a shape in which the cavity curves in mid-course, in the cavity-row direction so that a tip portion thereof approaches the metal roll surface, the cavity has a largest depth from the metal roll surface of 1.2 mm or less, and when each of the cavities has a shape in which the cavity branches in mid-course into two lines so as to curve in the row direction so that each tip portion thereof approaches the metal roll surface, the cavity has a largest depth from the metal roll surface of 0.6 mm or less.

11. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein said polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of polymerization of 370 to 550.

12. The water-soluble male-type molded hook-and-loop fastener according to claim 1 , wherein said polyvinyl alcohol has a degree of saponification of 72 to 78% by mole.

Assignees

• Kuraray Fastening Co Ltd
• Kuraray Co

Inventors

• Koga Nobuhiro
• Kamada Hideki
• Ono Satoru
• Fujisawa Yoshikatsu

Classifications

• A44B18/0049

  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

• A44B18/0061

  Male or hook elements (A44B18/0053 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61F13/625

  characterised by the hook · CPC title

• D01F6/14

  from polymers of unsaturated alcohols, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol, or of their acetals or ketals · CPC title

• C08K5/053

  Polyhydroxylic alcohols · CPC title