Hook fastener

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9717309-B2
Application number	US-201114357304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2011
Priority date	Nov 10, 2011
Publication date	Aug 1, 2017
Grant date	Aug 1, 2017

Abstract

A hook fastener including a base strip and a field of hooks, each hook having a stem and a cap, the cap including at least one lateral overhang, and each hook being further delimited by two opposing substantially planar surfaces, wherein the overhang includes a swelling located at a distance from the stem so that the thickness of the overhang increases in the swelling, the bottom surface of the overhang forming a cavity for receiving filaments.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hook fastener, adapted to be attached to a counterpart comprising retaining filaments by a cooperation of its hooks with said filaments, including:
a base strip, and
a field of hooks comprising gripping hooks protruding from said strip, each said gripping hook comprising a stem which extends in its main direction and is topped by a cap, said cap including at least one overhang extending laterally from said stem, and each said gripping hook being further delimited, at least at its cap portion, in its transverse direction, by two opposing substantially planar surfaces,
wherein the overhang comprises a swelling located at a distance from the stem so that a thickness of the overhang increases in said swelling from an intermediate region of the overhang located between said swelling and said stem in a direction towards a distal end of the overhang, a bottom surface of the overhang forming a cavity for receiving the filaments of the counterpart in a vicinity of said intermediate region,
a cavity width measured in a lateral direction of the gripping hook, between a low point of the bottom surface of the overhang and a facing part of the gripping hook, is equal to at least 2 times a predetermined distance, wherein the predetermined distance is an average largest cross-sectional dimension of the retaining filaments,
a cavity depth measured in the main direction of the gripping hook, between the low point of the bottom surface of the overhang and a high point of the bottom surface of the overhang, is equal to or greater than 0.4 times the predetermined distance and is less than 2 times the predetermined distance, and
a minimum thickness of the overhang, measured from a reference point of an upper surface thereof, is equal to or less than 2 times the predetermined distance, and
wherein the predetermined distance is comprised between 5 and 150 microns.

2. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein an effective width of the overhang, measured in the lateral direction, is between 3 and 5 times the predetermined distance.

3. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the minimum thickness of the overhang is equal to or greater than 0.5 times the predetermined distance, or is equal to or greater than 0.8 times said distance.

4. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein a maximum thickness of the overhang is at least equal to a sum of the minimum thickness and half of the predetermined distance, and is less than 5 times the predetermined distance.

5. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio between the hook overall height, measured from a top thereof to the base strip in the main direction of the gripping hook, and a thickness of the base strip measured in said main direction, is between 3 and 12.

6. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein an effective cap height, measured in the main direction of the gripping hook, from a top of the hook to a low point of the overhang, is comprised between 30 and 200 microns.

7. The hook fastener according to claim 6 , wherein the-effective cap height is less than or equal to 120 microns.

8. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the depth measured in the main direction of the hook, between a projection in the main direction of a reference point on the bottom surface of the overhang, and the low point of the overhang, is between 0.25 and 1 times the cavity depth.

9. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein a straight line connecting the low point of the overhang and a projection of a reference point, in the main direction of the hook, on the bottom surface of the overhang forms an angle comprised between 30 and 90° with a plane perpendicular to the main direction of the hook.

10. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the base strip and the gripping hooks are made of a material comprising at least 70% by mass of a polyolefin or polypropylene.

11. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance is comprised between 15 and 25 microns.

12. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom surface of the overhang includes a concave surface part located on the stem side and a convex surface part extending said concave surface part from an inflection point towards the distal end of the overhang.

13. The hook fastener according to claim 12 , wherein the upper surface of the overhang is flat or convex at least in a region which is delimited by a first plane containing an innermost point of the stem adjacent to the overhang and a second plane containing the inflection point, said first and second planes being perpendicular to the lateral direction.

14. The hook fastener according to claim 12 , wherein the minimum thickness of the overhang is measured between a first plane containing an innermost point of the stem adjacent to the overhang and a second plane containing the inflection point, said first and second planes being perpendicular to the lateral direction.

15. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the cap of the gripping hook includes two overhangs which are laterally opposed.

16. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein a top of the gripping hook is laterally offset with respect to a central axis of the stem while remaining in an area bounded by a plane containing an innermost point of the stem adjacent the overhang and perpendicular to the lateral direction of the gripping hook.

17. The hook fastener according to claim 1 , wherein a half-width of the stem, measured in the lateral direction at its narrowest portion, is comprised between 2 times the minimum thickness of the overhang and 3 times a maximum thickness of the overhang.

Assignees

• Marche Thierry
• Blanc Olivier
• Ramos Medina Nayda Liz
• Looney Michael Timothy
• Horn Thomas Alexander
• Aplix Sa

Inventors

• Marche Thierry
• Blanc Olivier
• Ramos Medina Nayda Liz
• Looney Michael Timothy
• Horn Thomas Alexander

Classifications

• A61F13/62 Primary

  {Mechanical fastening means (A61F13/5611, A61F13/5616, A61F13/581 take precedence);} Fabric strip fastener elements, e.g. hook and loop (A61F13/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T24/27

  including readily dissociable fastener having numerous, protruding, unitary filaments randomly interlocking with, and simultaneously moving towards, mating structure [e.g., hook-loop type fastener] · CPC title

• A44B18/0065

  of a mushroom type · CPC title

• A44B18/0019 Primary

  of a mushroom type · CPC title

• A61F13/625

  characterised by the hook · CPC title