EP0464754B1

EP0464754B1 - Synthetic resin surface fastener including integrally molded hooks

Info

Publication number: EP0464754B1
Application number: EP91110894A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ryuichi Murasaki
Original assignee: YKK Corp; Yoshida Kogyo KK
Current assignee: YKK Corp
Priority date: 1990-07-03
Filing date: 1991-07-01
Publication date: 1994-11-02
Anticipated expiration: 2011-07-01
Also published as: ES2064009T3; DE69104915D1; KR940001871Y1; JPH0431513U; CA2045993C; EP0464754A1; DE69104915T2; KR920001895U; JP2545058Y2; CA2045993A1

Description

The present invention relates to a synthetic resin surface fastener member comprising a flat base and a plurality of hook elements protruding from one surface of said flat base, both being molded integrally, and said hook elements are arranged in two or more groups of rows, with a number of rows of hook elements having the same direction comprising one group.
A synthetic resin surface fastener member of the type mentioned above is shown in Fig. 12 of US-A-4,001,336. In this conventional surface fastener member the hooks of each row face in the same direction and the rows of all groups are parallel to each other. Therefore, all of the hooks have the same direction which means a fastening force of the surface fastener is directional, thereby adversely affecting strong fastening and easy unfastening of the surface fastener.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surface fastener member which can assure a strong grip in any direction.
According to this invention, there is provided a synthetic resin surface fastener member of the type mentioned above, characterized in that each group is made up of alternate rows of hook elements, wherein the hook elements of any one row all face in one direction, while all the hook elements of alternately adjacent rows face in the opposite direction, the groups being arranged side by side on the same flat base in such a manner that the rows of hook elements of one group are perpendicular to the rows of hook elements of adjacent groups.
This invention is contemplated by taking advantage of the directionality of the hook elements determined when the hook elements are molded. Therefore, a number of hook elements having the same direction compose one row, while a number of hook elements having a direction opposite to that of the foregoing row of hook elements, compose another row. Rows of the hook elements facing in the opposite directions are alternately molded side by side on the same base.
When each row of hook elements facing the same direction and each row of hooks facing the opposite direction are alternately arranged side by side, or when adjacent groups of rows of hook elements are perpendicular to each other in the direction of the hook elements, the surface fastener member including the foregoing hook element can assure a very strong and uniform intermesh with its companion surface fastener member throughout the whole surface area.
The invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to an exemplifying embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view showing one typical example of an integrally molded surface fastener according to an embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the surface fastener of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of hook elements, in enlarged scale, of the surface fastener; and
FIGS. 4 and 5 are bottom plan views showing arrangements of hook elements of circular surface fastener members.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A typical example of a surface fastener according to this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, reference numeral 11 stands for a base which has hook elements 15 extending from a surface thereof and a clamp 13 protruding from the other surface thereof. The clamp 13 is adapted to be attached to a non-illustrated mounting base on which an interior finish material is to be installed in an automobile, for example. The base 11, hooks 15 and clamp 13 are integrally produced by extrusion or injection molding so as to serve a surface fastener member 1. The surface fastener member 1 is installed on a ceiling reinforcement 2, for example on an automobile ceiling, as follows. The clamp 13 of the surface fastener member 1 is inserted through an opening 131 of the ceiling reinforcement 2 so that the ceiling reinforcement 2 is sandwiched by the clamp 13 and the base 11 of the surface fastener member 1. Then a pile-like surface on the rear surface of an interior finish material is made to intermesh with hook heads 12 of the surface fastener member 1, so that the interior finish material is installed on the ceiling reinforcement 2.
As described above, the hook elements 15 are arranged in two or more groups of rows or sections. The hook elements 15 in the respective sections are arranged so that their directions are perpendicular to one another. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hook elements 15 are arranged in four sections by quartering the square base 11. However, the number of the sections is not limited to four. In addition, the number of the sections depends upon the shape of the base 11. When the base is circular, the hook elements 15 will be arranged in sections as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Arrangement and typical shapes of the hook elements will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIG. 3, each hook element 15 looks like the crest of a wave in cross sectional outline. The lateral cross sectional area of the hook element 15 is decreased gradually from a bottom toward a tip 17. Specifically a portion 18 at which the hook element 15 extends straight from the base 11 is slightly and gently sloped toward the tip 17. The front of the hook element 15 is substantially upright. Reinforcing ribs 19 extend from opposite sides of the hook element 15. The shape of the hooks shown in these drawing figures is given as an example, and is not limited to the example.
A plurality of the hook elements 15 having tips facing the same direction and/or those facing the opposite direction according to the structure of mold dies are arranged in groups of rows on the base 11. In this embodiment, rows 121 of the hook elements facing the same direction and rows 122 of the hook elements facing the opposite direction are alternately arranged so as to form a section A. In sections B and C adjacent to the section A, the rows 121 and 122 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to those of the section A. In the section D adjacent to the sections B and D, the arrangement of the rows 121 and 122 are the same as that in the section A. The surface fastener member 1 of this embodiment has four hook groups of rows in the sections A, B, C and D. The rows of the hook elements, i.e. the directions of the hook elements 15, in adjacent two sections, are perpendicular to one another. Each section is equal in the area, i.e. the sections A and D are equal in size while the sections B and C are equal in size.
With the foregoing arrangement, the hook heads 12 of the hook elements 15 of the surface fastener member 1 face at least four directions. Therefore the surface fastener member 1 can grip completely with a flexible pile-like surface of the companion surface fastener member, providing a strong fastening force throughout the intermeshing areas.
The surface fastener member having the integrally molded hook elements can demonstrate a uniform fastening force throughout its whole surface area.

Claims

A synthetic resin surface fastener member (1) comprising a flat base (11) and a plurality of hook elements (15) protruding from one surface of said flat base (11), both being molded integrally, and said hook elements (15) are arranged in two or more groups (A, B, C, D) of rows (121, 122), with a number of rows of hook elements (15) having the same direction comprising one group,
characterized in that each group (A, B, C, D) is made up of alternate rows (121, 122) of hook elements (15), wherein the hook elements of any one row all face in one direction, while all the hook elements of alternately adjacent rows face in the opposite direction, the groups being arranged side by side on the same flat base in such a manner that the rows of hook elements of one group are perpendicular to the rows of hook elements of adjacent groups.