MXPA06012543A - Refastenable garment attachment means with low impact on the garment. - Google Patents

Abstract

A male component of a mechanical fastening system, such as a hook and loop fastener, that can remain fastened to a female component under high levels of shear force. The male component has a backing material with protrusions extending from the backing material at an angle toward the direction of fastener force. The combination of the male component with a female loop component results in a secure fastening system.

Description

female complementary component. These hook elements protrude from the backing material of the male component typically consisting of a base, a handle and hooking means in the form of a hook, a lid, a spherical / hemi-spherical shape, a flat lid, etc. Generally, a loop fastening material comprises fibrous loops that protrude from the backing material and is capable of engaging the above described male component of a mechanical fastener.

When the mechanical fastening system is hooked, a hook element penetrates the curl fastening material and either engages or intercepts the fibrous curls of the curl fastening material. This results in mechanical interference and a physical obstruction preventing the removal of the hook material from the loop material until separation forces, usually in the form of either shear or shear forces, exceed a certain threshold. After this, the unhooking of a mechanical fastener occurs resulting in the separation of the hook component and the curl component. In addition, the separation forces that are applied to the curl material during the disengagement stage may result in the breaking of the curl, pulling of the fiber and stretching of the fiber, curled marks on the curl material, etc., until mechanical tearing of the fiber. curl material.

The common way to avoid these problems is to use a female component of a mechanical fastening system that is specifically designed to engage with a particular male component and therefore possess a necessary mechanical strength, fiber strength, fiber thickness and / or particular Fiber bonding pattern, in order to prevent the aforementioned problems. Examples of suitable terry materials include Velero® brand terry materials sold by Velero USA of Manchester, New Hampshire, a fabric attached by stitches sold by illiken & Company, of Spartanburg, South Carolina, or a curl material available from Guilford Mills, Inc., of Greensboro, North Carolina, under the trademark designation of no. 36549. Other suitable terry material may comprise an unbonded pattern fabric as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,858,515 issued January 12, 1999 to Stokes et al. The fact that the dual surface (eg, two separate surfaces) is required to allow the mechanical fastener of the hook and loop type makes it a costly material, decreases the flexibility of the mechanical fastening system, and thus creates limitations for its use.

Mechanical fastening systems have been designed that provide repeated resurfacing as well as being lightweight and safe. Mechanical fastening systems of the hook and loop type, such as sailboat type fasteners, are well known in the art. Such fastening systems involve two main components, a male component and a female component. The male component typically includes a backing material with a number of protruding hooks that are designed to engage with a number of loops on a complementary female component. The hooks protrude from the backing material of the male component typically projected perpendicular to the direction of the fastener cutting force. The hooks typically have a base, a handle, and hooking means, lid, or spherical or hemi-spherical shape. Generally, the curl fastening materials will comprise curls, fibers, or the like with the engaging elements of the hook fastening material that can become entangled.

When the mechanical clamping system is clamped and the cutting force acts with the clamping system, the claws pull towards the direction of clamping force. As the hooks are pulled that can result in the hooks releasing the curls, the mechanical fastening system can be unfastened as a final result. In addition, the strength of the fastener applied to the curls during disengagement may result in damage to the curls, such as breaking of the curl, pulling and stretching of the fiber. In addition, the male component often produces red marks and irritation if it comes into contact with the skin of a person, such as the skin of a baby in contact with a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the diaper.

There is a need or desire for a male component of the mechanical fastening system that is capable of remaining clamped to a female component under effective shear force levels while not harming or distorting the female component.

There is a need or desire for a more universal male component of a mechanical fastening system which is capable of engaging a wide variety of different potential female components, such as fabrics used in the manufacture of garments, for example, woven fabrics, woven fabrics , non-woven fabrics, and the like. There is also a need or desire for a male component of a mechanical fastening system that is capable of remaining fastened to a previously specified group of female components under levels of use of shear force as long as it does not damage or distort the female component. There is also a need for a male component that is capable of releasing or disengaging the female component under effective levels of release force during disengagement while not damaging or distorting the female component. There is also a need or desire for a male component that can be securely resumed to the female component after unhooking.

There is also a need or desire for a male component of a mechanical fastening system that reduces or eliminates the occurrence of red marks and / or irritation if it comes into contact with a person's skin.

Synthesis of the Invention The present invention is directed to a male component of a mechanical fastening system such as a hook and loop fastener, comprising protuberances wherein at least a portion of the protuberances can be angled towards the direction of the fastener cutting force. which acts on the mechanical fastening system in use. The angled protuberances can withstand a higher cutting force than conventional perpendicular hooks on the male component without disengaging the female component, such as a curl material, resulting in an advantageously safer mechanical fastening system. The angled protuberances of the male component can be disengaged from the female component of the mechanical fastening system without causing damage to the aforementioned female component. Angled protrusions on the male component can reduce skin irritation often caused by perpendicular hooks.

The angled protrusions are angled protrusions of the non-hook type located on the male component. In some embodiments of the present invention, the entire surface of the male component may be covered with angled protuberances, the surface of the male component may have a combination of perpendicular protrusions and angled protuberances, or the surface of the male component may have a combination of zones. covered with angled / perpendicular protuberances and zones without protuberances. The protuberances, at an angle and / or perpendicular, on the male component can have similar or different heights.

The angled protrusions may be formed from a mold designed to produce such protuberances, or from a specially formed mold to produce the angled protuberances when the male component is removed from the mold. In some situations, the protuberances may be formed from a mold designed to produce perpendicular protuberances, and then placed at an angle in the subsequent treatment. Alternatively, the angled protuberances can be formed by using two or more polymers side by side in a mold, such that the protuberances are angled as the polymers cool due to differential shrinkage of the polymers.

With the above in mind, it is a feature and an advantage of the present invention to provide a male component of a mechanical fastening system that can remain attached to a female component below the use levels of the cutting force without causing damage or distortion notable of the female component.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a male component of a mechanical fastening system that can be released or disengaged from the female component under effective levels of detachment force without causing noticeable damage or distortion of the female component.

It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a male component of a mechanical fastening system that can engage a variety of different materials that serve as feminine components, such as woven, non-woven, and woven materials.

It is yet another feature and advantage of the present invention to produce a mechanical fastening system that includes the above male component.

It is yet another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide a male component of a mechanical fastening system that reduces or eliminates the occurrence of red marks and / or irritation if it comes into contact with a person's skin.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side view of a male component and a female component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention before engaging with one another; Figure 2 is a side view of a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention shown in partial engagement with a female component; Figure 2a is a side view of a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention shown in partial disengagement of a female component by the application of a detachment force.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention; Figure 4 is a side view of an angled protrusion on a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention; Figure 5 is a side view of an angled protrusion on a male component of a fastening system of the present invention engaged with a female component; Figures 6a-b are side views of an angled protrusion on a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention; Figures 7a-7d are side views of angled protuberances on male components of the mechanical fastening systems of the present invention; Figures 8a-8g are cross-sectional views of the protuberances of the mechanical fastening systems of the present invention; Figure 9 is a plan view of a side of a garment view of a disposable absorbent article incorporating a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention; Figure 10 is a side view of an angled protrusion comprising two different materials on a male component of a mechanical fastening system of the present invention; Figure 11 is a plan view of a garment side of an absorbent article consisting of multiple groups of protuberances; Figures 12a-12d are microphotographs of some curl materials at a 50x magnification; Figure 13a is a microphotograph of a curl material before the hooking of a conventional hook material; Figure 13b is a microphotograph of a curl material after hooking of a conventional hook material and subsequent unhooking of the conventional hook material; Figures 14a-14b are views of the upper plane of parts of a male component of a mechanical fastener with angled protuberances; Figures 14c-14d are side views of parts of a male component of a mechanical fastener with angled protuberances; Figures 15a-15c are bar graphs showing pore size distributions of terry materials; Figures 16a-16d are schematic drawings of vacuum patterns of terry materials.

DEFINITIONS Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below shall include the following meaning or meanings.

"Angled protrusion" refers to a protrusion comprising a base and a handle extending from the back of a male component of a mechanical fastening system, and is not perpendicular to a male backing component.

"Understand", "understanding" and other derivatives of the root term "understand" are intended to be open terms that specify the presence of any features, elements, integers, steps, or components, and are not intended to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, integers, components, or groups thereof. Accordingly, such terms are intended to be synonymous with the words "have", "had", "having", "include", "including" and any derivatives of these words.

"Direction of the Holding Force" refers to a force exerted by the male component on the female component while the components are engaged (for example, while the article incorporates the fastener being used). The clamping force is a vector force that has a shear force component and a normal force component.

"Attached part" refers to a part of a fastening component that is suitably shaped to allow the fastening component to engage or secure the same to a complementary fastening component. Examples of engaging parts include J-shaped hooks, and flat-topped hook portions on protrusions having a narrower diameter than the flat end.

"Extendable Material" refers to a material that can provide substantially permanent deformation of at least about 10 percent, desirably of at least about 15 percent, particularly of at least about 17 percent, more desirably of at least about 20 percent, still more desirably of at least about 25 percent, and even more desirably of at least about 30 percent when subjected to a pulling force of 100 grams force per meter per inch (by 2.54 centimeters) in width in accordance with the Deformation Pulling and Material Lengthening Test indicated here. In general, the Deformation Traction and Material Elongation Test is conducted in a manner similar to Standard Test Method D882 of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) (Test Method for Traction Properties of Thin Plastic Sheets) dated in December 1995. The initial separation of the jaws of the tensile tester is 3 inches (76.2 millimeters) at a tensile force of about 1 gram force per inch width of the test sample, and the movable jaw it is moved at a constant rate of 127 millimeters per minute. The moveable jaw is stopped at an extension where the pulling force equals 100 grams of force per inch of the test sample, held at that extension for a period of two minutes, and then returned to its initial tensile force. about 1 gram of force per inch of width of the test sample at a rate of 127 millimeters per minute.

"Tramada fabric" refers to a fabric constructed by the interlock of series of curls of one or more threads by hand or by machine, by a weaving process. Three main classes of woven fabrics are circular weft, flat weft and warp weft. Examples of the last type of screening include dot, Milanese and Raschel screening.

"Screening Process" refers to a method of construction of the fabric by interwoven series of curls of one or more threads.

"Fused blown fibers" means the fibers formed by the extrusion of a molten thermoplastic material through a plurality of thin and usually circular capillary matrix vessels with strands or fused filaments into gas jets heated at high speed (e.g. , air) and converging that attenuate the filaments of molten thermoplastic material to reduce its diameter, which can be to a micro-fiber diameter. After this, the meltblown fibers are carried by the high speed gas jet and are deposited on a collecting surface to form a randomly dispersed meltblown fabric. Such process is described for example, in the patent of the United States of America number 3,849,241 granted to Butin. The melt blown fibers can be continuous or discontinuous, are generally smaller than 10 microns in average diameter and are generally sticky when deposited on a collecting surface. The meltblown fibers used in the present invention are preferably substantially continuous in length.

As used herein, the term "non-elastic", which means is that the sheet layers are made of polymers that are generally considered to be inelastic. In other words, the use of such inelastic polymers to form the sheet layers can result in sheet layers that are not elastic. As used herein, the term "elastic" means any material that, with the application of a pressing force, is capable of stretching, this is capable of elongating, at least about 60 percent (for example, to a pressed length) , stretched which is at least about 160 percent of its length without relaxed pressure), and which will immediately recover at least 55 percent of its elongation with the release of elongation, stretching force.

As used herein, "non-woven fabric" or "non-woven" refers to a fabric having a structure of individual yarn fibers that are between placed, but not in a repeated identifiable manner as in a woven fabric. The terms "fiber" and "filament" are used interchangeably. Non-woven fabrics have, in the past, been formed by a variety of processes such as, for example, meltblowing processes and bonded and bonded fabric processes. The basis weight of non-woven fabrics is usually expressed in ounces of material per square yard (osy) or in grams per square meter (gsm) and useful fiber diameters are usually expressed in microns. (Note that to convert from ounces per square yard to grams per square meter, multiply ounces per square yard by 33.91).

"Perpendicular Direction" or "Address Perpendicular Force "refers to a normal direction (90 degrees) to a backing material or other reference surface.The perpendicular direction is perpendicular to the direction of cut, defined below.

"Perpendicular force" or "detachment force" refers to forces that tend to produce an opposing pull movement in a perpendicular direction between two body planes.

"Polymer" includes, but is not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers, such as, for example, block, graft, random and alternative copolymers, terpolymers, etc., and mixtures and modifications thereof. In addition, unless otherwise specifically limited, the term "polymer" shall include all possible geometric configurations of the material. These configurations include, but are not limited to, isotactic, syndiotactic, and random symmetries.

"Releasable link", "releasable link" and variations thereof refer to two elements that are being contacted or connected in such a way that the elements tend to remain connected absent a separation force applied to one or both of the elements, and the elements are capable of separation without permanent substantial deformation or breaking. The required separation force is typically beyond what is encountered while using the absorbent garment.

"Elastic" refers to a material that is flexible, compressible and re-formable.

"Cutting force" refers to the forces that tend to produce a parallel but opposite sliding movement between two body planes.

"Cutting Direction" or "Direction of the Cutting Force" refers to a direction parallel to a backing material or other reference surface that experiences cutting force.

As used herein, "spunbond fibers" refer to small diameter fibers that are formed by extruding a molten thermoplastic material as filaments through a plurality of fine spinner capillaries having a circular configuration or otherwise, with the diameter of the extruded filaments being rapidly reduced as, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 4,340,563 issued to Appel et al., and U.S. Patent No. 3, 692,618 issued to Dorschner et al., United States of America patent number 3,802,817 issued to Matsuki et al., United States of America patents number 3,338,992 and 3,341,394 issued to Kinney, United States of America patent number 3,502,763. granted to Hartmann, U.S. Patent No. 3,502,538 to Petersen, and U.S. Patent 3,542,615 to Dobo and others, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Spunbonded fibers are hardened and are generally non-tacky when deposited on a collector surface. Spunbonded fibers are generally continuous and often have a larger average of about 7 microns, more particularly, between about 10 and 30 microns.

The "thermoplastic" describes a material that softens when exposed to heat and that substantially returns to a non-smoothed condition when cooled to room temperature.

"Porous Water Permeable Films" refer to films that yield porous by perforation or aperture, and the films render porous by mixing the polymer with the filler, forming a film of the mixture, and stretching the film.

"Knitted fabric" refers to a fabric that is formed by a weaving process of at least two sets of threads. The woven fabric can be composed of two sets of threads, warp and filling. The woven fabrics can be composed of three sets of yarn to provide a three-axis screen. The two-dimensional woven fabrics can be composed of two or more warps and fillings in a fabric, depending on the complexity of the construction of the fabric. The manner in which two sets of yarn are interlaced determines the screening. The screening process may include one or more basic screens, such as simple, cross or satin.

"Thread" refers to a continuous thread of fibers, filaments or material, textiles in a form suitable for weaving, weaving, or otherwise intermixed to form a textile fabric. The yarn may be provided in the following manner: (1) a number of fibers twisted together (spun yarn); (2) a number of filaments placed together without twisting (twisted zero yarn); (3) a number of filaments placed together with a degree of twisting; (4) a single filament with or without twisted (mono-filament); or (5) a narrow strip of material, including but not limited to, paper, plastic film, metal foil, or metal foil with or without twisting, intended for use in a textile construction.

These terms can be defined with additional language in the remaining parts of the specification.

Detailed Description of Current Preferred Incorporations The present invention is directed to a mechanical fastening system that includes a male component and a female component. In the present invention, a male component of a mechanical fastening system, such as a hook and loop fastener system, can be fastened to a variety of different materials serving as the female component, and can remain securely fastened to the female component under levels effective cutting force. The materials may include fabrics such as: (1) woven textile fabrics; (2) woven textile fabrics; and (3) non-woven materials. For the purposes of the present invention, the term "fabric" is used to refer to woven, woven and non-woven materials.

The present invention can also be directed to a male component of a mechanical fastening system that can be easily released or disengaged from the female component under effective levels of peel strength without causing noticeable distortion or damage to the material of locks, and can be Fasten securely if necessary after several hook-unhook cycles. The male component includes protuberances wherein at least a portion of the protuberances can extend from a backing material at an angle toward the direction of a fastener cutting force. The geometry of the male component can also reduce or eliminate the occurrence of red marking and / or irritation, if it comes into contact with the skin of a person during the use of the disposable absorbent article.

The male component of the mechanical fastening system of the present invention can be used when a material comprising the male component will be fastened in a manner responsive to a garment or an undergarment material. Examples of applications of this particular type of mechanical fastener include, but are not limited to, using a male component of the present invention to: (1) restraintly attaching a shoulder strap or other part of an undergarment, for example a brassiere, to the underside of an overlying garment or being used to hold any part of a garment, eg, an undergarment such as as panties or chest covers, to overlying garments, thus avoiding movement during use; (2) securing a disposable absorbent article, such as an adult incontinence pad or a woman's care pad, to the wearer's undergarment; (3) adjusting the waistline of a garment or undergarment by either tightening or releasing the waistband band or the waistline flaps, and re-attaching them to the garment and / or themselves to a width desirable waistband or used to close and / or adjust the width of collars, sleeve cuffs, or leg cuffs of garments; (4) fastening various functional and conformable additions to a garment article, for example, additional bags, reusable sleeves, refastenable caps, or stationary decorative appliques, such as the forms of autumn leaves or pumpkins for thanksgiving, or to create a wide variety of decorative and fashionable designs from the same basic garment piece; (5) create toys for children, for example animal shapes and alphabet that can be attached to a board covered with cloth; (6) Resujtably affix labels of names and visitor labels to garments; It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these examples are given for purposes of illustration and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the application of the present invention.

This male component is particularly suitable for use in mechanical fastening systems over disposable absorbent articles in which the strength of the fastener has a significant cutting force component during use. The term "disposable absorbent garments" is intended to refer to any disposable garment that is intended to absorb discharged body fluids. Examples of disposable absorbent garments include diapers, adult incontinence products, training underpants, feminine sanitary napkins, wound dressings and the like. For ease of understanding, much of the foregoing description will be made in terms of the use of the mechanical fastening systems of the present invention on disposable absorbent products, such as women's care products and disposable diapers. Notwithstanding this, it should be understood that the mechanical fastening systems of the present invention are equally suitable for use over any other disposable absorbent products or durable products.

As shown in Figure 1, a male component 20 and a female component 22 can be put together to releasably fasten or releasably engage one another. The male component 20 may have a number of individual rods or protuberances 23 extending from an elastic backing material 26. Similarly, the female component 22 may have a number of individual loops 28 that project generally perpendicularly from a material elastic curl backing 30. It is understood, as used herein, that the female component 22 may comprise a part or a component of a garment article; alternatively, the female component 22 may comprise a part of a component of the absorbent article 10 or a woven textile fabric, a woven textile fabric, and / or a non-woven fabric with which the disposable absorbent article 10 is brought into contact during use . The individual protuberances 23 of the male component 20 and the curls 28, such as individual fibers or fiber failures, of the female component 22, when brought into contact with each other, engage or inter-close with each other, with the protuberances 23 of the male component 20 joining over curls 28 of female component 22, until they are forcedly separated, thereby pulling protuberances 23 of male component 20 out of curls 28 of female component 22. Male and / or female components 20 and 22, respectively they can be fastened to the disposable absorbent article 10 or to a peripheral part thereof, such as the wing structures.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the individual loops 28 of the female component 22 may be needle-sewn, stitched or otherwise projected through the loop-back material 30. The loop-back material 30, or alternatively, the Female component 22 can suitably be made of a nonwoven material. In another embodiment of the present invention, the female component 22 can suitably be made of a fibrous nonwoven fabric such as a spunbonded nonwoven fabric or a short fiber carded fabric. An example of a suitable non-woven fabric is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,858,515 issued to Stokes, et al. And incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the individual curls 28 can be made of yarn or tow. Once the locks 28 have been formed, the fibers forming the locks 28 can be anchored in place by attaching the fibers to the loop backing material 30 with heat and / or adhesives or any other suitable means. Such suitable female components 22 are available from Velero, USA, of Manchester, New Hampshire. Alternatively, the female component 22 can be a woven or knitted textile fabric, such as one of the fabrics conventionally used for the manufacture of garments or underwear. It is understood that the individual curls 28 may not protrude from the surface of the female component 22 but may be an integral part of a fabric, such as in the typical woven textile fabric, in the woven textile fabric or in the non-woven fabrics.

At least some of the individual angled protuberances 24 of the male component 20 of the present invention may be angled, at least in part, towards the direction of the cutting force of the fastener. As used herein, the term "fastener cutting force direction" refers to a one-way cutting component, for example the direction of the fastener force, which male component 20 applies to a female component 22 that matches when the male and female components 20 and 22 respectively are engaged and under tension. Fig. 2 shows the male component 20 and the female component 22 of Fig. 1 in an engaged position under tension, where part of the male and female components 20 and 22 are undergoing disengagement. The direction of the force of the fastener is indicated by the arrow 32 in figures 1 and 2. The direction of the cutting force of the fastener is indicated by the arrow 31 in figures 1 and 2. The direction of a force component of Perpendicular peeling of the fastener force is indicated by the arrow 33 in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, as was typically observed during use, the shear component of the force acting on the system Mechanical fastening can be much greater than the peeling component of the force acting on the mechanical fastening system. The cutting force of the fastener is in direct opposition to the cutting force exerted by the female component 22 against the male component 20. If the angled protuberances 24 of the male components 20 are relatively flexible, the curls 28 of the female component 22 they can bend the protuberances at an angle 24 in a direction opposite to the original inclination direction, as shown in Figure 2. Alternatively, the angled protrusions 24 can be relatively rigid, thereby joining the curls 28 between the protrusion 24 and the protrusion 24. backing material 26 as shown in figure 5, and providing a very secure hold.

When it is necessary to disengage or release a mechanical fastening system, a force to remove the fastener having a perpendicular peel force component greater than the parallel cutting force component can be applied to the mechanical fastening system (see Figure 2a). The geometry of the angled protuberances 24 and the properties of the materials constituting the angled protuberances 24 can ensure that the curls 28 are not pulled out of or otherwise damaged during the release phase. The protrusions at an angle of 24 may require only a slight deformation, such as a bend, to be released, which can be achieved by applying low to moderate levels of perpendicular peeling force. Therefore, many lower values of forces can be applied to the female component 22 during the separation phase in case of angled protuberances 24 than in the case of a male component based on conventional hook material. In order to further reduce or prevent damage to the female component 22 during the release phase, only materials with the appropriate flexibility characteristics can be chosen for the manufacture of the angled protuberances 24, for example materials with a flexural modulus from about 331 MPa to about 2,758 MPa (see the more detailed discussion of the flexibility of the protrusions given below), alternatively, from around 344.7 MPa to around 2.413 MPa, or alternatively from around 413.7 MPa to around 2,344 MPa. The lower limit of the flexural modulus can be independently of about 331 MPa, about 344.7 MPa, about 379.2 MPa, or about 413.7 MPa. The upper limit of the flexural modulus can be independently of about 2,344 MPa, about 2,413 MPa, or about 2,758 MPa.

For some embodiments of the present invention, the materials may have a flexural modulus of between about 331 MPa to about 586 MPa, alternatively, from about 338 MPa to about 572 MPa, or alternatively from about 345 MPa to about of 552 MPa. The lower limits of the flexural module can be independently around 331 MPa, around 338 MPa, or around 345 MPa. The upper limit of the flexural module can independently be around 552 MPa, around 572 MPa, or around 586 MPa.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the materials may have an inflectional modulus of from about 965 MPa to about 1,379 MPa, alternatively, from about 1.034 MPa to about 1.310 MPa, or alternatively, from about 1.103 MPa to about 1,241 MPa. The lower limits of the flexural modulus can independently be about 965 MPa, about 1.034 MPa, or about 1.103 MPa. The upper limit of the flexural modulus can independently be around 1,241 MPa, about 1,310 MPa, or about 1,379 MPa.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the materials may have an inflectional modulus of between about 1,724 MPa to about 2,344 MPa, alternatively, of about 1,793 MPa to about 2,275 MPa, or alternatively of about 1,862 MPa to about 2.206 MPa. The lower limits of the flexural modulus can be independently of about 1,724 MPa, about 1,793 MPa, or about 1,862 MPa. The upper limit of the flexural modulus can be independently of about 2,206 MPa, of about 2,275 MPa, or about 2,344 MPa.

The angle projections 24 may be capable of handling a greater amount of fastener cutting force 31 exerted by the female component 22 than the typical perpendicular projections 25 because the female component 22 must overcome a greater amount of fastener cutting force. 31 when the angled projections 24 are angled towards the direction of the cutting force of the fastener 31. The male components 20 have the angled projections 24 thus they can result in a more secure fastening system. To refer to the opposite directions of the cutting force of the fastener 31 that can be subjected to the mechanical fastening system during use and separation, depending on the directions in which the female component 22 moves during use and during separation of the component male 20, the angle projections 24 are suitably located on the opposite directions, as illustrated in figure 3. Further, the angled projections 24 and the perpendicular projections 25 reduce the number of sharp ends that sting a user by aiming the sharp ends facing away from the wearer and can further reduce skin irritation frequently caused by the structures of conventional hooks.

All of the individual protuberances 23 of the male component 20 can be angled protrusions 24 which are angled towards the direction of the cutting force of the fastener 32 or alternatively, some of the individual protuberances 23 can be angled protuberances 24, which are in angle towards the direction of the force of the fastener 32 and some of the individual protuberances 23 may be perpendicular protuberances 25, approximately perpendicular to the backing material 26 (and approximately perpendicular to the direction of the cutting force of the fastener 31). In a combination of angled protrusions 24 and perpendicular protrusions 25 is shown in Figure 1 and Figures 9 and 11. The individual angled protuberances 24 which are angled not perpendicular to the backing material 26 are suitably at an angle ( a) from about 5 degrees to about 85 degrees with respect to the backing material 26 (and the direction of the cutting force of the fastener 31), more suitably at an angle (a) of about 15 degrees to about 80 degrees, more adequately at an angle (a) of about 15 degrees to about 75 degrees, more adequately at an angle (a) of about 20 degrees to about 75 degrees, more adequately at an angle (a) of about 30 degrees to about 75 degrees, more adequately at an angle (a) of about 35 degrees to about 70 degrees (see figures 7a-7d). The lower limit of the range (a) of the individual protuberances 23 can be independently of about 5 degrees, of about 15 degrees, of about 20 degrees, of about 30 degrees, or of about 35 degrees. The upper limit of the angle (a) of the individual protuberances 23 can be independently of about 85 degrees, of about 80 degrees, of about 75 degrees, or of about 70 degrees.

The individual protuberances 25 that are approximately perpendicular to the backing material 26 and the direction of the fastener cutting force 31, are suitably at an angle (a) of about 70 degrees to about 110 degrees with respect to the backing material. 26, more suitably at an angle (a) of about 80 degrees to about 100 degrees, and more suitably at an angle (a) of about 85 degrees to about 95 degrees.

The lower limit of the angle (a) of the individual protuberances 25 can independently be about 70 degrees, about 80 degrees, or about 85 degrees.

The upper limit of the angle (a) of the individual protuberances 25 can be independently of about 110 degrees, about 100 degrees, or about 95 degrees.

The protrusions 23 of the male component 20 penetrate the surface or otherwise interact with the female component 22. The protuberances 23 of the male component 20 may comprise a variety of sizes and shapes. Figures 7a to 7d show four side views of different shapes that the protuberances 23 can assume. The protuberances 23 may end at tapered ends (see Figure 7b) or may comprise conical or pyramidal shapes (see Figure 7c). In other embodiments, the protuberances 23 may comprise the shape of a truncated cone or a truncated pyramid (see Figure 7d). Figures 8a to 8g show additional cross-sectional views of shapes that also assume the protuberances 23.

It may be desirable that the cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 of the male components 20 of the present invention are comparable or smaller than the size of the hollow spaces between the fibers in the female component 22. The cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 can vary from about 90 to about 500 μp ?, more specifically from from about 130 to about 440 μp ?, and more specifically from about 160 to about 400 The lower limit of the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 can be independently of about μp ?, of about 130 μp ? or around 160 μp ?. The upper limit of the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 can be independently of about 500 μp ?, of around 440 μp? or around 400 μp ?. The cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 can be variable along the length of the protrusion as shown in Figures 6b and 7b to 7d. Such variability in the cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 may allow the protuberances 23 to penetrate and engage a variety of female components 22 having hollow spaces of different sizes or varying sizes. In an alternate embodiment, the male component 20 may include two or more groups of the protuberances 23, each group of protuberances 23 being characterized by the specific cross-sectional dimensions (see Figures 9 and 11), thereby enabling the male component to attach to a variety of female components 22.

The angle projections 24 may be more angled along a small part, such as at an end 27, as shown in Figure 6, or along a substantial length of the angle projection 24, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The term "substantial length" as used herein, refers to the full length of the angle projection 24.

According to some embodiments, the male components 20 of the present invention can generally have between about 16 and about 930 protuberances 23 per square centimeter, more specifically between about 124 and about 470 protrusions 23 per square centimeter, and more specifically between about 155 and about 310 bumps 23 per square centimeter. In other embodiments of the present invention, the male components 20 can generally have between about 250 to about 800 protrusions 23 per square centimeter, more specifically from about 350 to about 700 protrusions 23 per square centimeter, and more specifically from between about 400 to about 600 bumps 23 per square centimeter. In other embodiments of the present invention, the protuberances 23 of the male components 20 can form a non-continuous pattern, such as strips and isolated islands where the number of protuberances 23 can vary from about 5 protrusions 23 per square centimeter or plus.

The heights h of the protuberances 23 of the male components 20 of the present invention can vary from about 3 x 10"3 centimeters to about 0.9 centimeters, more specifically from about 2.4 x 10 ~ 2 centimeters to about 5.5. x 10"2 centimeters, and more specifically from about 2.8 x 10" 2 centimeters to about 5 x 10"2 centimeters. The lower limit of the height of the protuberances 23 can be independently of about 3 x 10 ~ 3 centimeters, of about 2.4 x 10 ~ 2 centimeters or of about 2.8 x 10"2 centimeters.The upper limit of the height of the protuberances 23 can be independently of about 0.9 centimeters, about 5.5 x 10"2 centimeters or about 5 x 10" 2 centimeters (see figures 7a to 7d.) The height of the protuberances 23 must provide an effective engagement of the protuberances 23 of the male component 20 and the female component 22.

The protuberances 23 can be formed by injection molding, cavity molding, profile extrusion or any other manufacturing process known in the art. For example, the protuberances 23 can be molded or extruded properly using a continuous molding process in which a plastic resin strip base is molded with integral fastener elements in the form of protrusions extending from a surface. Such molding can be carried out at a high pressure point such as between two counter-rotating rollers or against a single roller defining miniature cavities on its peripheral surface. The cavities may be shaped such that the cavities may be suitable for molding any shape of the protuberances 23 including the shapes known in Figures 6 and 7a-d. A process is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,794,028, issued December 27, 1988 to Fisher, and incorporated herein by reference to the extent that it is consistent therewith. Alternatively, a lamination method in place of the protuberances 23 to the backing material 26 may be used, as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,260,015 issued November 9, 1993 to Kennedy et al. incorporated herein by reference to the extent that it is consistent with the present. The materials for making the protuberances 23 may be selected from a group of thermoplastic polymers such as polyamides, polyesters, poly (vinyl acetate), PVC, polyolefins (eg, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers or copolymers of butane), a thermoplastic elastomer, or other suitable material and mixtures thereof.

The flexural modulus of the material from which the protuberances 23 or suitably extruded can be molded should be in the range of from about 331 MPa to about 2,758 MPa. As shown here, the term "flexural modulus" is used as an equivalent cable of a term "modulus of elasticity in bending" and refers to a characteristic of the bending properties of plastics determined according to the ASTM D standard. 790-99"standard test methods for flexural properties of reinforced and non-reinforced plastics and electrical insulating materials". The protuberances 23 having such a flexural module provide an acceptable engagement with the female component 22 while maintaining a flexibility to allow disengagement from the female component 22 without causing significant damage. Other parameters of the protrusions 23 that can affect the flexibility, engagement and detachment characteristics of the protuberances 23 include, but are not limited to: (a) the length / height of a protrusion 23; (b) the angle a between the protrusion 23 and the backing material 26; and (c) the cross-sectional area (or shape) of the protuberances 23. By increasing the cross-sectional area of the protuberances 23 (eg thicker stems), the flexibility of the protuberances 23 may decrease. To compensate for the reduced flexibility of the protrusions 23, material selection can be made by having lower flexural modules. Similarly, when the angle α between the protuberances 23 and the backing material 26 is decreased, or when the length of the protuberances 23 is increased, the selection of materials having an appropriate flexural modulus may be required to provide protuberances 23 of a desired flexibility. For example, the materials having a lower flexural modulus to increase the flexibility of the protuberances 23, therefore, and to avoid significant separation forces acting on the female component 22 during disengagement.

The protuberances 23 may be composed of more than one material. In some embodiments of the present invention, the protuberances 23 can be made of a polymer or material that can provide a desired feature or element and be coated with another polymer or material that can provide an additional feature or feature. For example, the protrusion 23 may be composed of polypropylene which may provide mechanical strength. Such protrusion 23 can then be coated with an elastomeric or collapsible material, such as silicone rubber, ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA), homo- and co-polymers of isoprene, homo- and co-polymers of butadiene, and the like, to provide a more skin-friendly and softer surface and a surface with a higher coefficient of friction, such as materials with a coefficient of friction greater than 1.

Alternatively, the manufacturing method can be modified by using at least two different polymers 38 and 40 aligned side by side along a length of the protrusion mold. When polymers 38 and 40 are heated, all polymers 38 and 40 must be softened with heat. In some embodiments of the present invention, polymers 38 and 40 may be chosen such that one polymer 38 shrinks more than another polymer 40 or other polymers during the cooling process. Thus, when the polymers 38 and 40 are cooled, the polymer 38 that shrinks the lower protrusion 24 towards the backing material 26 while the shrinkable polymer 40 forms a surface outwardly of the backing material 26, as it was shown in figure 10.

The backing material 26 may be made of any of the materials comprising the protuberances 23 or any other suitable materials. The backing material 26 can be made of the same material or a different material from the protuberances 23 of the male component 20. The backing material 26 can generally have a thickness in a range of between about 0.1 millimeters (mm) and about 5 millimeters. millimeters, suitably in a range of between 0.6 millimeters and 2 millimeters, resulting in a total basis weight of the male component 20 in a range of from about 20 grams per square meter to about 200 grams per square meter. In several embodiments of the present invention, the backing material 26 may comprise a film, a paper, a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, a needle-punched non-woven fabric, a knitted yarn, a non-woven knitted non-woven fabric ( PUB), a bonded and tapered laminate (NBL), a multilayer laminate bonded with spinning / blowing with melting / spun bonding, a non-woven fabric placed by air a non-woven fabric formed by air and the like.

The protuberances 23 of the male component 20 of the present invention can be arranged spatially in rows with the spacers 29 between the rows, as shown in Figure 3. These spacers 29 can be in the form of stops, ridges, depressions or any other suitable distortion made or added to the backing material 26. These spacers can improve the overall flexibility of the backing material 26 by providing areas of lower density between the individual protuberances 23 where the backing material 26 can easily bend to conform to the body of the user as the body moves. In addition, the spacers 29 can also improve the flexibility of the individual protuberances 23 by providing a space for the individual protuberances 23 to bend in response to the applied pressure. Alternatively, the rows of the protuberances 23 can be separated by a flat surface. Also, as mentioned, the protuberances 23 can be properly arranged so that a plurality of protuberances 23 face in one direction and a plurality of the protuberances 23 can be facing in an opposite direction or in a different direction in order to compensate for the directions of the fastener forces in the opposite / different directions. See Figures 9 to 10 and Figures 14a to 14b for examples of possible orientations of angled protuberances. In other embodiments of the present invention, the angled protuberances 24 of the male component 20 may be oriented randomly in different directions. The orientations can be in the direction of the machine (MD) and / or in the direction transverse to the machine (CD) and any orientation between them.

Examples Example 1 It may be desirable that the space parameters of the protrusions 23 of the male component of the present invention, such as cross-sectional dimensions, length, height and surface density, be designed taking into account the properties of the female component of lens 22 or a group of objective 22 female components.

The samples of the materials taken from the female underwear analyzed were: 1. Samples of a black woven nylon material, commercially available under the trade designation of "Tricot 40 that does not hang from sanitized Anden III 40 denier", purchased from Kleffer's Company, located at PO Box 719, Jersey City, New Jersey, 07307 . 2. 100% black cotton knitted fabric samples, commercially available under style number / color 0808-6175 and weighing 6.85 ounces per square yard purchased from Dyersburg Fabric, Inc., located in Dyersburg, Tennessee, 38024. 3. Beige satin material samples from various regions of short high-cut satin briefs sold under the Vanity Fair® brand of Vanity Fair Corporation, located at 105 Corporate Center Boulevard, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27408. Short briefs were purchased through JC Penney Company. 4. Blue microfiber material samples taken from various regions of short high-microfiber ladies' breeches sold under the Vanity Fair® brand of Vanity Fair Corporation, located at 105 Corporate Center Boulevard, Greensboro, North Carolina, 27408. brief breeches were purchased through JC Penney Company.

The samples of the materials represent typical types of materials used in women's undergarments. Samples of the materials represent different types of fibers (synthetic and natural) and different types of fabrics (less dense, such as the cotton knitted fabric sample of denser material such as the satin material sample).

The following parameters of undergarment material were obtained as discussed below: 1. Average pore sizes. 2. Pore size distribution. 3. Pore density. 4. Fabric pattern. 5. Average material thickness These parameters were used to establish the appropriate dimensions for the protuberances 23 of the male component 20 capable of engaging the materials typically used in female undergarments.

Determination of the pore dimensions, pore density and tissue pattern were made by analyzing micro-images of inner garment samples of the materials. The microimages were obtained using the high resolution Keyence® digital microscope VH-6300 commercially available from Keyence Corporation located at 1-3-14, Higashi-Nakajima, Higashi-Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, 533, Japan. The microimages were obtained using a 50X amplification for the determination of pore density, and an amplification of 175X for the determination of pore size. All measurements were taken while the material samples did not experience strain or elongation forces.

The determination of the pore size of each material sample was achieved using the "measure" option on the microscope controller unit. Before each measurement, a distance calibration was carried out for accuracy and measurement. To measure the size of a pore, a Keyence® VH-6300 camera unit (complementary to the Keyence® digital microscope) was focused on the sample of material being analyzed so that the image of the sample was clearly displayed on the screen of the monitor. A pore region was then excluded by a polygon shape outlining the shape of the pore region that was being mediated. The measurement of the polygon area was carried out by using the "area" option on the microscope controller menu. The measurement was repeated at least 50 times. At least three pieces of each material sample were used for the measurement, from different regions of the material sample. An average value of the measurements was calculated. For the simplification of the calculations, the different polygon shapes representing the different pore shapes were approximated by circles of equal area, and the circle diameter was used as a parameter characterizing the pore size of any particular pore. The FREQUENCY function in Excel® software (a part of the standard Microsoft Office software package) was used to analyze the distribution of pore sizes.

Determinations of pore density and tissue pattern of each material sample were achieved using the microimages of a 50X amplification. The microimages were made using a high resolution digital microscope eyence® VH-6300. The "X-Y distance" option on a controller menu was used to determine the distances between the adjacent pores in the X and Y directions of each material sample. The measurement was repeated at least 15 times. At least three pieces of each sample of material were used for the measurement, from up to 5 different regions of the material sample. An average value of the measurements was calculated. The standard deviations were calculated using Excel®.

The thickness of each sample of material was measured using Sony's digital thickness tester at 1.38 kPa. The measurement was repeated at least 15 times. At least three pieces of each material sample were used for the measurement of up to 5 different regions of the material sample. An average value of the measurements was calculated.

Figures 15a-15c show the pore size distributions for the different types of materials, cotton, nylon, microfiber and satin. The cotton, nylon and microfiber materials were all showing wide bi-modal pore size distributions, reflecting the fact that these materials, with a complex tissue pattern, had two types of pores, large and small (as shown in Figures 16a-6d). The satin material showed a more uniform unimodal pore size distribution consistent with its more uniform tissue pattern (see Figure 12 and Figure 16d). The average pore sizes for all four materials are summarized in Table 1.

The differences in the tissue patterns of the different materials are more easily observed in the microphotographs of the materials presented in Figures 12a-12d. Figure 12a is a microphotograph of the sample of nylon material. Figure 12b is a microphotograph of the sample of cotton material. Figure 12c is a microphotograph of the sample of microfiber material. Figure 12d is a microphotograph of the sample of satin material. The patterns of all the four material samples are different. The weave pattern of the sample of cotton material was less dense and the weave pattern of the satin sample was denser. The cotton sample of the material also exhibited a higher degree of "fluffiness" due to the unique fibers projecting from the yarns. The schematic drawings of the gap patterns for the four samples of the materials are shown in Figures 16a-16d. To quantify the densities of the tissue patterns of the four material samples, the number of pores per square inch was determined for each sample. The determination was achieved by measuring the average distances between the adjacent pores in both MD and CD directions. Average pore densities are provided in Table 1. The densities of the sample materials were determined as: Cotton < Microfiber < Nylon < Satin. The sample of cotton material was about 2.5 times less dense than the sample of microfiber material, while the sample of satin material was about 2.7 times denser than the sample of nylon material.

The results of the thickness determination of the samples of the materials are also provided in Table 1.

Table 1 Nylon Cotton Microfiber Satin Pore sizes Average diameter μp? 150 380 158 196 Minimum diameter μ ?? 93 280 107 151 Maximum diameter μp? 228 462 226 239 Standard deviation μp? 31 48 38 21 Average distance between pores: on CD μp? 545 1, 022 407 240 standard deviation μp? 20 37 1 2 in MD μp? 485 702 706 392 standard deviation μp? 33 15 3 5 Pore Surface Density: Average density, hollows / crn ** 757 279 696 2, 129 Standard deviation, gaps / cm2 52 6 3 24 Average density, gaps / inch2 4, 882 1, 800 4, 490 13,136 Standard deviation, gaps / inch2 332 38 19 144 Thickness Thickness, average μp? 280 680 300 300 Standard deviation μp? 20 20 30 30 Suitable designs and dimensions of the male component 20 capable of engaging with various female components 22 having different pore sizes, pore density, fabric patterns and thicknesses are described below. Suitable cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 and 25 of the male component 20 can have comparable cross-sectional dimensions of the gaps and material within the female component 22. Yes the cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the component male 20 differ significantly from the cross-sectional dimensions of the material gaps within the female component 22 (greater or less than), the latch may fail. If the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component is significantly larger than the material gaps within the female component 22, the protuberances 23 and / or 25 may not be able to penetrate the female component 22. If the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 is significantly smaller than the gaps of material within the female component 22, the engagement of the male component 20 and the female component 22 may not be able to hold for the use. The cross-sectional dimensions of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 can be within the range between around 90 μp? at around 470 μ ??, alternatively around 100 μp? to about 460 μ ??, or alternatively of 110 μp? at around 450 μp? The lower limit of the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 can be independently of about 90 of about 100 μp ?, of about 110 μp ?, or around 120 μ ?. The upper limit of the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 can be independently of about 440 μp ?, of about 450 μp \, of about 460 μp ?, or around 470 μp ?.

The protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 may include a variety of cross-sectional shapes, such as cones, pyramids, tapered cones, tapered pyramids, truncated cones and the like. Where the protuberances 23 and / or 25 have a tapered shape, such protuberances 23 and / or 25 can more easily penetrate or otherwise engage a wider variety of different female components 22 characterized by different pore sizes and other characteristics that affect the penetration and engagement by the protuberances 23 and / or 25. This can be explained by the variable cross-sectional dimension through the length of the protrusion 23 and / or 25.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the male component 20 may include more than one type of protuberances 23 and / or 25. Each type of protuberances 23 and / or 25 may have dimensions in cross section and / or shapes in cross section that may correspond to a particular range of material gaps within a female component 22. As such, the male component 20 can demonstrate an improved engagement with a variety of different female components 22. In some embodiments of the present invention, the similar protuberances 23 and / or 25 may be placed within the islands, strips or other configurations of the surface of the male component 20.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the height of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20, as measured from the base to the tip of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 may be less than the thickness of the female component 22 Such a configuration of the protrusions 23 and / or 25 can avoid direct contact with the skin, and therefore irritation of the skin with the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20. In some embodiments of the present invention, the heights of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 can be around 250 μp? to around 700 μt ?, alternatively around 280 μp? to around 680 μp ?, or alternatively around 300 μp? at around 670 μp ?. The lower limit of the height of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 can be independently of about 200 μp ?, of about 250 μp ?, of around 275 μp ?, or around 300 μp ?. The upper limit of the cross-sectional dimension of the protuberances 23 and / or 25 of the male component 20 may independently be about 700 μt ?, of about 690 of about 680 μ ??, or around 670 μt ?.

The surface density, the number of protuberances 23 and / or 25 per square centimeter of the male component 20, may vary from about 270 bumps per square centimeter to about 2,200 bumps per square centimeter, alternatively from about 290 bumps per centimeter square to about 2,000 bulges per square centimeter, alternately from about 300 bulges per square centimeter to about 1,800 bulges per square centimeter, or alternatively from about 320 bulges per square centimeter to about 1,600 bulges per square centimeter. The lower limit of the surface density of the male component 20 can independently be about 250 protuberances per square centimeter, to about 270 protuberances per square centimeter, about 290 protuberances per square centimeter, about 300 protrusions per square centimeter, or about 320 protrusions per square centimeter. The upper limit of the surface density of the male component 20 can independently be about 2,200 bumps per square centimeter, about 2,000 bumps per square centimeter, about 1,800 bumps per square centimeter, or about 1,600 bumps per centimeter. square.

Example 2 To illustrate the correlation between the separation forces acting on the mechanical fastener during disengagement and the level of damage to the female component, a test of the forces experienced by the mechanical fastening system during the disengagement in the peeling and cutting. The tests were carried out using a standard tension frame model No. Sintech I / S, series No. 7190, equipped with a TestWorks for Windows software from MTS Systems Corporation, located at PO Box 24012, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55424, of according to the manufacturer's manual. The 50 N transducer was used together with the tension frame to measure the forces, the instrument was calibrated for this transducer before each test. The curl material was in the form of a knitted nylon material, commercially available under the trade designation "Tricot that does not hang from sanitized Anden III 40 denier", part of manufacturer No. 4500 T "Antron III" purchased by Kieffer's Company, located at P. 0. Box 719, Jersey City, New Jersey, 07307. The material was cut into samples of 51 millimeters by 203 millimeters for the peeling test. For the purpose of repetition of the force measurements, the male component was always hooked to the loop material by rolling the sample with a mechanical rolling unit providing a pressure of 2 kilograms twice at a speed of 4.9 millimeters / sec. The material was peeled from the male component of a mechanical fastener at an angle of 180 degrees and at a peeling speed of 8.47 millimeters / second and the resulting peel strength was recorded. In a separate test series, the material was separated from the male component in a cutting mode at a speed of 8.47 millimeters / second and the resulting cutting force was recorded.

Table 2. The average peeling forces measured during the disengagement of the male component 20 from the female component 23 by the peel forces and the resulting levels of curl damage.

No. Name Average strength during the Level of damage to the Code release by peeling N / m material of curls 1 100-7003 2.3 no 2 102-7004 3.9 no 3 102-7003 4.6 no 4 100-7005 5.2 no 5 102-1002 7.4 no 6 61-1036 7.7 no 7 102-7006 9.4 no 8 100-1001 12.3 no 9 61 -1035 12.7 no 10 102-7005 19.0 no 11 103-7005 22.8 light 12 103-1001 24.7 light 13 102-1001 47.8 moderate 14 38-1002 235.4 severe Code Shape of Angle to Density of Protrusion Module Protuberance Flexion (prot / cm2) (Mpa) 38-1002 see figure 6b 37 ° 182 61-1035 see figure 6a 90 ° 455 2, 034 ± 310 61-1036 see figure 6a 90 ° 455 100-1001 see figure 6b 60 ° 672 2, 034 + 310 100-7003 see figure 6b 60 ° 672 448 ± 138 100-7005 see figure 6b 60 ° 672 1, 172 + 207 102-1001 see figure 6b 60 ° 336 2, 034 ± 310 102-1002 see figure 6b 75 ° 336 2, 034 310 102-7003 see figure 6b 60 ° 336 4481138 102-7004 see figure 6b 75 ° 336 4481138 102-7005 see figure 6b 60 ° 336 1, 1721207 102-7006 see figure 6b 75 ° 336 1, 172 + 207 103-1001 see figure 6a 60 ° 336 2, 034 + 310 103-7005 see figure 6a 60 ° 336 1, 1721207 As shown in Table 2, the curl material 30 did not experience any damage if the average peel strength during the release was lower than about 22.8 N / m. It was further demonstrated that when the average peeling strength was above about 22.8 N / m but below about 47.8 N / m only a slight impact on the material of curls 30 was observed resulting in a slight increase in the swelling of the surface of the curl material 30. However, when the average peel strength during the release was about 47.8 N / m or higher, a moderate amount of damage to the curl material 30 was observed resulting in a remarkable stringing and pulling of fiber and a significant increase in the swelling of the surface of the curl material 30, so that the area where a male component 20 was fastened was remarkably and distinctly different in appearance from the rest of the female component 22. It was further demonstrated that when the average peel strength reached the level of about 235.4 N / m or higher, severe damage to female component 22 was observed. The level of damage was comparable to the damage caused to the curl material 30 by the conventional hook material as shown in Figures 13a-13b.

It should be understood that the present invention is directed to the male component 20 of the mechanical fastener which can not only cause impact or light impact on the female component 22. Thus, the male component 20 of the present invention can exert a peeling force on the component. nylon female 22 ranging from about 0.2 N / m to about 47.8 N / m, alternately from about 0.4 N / m around 47.5 N / m, alternately from about 0.8 N / m around 47.1 N / m , or alternatively from 2.3 N / m to around 46.3 N / m. The lower limit of the peel strength can be independently from about 0.2 N / m, to about N / m, to about N / m, or about 2.3 N / m. The upper limit of the peeling force can independently be about 46.3 N / m, about 47.1 N / m, about 47.5 N / m, or about 47.8 N / m.

Table 3 provides the data of the shear forces measured during the separation of the male component 20 from the female component 22 in the cutting mode. The female component 22 was the sample of the nylon material. No significant damage, as discussed above, was recorded during the separation of the male component 20 from the female component 22 under the application of the peel force. In some embodiments of the present invention, the cutting force during the separation of the male component 20 from the female component 22 in the cutting mode may be in the range of about 6.08 X 103 N / m2 to about 2.43 X 104 N / m2, alternately from about 6.38 X 103 N / m2 to about 2.42 X 104 N / m2, alternately from about 6.68 X 103 N / m2 to about 2.40 X 104 N / m2, or alternatively around 7.00 X 103 N / m2 to around 2.34 X 104 N / m2. The lower limit of the peeling force can be independently of about 6.08 X 103 N / m2, of about 6.38 X 103 N / m2, of about 6.38 X 103 N / m2, of about 6.68 X 103 N / m2 , or around 7.00 X 103 N / m2. The upper limit of the peel strength can be independently of about 2.43 X 104 N / m2, of about 2.42 X 104 N / m2, of about 2.40 X 104 N / m2, or about 2.34 X 104 N / m2. m2.

Table 3. Average cutting forces measured during the disengagement of the male component 20 from the cutting mode of the female component 23.

It will be appreciated that the details of the above embodiments, given for purposes of illustration, should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the example embodiments without departing materially from the novel teachings and the advantages of this invention. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention, which is defined in the following claims and in all equivalents thereof. Furthermore, it is recognized that many incorporations can be conceived which do not achieve all the advantages of some incorporations, particularly of the preferred incorporations, but that the absence of a particular advantage should not be considered as necessarily meaning that such incorporation is out of reach of the present invention.

Claims (15)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A mechanical fastening system comprising: a male component including a backing material and at least a plurality of first protuberances extending from the backing material; Y a female component capable of engaging the male component, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of the first protuberances extending from the backing material of the male component form an angle a of from about 5 degrees to about 85 degrees in relationship to the backing material of the male component and at least a portion of the first plurality of protuberances has a flexural modulus of from about 331 MPa to about 2,758 MPa.

2. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that it comprises at least a plurality of second protrusions extending from the backing material wherein at least a portion of the plurality of the second protrusions extends from the backing material of the male component at an alpha angle of about 95 degrees to about 175 degrees relative to the backing material of the male component.

3. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 or clause 2, characterized in that the female component also comprises a material selected from the group of fabrics consisting essentially of a woven textile fabric; a woven textile fabric; a nonwoven fabric; and combinations thereof.

4. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 3, characterized in that the female component further comprises a backing material and a plurality of loops or fibers extending from the backing material of locks.

5. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 4, characterized in that at least a part of the plurality of first protuberances has a height of from about 3 X 10"3 centimeters to about 0.9 centimeters.

6. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 2 to clause 5, characterized in that at least a part of the plurality of the first protuberances are shorter than at least a part of the plurality of the second protuberances.

7. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the first shorter protuberances are from about 5% to 95% shorter than at least a part of the plurality of second protuberances.

8. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 7, characterized in that at least a part of the plurality of first protuberances extends from the backing material of the male component at an angle essentially perpendicular to the material of the male component backup.

9. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 2 to clause 8, characterized in that at least a part of the plurality of the second protuberances extends from the backing material of the male component at an angle essentially perpendicular to the material of the male component backup.

10. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 9, characterized in that at least a part of the plurality of first protuberances extends from the backing material of the male component at an angle alpha of about 15 degrees to around 85 degrees in relation to the backing material of the male component.

11. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 10, characterized in that the mechanical fastening system is incorporated in an absorbent article.

12. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 11, characterized in that the absorbent article is selected from the group consisting essentially of a diaper; a training underpants; a product for the hygiene of women; a product for incontinent; a product for the care of a wound; and a medical garment.

13. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 12, characterized in that the mechanical fastening system has a peel force during disengagement of from about 0.2 N / m to about 50 N / m.

14. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 1 to clause 13, characterized in that the mechanical fastening system exhibits a cutting force during disengagement of from about 6.08 X 103 N / m2 to about 2.43 X 104 N / m2.

15. The mechanical fastening system as claimed in clause 2 to clause 14, characterized in that at least a portion of the plurality of second protuberances have a flexural modulus of from about 331 MPa to about 2,758 MPa. SUMMARIZES A male component of a mechanical fastening system, such as a hook and loop fastener that can remain attached to a female component under high levels of shear force. The male component has a backing material with protrusions extending from the backing material at an angle towards the direction of the fastener force. The combination of the male component with the female curl component results in a secure fastening system.