The invention relates to a closure part, in particular for forming hermaphroditic closures.
Such closure parts have a corresponding plurality of closure members as an essential component of touch-and-close fasteners, which have become widely known under the tradename “Kletten,” wherein the end region of the stems of the interlocking members are affixed on a base body forming the carrier structure. This base body has a plate-shaped structure, preferably made of a readily injectable plastic material. In this case, the closure members are distributed in an arrangement in such a way that the interlocking heads that project beyond the base body are separated from each other at such a distance that the result is an interlocking engagement with the interlocking heads of another closure part so as to complete the touch-and-close fastener. If the interlocking heads of both interacting closure parts exhibit an identical shape, they are referred to as hermaphroditic closures.
DE 10 2005 048 215 A1 discloses a closure part of this type, where two closure members at a time form a cramp-shaped or U-shaped pair, two stems of each pair being connected integrally to each other in pairs on their base sides by means of a transversely running intermediate element. The attachment to the base body is carried out by inserting the stems of each pair through the openings in the base body from the back side of the base body, so that the transversely running intermediate element can be pressed into a recess, extending between the openings, on the back side of the base body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,799,378 discloses a closure part comprising two sets of walls, each of which runs parallel to each other in a grid structure, so that the sets of walls intersect at right angles. The intersecting points of the walls have the interlocking heads of the closure members. The mushroom-shaped interlocking heads can be formed as one piece with the walls, preferably made of a synthetic plastic material. The spacing or more specifically the sections between the walls are chosen in such a way that when a second closure part engages with the first closure part, the interlocking heads of the said second closure part engage with the respective open spaces of the grid structure and interlock with said first closure part by extending under its locking heads.
DE 60 2004 007 373 T2 discloses woven closure products having enhanced flame resistant properties. A woven closure product includes a loop component and a hook component, which is designed to engage or rather mesh with the loop component. In each case, the components have a plurality of loops or hooks, which are woven into a fabric base. The fabric base comprises woven, flame resistant fibers made of a polymer that melts or disintegrates when exposed to a flame.
DE 693 19 608 T2 discloses an interengaging fastening element, which is used advantageously for fastening a window to a window frame of a motor vehicle. The fastening element has a base section and a plurality of engaging strips that project from the base section and extend parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction. Each engaging strip has a vertical portion adjoining the base section, a head portion adjoining the vertical portion, and two end faces. The engaging strips are designed to engage with the projecting head portion of an opposite fastening element, with the head portion of the engaging strips having a plurality of transverse slots and the vertical portions remaining unslotted. The transverse slots facilitate a sliding engagement of the fastening element with an opposite fastening element.
The object of the invention is to provide a closure part of the type under consideration and characterized by its especially good performance characteristics.
The invention achieves this object with a closure part that has the features disclosed in claim 1 in its entirety. The inventive closure part, in particular for forming hermaphroditic closures, is characterized by at least one web-shaped carrier strip, which has at least one pair of opposite surface regions and which can be connected at least partially to a base body as a third component along a connecting region and which has individual closure members in at least one part of the surface regions, which are located outside the connecting region and adjacent thereto, said closure members protruding from the carrier strip and providing a possibility for securing additional closure parts of the same or different type.
Accordingly, an important particularity of the invention lies in the fact that the closure members can be connected to each other by means of a carrier strip in such a way that they are spaced apart from each other and by the fact that the carrier strip runs more or less parallel to the respective closure member and not transversely thereto as in the solutions known from the prior art, where the stem of the respective closure member merges with a carrier surface and is usually an integral component of the same in a perpendicular arrangement.
The presence of a mechanical connection of the closure members by means of a carrier strip makes it possible to adjust the structural properties of the closure part to a desired optimum by selecting the dimensions and the material properties of the strip (rigidity) in such a way that the result is the desired interlocking forces. Another special advantage lies in the fact that when the initial product is manufactured, it is possible to manufacture a strip of any length with the closure members attached thereto so that the strip can be subdivided into the desired lengths and fed, for example, into a magazine that provides the components for insertion and from which a base body, such as a horizontally running carrier surface, is populated.
Preferably, the arrangement is configured in such a way that the respective closure member has an interlocking head and/or a stem adjoining the interlocking head and that the carrier strip rests flush with the respective closure member in such a way that at least portions of the stem and/or the interlocking head are connected in a surface-to-surface manner to the surface regions of the carrier strip. In this way, this carrier strip forms a web with the closure members, laterally abutting the same and arranged in a row so as to form a chain. Preferably, both the surface sections of the interlocking head and the stem are connected in a surface-to-surface manner to the carrier strip.
Working on the basis of the aforesaid, the invention can provide in an especially advantageous manner that the interlocking head and/or stem are (is) connected in a surface-to-surface manner to the carrier strip over the entire axial reach relative to the longitudinal axis of the stem.
With respect to the connection of the interlocking members to the base body, the invention can provide that the carrier strip protrudes beyond that end of the stems of the interlocking members that is at a distance from the interlocking head, in order to form an anchoring strip in the connecting region. This anchoring strip can be fastened in an anchoring groove of a base body forming the carrier structure of the closure part.
The invention can provide as an alternative that the carrier strip ends in front of that end of the stem of the interlocking members that is at a distance from the interlocking head, so that the protruding end regions of the stems form fixing mandrels that can be fastened in the recesses that form the receptacles and are a part of the base body, forming the carrier structure of the closure part.
In especially advantageous embodiments, the arrangement is configured in such a way that two closure members, which rest in alignment with each other against the one side and the other side of the carrier strip extending between them, form jointly an assembled closure element. Such an assembled closure element can be formed by two identical closure members, wherein preferably rows of assembled closure elements, which are arranged equidistant from each other, are formed on the carrier strip.
However, the arrangement can also be configured, as an alternative, such that a row of closure members, which are arranged equidistant from each other, is formed on the one side and the other side of the carrier strip, the rows being offset relative to each other in such a way that the closure members of the one row are located in the intermediate space between the closure members of the other row.
Furthermore, the invention comprises a closure with at least one closure part according to the invention and a base body, which is connected to the connecting region of the at least one carrier strip. In order to form a regular pattern of closure members on the closure part, the base body may be provided in this case with parallel anchoring grooves, arranged equidistant from each other, for the successive groups of carrier strips. In this case, too, the recesses in the base body are arranged preferably in parallel rows that are separated from each other.
The invention is explained in detail below with the aid of exemplary embodiments depicted in the drawings.
The invention is explained below with the aid of exemplary embodiments, where the closure parts form an essential component of a hermaphroditic closure. In this context, the top end of the stems 4 of each closure member, all of which is designated as a whole as 2 in
It is self-evident that the interlocking heads could have, instead of the illustrated mushroom head shape of the interlocking heads 6 with the circular arc-shaped contour line 8, a contour line that deviates from the circular shape, for example, a polygonal shape, or a different shape that deviates from the mushroom head shape. Similarly, the stems 4 could have a contour that deviates from the circular shape.
The closure part has, as shown in
During production, separate closure members 2, as shown in
In
As stated above,
It is self-evident that, instead of stems 4 circumscribed by a circular cylindrical shape, non-round or polygonal stems could be provided. In this case, the shape of the recesses 30 would be adapted to match.
In the preceding exemplary embodiments, the assembled closure elements 18 on the respective carrier strip 16 are formed by each closure member 2 on both sides of the carrier strip 16 being arranged in alignment with each other.
Based on the drawing according to
The described closure systems can be formed as a single use closure system or, as presented, as so-called closure systems that can be opened and closed over and over again. At any rate, the respective carrier strip 16 produces a longitudinal rigidity between the closure members 2 in such a way that, when suitably designed, the closure elements are held reliably in their locking position, as a result of which the release forces are increased. If necessary, one embodiment (not shown in detail) provides additional carrier strips that may also engage in the form of rows between the illustrated carrier strips, so that the result for the entire closure system is a box like construction. In this respect, it is also possible to arrange a square outer peripheral frame (not shown in detail) around the longitudinal rows on the carrier strips 16.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2009 019 671.4 | Apr 2009 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2010/002632 | 4/29/2010 | WO | 00 | 8/30/2011 |