Patent Application
20100162535
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fastening assembly and, more particularly, to a fastening assembly co-molded with a foam article.
2. Description of Related Art
The conventional hook-and-loop fastener was invented by George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, under the inspiration of burrs. The hook-and-loop fastener consists of a hook side woven with tiny hooks and a loop side covered with even smaller and finer loop-like fastening structures. When the hook side and the loop side are pressed together, the hooks on the hook side are caught in the loop-like fastening structures on the loop side so that the two sides are fastened together.
In recent years, the hook-and-loop fastener, which is easily assembled and detached, is often coupled and used with other articles. When a hook-and-loop fastener is applied to a foam article such as a seat cushion, a buffer pad, and so on, the hook-and-loop fastener is bonded to the foam article with the hooks of the hook-and-loop fastener facing outward so as to fasten with another article having a corresponding loop side. Typically, a seat cushion with a hook-and-loop fastener is manufactured by placing the hook-and-loop fastener at a predetermined location in a mold and introducing a foam material into the mold. The foam material is co-molded with the hook-and-loop fastener and, when completely set, takes on the shape defined by the mold.
However, while the foam material expands, the expanding foam material tends to cover the hooks of the hook-and-loop fastener so that, after the foaming process is completed, the hooks of the hook-and-loop fastener of the final product cannot fasten with corresponding fastening structures. In other words, the final product is defective and results in waste of production cost. To overcome the aforesaid drawback, it was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,540 to equip the hook-and-loop fastener with flexible sealing portions for preventing the foam material from entering in between the hooks during the foaming process. Nevertheless, the hook-and-loop fastener protected by the above-cited patent must be used with a special mold. If the hook-and-loop fastener is placed merely on a planar surface of an ordinary mold without the dedicated trough for receiving the hook-and-loop fastener, the sealing portions provide no protection to the hooks.
In order to remedy the aforesaid shortcoming of the prior art, the present invention provides a fastening assembly essentially comprising a first band, a second band, and a third band. The first band has a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is protrudingly provided with a plurality of hooks. The second band is made of a sponge material and provided lengthwise with a central concave portion for receiving the first band therein such that the second surface of the first band faces the second band. The central concave portion is formed bilaterally with a pair of sidewalls, wherein the central concave portion has a depth not less than a combined thickness of the first band and the hooks. The third band is bonded to a bottom of the second band. A magnetic material is interposed between the second band and the third band for providing magnetic attraction to a magnet of a mold.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is to provide a fastening assembly comprising a magnetic material which enables the fastening assembly to be readily secured in position to a mold by magnetic force during a foaming molding process and easily detached from the mold after the foaming molding process is completed.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a fastening assembly comprising a first band flanked with sidewalls. The two sidewalls protect hooks of the fastening assembly from being invaded and damaged by a foam material during a foaming molding process. In addition, the sidewalls are made of a sponge material capable of absorbing an excess of the foam material so as to provide enhanced protection to the hooks.
The present invention also provides a cushion having a fastening assembly. The cushion comprises a foam cushion body and at least one said fastening assembly, wherein the foam cushion body and the fastening assembly are molded into one piece. The fastening assembly essentially comprises a first band, a second band, and a third band. The first band has a first surface and a second surface, wherein the first surface is protrudingly provided with a plurality of hooks. The second band is made of a sponge material and provided lengthwise with a central concave portion for receiving the first band therein such that the second surface of the first band faces the second band. The central concave portion is formed bilaterally with a pair of sidewalls, wherein the central concave portion has a depth not less than a combined thickness of the first band and the hooks. The depth is equal to or lightly greater than the combined thickness of the first band and the hooks so that the two sidewalls offer protection to the hooks during a foaming molding process. The third band is bonded to a bottom of the second band. A magnetic material is interposed between the second band and the third band for providing magnetic attraction to a magnet of a mold.
Hence, a further objective of the present invention is to provide a cushion having a fastening assembly, wherein the fastening assembly comprises a magnetic material which enables the fastening assembly to be readily secured in position to a mold by magnetic force during a foaming molding process and easily detached from the mold after the foaming molding process is completed.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a cushion having a fastening assembly, wherein the fastening assembly comprises a first band flanked with sidewalls. The two sidewalls protect hooks of the fastening assembly from being invaded and damaged by a foam material during a foaming molding process. In addition, the sidewalls are made of a sponge material capable of absorbing an excess of the foam material so as to provide enhanced protection to the hooks.
The invention as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Disclosed herein are a fastening assembly and a cushion having the same. Since the physical principles involved in the present invention and the basic connection relations among related elements are well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art, a detailed description of such principles and relations is omitted herein. Besides, the drawings referred to in the following description are not drawn according to actual dimensions and need not be so because they are only intended to demonstrate features of the present invention schematically.
Please refer to
The third band 13 is bonded to a bottom of the second band 12, with a magnetic material 14 disposed between the second band 12 and the third band 13. The third band 13 is configured for engaging with a foam material formed in a subsequent foaming molding process. The third band 13 supports and reinforces the fastening assembly 1, thereby preventing the bands from folding or deformation which might otherwise occur during the manufacturing process. Therefore, the third band 13 is preferably made of a tough material such as a non-woven material, a fibrous material, or even a plastic film.
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Referring to
Besides the foregoing fastening assembly in the first preferred embodiment, the present invent also provides a cushion having a fastening assembly as a second preferred embodiment.
Referring to
Moreover, in a preferred mode of implementation, the foam cushion body 20 further has at least one groove 201 for receiving the fastening assembly 1 therein and thus allowing the cushion 2 to engage other articles (such as a leather bolster of a seat cushion or a backrest of a chair) having corresponding fastening structures.
The present invention is herein illustrated by reference to the preferred embodiments and the corresponding drawings to enable one skilled in the art to carry out the present invention. However, the embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only but not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In other words, changes or modifications which are made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the scope of the present invention, which is defined only by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 097150797 | Dec 2008 | TW | national |
