This application relates to fastening tape, and more particularly to fastening tape with reinforced hooks.
The manufacturing of fastening tape is difficult when a rigid polymer such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is utilized, especially when hooks of the fastening tape have a height of up to about 0.50 mm (referred to herein as “micro-hooks”). In particular, when the fastening tape is peeled out of a forming die, the hooks can become cracked or delaminated from a base of the fastening tape due to the force applied to the hooks. Such cracking or delamination significantly reduces the usability of the fastening tapes and may make them unsuitable for various applications. Therefore, there is a need for fastening tapes, and particularly fastening tapes with micro-hooks, with reduced cracking or delamination during manufacturing.
The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should be understood not to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various embodiments of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.
According to various examples, a fastening tape includes a base, at least one hook, and at least one rib. The at least one hook projects from the base and includes a stem and an engagement portion extending from an upper end of the stem in a longitudinal direction. The stem includes a leading edge and a trailing edge in the longitudinal direction, and a center of the at least one hook is between the leading edge and the trailing edge. The at least one rib projects from the base laterally adjacent to the at least one hook, and a height of the at least one rib is less than a height of the at least one hook. A center of the at least one rib is offset from the center of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction towards the leading edge of the stem.
According to certain examples, a fastening tape includes a base, a plurality of hook rows, and a plurality of rib rows. The plurality of hook rows extend in a longitudinal direction, and each hook row includes a plurality of hooks, each hook projecting from the base. The plurality of rib rows extend in the longitudinal direction. Each rib row includes a plurality of ribs projecting from the base. A height of the ribs is less than the height of the hooks, and at least one rib of the plurality of ribs is laterally adjacent to at least one hook of the plurality of hooks such that a center of the at least one rib is offset from a center of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction.
According to some examples, a fastening tape includes a base, at least one hook, and at least one rib. The at least one hook projects from the base and includes a stem and an engagement portion extending from an upper end of the stem in a longitudinal direction. The stem includes a leading edge and a trailing edge in the longitudinal direction, and a length of the at least one hook is a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge at the base. The at least one rib projects from the base at a position laterally adjacent to the at least one hook. A height of the at least one rib is less than a height of the at least one hook, a length of the at least one rib is less than the length of the at least one hook, and the at least one rib at least partially overlaps the leading edge of the at least one hook.
Various implementations described in the present disclosure can include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which cannot necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.
The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures can be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity.
The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described. Directional references such as “leading,” “trailing,” “up,” “down,” “top,” “left,” “right,” “front,” and “back,” among others, are intended to refer to the orientation as illustrated and described in the figure (or figures) to which the components and directions are referencing.
In some examples, the fastening tape 100 includes a plurality of hooks 108. The plurality of hooks 108 may be arranged in various configurations on the base 102. For example, in some cases, the hooks 108 are arranged in one or more hook rows 146 (see
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A center 138 of the rib 126 is between the leading edge 132 and the trailing edge 134. In some cases, the center 138 of the rib 126 is about halfway between the leading edge 132 and the trailing edge 134. As best illustrated in
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Compared to the hooks 808 without ribs, the hooks 108 of the fastening tape 100 are strengthened and stabilized during the forming process for forming the fastening tape 100. In particular, the rib 126 strengthens and improves the stability of the adjacent hook 108 because the center 138 of the rib 126 is offset in the forward direction (i.e., a direction of being likely to cause deformation, cracking, delamination, etc. by the peeling force) from the center 124 of the adjacent hook 108 and/or by the rib 126 at least partially overlaps the leading edge 114 of the adjacent hook 108. Such placement of the rib 126 better counteracts and resists the peeling force applied to the fastening tape 100 during the forming process, and deformation, cracking, etc. of the hook 108 is minimized or reduced, thereby producing a more durable fastening tape 100 compared to the fastening tape 800.
A collection of exemplary embodiments, including at least some explicitly enumerated as “ECs” (Example Combinations), providing additional description of a variety of embodiment types in accordance with the concepts described herein are provided below. These examples are not meant to be mutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive; and the invention is not limited to these example embodiments but rather encompasses all possible modifications and variations within the scope of the issued claims and their equivalents.
EC 1. A fastening tape comprising: a base; at least one hook projecting from the base, wherein the at least one hook comprises a stem and an engagement portion extending from an upper end of the stem in a longitudinal direction, wherein the stem comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge in the longitudinal direction, and wherein a center of the at least one hook is between the leading edge and the trailing edge; and at least one rib projecting from the base laterally adjacent to the at least one hook, wherein a height of the at least one rib is less than a height of the at least one hook, and wherein a center of the at least one rib is offset from the center of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction towards the leading edge of the stem.
EC 2. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a height of the at least one hook is less than about 0.50 mm.
EC 3. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a height of the at least one rib is from about 0.14 mm to about 0.15 mm.
EC 4. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the at least one rib at least partially overlaps the leading edge of the stem in a lateral direction.
EC 5. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a leading edge of the at least one rib is substantially aligned with the leading edge of the stem.
EC 6. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the at least one rib is a first rib and is laterally adjacent to a first side of the at least one hook and wherein the fastening tape further comprises a second rib projecting from the base and laterally adjacent to a second side of the at least one hook opposite from the first rib, wherein a height of the second rib is less than the height of the at least one hook, and wherein a center of the second rib is offset from the center of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction towards the leading edge of the stem.
EC 7. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a leading edge of the first rib and a leading edge of the second rib at least partially overlap the leading edge of the stem.
EC 8. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the leading edge of the first rib and the leading edge of the second rib are substantially aligned with the leading edge of the stem.
EC 9. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a length of the at least one hook is a distance between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the stem at the base, and wherein a length of the at least one rib is less than a length of the at least one hook.
EC 10. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the engagement portion comprises a Y-type engagement portion.
EC 11. A fastening tape comprising: a base; a plurality of hook rows extending in a longitudinal direction, wherein each hook row comprises a plurality of hooks, each hook projecting from the base; and a plurality of rib rows extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein each rib row comprises a plurality of ribs projecting from the base, wherein a height of the ribs is less than the height of the hooks, and wherein at least one rib of the plurality of ribs is laterally adjacent to at least one hook of the plurality of hooks such that a center of the at least one rib is offset from a center of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction.
EC 12. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the at least one hook comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the center of the at least one rib is offset towards the leading edge of the at least one hook.
EC 13. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the at least one rib comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the leading edge of the at least one rib is substantially aligned with the leading edge of the at least one hook.
EC 14. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein each hook of the plurality of hooks comprises a stem projecting from the base and an engagement portion extending from an upper end of the stem in the longitudinal direction.
EC 15. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein at least one rib row is between a first hook row and a second hook row of the plurality of hook rows such that each rib of the at least one rib row is laterally adjacent to a corresponding hook of the first hook row and a center of each rib of the at least one rib row is offset from a center of the corresponding hook of the first hook row.
EC 16. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein each hook of the first hook row comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein each rib of the at least one rib row at least partially overlaps the leading edge of the corresponding hook of the first hook row in a lateral direction.
EC 17. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein each rib of the at least one rib row comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein the leading edge of each rib of the at least one rib row is substantially aligned with the leading edge of the corresponding hook of the first hook row.
EC 18. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, where the at least one rib row is a first rib row, and wherein a second rib row of the plurality of rib rows is between the first hook row and the second hook row such that each rib of the second rib row is laterally adjacent to a corresponding hook of the second hook row and a center of each rib of the second rib row is offset from a center of the corresponding hook of the second rib row.
EC 19. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the first rib row is between the second rib row and the first hook row, wherein the ribs of the first rib row are longitudinally offset from the ribs of the second rib row, and wherein the hooks of the first hook row are longitudinally offset from the hooks of the second hook row.
EC 20. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a length of the at least one rib is less than a length of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction.
EC 21. A fastening tape comprising: a base; at least one hook projecting from the base, wherein the at least one hook comprises a stem and an engagement portion extending from an upper end of the stem in a longitudinal direction, wherein the stem comprises a leading edge and a trailing edge in the longitudinal direction, and wherein a length of the at least one hook is a distance from the leading edge to the trailing edge at the base; and at least one rib projecting from the base laterally adjacent to the at least one hook, wherein a height of the at least one rib is less than a height of the at least one hook, wherein a length of the at least one rib is less than the length of the at least one hook, and wherein the at least one rib at least partially overlaps the leading edge of the at least one hook.
EC 22. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a height of the at least one hook is less than about 0.50 mm.
EC 23. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a height of the at least one rib is from about 0.14 mm to about 0.15 mm.
EC 24. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a leading edge of the at least one rib is substantially aligned with the leading edge of the stem.
EC 25. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a center of the at least one hook is between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the at least one hook, and wherein a center of the at least one rib is offset from the center of the at least one hook.
EC 26. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the at least one rib is a first rib and is laterally adjacent to a first side of the at least one hook and wherein the fastening tape further comprises a second rib projecting from the base and laterally adjacent to a second side of the at least one hook opposite from the first rib, wherein a height of the second rib is less than the height of the at least one hook, and wherein a center of the second rib is offset from the center of the at least one hook in the longitudinal direction towards the leading edge of the stem.
EC 27. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a leading edge of the first rib and a leading edge of the second rib at least partially overlap the leading edge of the stem.
EC 28. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the leading edge of the first rib and the leading edge of the second rib are substantially aligned with the leading edge of the stem.
EC 29. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein a length of the at least one hook is a distance between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the stem at the base, and wherein a length of the at least one rib is less than a length of the at least one hook.
EC 30. The fastening tape of any of the preceding or subsequent example combinations, wherein the engagement portion comprises a Y-type engagement portion.
The above-described aspects are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims that follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the described invention, nor the claims that follow.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/561,805, filed Sep. 22, 2017 and entitled HOOK FASTENER, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62561805 | Sep 2017 | US |