LOOP ATTACHMENT DEVICE AND LOOP MATERIAL

Abstract

This invention allows loops to be readily replaced and costumes to be less damaged even when replacement is repeated. A loop attachment device for attaching a loop as a catch for a hook to a material subjected to attachment is provided, the device including: a penetration mechanism configured to cause a loop material to penetrate the material subjected to attachment from a plurality of points, the loop material being configured to be the loop; a bending mechanism configured to bend penetrating portions of the loop material penetrating from the plurality of penetration points in directions to meet each other; and a melting mechanism configured to melt meeting portions of the loop material bent by the bending mechanism to form the loop.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a loop attachment device and a loop material.

BACKGROUND ART

As described in paragraph 0034 of PTL 1, for example, many costumes used in theatrical dance, such as ballet, are generally engaged by hooks on the back, and the size is delicately adjusted to fit the figure of a person who wears such a costume each time of use. The size is often adjusted by a method including replacing loops (catches for hooks) or so-called “eyes” for positioning, and the replacement generally involves fine manual sewing work.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

PTL 1: JP 2019-65410 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

However, manual loop replacement takes efforts, and it is sometimes difficult to carry out replacement itself particularly for those inexperienced in replacement. In addition, repeated replacement even by those experienced in replacement causes damage to costumes every time, and when the costumes are rentals, may be a factor in reducing the commercial value of the costumes. In particular, replacement by inexperienced ones is prone to cause damage to costumes, and when the costumes are rentals, causes a large influence.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a loop attachment device allowing even those inexperienced in replacement of loops as catches for hooks of theatrical costumes and the like to readily replace the loops. It is another object of the present invention to provide a loop attachment device causing less damage to costumes even when replacement of loops is repeated.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention provides a loop attachment device for attaching a loop as a catch for a hook to a material subjected to attachment, the device including: a penetration mechanism configured to cause a loop material to penetrate the material subjected to attachment from a plurality of points, the loop material being configured to be the loop; a bending mechanism configured to bend penetrating portions of the loop material penetrating from the plurality of penetration points in directions to meet each other; and a melting mechanism configured to melt meeting portions of the loop material bent by the bending mechanism to form the loop.

The loop attachment device may have either a first or second configuration, the first configuration causing an operation of bending the loop material by the bending mechanism to proceed simultaneously with an operation of penetrating the loop material by the penetration mechanism, and the second configuration causing the operation of bending the loop material by the bending mechanism to proceed after the operation of penetrating the loop material by the penetration mechanism.

In the loop attachment device, melting of the loop material by the melting mechanism may proceed after or simultaneously with the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism.

In the loop attachment device, the melting mechanism may have a heating element or have the heating element and a heat storage to store heat from the heating element, and in this case, the device may have either a third or fourth configuration, the third configuration causing the loop material to start melting by contact of the heating element or the heat storage with the loop material, and the fourth configuration causing the loop material to start melting by heating of the heating element.

The loop attachment device may have an upper structure and a lower structure, each structure rotatably connected to each other at a longitudinal end, the upper structure may have the penetration mechanism and a holding and pressing mechanism for the loop material causing the loop material to be held and to be pressed against a side of the penetration mechanism, the lower structure may have the bending mechanism and the melting mechanism, closure of the upper structure and the lower structure at another end of each structure may cause the 35 operation of bending the loop material by the bending mechanism to proceed simultaneously with the operation of penetrating the loop material by the penetration mechanism, and in this case, the device may have either a fifth or sixth configuration, the fifth configuration causing the melting mechanism to be actuated by further closing the upper structure and the lower structure at the another end of each structure after the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism, and the sixth configuration causing the bending of the loop material by the bending mechanism, the penetration of the loop material by the penetration mechanism, and the melting of the loop material by the melting mechanism to simultaneously proceed by the closure of the upper structure and the lower structure at the another end of each structure.

In the loop attachment device, the loop material may have a U shape provided with two legs at both ends of a crown, each leg having a sharp distal end, and the penetration mechanism may push the crown of the loop material in a direction of the material subjected to attachment. In another example, in the loop attachment device, the loop material may have a thread shape or a string shape, and the penetration mechanism may have two needle-shaped members, each member provided with a through hole to pass the loop material, and may cause the through holes to pierce through the material subjected to attachment.

In the above embodiment, the loop attachment device may further include a notification mechanism configured to notify actuation of the melting mechanism, may further include a cooling mechanism configured to suppress overheating of the melting mechanism, and may further include a loop cutting mechanism configured to be suitable for cutting the loop attached to the material subjected to attachment.

The first aspect of the present invention provides a loop material for use in the loop attachment device having the upper structure and the lower structure, the loop material has a U shape provided with two legs at both ends of a crown, each leg having a sharp distal end, and the loop material is made of a material melting at a temperature lower than a melting point of any component of the penetration mechanism, the melting mechanism, and the bending mechanism.

The loop material may include a plurality of loop materials linked to each other as one unit, and the one unit or a plurality of units of the loop materials may be installed in the holding and pressing mechanism for use. In another example, in the loop material, the crown may have a surface facing the material subjected to attachment, the surface having undergone anti-slip treatment.

It should be noted that the Summary of Invention above does not list all of the characteristics for the present invention. The present invention may include subcombinations of these groups of characteristics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the whole of a loop attachment device 100, where FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view and FIG. 1(b) is a side view.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an upper structure 200.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a lower structure 300.

FIG. 4 illustrates a loop material 400, where FIG. 4(a) is a front view of a single article, FIG. 4(b) is a top view of the single article, FIG. 4(c) is a top view of a linked article, and FIG. 4 (d) is a side view of the linked article.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 100.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 100.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 100.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 100.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 100.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of a loop attachment device 500.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 500.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 500.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of a loop attachment device 600.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 600.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is described below by way of embodiments of the invention while the embodiments below do not limit the invention defined in the appended claims. In addition, not all combinations of the characteristics described in these embodiments have to be essential for the solutions of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates the whole of the loop attachment device 100, where FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view and FIG. 1(b) is a side view. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the upper structure 200, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the lower structure 300. The loop attachment device 100 has the upper structure 200 and the lower structure 300.

The upper structure 200 has an upper cover 202, a tucker 204, a tucker head 206, a spacer 208, a first shaft 210, an upper base 212, a stabilizer 214, a pusher 216, a second spring 218, a second shaft 220, a slider 222, a third shaft 224, and a third spring 226. The lower structure 300 has a lower cover 302, a lower base 304, a lower lid 306, a first spring 308, a heater assembly 310, and a fourth spring 322, and the heater assembly 310 has an upper heater holder 312, a receiver 314, a presser 316, a lower heater holder 318, and a heater 320.

It should be noted that not all members illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 belong to the upper structure 200 or the lower structure 300 illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3. For example, the spacer 208, the first shaft 210, and the first spring 308 are the members arranged in portions rotatably connecting the upper structure 200 to the lower structure 300 as described later and cannot be considered to belong to either structure, whereas they are illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3 for convenience.

The upper cover 202 and the lower cover 302 are configured with plastics, such as ABS resin and polycarbonate, for example. The tucker 204 is fixed to the upper cover 202, and the lower base 304 is fixed to the lower cover 302.

The upper base 212 is arranged between the tucker 204 and the lower base 304, and the tucker 204, the lower base 304, and the upper base 212 are supported by the first shaft 210 at an end. Such a configuration allows the tucker 204 (and the upper cover 202), the lower base 304 (and the lower cover 302), and the upper base 212 to be rotatably connected to each other.

In the rotating portion of the tucker 204 and the upper base 212, the spacer 208 is arranged to keep an appropriate space for rotation. In addition, between the upper cover 202 or the tucker 204 and the lower cover 302 or the lower base 304, the first spring 308 is arranged to cause the other end side to be in an open state by a repulsive force of the spring.

The tucker 204, the lower base 304, the upper base 212, the first shaft 210, the spacer 208, and the first spring 308 are configured with metal, such as stainless steel, for example, while the material is not particularly limited as long as the material has mechanical strength capable of withstanding the load during rotation. It should be noted that the upper base 212 is provided with a scale 212a. The scale 212a allows the loop material 400 to be precisely positioned for penetration into a material 450 subjected to attachment.

The tucker 204 has the tucker head 206 arranged on the other end side located opposite to the rotation axis, and the upper base 212 has the pusher 216, the second spring 218, the second shaft 220, and the slider 222 arranged inside there. The upper base 212 also has the stabilizer 214 arranged on the other end side located opposite to the rotation axis. The tucker head 206, the pusher 216, and the stabilizer 214 are configured with a wear resistant resin, such as polyacetal, for example, and the second spring 218, the second shaft 220, and the slider 222 are configured with metal, such as stainless steel, for example.

There is a gap between the upper base 212 and the slider 222, and the loop material 400 in a U shape is held in the gap. The loop material 400 is pressed against the stabilizer 214 by the pusher 216 subjected to a repulsive force of the second spring 218 using the second shaft 220 as the core. The stabilizer 214 stabilizes the pressed loop material 400. It should be noted that this mechanism causing the loop material 400 to be held and pressed against the stabilizer 214 is an example of the holding and pressing mechanism in the present invention.

Between the upper base 212 and the tucker 204, the third spring 226 is arranged to maintain a state in which the tucker head 206 installed in the tucker 204 is pressed upwards by a repulsive force of the third spring 226. The third shaft 224 is installed in the upper base 212 through grooves provided at an end of the tucker 204 on the tucker head 206 side to restrict the movement of the tucker head 206. This allows the tucker head 206 to securely push the loop material 400 down while the loop material 400 is stably pressed against the stabilizer 214. The third spring 226 and the third shaft 224 are configured with metal, such as stainless steel, for example.

The lower base 304 has the heater assembly 310 arranged on the other end side located opposite to the rotation axis, and the lower base 304 also has the lower lid 306 arranged in the central area. The lower lid 306 is provided to coincide in height with a surface of the heater assembly 310 and is configured with plastics, such as polycarbonate, for example.

The heater assembly 310 has a structure to surround the receiver 314, the presser 316, and the heater 320 with the upper heater holder 312 and the lower heater holder 318, and the receiver 314 has a moving structure pressed upwards by the fourth spring 322 installed between the receiver 314 and the lower cover 302. The presser 316 functions as a heat storage to store heat from the heater 320, which is a heating element.

The receiver 314 and the presser 316 each have a groove formed to guide the direction of bending the loop material 400, and when the loop material 400 pushed down by the tucker head 206 abuts on the receiver 314 and is pushed further, the groove guides the loop material 400 to bend inward. As described later, when the loop material 400 is pushed further down, the receiver 314 is pushed down against the fourth spring 322 and the loop material 400 is pushed by the presser 316 to start melting the loop material 400. The loop material 400 thus melting is guided by the groove of the presser 316 to form neat bonding.

The upper heater holder 312, the receiver 314, and the lower heater holder 318 are configured with a heat resistant resin, such as polyphenylene sulfide, for example, and the presser 316 and the fourth spring 322 are configured with metal, such as stainless steel, for example. To increase the releasability of the loop material 400 after melting, the presser 316 may be subjected to releasability improving treatment, such as polytetrafluoroethylene treatment and fluoropolymer treatment, for example.

As the heater 320, it is possible to use a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) heater, for example. This allows control at appropriate temperatures by the rating of the heater element itself without specific temperature control and thus allows simple and accurate melting process. The control temperatures of the heater 320 in the case of using nylon as the loop material 400 may be from 160 to 190° C., preferably from 170 to 180° C., and most preferably 175±1° C.

FIG. 4 illustrates the loop material 400, where FIG. 4(a) is a front view of a single article, FIG. 4(b) is a top view of the single article, FIG. 4(c) is a top view of a linked article, and FIG. 4 (d) is a side view of the linked article.

The loop material 400 has a U shape provided with legs 404 at both ends of a crown 402, each leg 404 having a sharp distal end 404a. The distal ends 404a are provided to allow the loop material 400 to pierce through the material 450 subjected to attachment while causing less damage to the material 450 subjected to attachment.

The loop material 400 may be configured with a material melting at a temperature lower than the melting points of the upper heater holder 312 and the receiver 314, and examples of such a material include nylon, vinyl chloride, and the like. The loop material 400 in the case of using vinyl chloride allows the control temperatures of the heater 320 to be lower than the control temperatures described above in the case of nylon. It should be noted that the loop material 400 may be loaded into the holding and pressing mechanism of the loop attachment device 100 in the state of a single article as illustrated in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) or a linked article as illustrated in FIGS. 4(c) and 4(d). The linked article illustrated in FIGS. 4(c) and 4(d) is a unit of a plurality of loop materials 400 linked to each other in a readily separable manner, and loading of such a linked article facilitates operations of continuously attaching loops by the loop attachment device 100.

The crown 402 of the loop material 400 may have a surface 402a facing the material 450 subjected to attachment, the surface 402a having undergone anti-slip treatment. Application of anti-slip treatment to the surface 402a prevents detachment of a hook engaged in a loop.

The operation of the loop attachment device 100 is then described. FIGS. 5 through 9 are schematic diagrams illustrating operation of the loop attachment device 100. FIGS. 5 through 9 illustrate a cross section of the portions working with the loop material 400 of the loop attachment device 100 in FIG. 2 viewed from the left.

At first, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the material 450 subjected to attachment, such as a theatrical costume, for example, is arranged between the upper base 212 and the receiver 314. It should be noted that the loop material 400 is in a state of being sandwiched by the stabilizer 214, not shown, and the pusher 216, not shown, located on the other end side (opposite to the rotation axis) of the upper base 212.

In this state, the upper cover 202 and the lower cover 302 are held in the palm and a force is applied to compress the first spring 308. As a result, the upper base 212 and the lower base 304 rotate in the directions to close each other, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, the space between the upper base 212 and the receiver 314 is closed. This causes the material 450 subjected to attachment to be sandwiched and held by the upper base 212 and the receiver 314.

A force is further applied to the palm to compress the third spring 226 and, as a result, the tucker 204 and the upper base 212 rotate in the directions to close each other to push the tucker head 206 down as illustrated in FIG. 7. The tucker head 206 abuts on the crown 402 of the loop material 400 and pushes the loop material 400 down to cause the legs 404 at the two points of the loop material 400 to pierce through the material 450 subjected to attachment and to abut on the receiver 314. The legs 404 of the loop material 400 abutting on the receiver 314 bend along the groove of the receiver 314 and, in the state where the loop material 400 is pressed into the lowermost position, the two legs 404 meet at the distal ends 404a as illustrated in FIG. 8.

A force is further applied to the palm to compress the fourth spring 322 and, as a result, the receiver 314 is pushed down and the region of the loop material 400 where the legs 404 meet contacts the presser 316 of the heater assembly 310. The presser 316 is preheated at a temperature to melt the loop material 400 by the heater 320, and the contact causes the meeting portions of the legs 404 of the loop material 400 to be melt. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the melting results in formation of a bonded portion 420a in the legs 404 of the loop material 400 to form a loop 420. As just described, attachment of the loop 420 to the material 450 subjected to attachment is completed.

In the loop attachment device 100 described above, pushing down of the tucker head 206 causes the loop material 400, which are going to be the loop 420, to penetrate the material 450 subjected to attachment from the plurality of points. This mechanism is an example of the penetration mechanism in the present invention.

In addition, in the loop attachment device 100 described above, pushing down of the tucker head 206 and guiding of the bending direction by the receiver 314 cause the penetrating portions of the loop material 400 penetrating from the plurality of penetration points to bend in the directions to meet each other. This mechanism is an example of the bending mechanism in the present invention.

Still in addition, in the loop attachment device 100 described above, pushing down of the receiver 314 by pushing the tucker head 206 down and the resulting contact with the presser 316 cause the meeting portions of the loop material 400 bent by the bending mechanism to melt and thus to form the loop 420. This mechanism is an example of the melting mechanism in the present invention.

It should be noted that, although the example of the loop attachment device 100 is described above in which the operation of bending the loop material 400 by the bending mechanism proceeds simultaneously with the operation of penetrating the loop material 400 by the penetration mechanism and the melting of the loop material 400 by the melting mechanism proceeds after the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material 400 by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism, the melting of the loop material 400 by the melting mechanism may proceed simultaneously with the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material 400 by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism.

For example, the loop attachment device 500 illustrated in FIGS. 10 through 12 has a presser 516 not movable to a receiver 514, and has the receiver 514, the presser 516, a lower heater holder 518, and the heater 320 fixed to each other to be vertically moved as an integrated piece by the fourth spring 322. In such a case, the loop material 400 contacts the presser 516 from the middle of the bending operation illustrated in FIG. 10 through completion of the bending operation illustrated in FIG. 11 to start melting. That is, the operations of penetration and bending simultaneously proceed with melting. Here, appropriate control of the temperature and heat capacity of the presser 516 provides an amount of heat that is necessary for melting and is not excessive to the loop material 400 and allows, when the bending operation is completed as illustrated in FIG. 12, the bonded portion 420a to be appropriately formed for attachment of the loop 420 to the material 450 subjected to attachment.

It should be noted that, even in the case of the presser 516 not movable to the receiver 514 as the loop attachment device 500, control of turning on and off the heater 320 allows the melting of the loop material 400 to proceed after the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material 400 by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism.

Although the example of the loop attachment device 100 is described above in which the operation of bending the loop material 400 by the bending mechanism proceeds simultaneously with the operation of penetrating the loop material 400 by the penetration mechanism, the operation of bending the loop material 400 by the bending mechanism may proceed after the operation of penetrating the loop material 400 by the penetration mechanism. For example, a mechanism configured to bend each of the two legs 404 inward after penetration of the loop material 400 may be separately provided.

Although the example of the loop attachment device 100 is described above in which the heater assembly 310 has the presser 316 as the heat storage, the heater 320 may be configured to directly contact the legs 404 of the loop material 400 without using the presser 316.

Although the example of the loop attachment device 100 is described above in which the loop material 400 has a U shaped outline, the loop material may have a thread shape or a string shape. For example, the loop attachment device 600 illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14 is configured to be suitable for a loop material 650 in a thread shape or a string shape. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the penetration mechanism may be exemplified by two needle-shaped members 610 each member provided with a through hole 610a. The loop material 650 passes through the through holes 610a and the needle-shaped members 610 are pressed down to cause the loop material 650 together with the through holes 610a to pierce through the material 450 subjected to attachment and, as illustrated in FIG. 14, to guide directions of bending the needle-shaped members 610 by the receiver 314. The loop material 650 passing through one of the through holes 610a of the needle-shaped members 610 is led by the through hole 610a to meet the loop material 650 from the other through hole 610a, and the meeting portions are melted and bonded by the melting mechanism to allow formation of a loop.

It should be noted that, in order to guide the direction of bending the needle-shaped members 610 by the receiver 314 as described above, the needle-shaped members 610 have to have some flexibility. For example, it is possible to use a resin having both mechanical strength and flexibility to some extent, such as polyethylene terephthalate, or a spring of metal, such as stainless steel and phosphor bronze.

The loop attachment device in the above embodiment allows even those inexperienced in replacement of loops as catches for hooks of theatrical costumes and the like to readily replace the loops and also allows the costumes to be less damaged even when replacement of loops is repeated.

The present invention has been described by way of the above embodiments while the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the above embodiments. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be applied to the above embodiments. It is apparent from the description in the appended claims that the embodiments subjected to such a modification or improvement may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, the loop attachment device 100 in the above embodiments may further include a notification mechanism configured to notify actuation of the melting mechanism. Examples of the notification mechanism may include light emission by an LED and sound production by an audio device. Inclusion of the notification mechanism allows a user to be notified of the operational state of the heater and completion of preheating.

The loop attachment device 100 may further include a cooling mechanism configured to suppress overheating of the melting mechanism. Examples of the cooling mechanism may include an air-cooling fan. Inclusion of the cooling mechanism allows prevention of overheating of the heater and increase in safety.

The loop attachment device 100 may further include a loop cutting mechanism configured to be suitable for cutting the attached loop 420. Examples of the loop cutting mechanism may include a thin blade metal cutter. Inclusion of the loop cutting mechanism facilitates removal of the loop 420.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

100, 500, 600: Loop Attachment Device, 200: Upper Structure, 202: Upper Cover, 204: Tucker, 206: Tucker Head, 208: Spacer, 210: First Shaft, 212: Upper Base, 212a: Scale, 214: Stabilizer, 216: Pusher, 218: Second Spring, 220: Second Shaft, 222: Slider, 224: Third Shaft, 226: Third Spring, 300: Lower Structure, 302: Lower Cover, 304: Lower Base, 306: Lower Lid, 308: First Spring, 310: Heater Assembly, 312: Upper Heater Holder, 314: Receiver, 316: Presser, 318: Lower Heater Holder, 320: Heater, 322: Fourth Spring, 400, 650: Loop Material, 402: Crown, 402a: Surface, 404: Leg, 404a: Distal End, 420: Loop, 420a: Bonded Portion, 450: Material subjected to Attachment, 514: Receiver, 516: Presser, 518: Lower Heater Holder, 610: Needle-Shaped Member, 610a: Through Hole.

Claims

1. A loop attachment device for attaching a loop as a catch for a hook to a material subjected to attachment, the device comprising: a penetration mechanism configured to cause a loop material to penetrate the material subjected to attachment from a plurality of points, the loop material being configured to be the loop;a bending mechanism configured to bend penetrating portions of the loop material penetrating from the plurality of penetration points in directions to meet each other; anda melting mechanism configured to melt meeting portions of the loop material bent by the bending mechanism to form the loop.

2. The loop attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the device has either a first or second configuration, the first configuration causing an operation of bending the loop material by the bending mechanism to proceed simultaneously with an operation of penetrating the loop material by the penetration mechanism, and the second configuration causing the operation of bending the loop material by the bending mechanism to proceed after the operation of penetrating the loop material by the penetration mechanism.

3. The loop attachment device according to claim 2, wherein melting of the loop material by the melting mechanism proceeds after or simultaneously with the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism.

4. The loop attachment device according to claim 3, wherein the melting mechanism has a heating element or has the heating element and a heat storage to store heat from the heating element, andthe device has either a third or fourth configuration, the third configuration causing the loop material to start melting by contact of the heating element or the heat storage with the loop material, and the fourth configuration causing the loop material to start melting by heating of the heating element.

5. The loop attachment device according to claim 1, wherein the device has an upper structure and a lower structure, each structure rotatably connected to each other at a longitudinal end,the upper structure has the penetration mechanism and a holding and pressing mechanism for the loop material causing the loop material to be held and to be pressed against a side of the penetration mechanism,the lower structure has the bending mechanism and the melting mechanism,closure of the upper structure and the lower structure at another end of each structure causes the operation of bending the loop material by the bending mechanism to proceed simultaneously with the operation of penetrating the loop material by the penetration mechanism, andthe device has either a fifth or sixth configuration, the fifth configuration causing the melting mechanism to be actuated by further closing the upper structure and the lower structure at the another end of each structure after the operations of penetrating and bending the loop material by the penetration mechanism and the bending mechanism, and the sixth configuration causing the bending of the loop material by the bending mechanism, the penetration of the loop material by the penetration mechanism, and the melting of the loop material by the melting mechanism to simultaneously proceed by the closure of the upper structure and the lower structure at the another end of each structure.

6. The loop attachment device according to claim 5, wherein the loop material has a U shape provided with two legs at both ends of a crown, each leg having a sharp distal end, andthe penetration mechanism pushes the crown of the loop material in a direction of the material subjected to attachment.

7. The loop attachment device according to claim 5, wherein the loop material has a thread shape or a string shape, andthe penetration mechanism has two needle-shaped members, each member provided with a through hole to pass the loop material, and causes the through holes to pierce through the material subjected to attachment.

8. The loop attachment device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification mechanism configured to notify actuation of the melting mechanism.

9. The loop attachment device according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling mechanism configured to suppress overheating of the melting mechanism.

10. The loop attachment device according to claim 1, further comprising a loop cutting mechanism configured to be suitable for cutting the loop attached to the material subjected to attachment.

11. A loop material for use in the loop attachment device according to claim 6, wherein the loop material has a U shape provided with two legs at both ends of a crown, each leg having a sharp distal end, andthe loop material is made of a material melting at a temperature lower than a melting point of any component of the penetration mechanism, the melting mechanism, and the bending mechanism.

12. The loop material according to claim 11, wherein the loop material includes a plurality of loop materials linked to each other as one unit, and the one unit or a plurality of units of the loop materials are installed in the holding and pressing mechanism for use.

13. The loop material according to claim 11, wherein the crown has a surface facing the material subjected to attachment, the surface having undergone anti-slip treatment.