Patent Application
20210298399
The present application relates to a fastener assembly, and more particularly to a fastener assembly for use in magnetically closing opening, such as in the use of fabrics.
There are several mostly known methods of closure system in the field of clothing, underclothing, leather goods, bags, shoes, accessories, fabric materials and other field of application that permit to keep two or more components together. The best known and widely used are the buttons (classical, automatic or magnetic), snaps, hook-and-eye fastener, clasps, the zipper, hook-and-loop (Velcro), buckles, laces, magnetic bands etc.
All these closure devices permanently attached to the garment must be mechanically manipulated at the length of opening/closing and may be unacceptable for a wide range of people (permanently and/or temporary physically disabled, blind etc). Additionally, any of these devices create some other inconveniences in application and use (that will be mentioned below) that make them unpractical, uncomfortable and expensive.
Presently there exists a need for a new closure/opening system which will resolve inconveniences and difficulties for disabled, blind people as well as other categorizes of the people, for example the elderly, pregnant women, children etc. A goal of the present application is to present such an assembly that optimizes weight, flexibility, reliability, cost, and ease of washing of closure system. The present assembly should be useful and functional in all other fields of application outside of just clothing, namely with other industries where fabrics or materials are needed to be releasably coupled.
With respect to clothing, classical buttons, snaps, hook-and-eye, fasteners, clasps represent traditional closure methods, and create inconveniences for the user. Each of these can be difficult to manipulate or operate with elderly or those with functional hand disabilities. The zipper and hook-and-loop closure (known also as VELCRO) are intended to avoid some of theses problems but they create new inconveniences. So the zipper often causes jamming of fabric and leather parts inside that complicate a lot the closure process. The hook-and-loop closure is used to avoid some of these inconveniences, but is not easily washable and may catch other fabrics and become clogged with lint, wool, hair, dust etc. It also can damage skin and fabric if it is not aligned perfectly together. Although strides have been, shortcomings remain.
It is an object of the present application to provide a magnetic strap assembly and method that is ideally suited for closing gaps in clothing and releasably coupling two or more fabrics together. The assembly of the present application includes a ribbon that is bonded to an adhesive layer. A plurality of magnets are sewn onto the ribbon. The assembly is further adhered to a fabric and later fastened. The assembly includes the interaction of two bands where the magnets are attracted to one another to form a closure or coupling of the fabric to which it is attached.
It is a further object of the present application that a first band is formed by attaching an adhesive member to a first surface of a ribbon member. The magnets are packaged into an enclosure and fastened to the second surface of the ribbon member. The first band is then adhered to a fabric through heat. The surface of the adhesive member opposite of the ribbon member is applied to the fabric surface with the heat. Fastening of the first band member is then performed to secure the first band in position. One or more other bands may be applied to opposing fabric to allow the magnets to couple together.
An object of the present application is to apply this assembly and method to any known industries and not just clothing. The assembly is configured to be quick and easy to assembly and apply to a surface. The magnets may be of any particular strength so as to be suited for application in different areas of the body or in different industries.
Ultimately the invention may take many embodiments. In these ways, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the prior art. The more important features have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and to ensure that the present contribution to the art is appreciated. Additional features will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.
Many objects of the present application will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the various purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.
The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
While the embodiments and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.
Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the embodiments described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.
The embodiments and method in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with the prior art discussed previously. In particular, the magnetic strap assembly is configured to provide users greater ability to fasten together openings in clothing. Such is important particularly with those that have decreased motor skills or limitations with their hands. The magnetic strap assembly is sewn into closing and replace conventional fasteners, thereby relying on magnetic attraction between two magnets to close or secure ends of the fabric together. This is useful to replace buttons, zippers, or clasps among other types of fasteners. The assembly can be modified in length and applied as needed to clothing. It is understood that clothing is merely only one type of use of the magnetic strap assembly and may be used in any industry for multiple purposes and is therefore not intended to be limited to clothing as described herein. These and other unique features are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments and method will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the assembly may be presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described.
Referring now to the Figures wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. The following Figures describe embodiments of the present application and its associated features. With reference now to the Figures, embodiments of the present application are herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
Referring now to
Ribbon member 103 is ideally a fabric type material having one or more types of fibers. The fibers may be natural or synthetic, and in any ratio relative to one another. The tightness of the weave may be of any value to permit one to select the appropriate flexibility of the overall band, wherein the tighter the weave, usually the more rigid the fabric material is. Adhesive member 105 is configured to have layers of adhesive on opposing surfaces to facilitate initial bonding to corresponding surfaces of ribbon member 103. An example of adhesive member 105 may be an adhesive tape activated through heat.
Magnets 107 may be of any shape and size. Furthermore, the strength of the magnets 107 can be equal or differ along the length of the band. The physical features and characteristics, such as strength and size, of the magnets 107 are selected according to the intended purpose and application. Magnets 107 are optionally held within a housing 109 to facilitate its attachment to ribbon member 103. Where housing 109 is not used, magnet 107 may be located between members 103 and 105. Although the concept of inserting magnets into strips may be possible without the use of housing 109, doing such requires typically inserting it into a pocket/pouch formed between members 103 and 105, or on to ribbon member 103. Although possible, this process is extremely time consuming.
Housing 109 is configured to surround a portion of magnet 107 and permit its attachment to ribbon member 103 through a type of fastener or fastening method. Housing 109 may also be flexible to coincide with that of the relative flexibility of members 103 and 105. It is preferred that the thickness and type of material of housing 109 be of such as to not infringe the ability of magnet 107 to be attracted to another magnet.
Referring now also to
In a preferred embodiment, first surface 115 of adhesive member 115 is bonded to the first surface 111 of ribbon member 103. The bonding or activation of the adhesive may be done in various ways. In instances where adhesive member 105 is an adhesive tape, heat activation may be used wherein an iron or other heating item may be used to activate the bonding effect.
Magnet 107 is coupled to second surface 113 of ribbon member 103, opposite adhesive member 105. Magnet 107 is typically fastened to ribbon member 103 through one or more types of fastening methods. One such method is stitching wherein housing 109 is sewn to ribbon member 103. This step may occur before or after attachment of adhesive member 105, therefore the stitching may pass through adhesive member 105. As seen in the Figures, a lateral line of stitching 119 is shown to attach housing 109 to ribbon member 105. It is important to note that the spacing of magnets 107 and/or housing 109 may be selected in accordance with intended use of the assembly 101.
Second surface 117 of the adhesive member 105 includes an adhesive that permits assembly 101 to be bonded to object 112. The adhesive is similar in operation an form to that of the adhesive on surface 115. Activation of the adhesive may be done via the application of heat. A user aligns the band relative to a desired location on object 112 and applies heat to create the bond. Secondly, a user then reinforces or secures the attachment with known fastening methods, such as stitching.
Assembly 101 may be configured to have any length and be cut to desired length by an installer. Additionally, member 103 and/or member 105 may be trimmed to size before or after bonding.
Referring now to
Referring now also to
Referring now also to
As assembly 101 may come in different lengths, an installer may cut or trim selected lengths out for use and application to an object. Therefore one length of assembly 101 may facilitate a plurality of applications on one or more objects. Additionally, an installer may select the type, size, and strength of the magnets as well as the physical characteristics of the members 103 and 105.
Referring now also to
The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
