Claims
- 1. A tie component comprising first and second pre-crimped portions, each portion having a plurality of alternating indentations and projections, whereby the pre-crimped portions are joined by alignment and relative movement with respect to one another such that at least one of the first portion projections engages at least one of the second portion indentations and at least one of the second portion projections engages at least one of the first portion indentations.
- 2. A tie component according to claim 1 comprised of a polymeric material.
- 3. A tie component according to claim 2 wherein the polymeric material comprises at least one of PET, Nylon, PBT, PPO, PPS, PCTA and PEEK, and copolymers thereof.
- 4. A tie component according to claim 1 wherein the component has a cross sectional shape selected from the group comprising round, oval, triangular, rectangular, square and trapezoidal.
- 5. A tie component according to claim 1 wherein the component is comprised of a yarn selected from the group of monofilaments, multifilaments, bicomponents and spun yarns.
- 6. A tie component according to claim 1 wherein the precrimped portions are thermoformed.
- 7. A tie component according to claim 1 wherein the precrimped portions are molded.
- 8. A method of tying an object, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a tie component comprising first and second pre-crimped portions, each portion having a plurality of alternating indentations and projections, positioning the component relative to the object; aligning the pre-crimped portions; and moving the pre-crimped portions relative to one another such that at least one of the first portion projections engages at least one of the second portion indentations and at least one of the second portion projections engages at least one of the first portion indentations.
- 9. A method of forming a tie component, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a stock of material having a length dimension and a height dimension, the length dimension being greater than height dimension; and crimping the stock material in the height dimension in at least two areas along its length.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein crimping is accomplished through thermoforming the stock of material.
- 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the thermoforming process includes passing the stock material between gears, rollers or plates.
- 12. The method of claim 10 wherein the process includes molding or casting the stock material.
- 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the gears, rollers or plates are heated.
- 14. The method of claim 10 wherein the gears, rollers or plates are chilled.
- 15. The method of claim 10 wherein the stock material is heated before being passed between the gears, rollers or plates.
- 16. The method of claim 10 wherein the stock material is chilled after being passed between the gears, rollers or plates.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/US01/09934, filed on Mar. 28, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/194,163, filed on Apr. 3, 2000 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/259,974, filed on Jan. 5, 2001.
Provisional Applications (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60194163 |
Apr 2000 |
US |
|
60259974 |
Jan 2001 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
PCT/US01/09934 |
Mar 2001 |
US |
Child |
10263502 |
Oct 2002 |
US |