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This invention relates to an ultra-slim fastener and methods of manufacturing same. In particular, the invention relates to an ultra-slim fastener for use in the manufacture of an article of clothing such as a brassiere.
There are many disparate types of fasteners used in the manufacture of articles of clothing. The type of fastener chosen for a given application will depend in part on the intended application, as often different design considerations apply to different applications. For example, fasteners for a brassiere (hereinafter referred to simply as a “bra”) will preferably be low profile fasteners, will ideally be relatively simple for the wearer to open and close, and yet will be sufficiently secure so that they are not prone to inadvertent opening during normal movement of the wearer. These are all important considerations when designing a fastener for a bra.
By having a low profile, the fastener will protrude less through the wearer's clothing and will provide a more aesthetically pleasing offering. Furthermore, by having a low profile the fasteners will have less tendency to catch on other items of clothing. It is important that bra fasteners in particular are simple for the wearer to open and close. Often, the closures will be behind the wearer's back and a fastener that is relatively simple to open and close will facilitate dressing and undressing. This is particularly important if the wearer has arthritis or another condition that may affect their manual dexterity.
It is also important that, as well as being relatively simple to open and close deliberately, the fastener must not be prone to inadvertent opening. A fastener that opens inadvertently may cause considerable embarrassment to the wearer as well as inconvenience. For example, if the fastener is part of a bikini or bra, inadvertent opening of the fastener may result in the wearer exposing themselves to others which may be a cause of great distress. Similarly, if the fastener opens unintentionally with regularity, this can be most inconvenient as the wearer will have to resecure the fastener each time it opens. This may require the wearer to leave their current location and go to a place with more privacy, such as a bathroom, so that they can resecure the fastener.
In garment bands or straps having a large lateral width, there is often a tendency for the fabric to roll inward in the region of the fastener. To resist this rolling, rigid bones or stays may be integrated into the garment. However, these bones may have limited flexibility and be uncomfortable to the wearer.
Often, these different design considerations conflict with each other. For example, as a general rule of thumb, the thinner that a fastener is manufactured, the more prone it will be to opening inadvertently. This is particularly the case for fasteners constructed from plastic material. When the fastener constructed from plastic material is made very thin, it will lose much of its structural rigidity and will have a tendency to bend and therefore open inadvertently under an applied load.
There is a need in the art for a fastener that overcomes at least some of the aforementioned problems. It is further desirable that such a fastener offers a useful and aesthetically pleasing alternative choice to the consumer.
Thermoplastic fasteners for garments are commonly joined to fabrics or other components by welding methods including ultrasonic welding, high frequency welding, induction welding, and others. Welding techniques used for synthetic fabrics cause localized melting of the fabric fibers in the area of the weld, which breaks down a woven or knitted fabric structure. The use of too much energy when welding may cause excessive melting of plastic parts which may be unsightly, rough to the touch, and may even weaken the part.
There is therefore a need in the art for improved methods of welding thermoplastic components to fibers to maintain structural integrity, comfort, and appearance in the welded regions.
An ultra-slim fastener as described herein is suitable for bras, swimwear, sportswear, and other garments where a slim yet strong fastener is desired. The fastener may be, for example, a brassiere front fastener located in between the cups where a thin profile is desired for comfort, yet high strength is also required to prevent inadvertent disengagement of the fastener.
In an embodiment, an ultra-slim fastener for securing a first piece and a second piece of a garment together includes:
Such a fastener can be made ultra-slim, less than 5 mm in thickness from front to rear, while maintaining structural integrity and the ability to resist inadvertent opening under an applied load. By mounting the female part's frame directly onto the face of the fabric strip so that the fabric strip forms a backing for the frame and providing an overlay on top of the frame in the manner described, the frame will have significantly greater structural integrity and resistance to bending under tensile strain. This allows for a thinner fastener to be used. Embodiments of the fastener will have a tensile strength rating of 30-40 lbs or more, which far exceeds the amount for fasteners of this type and will not be inclined to open inadvertently.
Furthermore, the fabric strip backing will provide greater resistance to the pivoting motion required for release of the male part and have a tendency to keep the male part and the female part in a substantially planar, locked configuration. This will further obviate the possibility of the fastener releasing inadvertently under normal movement by the wearer.
In another embodiment of the ultra-slim fastener, the cavity has a side wall adjacent the outermost frame end and inclined towards the outermost frame end from front to rear, and the heel portion of the foot is inclined away from the outermost body end from front to rear. In embodiments, the heel portion is inclined away from the outermost body end at an angle of between about 6 degrees and about 12 degrees. The incline of the heel portion resists disengagement when the fastener is under tensile stress, providing an increased tensile strength.
In another embodiment of the ultra-slim fastener, the heel portion of the foot is outwardly curved in a lateral direction. This feature improves the ease of coupling of the male part with the female part.
In another embodiment of the ultra-slim fastener, the body of the male part includes an upwardly extending male flange adjacent the outermost body end and the frame of the female part includes an upwardly extending female flange adjacent the open mouth. The upwardly extending male flange and the upwardly extending female flange are substantially symmetrical in a front view with the male part and the female part fully engaged. In some embodiments, the overlay abuts the upwardly extending female flange. In some embodiments, the frame of the female part is a different color from the overlay. These features provide a slim and attractive exterior appearance of the fastener. Additionally, the features provide a fastener where the majority of the plastic frame or body is covered with fabric, which is beneficial to prevent contact between the plastic and a wearer's skin, thus reducing the risk of allergic reaction or other skin irritation.
In another embodiment of the ultra-slim fastener, the female part includes two wings extending laterally from opposing sides of the frame. In another embodiment of the ultra-slim fastener, the body of the male part includes two longitudinal channels positioned on opposing sides of the foot. These features create a strong yet flexible fastener, particularly suitable for a fastener of large lateral size. Furthermore, such wings resist the tendency of a garment band to roll in the lateral direction, and may provide a comfortable alternative to commonly used lateral bones or stays.
In an embodiment, the ultra-slim fastener includes only a single female part in the lateral direction, sandwiched between the fabric strip and the overlay. The use of only a single female mouth for engagement with a single male foot provides a fastener which is simple to close with a single click, and eliminates the possibility of misalignment or incomplete coupling presented when multiple female parts must be engaged with multiple male parts. In another embodiment, such a fastener does not include any secondary or supplemental fasteners to completely join the first and second garment pieces.
In another embodiment of the fastener, the body of the male part and the frame of the female part each having a weld region including a plurality of protrusions distributed throughout the weld region in a pattern. The protrusions permit a strong weld and allow flexibility of the weld region while maintaining structural integrity of the welded parts. In some embodiments, the protrusions have a height of between 0.3 mm and 2.0 mm. In some embodiments, the protrusions have a conical shape, a cylindrical shape, or a cuboid shape. In some embodiments, the pattern has an interstitial spacing of between 1 mm and 5 mm separating the protrusions. In some embodiments, the plurality of protrusions covers between 40% to 60% of each weld region.
Other embodiments, in addition to the embodiments enumerated above, will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the fastener and method of manufacturing same.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the ultra-slim fastener are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments.
Referring to
As used herein, the term “inner” refers to the direction of a garment piece to which the male or female parts is to be connected, while “outer” refers to the direction away from the garment; “front” refers to the direction generally facing away from the body of the wearer and “rear” refers to the direction toward the body of the wearer, regardless of the location of the fastener on a garment. The term “about” or “approximately” refers to a range of values within plus or minus 10% of the specified number.
A plurality of weld joints 111a, 111b illustrate areas where at least two of the frame, the overlay, and the fabric strip have been joined together. In the shown embodiment, overlay 105 may be welded to frame 101 along weld joints 111a. Overlay 105 may be welded to fabric strip 103 along weld joints 111b. Weld joints 111b shown spaced apart from innermost frame end 113 of the female part may provide strain relief in areas of the fabric which may be manipulated when engaging or disengaging the fastener.
Referring to
Referring now to
Frame 101 includes an upwardly extending female flange 129 adjacent open mouth 107. Upwardly extending female flange 129 acts as a backstop for the male part when male part 200 is being joined together with female part 100. In some embodiments, a circumferential upstanding collar 123 is provided which surrounds open mouth 107 and protrudes forwardly therefrom. This collar protects the edge of the aperture in fabric overlay 105. Cavity 119 has a side wall 131, oriented toward outer end 127 of the female part. Side wall 131 is angled from front to rear towards outer end 127. This angle facilitates engagement of the male and female parts once the male and female parts come under tension, and resists disengagement of the fastener.
Overlay 105 is shown connected to frame 101 along weld joints 111a. Overlay 105 and fabric strip 103 may be connected together along weld joints 111b. The overlay and the fabric strip may extend outward from frame 101, thereby forming a flap that may be used for connection of the female part to a second piece of a garment 117, shown in dot-dash lines. Alternatively, garment piece 117 may be sandwiched between overlay 105 and fabric strip 103.
In the embodiment of
Overlay 105 may be differently styled from frame 101, such as in color, texture, or pattern. Upper component 213 of male part 200 may be of similar style to overlay 105, while body 201 of the male part may be styled like frame 101. Providing a first color for the frame and body in contrast to a second color for the garment pieces would provide a visual indicator of the fastener location to assist in engaging or disengaging the fastener. In some embodiments, the male part may have a first color which contrasts with a second color of the female part.
Referring again to
The fastener is preferably made out of plastic material, such as polyamide. Fabric components may be made of polyamide microfiber, elastane fabric, silk, polyester, bamboo, cellulose acetate, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, both the fabric portion and the solid plastic portion of the fastener are made of polyamide. If desired, an additional layer of padding material could be provided for comfort. Although this will increase the depth of the fastener, for example the padding layer may be of the order of 0.5-1.0 mm thick leading to a fastener that could be of the order of 5 mm thick or more, the padding may provide a more comfortable fastener for the wearer thereby improving the desirability of the fastener. An “ultra-slim” fastener will be understood to be a fastener having a thickness of the order of 5 mm or less.
In order to manufacture a fastener according to the invention, the method comprises the steps of cutting out an aperture in an overlay sheet before bonding the overlay sheet to a fabric strip along at least one edge of both the overlay sheet and the fabric strip. The frame of the female part is placed on the overlay sheet with the open mouth of the frame in alignment with the aperture in the overlay sheet. The frame of the female part is bonded to the overlay sheet. The overlay sheet is additionally bonded to the fabric strip along any remaining un-bonded edges. It is envisaged that in one implementation, the initial step of bonding the overlay sheet to the fabric strip along at least one edge of both the overlay sheet and the fabric strip will entail bonding the overlay sheet to the fabric strip along three edges of the overlay sheet and the fabric strip thereby forming a pouch. The male part is constructed by bonding the fabric to the substantially planar body. In all cases, ultrasonic welding is seen as a useful choice for bonding the components together.
Additional embodiments of the male and female parts are shown in
In embodiments, protrusions 155 are spaced in a regular pattern throughout the weld regions. As shown on male part 200, the protrusions may form a zig-zag pattern. As shown on female part 100, the protrusions may form a lattice-like pattern. Within each weld region, protrusions may cover between 40% to 60% of the surface area (e.g. as measured at the body or frame). The ratio within the weld region of surface area covered by protrusions to the total area of the patterned surface may be varied according to the type of material being joined and the desired flexibility of the resultant weld. In another embodiment, protrusions cover about 50% of the weld region. Protrusions may have a major dimension, ‘D’, at the base of about 0.5 mm.
In embodiments, the pattern has an interstitial spacing ‘S’ (see
The embodiments of
Further provided are other embodiments of fastener parts including weld regions having protrusions substantially as described above.
Body 201 of male part 200 includes at least two longitudinal channels 233, one channel positioned on either side of foot 205. The shown embodiments includes four channels 233, two channels located on each side of the foot. Channels 233 have a reduced thickness relative to other regions of body 201. The relatively thin structure in the regions of channels 233 provides a flexible region which bends resiliently under stress, thereby further facilitating the engagement and disengagement of the fastener. In addition, the flexibility of the male provides additional comfort to the wearer, especially when moving around.
Despite the large lateral size of the fastener of
It is further envisaged that the fastener could be used for shoulder straps and is not limited to a back or front fastener for a brassiere, for example.
Further provided is a garment including a fastener as shown or described herein.
The embodiments of the fastener described herein and garments incorporating same are exemplary and numerous modifications, combinations, variations, and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve an equivalent result, all of which are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims. Further, nothing in the above-provided discussions of the fastener and construction method should be construed as limiting the invention to a particular embodiment or combination of embodiments. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
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