Fastener strip with discrete magnetically attractable area, and method and apparatus of making same

• US 20030214068A1
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: YKK Corporation
• Original Assignee: YKK Corporation
• Inventors: Murasaki, Ryuichi, Minato, Tsuyoshi, Akeno, Mitsuru, Graham, Craig Jay, Fujisawa, Nobuo
• Granted Patent: US 6,896,759 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/145
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 18/0049 obtained by moulding processes compression moulding or articles of indefinite length characterised by the shape of the surface B29C43/222; screen moulding B29C67/08
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 18/0061 Male or hook elements A44B18/0053 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 18/0076 Adaptations for being fixed to a moulded article during moulding
• CPC Class Codes: A44D 2203/00 Fastening by use of magnets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/05 Filamentary, e.g. strands
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/08 flexible, e.g. films
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/12 Articles with an irregular circumference when viewed in cross-section, e.g. window profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/13 Articles with a cross-section varying in the longitudinal direction, e.g. corrugated pipes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/288 in solid form, e.g. powder or granules
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/35 with rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0005 containing compounding ingredients releasing, lubricating or separating agents B29C33/56, fibers B29K2105/08, B29K2105/12; fillers B29K2105/16, recycled material B29K2105/26
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/16 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0008 Magnetic or paramagnetic
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/729 Hook and loop-type fasteners
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/06 for securing layers together; for attaching the product to another member, e.g. to a support , or to another product, e.g. groove/tongue, interlocking
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 33/00 Layered products characterised by particular properties or particular surface features, e.g. particular surface coatings; Layered products designed for particular purposes not covered by another single class
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 5/18 characterised by features of a layer of foamed material
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/046 characterised by the fixing means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/048 characterised by their structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/90 Magnetic feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/27 : including readily dissociable fastener having numerous, protruding, unitary filaments randomly interlocking with, and simultaneously moving towards, mating structure [e.g., hook-loop type fastener]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24008 : including fastener for attaching to external surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24017 : Hook or barb
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24174 : including sheet or component perpendicular to plane of web or sheet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24182 : Inward from edge of web or sheet

Abstract

The present invention provides a fastener strip having magnetically attractable particles which are not located across the entire volume of the strip, but rather are incorporated in a discrete, distinct area of the strip. The fastener strip has a base and many hook pieces which rise from a fastening surface of the base. One embodiment has a magnetically attractable body in a row which rises from the surface of the base and is located along a substantially center line of the fastener strip. The magnetically attractable particles are incorporated in the magnetically attractable body and a part of the base located below the magnetically attractable body, and the magnetically attractable particles are not dispersed across the whole area of the base. A method of manufacturing such a strip is also described here.

Claims

1. A method of making a fastening device, comprising:

providing magnetically attractable particulate matter; and

incorporating the magnetically attractable particulate matter within at least one of a discrete area of a base layer of the fastening device and within a discrete area comprising at least one unitarily molded member carried on a base layer of the fastening device,

whereby the fastening device can be magnetically secured to an object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the incorporating the magnetically attractable particulate matter comprises urging a plastic resin through an extruder and introducing the magnetically attractable particulate matter through a separate channel in the extruder.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the separate channel has an outlet located substantially in the center of a front face of the extruder, the front face being adjacent to a die wheel.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the introducing comprises urging a mixture of plastic resin and the magnetically attractable particulate matter through the separate channel in the extruder.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the incorporating the magnetically attractable particulate matter comprises urging a plastic resin through an extruder and introducing the magnetically attractable particulate matter through a separate line to a die wheel adjacent to the extruder.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the separate line has an outlet located proximate to a forming cavity in the die wheel.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the forming cavity is located around the circumference of the die wheel, substantially at the center thereof.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the introducing comprises urging a mixture of plastic resin and the magnetically attractable particulate matter through the separate line to the die wheel.

9. A manufacturing method of a fastening device, comprising:

extruding a first synthetic resin material in a molten state, in which magnetically attractable powders are mixed, from an extruding opening of a first extruding die to continuously fill the first synthetic resin material in a magnetically attractable body molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of a first die wheel in its rotational direction by rotating the first die wheel, wherein the magnetically attractable body molding cavity includes concave protrusion-molding portions having a narrow shape which are at least one of continuous in a peripheral direction and intermittently spaced, thereby forming a molded magnetically attractable body;

peeling off the molded magnetically attractable body from the peripheral surface of the first die wheel;

extruding a second synthetic resin material in a molten state from an extruding opening of a second extruding die to continuously fill the second synthetic resin material in a fastening device molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of a second die wheel in its rotational direction by rotating the second die wheel, wherein the fastening device molding cavity includes first concave portions located at a predetermined pitch in a peripheral direction for molding fastening elements and second concave portions for accommodating the molded magnetically attractable body;

continuously providing the molded magnetically attractable body to the second concave portions in the fastening device molding cavity;

melting and attaching the second synthetic resin material and the molded magnetically attractable body integrally to form a molded fastening device including fastening elements and the molded magnetically attractable body having a narrow shape; and

peeling off the molded fastening device from the second die wheel.

10. A manufacturing method of a fastening device, comprising:

extruding a first synthetic resin material in a molten state from an extruding opening of a first extruding die to continuously fill the first synthetic resin material in a magnetically attractable body molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of a first die wheel in its rotational direction by rotating the first die wheel, wherein the magnetically attractable body molding cavity includes concave protrusion-molding portions having a narrow shape which are at least one of continuous in a peripheral direction and intermittently spaced;

continuously supplying a long magnetically attractable material to a predetermined position of the concave protrusion-molding portions via a first magnetically attractable body guiding portion that is located upstream of the rotational direction of the first die wheel with respect to the first extruding die;

connecting the synthetic resin material with the long magnetically attractable material integrally to form a molded magnetically attractable body;

peeling off the molded magnetically attractable body from the peripheral surface of the first die wheel;

extruding additional synthetic resin material in a molten state from an extruding opening of a second extruding die to continuously fill that synthetic resin material in a fastening device molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of a second die wheel in its rotational direction by rotating the second die wheel, wherein the fastening device molding cavity includes first concave portions located at a predetermined pitch in a peripheral direction for molding fastening elements and second concave portions for accommodating the molded magnetically attractable body;

continuously supplying the molded magnetically attractable body to the second concave portions in the fastening device molding cavity via a second magnetically attractable body guiding portion that is located upstream in a rotational direction of the second die wheel with respect to the second extruding die;

melting and attaching the additional synthetic resin material and the molded magnetically attractable body integrally to form a molded fastening device; and

peeling off the molded fastening device including fastening elements and the narrow shaped magnetically attractable body from the second die wheel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first magnetically attractable body guiding portion is formed inside of the first extruding die.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first magnetically attractable body guiding portion is formed outside of the first extruding die.

13. A fastening device manufacturing method, comprising:

extruding synthetic resin material in a molten state, in which magnetically attractable powders are mixed, from an extruding die having a pair of extruding openings, wherein the pair of extruding openings are formed in upper and lower positions of the extruding die along a rotational direction of a die wheel, wherein the synthetic resin material is extruded from the upper extruding opening to continuously fill the synthetic resin in a magnetically attractable body molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of the die wheel in its rotational direction by rotating the die wheel, wherein the magnetically attractable body molding cavity includes concave protrusion-molding portions having a narrow shape which are at least one of continuous in a peripheral direction and intermittently spaced;

extruding additional synthetic resin material in a molten state from the lower extruding opening to continuously fill that synthetic resin material in a fastening device molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of the die wheel in its rotational direction by rotating the die wheel, wherein the fastening device molding cavity includes concave portions located at a predetermined pitch in a peripheral direction for molding fastening elements; and

peeling off a molded fastening device including fastening elements and a magnetically attractable body having a narrow shape from the die wheel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the upper extruding opening has a shape so as to extrude the synthetic resin material in the molten state, in which magnetically attractable powders are mixed, specifically to the magnetically attractable body molding cavity;

and

wherein the lower extruding opening has a shape so as to extrude the additional synthetic resin material in the molten state specifically to the fastening device molding cavity.

15. A manufacturing method of a fastening device, comprising:

extruding synthetic resin material in a molten state from an extruding opening of an extruding die to continuously fill the synthetic resin material in a magnetically attractable body molding cavity formed along a peripheral surface of a die wheel along its rotational direction by rotating the die wheel, wherein the magnetically attractable body molding cavity includes concave protrusion-molding portions having a narrow shape which are at least one of continuous in a peripheral direction and intermittently spaced;

continuously supplying a long magnetically attractable material to a predetermined position of the concave protrusion-molding portions via a magnetically attractable body guiding portion located upstream of the rotational direction of the die wheel with respect to the extruding die, wherein the magnetically attractable body guiding portion is formed in a shape so as to direct the long magnetically attractable material to the predetermined position of the concave protrusion-molding portions;

connecting the synthetic resin material with the long magnetically attractable material integrally to form a molded fastening device; and

peeling off the molded fastening device from the die wheel.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the magnetically attractable body guiding portion is formed inside of the extruding die.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the magnetically attractable body guiding portion is formed outside of the extruding die.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a fastening device molding cavity is formed along the peripheral surface of the die wheel in its rotational direction, and wherein the fastening device molding cavity includes concave portions located at a predetermined pitch in a peripheral direction for molding fastening elements.

19. A fastening device manufacturing method, comprising:

preparing an extruding die having an extruding opening for extruding a synthetic resin material in a molten state;

preparing a die wheel, which is rotated around a horizontal axis opposite the extruding opening and which has a magnetically attractable body molding cavity and a fastening device molding cavity, which are both formed along a peripheral surface in its rotational direction;

wherein the magnetically attractable body molding cavity includes concave protrusion-molding portions having a narrow shape which are at least one of continuous in a peripheral direction and intermittently spaced for molding a magnetically attractable body and wherein the fastening device molding cavity includes concave portions located at a predetermined pitch in a peripheral direction for molding fastening elements, both of the cavities for molding a fastening device including, respectively, narrow shaped protrusions and fastener elements;

extruding the synthetic resin material in the molten state from the extruding opening of the extruding die to continuously fill the synthetic resin material in the molding cavities by rotating the die wheel to form the molded fastening device including narrow shaped protrusions and fastener elements;

peeling off the molded fastening device from the die wheel; and

performing at least one of laminate-processing of a layer including magnetically attractable powders and coating-processing of a layer including magnetically attractable powders on at least on the top surfaces of the protrusions.

20. A fastening device manufacturing method, comprising:

preparing an extruding die having an extruding opening for extruding a synthetic resin material in a molten state;

preparing a die wheel which is rotated around a horizontal axis opposite the extruding opening and which has a magnetically attractable body molding cavity and a fastening device molding cavity, which are both formed along a peripheral surface of the die wheel in its rotational direction;

wherein the magnetically attractable body molding cavity includes concave protrusion-molding portions having a narrow shape which are located at predetermined intervals in a peripheral direction of the die wheel and are at least one of continuous in a direction of a die wheel axis and intermittently spaced for molding a magnetically attractable body and wherein the fastening device molding cavity includes concave portions located at a predetermined pitch in a peripheral direction for molding fastening elements, both of the cavities for molding a fastening device including, respectively, narrow shaped protrusions and fastener elements;

extruding the synthetic resin material in the molten state from the extruding opening of the extruding die to continuously fill the synthetic resin material in the molding cavities by rotating the die wheel to form the molded fastening device including narrow shaped protrusions and fastener elements;

peeling off the molded fastening device from the die wheel;

performing at least one of laminate-processing of a layer including magnetically attractable powders and coating-processing of a layer including magnetically attractable powders on at least on the top surfaces of the protrusions; and

cutting the molded fastening device between adjoining protrusions in the peripheral direction.