Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Including readily dissociable fastener having numerous,... – With feature facilitating – enhancing – or causing attachment...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-05-01
Brittain, James R. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Including readily dissociable fastener having numerous,...
With feature facilitating, enhancing, or causing attachment...
C024S452000, C024S442000, C024S575100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223401
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to mechanical fasteners. More particularly, the present invention relates to mating surface fasteners.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fastening technologies span a very wide range of methods and materials. Screws, bolts, and rivets are high strength fasteners that focus the stress of separation into concentrated locations. They use relatively high tensile strength materials, and focus the forces of attachment at the points where the fastening is used. Mechanical fasteners, such as hook and loop fasteners and headed stem fasteners, rely on a mechanical interference to attain coupling.
Adhesives (such as pressure sensitive adhesives), glues, and epoxies distribute adhesion forces, but are not refastenable in high strength applications. In many cases they require curing or adhesion dwelling before the ultimate fastening strength is achieved. Generally there is an unmet need for instant high strength fastening, with refastenability where the forces are distributed over a large area. There is also a need to accomplish this using a low profile or thin layer.
Mating surface fasteners are a type of self-mating fasteners. They use intermeshable articles, some of which require alignment before pressing the structured surfaces together (U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,259) and some of which can be fastened in random alignment (U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,101). Other mating surface fasteners are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,344,177 and 5,360,270. Mating surface fasteners do not require a mechanical interference. They use a frictional interaction between adjacent elements.
Mating surface fasteners typically include a series of structured surfaces, such as tapered elements or posts, connected to a sheet, sometimes called a base or land. Two articles can be removably attached to each other by first attaching a mating surface fastener to each article. This is typically performed using an adhesive.
Each tapered element has at least one side inclined relative to a common plane at an angle sufficient to form a taper. The sheets' plurality of tapered elements are situated to form a plurality of axes including at least one longitudinal axis on each sheet. When fastened together, the longitudinal axis of each sheet is at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the other sheet. Also, at least one of the tapered elements is axially bent or torsionally flexed or twisted relative to its relaxed, unfastened position. Also, the inclined sides of some of the tapered elements are frictionally adhered to at least some of the inclined sides of the other of the tapered elements to maintain the sheets fastened together. The force used to engage the fasteners on the two articles determines the force required to disengage the fasteners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An article includes a mating surface fastener portion attached to a surface. The mating surface fastener portion has a land and a plurality of tapered elements and is capable of reattachably and matingly intermeshing with a fastener portion of another article to fasten the respective articles. The fastener portions have a predetermined disengagement pressure for a given engagement pressure. The surface to which the land is attached is at least semi-rigid.
The means for attaching has a compliance that is no greater than 0.381 cm. Also, the fastener portions can have a predetermined disengagement pressure for a given engagement pressure; for an engagement pressure of no more than 689,500 N/m
2
the fastener portion has a disengagement pressure of at least 137,900 N/m
2
.
The means for attaching can be integrally molding the fastener portion together with the surface or using adhesive or other material.
The fastener portion can be formed with a first material. Either the first material, a second material, or both can be used to form the surface.
The invention is also a method of making an article. The method includes the step of selecting, in combination with each other, a mating surface fastener portion having a land and a plurality of tapered elements; a surface to which the land is attached; and an adhesive which attaches the land to the surface and has a predetermined compliance.
The land is adhered to the surface using the adhesive or the land is integrally molded to the surface.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4290174 (1981-09-01), Kalleberg
patent: 4875259 (1989-10-01), Appeldorn
patent: 5088164 (1992-02-01), Wilson et al.
patent: 5103546 (1992-04-01), Rossini et al.
patent: 5201101 (1993-04-01), Rouser et al.
patent: 5203053 (1993-04-01), Rudd
patent: 5316849 (1994-05-01), Lu et al.
patent: 5344177 (1994-09-01), Rouser et al.
patent: 5360270 (1994-11-01), Appeldorn et al.
patent: 5634245 (1997-06-01), Rouse et al.
patent: 5638581 (1997-06-01), Burke
patent: 5657516 (1997-08-01), Berg et al.
patent: WO 99/32005 (1999-07-01), None
D'Sa Joseph M.
Humpal Paul E.
Johnston Raymond P.
King Vincent W.
3M Innovative Properties Company
Brittain James R.
Huebsch William L.
Sandy Robert J.
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