Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Pile or nap type surface or component – Edge feature or configured or discontinuous surface
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-03
2002-01-29
Juska, Cheryl (Department: 1771)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Pile or nap type surface or component
Edge feature or configured or discontinuous surface
C428S089000, C428S092000, C428S099000, C442S109000, C024S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06342285
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to loop material, particularly to material to be engaged with hooking members to form a fastening, and to its manufacture and use.
In the production of woven and non-woven materials, it is common to form the material as a continuous web that is subsequently spooled. In woven and knit loop materials, loop-forming filaments or yarns are included in the structure of a fabric to form upstanding loops for engaging hooks. As hook-and-loop fasteners find broader ranges of application, especially in inexpensive, disposable products, some forms of non-woven materials have been suggested to serve as a loop material to reduce the cost and weight of the loop product while providing adequate closure performance in terms of peel and shear strength. Nevertheless, cost of the loop component has remained a major factor limiting the extent of use of hook and loop fasteners.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have realized that non-woven fabrics constructed with certain structural features are capable of functioning well for their intended purpose as hook-engageable loop fabrics, while providing particular advantage in regard to expense of manufacture and other properties.
According to one aspect of the invention, a loop product for hook-and-loop fastening is provided, the loop product comprising a non-woven, uncompressed and unshrunk web of entangled fibers of substantial tenacity and of uniform fiber composition, the fibers forming both a sheet-form, web body and hook-engageable, free-standing loops extending from the web body, the product having a basis weight of less than about 2 ounces per square yard. “Uniform fiber composition” as used here includes a loop-forming fiber blend that is uniform, i.e. not formed by layers of two different types.
Preferred products according to this aspect of the invention have one or more of the following features.
The loop product has an overall thickness, including the web body and a majority of the loops, of less than about 0.150 inch, in many instances preferably less than about 0.100 inch.
The loops extend from associated entanglements within the main web body to an average loop height, measured as the perpendicular distance from the web body, from their associated entanglements, of between about 0.020 and 0.060 inch, preferably, in many instances the average loop height being between about 0.5 and 0.6 times the overall thickness of the product.
Another aspect of the invention, is a hook-engageable loop fabric if basis weight less than 4 ounces per square yard having all of the above features, but without regard to whether the fabric is made of fibers of uniform composition.
In either case, in preferred embodiments, the web body is stabilized in a stretched condition, the web body including knots formed by tightened fiber entanglements.
In preferred cases of each of these aspects of the invention, the web body is stabilized in a condition of at least 20 percent a real stretch, and in certain of these cases the web body is stabilized in a condition of at least 10 percent stretch in each of two perpendicular directions. In certain important cases the knot density is between about 50 and 1000 knots per square inch of web body.
Preferably the fibers generally have a tenacity of at least 2.8 grams per denier; in many instances the fibers generally have a tenacity of at least 5 grams per denier, and in certain important instances the fibers generally have a tenacity of at least 8 grams per denier.
The loops preferably extend from the web body to varied heights to form a multi-level arrangement of hook-engageable loops.
The web is preferably stabilized in a stretched condition, the web body including knots formed by tightened web entanglements, the loops extending from loop structures, at least some of the loop structures each comprising a common, elongated trunk portion extending from the web from an associated knot, and multiple loops extend from the trunk portion.
The fibers are preferably of a material selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyurethane, polypropylene, polyethylene and nylon, homopolymers, mixtures, copolymers, alloys, or coextrusions thereof, and natural fibers. In certain presently preferred cases the fibers are polyester.
The loop product preferably has a Gurley stiffness of less than about 300 milligrams.
The loop product preferably comprises a binder selected from the group consisting of acrylics, urethanes, polyvinyls, formaldehydes, glyoxals and epoxies.
In other cases the loop product preferably comprises polymer filaments entangled among fibers of substantial tenacity the filaments being at least partially melted to bond the web body.
According to another aspect of the invention, a non-woven loop fabric for engaging hooks in a hook-and-loop fastener is provided, the fabric having a basis weight of less than about 2 ounces per square yard and comprising a stretched, non-woven mat of fibers entangled at knots therein, the mat having a front side and free-standing and spaced-apart loop structures extending at least from the front side of the mat from the knots in the mat, these structures defining hook-engageable loops and corresponding associated knots.
Preferred products according to this aspect have one or more of the following features.
The mat of the loop fabric is stabilized in a condition of at least about 20 percent areal stretch, in important instances the mat is stabilized in a condition of at least 50 percent areal stretch, and in many instances preferably the mat is stabilized in a condition of at least 100 percent areal stretch. A presently preferred range is 75 percent to 150 percent.
The mat is stabilized in a condition of at least 10 percent stretch in each of two perpendicular directions, in many instances the mat is stabilized in a condition of at least 25 percent stretch in each of two perpendicular directions.
At least some of the knots of the mat are secured to resist relative fiber motion and further stretching of the fabric, preferably the loop fabric further comprising a binder to secure the fibers of the loop structures at their associated knots, in many instances the loop fabric comprising between about 20 and 40 percent binder, by weight, in many preferred instances the fabric being about one third by weight of binder.
In preferred cases the binder is selected from the group consisting of acrylics, urethanes, polyvinyls, formaldehydes, glyoxals and epoxies. In other cases the binder comprises polymer filaments entangled among the fibers, the filaments being at least partially melted to encapsulate the knots, and set. In certain cases the binder forms a backing adapted to be welded to a substrate, and in certain cases the binder forms an impermeable barrier. In certain cases the binder comprises a fire-retardant material.
At least some of the loop structures of the loop fabric each comprise multiple loops emanating from a common fiber knot.
Similarly to the first mentioned aspects of the invention, in implementations of the present aspect of the present invention the loop fabric preferably has an overall thickness, including the mat and a majority of the loop structures, of less than about 0.150 inch.
Likewise, the loop fabric preferably has loops that extend to an average loop height from their associated entanglements, measured as the perpendicular distance from the mat, of between about 0.020 and 0.060 inch and, preferably in many instances the average loop height is between about 0.5 and 0.6 times the overall thickness of the fabric.
In preferred cases, the knot density of the loop fabric is between about 50 and 1000 knots per square inch of mat, in certain preferred cases the knot density being between about 100 and 600 knots per square inch of mat, and in particularly important cases the knot density being between about 150 and 300 knots per square inch of mat.
In preferred cases, the fibers generally have a tenacity of at least 2.8 grams per denier, in particular cases the fibers generally have a tenacity of at least 5 grams per denier and in other
Erickson Paul R.
Shepard William H.
Juska Cheryl
Velcro Industries B.V.
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