WO1999023904A1

WO1999023904A1 - Fastener for elastic materials

Info

Publication number: WO1999023904A1
Application number: PCT/EP1998/007144
Authority: WO
Inventors: Rudolf TÜRK
Original assignee: Tuerk Rudolf
Priority date: 1997-11-10
Filing date: 1998-11-09
Publication date: 1999-05-20
Also published as: DE29719946U1; AU2243499A; EP1030569A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a fastener for elastic materials, especially textiles, with a first side (14) comprising a plurality of individual hook elements (18) and a second side (12) comprising a plurality of loop elements (16). The hook elements (18) have a shank section (36) and at least one hook section (38), whereby the shank section (36) runs essentially parallel to the plane of the surface of the first side (14). In addition, at least one hook section (38) projects outward from the plane formed by the surface of the first side (14) and is open essentially in a direction parallel to said plane.

Description

Closure for elastic materials

The invention relates to a closure for elastic materials, in particular textiles, with a first side having a multiplicity of individual hook elements and a second side having a multiplicity of loop elements, the hook elements having a shaft section and at least one hook section.

Such a closure is known from US 5,436,051, cf. Figure 1 there in particular has various disadvantages: closures of this type easily become contaminated with textile fibers, which is particularly disadvantageous when such closures are used in textiles. Due to these contaminants, the holding force quickly decreases, which means that the closure cannot function reliably for a long time. When using such closures for textile fabrics, in particular bodysuits, it has been shown that such closures have such a high degree of stiffness that, particularly in the case of body closures in the sensitive genital area, they lead to poor wearing comfort, which is why they have not become established for this purpose.

So-called Velcro fasteners are also known, the adhesive force of which also quickly diminishes as a result of textile impurities and which, as has already been explained in relation to the closest prior art, also lead to excessive stiffness and thus to poor wearing comfort.

It is also known to use elastic fabrics by to lock fertilizer by push buttons. Here, however, the upper part of each push button must be pressed onto the respective lower part, which usually means a considerable effort, since the push button should not open by itself. When opening, on the other hand, both the elastic fabric, for example textiles, and fingernails can be affected due to the difficult to dose holding force.

It is also known to connect elastic fabrics to one another by means of a hook / eye closure. Although less effort is required for this, each hook must be hooked into the eyelet with a certain degree of precision and sensitivity, while resistance to hooking out must be overcome when opening and a lifting movement must be carried out at the same time, so that the next hook is not opened when opening the next hook hooks the previous one back into an eyelet. This type of closure is not particularly suitable for closing a bodysuit, since in the case of such items of clothing the closure system is accommodated between the legs for aesthetic reasons, as a result of which it is difficult to see. It is therefore difficult to close and open such a closure located at this point.

From DE-OS 17 85 284 Velcro closures for use in corsetry are known, in which cane-shaped coupling hooks are used. In the words of the present invention, however, the coupling hooks or teeth assume an inclination of approximately 45 ° with respect to the plane of the associated hook element, cf. there page 5, line 4, and page 6, lines 4 to 7.

DE-OS 19 26 222 relates to Velcro fasteners as they are used to connect material webs in tent-like canopies and structures. With those described there

Hook elements do not have their shafts parallel to the web.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to develop a closure of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that a long-lasting reliable function is achieved which is not easily contaminated and also ensures high wearing comfort in critical areas of use.

This object is achieved in that in a closure of the type mentioned the shaft section runs substantially parallel to the plane of the surface of the first side and the hook section protrudes from the plane formed by the surface of the first side and essentially in one direction parallel to this level is open.

Such a closure does not become soiled as quickly as the closure known from US Pat. No. 5,436,051, since, in contrast to the closure described there, the opening of the hook section is not directed towards the surface of the first side. In the closure known from US Pat. No. 5,436,051, textile fibers, hair, etc. can become jammed in the hook section, while this is not the case in the embodiment of the hook section according to the invention, which is open at the side. Even if the closure according to the invention should become dirty, it can be cleaned in a simple manner due to its design peculiarities, whereas this is not possible with the closure from US Pat. No. 5,436,051. For example, the closure according to the invention can be cleaned by using a brush, a comb or the like of textile fibers that have nevertheless been deposited in the hook section. In the case of the closure from US Pat. No. 5,436,051, this is only possible with difficulty due to the opening directed downwards, or the opening of the hook sections directed towards the surface. Because of this low susceptibility to soiling or easy cleanability, a long-term, reliable function of the closure according to the invention is guaranteed.

The closure according to the invention ensures high wearing comfort even when used in critical areas, for example body closures. This is achieved in that the shaft section of the hook elements does not protrude vertically from the surface to which the hook elements are attached, as is the case with the closure of US Pat. No. 5,436,051, but rather runs essentially parallel to this surface. This does result in the disadvantage that the closure according to the invention holds less securely in some applications than the closure known from US Pat. No. 5,436,051 without the occurrence of a tangential pull. However, if a permanent tangential pull occurs, the closure according to the invention can be closed much more easily than the closure known from US Pat. No. 5,436,051.

In the closed state, the height resulting with the closure according to the invention, using identical materials, is considerably greater in the closure known from US Pat. No. 5,436,051 than in the closure according to the invention. The quality of the closure according to the invention is such that, for example when used in the body area, the wearing comfort of a body with such a closure does not differ significantly from a body without a closure, since it is in any case in the area provided for the closure certain degree are reinforced. A disadvantage of the closure of US Pat. No. 5,436,051 is that, when the closure is loaded vertically, the hook elements can bend if the weight exceeds a certain dimension. On the one hand, a reliable closure is no longer guaranteed, on the other hand, there is a risk that hook tips will bend Hook elements can penetrate the tissue, which can be disadvantageous. By bending the hook elements there is a risk that the hook elements will break on their shank after a certain time and several repetitions, which has a negative effect on the reliability of the closure.

In comparison with the closure known from US Pat. No. 5,436,051, the closure according to the invention results in a considerably more elastic, flexible and flatter connection of the tissues to be connected.

Depending on the elasticity chosen for the loop and hook elements, the closure according to the invention can be concluded in two ways, which can be selected depending on the area of use. In the first variant, the two closure sides are first placed on top of one another and then connected to one another by a tangential pull. Due to the tangential pull, the hook sections of the hook elements engage in corresponding loop elements. This embodiment leads, particularly when using loop elements and / or hook elements of high elasticity, to a soft and flexible closure. To open the fastener, only one fastener side has to be pulled off the other fastener side, because due to the elasticity of the hook sections, these then bend open and leave their engagement position in the loop elements. In the case of body closures in particular, a tangential tensile force always acts on the two sides of the closure when worn, in each case in the opposite direction, which ensures that the two closure sides are securely closed together.

In the second variant, the loop elements are chosen to be somewhat less elastic, so that hooking the hook elements in the loops can be achieved simply by pressing the two sides of the closure together. Here the hook elements initially bend somewhat as a result of the opposing force from the loop elements, but when the two external sides of the closure are subjected to further force, the bent hook elements snap open and enter the loop area of a loop with their tip.

For simple fastening of the hook elements in one of the two sides of the closure, provision can be made for the shaft section of a hook element to be flat or in such a way that it circumscribes a flat area. This also ensures that the hook elements do not inadvertently come into contact with their hook section laterally on the surface on which they are fastened by rotating the shaft section, which would prevent reliable functioning of the closure. Lateral contact of the hook section of a hook element should only take place by external force, i.e. H. without rotation of the shaft section, this being supported in that the hook section extends spirally out of the plane of the corresponding surface.

For certain embodiments of the hook elements, however, it can also be provided that the shading section is essentially linear. This is because the smaller the dimensions of the shaft section, the lower the stiffness of the resulting closure. This embodiment is therefore particularly advantageous for areas of application in which comfort is the critical factor.

It is furthermore advantageous that one of the two sides has hook elements, the hook portion of which extends into the space opposite the second side, and also hook elements, the hook portion of which extends into the space facing away from the second side. This can in particular be carried out advantageously in that a shaft section, at least one hook section extends into one space and at least one hook section extends into the other space and a middle layer of a three-layer structure is equipped with such hook elements, ie that the closure has a third side, which in the is arranged from the second side facing away. The result is a three-layer closure, which is characterized by excellent closure properties, in particular extremely reliable hold.

In reverse application of the teaching just described, it can also be provided that the central position of such a three-part closure has loop elements on both sides, while the associated sides of the closure to be attached above and below accordingly have hook elements. The first and third pages can be constructed identically.

As already mentioned, it can be provided that the plane of the hook section corresponds to the plane of the surface of the associated side, i. H. the side on which the shaft section is attached is inclined. If a weight force acting perpendicularly to the surface of the fabric carrying it occurs with a hook section designed in this way, the hook section deviates laterally, thus leading to a further reduction in the overall height of the closure and thus to even greater wearing comfort. After the weight has been withdrawn, the hook section returns to its original position due to its elasticity, as a result of which a secure locking function is maintained.

Particularly in critical areas of application, it is advantageous if a tissue that is impenetrable for hook elements is incorporated into the side of the closure that is closest to the skin. The hook elements and / or the loop elements can be made of metal or plastic. Fabric loops can also be used for the loop elements.

For simple cleaning of the closure, it is particularly advantageous if the loop and / or the hook elements run parallel and are aligned uniformly.

If the side carrying the hook elements additionally has loops, and vice versa, the side having the loops additionally hook elements, while maintaining a reliable locking function, it can be achieved that only one type of material is processed for the different sides of a closure according to the invention got to.

Further advantageous developments of the invention are defined in the subclaims.

Exemplary embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to the attached drawings. They represent:

Figure 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the closure according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of a second embodiment of the closure according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a side view of a third embodiment of the closure according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows, as an example of an application of the closure according to the invention, a body with a closure according to the invention in a perspective view; FIG. 5 shows a more detailed illustration of the closure according to the invention in the application shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 side views of two embodiments for a hook element of the closure according to the invention;

Figure 7 shows a blank of a hook element;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment for a hook element of the closure according to the invention;

FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment for a hook element of the closure according to the invention in perspective view, side view and top view;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a hook element of the closure according to the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a closure 10 according to the invention with an upper side 12 and a lower side 14. The upper and lower sides 12, 14 consist of elastic material, for example textile fabric. Loop elements 16 are shown schematically on the top 12, while parts of hook elements 18 are shown schematically on the bottom. The loop elements can be made of metal, plastic or fabric, while the hook elements 18 are made of plastic or metal. On the underside, a tab 20 is also shown, which serves to open the closure.

FIG. 2 shows a three-layer variant 10 'of the closure according to the invention. In this closure, the middle layer 22 has hook elements 18 not only on its top but also on its bottom. An upper cover layer 24 and a lower cover layer 26 is provided with loops.

In a third embodiment 10 ″ shown in FIG. 3, a middle layer 28 has loop elements 16 on both its top and bottom sides, while an upper cover layer 30 and a lower cover layer 32 are provided with hook elements 18.

FIG. 4 shows a body 34 as an area of application for the closure 10, 10 ', 10' 'according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a more detailed illustration of the closure of the body, a closure 10 ′ according to FIG. 2 being selected as the body closure in the illustration shown. The layer 22 shown in the right-hand illustration of FIG. 5 has hook elements 18 on its upper and lower sides, while the closure side shown on the left in FIG. 5 has two layers 24 and 26 provided with loops.

To close the closures shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a side provided with hook elements 18 and a side provided with loop elements 16 are pressed together. Depending on the elasticity chosen for the hook elements or the loop elements, it is sufficient to press the closure sides together so that the hook elements 18 initially bend due to pressure from the loop elements 16, but snap on when pressure is exerted, their hook section (see FIG. 8). enters a loop element 16. Or, after pressing the two closure sides together, a tangential pull, ie a relative movement of the two closure sides to one another, must be carried out. In the second variant, the hook sections of the hook elements 18 are connected to the loop elements 16 only by the tangential pull. FIG. 6 shows different embodiments for hook elements 18. All the hook elements shown are distinguished in that the shaft section 36 runs essentially parallel to the plane of the surface to which it is attached. The respective hook sections 38 are each open to the right in the selected representation, ie essentially in a direction that runs parallel to the plane to which or in which the shaft sections 36 are fastened. While the embodiment shown in FIG. 6a has only one hook section 38, the embodiment shown in FIG. 6b has two hook sections, one hook section looking out and the other hook section looking out from the position provided for fastening the shaft section 36.

FIG. 7 shows a blank of a hook element 18 punched out of sheet metal. It comprises two openings 40 provided for sewing or weaving in the hook element 18, an upper and a lower hook section 38 and a shaft section 36.

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment of a hook element 18 in a detailed representation. This has a shaft section 36 and two hook sections 38. In this embodiment of the hook elements 18, the layer 22 (see FIG. 2) would run perpendicular to the image plane. As a result, one of the two hook sections 38 looks upward, the second hook section 38 looks downward from the position 22. The shaft section 36 is accommodated in the layer 22 or fastened on its upper or lower side. In the variant of a hook element 18 shown in FIG. 8, the hook section 38 is also spirally wound. As a result, by utilizing the elasticity of the hook element 18 under the action of a force in the arrangement shown in FIG. 8 from above or below, the hook sections 38 bend towards the central position. This results in the total height that the Closure strained, as low as possible.

Figure 9 shows an example of a further embodiment of a hook element. In this embodiment, for a rotationally stable fastening of the shaft section 36, this shaft section is not linear, but rather circumscribes an area. FIG. 9a shows a perspective view of such an embodiment of a hook element 18 with two hook sections 36, FIG. 9b a top view and FIG. 9c a side view.

However, it can also be provided to provide a surface as shaft element 36 instead of the flat description, see FIG. 9, as is shown schematically in FIG. This embodiment is particularly suitable for applications in which the flexibility of the closure is of secondary importance. When the base surface is formed as a sheet metal, openings 40 can be punched into this base surface. The areas partially detached from the base by punching can be bent up into hook sections 38. As shown, such a shaft section 36 can carry a plurality of hook sections 38, which can also be bent over to the underside of the base area. The openings 40 resulting from the punching and bending process can be used to sew such a hook element 18 onto the desired elastic fabric.

In one embodiment, not shown, a plurality of hook elements are strung together on a carrier in the pulling direction, the continuous part of the carrier, which acts as a shaft element, being insignificantly wider than the respective hook elements themselves, so that there are quasi stripes with hook elements. Plastic is particularly suitable as the material. Such strips or tapes can be produced and processed particularly simply and inexpensively. This applies accordingly to the Loop elements.

In particular when using the closure according to the invention for textiles, provision can be made for a fabric to be incorporated into the layer that comes first to the surface of the skin which is impenetrable for the tips of the hook elements. It can also be provided that, instead or in addition, the outermost layer, i. H. the most distant layer, has also incorporated such tissue in order to protect subsequent layers of textile tissue from damage.

In an embodiment not shown, both sides, or all three sides of a closure are formed from identical material, i. H. Material that has both hook elements and loop elements.

For all described embodiments of the closure according to the invention, the hook elements and / or the loop elements are preferably each arranged in parallel and with the same orientation.

The outer dimensions of the hook elements 18 and the associated loop elements 16 are to be adapted to the intended use, dimensions of the hook section 38 and thus corresponding to the loop elements 16 of less than 2 mm being preferred for use as a body closure.

In all of the illustrated embodiments, the shaft section of the hook element can preferably be covered by fabric, in particular by the fabric to be connected.

Claims

Closure for elastic materials

1. Closure for elastic materials, in particular textiles, with a first side (14) having a multiplicity of individual hook elements (18) and a second side (12) having a multiplicity of loop elements (16), the hook elements (18) have a shank section (36) and at least one hook section (38), characterized in that the shank section (36) runs essentially parallel to the plane of the surface of the first side (14) and the at least one hook section (38) extends from the surface protrudes from the first side (14) and is essentially open in a direction parallel to this plane.

2. Closure according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one hook section (38) is elastic.

3. Closure according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the shaft portion (36) of a hook element (18) or more associated hook elements (18) is flat or circumscribes a flat area

4. Closure according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the shaft portion (36) is substantially linear.

5. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first side (22) has both hook elements (18), the hook portion (38) of which extends into the space opposite the second side (24), and also hook elements (18) whose hook section (38) extends into the space facing away from the second side (24).

6. Closure according to claim 5, characterized in that from the shaft section (36) at least one hook section (38) in the opposite of the second side (24) and at least one hook section (38) in each of the second

Side (24) facing away from the room.

7. Closure according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the closure has a third side (26) which is arranged in the space facing away from the second side (24).

8. Closure according to claim 7, characterized in that the third side (26) is constructed like the second side (24).

9. Closure according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second side (28) has both loop elements (16) which are in the first side (30) extend opposite space, as well as loop elements (16) which extend into the space facing away from the first side (30).

10. Closure according to claim 9, characterized in that the closure has a third side (32) which is arranged in the space facing away from the first side (30).

11. Closure according to claim 10, characterized in that the third side (32) is constructed like the first side (30).

12. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plane of the hook portion (38) is inclined to the plane of the surface of the associated side.

13. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hook section (38) extends spirally out of the plane of the respective surface.

14. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an impenetrable for the hook elements (38) fabric is incorporated into at least one of the sides.

15. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hook elements (18) and / or the loop elements (16) are made of metal or plastic.

16. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loop (16) and / or the hook elements (18) run parallel and are aligned uniformly.

17. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hook elements (18) having side (14; 22) or the hook elements (18) having sides (30, 32) additionally have loops (16) and which the loops (16) having side (12; 28) or the sides (24, 26) having the loops (16) additionally have hook elements (18).

18. Closure according to claim 17, characterized in that the material used for the first (14) and second side (12) or for the first (22; 30), second (24; 28) and third side (26; 32) is identical.