DE29719946U1 - Closure for elastic materials - Google Patents

Description

STREET & HOFSTETTER* '"

Patent attorneys
European Patent Attorneys · European Trademark Attorneys

Patent attorneys

European Patent Attorney °

European Trademark Attorney

Dipi.-ing. Joachim Strasse ^&Ogr;&lgr;

Dr.rer.nat. ALFONS J. HOFSTETTER °*

Authorized representatives at

^ü European Patent Office * European Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs)

Attorney file: 24315

Dr. Rudolf Turk

Uppenbornstr. 22a

81735 Munich

New German utility model application Closure for elastic materials

BALANSTRASSE 57 ■ D-81541 MUNICH

TELEPHONE +49/(0)89 - 45 09 18 0 ■ FAX +49/(0)89-45 09 18 12 ■ VOICE +49/(0)89 - 45 09 18 20

EMAIL Strasse-Hofstetter@T-Online.de

Dr. Rudolf Turk Attorney file: 24315

German utility model application

Closure for elastic materials

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

Such a closure is known from US 5,43 6,051, see in particular Figure 1 therein. This results in various disadvantages: Such closures easily become contaminated with textile fibers, which is particularly disadvantageous when such closures are used on textiles. Due to these contaminations, the holding force quickly decreases, which means that a long-term, reliable function of the closure is not possible. When using such closures for textile fabrics, in particular bodysuits, it has been shown that such closures have such great stiffness that, in particular in the case of bodysuit closures in the sensitive genital area, they are not comfortable to wear, which is why they have not been adopted for this purpose.

There are also so-called Velcro fasteners, the adhesive force of which also quickly decreases due to textile contamination and which, as already explained in the closest state of the art, also lead to excessive stiffness and thus to poor wearing comfort.

It is also known to fasten elastic fabrics using snap fasteners. However, the upper part of each individual snap fastener must be pressed onto the respective lower part, which usually requires a considerable amount of force.

-Z-

effort, as the snap fastener should not open by itself. On the other hand, when opening, the elastic fabric, such as textiles, and tweezers can be damaged due to the difficult-to-control holding force.

It is also known to connect elastic fabrics with a hook/eyelet fastener. This requires less force, but each hook must be hooked into the eyelet with a certain degree of precision and sensitivity, while when opening, resistance when unhooking must be overcome and a lifting movement must be carried out at the same time so that when the next hook is opened, the previous one does not hook into an eyelet again. This type of fastener is particularly unsuitable for fastening a bodysuit, since in such garments the fastening system is housed between the legs for aesthetic reasons, making it difficult to see. This makes it difficult to close and open a fastener of this kind located in this position.

Velcro fasteners for use in corsetry are known from DE-OS 17 85 284, in which walking stick-shaped coupling hooks are used. In the words of the present invention, however, the coupling hooks or teeth assume an inclination of approx. 45° relative to the plane of the associated hook element, see page 5, line 4, and page 6, lines 4 to 7.

DE-OS 19 26 222 concerns Velcro fasteners such as those used to connect material strips in tent-like roofs and structures. The shaft of the hook elements described therein does not run parallel to the fabric strip.

Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to further 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

dirt and ensures a high level of comfort even in critical areas of use.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that, in a closure of the type mentioned at the outset, the shaft section runs essentially 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 is essentially open in a direction parallel to this plane.

Such a closure does not get dirty as quickly as the closure known from US 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 5,436,051, textile fibers, hair, etc. can get stuck in the hook section, whereas this is not the case with the inventive design of the hook section, which is open at the side. Even if the closure according to the invention gets dirty, it can be cleaned in a simple manner due to its design characteristics, whereas this is not possible with the closure from US 5,436,051. For example, the closure according to the invention can be cleaned of textile fibers that have nevertheless settled in the hook section by using a brush, a comb or the like. With the closure from US 5,436,051, this is only possible with difficulty due to the downward-facing opening, or the opening of the hook sections directed towards the surface.

Due to this low susceptibility to contamination, or rather the ease of cleaning, a long-lasting, reliable function of the closure according to the invention is guaranteed.

The closure according to the invention ensures a high level of comfort even when used in critical areas, such as body closures. This is achieved by the shaft

The section of the hook elements does not protrude perpendicularly from the surface to which the hook elements are attached, as is the case with the closure of US 5,436,051, for example, but runs essentially parallel to this surface. This does result in the disadvantage that, without the occurrence of a tangential pull, the closure according to the invention is less secure in some applications than the closure known from US 5,436,051. 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 5,436,051.

When closed, the height resulting from the closure according to the invention, using identical materials, is significantly greater in the closure known from US 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 these are reinforced to a certain extent in the area intended for the closure. A particular disadvantage of the closure according to US 5,436,051 is that when the closure is subjected to vertical load, the hook elements can bend if the weight exceeds a certain level. This means that a reliable closure is no longer guaranteed, and there is also a risk that the hook tips of bent hook elements can penetrate the fabric, which can be disadvantageous. Due to the bending of the hook elements, there is a risk that the hook elements will break on their shaft after a certain period of time and several repetitions, which will have a negative impact on the reliability of the closure.

In comparison with the closure known from US 5,43 6,051, the closure according to the invention results in a significantly more elastic, flexible and flatter connection of the tissues to be connected.

Depending on the elasticity selected for the loop and hook elements, the closure according to the invention can be closed in two ways, which can be selected depending on the area of application. In the first variant, the two closure sides are first placed on top of each other and then connected to one another by a tangential pull. The tangential pull causes the hook sections of the hook elements to engage with corresponding loop elements. This embodiment results in a soft and flexible closure, particularly when loop elements and/or hook elements with high elasticity are used. To open the closure, only one closure side has to be pulled away from the other closure side, since the elasticity of the hook sections causes them to bend up and leave their position of engagement in the loop elements. In particular, with body closures, a tangential pulling force always acts on both sides of the closure when worn, each in an opposite direction, which ensures that the two closure sides are securely closed together.

In the second variant, the loop elements are chosen to be slightly less elastic, so that the hook elements can be hooked into the loops simply by pressing the two sides of the fastener together. In this case, the hook elements initially bend slightly as a result of the counterforce from the loop elements, but when further force is applied to the two outer sides of the fastener, the bent hook elements snap open and their tips enter the loop area of a loop.

For easy fastening of the hook elements in one of the two sides of the closure, the shaft section of a hook element can be designed to be flat or in such a way that it encloses a flat area. This also ensures that the hook elements do not accidentally come to rest with their hook section laterally on the surface to which they are fastened by turning the shaft section, which ensures reliable functioning of the closure.

This would prevent the hook section of a hook element from being positioned laterally only by means of external force, i.e. without rotation of the shaft section, whereby this is supported by the fact 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 shaft section is essentially linear. 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 use in which wearing comfort is the critical factor.

It is also advantageous that one of the two sides has hook elements, the hook section of which extends into the space opposite the second side, as well as hook elements, the hook section of which extends into the space facing away from the second side. This can be carried out in particular in an advantageous manner by at least one hook section extending from a shaft section into one space and at least one hook section extending into the other space, and a middle layer of a three-layer structure being equipped with such hook elements, i.e. the closure has a third side which is arranged in the space facing away from the second side. 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 middle layer 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 have corresponding hook elements. The first and third sides can be constructed identically.

As already mentioned, it can be provided that the plane of the hook section is inclined to the plane of the surface of the associated side, i.e. the side in which or on which the shaft section is attached. If a weight force acting perpendicular to the surface of the fabric supporting it occurs in a hook section designed in this way, the hook section deviates to the side, thus leading to a further reduction in the overall height of the fastener and thus to even greater wearing comfort. After the weight force is removed, the hook section returns to its original position due to its elasticity, thereby maintaining a secure fastening function.

Particularly in critical areas of use, it is advantageous if a fabric that is impenetrable to hook elements is incorporated into the side of the fastener 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 easy cleaning of the closure, it is particularly advantageous if the loop and/or hook elements run parallel and are uniformly aligned.

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

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

In the following, embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. They show:

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;

Figure 4 shows a body with a closure according to the invention in a perspective view as an example of an application of the closure according to the invention;

Figure 5 shows a more detailed representation of the closure according to the invention in the application shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 shows 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;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment for a hook element of the closure according to the invention;

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

Figure 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a hook element of the closure according to the invention.

Figure 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 are made of elastic material, for example textile fabric. Loop elements 16 are shown schematically on the upper side 12, while parts of hook elements 18 are shown schematically on the lower side. The loop elements can be made of metal, plastic or fabric, while the hook elements 18 are made of plastic or metal. A tab 20 is also shown on the lower side, which serves to open the closure.

Figure 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 upper side, but also on its lower side. An upper cover layer 24 and a lower cover layer 26 are provided with loops.

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

In Figure 4, a body 34 is shown as an application area for the closure 10, 10', 10'' according to the invention.

Figure 5 shows a more detailed representation of the closure of the body, whereby in the representation shown a closure 10' according to Figure 2 was chosen as the body closure. The layer 22 shown in the right-hand representation of Figure 5 has hook elements 18 on its top and bottom, while the closure side shown on the left in Figure 5 has two layers 24 and 26 provided with loops.

To close the closures shown in Figures 1 to 3, one side provided with hook elements 18 and one with loop elements 16 are pressed onto each other.

- 10

Depending on the elasticity selected for the hook elements or the loop elements, either just pressing the locking sides together is enough for the hook elements 18 to initially bend under the pressure of the loop elements 16, but then snap open when further pressure is applied, with their hook section (see Figure 8) entering a loop element 16. Or, after pressing the two locking sides together, a tangential pull must be carried out, i.e. a relative movement of the two locking sides to one another. In the second variant, the hook sections of the hook elements 18 are only connected to the loop elements 16 by the tangential pull.

Figure 6 shows various embodiments for hook elements 18. All of the hook elements shown are characterized by the fact 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, i.e. essentially in a direction that runs parallel to the plane to which or in which the shaft sections 36 are attached. While the embodiment shown in Figure 6a has only one hook section 38, the embodiment shown in Figure 6b has two hook sections, with one hook section protruding above and the other hook section protruding below the position provided for fastening the shaft section 36.

Figure 7 shows a blank of a hook element 18 punched out of a 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.

Figure 8 shows a detailed representation of another embodiment for a hook element 18. This has a shaft section 36 and two hook sections 38. In this embodiment of the hook elements 18, the layer 22 (see Figure 2) would run perpendicular to the image plane. As a result, one of the

- 11 -

both hook sections 3 8 upwards, the second hook section 3 8 downwards from the layer 22. The shaft section 3 6 is accommodated in the layer 22 or attached to its top or bottom. In the variant of a hook element 18 shown in Figure 8, the hook section 38 is also wound in a spiral shape. This means that, by utilizing the elasticity of the hook element 18, when a force is applied in the arrangement shown in Figure 8 from above or from below, the hook sections 38 bend towards the middle position. This means that the overall height required by the closure is as low as possible.

Figure 9 shows an example of another 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 a surface. Figure 9a shows a perspective view of such an embodiment of a hook element 18 with two hook sections 36, Figure 9b shows a top view and Figure 9c shows a side view.

However, instead of the planar outline, see Figure 9, it is also possible to provide a surface as a shaft element 36, as is shown schematically in Figure 10. This embodiment is particularly suitable for applications in which the flexibility of the closure is of secondary importance. If the base area is made of sheet metal, openings 40 can be punched into this base area. The areas partially separated from the base area by punching can be bent up to form hook sections 38. As indicated by the dashed lines, such a shaft section 36 can carry several hook sections 38, which can also be bent over to the underside of the base area. The openings 40 created by the punching and bending process can be used to sew such a hook element 18 onto the desired elastic fabric.

In particular, when using the fastener according to the invention on textiles, it can be provided that a fabric is incorporated into the layer closest to the skin surface that is impenetrable to the tips of the hook elements. It can also be provided that, instead of this or in addition, the outermost layer, i.e. the layer furthest from the skin, also has such a fabric incorporated in order to protect subsequent layers of textile fabric from damage.

In an embodiment not shown, both sides, or all three sides, of a closure are formed from identical material, i.e. 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 arranged parallel and with the same orientation.

The hook elements 18 and the associated loop elements 16 are to be adapted to the intended use with regard to their external dimensions, whereby for use as a body fastener, dimensions of the hook section 38 and thus of the loop elements 16 of less than 2 mm are preferred.

Claims (18)

Dr. Rudolf Turk Attorney file: 24315 German utility model application Closure for elastic materials Claims: 1. A fastener for elastic materials, in particular textiles, with a first side having a plurality of individual hook elements and a second side having a plurality of loop elements, wherein the hook elements have a shaft portion and at least one hook portion, characterized in that that the shaft portion extends substantially parallel to the plane of the surface of the first side and the at least one hook portion protrudes from the plane formed by the surface of the first side and is substantially open in a direction parallel to this plane. 2. Closure according to claim 1,
characterized, that the at least one hook section is elastic. 3. Closure according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the shaft section of a hook element or several associated hook elements is flat or describes a flat area. 4. Closure according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the shaft section is essentially linear is. 5. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first side has both hook elements whose hook section extends into the space opposite the second side, and hook elements whose hook section extends into the space facing away from the second side. 6. Closure according to claim 5,
characterized, that at least one hook section extends from the shaft section into the space opposite the second side and at least one hook section extends into the space facing away from the second side. 7. Closure according to claim 5 or 6,
characterized, that the closure has a third side which is arranged in the space facing away from the second side. 8. Closure according to claim 7,
characterized, that the third page is structured like the second page. 9. Closure according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second side has both loop elements which extend into the space opposite the first side and loop elements which extend into the space facing away from the first side. 10. Closure according to claim 9,
characterized, that the closure has a third side which is arranged in the space facing away from the first side. 11. Closure according to claim 10, characterized in that the third side is constructed like the first side. 12. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plane of the hook portion 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 portion extends spirally out of the plane of the respective surface. 14. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a fabric impenetrable to the hook elements is incorporated into at least one of the sides. 15. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hook elements and/or the loop elements are made of metal or plastic. 16. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the loops and/or the hook elements run parallel and are uniformly aligned. 17. Closure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the side having the hook elements or the sides having the hook elements additionally have loops and the side having the loops or the sides having the loops additionally have hook elements. 18. Closure according to claim 17, characterized in that the material used for the first and second sides or for the first, second and third sides is identical.