A method of making a mechanical fastener. The method includes providing a slit web having mechanical fastening elements, applying tension to the slit web in the machine direction, and spreading the slit web in the cross-machine direction by moving the slit web over a crowned surface to provide a spread mechanical fastening web. The slit web includes a plurality of interrupted slits that are interrupted by intact bridging regions of the web. The crowned surface may be an air bearing, or at least a portion of the crowned surface is a low-friction surface, and the crowned surface and the slit web are not moving at the same speed in the same direction. The crowned surface may be provided with at least one ridge.

Systems and kits for decorating walls include a plurality of dcor assemblies and a plurality of complementary fastening structures. The dcor assemblies include a dcor element and a releasable fastening structure providing first fastening elements. The complementary fastening structure includes a base, a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on the base, and second fastening elements. The first fastening elements are releasably mateable with the second fastening elements to define a releasable fastening system. During use, a complementary fastening structure is releasably applied to a wall, and is connected to and supports one of the dcor assemblies via the releasable fastening system. The releasable fastening system can comprise low profile hooks and loops, exhibiting relatively low holding power.

Systems and kits for decorating walls include a plurality of dcor assemblies and a plurality of complementary fastening structures. The dcor assemblies include a dcor element and a releasable fastening structure providing first fastening elements. The complementary fastening structure includes a base, a pressure sensitive adhesive disposed on the base, and second fastening elements. The first fastening elements are releasably mateable with the second fastening elements to define a releasable fastening system. During use, a complementary fastening structure is releasably applied to a wall, and is connected to and supports one of the dcor assemblies via the releasable fastening system. The releasable fastening system can comprise low profile hooks and loops, exhibiting relatively low holding power.

A system of attachment surface structures that find their best use in the form of repeatedly removable straps and bands for securing one object to another. The surfaces are preferably constructed of narrow sheets of flexible polymer plastic materials having generally high tensile strength. A first embodiment includes shaped parallel ridges on one surface that interlock with mating parallel ridges on an opposing surface. These parallel ridges may be double sided (interlocking on both sides of each shaped ridge with the next shaped ridge on either side) or single sided (interlocking with a single ridge oriented 180 degrees from the first). Further embodiments include an array of shaped posts of various regular geometric shapes that interlock with an opposing array of identical posts.

A method of modifying a male fastener of a fastening system includes feeding a web having a base substrate and a male fastening material to a modifying member having an outer surface. The male fastening material has a plurality of male fasteners with a first, unmodified profile. The profile of at least some of the plurality of male fasteners of the male fastening material are modified by engagement of the plurality of male fastener with the outer surface of the modifying member and by causing the plurality of male fasteners to slip along the outer surface of the modifying member. A modified male fastening material includes a plurality of male fasteners modified from a first profile to a second, different profile by passing the male fastening material over the outer surface of the modifying member.

The present invention relates to rolls of an elongated material and to methods of manufacturing fastening tabs.

A method of making a mechanical fastener. The method includes providing a slit web having mechanical fastening elements, applying tension to the slit web in the machine direction, and spreading the slit web in the cross-machine direction by directing its side edges over two rotating diverging disks to provide a spread mechanical fastening web. The slit web includes a plurality of interrupted slits that are interrupted by intact bridging regions of the web. The two rotating diverging disks are laterally spaced and have a support surface between them that contacts the slit web during the spreading. The spread mechanical fastening web includes multiple strands of the slit web attached to each other at least at some of the intact bridging regions and separated from each other between at least some of the intact bridging regions.

Embodiments related to a touch fastener and its methods of manufacture and use are disclosed. In one embodiment, the touch fastener may include a substrate with a first portion and a second portion displaceable relative to the first portion. A first fastening element may be formed in the first portion. When the first portion is displaced relative to the second portion, a force and/or moment generated by the displacement may cause the first fastening element to be deployed.

A method of forming a male touch fastener product with a resin surface and an array of spaced-apart male touch fastener elements carried on the surface. Each touch fastener element has a stem extending from the surface and a head disposed at a distal end of the stem and extending laterally from the stem to a distal edge overhanging the surface. The head, stem and surface form a contiguous mass of resin. The distal edge has multiple toes extending laterally outward and varying in shape and size about the edge, with adjacent toes having facing, free-form resin surfaces defining crevices therebetween. The fastener element is particularly flexible and engages with very fine fibers.

Fastening part includes: a two-dimensional arrangement of engagement elements including a plurality of engagement elements arranged corresponding to a plurality of lattice points of a planar lattice; a plurality of first ribs; a plurality of second ribs, and a plurality of apertures formed in a fastening region in which the two-dimensional arrangement is provided. The first rib connects the engagement elements adjacently arranged in a first direction. The second rib connects the engagement elements adjacently arranged in a second direction that is different from the first direction. The plurality of first ribs and/or the plurality of second ribs is arranged to allow the plurality of apertures to include two or more apertures each having an aperture area corresponding to two or more unit cells of the planar lattice.