The invention relates to a strip or lap comprising loops, in the form of a laminate with printed patterns. The laminate for forming a loop strip or lap, in particular the landing zone of nappies, includes at least one nonwoven layer having a lower face and an upper face opposite the lower face; at least one layer of ink applied to the upper face of at least the nonwoven layer; and at least one external textile layer from which loops project externally in order to engage with hooks of a self-fastening hook and loop device, at least one textile layer being secured to the upper face of at least the nonwoven layer.

A sheet of loop material having utility as the landing zone in the manufacture of, e.g. disposable diapers and having excellent properties and an exceptionally low basis weight. Methods and apparatus for forming the sheet of loop material are also disclosed.

An assembling apparatus is provided for continuously assembling male fasteners and female fasteners on a carrier sheet. The assembling apparatus includes two rollers each having a plurality of retaining holes, a suction device coupled to apply vacuum to the retaining holes, and two feeding devices for feeding male and female fasteners respectively to the two rollers. In the process of continuously advancing the carrier sheet to pass through the narrowest gap between the rollers, each male fastener retained on one of the rollers, once passing the narrowest gap, is permitted to extend through the carrier sheet to be brought into fastening engagement with the corresponding female fastener retained on the other one of the rollers.

An automatic process is provided for continuously assembling male and female fasteners on a carrier sheet, and includes a) continuously advancing the carrier sheet to pass through a narrowest gap between first and second rollers, b) sequentially feeding the male and female fasteners onto the first and second rollers, respectively, and c) rotating the first and second rollers to permit the male and female fasteners respectively on the first and second rollers to sequentially move into the narrowest gap. Each of the male fasteners, once moving into the narrowest gap, extends through the carrier sheet to be brought into fastening engagement with the corresponding female fastener in the narrowest gap.

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 head. 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.

A wearable article includes hook-and-loop fastening components. The hook-and-loop fastening components have a section of nonwoven web material on which an array of hooks is formed. At least some of the hooks may be integrally formed from the nonwoven material. The section of nonwoven web material may also include a section of loops material, wherein at least some of the loops may be integrally formed from the web material. The section of loops material may have a machine direction dimension of at least 20 mm and a cross direction dimension of at least 20 mm, and a surface area of at least 314 mm.sup.2. The article may further include an identifiable linear path, the identifiable linear path having a width greater than 2 mm and forming an angle with the machine direction of 45 degrees or less. Any such identifiable path at least partially overlies the loops-forming bond(s), at a plurality of locations along the identifiable linear path.

Provided is a molding apparatus used for manufacturing a molded surface fastener wherein a die wheel driving rotationally has a concentric double cylinder structure provided with an outer side cylindrical body that has provided therethrough a plurality of penetrating holes, and an inner side cylindrical body that has formed, in the outer peripheral surface thereof, a plurality of grooved portions, the grooved portions located in the inner side cylindrical body include a use grooved portion that intersects with the penetrating hole of the outer side cylindrical body and a non-use grooved portion that is covered by the inner peripheral surface of the outer side cylindrical body. By using this molding apparatus obtained is a molded surface fastener in which a plurality of types of engaging elements having different shapes in a plan view are arranged cyclically in a reference direction.

A claw scratcher system is provided having a block of corrugated cardboard material contained within a packaging housing. The packaging housing is formed having a containment bottom hingedly connected to a folding front face. The front face pivots from a first position, where it covers and contains the corrugated cardboard material, and rotates to the rear. The front face further has an extension leg 100 formed therein such that the housing has a dual functionality in forming an angular extension mechanism for presenting the scratcher in an inclined condition.

An active interlocking fastener system is adapted to control an interlock in response to an external stimulus. The interlocking fastener system includes a first element including a plurality of first interlocking fasteners. The interlocking fastener system also includes a second element including a plurality of second interlocking fasteners configured to couple to the first plurality of interlocking fasteners. The plurality of first interlocking fasteners or the plurality of second interlocking fasteners includes a reactive material configured to vary a mechanical engagement between the plurality of first interlocking fasteners and the plurality of second interlocking fasteners as a function of the external stimulus.

A wearable article includes hook-and-loop fastening components. The hook-and-loop fastening components have a section of nonwoven web material on which an array of hooks is formed. At least some of the hooks may be integrally formed from the nonwoven material. The section of nonwoven web material may also include a section of loops material, wherein at least some of the loops may be integrally formed from the web material. The section of loops material may have a machine direction dimension of at least 20 mm and a cross direction dimension of at least 20 mm, and a surface area of at least 314 mm.sup.2. The article may further include an identifiable linear path, the identifiable linear path having a width greater than 2 mm and forming an angle with the machine direction of 45 degrees or less. Any such identifiable path at least partially overlies the loops-forming bond(s), at a plurality of locations along the identifiable linear path.