A fastening tape having flexibility in a longitudinal direction of the fastening tape. The fastening tape includes a plurality of fasteners, a support, and magnetic material positioned on the support. The support defines a plurality of plateaus and a plurality of valleys. The magnetic material is positioned on at least a portion of one of the plurality of plateaus or the plurality of valleys of the support such that a height of the magnetic material varies in the longitudinal direction. Because the height of the magnetic material varies, the fastening tape is more flexible in the longitudinal direction. In some cases, the fastening tape is also flexible in the lateral direction.

The present invention relates to a molded hook fastener having excellent fire retardancy and low fuming property, and having a substrate and a large number of engaging elements projecting from a surface of the substrate, wherein both the substrate and the engaging elements contain a resin composition in which a polyester-based elastomer resin (A) and a polyetherimide-based resin (B) are mixed with a weight ratio (A)/(B) in a range of 2/98 to 70/30.

A laminated touch fastener is made in a continuous process on a mold roll. Flowable resin is pressed against the mold roll in limited areas to form projections extending from resin layers that are laminated to a flexible substrate while carried on the mold roll. In one example a continuous channel about the mold roll is positioned such that the resin at least partially fills the channel as the layers are formed, thereby forming in the channel a raised portion in which the resin layer is of a greater thickness than at a point between the projections and the raised portion. In another example, grooves in the mold roll receive ribs of a pressure applicator during forming of the layers, the ribs blocking lateral flow of the resin to form a desired edge profile.

A method of forming a continuous sheet of pleated, hook-form, fastener product includes training a substrate about a pressure roll having an outer surface defining circumferential grooves. As the substrate approaches a nip between the pressure roll and a mold roll calendered with the pressure roll, a portion of the substrate is disposed within a corresponding one of the grooves between the pressure roll and a stationary horn extending into the groove whereby a longitudinally-extending pleat is formed in the substrate. The pleated substrate is then passed through the nip where resin regions are laminated to a side of the substrate opposed to the pleat.

A molded surface fastener has engagement regions in which engaging elements are disposed in an erect manner and space regions with no engaging elements, the engagement regions and the space regions alternating in the longitudinal direction. Each space region has a pair of left and right vertical wall portions that are disposed on a substrate portion in an erect manner and a convex rib portion that protrudes from the center of the substrate portion in the width direction, and the convex rib portion is integrally connected to a main lateral wall portion disposed in the width direction of the engagement region. By implementing a simple cutting process, this molded surface fastener can be easily adapted to usages in which the fastener has to be in a curved shape bending in the width direction.

A laminate of an at least partially reticulated thermoplastic film joined to an extensible carrier. The reticulated thermoplastic film includes a backing with openings and discrete elements protruding from the first major surface. There are two discrete elements aligned in a first direction abutting opposite ends of any given opening. In a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, there is one discrete element between the given opening and an adjacent opening aligned in the second direction. Each portion of the thermoplastic backing around the given opening is plastically deformed in its lengthwise direction. A method of making a laminate is also disclosed. The method includes stretching a thermoplastic backing having a plurality of discrete elements in the first direction and laminating the backing to an extensible carrier. Subsequently stretching the laminate in a second direction forms a tear in the thermoplastic backing between two adjacent of the discrete elements.

A method is presented of forming protrusions in a portion of a substrate. The method may include providing a first device comprising an outer surface; providing a second device including a source of vibration energy; forming a nip between the source of vibration energy and the outer surface; conveying the substrate through the nip; forming the protrusions in the portion of the substrate in the nip using the source of vibration energy; and inspecting one or more characteristics of the substrate using a vision system.

A molding apparatus (10) for forming a retaining device. The molding apparatus (10) comprises a molding strip (12) and a molding support (24). The molding strip (12) has an inside face (14), an outside face (16), and a plurality of through cavities (18) extending from the outside face (16) to the inside face (14), the molding strip (12) extending in a longitudinal direction (X) and presenting both a transverse direction (Y) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X), and also a height direction (Z) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (X) and to the transverse direction (Y). The inside face (14) is configured to press against a molding face (26) of the molding support (24), wherein the inside face (14) of the molding strip (12) and/or the molding face (26) of the molding support (24) includes an array of passages, the array of passages forming vents and connecting together the cavities (18) when the molding strip (12) is pressed against the molding support (24).

A male touch fastener product has an array of discrete fastening elements extending from a resin base. The elements are formed by molding stems and then deforming at least a rim of a distal end of each head to form an overhanging mushroom-type fastener element. Some are deformed against a hard surface to form flat fastener elements, and others are deformed against a compliant surface and form umbrella-shaped fastener elements. The fastener element heads feature particular structural relationships that enhance their performance, particularly with low-lying fibers.

A cinching device includes: a buckle including a frame defining an opening; an elongate flexible strap coupled to one portion of the frame and extending away from the frame to a freestanding distal tongue receivable by the opening of the frame, the strap including a first face carrying a plurality of loop-engageable discrete fastening elements and an opposing second face carrying a loop material; and a tab coupled to another portion of the frame, the tab including an exposed touch fastening face engageable with at least one of: the plurality of fastening elements of the first face of the strap or the loop material of the second face of the strap.