Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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~ he present invention relates to snap fasteners and more
particularly the invention is directed to snap fastener elements
molded from plastic material. The invention also relates to
fasteners attached to a supporting member to form a complete assembly
of two joined members.
Heretofore, snap fasteners were usually made of metal but
it has now been recognized that when such fasteners are made of a
plastic they have certain advantages as compared to metal snap
fasteners in respect to economy and ease of manufacture, enhanced
appearance, adaptability to be colored as desired for any
application, and ease of securing to a supporting member.
It is the general object of the invention to provide such
a plastic snap fastener possessing the aforesaid advantages while
at the same time to provide an improvement over the snap ~astener
of the type as shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,083,429 issued to N.M.
~arlow et al on April 2~ 1963, 3,243,858 issued to E. Melanson on
April 5, 1966 and 3,270,385 issued to E. Melanson on September 6,
1966. Each of these patents shows a strip of snap fastener
components of the stud and socket type, and, in the latter two
patents, the components are dielectrically heat sealed to a
supporting member whereas the components in the former patent are
secured to supporting member by a high frequency heat sealing method.
Another object of the invention is to provide a plastic
snap fastener in which the separable elements are effec-tively
aligned and securely heat sealed to supporting members for
repeatedl~ joining and dis~oining the members with ease thus
providing5for example, an improvement over the fastener disclosed
in U.S. Patent No. 3~152,376~ issued to R.J. Boser et al on
October 13 ~ 1964.
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~ccprdingly th0 snap fa~tener ass,embly of the ,invention :~or
jo~ning together supporting material or substrates compr~ses (a) first and
second elemen~s comprising a heat sealable thermoplastic material; (b) each
of said elements comprising a circular base with a cylinder projecting
therefrom; ~c) each of said cylinders bei,ng smaller in diameter than its
respective base; ~d) the cylinder of the first element being solid and
having a peripheral rib near the free end thereof; (e) the cylinder of the
second element being hollow with its free end open said second element
cylinder having an interior wall surface with a peripheral rib located thereon
near the free end of said second element cylinder; ~f) the inner diameter
of said second cylinder being greater than the outer diameter of the first
cylinder said elements being secured by the interaction of their respective
ribs whereby the first element can snap fasten thereinto; ~g) a pair of
: superimposed substrates having apertures which complement and receive the
element cylinders, said substrates each comprising material which is heat
sealable to said fastener elements; (h) the cylinder of the first element
projecting through one of said apertures and the cylinder of the second ele-
ment projecting through said other aperture in a manner to permit said
first element to snap fasten into said second element and join said substrates;
and, ~i) a heat seal between the surface of the base of each element from
which the cylinder projects and the peripheral area of the aperture in each
substrate, said seal being the sole means of securing each element to each
substrate.
~he fastener elements are heat sealed to the superimposed substrates
in a manner to permit joining and disjoining the substrates without placing
excessiveorce directly on the seal securing the elements to their respective
substrates.
In the drawings which are attached hereto and made a part of this
specification:
Figure 1 is a top plan view of an element made in accordance with
the first embodiment of the present in~ention;
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Figu~e 2 ls a section vie~ along lipes 2 2 of Fîgure 1,
~ ure 3 ~s a cro~s~eC~ n V~e~; throug~the elements
o~ t~e ~irst em~odiment of the ~l~vent~on ~ho~ng the elements
inte~engag~d;
~gure 4 is a top plan v~e~ of an element made in
accordance ~t~ t~e ~eco~d em~od~ment o~ tae p~e~ent invention;
~gure 5 i~ a 6ectlonal vie~ along line~ 5-5 o~
Yigu~a 4;
~gure 6 is a cross ~ection vie~ through the elements
1~ Of the second embodiment of the invention se~ured to a substrate
~ho~ing the elements interenga~ed;
Fi~ure 7 i~ a perspective view o a bag embodying the
invention; and,
Figure 8 is a top plan vie~ of a fastener according to
the pre~ent in~ention attached to fllm and ~howîng the seal
securing the fastener to the film.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMæODIMENT
In Figures 1 and 2~ element 1 of the faste~er assembly
or unit of the first embodiment is shown which includes a single, molded~
piece of plastic having a rela~iv ly wide and preferably
circular base 3 with a stud which i8 prefer~bly a solid
cylinder 4 located centrally thereo. As shown in ~igure 2
ther~ i8 a ridge or rib 6 at least partially around the outer
periph2ry of the open end of the cylinder.
~a can ~e fiaen in Figure 3, a complementar~ element
o~ t4~ ~nap astener aasembl~ ia o~ a s~milar configuration~ i.e.9
a ~aae 5 aaVipg a cy~inde~ 7 pro~ect~n~ from the center thareof
~it~ a r~ 8 on t~e ~nner per~p~er~ o~ t~e open cnd of the c~linder.
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The inner diameter of element 2 ia greater than the outer
diameter of element 1 to th~ extel~t to pe~mit the ri~ of
element 1 to en~er past tRe ~nner r~ o~ element 2 in anap
engagement as- 8hown In ~gure 3. T~e crlinders may be any
6hape, preferably circular, a~ long ~s the c~llnder~ of
cooperat~ye elements o~ a fastener assem~ are ~e same shape
or are geometr~call~ compat~le to permit the joining and
disjoining t~ereof. The natural res-tlienc~ of thermoplastic
material~ makes such materials preferred for the snap fasteners
o~ this ~n~Qntion as such resiliency perm~ts easy ~oining and
dis~oining o~ t~e snap fastener elements.
Re~erring now to ~igures 4-69 ~here i~ seen the similarity
of the elementc or parts and the operation of same of the first
and ~econd em~odiment~ of this invention. Element~ 11 and 12
of the snap fastener unit or aasem~ly of the second embodimen~
~nclude bases 13 and 15 with goIid and hollow cyl~nders 14 and 17
re~pectively proJecting up~ardl~ therefrom, eac~ having a rib~
16 and 18, respectively. A6 s~own~ ri~ 16 ia around the uppermoat
part of the outside wall of c~linder 14 of element ll, and rib 18
i3 around t~ uppermost part of the inner wall of the cyllnder.
Baaes 13 and 15 have a raised portion or collar 20 and 22
immediately ad~acent and surrounding cyllnder~ 14 and 17,
reapectivel~.
The ~nap fastener elementa are each formed of heat ~ealable
type plastic which i~ auitable for molding and has the required
rigiditr after lding. Such plaatic~ are well ~nown in the art
and include auch ma~erial~ as ma~ be derivad from polyethylene,
polyprop~lene~ polyvinyl c~loride, or ~lends or combinations of
an~ o~ the~e or o~her known ~hermoplastic resin~.
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Referring to Figure 6, there i6 illustrated an a6sembly
or unit embod~ing the invention wherein the elements of the second
embodiment are shown interengaged and attac~ed to superimposed
layers of a su~strate or supporting ~en~er A. rt i3 to be
understood that the ele~ents of ~ot~ em~od~ments mar be attached
in th~e ~ame manner, ~ut for t~e 6ake of B~ev~t~ onl~ the elements
o~ th~ aecond emaodiment will Be de~cr$bed.
T~e ~uperimposed la~er~ of substrate or article A have
colnc~dent apertures t~rough which ~e c~linder and collar o the
1~ respect~ve elemante pro~ect. The base of the elemen~ may be
secured to the supporting me~ber in any suitable manner, preferably
'heat sealed. As shown in Figure 6 heat 6eal B may be completely
or partially around the collar; i.e., it may ~e a horse shoe-
shsped- sea~ or part of a circle. (See, e.g. seal B in Figure 8.)
From Figure 6 several par~lcular advan~ages of the
present invention may be appreciated. First, each fastener
element iR adhered onl~ to one side of the film with its coupling
or fastenlng member, i.e. stud or socket, pro~ecting through an
aperture ~o that the force of unsnapping the element is carried
by the whQle upper surface of t~e base of the element bearing
again~t the film ~o that the seal itself does not have to be
subjected ~o such force. In some prior art snap fasteners in
which the ~ase and the coupling member are on the same side of the
~ film, the ~eal itself carries all of the force of the unsnapplng
operation. In such fastener6, ~he seal can easily be broken and
the fastener pulled from the film. The film ma~ even tear as
heat ~ealing operations ~11 of~en weaken the seal around ~he
~aa~ener.
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In other p~ior art snap asteners in which the base has
twq aections, each o~ t~e twa ~ase sections ~elng on opposite
sides of t~e ~ilm and the two ~ections ~ng ~o~ned b~ multiple
penetrations of t~e f~lm, t~e ~orce of d~,sengaging or unanapping
the elemen~s is carried' throu~ ta~ penetrations. Eaca
penetrat~on w~ea~ens t~e film and often the penetra~ions serve
as ipit~,at~ng point~ from ~ch a tear will propagate. Also the
incraas~ng num6er of component~ for`eac~ snap faatener makes
t~e process of securing t~e fa~teners to the bag slower and more
lQ cumbersome. T~e snap fastener assembl~ of the present invention
overcome~ the above mentioned disadvantages in t~e prior ar~; and,
as can be seen in Figure 6,, a m~numum numt~er of film penetrations
are re~uired and the uncoupling force is di6tributed over a
relatiYal~ wide area.
F~gure 7 shows a reclosable thermoplastic bag 30 having
a flap 32 and a ~od~ 34 with the ele~ents of the fastener
assembl~ attached thereto. Either one of t~e cooperative element~
ma~ be attached to the flap and thQ other cooperating element
attached to t~e ~ody of ~e ~ag to permit the clo~ing and opening
2~ of t~e bag; but, it i~ preferable for stud 11 to be on the 1ap 32.
The article or bag 30 ma~ ~e made of an~ ~uitat~le heat
sealable material a~ lis~ed heretofore; pre~erably, the bag
and ~le~ent~ are made of the same type thermopla6tic material.
Fig~re 8 i3 a view looking down on a fragment of film
~; A which can be a bag wall to which the base 15 of a snap fastener
projecting through aperture 24 is sealed b~ seal B at least
pa~tiall~ around the aperture 24. T'~e portion of tha snap fastener
Wh~c~ pro~ect~ t~roug~ t~e aperture ~s ~ne ~ e coupl~ng m~mbers,
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i.e. either a stud or a socket, which as illustrated, is a socket 17. When
thermoplastic bag material i5 employed with a thermoplastic fastener, it is
often desirable that the upper surface of the base 15 in the area to which the
seal B is to be made be roughened. This roughening may be a regular grid-like
pattern or it may be a randomly roughened surface. The purpose of the rough-
ened surface is to provide more sealing surface area and to allow the pro-
jections caused by roughening to penetrate somewhat the film surface thus
promoting better adhesion.
In repeated use or in using automatic closing machinery, it has been
found desirable to make stud member 11 a solid cylinder rather than a hollow
cylinder as the thin wall of a hollow cylinder could be easily cracked if
too much force is applied when, in closing, the elements are misaligned.
The preæent invention can be used wherever it is desired to tempor-
arily join two supporting materials, particularly supporting materials which
are sheet-like in nature whether they be flexible or substantially rigid.
Besides bags, the invention can be used for raincoats, shower curtains, ca-rtons,
portfolios, and the like.
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