Forming continuous fastener material

Abstract

A method of reorienting directional features associated with manufacture of continuous fastener materials to produce products having such reoriented features, produces fastener products having an array of individual fastener elements extending from a sheet-form base, the fastener elements adapted to engage mating elements for releasable fastening. The method includes the steps of forming a continuous pre-form product having a planar base defining longitudinal edges and an array of fastener elements extending from the base; joining the longitudinal edges of the pre-form product to form a tube having a seam defined by the joined longitudinal edges; and severing the tube across the seam to form the fastener product with segments of seam extending between longitudinal edges of the fastener product. Various techniques for performing the method and various products taking unique advantage of these techniques are disclosed for providing novel fastener products.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method of forming a fastener product having an array of individual fastener elements extending from a sheet-form base, the fastener elements adapted to engage mating elements for releasable fastening, the method comprising the steps of: 
 forming a continuous pre-form product having a planar base defining longitudinal edges and an array of fastener elements extending from the base;    joining the longitudinal edges of the pre-form product to form a tube having a seam defined by the joined longitudinal edges; and    severing the tube across said seam to form the fastener product with segments of seam extending between longitudinal edges of the fastener product.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of forming the pre-form product includes continuously extruding resin and continuously molding the resin to form said array of fastener elements integrally with a surface of the pre-form product.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the fastener elements of the pre-form product comprise molded fastener elements overhanging the base to define an overhang direction, the overhang direction in the fastener product extending at least obliquely toward one of the longitudinal edges of the fastener product.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the overhang direction of the molded fastener elements in the fastener product extend perpendicular to the longitudinal edges of the fastener product.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the base of the pre-form product has a widthwise elastic region corresponding to a longitudinally elastic region in the fastener product.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein said method of forming the pre-form product includes introducing a sheet-form, uni-directionally elastic material to a pressure gap defined against a rotating mold roll, said uni-directionally elastic material having widthwise elasticity and being longitudinally inelastic to form the widthwise elastic region of the base of the preform product corresponding to the longitudinally elastic region in the fastener product.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the uni-directionally elastic material comprises at least one surface of exposed loop material engageable by said fastener elements.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the base of the fastener product is resiliently elastic within its plane.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the fastener elements are hook-shaped.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of severing comprises severing the tube to form a sheet-form fastener product, then slitting the sheet-form fastener product to form multiple continuous strips of fastener product.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of severing comprises severing the tube along a helical path.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of joining comprises wrapping the pre-form product to form a tube with opposite longitudinal edges of the pre-form product joined to form a helical seam about the tube; the step of severing comprising severing the tube along a longitudinal path to form said fastener product.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the step of forming the pre-form product further comprises shaping selvedge portions along the longitudinal edges of the pre-form product to facilitate joining the longitudinal edges to form the tube.  
     
     
         14 . A method of forming a strip-form fastener product having an array of individual fastener elements extending from a continuous base, the fastener elements adapted to engage mating elements for releasable fastening, the method comprising the steps of: 
 molding a continuous pre-form product having a planar base and an array of fastener elements extending from the base, the fastener elements overhanging the base to define an overhang direction;    joining the longitudinal edges of the pre-form product to form a tube; and    severing the tube to form the strip-form fastener product with the overhang direction of the fastener elements extending toward a longitudinal edge of the strip-form fastener product.    
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the step of severing comprises severing the tube along a helical path.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the step of joining comprises wrapping the pre-form product to form a tube with opposite longitudinal edges of the pre-form product joined to form a helical seam about the tube; the step of severing comprising severing the tube along a longitudinal path to form said fastener product.  
     
     
         16 . A continuous strip-form fastener product of finite width and having two longitudinal edges, the product comprising a series of joined pre-form tape segments, each having a planar base with opposite machine direction edges extending between longitudinal edges of the product, and an array of fastener elements extending from the base and arranged in rows parallel to the machine direction edges, adjacent tape segments permanently joined along seams at their machine direction edges.  
     
     
         17 . The continuous strip-form fastener product of  claim 16  wherein the array of fastener elements comprises rows of molded hooks, each hook having a head overhanging the base in a direction parallel to the machine direction edges of the pre-form tape segments and a direction extending toward a longitudinal edge of the fastener product.  
     
     
         18 . The continuous strip-form fastener product of  claim 16  wherein the pre-form tape segments further comprise elastic zones having resiliency in a direction transverse to the machine direction edges of the pre-form tape, the elastic zones forming zones of increased longitudinal elasticity in the strip-form fastener product.  
     
     
         19 . The continuous strip-form fastener product of  claim 18  wherein at least one surface of said elastic zones comprises a loop material engageable by said fastener elements.