Two-sided touch fastener material

Abstract

A two-sided touch fastener material includes a resin base having a front surface, an array of loop-engageable fastener elements extending from the front surface of the strip-form base and having stems of resin contiguous with resin of the front surface of the base, and a backing secured to the resin base on a side opposite the front surface, the backing extending across the resin base and including a web of non-woven fibers including fiber segments embedded in resin of the base, and a plurality of longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers extending through the web with fiber portions of the longitudinally continuous bundles exposed as loop elements engageable by the loop-engageable fastener elements, wherein the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers extend along a length of the base, are spaced apart across a width of the base, are partially embedded in resin of the base such that a thickness of resin of the base at the fibers is less than between the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers, and wherein the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers correspond to areas of weakened tear resistance of the touch fastener material.

1 . A two-sided touch fastener material comprising:
 a resin base having a front surface;   an array of loop-engageable fastener elements extending from the front surface of the strip-form base and having stems of resin contiguous with resin of the front surface of the base; and   a backing secured to the resin base on a side opposite the front surface, the backing extending across the resin base and comprising
 a web of non-woven fibers comprising fiber segments embedded in resin of the base; and 
 a plurality of longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers extending through the web with fiber portions of the longitudinally continuous bundles exposed as loop elements engageable by the loop-engageable fastener elements; 
   wherein the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers extend along a length of the base, are spaced apart across a width of the base, are partially embedded in resin of the base such that a thickness of resin of the base at the fibers is less than between the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers, and wherein the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers correspond to areas of weakened tear resistance of the touch fastener material.   
     
     
         2 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 1 , wherein the web of non-woven fibers comprises a batt of non-woven fibers. 
     
     
         3 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 1 , wherein the backing comprises a stitchbond fabric, of which the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers comprise stitching yarns stitched through the web of non-woven fibers. 
     
     
         4 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 3 , wherein the stitching yarns are stitched through the web of non-woven fibers at a stitching density of 15 to 25 stitches per square centimeter. 
     
     
         5 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 3 , wherein each stitching yarn is stitched through the web of non-woven fibers to define stitches of one to ten millimeters in length along the touch fastener material. 
     
     
         6 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 1 , wherein each longitudinally continuous bundle of fibers is part of a line of stitches that encircle groupings of staple fibers of the web. 
     
     
         7 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven fibers of the web are of a material different from a material of the fibers of the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers. 
     
     
         8 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 7 , wherein the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers are of polyethylene terephthalate and wherein the non-woven fibers are of polypropylene. 
     
     
         9 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 1 , wherein the loop elements extend to a distance of between 0.5 to 1.6 millimeters from the resin base. 
     
     
         10 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 1 , wherein the loop elements comprise portions of fibers having a denier of between 40 and 400. 
     
     
         11 - 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method of forming a strip-form fastener product, the method comprising:
 forming the two-sided fastener material of  claim 1 ; and then   tearing the formed fastener material longitudinally at one of the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers to form two strip-form fastener products with longitudinal edges formed by the tearing, such that the one longitudinally continuous bundle of fibers is exposed at one of the formed longitudinal edges.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein during tearing the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers confine tear propagation to a longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein forming the two-sided fastener material comprises sewing the longitudinally continuous bundles of fibers into the web of non-woven fibers. 
     
     
         27 . A two-sided touch fastener material comprising:
 a resin base having a front surface;   an array of loop-engageable fastener elements extending from the front surface of the strip-form base and having stems of resin contiguous with resin of the front surface of the base; and   a backing secured to the resin base on a side opposite the front surface, the backing extending across the resin base and comprising
 a web of non-woven fibers comprising fiber segments embedded in resin of the base; and 
 a plurality of longitudinally continuous monofilaments extending through the web with fibers exposed as loop elements engageable by the loop-engageable fastener elements; 
   wherein the longitudinally continuous monofilaments extend along a length of the base, are spaced apart across a width of the base, are partially embedded in resin of the base such that a thickness of resin of the base at the fibers is less than between the longitudinally continuous monofilaments, and wherein the longitudinally continuous monofilaments correspond to areas of weakened tear resistance of the touch fastener material.   
     
     
         28 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 27 , wherein the web of non-woven fibers comprises a batt of non-woven fibers. 
     
     
         29 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 27 , wherein the backing comprises a stitchbond fabric, of which the longitudinally continuous monofilaments comprise stitching yarns stitched through the web of non-woven fibers. 
     
     
         30 . The two-sided touch fastener material of  claim 27 , wherein the stitching yarns are stitched through the web of non-woven fibers at a stitching density of 15 to 25 stitches per square centimeter. 
     
     
         31 . The two-sided touch fastener material of any one of  claim 29 , wherein each stitching yarn is stitched through the web of non-woven fibers to define stitches of one to ten millimeters in length along the touch fastener material. 
     
     
         32 - 49 . (canceled) 
     
     
         50 . A method of forming a strip-form fastener product, the method comprising:
 forming the two-sided fastener material of  claim 27 ; and then   tearing the formed fastener material longitudinally at one of the longitudinally continuous monofilaments to form two strip-form fastener products with longitudinal edges formed by the tearing, such that the one longitudinally continuous monofilaments is exposed at one of the formed longitudinal edges.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein during tearing the longitudinally continuous monofilaments confine tear propagation to a longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         52 . (canceled)