Article

This application claims a benefit of Japanese Utility-model Application No. 2024-001831 filed in Japan on Jun. 5, 2024 (which has been matured into Registered utility model No. 3247754), the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The present disclosure relates to an article, in particular, an article including male and female fastening parts which are mutually engageable.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2007-44139 (D1) relates to a male fastening part of so-called hook-and-loop fastener, disclosing that a feature (see claim 1 of D1) relating to size ratio and density overcomes various problems associated with attachment of an absorbable member to an underwear and the like (one of the various problems relates to a reduction of naps on an underwear).

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2004-522538 (D2) similarly relates to a male fastening part of hook-and-loop fastener, disclosing that a feature (see claim 1 of D2) relating to an aspect ratio contributes to a skin-friendly attribute. D2 discloses that the hooks are produced from a polymer having a volume bend elastic constant of 48 MPa to 207 MPa (See paragraph 0063 and Claim 4 of D2).

In a state where a hook-and-loop fastener is secured to an article by sewing or the like, the male fastening part may be unintentionally brought into contact with a nappable surface of an article component other than the female fastening part (e.g. a fabric surface in the vicinity of the female fastening part). If such contact were repeated multiple times (e.g. dozens, hundreds, or thousands of times), a situation may occur where naps rise on the surface of the article component, and the male engagement elements may engage with the threads (which may be referred to as filaments) of the rising naps, causing the article component to have degraded appearance. Note that, there is a prerequisite demand that the male fastening part be designed for repeated engagement and disengagement with the female fastening part, and therefore designing the male engagement elements dedicated for suppressing the naps on a surface of article component would be not possible.

As appreciated from the foregoing descriptions, there is a request to address a phenomenon of naps caused by unintentional contact of a male fastening part with a nappable region of article, while ensuring sufficient reliability of engagement between male and female fastening parts.

The present inventors have earnestly analyzed the above-noted phenomenon, and have identified one factor that threads (alternatively filaments) on the nappable surface of the article component are hit and soften by the male engagement elements before devising the following inventions.

Article according to an aspect of the present disclosure may include: male and female fastening parts secured onto separate locations on the article, the male and female fastening parts being mutually engageable; and at least one article component having a nappable region with which the male fastening part is brought into contact at least partially. The male fastening part includes a multiplicity of male engagement elements where male engagement elements are two-dimensionally arranged, the multiplicity of male engagement elements including two or more male engagement elements each having a top surface that is brought into contact with the nappable region. The respective ones of the male engagement elements of the multiplicity of male engagement elements or of the two or more male engagement elements are made of a same polymer material having a bend elastic constant of 800 MPa or less, or 500 MPa or less, or 450 MPa or less.

In some embodiments, the female fastening part includes a multiplicity of loops where respective loops are upright as a multiplicity of female engagement elements, and the nappable region includes a woven or knitted structure where respective unit structures of the woven or knitted structure are laid-down. The woven or knitted structure includes a group of piles where piles are two-dimensionally arranged. A maximum number of the unit structures contacted by one top surface is 9 or less, 7 or less, or 5 or less. A minimum number of the unit structures contacted by one top surface is 2 or more, or 3 or more.

In some embodiments, the bend elastic constant of the polymer material is 100 MPa or more or 150 MPa or more.

In some embodiments, the male engagement element includes a stem and at least one protrusion protruding from the stem, the top surface being a curved surface.

In some embodiments, the top surface has a larger width in a first direction along which the at least one protrusion protrudes from the stem, and a smaller width in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, the smaller width may be ⅖ or less of a pitch interval of the male engagement elements or of the rows of the male engagement elements in the second direction. The smaller width may be ⅕ or less of the pitch interval. The smaller width may be in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm (alternatively 0.45 mm to 0.75 mm).

In some embodiments, the male engagement elements of the multiplicity of male engagement elements are arranged at a density in a range of 20 pieces/cmto 100 pieces/cm.

In some embodiments, the at least one article component is a composite material in which nappable piles are formed on a surface of a soft layer. The article may be a wetsuit, sportswear, clothing, bag or pouch.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, naps on a nappable surface of an article component are suppressed.

Hereinafter, non-limiting embodiments and features of the present invention would be discussed with reference to drawings. In a case where an article is a wearable article on a human body, an inward direction matches a direction directed to the human body, and an outward direction matches a direction directed away from the human body. In a case where an article is not a wearable article on a human body, the inward and outward directions may be redefined in light of a main feature of the article. For example, in a case where the article is a bag, its main feature lies in its accommodation space, and thus the inward direction matches a direction directed to the accommodation space and the outward direction matches a direction directed away from the accommodation space.

illustrates an articleaccording to a non-limiting example, i.e. a portion around a neck of a wetsuit, which includes male and female fastening parts,and at least one article component. The articleis a wetsuit and the article componentthereof is a fabric portion of the wetsuit, not necessarily limited to this though. The article componentmay be a composite member having a nappable woven or knitted structure (e.g. piles) formed on a surface of a soft layer.

In more detail, the wetsuit is produced by sewing multiple fabric pieces of a given thickness (3 mm, 5 mm or the like) with waterproofness and heat-insulating capability. Each fabric piece may have a soft layer such as a lubber-made sponge layer with multiple pores; and a skin layer formed on (e.g. laminated on or embedded in) one or both sides of the soft layer. The skin layer may include a woven or knitted structure for a purpose of better contact with a human skin, and this may be referred to as a jersey layer. The woven or knitted structure may typically include nappable piles, but other structures may be employed instead. Of course, the fabric of the wetsuit may be used in articles other than the wetsuits in some cases.

The male and female fastening parts,configure a so-called hook-and-loop fastener, and are respectively secured onto separate locations on the articlein a mutually engageable manner. In detail, the two parts are arranged on both sides of a slide fastener extending from a neck toward a waist of a wetsuit. As described below, a fabric portion around the female fastening partincludes a nappable regionwith which the male fastening partmay be brought into contact at least partially. Note that, the nappable regionis not necessarily formed on the external side of the fabric portion, and may be formed on the internal side of the fabric portion. It is envisaged that the male fastening partmay abut on the fabric portion on the back side of the female fastening part(i.e. the internal side of the fabric portion) due to the softness of the fabric portion.

The male fastening partmay be produced through a common injection molding using top and bottom molds or may be produced by using an extruder and a die wheel having a peripheral surface where molding cavities are arranged. The female fastening partmay be produced (e.g. woven) from a multiplicity of threads by using an automatic loom. Needless to say, there is no limitation on the number of the male and female fastening parts,included in the article.

Taking thein front of a reader, the male fastening partis secured (e.g. through sewing or adhesive or the like) on the inner surface of the fabric portionon the left side of the slide fastener, and the female fastening partis secured (e.g. through sewing or adhesive or the like) on the external surface of the fabric portionon the right side of the slide fastener. When a user takes on or off the wetsuit, the user cannot see his or her own back side. Thus, there may be situations where the male fastening partis pushed onto the nappable regionof the fabric portionas being shifted rightward from the female fastening partas shown in. To cancel this condition, the user needs to pull the fabric portionoff the fabric portion, and then pushes the fabric portiononto the fabric portionagain. It would be fine if just one action successfully results in shifting fromtobut if not, further repeating actions would be required. As a result, the contact (i.e. pushing or pressing) of the male fastening partonto the nappable regionwould be repeated. The repetition of such action in a long term would cause naps raised in the nappable region.

Now, the male fastening partwill be described. For the sake of description, a height direction D, a front-rear direction D, and a lateral direction Dare defined for the male fastening part. As be appreciated from the following description, the height direction Dmatches a standing direction of a male engagement elementfrom a first base layer. The front-rear direction Dis one direction orthogonal to the height direction D, and matches a protruding direction of a protrusionfrom a stem(therefore, this direction may be reversed between the arrays of male engagement elements). The lateral direction Dis a direction orthogonal to the height direction Dand the front-rear direction D.

The male fastening parthas a first base layerand a multiplicity of male engagement elements Gwhere male engagement elementsare two-dimensionally arranged on a main surface of the first base layer. The first base layerand each of the male engagement elementsare molded integrally from a same polymer material, and the first base layerand the respective male engagement elementsare continuous integrally. The first base layeris typically formed to have a constant thickness but may be thinned partially. The first base layeris secured onto the inner surface of the fabric portionby sewing, adhesion, welding or the like, and each male engagement elementof the multiplicity of male engagement elements Gprotrudes (e.g. inwardly) from the fabric portion

The multiple male engagement elements Gare arranged two-dimensionally i.e. in M columns and N rows, M and N each indicating a natural number of 2 or more (see). Typically, the multiple male engagement elements Gare arranged two-dimensionally at an arrangement density in a range of 20 pieces/cmto 100 pieces/cm. If it is less than 20 pieces/cm, there is a possibility that the articlemay not have a sufficient peel strength and shear strength based on the engagement of the elements Gwith the female fastening part. If it is greater than 100 pieces/cm, there is a possibility that naps are more likely raised in the nappable region.

Note that the peel strength is indicated by a force required to peel off one from the other of the engaged male and female fastening partsandin a perpendicular direction to the common plane (e.g. with picking an edge of the male fastening partand pulling it off the female fastening part). The shear strength is indicated by a force required to displace one relative to the other of the engaged male and female fastening partsandin the in-plane direction.

illustrates total nine male engagement elementsin 3 columns*3 rows, but the number is merely an example.shows a column direction Dand a row direction Dwhich are referred if needed. The male engagement elementare arranged in the row direction Dsuch that adjacent male engagement elementsdefine an accommodation space for a loopof the female fastening partdescribed below. The male engagement elementsare arranged in the column direction Dsuch that formed are spaces allowing the loopsto access the male engagement elements.

Each male engagement elementis a type of hook with a direction of engagement restricted in one direction with respect to a circumferential direction of the element. Each male engagement elementincludes a stemthat stands on the main surface of the first base layer, and at least one (typically single) protrusionthat protrudes along the surface from the stem(e.g. a head of the stem) at a height away from the main surface of the first base layer. As the protrusionprotrudes from the stem, a space SPis formed between the protrusionand the main surface of the first base layer, allowing engagement between the loopand the protrusion

Description follows with reference to. The male engagement elementhas a top surface, a back surface(on the rear side in the front-rear direction), a front surface(on the front side in the front-rear direction), a terminal end surfaceand a concave surface. The front surfacerises substantially perpendicularly from the main surface of the first base layer. The back surfaceincludes a sloped surface that extends obliquely forward (toward the front surface) as rising from the main surface of the first base layer. Accordingly, the stemwould have a length in the front-rear direction that gradually decrease as being away from the first base layer. This may contribute in increased softness of the male engagement element.

The top surfacehas two curved surfaces on the both front and rear sides extending so as to gradually approach the first base layerfrom the highest position located farthest from the first base layer, and these curved surfaces are coupled to form an arch-like curved surface. The top surfacemay possibly be a flat surface, for example, that is parallel to a plane where the first base layeris provided, but may preferably be a curved surface from a viewpoint of softer contact with the nappable region. When the engaging side of the male fastening part(the multiplicity of male engagement elements G) is seen in the height direction, it is observed that the top surfaceand the back surfaceare adjacent in the front-rear direction for each male engagement element.

A boarder between the top surfaceand the terminal end surfaceis positioned in the plane L. A boarder between the top surfaceand the back surfaceis positioned in the plane L. The planes L,Lboth are orthogonal to a plane where the first base layerexists, and may be defined based on the following description for the respective male engagement elements. The plane Lis positioned at a location where an imaginary plane (not illustrated), orthogonal to the plane where the first base layerexists, is brought into initial contact with the protrusionof the male engagement elementafter being shifted rightward from an initial position on the left side of the male engagement elementtoward that male engagement elementwhenis seen in front of reader. Next, a plane Lis set which is parallel to the plane where the first base layerexists and includes a contact point Pbetween the male engagement elementand the plane L. The plane Lis positioned so as to include an intersection point Pwhere the plane Lintersects the male engagement elementon the opposite side of the contact point P.

Note that the terminal end surfaceis a curved surface that faces the main surface of the first base layerfrom an obliquely upward position. The concave surfaceis formed at an appropriate depth for engagement with the female engagement element (the loop). The concave surfaceis positioned on the opposite side of the top surfaceand contributes in increased softness of the protrusion

The male engagement elementhas side surfaces,by which its lateral width is defined in the lateral direction D(see). Typically, the side surfaces,are in the planes which are orthogonal to the lateral direction D, allowing the male engagement elementto have a constant lateral width and facilitating easier removal of the male engagement element off a molding cavity of a die wheel. The male engagement elementmay have auxiliary protrusionson the both sides of the stemin the lateral direction D, but these may be omitted. Arrangement of the auxiliary protrusionsallows the male engagement elementto have an increased mechanical strength and simultaneously a strengthened coupling with the first base layer. The auxiliary protrusionis formed to have a lower height than the stem, thus ensuring sufficient softness of the male engagement element. Note that, in, the planes L, Land Lare set at the center position of the male engagement elementin its width direction.

The male engagement elementmay possibly be a mushroom-type where a direction of engagement is not restricted with respect to the circumferential direction of the element. The mushroom-type male engagement element has a stem and a head, for example. The stem has a cross sectional shape of circle, oval or polygon or the like. The head is connected to the top end of the stem, and has a top surface of a circular or oval or other shape. The top surface of the head may be a flat or curved surface.

Further description will be made on the female fastening partand the nappable regionwith reference to. The female fastening partis secured onto the fabric portionby sewing, adhesion, welding or the like. The female fastening parthas a second base layerand a multiplicity of loops Gwhere respective loopsare upright on the main surface of the second base layer, as a group of female engagement elements. The multiplicity of loops Gmay include a random arrangement of the loops(see) or a regular arrangement of the loops(see), and even may include a combination or a mixture of the random and regular arrangements. In a case where the multiplicity of loops Gis configured regularly, the loopsmay be arranged two-dimensionally at a density in a range of 20 pieces/cmto 100 pieces/cmlikewise the multiplicity of male engagement elements G. Note that, the loopmay have a height that is equivalent to the height of the male engagement element. This ensures that the male engagement elementis smoothly caught by the loop. Equivalent incorporates a fluctuation in +/−5% of a prescribed value.

shows the female fastening partwhere the loopsare formed regularly. Each loopconsists of bundled plural threads (filaments). Pairs of loopsarranged in V-shape are repeatedly formed in the course direction, and this pattern repeats in the wale direction. Other manners of knitting may be employed instead.

shows a woven or knitted structure that is exposed in the nappable region, particularly a group of piles Gwhere pilesare two-dimensionally arranged. The pileconsists of loops of bundled plural threads. A unit structure of the woven or knitted structure, namely the pilesare laid-down, unlike the loops. Therefore, it would be rare for the male engagement elementto be caught by the pilewhich is in the laid-down state. However, if the male engagement elementswere repeatedly pushed onto the piles, the pilesmay be beaten and slackened, and the pilesor its component threads may likely rise up from the laid-down state toward the upright state, resulting in a state where the male engagement elementsare more likely caught by it. As a result, the male engagement elementmay be caught by the pile(s)or the component thread(s)in the right portion as shown in, possibly causing the nap(s) and deteriorating the appearance of the fabric portion. Note that the pileis positioned farther than the female fastening partwhen looked from the male fastening partbut this does not help in addressing the problem.

In the present embodiment, the multiplicity of male engagement elements Gincludes two or more male engagement elementseach having a top surfacethat is brought into contact with the nappable region. Furthermore, the respective male engagement elementsof the multiplicity of male engagement elements Gor of the two or more male engagement elementsare made of a same polymer having a bend elastic constant of 800 MPa or less, 500 MPa or less, or 450 MPa or less. This suppresses the above-noted beat-triggered rising of the unit structure of the woven or knitted structure by the male engagement element. Straightforwardly speaking, the male engagement elementsare softened sufficiently compared with common ones (e.g. the comparative example 2 noted below). This suppresses the unit structure of the woven or knitted structure from being easily slackened as beaten by the male engagement elementsparticularly by the top surfaces, thus avoiding deteriorated surface condition of the fabric portion. Preferably, the polymer material has a bend elastic constant of 100 MPa or more, or 150 MPa or more, ensuring sufficient engagement with the loopof the female engagement element. Note that the bend elastic constant should be measured based on JIS K 7171. The polymer material may include a polyester elastomer, but other elastomers such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polypropylene-polyethylene block copolymer, vinyl chloride, polyacetal, and polyamide may be used alternatively or additionally.

Not every male engagement elementof the multiplicity of male engagement elements Gmay be brought into contact with the nappable region, depending on respective planar sizes of or a relative position between the male fastening partand the female fastening part. Therefore, it is envisaged that the male engagement elementsof a subset of the multiplicity of male engagement elements Gare brought into contact with the nappable region. Regardless of this, the respective male engagement elementsof the multiplicity of male engagement elements Gare typically molded to have the same shape and the same size from a viewpoint of design or manufacturing efficiency.

The maximum number of the pilesof the woven or knitted structure (in the nappable region) contacted by one top surfacemay be 9 or less, 7 or less or 5 or less. In such case, the load received by each pilewould likely be not negligible relatively, likely causing the beat-triggered rising of the pilesand likely allowing the male engagement elementsto be caught. Therefore, there is a particular advantage in the use of the male fastening partaccording to the present disclosure. Note that, the pileis a non-limiting example of a unit structure of the woven or knitted structure (the same applies hereinbelow).

The minimum number of the pilescontacted by one top surfacemay be 2 or more, or 3 or more. The load is shared by the respective piles, suppressing the beat-triggered rising of the piles.

The above two conditions may be unified so that the number of the pilescontacted by one top surfacemay be in a range of 2 to 9, 2 to 7, or 2 to 5.

The top surfacemay have a larger width Win the front-rear direction D, and a smaller width Win the lateral direction D. The larger width Wis defined between the two planes Land Lnoted above. The smaller width Wis defined between two parallel planes including the above-noted side surfacesand(see) respectively. The smaller width Wmay be ⅖ or less of a pitch interval Pof the male engagement elementsor a pitch interval Pof the rows of the male engagement elements in the lateral direction D(see), and may optionally be ⅕ or more of the pitch interval P. According to this feature, it is smoothly facilitated that the number of the piles contacted by one top surfaceis within an appropriate range in relation to a common woven or knitted structure. The area of the top surfacemay be easily adjusted while suppressing an influence given to the arrangement density of the male engagement elementand the features (peel strength, shear strength) of the hook-and-loop fastener. Moreover, the features (peel strength, shear strength) of the hook-and-loop fastener may be improved likewise the working example 4 noted below. The peel strength is preferably 2.0 N/cm or greater, and may be much greater than this. The shear strength is preferably 5.0 N/cmor greater, and may be much greater than this.

Most typically, the pitch interval Pis in a range of 0.3 mm to 4.0 mm, or 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm. Additionally or alternatively, the smaller width is in a range of 0.3 mm to 0.9 mm, or in a range of 0.45 mm to 0.75 mm. The larger width is in a range of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, or in a range of 0.7 mm to 1.2 mm.

Aspect ratio (W/W) of smaller width/larger width may be 0.2 or more, or 0.4 or more. The smaller width may be purposely increased so as to increase the aspect ratio. Of course, if the aspect ratio were too large, smoother engage with loopof the female engagement element (with a common aperture size) may be difficult. Therefore, the aspect ratio is preferably 1.8 or less, or 0.7 or less.

By way of precaution, in the adjacent rows of the male engagement elementsin the lateral direction (column direction), the protrusionsprotrude from the stemsin opposite directions, but should not be limited to this. It is possible to reverse the protruding direction of the protrusion alternately every one-row or every two-rows. The article should not be limited to the wetsuit, and may be a sportswear or clothing, or a bag or pouch.

In the comparative examples 1, 2 and the working examples 1-3, respective male fastening part was repeatedly pushed over 1000 times with a same load onto a nappable region of a same pile structure, and the extent of naps in the nappable region was observed. The male engagement elements were hook-type as illustrated except for the comparative example 1, and were arranged as shown in the drawings. The density of the piles was about 5000 pieces/cm.

The comparative example 1 used male engagement elements which are configured by cutting loops of monofilaments instead of the hook-type male engagement elements. Polyamide having a bend elastic constant of 2800 MPa was used as the polymer material of the male fastening part. The arrangement density of the male engagement elements was 60 pieces/cm.

The comparative example 2 used a male fastening part which consists of a polymer material of polypropylene having a bend elastic constant of 1800 MPa. The arrangement density of the male engagement elements was 39.2 pieces/cm. The smaller width of the top surface was 0.3 mm. The larger width of the top surface was 1.05 mm.

The working example 1 used a male fastening part which consists of a polymer material of polyester elastomer having a bend elastic constant of 490 MPa. The arrangement density of the male engagement elements was 39.2 pieces/cm. The smaller width of the top surface was 0.3 mm. The larger width of the top surface was 1.05 mm.

The working example 2 used a male fastening part which consists of a polymer material of polyester elastomer having a bend elastic constant of 290 MPa. The arrangement density of the male engagement elements was 39.2 pieces/cm. The smaller width of the top surface was 0.3 mm. The larger width of the top surface was 1.05 mm.