Warp-knit support tape for hook and loop fasteners

A warp-knit support tape for hook and loop fasteners comprises a foundation including two needle stitches and laid-in weft threads, and a pile portion having chain stitches formed by sinker looping into a multiplicity of pile-loops. The tape system is rendered highly resistant to stretch in either direction. The pile-loops are arranged to line up alternately at the right and at the left of the wales and tilted sidewise alternately in opposite directions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a hook and loop fastener otherwise known as a 
velvet clasp fastener comprising two layers of fabric which are releasably 
engageable with each other. One of the fabric layers carries hook-shaped 
or male elements engageable with loop or female elements on the other 
fabric layer. The present invention is more specifically concerned with 
such hook and loop fasteners which comprise a warp-knit support tape 
carrying thereon a multiplicity of pile-loop elements and engageable with 
its mating hook-carrying tape. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A typical hook and loop fastener having a warp-knit support tape structure 
is known, as for example disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 
57-381, in which threads are formed into pile-loops by lateral lapping 
over every other wale on the tape, the pile-loops being anchored in place 
with their leg portions knitted into chain stitches of a foundation web. 
Such prior art fastener has a drawback in that due to pile-loops being 
formed by lapping over every other wale, the interstices of the web in 
between the pile and the foundation become coarse and weak so that the 
pile is prone to shift out of position and to get sometimes pulled off. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a 
hook and loop fastener which will eliminate the foregoing drawbacks of the 
prior art and which has a warp-knit support tape carrying thereon 
pile-loops or female elements securely held in place apainst displacement 
or dislocation. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a hook and loop fastener 
in which the pile-loops are arranged to provide increased opportunity of 
engagement with hook elements on the mating support tape. 
These and other objects and features of the invention will be better 
understood from the following detailed description taken with reference to 
the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a 
preferred form of a warp-knit support tape 10 to be used as a loop or 
female part of a hook and loop fastener. The support tape 10 consists of a 
pile portion 11 and selvage portions 12 and 13 extending warpwise on 
opposite sides of the pile portion 11. The pile portion 11 of the tape 10 
is constructed with two needle stitches 14, laid-in weft threads 15, both 
of which are laced together to make up a foundation of the tape 10, and 
chain stitches 16 which form a multiplicity of pile-loops 17. (FIG. 3) As 
shown in FIG. 2a, the chain stitch 16 is of an open lap having a Link No. 
1-0/0-0/0-1/1-1, and threads therefor are positively overfed about 1.5 
times the normal rate of feed of threads for the remaining stitches and 
formed by sinker looping into pile-loops 17 extending over every other 
course in overlapping relation to the knitting needles. The pile-loops 17 
are arranged to extend longitudinally of the tape 10 alternately along the 
right and left sides of wales 18 as shown in FIG. 3, and also to tilt 
sidewise alternately in opposite direction as shown in FIG. 4, the 
arrangement being such that the pile-loops 17 give themselves more 
opportunity to engage the hooks on the mating tape, not shown, than would 
be otherwise possible. 
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and as better shown in FIG. 2a, the 
pile-loops 17 extend over every other course. They may of course be 
modified to extend over every two or three, or even at each course as 
shown in FIG. 5, depending upon the size of starting threads, the density 
of knit fabric, or the combination with companion hooks. 
The foundation of the support tape 10 is formed by two needle stitches 14 
of Link No. 0-2/2-0/0-2/2-0 as shown in FIG. 2c and laid-in weft threads 
15 of Link No. 0-0/4-4/0-0/4-4. As shown in FIG. 3, the sinker loops 14a, 
14b of two needle stitches 14 are arranged to urge and hold the leg 
portions 17a of pile-loops 17 criss-cross against the foundation web of 
the tape 10, while the laid-in weft threads 15 fill up in between the 
sinker loops 14a, 14b and the pile-loops 17, thus anchoring the pile-loops 
17 stably in place against displacement or dislocation. 
As better shown in FIG. 3, the sinker loops 14a, 14b of two needle stitches 
14 are laced in a manner to bear against the foundation loops 19 that form 
the wales 18, and the weft threads 15 that are laid in densely between the 
foundation loops 19, and the sinker loops 14a, 14b are held in place by 
the latter loops, whereby the tape system as a whole is rendered highly 
resistant to stretch in either direction. This arrangement will in turn 
reduce the amount of resinous coatings reguired to make the knit tape firm 
and prevent the pile-loops from falling off, and further serves to provide 
a tape product which is physically soft. 
The selvages 12 and 13 extend over three wales on opposite sides of the 
tape 10 as shown in FIG. 1 and are constructed with the two needle 
stitches 14, laid-in weft threads 15 and chain stitches 20 of an open lap 
having Link No. 1-0/0-1/1-0/0-1. The tape 10 is sewn or otherwise attached 
along the selvages 12 and 13 onto a garment article. 
Although various minor modifications may be suggested by those versed in 
the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of 
the patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and 
properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.