Patent Publication Number: US-10306952-B2

Title: Surface bonding fastener

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a surface bonding fastener, especially to a surface bonding fastener applied for a package, which has hooks that are engageable with each other. 
     2. Related Prior Art 
     The well-known surface bonding fastener applied for a package (e.g., a zipper bag) mainly uses plastic concave-convex strips respectively disposed near an opening of the package and extending in a transverse direction to achieve a purpose of repeatedly opening and closing the opening of the package. In this regard, however, during using this surface bonding fastener repeatedly, since force applied thereto are not uniform, such type of surface bonding fastener may have problems such as different degrees of closing of the opening, different force required for opening the package and the like. 
     Moreover, since the field to which this type of surface bonding fastener applied becomes wider and wider, and the concerned point is not only focused on the single airtight function. For example, when this type of surface bonding fastener is applied to the package, such as feed bag, one purpose thereof is to discharge remaining air in the package in order to reduce the volume of the package so as to achieve purposes of easy storage and carrying. Thus, many different types of surface bonding fasteners had been proposed. 
     A surface bonding fastener which utilizes the injection molding hooks and the cooperated loop surface to achieve the bonding purpose had been proposed. However, it required a manufacturing process different from a manufacturing process of the package to manufacture the loop surface in such surface bonding fastener, whereby the package having such surface bonding fastener is difficult to be manufactured. Moreover, while the package is opened and closed repeatedly, parts of the loop surface will come off due to the repeatedly opening and closing and generate crumbs that may contaminate the objects contained in the package. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,858,077B2 had proposed another surface bonding fastener which utilizes the injection molding hooks that are continuously engaged with each other. Such surface bonding fastener has a plurality of rows of longitudinally extending injection molding hooks that are arranged in the transverse direction and formed near the opening of the package, such that it can achieve the bonding effect by the mutual engagements of these injection molding hooks. However, since the hook portions of these injection molding hooks in this type of surface bonding fastener are bended toward the same direction, the misplacement is easily to occur between the rows during the mutual engagement so as to cause the inconvenience of using. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,052B2 had also proposed a surface bonding fastener which utilizes the injection molding hooks that are continuously engaged with each other, and uses the mutual engagements of the plurality of rows of the injection molding hooks to achieve the bonding effect, wherein the plurality of rows of the injection molding hooks have different numbers of hook portions bended toward opposite directions. However, the arrangement of the injection molding hooks in this type of surface bonding fastener is very complicated, and the hook portions of the some injection molding hooks cannot be engaged with the other hook portions, such that the manufacturing cost of this surface bonding fastener is high and it is hard to the user to align the injection molding hooks during using this surface bonding fastener. 
     Accordingly, for the fastener by virtue of continuous engagements between injection molding hooks, shape, density, interaction between hook portions and the like of the injection molding hooks become factors affecting the bonding effect. 
     In view of above, since the conventional surface bonding fasteners have the above-mentioned drawbacks, it motivates the inventor of the present invention to research and develop an improved surface bonding fastener that is advantageous with respect to the conventional surface bonding fasteners as previously described. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a surface bonding fastener of which hooks are configured to be engaged with each other, and such surface bonding fastener can be applied to a package for opening and closing an opening of the package. 
     The present invention provides a surface bonding fastener comprising a first member and a second member that can be fastened with each other. Each of the first member and the second member comprises a base sheet and a plurality of fastening units on and integrally molded with the base sheet. The plurality of fastening units are arranged at intervals in a longitudinal direction, and are staggered in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Each of the fastening unit has a first hook and a second hook. The first hook has a first body extending from the base sheet, and a first hook portion extending from the first body and bended toward a first direction. The second hook has a second body extending from the base sheet, and a second hook portion extending from the second body and bended toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second body is adjacent to the first body in the transverse direction and integrally formed with the first body. The first body and the second body at least partly overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction, and an overlapping degree therebetween is configured to be determined based on a desired fastening strength between the first member and the second member. When the first member and the second member are fastened with each other, the first hook portions of the first member are configured to be engaged with the first hook portions of the second member, and the second hook portions of the first member are configured to be engaged with the second hook portions of the second member. 
     Preferably, the surface bonding fastener according to the present invention can be configured such that a transverse spacing between the two adjacent fastening units in the transverse direction is smaller than or equal to a transverse length of the fastening unit in the transverse direction. 
     Preferably, the surface bonding fastener according to the present invention can be configured such that a longitudinal spacing between the two adjacent fastening units in the longitudinal direction is smaller than a longitudinal length of the fastening unit in the longitudinal direction. 
     Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after reviewing the following detailed descriptions and the accompanying drawings of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a zipper bag which utilizes a surface bonding fastener in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic exploded perspective view of a surface bonding fastener in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing an arrangement of fastening units of the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic front view of the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, showing that the surface bonding fastener is in a bonding state; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic exploded perspective view of a surface bonding fastener in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view showing an arrangement of fastening units of the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic front view of the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, showing that the surface bonding fastener is in a bonding state. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a zipper bag  900  which utilizes a surface bonding fastener in accordance with the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the surface bonding fastener  100  is provided at a vicinity of an opening of the zipper bag  900  for opening and closing the opening of the zipper bag  900 . Details of the surface bonding fastener  100  can refer to the surface bonding fastener according to a first embodiment of the present invention that is described with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the surface bonding fastener  100  in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a first member  1  and a second member  2  that can be fastened with each other. The first member  1  includes a base sheet  10  and a plurality of fastening units A on and integrally molded with the base sheet  10 . The plurality of fastening units A are arranged at intervals in a longitudinal direction MD, and are staggered in a transverse direction CD (referring to  FIG. 3 ). Similar to the first member  1 , the second member  2  includes a base sheet  20  and a plurality of fastening units on and integrally molded with the base sheet  20 . In the following descriptions, since the fastening units of the second member  2  are formed on the base sheet  20  by the same way as that of the fastening units A of the first member  1 , parts of the descriptions of the fastening units of the second member  2  are omitted for the sake of simplicity. 
     Next, the fastening units of the surface bonding fastener  100  of the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , each of the fastening units A of the first member  1  includes a first hook  11  and a second hook  12 . The first hook  11  has a first body  110  extending from the base sheet  10 , and a first hook portion  111  extending from the first body  110  and bended toward a first direction. The second hook  12  has a second body  120  extending from the base sheet  10 , and a second hook portion  121  extending from the second body  120  and bended toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second body  120  of the second hook  12  is adjacent to the first body  110  of the first hook  11  in the transverse direction CD and integrally formed with the first body  110  of the first hook  11 . 
     Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 2 , each of the fastening units of the second member  2  includes a first hook  21  and a second hook  22 . The first hook  21  has a first body  210  extending from the base sheet  20 , and a first hook portion  211  extending from the first body  210  and bended toward a first direction. The second hook  22  has a second body  220  extending from the base sheet  20 , and a second hook portion  221  extending from the second body  220  and bended toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second body  220  of the second hook  22  is adjacent to the first body  210  of the first hook  21  in the transverse direction CD and integrally formed with the first body  210  of the first hook  21 . 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the first body  110  and the second body  120  of each fastening unit A are arranged to overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction MD. Moreover, the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a longitudinal spacing P 1  between the two adjacent fastening units A in the longitudinal direction MD is smaller than a longitudinal length L 1  of the fastening unit A (one fastening unit A) in the longitudinal direction MD. And, the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention is also configured such that a transverse spacing P 2  between the two adjacent fastening units A in the transverse direction CD is smaller than a transverse length L 2  of the fastening unit A in the transverse direction CD. 
     Please note that, in the drawings illustrating the present embodiment, although the transverse spacing P 2  between the two adjacent fastening units A is smaller than the transverse length L 2  of the fastening unit A, yet the transverse spacing P 2  between the two adjacent fastening units A can also be set as being equal to the transverse length L 2  of the fastening unit A. 
     A state in which the first member  1  and the second member  2  of the surface bonding fastener  100  in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention are fastened together will be described below with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , when the first member  1  and the second member  2  are fastened together, the first hook portions  111  in the first member  1  are configured to be engaged with the first hook portions  211  in the second member  2 , and the second hook portions  121  in the first member  1  are configured to be engaged with the second hook portions  221  in the second member  2 . 
     Accordingly, in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, since the first hook portion and the second hook portion of each of the fastening units are bended toward the opposite directions, due to this directional relationship, the first hook portions of the first member can only be engaged with the first hook portions of the second member and cannot be engaged with the second hook portions of the second member. Thus, while the first member and the second member are fastener with each other, it is possible to avoid the misalignment to occur in the transverse direction. 
     In addition to avoiding the misalignment to occur in the transverse direction as mentioned above, when the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention is utilized to the zipper bag as shown in  FIG. 1  (that is, the first member and the second member are two opposite bag bodies of the zipper bag, and the plurality of fastening units included in each of the first member and the second member are formed at a vicinity of the opening of the zipper bag), since the fastening units (the first hooks and the second hooks) of the present invention are integrally molded with the base sheet, the first member and the second member that can be fastened together can be easily manufactured in the same manufacturing process without needing additional manufacturing process for forming the fastening units on the base sheet. Then, the zipper bag having the reclosable opening can be manufactured after subjecting the subsequent manufacturing processes. Moreover, in addition to the function that the opening can be repeatedly opened and closed, the zipper bag formed from the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention further has a function of discharging the remaining air therein since the plurality of fastening units included in each of the first member and the second member are arranged at intervals with spacing existing therebetween. 
     A surface bonding fastener  500  in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 5 to 7 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the surface bonding fastener  500  in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention comprises a first member  5  and a second member  6  that can be fastened with each other. The first member  5  includes a base sheet  50  and a plurality of fastening units B on and integrally molded with the base sheet  50 . The plurality of fastening units B are arranged at intervals in a longitudinal direction MD, and are staggered in a transverse direction CD (referring to  FIG. 6 ). Similar to the first member  5 , the second member  6  includes a base sheet  60  and a plurality of fastening units on and integrally molded with the base sheet  60 . In the following descriptions, since the fastening units of the second member  6  are formed on the base sheet  60  by the same way as that of the fastening units B of the first member  5 , parts of the descriptions of the fastening units of the second member  6  are omitted for the sake of simplicity. 
     Next, the fastening units of the surface bonding fastener  500  of the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , each of the fastening units B of the first member  5  includes a first hook  51  and a second hook  52 . The first hook  51  has a first body  510  extending from the base sheet  50 , and a first hook portion  511  extending from the first body  510  and bended toward a first direction. The second hook  52  has a second body  520  extending from the base sheet  50 , and a second hook portion  521  extending from the second body  520  and bended toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second body  520  of the second hook  52  is directly adjacent to and in contact with the first body  510  of the first hook  51  in the transverse direction CD and integrally formed with the first body  510  of the first hook  51 . 
     Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 5 , each of the fastening units of the second member  6  includes a first hook  61  and a second hook  62 . The first hook  61  of the second member  6  has a first body  610  extending from the base sheet  60 , and a first hook portion  611  extending from the first body  610  and bended toward a first direction. The second hook  62  of the second member  6  has a second body  620  extending from the base sheet  60 , and a second hook portion  621  extending from the second body  620  and bended toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second body  620  of the second hook  62  is adjacent to the first body  610  of the first hook  61  in the transverse direction CD and integrally formed with the first body  610  of the first hook  61 . 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the first body  510  and the second body  520  of each fastening unit B are arranged to partly overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction MD. That is, the first body  510  and the second body  520  of each fastening unit B are configured to offset with each other by a distance toward opposite directions along the longitudinal direction MD, and this distance is determined based on a desired fastening strength between the first member and the second member of the surface bonding fastener. Moreover, also referring to  FIG. 6 , the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention is configured such that a longitudinal spacing P 11  between the two adjacent fastening units B in the longitudinal direction MD is smaller than a longitudinal length L 11  of the fastening unit B (one fastening unit B) in the longitudinal direction MD. And, the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention is further configured such that a transverse spacing P 12  between the two adjacent fastening units B in the transverse direction CD is smaller than a transverse length L 12  of the fastening unit B in the transverse direction CD. 
     Please note that, in the drawings illustrating the present embodiment, although the transverse spacing P 12  between the two adjacent fastening units B is smaller than the transverse length L 12  of the fastening unit B, yet the transverse spacing P 12  between the two adjacent fastening units B can also be set as being equal to the transverse length L 12  of the fastening unit B. 
     A state in which the first member  5  and the second member  6  of the surface bonding fastener  500  in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention are fastened together will be described below with reference to  FIG. 7 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , when the first member  5  and the second member  6  are fastened together, the first hook portions  511  in the first member  5  are configured to be engaged with the first hook portions  611  in the second member  6 , and the second hook portions  521  in the first member  5  are configured to be engaged with the second hook portions  621  in the second member  6 . 
     Accordingly, as comparing to the surface bonding fastener of the first embodiment of the present invention, in a case that the fastening units of the surface bonding fastener of the second embodiment of the present invention are arranged with the same spacing (the transverse spacing and the longitudinal spacing) therebetween as that of the fastening units of the surface bonding fastener of the first embodiment of the present invention, since the first body and the second body in each of the fastening units of the second embodiment of the present invention are arranged to partly overlap with each other in the longitudinal direction (that is, the first body and the second body offset with each other toward opposite directions along the longitudinal direction), in the range having the same size of the first member and the second member, amounts of the fastening units in the longitudinal direction included in the surface bonding fastener of the second embodiment of the present invention is less than amounts of the fastening units in the longitudinal direction included in the surface bonding fastener of the first embodiment of the present invention. In such case, the fastening strength between the first member and the second member of the surface bonding fastener of the second embodiment of the present invention is weaker than the fastening strength between the first member and the second member of the surface bonding fastener of the first embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the surface bonding fastener of the second embodiment of the present invention can be utilized to some package of which the desired fastening strength is weaker. In contrast, the surface bonding fastener of the first embodiment of the present invention can be utilized to some package of which the desired fastening strength is stronger. 
     In view of above, the abovementioned embodiments of the present invention reveal that an overlapping degree between the first body and the second body in the longitudinal direction is determined based on the desired fastening strength between the first member and the second member of the surface bonding fastener (i.e., the desired fastening strength of the package). 
     Moreover, similar to the first embodiment of the present invention, since each of the fastening units in the second embodiment of the present invention has the first hook portion and the second hook portion that are bended toward the opposite directions, it is less likely to occur the misalignment in the transverse direction while the first member and the second member are fastened with each other. 
     In addition to avoiding the misalignment to occur in the transverse direction as mentioned above, similar to the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, in the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention, the first member and the second member each of which includes the base sheet and the fastening units integrally molded with the base sheet can be easily manufactured by the same manufacturing process. Then, the zipper bag having the reclosable opening can be manufactured after subjecting the subsequent manufacturing processes. In other words, the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention can also be utilized to the zipper bag as shown in  FIG. 1 . Moreover, similar to the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, the zipper bag formed from the surface bonding fastener in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention also has a function of discharging the remaining air therein due to the spacing existing between the plurality of fastening units thereof. 
     Although in the abovementioned descriptions, the surface bonding fasteners of the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention are described with being utilized to the zipper bag shown in  FIG. 1  as examples, yet it should be understood that, the surface bonding fasteners of the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention can also be utilized to the package other than the zipper bag. 
     Although the several aspects of the present invention have been described in the abovementioned embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, such embodiments merely are the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scopes of the present invention into the specific features and structures as illustrated in the abovementioned descriptions and the accompanying drawings. A person skilled in the art of the present invention can envisage various changes and modifications within the spirit of the present invention, and such changes and modifications are also included in the scopes of the present invention.