Patents Assigned to Velcro IP Holdings LLC
-
Patent number: 11986063Abstract: A male touch fastener product with a resin surface and an array of spaced-apart male touch fastener elements carried on the surface. Each touch fastener element has a stem extending from the surface and a head disposed at a distal end of the stem and extending laterally from the stem to a distal edge overhanging the surface. The head, stem and surface form a contiguous mass of resin, the head. The distal edge has multiple toes extending laterally outward and varying in shape and size about the edge, with adjacent toes having facing, free-form resin surfaces defining crevices therebetween. The fastener element is particularly flexible and engages with very fine fibers.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2023Date of Patent: May 21, 2024Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Luis Parellada Armela, Christopher M. Gallant, James L. Tardiff, Mark A. Clarner
-
Patent number: 11981057Abstract: A molding apparatus includes a movable molding surface with molding cavities, a pressure shoe with a stationary outer surface that defines in cooperation with the molding surface a pressure zone, and a resin source configured to introduce molten resin into the pressure zone to be forced into the molding cavities by pressure in the pressure zone. The molding surface is movable with respect to the pressure shoe to introduce molding cavities to the pressure zone to be filled with resin while the outer surface of the pressure shoe and the molding surface define in between an entrance gap of decreasing width upstream of the pressure zone. The outer surface of the pressure shoe is spaced from the molding surface in the pressure zone to define a minimum gap at which the outer surface of the pressure shoe has a slope parallel to the molding surface.Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2021Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Gregory K. Kopanski, Stephen R. Arata, Charles S. White
-
Patent number: 11889903Abstract: A male touch fastener product has an array of discrete fastening elements extending from a resin base. The elements are formed by molding stems and then deforming at least a rim of a distal end of each head to form an overhanging mushroom-type fastener element. Some are deformed against a hard surface to form flat fastener elements, and others are deformed against a compliant surface and form umbrella-shaped fastener elements. The fastener element heads feature particular structural relationships that enhance their performance, particularly with low-lying fibers.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2023Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Antoli Fauria Torrent, Luis Parellada Armela, Emili Pubill Piera, James L Tardiff
-
Patent number: 11801624Abstract: Arrays of male fastener elements are formed by molding preforms in cavities defined in one or more adjacent plates and shaped to mold preform arms that extend to a plate side, such as in a cross-machine direction of a continuous molding process. The preforms may be deformed to flatten their upper surfaces and lengthen the arms. Stems of preforms have molded side surfaces and each have width, measured in the longitudinal direction of the strip, that narrows with distance from the strip surface, and also narrows with distance from a parting line extending from the strip surface to the head between the arms.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2020Date of Patent: October 31, 2023Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Luis Parellada Armela, Elm Aubà Gomis
-
Patent number: 11767619Abstract: A method of making a loop fastener product features knitting, such as by circular knitting, a pile yarn and one or more ground yarns to form a stretchable knit fabric having loops of the pile yarn extending from a knit ground, with the ground yarns including polymers of differing melt temperatures. The knit fabric is then held in a desired state while the fabric is set by first applying sufficient heat to cause the lower melt temperature resin to flow into interstices of the fabric ground, and then allowing the fabric to cool. The cooled fabric ground is less stretchable in two orthogonal directions after setting than before setting, has a greater air permeability after setting than before setting, and has hook-engageable pile loops extending from bound interstices.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2017Date of Patent: September 26, 2023Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Paul R. Erickson, Sihan Wang, Dale E. Turcotte, Okan Ala
-
Patent number: 11731542Abstract: A mold in fastener product includes a flexible substrate, such as a resin film or textile sheet, and a resin layer covering only part of one side of the flexible substrate and leaving a region of the one side of the flexible substrate exposed, the resin layer carrying multiple touch fastener elements each having a resin stem extending integrally from the layer away from the flexible substrate to an engageable head. A flexible ferromagnetic strip is bonded to the flexible substrate and at least partially bounds a bounded portion of the flexible substrate containing at least some of the touch fastener elements and at least a part of the exposed region. The product is preferably wide, such as to cover a wide concave region of a foam seat cushion.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2022Date of Patent: August 22, 2023Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Paul Joseph Voigt, Victor Horst Kheil
-
Patent number: 11383625Abstract: A mold in fastener product includes a flexible substrate, such as a resin film or textile sheet, and a resin layer covering only part of one side of the flexible substrate and leaving a region of the one side of the flexible substrate exposed, the resin layer carrying multiple touch fastener elements each having a resin stem extending integrally from the layer away from the flexible substrate to an engageable head. A flexible ferromagnetic strip is bonded to the flexible substrate and at least partially bounds a bounded portion of the flexible substrate containing at least some of the touch fastener elements and at least a part of the exposed region. The product is preferably wide, such as to cover a wide concave region of a foam seat cushion.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2021Date of Patent: July 12, 2022Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Paul Joseph Voigt, Victor Horst Kheil
-
Patent number: 11332938Abstract: Rigid foam-core construction underlayment is formed to have one broad side covered by a flexible substrate that carries a series of spaced-apart, discrete regions (such as islands or spaced lanes) of resin, each resin region carrying a respective field of male touch fastener elements extending away from the substrate and exposed for engagement, such as by fibers on an inner surface of exterior construction material, such as a roofing membrane.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2020Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Scott Billings, Paul M. Siemiesz, Andrew Collins
-
Patent number: 11246380Abstract: A male touch fastener product with a resin surface and an array of spaced-apart male touch fastener elements carried on the surface. Each touch fastener element has a stem extending from the surface and a head disposed at a distal end of the stem and extending laterally from the stem to a distal edge overhanging the surface. The head, stem and surface form a contiguous mass of resin, the head. The distal edge has multiple toes extending laterally outward and varying in shape and size about the edge, with adjacent toes having facing, free-form resin surfaces defining crevices therebetween. The fastener element is particularly flexible and engages with very fine fibers.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2019Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Luis Parellada Armela, Christopher M. Gallant, James L. Tardiff, Mark A. Clarner
-
Patent number: 11246381Abstract: A method for forming a double-sided loop strap includes: receiving a continuous longitudinal strip of loop material including a strip-form base bearing a field of upstanding loops on a fastening side of the strip bounded by opposite longitudinal edges, folding each of the longitudinal edges away from the fastening side, such that the base overlaps itself, and securing the folded edges in place by permanently bonding together overlapped areas of the base to form the double-sided loop strap.Type: GrantFiled: September 10, 2018Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Mary L. Watts, James T. Grady, Andrew Collins
-
Patent number: 11161283Abstract: A method of molding resin on a flexible substrate includes forming discrete regions of resin and forcing resin of at least some of the regions into molding cavities to form a respective array of resin projections extending from a resin base of the regions. Forming the discrete regions of resin includes depositing molten resin directly onto either the substrate or a surface in which the cavities are defined. The resin is deposited as the substrate moves in a processing direction, and the resin is deposited by resin sources spaced from each other along the processing direction.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2018Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Gregory K. Kopanski, Paul M. Siemiesz
-
Patent number: 11160334Abstract: A touch fastener product having a base sheet with a resin side surface and a male touch fastener element having a head disposed at a distal end of a resin stem and overhanging the base sheet. The head has an overall shape, as projected in a plane parallel to the base sheet, with a perimeter that defines spaced apart extremities corresponding to head sections of different engagement characteristics and disposed at different distances from a centroid of the overall shape. In one example, the head projection has a polygonal perimeter consisting of straight edges of differing lengths connected at radiused corners. In another, the perimeter comprises an unbroken series of at least three arc segments of different curvatures, with centers of the arc segments disposed at different distances from the centroid.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2017Date of Patent: November 2, 2021Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Christopher M. Gallant, Luis Parellada Armela, Stephen R. Arata
-
Patent number: 11110632Abstract: Discrete male touch fastener elements are molded of thermoplastic resin extending from a common, flexible base sheet, by introducing molten resin to a molding nip between two counter-rotating rolls consisting of a mold roll and a pressure roll arranged such that their rotation axes are parallel and together define a common plane containing each of the rotation axes. Solidified resin is stripped from molding cavities of the mold roll after the cavities have passed a rotating reaction roll forming a pressure nip with the mold roll. The reaction roll is spaced from the pressure roll by a distance less than an outer diameter of the mold roll, and the mold roll is simultaneously held against both the pressure roll and the reaction roll in a non-planar roll stack.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2017Date of Patent: September 7, 2021Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventor: Jerry G. Hodsdon
-
Patent number: 11027463Abstract: A molding apparatus includes a movable molding surface with molding cavities, a pressure shoe with a stationary outer surface that defines in cooperation with the molding surface a pressure zone, and a resin source configured to introduce molten resin into the pressure zone to be forced into the molding cavities by pressure in the pressure zone. The molding surface is movable with respect to the pressure shoe to introduce molding cavities to the pressure zone to be filled with resin while the outer surface of the pressure shoe and the molding surface define in between an entrance gap of decreasing width upstream of the pressure zone. The outer surface of the pressure shoe is spaced from the molding surface in the pressure zone to define a minimum gap at which the outer surface of the pressure shoe has a slope parallel to the molding surface.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2018Date of Patent: June 8, 2021Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Gregory K. Kopanski, Stephen R. Arata, Charles S. White
-
Patent number: 11027566Abstract: A printed media display system includes a media mounting surface carrying discrete male touch fastening elements arranged in a field extending across the surface, and print media in the form of a flexible sheet having a fastening side and a print side, the fastening side featuring engageable fibers in a fibrous field extending across a length and width of the flexible sheet. The system exhibits particularly good wrinkle propagation and engaged alignment properties.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2016Date of Patent: June 8, 2021Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Luis Parellada Armela, Carlos Sáez Comet
-
Patent number: 10934716Abstract: Rigid foam-core construction underlayment is formed to have one broad side covered by a flexible substrate that carries a series of spaced-apart, discrete regions (such as islands or spaced lanes) of resin, each resin region carrying a respective field of male touch fastener elements extending away from the substrate and exposed for engagement, such as by fibers on an inner surface of exterior construction material, such as a roofing membrane.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2018Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventors: Scott Billings, Paul M. Siemiesz, Andrew Collins
-
Patent number: D943088Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2020Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventor: Brian Michael Bond
-
Patent number: D1021688Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2023Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: Velcro IP Holdings LLCInventor: Mathew S. Cardinali