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US 4,984,339 AGranted
Hook for hook and loop fasteners
AssigneeVelcro Industries B.V.
InventorsGeorge A. Provost, Gerald F. Rocha
Life of this patent
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AssigneeVelcro Industries B.V.
InventorsGeorge A. Provost, Gerald F. Rocha
Estimating the term…
An improved hook for hook and loop fasteners having a profile defined by an inner smoothly contoured generally concave face and an outer generally convex face, said hook comprising a sturdy base intimately engaging a substantially planar base member and extending therefrom to join a resilient hook portion, able to engage a loop applying a force to the hook portion substantially normal to the base member, terminating in a free end, wherein the hook tapers smoothly and continuously downwardly in width from the sturdy base member to the free end such that a loop engaging the hook in tension, with the applied force being substantially normal to the base member, will deform the hook portion resiliently under the applied force to release the loop at a desired applied force and such that a loop engaging the hook in shear, with the applied force substantially parallel to the base member, will engage the sturdy base member, the sturdy base member being sufficiently sturdy that it will not deform to release a loop engaging the hook in shear at or below the desired applied force.
An improved hook for hook and loop fasteners having a profile defined by an inner generally concave face and an outer generally convex face, said hook comprising a planar base member intimately engaging a tapered base portion and extending therefrom to join, in a transition region, a tapered hook portion able to engage a loop applying a force to the hook portion substantially normal to the planar base member and terminating in a free end, the taper on the hook portion being much less than the taper on the base portion wherein the hook tapers continuously downwardly in width from the tapered base portion to the free end such that a loop engaging the hook in tension, with the said force being substantially normal to the planar base member, will cause a hinging or buckling of the hook at a location adjacent the outer face in the transition region as the hook deforms under the applied force and such that a loop engaging the hook in shear, with said force substantially parallel to the planar base member, will transmit bending force through the tapered base portion between the location of buckling and the planar base member, the hook being of substantially constant thickness and having a substantially rectangular transverse cross-section, said taper being from about 0.6 in 1 to about 0.2 in 1 in the transition region at about the buckling location.
An improved hook for hook and loop fasteners having a profile defined by an inner smoothly contoured generally concave face and an outer generally convex face, said hook comprising a sturdy base intimately engaging a substantially planar base portion member and extending therefrom with a relatively large taper to join a resilient hook portion, able to engage a loop applying a force to the hook portion substantially normal to the base member, terminating in a free end, wherein the hook tapers slightly, smoothly and continuously downwardly in width from the base member to the free end, the front to rear width of the hook portion where it the hook portion joins the base portion being about equal to its transverse thickness, whereby a loop engaging the hook in tension, with the applied force being substantially normal to the base member, will deform the hook portion resiliently under the applied force to release the loop at a desired applied force and such that a loop engaging the hook in shear, with the applied force substantially parallel to the base member, will engage the sturdy base member, the sturdy base member being sharply tapered and sufficiently sturdy that it will not deform to release a loop engaging the hook in a shear at or below the desired applied force, the effective taper of the base portion as measured between its inner and outer faces being at least 25.degree., said taper being from about 0.6 in 1 to about 0.2 in 1 at the transition from the sturdy base to the hook portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.