LOCKING FASTENING ELEMENT

Abstract

Locking fastening element (2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) comprising: a base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D); and a contact fastening element (6) comprising a base (8) and a plurality of engagement members (10) formed on the base (8), wherein: the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) is integrally cast with the base (8) using a plastic material (5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d); the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) has a surface formed with a plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) and at least one connecting groove (62-65, 62A, 62B-68B, 62C-64C); the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) with a space (32) is shaped, which is designed to be filled with the plastic material (5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) at the time of pouring, wherein the space (32) has the plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D);and the plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) has a pair of openings which are connected to each other by the at least one connecting groove (62-65, 62A, 62B-68B, 62C-64C).

Description

Technical FieldThe present invention relates to locking fasteners.BackgroundLock fasteners are used to attach sheet materials (e.g., ceiling sheet materials) to inner surfaces of, e.g., vehicles as a fairing. A lock fastener disclosed in JP 2005-145 112 A includes a touch fastener (for example, a male touch fastener) and a base member that is fixed to a rear side of the touch fastener with an adhesive. The touch fastener has a large number of engaging members formed on its front side.In order to fix a ceiling material to a ceiling of, for example, a vehicle as a fairing, a plurality of lock fasteners are fixed to the ceiling, and a large number of members of the ceiling material engaged therewith are engaged with the engaging members of the lock fasteners.Further, JP H06-99 443 A discloses a method for producing a Velcro integrated molded article, wherein an engaging part of a hook and loop fastener is inserted into a recessed part of a mold to form a closed chamber. The peripheral part of the hook fastener is pressed and held on a mold, so that the peripheral part of the hook fastener is positioned on a mold around the recessed part. Thereafter, a liquid foaming raw material is injected and foamed in the mold.U.S. Pat. No. 7,965,057 B2 discloses a reclosable fastener device, a plastic spacer for increasing the usable height of a reclosable fastener system and a method for producing and using the same. Moreover, WO 2014 / 205 036 A1 discloses a fastening element with a height adjustment part in order to adjust its height with respect to another element, whereby the size of a gap between a first element and a second element connected to the fastening element is adjusted.SummaryProblems to be Solved by the InventionThe above-mentioned conventional lock fastener is produced by attaching the lock fastener to the base member by means of an adhesive, and there is a risk that the adhesive overflows to the front side of the fastener and reaches a space between the fasteners. When the adhesive flows into the space between the engaging members in this manner, the space is partially filled with the adhesive, which deteriorates the fixing ability of the lock fastener.It is also conceivable to produce such locking fasteners by individually applying a touch fastener to a front side of a base member with an adhesive. However, this mounting operation is time consuming and increases the manufacturing cost. Instead of such a manufacturing method, it is conceivable to attach a large-sized touch fastener to a large-sized base member with adhesive and then cut it into pieces of desired size. However, the cutting operation is time consuming and also increases the manufacturing cost.It is an object of the invention to provide locking fasteners which can be easily manufactured so as to have good fastening capabilities.means for achieving said objectivesThe object of the present invention is achieved in each case by a locking fastening element according to claims 1 and 5. The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments of the invention.A locking fastener according to the invention comprises: a base member; and a touch fastener comprising a base and a plurality of engaging members molded on the base, the base member being integrally molded with the base using a plastic material; the base member having a surface molded with a plurality of openings and at least one communication groove; the base member being molded with a space configured to be filled with the plastic material at the time of molding, the space comprising the plurality of openings; and the plurality of openings comprising a pair of openings fluidly connected to each other through the at least one communication groove.All of the plurality of openings are preferably in fluid communication with one another through the at least one communication groove.The plurality of openings are preferably four rectangular shaped openings formed in a grid array on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edges of the surface.The surface of the base member is preferably formed with a plurality of air outlet passages corresponding to the plurality of openings; the base member is preferably formed with an air outlet hole penetrating through the base member, the air outlet hole being in fluid communication with the plurality of openings through the plurality of air outlet passages; and the air in the plurality of openings preferably flows through the plurality of air outlet passages into the air outlet hole in in-mold molding.A lock fastener according to another aspect of the invention includes: a base member; and a touch fastener including a base and a plurality of engaging members molded on the base, the base member being integrally molded with the base using a resin material; the base member having a surface formed with at least one opening and at least one air outlet channel; the base member being molded with a space configured to be filled with the resin material at the time of molding and at least one air outlet hole passing through the base member, the space including the at least one opening; and at the time of the in-mold casting, the air in the at least one opening flows into the at least one air discharge hole through the at least one air discharge duct.The at least one opening preferably has four openings in a grid arrangement; the surface of the base member preferably has a circumferential wall part extending continuously along the entire circumferential edges of the surface, the circumferential wall part surrounding the four openings; and the at least one air outlet hole preferably has an air outlet hole formed in a center of the four openings.The at least one opening preferably has four openings in a grid arrangement, the four openings having a pair of first openings adjacent to each other and a pair of second openings adjacent to each other; the surface of the base member preferably has a peripheral wall part continuously extending along the entire peripheral edges of the surface, the peripheral wall part surrounding the four openings; the at least one air outlet hole preferably has a first air outlet hole corresponding to the pair of first openings and further a second air outlet hole corresponding to the pair of second openings; and at the time of in-mold casting, the air in the pair of first openings preferably flows into the first air outlet hole, and the air in the pair of second openings flows into the second air outlet hole.The at least one air discharge hole is preferably formed to be fluidly connected to an external vacuum source through a vacuum passage formed in a mold at the time of in-mold casting.Advantageous Effects of the InventionAccording to an aspect of the invention, the base member is formed with a space having the opening formed in the surface of the base member. Thus, the base member is molded to the base of the touch fastener by filling the space with plastic while the base of the touch fastener abuts the surface of the base member. In addition, the support wall portion extends along the outer peripheral edges at the surface of the base member, and the support wall portion prevents the resin from leaking out of the opening to the engaging members of the touch fastener. Thus, it is possible to provide lock fasteners having good fastening capability.According to another aspect of the invention, air in the plurality of openings flows into the port through the plurality of air outlet passages at the time of in-mold molding. Thus, no air remains between the base member and the touch fastener, realizing a reliable in-mold molding operation of the base member on the touch fastener.Brief Description of the DrawingsFIG. 1 is a perspective view of a locking fastener according to an embodiment of the invention, as viewed from a front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the locking fastener of FIG. 1 as viewed from a rear side. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a base member of the lock fastener of FIG. 1 as viewed from the front. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the base member of FIG. 3 as viewed from the rear. FIG. 5 is a front view of the base member of FIG. 3, with a touch fastener shown in phantom. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a resin filled and cured in the base member of FIG. 3 as viewed from the rear, with the touch fastener shown in phantom. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a molding apparatus for in-mold molding the base member of FIG. 3 to the touch fastener, wherein (a) is a view showing the molding apparatus in an open state, and (b) is a view showing the molding apparatus in a closed state. FIG. 8 is a front view of a base member of a lock fastener according to a first modification of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a front view of a base member of a lock fastener according to a second modification of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a base member of a lock fastener according to a third modification of the embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the front side. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the base member of FIG. 10 as viewed from the rear. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a mold apparatus for in-mold molding the base member of FIG. 10 to the touch fastener. FIG. 13 is a front view of a base member of a lock fastener according to a fourth modification of the embodiment of the present invention.Exemplary EmbodimentsA locking fastener according to an embodiment of the invention will be described while referring to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a lock fastener 2 of this embodiment includes a base member 4 and a touch fastener 6 molded on the base member 4. That is, the base member 4 and the touch fastener 6 are integrally molded with each other using a resin material (resin 5).The touch fastener 6 is made of a synthetic resin (for example, polyolefin resin) by molding, and has a base 8 and a plurality (a large number) of engaging members 10. For example, the base 8 is integrally molded with the engagement members 10. The base 8 has a front side (first surface) 8 aand a rear side (second surface) 8 b. The plurality of engaging members 10 are formed on the front side 8 aof the base 8. Each engaging member 10 has a mushroom-like shape having a leg portion 10a extending from the front side 8a of the base 8, and a head portion 10b formed at a tip end of the leg. The head portion 10b is larger in diameter than the leg portion 10a.Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the base member 4 is in a substantially rectangular shape in the front view, and has a top 21, a bottom 22, a left side surface 23, a right side surface 24, a front 25, a back 26, a recessed left side surface 27 between the left side surface 23 and the front 25, and a recessed right side surface 28 between the right side surface 24 and the front 25.For example, the base member 4 is integrally made of a synthetic resin such as ABS resin, unsaturated polyester resin, etc. It is desirable to use the unsaturated polyester resin, etc. when glass fibers or the like are added in order to improve the strength.The front face 25 of the base member 4 is formed with at least one opening. In this embodiment, the front 25 is formed with four openings 38, 39, 40, 41 as shown in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, the front face 25 of the base member 4 is also formed with four communication grooves 62, 63, 64, 65 which fluidly communicate the openings 38 to 41 with each other. The base member 4 is also formed with a pair of apertures 70, 72 in the rear face 26. The opening 70 is open to the openings 40, 41 in a front-rear direction D 3, and the opening 72 is open to the openings 38, 39 in the front-rear direction D 3.The openings 38 to 41, the connecting grooves 62 to 65, and the openings 70, 72 cooperate with each other as a space 32. the base 8 of the touch fastener 6 is integrally bonded to the front surface 25 of the base member 4, and the resin 5 is filled and cured in the space 32 by injection molding as described later.As shown in FIG. 5, a contour of the front side 25 of the base member 4 corresponds to a contour of the rear side 8 bof the base 8 of the touch fastener 6, and has substantially the same size as the rear side 8 bof the base 8, Note that the front side 25 is depicted slightly larger in FIG. 5 than the rear side 8 bof the base 8, which is intended to provide a better understanding.The base member 4 is also formed with a pair of inlets 34, 36 which are open to the space 32. The inlet 34 on the left side is formed at a corner between the upper surface 21 and the left side surface 23, and the inlet 36 on the right side is formed at a corner between the upper surface 21 and the right side surface 24. In in-mold molding, the resin material (resin 5) is filled into the space 32 through the inlets 34, 36. It is to be noted that although the plastic material is filled into the space 32 through the two inlets 34, 36, in this embodiment it is preferable to fill the space 32 with the plastic material through one inlet or in another embodiment through more than two inlets.Next, the openings 38 to 41, the communication grooves 62 to 65, and the openings 70, 72 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the openings 38 to 41 are substantially the same size and are formed in a grid array on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edges of the front surface 25 of the base member 4. In other words, the front side 25 of the base member 4 has a circumferential wall part 45 surrounding the openings 38 to 41, a vertical central part 46 extending in an up-down direction D 2, and a horizontal central part 48 extending in a right-left direction D 1. The vertical middle portion 46 and the horizontal middle portion 48 form a partition between the openings 38 to 41.That is, the openings 38 and 39 on the left side are spaced apart from the openings 40 and 41 on the right side in the right-left direction D 1 with the vertical middle part 46 therebetween, and the openings 38 and 40 on the upper side are spaced apart from the openings 39 and 41 on the lower side in the top-bottom direction D 2 with the horizontal middle part 48 therebetween.The peripheral wall part 45, the vertical middle part 46, and the horizontal middle part 48 are flush with each other and function as a support wall part for supporting the back side 8 bof the touch fastener 6 (see FIG. 7( a)).The peripheral wall part 45 is in a rectangular ring shape in the front view and extends continuously along the entire peripheral edges of the front side 25. a width W 1 (FIGS. 3 and 5 ) of the peripheral wall part 45 is preferably 0.01 mm to 5.0 mm, and more preferably 0.1 mm to 4.0 mm. If the width W 1 of the circumferential wall part 45 is less than 0.01 mm, there is a risk that the resin material overflows over the circumferential wall part 45 at the time of in-mold molding. On the other hand, when the width W 1 exceeds 5.0 mm, there is a risk that the total area of the openings 38 to 41 (that is, the contact area between the resin 5 cured in the openings 38 to 41 and the touch fastener 6) is insufficient, which weakens the connection between the base member 4 and the touch fastener 6.The communication groove 62 is formed at an upper part in the vertical middle part 46 so that the openings 38 and 40 communicate in the right-left direction D 1, and the communication groove 63 is formed at a lower part in the vertical middle part 46 so that the openings 39 and 41 communicate in the right-left direction D 1. The communication groove 64 is formed at a left part in the horizontal middle part 48 to fluidly connect the openings 38 and 39 in the up-down direction D 2, and the communication groove 65 is formed at a right part in the horizontal middle part 48 to fluidly connect the openings 40 and 41 in the up-down direction D 2.The communication grooves 62 to 65 are preferably formed at positions slightly away from the peripheral part 45. A distance W 2 between the circumferential wall part 45 and each of the communication grooves 62 to 65 (see FIGS. 3 and 5 ) is preferably 0.8 mm or greater, and more preferably 1.2 mm or greater. If the distance W 2 is less than 0.8 mm, there is a risk that the resin material flowing through the communication grooves 62 to 65 will flow out beyond the peripheral wall part 45 at the time of in-mold molding.As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of openings 70, 72 are formed in the rear side 26 of the base member 4 on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edges of the rear side 26. In other words, the rear side 26 of the base member 4 has a peripheral wall part 57 surrounding the openings 70, 72 and a vertical central part 56 extending in the up-down direction D 2. The openings 70, 72 are disposed away from each other in the right-left direction D 1 with the vertical central part 56 interposed therebetween. The peripheral wall portion 57 and the vertical central portion 56 of the rear side 26 of the base member 4 are flush with each other.Next, a method of in-mold molding the base member 4 to the touch fastener 6 will be described. In this in-mold process, a molding device 82 is used, as is used, for example, in FIGS. 7( a) and 7( b). The molding apparatus 82 includes a stationary mold member 84, a first movable mold member 88, a second movable mold member 94, and a pair of auxiliary mold members 100 and 102. The stationary mold member 84 has a front side (a surface) formed with a first opening 86, and the first movable mold member 88 is disposed in the first opening 86 so as to be freely movable in a direction indicated by an arrow A1. The stationary mold member 84 also has a rear side (the other surface) formed with a second opening 92, and the second movable mold member 94 is disposed in the second opening 92 so as to be freely movable in a direction indicated by an arrow A2. The auxiliary mold parts 100 and 102 are disposed on respective left and right sides in the first opening 86.When the molding apparatus 82 is in an open state, as shown in FIG. 7( a), the stationary mold part 84, the first and second movable mold parts 88 and 94, and the pair of auxiliary mold parts 100 and 102 together define a space S for accommodating the base member 4 and the touch fastener 6.In the in-mold molding, the base member 4 and the touch fastener 6 are inserted from above into the space S of the mold device 82 in the open state as shown in FIG. 7( a). That is, the touch fastener 6 is inserted between the auxiliary mold parts 100 and 102 from above so that the plurality of engaging members 10 (i.e., the front side 8 aof the base 8) face the first movable mold part 88, and the base member 4 is inserted into the space S from above so that the rear side 26 (i.e., the openings 70 and 72) face the second movable mold part 94.Then, the first and second movable mold members 88 and 92 are moved in the directions indicated by arrows A1 and A2, respectively, to perform a mold clamping operation. In this mold clamping state, as shown in FIG. 7( b), the stationary mold part 84 and the pair of auxiliary mold parts 100 and 102 prevent the touch fastener 6 and the base member 4 from moving in the right-left direction D 1, and the first movable mold part 88 prevents the touch fastener 6 from moving forward (in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow A 1) and the second movable mold part 94 prevents the base member 4 from moving rearward (in a direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow A 2). As a result, the rear side 8 bof the touch fastener 6 abuts against the front side 25 of the base member 4, and thus the base 8 (the rear side 8 bof the base 8) of the touch fastener 6 is supported on the front side 25 of the base member 4 (that is, on the peripheral wall part 45, the vertical middle part 46, and the horizontal middle part 48 of the front side 25 (the support wall part)).In this state, the resin material (uncured resin 5) is filled in the space 32 of the base member 4 through the pair of inlets 34, 36. The touch fastener 6 and the base member 4 are integrated with each other once the resin material is cured.That is, the resin material poured into the inlets 34 and 36 flows through the openings 70, 72 and the openings 38 to 41 toward the rear 8 bof the base 8 of the touch fastener 6. At this time, since the peripheral wall part 45 of the front 25 of the base member 4 is pressed against and in direct contact with the base 8 of the touch fastener 6, the resin material poured into the space 32 of the base member 4 is prevented from flowing toward the engagement members 10 via the peripheral wall part 45. That is, the peripheral wall part 45 of the base member 4 acts as a bank to prevent the resin material from leaking and forming an unexposed area without resin 5. The peripheral wall part 45 having the width W 1 of 0.01 mm or more (preferably 0.1 mm or more) as described above effectively prevents the resin material from leaking out of the space 32.Moreover, because the openings 38 to 41 of the base member 4 are fluidly connected to each other by the communication grooves 62 to 65, a part of the resin material near the opening 38 flows into the openings 39 to 41 through the communication grooves 62 to 65 when a pressure of the resin near the opening 38 becomes higher than a pressure of the resin near the remaining openings 39 to 41, for example. This acts against an increase in the pressure of the plastic near the opening 39 and prevents the breakage of the touch fastener 6 near the opening 38.In this manner, the plastic material flows through the communication grooves 62 to 65 as the pressure of the plastic near any of the openings 38 to 41 increases. Thus, an excessively large pressure is not applied to parts of the base 8 of the touch fastener 6, and this does not cause damage to the touch fastener 6.For example, the base member 4 of the lock fastener 2 used for attaching an interior material (for example, a flat-shaped ceiling material) to a vehicle has a length of about 8 mm by 30 mm in the up-down direction D 3, has a width of about 20 mm by 50 mm in the right-left direction D 1, and has a thickness of about 2.5 mm to 5.0 mm in the front-rear direction D 3, and thus the space 32 of the base member 4 is relatively small. Therefore, when the base member 4 is not formed with the connecting grooves 62 to 65, a slight fluctuation of a molding pressure of the resin material may greatly increase the pressure against the touch fastener 6.Referring to FIG. 6, besides the resin material filled in the space 32 of the base member 4 in the above-described manner, resin 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, 5 dbeing filled in the openings 38, 39, 40, 41 and resin 5 e, 5 f, 5 g, 5 hbeing filled in the connection grooves 62, 63, 64, 65 further connects the base member 4 to the base 8 of the touch fastener 6. The plastic material is preferably acrylic resin, epoxy resin or the like.As described above, since the lock fastener 2 of the present embodiment is formed by in-mold molding the touch fastener 6 with the base member 4, the touch fastener 6 is reliably joined to the base member 4, and the manufacturing cost is reduced.For example, in order to attach interior materials (not shown) to a vehicle (not shown) using the lock fastener 2 of the present embodiment, a plurality of lock fasteners 2 are fastened to the vehicle (or to a rail or the like) attached to the vehicle by adhesive, and then the lock fasteners 2 are engaged with lock fasteners formed on the interior materials.It should be noted that although the casting apparatus 82 has the two movable mold members 88 and 94 in this embodiment, it is preferable in another embodiment that one of the mold members 88 and 94 is stationary.Moreover, in another embodiment, it is preferable that the rear side 26 of the base member 4 is formed with a communication groove in the vertical middle portion 56 at the center thereof in the up-down direction D 2 to establish fluid communication with the openings 70 and 72.In the present embodiment, the two openings 70, 72 are formed in the rear side 26 of the base member 4. However, in another embodiment, it is preferable that four apertures be formed in place of the apertures 70 and 72 in a manner similar to that of the front face 25.Next, first to fourth modifications of the embodiment will be described in this order. Note that parts and components of those modifications that are substantially the same as those of the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and an explanation thereof is omitted.First, a lock fastener according to the first modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, a lock fastener 2A according to this modification includes a base member 4A having a front side 25A formed with a pair of openings 38A and 39A. The openings 38A and 39A are formed on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edges of the front side 25A. In other words, the front surface 25A of the base member 4A has a rectangular annular peripheral wall part 45A surrounding the openings 38A and 39A, and a vertical central part 46A extending in the up-down direction D 2. The vertical central portion 46A divides between the apertures 38A and 39A. That is, the opening 38A on the left side and the opening 39A on the right side are arranged apart from each other in the right-left direction D 1 with the vertical central part 46A therebetween.The peripheral wall part 45A and the vertical central part 46A are flush with each other and function as the support wall part for supporting the back surface 8 bof the touch fastener 6 (FIG. 7( a)).The peripheral wall part 45A has a shape of a rectangular ring in the front view and extends continuously along the entire peripheral edges of the front side 25A. The peripheral wall part 45A has the same width W 1 as in the embodiment.The front surface 25A of the base member 4A is also formed with a connecting groove 62A. The communication groove 62A is formed at a center in the vertical middle part 46A so as to fluidly connect the pair of openings 38A and 39A in the right-left direction D 1. The communication groove 62A is preferably formed at a position slightly away from the peripheral wall part 45A. The distance W 2 between the circumferential wall part 45A and the communication groove 62A is the same as in the above-described embodiment.Next, a lock fastener according to the second modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the lock fastener 2B according to this modification includes a base member 4B having a front side 25B formed with six openings 38B, 39B, 40B, 41B, 42B, 43B. The openings 38B to 43B are formed in a grid array on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edges of the front side 25B. In other words, the front side 25B of the base member 4B has a peripheral wall part 45B surrounding the openings 38B to 43B, the vertical middle parts 46B, 47B extending in the up-down direction D 2, and a horizontal middle part 48B extending in the right-left direction D 1. The vertical middle portions 46B, 47B and the horizontal middle portion 48B partition between the openings 38B to 43B.That is, the openings 38B, 39B on the left side, the openings 42B, 43B on the center, and the openings 40B, 41B on the right side are arranged away from each other in the right-left direction D 1 with the vertical middle parts 46B, 47B therebetween. The upper-side openings 38B, 40B, 42B and the lower-side openings 39B, 41B, 43B are spaced apart from each other in the up-down direction D 2 with the horizontal central part 48B therebetween.The peripheral wall part 45B, the vertical middle parts 46B, 47B, and the horizontal middle part 48B are flush with each other and function as the support wall part for supporting the rear surface 8B of the touch fastener 6 (FIG. 7( a)).The peripheral wall part 45B has the shape of a rectangular ring in the front view and extends continuously along the entire peripheral edges of the front side 25B. The peripheral wall part 45B has the same width W 1 as in the embodiment.The front surface 25B of the base member 4B is also formed with communication grooves 62B, 63B, 64B, 65B, 66B, 67B. The communication groove 62B, 66B is formed as an upper part in the vertical middle part 46B, 47B, and the communication groove 63B, 67B is formed as a lower part in the vertical middle part 46B, 47B. The communication groove 64B is formed at a left part in the horizontal middle part 48B, and the communication groove 65B is formed at a right part in the horizontal middle part 48B, and the communication groove 68B is formed as a middle part in the horizontal middle part 48B. The ports 38B to 43B are in fluid communication with each other through the communication grooves 62B to 67B.The communication grooves 62B to 67B are preferably formed at positions slightly apart from the circumferential wall part 45B. The distance W 2 between the circumferential wall part 45B and each communication groove 62B to 67B is the same as the embodiment.Note that in another embodiment, the communication groove 65B is preferably omitted. In still another embodiment, the communication groove 68B is preferably omitted.Next, a lock fastener according to the third modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 11 to 12. As shown in FIG. 10, the lock fastener 2C according to this modification includes a base member 4C in a rectangular shape in front view. The base member 4C has the top 21, the bottom 22, the left side surface 23, the right side surface 24, the front side 25, and the rear side 26 as well as the base member 4 described above.Also, the base member 4C is formed with a space 32C and a pair of inlets 34, 36 in fluid communication with the space 32C.As shown in FIG. 10, the front surface 25 of the base member 4C is formed with four openings 38C, 39C, 40C, 41C. The openings 38C to 41C are formed on an inner side with respect to the peripheral edges of the front side 25 and are surrounded by the peripheral wall part 45.In other words, the front side 25 of the base member 4C has the peripheral wall 45 surrounding the openings 38C to 41C, a vertical central part 46C extending in the up-down direction D 2, and a horizontal central part 48C extending in the right-left direction D 1. The vertical middle portion 46C and the horizontal middle portion 48C form a partition between the openings 38C to 41C.That is, the opening 38C, 39C on the left side and the opening 40C, 41C on the right side are spaced apart from each other in the right-left direction D 1 with the vertical central part 46C therebetween. The upper-side opening 38C, 40C and the lower-side opening 39C, 41C are disposed apart from each other in the up-down direction D 2 with the horizontal central part 48C therebetween.The peripheral wall part 45, the vertical middle part 46C, and the horizontal middle part 48C are flush with each other and function as the support wall part for supporting the rear side 8 bof the touch fastener 6 (FIG. 7( a)).The front side 25 of the base member 4C is also formed with communication grooves 62C, 63C, 64C, 65C. The communication groove 62C is formed at an upper part in the vertical middle part 46C, and the communication groove 63C is formed at a lower part in the vertical middle part 46C. The communication groove 64C is formed at a left part in the horizontal middle part 48C, and the communication groove 65C is formed at a right part in the horizontal middle part 48C. The ports 38C to 41C are in fluid communication with each other through the communication grooves 62C to 65C.As shown in FIG. 11, the rear side 26 of the base member 4C is formed with a pair of openings 70C, 72C. The opening 70C opens to the openings 40C, 41C in the front-rear direction D 3, and the opening 72C opens to the openings 38C, 39C in the front-rear direction D 3. The opening 70C is spaced apart from the opening 72C in the right-left direction D 1 with a vertical middle part 56C interposed therebetween. The vertical central portion 56C is formed with a pair of communication grooves 134 and 136 that fluidly connect the apertures 70C and 72C.The openings 38C to 41C, the communication grooves 62C to 65C, and the openings 70C and 72C cooperate with each other as a space 32C. The base 8 of the touch fastener 6 is integrally connected to the front surface 25 of the base member 4C, and the resin 5 is filled and cured in the space 32C by in-mold molding as described later.As shown in FIG. 10, the base member 4C is also formed with an oval-shaped middle wall portion 132 at an intersection between the vertical middle portion 46C and the horizontal middle portion 48C. The central wall part 132 has a front side 132 aarranged more rearward in the front-rear direction D 3 than the front side 25 of the base member 4C (that is, the peripheral wall part 45, the vertical central part 46C, and the horizontal central part 48C of the front side 25). That is, the front side 25 of the base member 4C is disposed more forward than the middle wall part 132. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, a rear side 132 bof the middle wall part 132 forms a bottom surface of the openings 70C and 72C, and thus the rear side 26 of the base member 4C is disposed more rearward than the rear side 132 bof the middle wall part 132.The base member 4C is also formed with a cylindrical portion 138 at the center of the middle wall portion 132. As shown in FIG. 10, the cylindrical part 138 has a front end that is located more forward than the middle wall part 132 and is flush with the vertical middle part 46C and the horizontal middle part 48C. As shown in FIG. 11, the cylindrical part 138 also has a rear end which is located more rearward than the central wall part 132 and is flush with the vertical central part 56C and the peripheral wall part 57.As shown in FIG. 11, the base member 4C is formed with an air outlet hole 9 passing through the base member 4C in the front-rear direction D 3 at the center of the cylindrical part 138.As also shown in FIG. 10, the front end of the cylindrical part 138 is formed with four grooves 142 radially extending from the air outlet hole 9 and spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction. The grooves 142 correspond to the openings 38C to 41C, are in fluid communication with the corresponding openings 38C to 41C, and act as air outlet passages to direct air in the openings 38C to 41C into the air outlet hole 9.For molding the base member 4C to the touch fastener 6, for example, a molding jig 82C is used as shown in FIG. 12. The molding apparatus 82C has substantially the same configuration as the above-described molding apparatus 82, but differs in that it includes a second movable mold part 94C instead of the second movable mold part 94. The second movable mold portion 94C is formed with an intake passage 144 fluidly connected to an intake source 146 (e.g., a pump).As shown in FIG. 12, when the molding apparatus 82C is closed with the base member 4C and the touch fastener 6 accommodated therein, the front side 25 of the base member 4C (specifically, the peripheral wall part 45, the vertical central part 46C, the horizontal central part 48C, and the front end of the cylindrical part 138 of the front side 25 (all acting as the support wall part)) abuts against the rear side 8 bof the base 8 of the touch fastener 6. At this time, the rear opening of the air outlet hole 9 is connected to the suction duct 144 of the second movable die 94C, while the front opening of the air outlet hole 9 is covered with the base 8 of the touch fastener 6. Thus, the four openings 38C to 41C of the base member 4C are connected to the suction duct 144 through the grooves 142 and the air outlet hole 9, and further to the suction source 146.In this state, the resin material is filled into the space 32C through the pair of inlets 34 and 36. In this manner, the base member 4C is molded to the base 8 of the touch fastener 6. That is, the resin material injected through the inlets 34 and 36 flows through the openings 70C, 72C, 38C to 41C toward the rear side 8 bof the base 8 of the touch fastener 6 and also into the connection grooves 62C to 65C, and then cures.In this modification, the suction source 146 is also activated in in-mold casting, so that air in the openings 38C to 41C flows through the grooves 142 (air outlet passages 142) to the air outlet hole 9 and is discharged through the suction passage 144. Thus, no air remains between the injected resin material (resin 5) and the base 8 of the touch fastener 6, which reliably pours the base member 4C onto the base 8 of the touch fastener 6.In this modification, as in the above-described embodiment, an excessively large pressure is not applied to parts of the base 8 at the touch fastener 6, even if the injection pressure near the openings 38C to 41C fluctuates because the resin material flows through the connection grooves 62C to 65C.Next, a lock fastener according to the fourth modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13. A lock fastener 2D according to this modification includes a base member 4D. The base member 4D has substantially the same configuration as the above-described base member 4, but differs in that it is formed with openings 38D to 41D instead of the openings 38 to 41 in the front side 25. The openings 38D to 41D are partitioned from each other by a vertical middle part 46D and a horizontal middle part 48D, in place of the vertical middle part 46 and the horizontal middle part 48, the vertical middle part 46D is formed with the above-described communication grooves 62 and 63, and the horizontal middle part 48D is formed with the above-described communication grooves 64 and 65.The base member 4D is also formed with a cylindrical part 156 at a left portion of the horizontal central part 48D of the front 25 and a second cylindrical part 158 at a right portion of the horizontal central part 48D. Further, the base member 4D is formed with air outlet holes 9D passing through the base member 4D in the front-rear direction D 3. In this modification, the air outlet holes 9D include a first air outlet hole 91D formed on the first cylindrical part 156 and a second air outlet hole 92D formed on the second cylindrical part 158.Note that the first and second cylindrical parts 156 and 158 are omitted in another embodiment, and the first and second air discharge holes 91D and 92D are formed directly at the horizontal central part 48D.The first cylindrical part 156 has a front end formed with a pair of first grooves 160 and 161 (acting as air outlet ducts 160, 161) respectively corresponding to the openings 38D and 39D adjacent thereto in the up-down direction D 2. The first groove 160 on the upper side fluidly connects the opening 38D on the upper left side to the first air outlet hole 91D, and the first groove 161 on the lower side fluidly connects the opening 39D on the lower left side to the first left outlet hole 91D. The second cylindrical part 158 has a front end formed with a pair of second grooves 162 and 163 (acting as air outlet ducts) respectively corresponding to the openings 40D and 41D adjacent thereto in the up-down direction D 2. The second groove 162 on the upper side fluidly connects the opening 40D on the upper right side to the second air outlet hole 92D, and the second groove 163 on the lower side fluidly connects the opening 41D on the lower right side to the second air outlet hole 92D.Although not shown in the drawings, the first and second air discharge holes 91D and 92D are formed to be connected to a suction source at the time of in-mold casting through the respective first and second suction passages formed in, for example, a second movable mold part of a molding apparatus. When the suction source is activated, air in the openings 38D and 39D of the base member 4D flows into the first air outlet hole 91D through the pair of first grooves 160 and 161, and is then discharged to the outside through the first air outlet hole 91D. In addition, air in the openings 40D and 41D of the base member 4D flows into the second air outlet hole 92D through the pair of second grooves 162 and 163, and is discharged to the outside through the second air outlet hole 92D. Thus, the same advantageous effects as in the third modification are obtained.It should be noted that although in this fourth modification the first cylindrical part 156 is formed between the openings 38D and 39D on the left side and the second cylindrical part 158 is formed between the openings 40D and 41D on the right side, in another embodiment, it is preferable that the first cylindrical part 156 having the first air outlet hole 91D passing therethrough is formed at an upper portion of the vertical middle part 46D and that the second cylindrical part 158 having the second air outlet hole 92D passing therethrough is formed at a lower portion of the vertical middle part 46D. In this case, the front end of the first cylindrical part 156 is formed such that the pair of first grooves 160 and 161 are in fluid communication with the openings 38D, 40D adjacent thereto in the right-left direction D 1, and the front end of the second cylindrical part 158 is formed such that the pair of second grooves 162 and 163 are in fluid communication with the openings 39D and 41D adjacent thereto in the right-left direction D 1. This configuration also provides the same advantageous effects as in the fourth modification.While the locking fasteners according to the invention have been described in detail with reference to the embodiments and modifications thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention.Industrial applicabilityLocking fastening elements according to the invention are particularly suitable for attaching planar materials to vehicles as cladding.Reference numerals denote reference numerals2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D lock fastener 4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D base member 6 touch fastener 8 base 9, 9D, 91D-92D air outlet hole 10 engaging members 32 space 38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D openings 45, 57, 45A, 45B peripheral wall part 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d plastic material, resin 62-65, 62A, 62B-68B, 62C-64C communication grooves

Claims

A lock fastener (2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) comprising: a base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D); and a touch fastener (6) comprising a base (8) and a plurality of engaging members (10) molded on the base (8), wherein: the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) is integrally molded with the base (8) using a plastic material (5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d); said base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) has a surface formed with a plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) and at least one communication groove (62-65, 62A, 62B-68B, 62C-64C); said base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) being formed with a space (32) formed to be filled with said plastic material (5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) at the time of molding, said space (32) having said plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D); and the plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) includes a pair of openings in fluid communication with each other through the at least one communication groove (62-65, 62A, 62B-68B, 62C-64C).The latch fastener (2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) of claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of apertures (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) are in fluid communication with one another through the at least one communication groove (62-65, 62A, 62B-68B, 62C-64C).The lock fastener (2, 2C, 2D) according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) are four rectangular-shaped openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) formed on an inner side with respect to peripheral edges of the surface in a lattice arrangement.The lock fastener (2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) is formed with a plurality of air outlet passages corresponding to the plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D); said base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) being formed with an air outlet hole (9, 9D, 91D-92D) passing through said base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D), said air outlet hole (9, 9D, 91D-92D) being in fluid communication through said plurality of air outlet channels with said plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D); and, upon pouring, air in the plurality of openings (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) flows through the plurality of air outlet passages into the air outlet hole (9, 9D, 91D-92D).A lock fastener (2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D) comprising: a base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D); and a touch fastener (6) comprising a base (8) and a plurality of engaging members (10) molded on the base (8), wherein the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) is integrally molded with the base (8) using a plastic material (5); the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) has a surface molded with at least one opening (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) and at least one air outlet duct; the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D) is formed with a space (32) configured to be filled with the plastic material (5, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) at the time of molding and at least one air outlet hole (9, 9D, 91D-92D) passing through the base member (4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D), the space (32) having the at least one opening (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D); and at the time of pouring, air in the at least one opening (38-41, 38A-39A, 38B-43B, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) flows through the at least one air outlet duct into the at least one air outlet hole (9, 9D, 91D-92D).The lock fastener (2, 2C, 2D) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one opening (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) comprises four openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) in a grid arrangement; the surface of the base member (4, 4C, 4D) has a peripheral wall part (45, 57) continuously extending along the entire peripheral edges of the surface, the peripheral wall part (45, 57) surrounding the four openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D); and the at least one air outlet hole (9, 9D, 91D-92D) is formed at a center of the four openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D).The locking fastener (2, 2C, 2D) of claim 5, wherein the at least one opening (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) comprises four openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) in a grid arrangement, the four openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D) comprising a pair of first openings disposed adjacent to each other and a pair of second openings disposed adjacent to each other; the surface of the base member (4, 4C, 4D) has a peripheral wall part (45, 57) extending continuously along the entire peripheral edges of the surface, the peripheral wall part (45, 57) surrounding the four openings (38-41, 38C-41C, 38D-41D); the at least one air outlet hole (9D, 91D-92D) has a first air outlet hole (91D) corresponding to the pair of first openings and a second air outlet hole (92D) corresponding to the pair of second openings; and at the time of pouring, the air in the pair of first openings flows into the first air outlet hole (91D), and the air in the pair of second openings flows into the second air outlet hole (92D).

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