Seat fastener and assembling method

Abstract

To provide a seat fastener which enables decoration between a pair of seat members and an assembling method.SOLUTION: A seat fastener 10 is long and is configured to fasten a cover material 5 to a cover material 3. The seat fastener includes a female member 30 to be fixed to the cover material 3 and a male member 20 to be fixed to the cover material 5. The female member 30 includes a body piece part 31 and an engagement part 40 formed inside the body piece part 31 to be engaged with the male member 20. In an engaged state in which the male member 20 is engaged with the engagement part 40, the body piece part 31 is arranged to cover at least a part of the male member 20 from the outside and is exposed to the outside with respect to the cover materials 3, 5 between respective fixing positions P1, P2 to the cover materials 3, 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat fastener for fastening adjacent seat members together in an automobile seat or the like, and to an assembly method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Each part of an automobile seat (automobile seat) is often provided with a seat member such as a cover member that covers the surface of a cushion body formed of a synthetic resin foam material, a skin material, etc. The peripheral portions (seat edges) of these seat members are fastened to each other by a seat fastener described in, for example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2.

[0003] The sheet fastener described in Patent Document 1 includes a first fastening member fixed to a peripheral portion of a first sheet member and a second fastening member fixed to a peripheral portion of a second sheet member, and the first fastening member and the second fastening member are configured to engage with each other. In this sheet fastener, when the second fastening member is engaged with the first fastening member, the fixed portion of the second fastening member fixed to the second sheet member is disposed closer to the first sheet member than the engaging portion between the first fastening member and the second fastening member, so that both the first fastening member and the second fastening member are covered and hidden by the first sheet member and the second sheet member, and the sheet fastener is not exposed to the outside.

[0004] Moreover, the sheet fastener described in Patent Document 2 includes a first member to which one sheet edge is fixed and a second member to which the other sheet edge is fixed, and the first member and the second member are configured to engage with each other. In this sheet fastener, when the second member is engaged with the first member, a fixed portion of the other sheet edge that is fixed to the second member is disposed closer to the one sheet edge than the first member and the second member, so that both the first member and the second member are covered by the one sheet edge and the other sheet edge, and the sheet fastener is not exposed to the outside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7191490 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5514901 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Generally, a sheet fastener, like the sheet fasteners described in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, is a component that is covered by the edges of a pair of sheet members and is positioned so as not to be exposed to the outside, and is not configured as a component that is actively exposed to the outside. However, for example, when it is desired to decorate a portion between the peripheral edges of a pair of sheet members, a sheet fastener that is not exposed to the outside as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is not suitable for such use.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet fastener and an assembling method that are capable of decorating the space between a pair of sheet members. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) The sheet fastener of the present invention is a long sheet fastener for fastening a second sheet member to a first sheet member, comprising a female member fixed to the first sheet member and a male member fixed to the second sheet member, the female member having a main body piece and an engagement portion formed on the inside of the main body piece so as to be engageable with the male member, the main body piece being arranged to cover at least a portion of the male member from the outside in an engaged state in which the male member is engaged with the engagement portion, and being configured to be exposed to the outside relative to the first sheet member and the second sheet member between fixed positions relative to each of the first sheet member and the second sheet member. According to the sheet fastener of the present invention, the male member engages with the engaging portion of the female member to fasten the second sheet member to the first sheet member, and at this time, the main body piece of the female member is disposed to cover at least a portion of the engaged male member, and at least a portion of the female member is exposed to the outside relative to the first sheet member and the second sheet member between the aforementioned fixing positions. Therefore, at least the exposed main body piece can be used as a decorative portion to decorate the area between the first sheet member and the second sheet member. Furthermore, since there is no need to use any other members than the sheet fastener for decoration, there is no risk of increased costs due to the addition of such other members and complicated assembly work.

[0009] (2) In one embodiment of the sheet fastener of the present invention, the main body piece has a fixing portion fixed to the first sheet member and a portion extending continuously from the fixing portion, and the extension portion forms a storage space for storing a part of the male member on the inside, opposite the surface exposed to the outside, and the engagement portion may be formed within the storage space. With this configuration, at least a portion of the male member that engages with the engaging portion formed in the storage space described above is covered from the outside by the extension portion, and this extension portion becomes a decorative portion, making it possible to decorate the area between the first sheet member and the second sheet member.

[0010] (3) In the sheet fastener of one aspect of the present invention, at least a portion of the outer surface of the extension portion may be curved. According to such a configuration, for example, compared with a case where the portion connected to the fixing portion has an angular shape such as a U-shape, the sheet fastener itself has a good feel and can have improved flexibility. Even if the fastening portion has a curved shape, the sheet fastener can be easily curved and deformed to be fixed, and it is possible to eliminate the need to form a plurality of slits along the width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the sheet fastener in order to improve the flexibility of the sheet fastener.

[0011] (4) In one embodiment of the sheet fastener of the present invention, the engagement portion has an engagement piece portion protruding from the inside of the extension portion toward the storage space, and the extension portion has a protrusion portion extending toward a fixed position relative to the second sheet member beyond the continuous portion with the engagement portion, and the tip of the protrusion portion may abut against the second sheet member in the engaged state. According to this configuration, when the female member and the male member are engaged, the tip of the protrusion abuts against the second sheet member, so that the male member can be largely covered by the extension, thereby improving the external design. Furthermore, the tip of the protrusion abuts against the second sheet member, thereby stabilizing the engaged state of the female member and the male member.

[0012] (5) In one embodiment of the sheet fastener of the present invention, the engaging portion has an engaging piece portion protruding from the inside of the extension portion toward the storage space, the male member has an engaged portion that engages with the tip of the engaging piece portion, and the fixing portion has a receiving portion formed to continue from a portion opposite to the continuous portion with the extension portion, and the receiving portion is configured to receive the male member in the engaged state on the side opposite to the engaged portion. According to this configuration, by inserting the male member into the female member while it is received in the receiving portion, the engaging piece portion is temporarily bent and deformed, so that the engaged portion of the male member can be easily engaged with the tip of the engaging piece portion. On the other hand, in the engaged state, the engaging piece portion can function as a "barb" to prevent the male member from being pulled out of the female member, and further, even if the male member is attempted to be pulled out of the female member, a force can act on the engaging piece portion to bring its tip closer to the male member, narrowing the gap between the engaging piece portion and the receiving portion and further increasing the engagement strength.

[0013] (6) In one embodiment of the sheet fastener of the present invention, the engaging portion has an engaging piece portion protruding from the inside of the extension portion and an engaging protrusion portion continuous with the fixing portion and arranged at a position opposite the engaging piece portion, and the male member may have a pair of engaged portions engaging with the engaging piece portion and the engaging protrusion portion, respectively. According to this configuration, the pair of engaged portions of the male member are engaged with the engaging piece portion and the engaging protrusion, so that the engagement strength can be improved.

[0014] (7) In one embodiment of the sheet fastener of the present invention, the male member has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion, and comprises a flexible, long male member body and a tape member attached to the male member body, and the male member body, excluding the engaged portion, may have a thickness dimension in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, which is smaller than a width dimension of the male member body in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction. According to this configuration, the male member body can be formed in a generally flat shape, and can be made flexible even if it is made of, for example, hard resin. In addition, since the tape member is attached to the male member body, this tape member can be easily fixed to the second sheet member from the front side by sewing or the like. In addition, the second sheet member can be folded back at the portion where the tape member is fixed, so that the fixed tape member is not exposed to the front side.

[0015] (8) In the sheet fastener of one aspect of the present invention, the female member may be formed of a material softer than the male member. According to such a configuration, the engagement strength between the male member and the engagement portion can be maintained, while the female member is made of a soft material, thereby improving the flexibility of the sheet fastener as a whole.

[0016] (9) An assembly method of the present invention is an assembly method for fastening a second sheet member to a first sheet member using a long sheet fastener, the sheet fastener comprising a female member having a main body piece and an engaging portion formed on the inside of the main body piece, and a male member engageable with the engaging portion, the female member being fixed to the first sheet member while the male member is fixed to the second sheet member and engaged with the engaging portion, and in an engaged state in which the male member is engaged with the engaging portion, the main body piece is positioned to cover at least a portion of the male member from the outside and is positioned to be exposed to the outside relative to the first sheet member and the second sheet member between respective fixed positions relative to the first sheet member and the second sheet member. According to the assembly method of the present invention, it is possible to provide an assembly method that can achieve the same effects as the sheet fastener of the present invention that achieves the above-mentioned effects. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sheet fastener and an assembling method capable of decorating the space between a pair of sheet members. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an automobile seat equipped with a seat fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II, showing a connected state of the sheet fastener according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a male member of the sheet fastener according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a female member of the sheet fastener according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams showing an assembly procedure using the sheet fastener according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the sheet fastener according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] [Configuration of this embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2, the seat fastener 10 according to this embodiment fastens an upholstery material 5 (panel upholstery material) covering a back panel 4 of the automobile seat 1 to an upholstery material 3 (main upholstery material) serving as a first seat member covering a seat main body 2 of the automobile seat 1, which is a seat for a vehicle of an automobile. This seat fastener 10 includes a male member 20 (inner member) fixed to a peripheral portion 5A of the upholstery material 5, and a female member 30 (outer member) fixed along a peripheral portion 3A of the upholstery material 3. The back panel 4 in this embodiment is made of a soft back panel that is more flexible than a normal type back panel, and is a separate body separated from the seat main body 2. In the following description, the longitudinal direction (front-to-back direction) of the sheet fastener 10 is defined as the X-axis direction, the width direction (left-to-right direction) of the sheet fastener 10 is defined as the Y-axis direction, and the thickness direction (front-to-back direction) of the sheet fastener 10 is defined as the Z-axis direction. The X, Y, and Z axis directions are perpendicular to each other.

[0020] The male member 20 and the female member 30 are formed continuously in the X-axis direction, for example, without multiple intermittent slits along the Y-axis direction, so that the cross-sectional shapes in a plane perpendicular to the X-axis direction are the same. The female member 30 is formed of a material that is softer than the male member 20. Of course, the male member 20 and the female member 30 may be formed of the same material, or the male member 20 may be formed of a material that is softer than the female member 30.

[0021] 2 and 3, the male member 20 includes a male member main body 21 that is flexible and long in the X-axis direction, and a tape member 26 that is flexible and long in the X-axis direction and is attached to the male member main body 21. As the tape member 26, various flexible materials can be used, but in this embodiment, a nonwoven fabric is used.

[0022] The male member body 21 has an engaged portion 22 that is arranged to protrude toward the extended portion 33 side described later when the male member 20 and the female member 30 are engaged, a slope 23 that slopes obliquely from the tip portion to the engaged portion 22, and a receiving surface 24 that is continuous with the slope 23 at the tip portion of the male member body 21 and is formed along the Y-axis direction in the engaged state. In this embodiment, the receiving surface 24 has a flat surface that follows the surface of the tape member 26. In addition, the male member body 21 has a groove portion 25 that opens at the rear end side (skin material 5 side) and to which the tape member 26 is fixed. The thickness dimension of this male member body 21 in the Z-axis direction is smaller than the width dimension in the Y-axis direction, except for the engaged portion 22, and therefore, in this embodiment, the male member body 21 has an overall shape that is flat and easy to bend in the Y-axis direction.

[0023] The tape member 26 has a fixed portion 261 that is fixed in a state where it is inserted into a groove portion 25 formed in the male member main body 21, and an extension portion 262 that is continuous with the fixed portion 261 and extends from the rear end side (skin material 5 side) of the male member main body 21. The tape member 26 is fixed to the fixing position P2 by sewing a portion of the extension portion 262 that is a predetermined distance away from the male member main body 21 along the peripheral portion 5A of the skin material 5.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the female member 30 has a main body piece 31 that is arranged to cover at least a portion of the male member 20 in an engaged state, in this embodiment the male member main body 21 and a portion of the tape member 26 from the outside (the front side of the skin materials 3, 5), and an engagement portion 40 formed on the inside of the main body piece 31 (the back side of the skin materials 3, 5).

[0025] The main body piece 31 has a fixing portion 32 which is fixed at a fixing position P1 by being sewn along the edge portion 3A of the skin material 3, an extension portion 33 which extends continuously from the fixing portion 32 and has a curved cross-sectional shape, and a receiving portion 35 which is continuous with the fixing portion 32 and receives the receiving surface 24 of the male member 20, and an engagement portion 40 is provided on the inside of the extension portion 33.

[0026] The extension 33 is curved in an arc shape so as to be convex outward in the Z-axis direction, and the fixing portion 32 is continuous with its base end 331. The extension 33 has a protruding portion 34 on the tip 332 side that is disposed closer to the skin 5 than the continuous portion with the engaging portion 40 in an engaged state. The extension 33 thus formed has at least a part of its outer surface curved, and forms a storage space 330 for storing at least a part of the male member 20 on the inside, which is opposite to the surface exposed to the outside. The engaging portion 40 is formed in the storage space 330. The extension 33 is configured to be disposed on the front side of the fixing portion 32 in an engaged state. In this embodiment, the fixing portion 32 is configured as a portion that extends slightly flat from the base end 331 of the extension 33, but is not limited to this shape, and may be curved along the curved shape of the extension 33, for example.

[0027] The protrusion 34 is formed so as to extend from a portion continuous with the engaging portion 40, and is arranged to extend toward the skin 5 side from the continuous portion when the male member 20 and the female member 30 are engaged as described above, with its tip 332 coming into contact with the surface 5B of the skin 5. The protrusion 34 also constitutes a part of the extending portion 33 and has a curved cross section. A guide protrusion 341 protruding inward is formed at the tip 332 of the protrusion 34, and this guide protrusion 341 guides the slope 23 (see FIG. 3) of the male member 20 toward the fixing portion 32 when the male member 20 is inserted into the female member 30.

[0028] The receiving portion 35 is continuous with the fixed portion 32 at a portion opposite to the continuous portion of the fixed portion 32 and the extended portion 33. The receiving portion 35 extends from the fixed portion 32 side toward the tip 332 side. The receiving portion 35 also protrudes toward the protruding portion 34 and is disposed at a position lower than the lower end of the protruding portion 34 in the Z-axis direction. The receiving portion 35 forms an entrance to the storage space 330 between the protruding portion 34 and the receiving portion 35, and the entrance has an opening narrower than the inside of the storage space 330. The receiving portion 35 is disposed along the Y-axis direction in an engaged state and opposed to the extended portion 33 in the front-rear direction of the sheet fastener 10 (the Z-axis direction in this embodiment), and is configured to receive the male member 20 in the engaged state on the side opposite to the engaged portion 22 side in the Z-axis direction.

[0029] The engaging portion 40 has an engaging piece 41 that protrudes from the inside of the extension portion 33 toward the storage space 330. In this embodiment, the engaging piece 41 protrudes obliquely from the inside of the extension portion 33 toward the receiving portion 35 side or the fixed portion 32 side, and engages with the engaged portion 22 of the male member 20 at its tip 411. The tip of the engaging piece 41 is disposed closer to the fixed portion 32 side than the tip of the receiving portion 35. The engaging piece 41 is formed integrally and continuously with the extension portion 33, and therefore has a certain degree of flexibility. Therefore, when the male member 20 is inserted into the female member 30, it is pressed by the engaged portion 22, and is slightly bent to widen the gap with the receiving portion 35, making it easier to insert the male member 20. On the other hand, when a pulling force is applied to the male member 20 while the tip 411 of the engaging piece 41 is engaged with the engaged portion 22 of the male member 20, the engaging piece 41 bends to narrow the distance between the engaging piece 41 and the receiving portion 35, thereby causing the engaging piece 41 and the engaged portion 22 to engage more deeply (the engagement allowance between the engaging piece 41 and the engaged portion 22 increases), thereby further increasing the engagement strength.

[0030] [Assembly procedure] An assembly procedure for fastening the cover material 5 to the cover material 3 by the sheet fastener 10 will be described.

[0031] First, as shown in Fig. 4, the fixing portion 32 of the female member 30 is fixed to the peripheral portion 3A of the skin material 3 at a fixing position P1 by sewing from the surface 3B. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 3, the extending portion 262 of the tape member 26 of the male member 20 is fixed to the peripheral portion 5A of the skin material 5 at a fixing position P2 by sewing from the surface 5B side.

[0032] Here, the male members 20 are formed continuously in the X-axis direction so that their cross-sectional shapes are uniform, while the female members 30 are formed continuously in the X-axis direction so that their cross-sectional shapes are uniform. Therefore, even if the engagement positions of the male members 20 and the female members 30 are misaligned to some extent in the X-axis direction, no engagement failure occurs, and therefore it is not necessary to align the male members 20 and the female members 30 with each other when manufacturing them or when sewing them to the skin materials 3, 5.

[0033] Therefore, even if the male member 20 is manufactured and the upholstery material 5 is sewn in one factory, and the female member 30 is manufactured and the upholstery material 3 is sewn in another factory, the male member 20 and the female member 30 can be suitably engaged with each other. Therefore, in the sheet fastener 10 of this embodiment, for example, when a slide fastener having element rows on the left and right, each row having a plurality of elements (engaging teeth) aligned in the X-axis direction, is used, poor engagement caused by positional deviation (pitch deviation) in the X-axis direction of the left and right element rows cannot occur.

[0034] Furthermore, in the sheet fastener 10 of this embodiment, the male member 20 and the female member 30 are formed continuously in the X-axis direction without having any slits extending in a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction, so that the effort required to engage the male member 20 with the female member 30 can be reduced compared to the case where, for example, the above-mentioned slits are provided.

[0035] In addition, when the peripheral portion 5A of the skin material 5 is not folded back, the male member 20 is positioned such that the extended portion 262 of the tape member 26 is positioned on the edge 511 side of the male member main body 21 at the peripheral portion 5A of the skin material 5, and the engaged portion 22 of the male member main body 21 is positioned on the surface 5B side of the skin material 5 relative to the fixed portion 261 of the tape member 26.

[0036] Next, as shown in Fig. 5, the skin 5 is provided at a predetermined position covering the sheet main body 2, and the female member 30 is tilted from the front surface 3B side while folding back the peripheral portion 3A of the skin 3 to the rear surface 3C side. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 5, the skin 5 is placed at a position opposite the fixing position P1 of the female member 30 to the skin 3, and while folding back the peripheral portion 5A to which the extending portion 262 of the tape member 26 is fixed to the rear surface 5C side of the skin 5, the male member main body 21 is placed closer to the skin 3 side than the skin 5, and the engaged portion 22 of the male member main body 21 is placed outside the fixed portion 261 of the tape member 26 in the Z-axis direction.

[0037] Next, the male member body 21 is inserted between the tip 332 of the female member 30 and the receiving portion 35. At this time, the engaged portion 22 is disposed at a position facing the extended portion 33 in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, while the inclined surface 23 of the male member body 21 is guided by the engaging piece portion 41, the male member 20 is inserted into the female member 30 until the engaged portion 22 is located closer to the fixed portion 32 side (the skin material 3 side) than the engaging piece portion 41, and the engaged portion 22 is engaged with the engaging piece portion 41. At this time, the engaging surface at the tip 411 of the engaging piece portion 41 and the engaged surface at the engaged portion 22 of the male member 20 are disposed along the Z-axis direction, and the received surface 24 of the male member body 21, which are engaged with each other so as not to be separated in the Y-axis direction, is received by the receiving portion 35 of the female member 30, thereby maintaining the engaged state between the engaged portion 22 and the engaging piece portion 41.

[0038] In this engaged state, in this embodiment, the fixing positions P1 and P2 of the skins 3 and 5 are arranged opposite to each other in the Y-axis direction, the female member 30 is arranged between the skins 3 and 5, and the engaging portion 40 is arranged at a position closer to the fixing position P2 than the fixing position P1. The extension portion 33 of the female member 30 arranged in this manner covers the entire male member main body 21 and the portion of the extension portion 262 of the tape member 26 that is not sewn to the peripheral portion 5A of the skin 5 from the outside in the Z-axis direction, and is arranged between the fixing positions P1 and P2 of the skins 3 and 5 and exposed to the outside relative to the skins 3 and 5, respectively, so that the male member main body 21 is completely stored in the storage space 330. In addition, the portion of the extension portion 262 that is on the peripheral side of the fixing position P2 sewn to the peripheral portion 5A is folded back to the back surface 5C of the skin 5, and is arranged not to be exposed to the front surface 5B. Furthermore, in the engaged state, the tip 332 of the extension portion 33 of the female member 30 is disposed in contact or capable of contacting the surface 5B of the skin material 5, and the receiving portion 35 is disposed opposite the extension portion 33 located on the outside in the Z-axis direction. Note that the sheet fastener 10 is configured such that a slight space is formed between the main body piece portion 31 and the male member 20 in the engaged state described above, thereby facilitating the insertion and engagement of the male member 20 with the female member 30.

[0039] In this manner, the sheet fastener 10 is assembled, and the upholstery material 5 is fastened to the upholstery material 3. In the fastened state, only the extension portion 33 of the female member 30 of the sheet fastener 10 is exposed to the outside between the upholstery materials 3 and 5. Therefore, by applying any color, coating, lamination, or the like to at least the extension portion 33, the gap between the upholstery materials 3 and 5 can be easily decorated. Even if the extension portion 33 is laminated or the like as described above, the extension portion 33 itself is exposed to the outside. The female member 30, which is allowed to have a certain degree of misalignment in the X-axis direction relative to the male member 20, does not necessarily need to be sewn to the upholstery materials 3 and 5 while being aligned in the same factory as the male member 20. Therefore, a plurality of types of female members 30 with various decorations can be manufactured and sewn in factories other than the factory where the male member 20 is manufactured and sewn. Therefore, the female member 30 to be used can be selected from the plurality of types of female members 30, and the decoration variation between the upholstery materials 3 and 5 can be increased.

[0040] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the female member 30 of the sheet fastener 10 has an engaging piece portion 41 and a receiving portion 35, and the engaging piece portion 41 engages with the engaged portion 22 of the male member main body 21 having a single claw shape, and the receiving portion 35 receives the received surface 24 of the male member main body 21. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in a modified example in Figure 6, the sheet fastener 10B may be configured with a female member 30B that engages with a male member main body 21B having a double claw shape.

[0041] The male member main body 21B has a pair of engaged portions 22B arranged opposite to each other in the Z-axis direction with the fixed portion 261 of the tape member 26 therebetween, and is configured in a generally arrowhead shape. The female member 30B has an engaging protrusion 36 facing an engaging piece 41 continuing to the inside of the extension portion 33, instead of the aforementioned receiving portion 35 continuing to the fixed portion 32. The engaging protrusion 36 is formed at the tip of a piece 37 extending continuously from the receiving portion 35, protruding toward the engaging piece 41 side. In this sheet fastener 10B, the male member main body 21B is inserted into the female member 30B, and a pair of engaged portions 22B engage with the engaging piece portion 41 and the engaging protrusion 36 of the female member 30B, thereby engaging the male member 20B having the male member main body 21B with the female member 30B.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the male member 20 and the female member 30 are each formed continuously in the longitudinal direction so that they have the same cross-sectional shape, but for example, one or both of the male member 20 and the female member 30 may be formed with a plurality of slits extending in a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction.

[0043] In the above embodiment, the extension portion 33 is formed to have a curved cross-sectional shape, but this is not limited thereto. As long as the main body piece 31 is configured to be exposed to the outside between the skin materials 3 and 5, the shape of the extension portion 33 may be appropriately modified according to the desired design, for example, to have an angular shape or a combination of an angular shape and a curved shape.

[0044] In the embodiment, the engagement portion 40 is formed inside the extension portion 33, but this is not limited thereto, and the engagement portion 40 may be formed at a position different from the extension portion 33 as long as it is a position where the engagement portion 40 can engage with the male member 20.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the extension portion 33 has the protruding portion 34 that is disposed extending toward the skin material 5 in an engaged state beyond the portion continuing to the engaging portion 40, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when it is not necessary to cover the male component 20 at the portion of the extension portion 33 beyond the portion continuing to the engaging portion 40, the configuration of the protruding portion 34 may be omitted. In this case, the tip 332 of the extension portion 33 is disposed at a position not in contact with the skin material 5. Even when the extension portion 33 has the protruding portion 34, the tip 332 may be disposed at a position not in contact with the skin material 5.

[0046] In the above embodiment, the engaging portion 40 has an engaging piece portion 41 that protrudes diagonally from the inside of the extension portion 33 toward the fixed portion 32, but this is not limited to this. For example, an engaging piece portion that protrudes from the inside of the extension portion 33 along the Z-axis direction may be used as long as it is configured to be able to engage with the engaged portion 22 of the male member 20.

[0047] In the above embodiment, as described above, the male member main body 21 has a thickness dimension smaller than its width dimension, and is configured to be flat in the Y-axis direction when engaged, but this is not limited to the above, and the male member main body 21 may be configured with a dimensional relationship different from the above dimensional relationship as long as it is configured to be able to engage with the female member 30.

[0048] In the above embodiment, the tape member 26 of the male member 20 is made of a nonwoven fabric, but it is not limited thereto and may be made of any flexible material as described above. For example, it may be a woven fabric with thread woven into it, or it may be made of a foldable sheet material.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the female member 30 is formed of a softer material than the male member 20, but this is not limited thereto, and for example, the female member 30 may be formed of the same material as the male member 20, or the male member 20 may be formed of a softer material than the female member.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the male member 20 and the female member 30 are fixed to the skin materials 3, 5 by sewing, but this is not limited thereto, and they may be fixed by, for example, adhesion, etc., as long as sufficient fixing strength can be obtained.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the female member 30 is fixed to the skin material 3, and the male member 20 is fixed to the skin material 5. However, the opposite may be true, that is, the female member 30 is fixed to the skin material 5, and the male member 20 is fixed to the skin material 3. In this case, the skin material 5 corresponds to the first sheet member, and the skin material 3 corresponds to the second sheet member.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the seat fastener 10 has been described as connecting the upholstery materials 3, 5 which are the seat cover of the automobile seat 1, but it may also be used to connect seat members used in seats of aircraft or ships, seats used in schools or office buildings, exercise equipment, furniture such as sofas and beds for homes, bags, clothing, installations such as tents, packages for transport, etc.

[0053] [Effects of this embodiment] (1) The sheet fasteners 10, 10B of this embodiment are long and fasten the upholstery material 5 to the upholstery material 3, and include female members 30, 30B fixed to the upholstery material 3, and male members 20, 20B fixed to the upholstery material 5. The female members 30, 30B have a main body piece 31 and an engaging portion 40 formed on the inside of the main body piece 31 so as to be engageable with the male members 20, 20B. The main body piece 31 is disposed so as to cover at least a portion of the male members 20, 20B from the outside, and is configured so that at least a portion of the female members 30, 30B is exposed to the outside relative to the upholstery materials 3, 5 between the fixing positions P1, P2 relative to the upholstery materials 3, 5, respectively. As a result, the male members 20, 20B engage with the engaging portions 40 of the female members 30, 30B to fasten the skin material 5 to the skin material 3, and at this time, the male members 20, 20B are disposed to cover at least a portion of the engaged male members 20, 20B and are exposed to the outside relative to the skin materials 3, 5 between the fixing positions P1, P2 described above. Therefore, at least a portion of the main body piece portion 31 can be used as a decorative member between the skin material 3 and the skin material 5. In addition, since it is not necessary to use a member other than the sheet fasteners 10, 10B for decoration, it is possible to eliminate the risk of increased costs and complicated assembly work due to the addition of the other members.

[0054] (2) The main body piece 31 has a fixing portion 32 fixed to the skin material 3 and an extension portion 33 extending continuously from the fixing portion 32, and the extension portion 33 forms a storage space 330 for storing a part of the male members 20, 20B on the inside opposite to the surface exposed to the outside, and the engagement portion 40 is formed within the storage space 330. Therefore, at least a part of the male members 20, 20B that engages with the engagement portion 40 formed in the storage space 330 described above is covered from the outside by the extension portion 33, and the extension portion 33 can decorate the space between the skin material 3 and the skin material 5.

[0055] (3) At least a part of the outer surface of the extension portion 33 is curved. Therefore, compared with the case where the portion continuing to the fixing portion 32 has an angular shape such as a U-shape, the flexibility of the sheet fastener itself can be improved, and even if the fastening portion has a curved shape, the sheet fasteners 10, 10B can be easily curved and fixed, and it is possible to eliminate the need to form multiple slits along the Y-axis direction in order to improve the flexibility of the sheet fasteners 10, 10.

[0056] (4) The engaging portion 40 has an engaging piece portion 41 that protrudes from the inside of the extending portion 33 toward the storage space 330, and the extending portion 33 has a protruding portion 34 that extends toward the fixed position P2 side relative to the skin material 5 from the continuous portion with the engaging portion 40, and the tip 332 of the protruding portion 34 abuts against the skin material 5 in the engaged state. Therefore, when the female members 30, 30B and the male members 20, 20B are engaged, the tip 332 of the protruding portion 34 abuts against the skin material 5, so that the male members 20, 20B can be largely covered by the extending portion 33, and the external design can be improved even if the male members 20, 20B are not decorated, for example. In addition, the tip 332 of the protruding portion 34 abuts against the skin material 5, so that the engaged state of the female members 30, 30B and the male members 20, 20B can be stabilized.

[0057] (5) The engaging portion 40 has an engaging piece portion 41 that protrudes from the inside of the extension portion 33 toward the storage space 330, the male member 20 has an engaged portion 22 that engages with the tip 411 of the engaging piece portion 41, the fixing portion 32 has a receiving portion 35 that is continuous with the portion opposite to the portion continuous with the extension portion 33, and the receiving portion 35 is configured to receive the male members 20, 20B in the engaged state on the side opposite to the engaged portion 22. Therefore, by inserting the male member 20 into the female member 30 while the male member 20 is received in the receiving portion 35, the engaging piece portion 41 is temporarily bent and deformed, so that the engaged portion 22 of the male member 20 can be easily engaged with the tip 411 of the engaging piece portion 41. On the other hand, in the engaged state, the engaging piece 41 can function as a "barb" to prevent the male member 20 from being pulled out of the female member 30. Furthermore, even if the male member 20 is attempted to be pulled out of the female member 30, a force can act on the engaging piece 41, causing its tip 411 to approach the male member 20, thereby narrowing the gap between the engaging piece 41 and the receiving portion 35 and further increasing the engagement strength.

[0058] (6) In the sheet fastener 10B according to the modified example of this embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the engaging portion 40 has an engaging piece portion 41 protruding from the inside of the extending portion 33 and an engaging protrusion 36 that is continuous with the fixing portion 32 and is disposed at a position facing the engaging piece portion 41, and the male member 20B has a pair of engaged portions 22B that engage with the engaging piece portion 41 and the engaging protrusion 36, respectively. Therefore, the pair of engaged portions 22B of the male member 20B are engaged with the engaging piece portion 41 and the engaging protrusion 36, thereby improving the engagement strength.

[0059] (7) The male members 20, 20B have engaged portions 22, 22B that engage with the engaging portion 40, and are provided with a long, flexible male member main body 21, 21B and a tape member 26 that is attached to the male member main body 21, 21B, and the male member main body 21, 21B has a thickness dimension in the Z-axis direction that is smaller than the width dimension in the Y-axis direction of the male member main body 21, 21B, excluding the engaged portions 22, 22B. Therefore, the male member main body 21, 21B can be formed in a generally flat shape, and can be made flexible even if the male member main body 21, 21B is made of, for example, a hard resin. In addition, since the tape member 26 is attached to the male member main body 21, 21B, the tape member 26 can be easily fixed to the skin material 5 from the front side (surface 5B side) by sewing or the like. In addition, the skin material 5 can be folded back at the portion to which the tape member 26 is fixed, so that the fixed tape member 26 is not exposed to the front side.

[0060] (8) The female members 30, 30B are made of a softer material than the male members 20, 20B. Therefore, by making the female members 30, 30B of a soft material, the overall flexibility of the sheet fastener 10, 10B can be improved while maintaining the engagement strength between the male members 20, 20B and the engagement portion 40.

[0061] (9) The assembly method of this embodiment is an assembly method for fastening a skin material 5 to a skin material 3 with a long sheet fastener 10, 10B, wherein the sheet fastener 10, 10B includes a main body piece 31 and a female member 30, 30B having an engaging portion 40 formed on the inside of the main body piece 31, and a male member 20, 20B engageable with the engaging portion 40. In an engaged state in which the female member 30, 30B is fixed to the skin material 3 while the male member 20, 20B is fixed to the skin material 5 and the male member 20, 20B is engaged with the engaging portion 40, the main body piece 31 is positioned to cover at least a portion of the male members 20, 20B from the outside and is positioned to be exposed to the outside relative to the skin materials 3, 5 between fixing positions P1, P2 for the skin materials 3, 5, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to provide an assembly method that can achieve the same effects as the sheet fasteners 10, 10B of the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] Reference Signs List 1... automobile seat, 10, 10B... seat fastener, 2... seat body, 20, 20B... male member, 21, 21B... male member body, 22, 22B... engaged portion, 23... inclined surface, 24... receiving surface, 25... groove portion, 26... tape member, 261... fastening portion, 262... extending portion, 3, 5... cover material (seat member), 30, 30B... female member, 31... body piece portion , 32...fixed portion, 33...extension portion, 330...storage space, 331...base end, 332, 411...tip, 34...protrusion, 341...guide protrusion, 35...receiving portion, 36...engaging protrusion, 37...piece, 3A, 5A...edge portion, 3B, 5B...surface, 3C, 5C...back surface, 4...back panel, 40...engaging portion, 41...engaging piece portion, 511...edge, P1, P2...fixed position.

Claims

1. A long sheet fastener (10, 10B) for fastening a second sheet member (5, 3) to a first sheet member (3, 5), a female member (30, 30B) fixed to the first sheet member (3, 5) and a male member (20, 20B) fixed to the second sheet member (5, 3); The female member (30, 30B) has a main body piece (31) and an engagement portion (40) formed on the inside of the main body piece (31) so as to be engageable with the male member (20, 20B), The main body piece (31) is arranged to cover at least a portion of the male member (20, 20B) from the outside when the male member (20, 20B) is engaged with the engaging portion (40), and is configured to be exposed to the outside relative to the first sheet member (3, 5) and the second sheet member (5, 3) between fixing positions (P1, P2) relative to each of the first sheet member (3, 5) and the second sheet member (5, 3).

2. The main body piece (31) has a fixed portion (32) fixed to the first sheet member (3, 5) and an extension portion (33) extending continuously from the fixed portion (32), The extension portion (33) forms a storage space (330) for storing a part of the male member (20, 20B) on the inside opposite to the surface exposed to the outside, The seat fastener according to claim 1, wherein the engagement portion (40) is formed within the storage space (330).

3. The sheet fastener according to claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the outer surface of the extension (33) is curved.

4. the engaging portion (40) has an engaging piece portion (41) protruding from the inside of the extension portion (33) toward the storage space (330), and the extension portion (33) has a protruding portion (34) extending toward a fixed position (P2) relative to the second sheet member (5, 3) beyond a continuous portion with the engaging portion (40); 4. The sheet fastener according to claim 2, wherein a tip (332) of the protrusion (34) abuts against the second sheet member (5, 3) in the engaged state.

5. The engaging portion (40) has an engaging piece portion (41) that protrudes from the inside of the extension portion (33) toward the storage space (330), The male member (20) has an engaged portion (22) that is engaged with the tip (411) of the engaging piece portion (41), The fixing portion (32) is formed with a receiving portion (35) that is continuous with the portion opposite to the portion that is continuous with the extension portion (33), 4. The sheet fastener according to claim 2, wherein the receiving portion (35) is configured to receive the male member (20, 20B) in the engaged state on a side opposite to the engaged portion (22).

6. The engaging portion (40) has an engaging piece portion (41) protruding from the inside of the extension portion (33) and an engaging protrusion (36) that is continuous with the fixing portion (32) and is arranged at a position opposite to the engaging piece portion (41), 4. The sheet fastener according to claim 2, wherein the male member (20B) has a pair of engaged portions (22B) which engage with the engaging piece portion (41) and the engaging protrusion (36), respectively.

7. The male member (20, 20B) has an engaged portion (22, 22B) that is engaged with the engaging portion (40), and is provided with a flexible, long male member main body (21, 21B) and a tape member (26) attached to the male member main body (21, 21B), 2. The sheet fastener according to claim 1, wherein the thickness dimension of the male member main body (21, 21B) in a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, excluding the engaged portion (22, 22B), is smaller than the width dimension of the male member main body (21, 21B) in a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction.

8. 2. The sheet fastener according to claim 1, wherein the female member (30, 30B) is made of a material softer than the male member (20, 20B).

9. An assembly method for fastening a second sheet member (5, 3) to a first sheet member (3, 5) using a long sheet fastener (10, 10B), comprising the steps of: The sheet fastener (10, 10B) comprises a female member (30, 30B) having a main body piece (31) and an engagement portion (40) formed on the inside of the main body piece (31), and a male member (20, 20B) engageable with the engagement portion (40), The female member (30, 30B) is fixed to the first sheet member (3, 5), while the male member (20, 20B) is fixed to the second sheet member (5, 3); The male member (20, 20B) is engaged with the engagement portion (40), An assembly method in which, in an engaged state in which the male member (20, 20B) is engaged with the engaging portion (40), the main body piece portion (31) is positioned covering at least a portion of the male member (20, 20B) from the outside and is positioned exposed to the outside relative to the first sheet member (3, 5) and the second sheet member (5, 3) between fixed positions (P1, P2) relative to each of the first sheet member (3, 5) and the second sheet member (5, 3).

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