Fastener tool and manufacturing method for same

Abstract

A fastener tool 1 includes a hook and loop fastener portion 6 and a support base 8 supporting the hook and loop fastener portion 6, and the hook and loop fastener portion 6 includes a plurality of fastener piece portions 10 overlapping one another in a width direction D1. Each fastener piece portion 10 includes a support base portion 12 and a plurality of engagement portions 4 provided on the support base portion 12 and arranged in line in a length direction D2. The support base portion 12 is coupled to the support base 8 by insert molding using a synthetic resin.

Description

Fastener and manufacturing method thereof

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastener and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a fastener used as a mounting means for fixing an automobile interior part to a body panel of an automobile, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002] Conventionally, fasteners with hook-and-loop fastener portions have been used, for example, when attaching automotive interior components (e.g., ceilings, instrument panels, consoles, etc.) to body panels of automobiles. For example, the fastener disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a synthetic resin base member and a hook-and-loop fastener fixed to the base member. The base member has one surface provided with a filling space and the other surface provided with an opening communicating with the filling space, and the hook-and-loop fastener has multiple flat engaging portions. When fastening the hook-and-loop fastener to the base member, the hook-and-loop fastener is positioned on the other surface of the base member in a molding die, the opening of the base member is blocked, and synthetic resin is injected into the molding die to fill the filling space and the opening of the base member. This fastens the hook-and-loop fastener to the base member by the synthetic resin filled in the filling space and the opening.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-137989

[0004] In conventional fastener manufacturing methods, a fastener in which a hook-and-loop fastener and a base member are joined can be easily manufactured by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener and the base member as inserts. However, since the hook-and-loop fastener itself, which has many engagement portions arranged in a plane, is not easy to manufacture and the manufacturing costs are high, there has been a problem in that the manufacturing costs of the above-mentioned fasteners manufactured using such hook-and-loop fasteners are also high.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a fastener having a hook-and-loop fastener portion that can be more easily formed, thereby enabling reduction in manufacturing costs.

[0006] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a fastener that can more easily form a hook-and-loop fastener portion, thereby reducing manufacturing costs.

[0007] A fastener device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a hook-and-loop fastener portion and a support base portion supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, the hook-and-loop fastener portion comprising a plurality of fastener piece portions stacked in a first direction, each of the plurality of fastener piece portions having a support base portion and a plurality of engaging portions provided on the support base portion and arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the support base portion being joined to the support base by insert molding using a synthetic resin.

[0008] It is preferable that each of the plurality of fastener pieces is individually formed by resin molding.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that each of the multiple fastener piece portions has a first side surface and a second side surface on both sides in the first direction, and that of a pair of fastener piece portions adjacent to each other in the first direction, one fastener piece portion has an engaging protrusion on the first side surface and the other fastener piece portion has an engaging recess on the second side surface, and that the engaging protrusion portion engages with the engaging recess.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that the hook-and-loop fastener portion has a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate, and that the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate has at least one pair of fastener piece portions among the plurality of fastener piece portions and at least one connecting portion that connects the at least pair of fastener piece portions in series.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate is formed by bending a continuous fastener piece having at least one pair of fastener piece portions connected in series by at least one connecting portion at the at least one connecting portion, and fitting the fitting convex portion into the fitting concave portion. It is preferable that the continuous fastener piece is integrally formed by resin molding.

[0012] Alternatively, the hook-and-loop fastener portion has a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate body, which has at least four fastener pieces from the plurality of fastener piece portions and at least three connecting portions connecting the at least four fastener piece portions in series, and the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate body is preferably formed by bending a fastener piece continuous body having the at least four fastener piece portions connected in series by the at least three connecting portions at the at least three connecting portions so as to form an accordion-like shape and fitting the mating convex portion into the mating concave portion.

[0013] Alternatively, it is preferable that the multiple fastener piece portions have the same configuration, the first side of each of the multiple fastener piece portions is provided with the mating protrusion portion, and the second side of each of the multiple fastener piece portions is provided with the mating recess portion.

[0014] Furthermore, it is preferable that the plurality of fastener pieces include a plurality of first fastener pieces and a plurality of second fastener pieces, the plurality of first fastener pieces and the plurality of second fastener pieces being alternately stacked along the first direction, the first side surface and the second side surface of each of the plurality of first fastener pieces being provided with an engaging recess, the first side surface and the second side surface of each of the plurality of second fastener pieces being provided with an engaging protrusion, and each of the engaging protrusions being engaged with the engaging recess of an adjacent first fastener piece in the first direction.

[0015] The support base portion has an upper base portion protruding from the support base and a lower base portion embedded in the support base, and in the first direction, the width of the lower base portion is smaller than the width of the upper base portion, and a pair of fastener piece portions adjacent to each other in the first direction abut each other at the upper base portions, while a gap is provided between the lower base portions, and the gap is preferably filled with synthetic resin.

[0016] Preferably, the base lower portion of each of the plurality of fastener pieces is provided with a communication opening that penetrates the base lower portion in the first direction and communicates with the gap.

[0017] A method for manufacturing a fastener according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a fastener comprising a hook-and-loop fastener portion and a support base portion supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, and includes a resin molding process for forming a plurality of fastener piece portions each having a support base portion by resin molding, a hook-and-loop fastener portion forming process for overlapping the plurality of fastener piece portions in a first direction to form a hook-and-loop fastener portion, and a support base forming process for resin molding the support base portion joined to the support base portion by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portion as an insert, wherein each of the plurality of fastener piece portions further has a plurality of engaging portions provided on the support base portion, and the plurality of engaging portions are arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0018] Each of the fastener pieces has a first side surface and a second side surface on both sides in the first direction, the first side surface is provided with a mating protrusion, and the second side surface is provided with a mating recess,

[0019] In the hook-and-loop fastener portion forming process, it is preferable that the fastener pieces are fitted together by the mating convex portion provided on the fastener piece fitting into the mating recess provided on the adjacent fastener piece.

[0020] A method for manufacturing a fastener according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a fastener comprising a hook-and-loop fastener portion and a support base portion supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, the method comprising: a resin molding step of forming a plurality of fastener piece continua by resin molding, each of which has a support base portion and is connected in series via a connecting portion; a hook-and-loop fastener forming step of forming the hook-and-loop fastener portion using the plurality of fastener piece continua; and a support base molding step of resin molding the support base portion connected to the support base portion by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portion as an insert. and a forming process, wherein the resin molding process includes a folding process in which each of the plurality of fastener piece continua is folded at the connection portion and the plurality of fastener piece portions are overlapped in a first direction to form a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate, and an overlapping process in which the plurality of hook-and-loop fastener intermediates are overlapped with each other in the first direction to form the hook-and-loop fastener portion, wherein each of the plurality of fastener piece portions further has a plurality of engaging portions provided on the support base portion, and the plurality of engaging portions are arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0021] Each of the plurality of fastener pieces has a first side and a second side on both sides in the first direction, a mating recess provided on the first side, and a mating protrusion provided on the second side, and it is preferable that during the folding process, the plurality of fastener pieces are mated together by mating the mating protrusion with the mating recess.

[0022] Alternatively, the multiple fastener piece portions provided in each of the multiple fastener piece continuums include first fastener piece portions and second fastener piece portions arranged alternately, each of the first and second fastener piece portions having a first side surface and a second side surface on both sides in the first direction, the first side surface and the second side surface of the first fastener piece portion being provided with mating protrusions, and the first side surface and the second side surface of the second fastener piece portion being provided with mating recesses, and in the folding process, the multiple fastener piece portions are mated together by mating the mating protrusions with the mating recesses.

[0023] According to a fastener device of one aspect of the present invention, the hook-and-loop fastener portion is composed of a plurality of fastener pieces each having a plurality of engaging portions arranged in a row along the second direction, and therefore these fastener pieces can be formed relatively easily by resin molding using a synthetic resin. Furthermore, since the hook-and-loop fastener portion is formed by overlapping a plurality of fastener pieces in the first direction, the hook-and-loop fastener portion can also be easily formed. Furthermore, since the hook-and-loop fastener portion is joined to the support base by insert molding using a synthetic resin, joining the hook-and-loop fastener portion to the support base can also be easily performed.

[0024] According to a method for manufacturing a fastener according to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of fastener pieces having a plurality of engaging portions arranged in a row along the second direction are formed by resin molding, and the plurality of fastener pieces are overlapped with each other in the first direction to form a hook-and-loop fastener, which makes it possible to form the hook-and-loop fastener relatively easily. Furthermore, since the fastener is manufactured using the hook-and-loop fasteners formed relatively easily, the fastener can be manufactured relatively easily and inexpensively. Furthermore, since the support base is formed by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fasteners as inserts, the fastener can be manufactured even more easily.

[0025] According to a method for manufacturing a fastener according to another aspect of the present invention, the method includes the steps of forming a plurality of fastener segment continuous bodies by resin molding, each of which has a plurality of fastener segment portions each having a plurality of engaging portions arranged in a row, folding each fastener segment continuous body to overlap the fastener segment portions to form a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate, and overlapping a plurality of the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate bodies on one another to form a hook-and-loop fastener portion, thereby making it possible to form the hook-and-loop fastener portion relatively easily. Furthermore, since the fastener is manufactured using the hook-and-loop fastener portions thus formed relatively easily, the fastener can be manufactured relatively easily and inexpensively. Furthermore, since the support base is formed by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portions as inserts, the fastener can be manufactured even more easily.

[0026] [Correction under Rule 91 23.10.2023] A perspective view showing a fastener according to a first embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view from the rear, and (b) is a perspective view from the front, showing one of the fastener segments provided in the fastener of FIG. 1. (a) is a perspective view showing one of the fastener segments provided in the fastener of FIG. 1. (b) is a perspective view showing the fastener segment of FIG. 3. (a) is a cross-sectional view showing two of the fastener segments provided in the fastener of FIG. 1. (b) is an exploded front view showing the two fastener segments of FIG. 3. (a) is a perspective view showing a hook-and-loop fastener provided in the fastener of FIG. 1. (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. 1. (a) is a cross-sectional view showing two of the fastener segments provided in a fastener according to a modified version of the first embodiment. (b) is an exploded front view showing the two fastener segments shown in FIG. 6. (a) is a perspective view showing a fastener according to a second embodiment of the present invention. (c) is a perspective view of a hook-and-loop fastener provided in the fastener shown in FIG. 7. Fig. 12(a) is a perspective view of the hook and loop fastener intermediate formed by folding the fastener piece continuous body shown in Fig. 10, as viewed from the rear, and Fig. 12(b) is a perspective view of the hook and loop fastener intermediate shown in Fig. 12(a) is a perspective view of the hook and loop fastener intermediate formed by folding the fastener piece continuous body shown in Fig. 10, as viewed from the front.

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments and modifications of a fastener and a method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, substantially identical components are designated by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0028] The fasteners according to the embodiments and variants of the present invention can be advantageously used as attachment means for fixing automobile interior parts (e.g., ceilings, instrument panels, consoles, etc.) to automobile body panels, but their uses are not limited to this and they can be widely used for fixing various general parts to the main body of an apparatus.

[0029] First, a fastener according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. As shown in Figure 1, a fastener 2 according to this embodiment comprises a hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 and a support base 8 that supports the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6. The hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 comprises a number of engagement portions 4 arranged in a plane and support portions 60 that support the engagement portions 4, the bottoms of the support portions 60 being embedded in the support base 8. The engagement portions 4 are arranged at intervals in a width direction (first direction) D1 and a length direction (second direction) D2 perpendicular to the width direction D1.

[0030] More specifically, the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 has a plurality (eight in the example shown in FIG. 1 ) of fastener pieces 10. These fastener pieces 10 all have the same configuration and are stacked in the width direction D1.

[0031] 2 and 3, each fastener piece 10 has a support base 12 extending in the length direction D2 and a plurality of engagement portions 4 provided on the support base 12. The support portion 60 described above is constituted by the support bases 12 of the plurality of fastener pieces 10. The support base 12 has an upper surface 12a and a lower surface 12b on both sides in a vertical direction (third direction) D3 perpendicular to the width direction D1 and the length direction D2.

[0032] The multiple engaging portions 4 are provided on the upper surface 12a of the support base portion 12 and are arranged in a row at intervals in the longitudinal direction D2. Each engaging portion 4 has a leg portion 14 extending upward from the upper surface 12a of the support base portion 12 in the vertical direction D3, and a head portion 16 provided at the tip of the leg portion 14, and is formed into an overall mushroom shape. The head portion 16 is approximately hemispherical, coaxial with the leg portion 14, and has a larger diameter than the leg portion 14 in plan view. As a result, in plan view, the head portion 16 extends radially outward beyond the outer peripheral surfaces of the leg portions 14, and the engaging portion 4 (specifically, the head portion 16) functions as an engaging means for engaging with an engaging portion provided on another fastener.

[0033] The support base portion 12 includes a lower base portion 18, an upper base portion 20 located between the lower base portion 18 and the engagement portion 4, and a plurality of (three in this example) abutment protrusions 26 spaced apart in the longitudinal direction D2. The lower base portion 18 has a first side surface 18a and a second side surface 18b on both sides in the width direction D1 and is embedded in the support base portion 8 (see FIG. 5). The upper base portion 20 has a first side surface 20a and a second side surface 20b on both sides in the width direction D1 and protrudes upward from the support base portion 8. In the width direction D1, the width W1 of the lower base portion 18 is smaller than the width W2 of the upper base portion 20 (W1<W2), and the upper base portion 20 extends further out than the lower base portion 18 on both sides in the width direction D1. The abutment protrusions 26 are rectangular and extend from the second side surface 18b of the lower base portion 18 in the width direction D1.

[0034] Here, the fastener piece portion 10 (more specifically, the support base portion 20 of the fastener piece portion 10) has a first side and a second side on both sides in the width direction D1, and in this embodiment, the first side of the fastener piece portion 10 includes the first side 18a of the lower base portion 18 and the first side 20a of the upper base portion, and the second side of the fastener piece portion 10 includes the second side 18b of the lower base portion 18, the second side 20b of the upper base portion 20, and the tip surface 26a of the abutment protrusion 26.

[0035] A plurality of (here, three) mating protrusions 22 are provided on the first side surface of the fastener piece 10, and a plurality of (here, three) mating recesses 24 are provided on the second side surface. The plurality of mating protrusions 22 are arranged at intervals from one another along the length direction D2, and the plurality of mating recesses 24 are also arranged at intervals from one another along the length direction D2.

[0036] In this embodiment, the multiple mating protrusions 22 are provided on the first side surface 18a of the base lower part 18 of the first side surface of the fastener piece portion 10, and the multiple mating recesses 24 are provided on the tip surface 26a of the abutment protrusion 26 of the second side surface of the fastener piece portion 10.

[0037] 2, a pair of communication openings 30 and a pair of communication openings 32 are provided on the underside 12b of the support base portion 12 (lower base portion 18), with the pair of communication openings 32 provided on both sides of the pair of communication openings 30 in the length direction D2. The communication openings 30, 32 penetrate the support base portion 12 (lower base portion 18) in the width direction D1. Each communication opening 30 is longer than the communication opening 32 in the length direction D2 and shorter in the up-down direction D3.

[0038] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the multiple fastener pieces 10 are overlapped (interlocked) with each other in the width direction D1 to form the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6. More specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the fastener pieces 10 are interlocked with each other by fitting (inserting) the mating protrusion 22 of the fastener piece 10 on one side in the width direction D1 (the left side in Figure 3) (hereinafter also referred to as the "left fastener piece 10L") into the mating recess 24 of the fastener piece 10 on the other side in the width direction D1 (the right side in Figure 3) (hereinafter also referred to as the "right fastener piece 10R"). In addition, the base upper portions 20 of the left fastener piece 10L and the right fastener piece 10R abut against each other over the entire length in the length direction D2. Furthermore, the tip surface 26a of the abutting protrusion 26 of the right fastener piece 10R abuts against the first side surface 18a of the base lower part 18 of the left fastener piece 10L. With this configuration, adjacent fastener pieces 10 are maintained in a predetermined positional relationship.

[0039] Furthermore, a gap 28 is defined between the base lower portions 18, 18 of the left fastener piece 10L and the right fastener piece 10R at a position below the base upper portion 20. That is, the gap 28 is defined by the first side surface 18a of the left fastener piece 10L, the second side surface 18b of the right fastener piece 10R, and the undersides of the base upper portions 20, 20 of the left and right fastener piece portions 10L, 10R.

[0040] The gap 28 communicates with the communicating openings 30, 32 (FIG. 2(a)) of the left and right fastener pieces 10L, 10R. In other words, the communicating openings 30, 32 of the left fastener piece 10L and the communicating openings 30, 32 of the right fastener piece 10R communicate with each other via the gap 28 located therebetween. As will be described later, the gap 28 is filled with synthetic resin.

[0041] The support base 8 is formed by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener 6 as an insert, as will be described later, and the base lower portion 18 is embedded in the support base 8 as shown in FIG.

[0042] Next, a method for manufacturing the fastener 2 will be described. First, a plurality of fastener pieces 10 are formed by resin molding using a synthetic resin such as ABS resin or unsaturated polyester resin (resin molding process / fastener piece forming process). At this time, the plurality of fastener pieces 10 are formed separately. Note that synthetic resin containing glass fiber or the like may also be used to increase strength. Each fastener piece 10 has a structure having a plurality of engaging portions 4 arranged in a linear row, and therefore can be easily formed by resin molding.

[0043] Next, a plurality of fastener pieces 10 are overlapped in the width direction D1 to form the hook-and-loop fastener 6 (hook-and-loop fastener forming process). That is, of the fastener pieces 10 adjacent to each other in the width direction D1, the mating convex portion 22 of one fastener piece 10 is fitted into the mating concave portion 24 of the other fastener piece 10, and thus the fastener pieces 10 are assembled together. When the fastener pieces 10 are assembled together in this manner, the base upper portions 20 abut against each other, and a gap 28 is defined between the base lower portions 18, and this gap 28 functions as a filling space to be filled with synthetic resin in the next process.

[0044] Next, the support base 8 is formed by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 as an insert (support base forming process). In this support base forming process, the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 is positioned at a predetermined position in a molding die (not shown), and synthetic resin (molten synthetic resin) is injected into the molding die to form the support base 8 bonded to the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6, thereby completing the fastener device 2. At this time, as shown in Figure 5, the synthetic resin injected into the molding die flows around the base lower portion 18 of the hook-and-loop fastener 6, and some of the synthetic resin flows into and fills the gap 28. This fixes the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 (the multiple fastener piece portions 10 to each other), and forms the support base 8 in which the base lower portion 18 of the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6 is embedded.

[0045] Here, since the gap 28 communicates with the communication openings 30, 32, the synthetic resin injected into the molding die flows smoothly, and local increases in pressure of the synthetic resin can be suppressed. The number, size, shape, and placement of the communication openings 30, 32 can be appropriately set taking into consideration the flow of the synthetic resin, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, since the base upper portions 20 of adjacent fastener piece portions 10 abut against each other over the entire length direction D2, the base upper portions 20 function as a dam that prevents synthetic resin injected into the molding die from leaking from the gap 28 into the engaging portion 4. If synthetic resin were to leak into the engaging portion 4, the function of the fastener 2 would be reduced, but in this embodiment, the base upper portions 20 function as a dam and can prevent such a problem from occurring.

[0047] In this way, the support base 8 is formed by the synthetic resin injected into the molding die, the fastener pieces 10 are joined together (the hook-and-loop fasteners 6 are fixed), and further the base lower part 18 is embedded in the support base 8, integrating the support base 8 and the hook-and-loop fasteners 6, so that a fastener 2 with sufficient strength can be manufactured relatively easily. And because the fastener 2 has sufficient strength, it can be conveniently used as a mounting means for attaching automobile interior parts to automobile body panels.

[0048] In the above embodiment, an engaging protrusion 22 is provided on the first side surface 18a of the lower base portion 18, and an engaging recess 24 is provided on the tip surface 26a of the abutment protrusion 26 provided on the lower base portion 18, but in other embodiments, an engaging protrusion 22 is provided on the first side surface 20a of the upper base portion 20, and an engaging recess 24 is provided on the second side surface 20b of the upper base portion 20.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the mating protrusion 22 is provided on the first side surface of the fastener piece 10, and the mating recess 24 is provided on the second side surface. However, in another embodiment, the mating protrusion 22 is provided on the second side surface of the fastener piece 10, and the mating recess 24 is provided on the first side surface.

[0050] Next, a fastener according to a modified version of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6(a) and 6(b). The fastener according to this modified version has a plurality of fastener pieces 10', which include a plurality of first fastener pieces 10A and a plurality of second fastener pieces 10B having a different shape from the first fastener pieces 10A, and these first fastener pieces 10A and second fastener pieces 10B are alternately stacked to form a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0051] Each first fastener piece 10A is similar to the fastener piece 10 described above, but differs in that the second side surface 18b of the base lower portion 18 of the first fastener piece 10A is provided with a plurality of (three in this case) mating protrusions 22A instead of the plurality of abutment protrusions 26. That is, the base lower portion 18 of the first fastener piece 10A is provided with a plurality of mating protrusions 22 on its first side surface 18a, and a plurality of mating protrusions 22A on its second side surface 18b. The mating protrusions 22A have the same shape as the mating protrusions 22, but face in the opposite direction.

[0052] The second fastener piece 10B is similar to the above-described fastener piece 10, but differs in that the first side surface 18a of the base lower portion 18 of the second fastener piece 10B is provided with a plurality of (three in this case) abutting protrusions 26B instead of the plurality of fitting protrusions 22, and the tip surface 26a of each abutting protrusion 26B is provided with a fitting recess 24B. That is, the base lower portion 18 of the second fastener piece 10B is provided with a plurality of abutting protrusions 26B with fitting recesses 24B on its first side surface 18a, and a plurality of abutting protrusions 26 with fitting recesses 24B on its second side surface 18b.

[0053] In this modified embodiment, a hook-and-loop fastener portion similar to that described above can be assembled by fitting the mating protrusion 22 of the first fastener piece 10A into the mating recess 24 of the second fastener piece 10B and by fitting the mating protrusion 22A of the first fastener piece 10A into the mating recess 24B of the second fastener piece 10B.

[0054] When the first and second fastener pieces 10A, 10B are fitted together as described above to assemble the hook-and-loop fastener part, a gap 28 is defined between the lower base parts 18 as a filling space into which synthetic resin is filled, as shown in Figure 6(a), in the same manner as in the above embodiment.

[0055] In this modified embodiment, the first side surface of the first fastener piece 10A includes the first side surface 18a of the lower base portion 18 and the second side surface 20a of the upper base portion 20, and the second side surface includes the second side surface 18b of the lower base portion 18 and the second side surface 20b of the upper base portion 20. The first side surface of the second fastener piece 10B includes the first side surface 18a of the lower base portion 18, the second side surface 20a of the upper base portion 20, and the tip surface 26a of the abutting protrusion 26B, and the second side surface includes the second side surface 18b of the lower base portion 18, the second side surface 20b of the upper base portion 20, and the tip surface 26a of the abutting protrusion 26.

[0056] Furthermore, in this modified embodiment, mating protrusions 22, 22A are provided on the first and second side surfaces 18a, 18b of the base lower portion 18 of the first fastener piece 10A, respectively, and mating recesses 24B, 24 are provided on the tip surfaces 26a of the abutment protrusions 26B, 26 provided on the first and second side surfaces 18a, 18b of the base lower portion 18 of the second fastener piece 10B, respectively; however, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and in other modified embodiments, mating protrusions 22, 22A are provided on the first and second side surfaces 20a, 20b of the base upper portion 20 of the first fastener piece 10A, respectively, and mating recesses 24B, 24 are provided on the first and second side surfaces 20a, 20b of the base upper portion 20 of the second fastener piece 10B, respectively.

[0057] Next, a fastener according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 12. Referring to Figures 7 and 8, a fastener 2C according to this embodiment is similar to the fastener 2 of the first embodiment described above, but differs in that it includes a hook-and-loop fastener 6C instead of the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6. Referring to Figure 9, the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C includes a pair of fastener intermediates 66 stacked in the width direction D1. Each hook-and-loop fastener intermediate 66 is formed by folding the fastener piece continuous body 62 shown in Figure 10 into an accordion-like shape as shown in Figure 11.

[0058] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 10, each fastener piece continuum 62 has four fastener piece portions 10, which are connected in series by three connecting portions 64. That is, each connecting portion 64 connects adjacent fastener piece portions 10 to each other at the longitudinal end portions of the support base portion 12. The connecting portions 64 are flexible, thin members, and by folding the fastener piece continuum 62 at the connecting portions 64, the fastener piece portions 10 are overlapped with each other in the same manner as in the first embodiment described above, thereby forming the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate body 66 shown in Fig. 12. When the fastener piece continuum 62 is stretched linearly as shown in Fig. 10, the orientation of the fastener piece portions 10 in the width direction D1 alternates.

[0059] Next, a method for manufacturing the fastener device 2C according to this embodiment will be described. The method for manufacturing the fastener device 2C according to this embodiment is similar to the method for manufacturing the fastener device 2 according to the first embodiment, but in the resin molding step according to this embodiment, instead of individually forming the fastener piece portions 10, a plurality (two in this case) of fastener piece portions 10 are formed as a fastener piece continuum 62 connected in series by connecting portions 64 (fastener piece continuum forming step). By integrally forming the fastener piece continuum 62 by resin molding in this way, a plurality (four in this case) of fastener piece portions 10 can be formed simultaneously.

[0060] Next, the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C is formed using the fastener piece continuous body 62 formed in the resin molding step (fastener piece continuous body forming step) (hook-and-loop fastener portion forming step). Here, the hook-and-loop fastener portion forming step in this embodiment includes a folding step and an overlapping step. In the folding step, each fastener piece continuous body 62 is folded accordion-shaped at the connection portions 64, and the fastener piece portions 10 are overlapped in the width direction D1 to form two hook-and-loop fastener intermediate bodies 66 shown in FIG. 12 . That is, in this folding step, the fastener piece continuous body 62 is folded in a valley shape relative to the predetermined direction at the first connection portion 64 from the end, in a mountain shape relative to the predetermined direction at the second connection portion 64, and in a valley shape relative to the predetermined direction at the third connection portion 64. The fastener pieces 10 are fitted together by fitting (inserting) the mating convex portion 22 of one fastener piece 10 into the mating concave portion 24 of the adjacent fastener piece 10, as in the first embodiment described above.

[0061] In the next overlapping step, a pair of hook-and-loop fastener intermediates 66 are overlapped in the width direction D1 to form hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C, as shown in Fig. 9. That is, fitting convex portion 22 exposed on the outside of one hook-and-loop fastener intermediate 66 is fitted into fitting concave portion 24 exposed on the outside of the other hook-and-loop fastener intermediate 66, whereby hook-and-loop fastener intermediates 66 are fitted together in the width direction D1 to form hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C shown in Fig. 8.

[0062] Thereafter, the support base 8 is formed by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C as an insert (support base forming process). In this support base forming process, the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C is positioned at a predetermined position in a molding die (not shown), and synthetic resin (molten synthetic resin) is injected into the molding die. Then, as in the first embodiment, the synthetic resin injected into the molding die forms the support base 8 to which the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C is fixed.

[0063] The number of fastener piece portions 10 provided in the fastener piece continuum 62 is not limited to four, and in other embodiments, the fastener piece continuum 62 may include two, three, or five or more fastener piece portions 10 connected via the connecting portions 62. In still other embodiments, the hook-and-loop fastener portion 6C has three or more hook-and-loop fastener intermediate bodies 66.

[0064] Next, a fastener according to a modified version of the second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the fastener piece continuum 62 includes a plurality of fastener piece portions 10, but the fastener piece continuum according to this modified version includes two pairs of first and second fastener piece portions 10A, 10B shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b) instead of the fastener piece portions 10, and a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate is formed by folding the fastener piece continuum at the connecting portion 64 in an accordion shape.

[0065] That is, in this modified embodiment, first fastener piece portions 10A and second fastener piece portions 10B are alternately connected via connecting portions 64 and used as a fastener piece continuum, and this fastener piece continuum has, from one longitudinal end side, in order: first fastener piece portion 10A, connecting portion 64, second fastener piece portion 10B, connecting portion 64, first fastener piece portion 10A, connecting portion 64, and second fastener piece portion 10B.

[0066] The fastener according to this modified embodiment is manufactured as follows: First, two of the above-described continuous fastener pieces are formed by resin molding using synthetic resin (resin molding step / continuous fastener piece forming step).

[0067] Next, the fastener piece continuous body is folded at each connecting portion 64 into a bellows shape in the same manner as described above to form a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate (folding step). In the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate formed in this manner, the first fastener piece portions 10A and the second fastener piece portions 10B are alternately overlapped in the width direction D1. Next, the two hook-and-loop fastener intermediates are assembled in the width direction D1 in the same manner as described above to form a hook-and-loop fastener portion (fitting step).

[0068] The support base is then formed by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener as an insert (support base forming process). That is, the hook-and-loop fastener is positioned at a predetermined position in a molding die (not shown), and synthetic resin is injected. This process also allows the formation of a fastener similar to that described above.

[0069] In this modified embodiment, each continuous fastener piece has two pairs of first and second fastener piece portions 10A and 10B connected via connecting portion 64, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and in other modified embodiments, the continuous fastener piece has a pair of fastener piece portions 10A and second fastener piece portions 10B, or three or more pairs of first and second fastener piece portions 10A and 10B. Furthermore, in still other modified embodiments, the hook-and-loop fastener portion has three or more hook-and-loop fastener intermediate bodies fitted together.

[0070] The above describes the fastener and manufacturing method thereof according to the embodiments and modified forms of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and modified forms, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0071] 2, 2C Fastener 4 Engagement portion 6, 6C Hook-and-loop fastener portion 8, Support base portion 10, 10' Fastener piece portion 10A First fastener piece portion 10B Second fastener piece portion 12 Support base portion 18 Base lower portion 20 Base upper portion 28 Gap (filled space) 62 Fastener piece continuum 64 Connection portion 66 Hook-and-loop fastener intermediate body

Claims

1. A hook-and-loop fastener portion; a support base for supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, The hook-and-loop fastener portion includes a plurality of fastener pieces overlapped in a first direction, Each of the plurality of fastener pieces has a support base portion and a plurality of engagement portions provided on the support base portion and arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, The support base portion is joined to the support base by insert molding using a synthetic resin, the hook-and-loop fastener portion has a hook-and-loop fastener intermediate body, The hook-and-loop fastener intermediate is a fastener tool having at least a pair of fastener pieces among the plurality of fastener pieces, and at least one connecting portion that connects the at least one pair of fastener pieces in series.

2. Each of the plurality of fastener pieces has a first side surface and a second side surface on both sides in the first direction, A fastener device as described in claim 1, wherein of a pair of fastener pieces adjacent to each other in the first direction, a mating protrusion is provided on the first side surface of one fastener piece and a mating recess is provided on the second side surface of the other fastener piece, and the mating protrusion is mated with the mating recess.

3. The fastener device according to claim 1, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate is formed by bending a continuous fastener piece having at least one pair of fastener piece portions connected in series by at least one connecting portion at the at least one connecting portion and engaging the mating convex portion with the mating concave portion.

4. The hook-and-loop fastener intermediate body has at least four fastener pieces among the plurality of fastener pieces and at least three connection parts connecting the at least four fastener pieces in series, The fastener device according to claim 1, wherein the hook-and-loop fastener intermediate is formed by bending a continuous fastener piece having at least four fastener piece portions connected in series by at least three connection portions at the at least three connection portions into a bellows shape and fitting the mating convex portion into the mating concave portion.

5. The plurality of fastener pieces have the same configuration, The first side surface of each of the plurality of fastener pieces is provided with the fitting protrusion, The fastener according to claim 1 , wherein the second side surface of each of the plurality of fastener pieces is provided with the fitting recess.

6. the plurality of fastener pieces include a plurality of first fastener pieces and a plurality of second fastener pieces; The plurality of first fastener pieces and the plurality of second fastener pieces are alternately stacked along the first direction, A fitting recess is provided on the first side surface and the second side surface of each of the plurality of first fastener pieces, The fitting protrusion is provided on the first side surface and the second side surface of each of the plurality of second fastener pieces, The fastener according to claim 1 , wherein each of the mating protrusions is mated with the mating recess of a first fastener piece adjacent thereto in the first direction.

7. A hook-and-loop fastener portion, a support base for supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, The hook-and-loop fastener portion includes a plurality of fastener pieces overlapped in a first direction, Each of the plurality of fastener pieces has a support base portion and a plurality of engagement portions provided on the support base portion and arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, The support base portion has an upper base portion protruding from the support base and a lower base portion embedded in the support base, In the first direction, a width of the lower portion of the base is smaller than a width of the upper portion of the base, A pair of fastener pieces adjacent to each other in the first direction abut each other at the upper part of the base, while a gap is provided between the lower part of the base, and the gap is filled with a synthetic resin.

8. The fastener according to claim 7 , wherein the base lower portion of each of the plurality of fastener pieces is provided with a communication opening that penetrates the base lower portion in the first direction and communicates with the gap.

9. A method for manufacturing a fastener including a hook-and-loop fastener portion and a support base portion supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, comprising the steps of: a resin molding step of forming a plurality of fastener piece continuous bodies by resin molding, each fastener piece continuous body having a plurality of fastener piece portions each having a support base portion connected in series via a connecting portion; a hook-and-loop fastener portion forming step of forming the hook-and-loop fastener portion using the plurality of fastener piece continuum; and a support base forming step of resin-molding the support base joined to the support base portion by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portion as an insert. The hook-and-loop fastener portion forming step includes: a folding step of folding each of the plurality of fastener piece continuous bodies at the connection portion and overlapping the plurality of fastener piece portions in a first direction to form a plurality of hook-and-loop fastener intermediate bodies; a stacking step of stacking the plurality of hook-and-loop fastener intermediates in the first direction to form the hook-and-loop fastener portion, Each of the fastener pieces further includes a plurality of engagement portions provided on the support base portion, A method for manufacturing a fastener, wherein the plurality of engaging portions are arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

10. Each of the plurality of fastener pieces has a first side surface and a second side surface on both sides in the first direction, The first side surface is provided with a mating recess, and the second side surface is provided with a mating protrusion, The method for manufacturing a fastener according to claim 9, wherein in the folding step, the plurality of fastener pieces are fitted together by fitting the fitting protrusions into the fitting recesses.

11. the plurality of fastener piece portions included in each of the plurality of fastener piece continua include first fastener piece portions and second fastener piece portions that are alternately arranged, Each of the first and second fastener pieces has a first side surface and a second side surface on either side in the first direction, The first fastener piece has a first side surface and a second side surface each provided with a fitting protrusion, The first side surface and the second side surface of the second fastener piece are provided with fitting recesses, The method for manufacturing a fastener according to claim 9, wherein in the folding step, the plurality of fastener pieces are fitted together by fitting the fitting protrusions into the fitting recesses.

12. A method for manufacturing a fastener including a hook-and-loop fastener portion and a support base portion supporting the hook-and-loop fastener portion, comprising the steps of: a resin molding step of forming a plurality of fastener pieces each having a support base portion by resin molding; a hook-and-loop fastener portion forming step of overlapping the plurality of fastener piece portions in a first direction to form a hook-and-loop fastener portion; a support base forming step of resin-molding the support base joined to the support base portion by insert molding using the hook-and-loop fastener portion as an insert, Each of the fastener pieces further includes a plurality of engagement portions provided on the support base portion, The plurality of engagement portions are arranged in a line along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the support base portion has an upper base portion and a lower base portion, the width of the lower base portion being smaller than the width of the upper base portion in the first direction; In the hook-and-loop fastener portion formed in the hook-and-loop fastener portion forming step, a pair of fastener piece portions adjacent to each other in the first direction abut against each other at upper portions of the bases, while a gap is provided between the pair of fastener piece portions at lower portions of the bases; The manufacturing method of the fastener, wherein the gap is filled with synthetic resin in the support base forming step.

13. Each of the fastener pieces has a first side surface and a second side surface on both sides in the first direction, the first side surface is provided with a mating protrusion, and the second side surface is provided with a mating recess, The method for manufacturing a fastener device according to claim 12, wherein in the hook-and-loop fastener portion forming process, the fastener pieces are fitted together by the mating convex portion provided on the fastener piece engaging with the mating recess provided on an adjacent fastener piece.