Fastening member

Abstract

The present invention provides a fastening member that can avoid the problem in which fibers or the like constituting an object get hooked on a knob part or get caught in a gap between retention components. In this fastening member, a horizontal bar part (5) for retention is connected to one end of a fiber part (2) penetrating through an object, a retention component (8) is disposed on the other-end side, and the other-end side of the fiber part (2) has a bent part (6) that bends at a prescribed angle to the extension direction of the one-end side and extends in the bent direction. The retention component (8) is formed in a U-shape with two portions (8a), (8b) extending parallel to the direction of extension of the bent part (6) and connected to each other. One portion (8a) is connected to the bent part (6) via a breakable part (7), and the position of the tip of the one portion (8a) is set in the vicinity of the position of the tip of the bent part (6). The other portion (8b) has a knob part (10), and the position of the tip of the other portion (8b) is set at the same position as, or a retracted position from, the position of the tip of the one portion (8a).

Description

Fastening material

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastening device, primarily for attaching tags indicating price, quality, etc. to products such as clothing, fabrics, and textiles, or for holding a pair of products such as socks or gloves by sandwiching them between a backing and penetrating the backing and the product.

[0002] Several types of fastening members have been known in the past, including a pin-type fastening member that has a horizontal bar integrally attached to one end of the drawn fiber portion to prevent it from coming loose, and a paddle integrally attached to the other end to prevent it from coming loose, and a fastening member that has an insertion portion at one end of the fiber portion and a receiving portion at the other end into which the insertion portion is inserted and locked, forming a loop with the fiber portion.

[0003] Conventional fastening members are cut with scissors or a cutter and pulled out of the product to remove the tag from the product after purchase. This requires the tedious process of cutting the fastening member with scissors or a cutter. For fastening members that form a loop, structures have been developed that allow the locking portion of the loop to be freely locked and unlocked. However, unlocking the lock requires tedious work.

[0004] Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned troublesome work, the inventor of the present application has proposed a fastening member in which a breaking portion is formed between the fiber portion and the slip-out prevention component (see Patent Document 1). With this fastening member, the fiber portion separated from the slip-out prevention component by breaking the breaking portion can be shaped so that there are no parts that will obstruct the removal of the fastening member from the product. Therefore, the fastening member can be removed from the product without any troublesome work.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-91278

[0006] In the fastening member proposed in Patent Document 1, the tab used to break the breaking portion protrudes from the end of the anti-slip component, which means that fibers that make up the product may get caught on the tab or get caught in the gap formed in the anti-slip component, which may result in damage to the product.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the fastening member of the present invention has a fiber portion that penetrates an object, a horizontal bar portion connected to one end of the fiber portion for preventing it from coming off, and a pull-out prevention component disposed on the other end side of the fiber portion, the other end side of the fiber portion having a bent portion that is bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the extension direction of the one end side and extends in the bent direction, the pull-out prevention component is formed in a U-shape by connecting two portions that extend parallel to the extension direction of the bent portion, one of the two portions is connected to the bent portion via a breaking portion, and The position of the tip of one of the two parts is set near the position of the tip of the bent part, and the other of the two parts has a gripping part, and by gripping the gripping part and pulling it in the extension direction of one end of the fiber part away from the horizontal bar part, the breaking part breaks and the fiber part and the anti-pullout component part separate, and the separated fiber part takes a shape that can be pulled out from the object through which it is passing.In this fastening member, the position of the tip of the other part is set at the same position as or set back from the position of the tip of the one part.

[0008] According to the present invention, the tip of the other of the two parts extending parallel to the extension direction of the bent part is set at the same position as or set back from the tip of the one of the parts. That is, the other part having the gripping part does not protrude forward from the tip of the one of the parts. This is advantageous in avoiding problems such as fibers constituting the object getting caught in the gripping part or getting caught in the gap between the one of the parts.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an assembled state of an embodiment of a fastening member. FIG. 2 is a view as viewed from an arrow A in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a view as viewed from an arrow B in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a single fastening member is in use. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the breaking portion of the fastening member has started to break. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a broken state of the breaking portion of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the fastening member of FIG. 6 has been pulled out of the insertion hole of the backing. An explanatory diagram illustrating a single fastening member having a modified breaking portion of FIG. 1. An explanatory diagram illustrating a single fastening member having a modified retaining component of FIG. 1. An explanatory diagram illustrating a single fastening member having another modified retaining component of FIG. 1.

[0010] Hereinafter, a fastening member of the present invention will be described based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

[0011] 1 to 3 includes a fiber portion 2, a horizontal bar portion 5 connected to one end of the fiber portion 2 for preventing it from coming off, and a fall-off prevention component 8 arranged on the other end side of the fiber portion 2. The X arrow, Y arrow, and Z arrow in the figures respectively indicate the length direction, width direction, and thickness direction of the fastening member 1, which are orthogonal to each other.

[0012] 1 to 3 show an assembly in which multiple fastening members 1 are connected to a single runner bar 3. More specifically, the cross bar portion 5 of each fastening member 1 is connected to the runner bar 3 via a narrowed connecting portion 4. The runner bar 3 extends in the Z direction, and each fastening member 3 is arranged side by side at intervals in the Z direction. Each fastening member 1 and connecting portion 4 are integrally molded with the runner bar 3.

[0013] The fastening member 1 of this embodiment is made of nylon that has been stretched and toughened. The material from which the fastening member 1 is made is not limited to various resins that have been conventionally used, but may also be recycled resin (e.g., recycled polypropylene), biomass material, biodegradable material, etc.

[0014] When using the fastening member 1, the runner bar 3 is loaded into a known attachment tool, and the connecting portion 4 is cut with a cutter on the attachment tool. As a result, each fastening member 1 is used as a single unit separated from the runner bar 3. When the fastening member 1 is in use, the fiber portion 2 penetrates an object such as a tag T or a product (clothing, fabric, textile, etc.). The object penetrated by the fiber portion 2 is positioned between the horizontal bar portion 5 and the bent portion 6. As a result, the horizontal bar portion 5 and the anti-slip component 8 prevent the fastening member 1 from coming off the object.

[0015] The fiber portion 2 is rod-shaped, and one end thereof extends perpendicular to the cylindrical horizontal bar portion 5. In this embodiment, the fiber portion 2 is cylindrical. The length L1 of the horizontal bar portion 5 is, for example, 5 mm to 10 mm, and the outer diameter of the horizontal bar portion 5 is, for example, 0.6 mm to 1.0 mm.

[0016] The other end of the fiber portion 2 is bent at a predetermined angle a with respect to the extension direction (X direction) of the one end, and has a bent portion 6 extending in the bent direction. That is, the fiber portion 2 is bent at the predetermined angle a at a position midway in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, the predetermined angle a is set to 90°, and the fiber portion 2 is formed in an L-shape. The predetermined angle a is set to a desired angle within the range of 90°±15°, for example. The dashed-dotted line extending in the X direction in the figure indicates the axis of one end of the fiber portion 2, and the dashed-dotted line extending in the Y direction in FIG. 1 indicates the axis of the bent portion 6.

[0017] In this embodiment, one end of the fiber portion 2 extending in the X direction has a tapered portion 2b that gradually reduces in diameter toward the connecting base end 2a, and the connecting base end 2a, which is one end of the fiber portion 2, has the portion with the smallest diameter in the fiber portion 2. The connection portion between the connecting base end 2a and the horizontal bar portion 5 is formed in an arc shape (R-processed), and the fiber portion 2 is connected to the horizontal bar portion 5 via the connecting base end 2a. The one end of the fiber portion 2 extending in the X direction can also be a cylinder with a constant outer diameter.

[0018] The bending portion 6 is a rod-like body bent in an arc shape at a predetermined angle a. In this embodiment, the bending portion 6 is cylindrical with a constant outer diameter over its entire length in the longitudinal direction. The outer diameter of the bending portion 6 is, for example, 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm, which is larger than that of the horizontal bar portion 5.

[0019] The slip-out prevention component 8 is a U-shaped plate-like body formed by connecting two portions 8a and 8b (one portion 8a and the other portion 8b) that extend parallel to the extension direction (Y direction) of the bent portion 6. The length L2 of the slip-out prevention component 8 is, for example, 8 mm to 12 mm, and is longer than the length L1 of the horizontal bar portion 5 (length L2 > length L1). The widths W1 and W2 of the two portions 8a and 8b are, for example, 1 mm to 1.4 mm. In this embodiment, the widths W1 and W2 are the same. The width W1 may be smaller or larger than the width W2.

[0020] A gap 9 with an open tip is formed between the one portion 8a and the other portion 8b. The size of this gap 9 (the distance in the X direction) is, for example, 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm.

[0021] One portion 8a is connected to the bent portion 6 via the breaking portion 7, and the position of the tip of the one portion 8a is set near the position of the tip of the bent portion 6 (substantially the same position with a difference of about ±0.1 mm). In this embodiment, the position of the tip of the other portion 8b is set at a position set back from the position of the tip of the one portion 8a, and is located approximately in the center of the one portion 8a in the longitudinal direction (Y direction).

[0022] The position of the tip of the other part 8b may be set at the same position as or set back from the position of the tip of the one part 8a. In other words, the tip of the other part 8b may not protrude forward from the tip of the one part 8a. The amount of setback R of the tip of the other part 8b from the tip of the one part 8a may be set to a desired value within a range of 0 mm to 6 mm.

[0023] The other portion 8b has a gripping portion 10 that is flatter than the width W, and the gripping portion 10 is located at the tip of the other portion 8b. The gripping portion 10 is large enough to be held securely between the thumb and index finger, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, has a shape similar to a circle in plan view. The shape of the gripping portion 10 is not particularly limited as long as it can be held with the fingers, but a shape without corners is preferable. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, both surfaces of the gripping portion 10 bulge out in a dome shape. The thickness t of the gripping portion 10 is set to, for example, 0.6 mm to 1.2 mm to ensure a compact design yet easy to hold with the fingers.

[0024] The breaking portion 7 extends continuously from the tip to the rear end of the bending portion 6. The breaking portion 7 is a film thinner than the bending portion 6 and the slip-out prevention component 8, and its thickness is, for example, 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm, with approximately 0.15 mm being particularly preferable. The width G of the breaking portion 7, i.e., the distance G between the bending portion 6 and one portion 8a, is, for example, 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm. The length L3 of the breaking portion 7 is, for example, 3 mm to 6 mm.

[0025] The rear end of the breaking portion 7 is inclined rearward (toward the X direction) from the bent portion 6 toward the slip-out prevention component 8, and the acute angle b formed by the extending direction of the bent portion 6 and the inclination of the rear end of the breaking portion 7 is 45° or less. This acute angle b is set to a desired value, for example, in the range of 30° to 45°.

[0026] A method for using the fastening member 1 will now be described.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 4, a tag T is attached to a product (such as clothing, fabric, or woven material) using a fastening member 1. The fiber portion 2 passes through an insertion hole Th of the tag T. The product is disposed between the horizontal bar portion 5 and the bent portion 6 together with the tag T, but is not shown in the figure. The product is also not shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which will be described later.

[0028] A known attachment tool is used to attach the tag T to a product using the fastening member 1. The trigger of the attachment tool is operated to insert a hollow needle, which has a slit formed in the axial direction through which the fiber portion 2 passes, into the target object (product and tag T). The connecting portion 4 is then cut using a cutter provided in the attachment tool to separate the fastening member 1 into a single unit. The horizontal bar portion 5 is then pushed through the hollow needle and toward the opposite side using a piston provided in the attachment tool. This causes the fiber portion 2 to penetrate the target object, resulting in the state illustrated in FIG. 4 .

[0029] The fastening member 1 is not limited to being used by attaching a tag T to a product. For example, in the case of a pair of products such as socks and gloves, the products are stacked and held between a U-shaped backing. The backing displays the product's price and quality. The fiber portion 2 can also be passed through the product and backing to hold the product in place with the fastening member 1.

[0030] Next, a procedure for removing the fastening member 1 illustrated in FIG. 4 from the object will be described.

[0031] First, the gripping portion 10 is pinched with the fingers. Next, as illustrated in Figure 5 , the gripping portion 10 is pulled in the extension direction of one end of the fiber portion 2, away from the horizontal bar portion 5, thereby breaking the breaking portion 7. Because there is a gap 9 between one portion 8a and the other portion 8b, the tensile force pulling the gripping portion 10 is effectively transmitted to one portion 8a by the principle of leverage, effectively acting to pull one portion 8a away from the bent portion 6. As a result, the gap 9 in Figure 5 becomes larger as indicated by the arrows, and the distance between one portion 8a and the bent portion 6 widens as indicated by the arrows, causing the breaking portion 7 to break.

[0032] As shown in Figure 6, the breakage of the breaking portion 7 separates the fiber portion 2 (bending portion 6) and the pull-out prevention component 8. With the original shape of the fastening member 1, even if an attempt is made to pull out the fiber portion 2 from the object (goods) through which it has penetrated, the pull-out prevention component 8 becomes an obstacle and makes it impossible to pull out. However, once the pull-out prevention component 8 has been separated, the fiber portion 2 becomes rod-shaped (L-shaped), and so it has a shape that allows it to be pulled out from the goods through which it has penetrated.

[0033] That is, when the fiber portion 2 (bending portion 6) and the pull-out prevention component 8 are separated, the fiber portion 2 can be easily pulled out from the product and tag T through which it has penetrated. As illustrated in Fig. 7 , the fiber portion 2 is pulled out from the insertion hole Th of the tag T.

[0034] With this fastening member 1, the breaking portion 7 can be easily broken by simply manually pulling the tab 10, without using a cutting tool such as scissors. As a result, the fiber portion 2 and the pull-out prevention component 8 are separated, allowing the fiber portion 2 to be smoothly pulled out from the object through which it has passed. As in this embodiment, forming one end of the fiber portion 2 into a cylindrical tapered portion 2b that narrows in diameter toward the horizontal bar portion 5 is advantageous for more smoothly pulling the fiber portion 2 out of the object, i.e., a commodity (such as clothing, fabric, or woven material).

[0035] The tip of the other portion 8b is set at the same position as or set back from the tip of the one portion 8a (the setback amount R is 0 mm or more). In other words, the other portion 8b having the tab 10 does not protrude forward relative to the tip of the one portion 8a. Therefore, compared to a specification in which the tab 10 protrudes forward from the tip of the one portion 8a, this is advantageous in avoiding problems such as fibers constituting the product getting caught on the tab 10 or getting caught in the gap 9 between the one portion 8a and the other portion 8b. Therefore, this is advantageous in avoiding damage to the product caused by the fastening member 1. In particular, this fastening member 1 is particularly useful because wool and other materials constituting the product are prone to getting caught on the tab 10 or getting caught in the gap 9.

[0036] In this embodiment, the angle b of the inclination of the rear end of the breaking portion 7, which extends continuously from the front end to the rear end of the bending portion 6, with respect to the extending direction of the bending portion 6 is set to 30° or more and 45° or less, which facilitates smooth breaking of the breaking portion 7. Furthermore, by setting the starting point of the rear end of the breaking portion 7 near the boundary between the bent portion and the straight portion of the bending portion 6 (within a range of about ±0.1 mm from this boundary) as illustrated in Figure 1, the breaking portion 7 can be more reliably broken from this starting point when the gripping portion 10 is pulled.

[0037] When both surfaces of the grip portion 10 are dome-shaped as in this embodiment, the grip portion 10 fits snugly with the fingers, making it easier to grip tightly. This is also advantageous in preventing the fingers from slipping when pulling the grip portion 10.

[0038] In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 8, the breakable portions 7 are intermittently scattered from the tip to the rear end of the bent portion 6, and are thinner than the bent portion 6 and the slip-out prevention portion 8. By designing the fastening member 1 in this manner, it becomes easier to separate the bent portion 6 and the slip-out prevention portion 8. Furthermore, simply by increasing or decreasing the number of scattered breakable portions 7, it becomes easier to adjust the tensile force required to separate the bent portion 6 and the slip-out prevention portion 8 to the desired magnitude.

[0039] 9, the position of the tip of the other portion 8b is set to the same position as the position of the tip of the one portion 8a (the setback amount R is 0 mm), and the tab 10 is positioned midway in the extension direction of the other portion 8b. By specifying the fastening member 1 in this way, it is even more advantageous to avoid the problem of fibers and the like that make up the product being caught in the gap 9 between the one portion 8a and the other portion 8b.

[0040] 10, the fastening member 1 is designed to have a closing portion 9a that closes the openings at the tips of the two portions 8a and 8b. By designing the fastening member 1 in this manner, it is possible to substantially eliminate the problem of fibers and the like that make up the product getting caught in the gap 9. The closing portion 9a is not limited to a structure in which it is connected to one portion 8a and the other portion 8b, but can also be a structure in which it is connected to either one of the portions 8a and the other portion 8b and abuts the other in an unconnected state. In the case where the closing portion 9a is connected to one portion 8a and the other portion 8b, the closing portion 9a connects the one portion 8a and the other portion 8b with a weak strength that breaks before the breaking portion 7 when the grip portion 10 is pulled.

[0041] The specifications described in each embodiment can be applied to each of the other embodiments. For example, the fastening member 1 illustrated in Figs. 1, 8, and 9 may be provided with a closing portion 9a.

[0042] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 fastening member 2 fiber portion 2a connecting base end 2b tapered portion 3 runner bar 4 connecting portion 5 horizontal bar portion 6 bending portion 7 breaking portion 8 slip-out prevention component 8a one portion 8b other portion 9 gap 9a closing portion 10 grip portion T tag Th insertion hole

Claims

1. A fastening device having a fiber section that penetrates an object, a horizontal bar section connected to one end of the fiber section for preventing it from coming off, and a pull-out prevention component arranged on the other end side of the fiber section, wherein the other end side of the fiber section is bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the extension direction of the one end side and has a bent section that extends in the bent direction, the pull-out prevention component is formed in a U-shape by connecting two sections that extend parallel to the extension direction of the bent section, one of the two sections is connected to the bent section via a breaking section, and the tip of the one section is located near the tip of the bent section, and the other of the two sections has a gripping section, wherein by gripping the gripping section and pulling in the extension direction of the one end side of the fiber section away from the horizontal bar section, the breaking section breaks and the fiber section and the pull-out prevention component are separated, and the separated fiber section has a shape that can be pulled out of the object it has penetrated, A fastening member in which the tip of the other part is set at the same position as or set back from the tip of the one part.

2. A fastening member as described in claim 1, wherein the breaking portion extends continuously from the tip of the bent portion to the rear end, is thinner than the bent portion and the anti-slip component, the rear end of the breaking portion is inclined rearward from the bent portion toward the anti-slip component, and the acute angle formed by the extension direction of the bent portion and the inclination of the rear end of the breaking portion is between 30° and 45°.

3. A fastening member according to claim 1, wherein the breaking portions are intermittently scattered from the tip end to the rear end of the bent portion and are thinner than the bent portion and the slip-out prevention component.

4. A fastening member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which has closing portions that close the openings at the tips of the two portions.

5. A fastening member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein one end of the fiber portion has a cylindrical tapered portion whose diameter decreases toward the horizontal bar portion.

6. A fastening member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein both surfaces of the gripping portion are dome-shaped.

7. A fastening member according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tip of the other part is set at the same position as the tip of the one part, and the tab is positioned midway in the extension direction of the other part.

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