Fastening means for textiles

Abstract

A resilient, biodegradable staple for reversibly fastening textile materials such as garments is provided. The staple comprises an elongate connecting member with a retaining member at one end and a deformable fastening member at the other. Insertion into textile layers causes the fastening member to deform inward, allowing penetration. Upon passing through the fabric, the fastening member returns to its original shape to secure the textiles. The staples are made from biodegradable plastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) and may be provided in laterally connected strips via a water-soluble adhesive for use in a dedicated stapler device.

Description

[0001] Fastening Means for TextilesThe present invention relates to a means of detachably joining textiles, including afastener, means for applying the fastener and fastened garments. Background There are many means for detachably joining textile garments these can begenerally separated into attachments such as attached fasteners, including buttonsstuds and the like; and the subject of the present invention which are termed fastening means which are passed through the textile and serve two retain textilesportions together which the fastening means passes through.Fastening means are useful since fabrics in the form of clothing, when not beingworn, are stored for later use and stored clothes are preferably stored in an orderedmanner, being sorted, and kept together by type, current state and intended futureuse. Clothing is commonly comprised of fabrics or textiles. Pieces of clothing arecalled garments. Garments include socks, which are garment to be worn on human feet, and gloveswhich are garments to be worn on human hands. Such paired garments areparticularly usefully secured together by a fastener.Commonly, for presentation of clothing for sale, garments are attached together withfastening means in the form of clothes tags placed in the clothing using a clothestagging gun. Significant amounts of time can be taken by the sorting a processing of disordered clothing. This is a problem. An invention to decrease the time that must be dedicate to this task is desirable.Clothes tagging guns allow clothes manufactures and clothes store employees toattach garments together for sale. Such attachments are well known and for example consist of an elongate plastic cord with perpendicular T extensions on the end toretain the cord within the textile. Such tags variously known as "plastic tag fasteners"or "plastic tag pins." have a cylindrical cross section and are provided on a carrier for insertion into a tag gun for application to fabrics.These fasteners are designed to securely hold the tag in place while cutting orbreaking the elongate plastic cord between the T extensions serves to remove thefastener when required. Such tags are inserted into the fabric by bending the Textensions parallel to the elongate plastic cord to reduce the cross-section of the tag, piercing materials to be joined, such as sheets of fabric, with a needle of the tag gun and passing the end of the tag thereby through the fabric, removing the needle of the tag gun whilst leaving the tag in place. Whilst the above method of application is fast and efficient it has the disadvantage of requiring either a sharp needle, with potential injury issues, for effectively penetrating the fabric or using a safer blunt needle with the issue of potentially damaging the fabric on piercing. Such tags are made of polypropylene or polyethylene and are carried on a carrier strip which requires disposal. Tag fasteners may be improved upon such as being made from a more environmentally effective format or combination of materials and being moreeffectively applied, such as to a fabric’s material.Whilst effective in many instances, such conventional fasteners are not optimal fortextiles with an open weave, such as knitted rather than a woven textile. They arealso intended, since the predominant use is in retail outlets, to not be detachable as such but rather to be removed by means of snapping or breaking so as to makedetachment a conscious and active activity both for security of the fastening but alsoto avoid shoplifting and the like. Further, each form a fastener has its own advantages and disadvantages and the very wide spectrum of textiles and garments made from textiles mean that alternative means for fastening textiles almost inevitably has a suitable niche. One such niche is the fastening of pairs of socks and pairs of gloves where a quickly attachable and readily detachable means for keeping two garments together is desirable. Prior art examples of fastening means for garments, in which the fastening means is effectively independent of the garment are disclosed in:in US5240162A to Block, which discloses a powered tagging system in the forms ofeither a power attachment for an existing tagger, or a complete powered tagger.A further example can be found in US2786201A to Ehrlich, which discloses animproved button stapler.A further example can be found in KR20140005193U to Min-Vong, which disclosesan invention to securely finish by covering the vinyl film to prevent children fromhurting the finger when making a stapler. Including the use to make a cotton doll withcotton in a nonwoven fabric.A further example can be found in US2005278909A1 to Thorn, which discloses afastener for decorations, badges, insignia, etc., worn on clothing. For completeness, it is also known that a stapler for paper can and has been used to attach fabrics, such as in the form of garments, together. However, these are not suitable for nonwoven garments and even with woven garments the staples will typically damage the fabric by cutting through it and abrading the fabric due to the ends of the staples rebelling against the fabric. This not considered other than an emergency stopgap solution.A further example can be found in threadsmagazine.com, “Reader Tip: Fit With aStapler”, a reader-submitted tip that was originally featured in Threads #186(August / September 2016) to Burgess which discloses the use of a stapler instead ofpins, to adjust seamlines. Relevant prior art includes US 5240162 which discloses a Kimble tag dispenser. One object of the present invention is to provide an alternative means of reversibly fastening fabric such as in the form of garments together using a detachable fastener, the faster been detached from the fabric / garment upon detachment. There is a need for an improved, reusable, and biodegradable fastening system for textiles, particularly suited for temporarily pairing garments, that avoids fabric damage and plastic waste.

[0002] The present invention The present invention in its various aspects is as set out in the appended claims.The present invention provides staple for connecting fabrics garments, the staplecomprising: an elongate connecting member having first and second ends; at the first end the elongate connecting member is connected to an elongate retaining member between its ends; at the second end the elongate connecting member being connected to a fastening member between its ends. The staple of the present invention provides a quick and effective means for connecting fabrics garments. In use the staple is actually, in relation to the elongate connecting member extended towards a piece or pieces of fabric and the fastening member falls back towards the connecting member to provide a lower surface area penetrating head which then passes through the fabric. In a first form invention has an I shaped cross-section this provides a staple without any sharp point but nevertheless creates an effective penetrating portion as the fastening members upon insertion into a garment. The general form of the present invention is particularly effective in open weave garments, knitted or nonwoven garments, particularly knitted materials and open structure nonwovens. In the present invention the first end of the elongate connecting member may be connected midway between the ends of the elongate retaining member. This provides the most effective retention of the staple in a fabric for a given length of the elongate connecting member. The elongate retaining member is preferably longer than the elongate fastening member. The lateral width of the staple is preferably uniform, so as to facilitate forming into a strip of staples for application by a machine, such as a stapler. Hence, having a longer retaining member provides auser with an easier manual grip of a staple such that it can be pulled out, in an actionin reverse of the application action with the fastening member having less resistance than is easily applied to the retaining member. The elongate connecting member is preferably longer than the retaining member but the length of the connecting member will primarily depend upon the depth of fabric to be connected. However, for the force of pretension normally required for a given the thickness of fabric connecting member is preferably in the range of 1 to 2 times the length of the retaining member.In the present invention the fastening member comprises first and second armsextending in the same plane as the elongate connecting member. As indicated above, this facilitates the presentation of the staples in a strip of laterally abutting staples such as for use in a machine applicator of the staples. In the present invention the first and second arms extend laterally away from the first end of the elongate connecting member towards the elongate retaining member,preferably this serves to form a point or protrusion at the joint between the first andsecond arms and the elongate connecting member. Optionally, this point may be extended along the axis of the connecting member to form an elongate point to actively pierce and enable the arms to more readily fold back. As mentioned above, during application of the staple the first and second arms fold back towards the connecting member and in this form of the invention that folding back is already started in the presentation of the staple before insertion. This provides faster and more effective insertion of the staple unless disruption were fabric. This is particularlyuseful in open nonwovens where the integrity of the fabric can be quite low and thestructure can be damaged by the application of a wide penetrating force rather than a point force. The junction of the first and second arms with the elongate connecting member may be formed as an edge.Were the first and second arms join can be formed as an edge, i.e. a clearly definedjoin. This further facilitates penetration of the staple through the fabric. However, the edge preferably has an angle of 45° or less, from the linear, and this ensures that the potential for any penetration of a user’s skin is negligible whereas the staple or easily penetrates a fabric. The angle is preferably 20° or more to make this form of point effective compared to the I shaped cross-section staple. This edge may be further adapted for the penetration of fabric were in the junction ofthe arms may be pointed. This provides more effective penetration which is generally not preferred for staples of length and / or width less than 5 mm as such fine staples can have the potential to penetrate skin. It is however beneficial for larger size staples, such as those of 1 cm or greater length and / or width as these generallyreceive higher resistance in penetrating a conventional fabric.In the present invention the cross section of the elongate connecting member and the elongate retaining member may be the same. The cross-section may be circular. The cross-section is preferably a rectangular cross-section. In the present invention the cross section of the elongate connecting member andthe elongate retaining member may be the same.The cross-section may be circular. The cross-section is preferably a rectangularcross-section. The cross sections individually, in combination in part or in whole of the various members of the staple may be adapted to provide a lower lateral surface area on a first side then a second side. Whether this be in the form of the trapezoidal construction with parallel lateral ends perpendicular to a base or in the form of a step or other indent adjacent the lateral ends. This provides a point of lower surface area such that laterally abutting staples in a strip of staples may be more readily detached from one another. The trapezoidal form is preferred this also acts to provide a ratchet type surface to a strip of staples which can be used to help retain staples in a machine and to manually advance staples by improving grip of the surface of the staples. This is particular useful whether staple is made of plastics material and can have a low degree of friction. In the present invention the staple may be constructed from a resiliently deformable plastics material. This is a particularly preferred form of the invention as it provides the opportunity for an injection moulded product or an extruded product already mass production. In the present invention the resiliently deformable plastics material preferably has a glass transition temperature above 25°C and below 70°C. this particular range is advantageous as it means that the plastics material can typically be readily deformed without breakage but usually with some degree of stress cracking such that a further significant deformation, i.e. removal of the staple subsequent to application of the staple, can take advantage of that cracking to enable more effective removal. However, the upper temperature range is also beneficial as it means that placing a garment in a washing machine, with its elevated temperature (and this is particular so for industrial washing conditions) will serve to relax the plastics material and effectively make it stronger so as to withstand the rigours of a wash process. In the present invention the resiliently deformable plastics material may be selected from one or more of polyethylene terephthalate Polylactic Acid (PLA); Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA); Polybutylene Succinate (PBS); Polycaprolactone (PCL); Starch-Based Plastics; Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate (PBAT);Polyethylene Furano ate (PEF); Polypropylene Carbonate (PPC).As they are both capable of providing the required resilience, optional glass transition temperature and are biodegradable. In the present invention the resiliently deformable material may be Polylactic acid.Polylactic acid is particularly beneficial as the glass transition temperature falls withinthe required range, it is biodegradable and resiliently deformable but in the normal temperature of use, i.e. around room temperature will typically provide micro cracks to facilitate subsequent removal. In addition, materially sufficiently strong but brittle enough so that a row of adjacent staples, such as staples separated by an indent, as mentioned above, can be readily detached using the conventional guillotine / earring action of a staple gun. In the present invention on having the lateral arms of the retaining member bent towards the connecting member the staple may be configured such that the material of the staple becomes weakened in the region of the join between the lateral arms and the elongate connecting member. This effect is related to the aforementioned microcracking and is in contrast to metalstaples where a bent metal becomes work hardened upon bending and thus harderto remove. This is counter to the requirements of the present invention where the staple requires its high strength to enable effective penetration of the fabric, such as applied using a machine, and subsequently requires less strength so as to be manually removal as is typical for a textile. In the present invention staple may be provided as a plurality of detachablelaterally abutting staples forming a strip of staples. Staples are conventionally provided in strips and the specific geometry, particularly the planar sides, having parallel sides, and the present invention facilitates this form of application. This differs from conventional tag gun staples which normally have a cylindrical cross-section and are provided on a carrier. Such a carrier is superfluous after use and provides unnecessary waste.The strip of staples may have the staples in the strip of staples joined laterally bymeans of an adhesive. As an alternative to a strip of staples (which can also be termed a clip) produced of the same material the laterally abutting staples and the strip may be joined by means of an adhesive. This provides the potential for easier separation of the staples as it does not require breaking of the material of which the staples are comprising and as indicated above, the balance between attachment and detachment forces in the staples is an important factor in the present invention. The staples preferably being detachable with a lower force than which they are attached. The adhesive may be selected from one or more of poly vinyl alcohol, starch,gelatine and cellulose.These materials generally provide a lower strength / shear strength than the plaster materials typically use for staple construction and in particular the specific plastics materials provided above. These adhesives are also biodegradable and water- soluble and therefore are readily removed in any washing process, washing processes been typically used with fabric garments and therefore the adhesive is readily disposed of.The adhesive preferably polyvinyl alcohol.This adhesive is particularly effective as it is readily water-soluble relatively strong and suitable for adhering the specific list of biodegradable polymers list above and in particular polylactic acid. Polylactic acid staples joined laterally by means of polyvinyl alcohol adhesive to form a strip of staples as a beneficial feature of the present invention as it provides an optimal balance between adhesive strength, by the credibility and staple strength.The present invention includes a stapler configured for the application of the staplesas described herein. It is known in the art to use a machine for applying staples, the machine typically been termed a stapler. The staples of the present invention may preferably beapplied with such a stapler. However, the stapler required the present invention hasa specific geometry of the tray so as to conform to the geometry of the staples. In this respect the width (i.e. perpendicular to the lateral sides) of the Elongate retainingmember is greater than of the elongate fastening member (such as may be providedin the form of two arms). This enables the staples to be retained upon a shoulder of a channel of the stapler to be easily dispensed and advanced towards a dispensing slot of the stapler.A strip of staples comprising a plurality of staples as described herein detachablyjoined by the lateral faces of the elongate connecting member and elongate retaining member. Whilst the staples may be laterally joined in a strip of staples overall portions of the staple the join is preferably on the lateral faces of the elongate connecting member and elongate retaining member leaving the retaining member free of adhesive so as to more effectively begin penetration of a fabrics garment.The present invention includes a kit of parts comprising a staple as described hereinand a stapler of configured to dispense the staples configured for the application ofthe staples as described herein. The present invention is preferably provided in the kit of parts in particular so that a user is guided to use the correct combination of machine and staple.In the present invention includes a kit of parts comprising the clip of staples thestapler both as described herein. The machine is preferably provided with a strip / clip of staples so as to provide the potential for rapid and effective deployment of a plurality of staples in rapid succession.

[0003] Drawings The present invention is illustrated by means of the following drawings in which like features are designated with like numerals. The figures provide:Figure 1 depicts a ‘^’-shaped stapleFigure 2 depicts a strip of ‘^’-shaped staplesFigure 3 depicts a ‘^’-shaped staple trayFigure 4 depicts the strip of ‘^’-shaped staples in the ‘^’-shaped staple trayFigure 5 depicts an arrow stapleFigure 6 depicts a strip of arrow staplesFigure 7 depicts an arrow staple trayFigure 8 depicts the strip of arrow staples in the arrow staple trayFigure 9 depicts a pointed stapleThe features of the drawings are listed as follows:10 ‘^’-shaped staple, being a fastener of the present invention12 Elongate retaining member 14 Elongate connecting member 16 ‘^’-shaped fastening member 20 Strip of ‘^’-shaped staples 30 ‘^’-shaped staple tray32 Tray step34 Tray base36 Tray gap38 Tray backplate50 Arrow Staple 56 Arrow fastening member 58 Blade of staple between arms 56 60 Strip of arrow staples 70 Arrow staple tray 72 End plate 74 Slot for exit of staples when pressed by staple blade 76 Staple blade 80 Staple tray in combination with arrow staples 90 Pointed staple 92 Staple arm adjacent connection with connecting member and point 92E Notional Enlarged microscopic cross-section of area 92 94 Inner join between arm 96A and connecting member 1496 Point of staple / point of fastening memberDetailed descriptionFigure 1 depicts an ‘^’-shaped staple 10 of the present invention comprising anelongate retaining member 12, and elongate connecting member 14 and an elongatefastening member 16 all having a rectangular cross-section. The elongateconnecting member has first and second ends at the first end it is connected to the elongate retaining member 12 at a midpoint between the ends of the elongate retaining member 12. At the second end it is connected to the elongate fastening members 16 at a midpoint between the ends of that fastening member. The elongateretaining member 12 is linear. The elongate connecting member is linear 14. Theelongate retaining member 12 is longer than the elongate fastening member 16which is longer than the elongate connecting member 14.The assembly of the elongate retaining member elongate connecting member andthe elongate fastening member forms the ‘^’-shaped staple of the present invention.The elongate fastening member 16 comprises two arms 16A and 16B of equal lengthwhich extend away from the join with the elongate connecting member. In use the staple 10 is extended in the direction of the elongate connecting member to abort a fabric at the elongate fastening member. Whereupon the elongatefastening member 16 resiliently deforms so that the arms 16A, 16B deform towardsthe elongate connecting member and are able to readily penetrate an open weave fabric. In passing through the fabric the resilient deformation relaxes and the arms once again extend laterally to the elongate connecting member 14 and thus between the elongate connecting member joining the elongate retaining member 12 and theelongate fastening member 16 the staple 10 is retained in a piece of fabric.Preferably a plurality of pieces of fabric are thus penetrated and can delve by beretained together to form the fastening function of the staple 10.The staple 10 is constructed of a resilient plastics material. The resilient plastics material is poly lactic acid. This material enables the elongate fastening member 16 to bend such that the arms of the elongate fastening member bend upwards, at their ends remote from the elongate connecting member 14 towards the elongate retaining member 12 and this therefore forms a point at the junction of the elongate connecting member 14 and the arms 16 A 16 B so as to enable the staple to more readily penetrate the fabric when pressed into a fabric so as to connect the fabric together by means of the fastener 10. Upon passing through the fabric arms 16 resiliently return to the original position to more effectively secure the fastener in the fabric.Figure 2 depicts a strip of ‘^’-shaped staples 20 as shown in figure 1. The strip of ‘^’-shaped staples 20 comprised of a plurality of a laterally abutting ‘^’-shaped staples10 forming a strip of staples 20. The ‘^’-shaped staples 10 are identical. The ‘^’-shaped staples 10 are the same as the ‘^’-shaped staple 10 depicted in figure 1 butpreferably with an indent between the staples 10 so that upon application of a force lateral to the elongate retaining member 12 and in the axis of the elongate connecting member 14 the staple 10 may, in the established fashion, be separatedfrom the strip 20 for application, such as to a plurality of fabric layers to retain themtogether. In the embodiment shown, the staples 10 of the strip 20 are retained in that strip by means of an adhesive between adjacent staples 10. This adhesive is awater-soluble polyvinyl alcohol adhesive. The rectangular cross-section the staplemay have an indent at one or more lateral edges so that laterally aligned, in a clip of staples, set of the staples have a point of weakness and are more readily separated. The indent is preferably on the top face of a clip along an edge of the elongate fastening member 12. The staples are joined laterally by means of an adhesive; preferred adhesive is poly vinyl alcohol. The polyvinyl alcohol is a solid water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol.Figure 3 depicts a ‘^’-shaped staple tray 30 for ‘^’-shaped staples 10, morespecifically for a strip of ‘^’-shaped staples 20. The tray has a base layer 34 whichwith walls up to two up two raised steps 32 which themselves have walls, at one endthere is a gap 36 before an endplate wall 38. The tray gap 36 is large enough for astaple 10 to pass through laterally to the length of the tray. The layers areperpendicular to the walls, such that the steps 32 have a 90-degree angle. The staple tray comprises tray base 34, two either elongate side of which is a traystep 32 creating a channel. These hold the staples 10 in place upright, in particular,the use of a longer elongate retaining member 12 than the elongate fastening member 16 enables the staples 10 to be retained in the channel of the staple tray.The tray 30 is metal.Figure 4 depicts the strip of ‘^’-shaped staples 20 of figure 2 in the ‘^’-shaped stapletray of figure 3.The tray of figure 4 is used with the features of a conventional stapler, these are notpresent in the drawing but can be explained, these include a pusher, that pushesagainst the staples, a spring that pushes the staples 10 down the magazine and thehandle that covers the staple tray and is actuated in the conventional manner toengage the pusher against the staples 10 to push the staples 10 through the gap 36 and then on towards a fabric placed below the tray so as to engage the fastener intothe fabric. The tray backplate 38 stops the strip of ‘^’-shaped staples 20 sliding outas the staples are urged towards backplate 38 by the spring.Figure 5 depicts an arrow staple 50 of the present invention. The arrow staple 50 hasan arrow fastening member 56 in place of ‘^’-shaped fastening member 16, howeverhas elongate retaining member 12 and elongate connecting member 14 of the ‘^’-shaped staple 10 of figure 1. The arrow fastening member 56 has ‘V’-shape. Theelongate connecting member 14 connects to the arrow fastening member 56 on theconcave side. The arrow fastening member has rectangular cross-section.The arrow staple 50 is an arrow ‘↧’-shaped staple 50.In use the point of the ‘V’-shape penetrates through a fabric, the elongate retainingmember 12 and the wings of the ‘V’-shape act to keep the material in place oncepenetrated through.The elongate retaining member 12 is longer than the arrow fastening member 56which is longer than the elongate connecting member 14.Figure 6 depicts a strip of arrow staples 60. The strip of arrow staples 60 comprisedof a plurality of a laterally abutting arrow staples 50 forming a strip of staples 60. Thearrow staples 50 are identical. The arrow staples 50 are the same as the arrowstaple 50 depicted in figure 1.Figure 7 depicts an arrow staple tray 70. The tray 70 is like the ‘^’-shaped staple tray30 of figure 3, but the tray base is ‘V’-shaped corresponding to the angle betweenthe elongate retaining members 56.Figure 8 depicts the strip of arrow staples 60 of figure 6 in the arrow staple tray 70 offigure 7.Figure 9 depicts a pointed staple 90. The pointed staple has a pointed fasteningmember 96 in place of ‘^’-shaped fastening member 16 or arrow fastening member56, however has elongate retaining member 12 and elongate connecting member 14of the ‘^’-shaped staple 10 of figure 1 or arrow staple 50 of figure 5. The pointedfastening member has triangular cross-section with triangle point pointing away fromthe elongate connecting member.Figure 10 illustrates the operation of the fastener / staple 90, and by inference 10, of the present invention. In use, 110, the staple 90 is urged towards fabric layers 92 by means of blade 76 of the stapler such as when pressed by handle, for example ispivoted at a remote end of the staple tray from the gap 36. The general direction ofthis is shown by the arrow on the right-hand side of the figure. The then, 112, staple 90 penetrates the fabric 92 at the point 98 of the staple being the point where the arms 96 abut the connecting member 14. The point facilitating the penetration as does the angling of the arms 96A, 96B, of the fastening member 96. The arms of the fastening member 96 being pushed towards the axis of the connecting member 14 so as to reduce the cross-section of the staple to facilitate penetrating of the fabric 92. This deformation is resilient due to the nature of the staple, i.e. made of a resilient plastics material. On passing through the fabric, 114, layers 92 the arms of the fastening member 96 move back into place so as to fully retain the staple in the fabric and therefore retain the layers of fabric together.Figure 11 shows an advantageous feature of the use of poly lactic acid is a polymerconstructing the staples. Not only is this polymer biodegradable whilst it is resiliently deformable is resilience is limited and upon bending of the arms 56A / 96A the arms, particularly in areas of high stress (92 on penetration, 94 on removal) micro cracking of the polymer 92E occurs. This provides a point where one face of the arm 96A is longer than the other face and therefore this makes an effective pivot point such that on pulling the staple, such as by pulling retaining member 12, the force been transmitted through connecting member 14 the arms 96 are levered back on themselves and highpoint of stress at 94 the inner join between arm 96A andconnecting member 14 occurs. Further cracking occurs and the fastener readilybreaks off for simple removal. Important in this respect is that the polymer has a glass transition temperature above room temperature, typically above 25°C so that it does not bend sufficiently to avoid some cracking, this is accommodated by poly lactic acid. Unlike conventional fasteners this means that based upon a clear and deliberate pulling action a user can readily remove the fastener from a garment. Additionally, if garments fastened by a staple / fastener of the present invention are placed for example in a washing machine, with an elevated temperature, this serves to relax the polymer gives it additional strength so as to withstand the rigours of a washing cycle. This is particularly so if the glass transition temperature of the polymer is lessthan 70°C. As a more general point, when the staples are provided in a strip ofstaples joined together by a water-soluble polymer then such polymer is readily washed away and therefore fasteners the present invention secured together in that manner and not only readily detachable from one another for application but the polymer can be readily disposed of in a normal washing process of garments. Figure 11 is a further illustration of staples 50, 90 showing the end of the retaining member illustrating the age 58, and point 98, which serves to enable the retaining member to be more effective penetrating member / feature when engaging the staple with a fabric, particularly a nonwoven fabric.

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 01 December 2025 (01.12.2025)1 . A staple (10, 50, 90) for connecting fabrics garments, the staple constructed from a resiliently deformable plastics material, comprising: an elongate connecting member (14) having first and second ends (14A, 14B); at the first end the elongate connecting member (14) is connected to an elongate retaining member (12) between its ends; at the second end the elongate connecting member (14) being connected to a fastening member between its ends and wherein the fastening member comprises first and second arms extending in the same plane as the elongate connecting member wherein the staple is configured such that during insertion into textile material, the fastening member (16, 56, 96) elastically deforms toward the elongate connecting member (14) and returns to its original shape after penetration and, wherein the deformation of the fastening member (16, 56, 96) induces microcracking in the plastics material to facilitate controlled breakage upon removal.

2. The staple of claim 1 wherein the resiliently deformable plastics material as a glass transition temperature above 25°C and below 70°C.

3. The staple of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the resiliently deformable plastics material is selected from one or more of polyethylene terephthalate Polylactic Acid (PLA); Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA); Polybutylene Succinate (PBS); Polycaprolactone (PCL); Starch-Based Plastics; Polybutylene Adipate Terephthalate (PBAT); Polyethylene Furanoate (PEF); Polypropylene Carbonate (PPC).

4. The staple of claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the resiliently deformable material is Polylactic Acid (PLA).

5. The staple of any preceding claim, wherein the elongate retaining member (12) is longer than the elongate fastening member (16, 56, 96).

6. The staple of any preceding claim, wherein the elongate connecting member (14) is shorter than the elongate retaining member (12) and longer than the elongate fastening member (16, 56, 96).

7. The staple of any preceding claim, wherein the junction between the arms of the fastening member (16, 56, 96) and the elongate connecting member (14) forms a stress concentration zone adapted to crack under removal force.

8. The staple of any preceding claim, wherein the cross-section of the arms (16A, 16B, 56, 96) is non-rectangular and shaped to provide a reduced contact area during penetration.

9. The staple of any preceding claim provided as a plurality of detachable laterally abutting staples forming a strip of staples.

10. The strip of staples of claim 9 were in the staples in the strip of staples are joined laterally by means of an adhesive.11 . The strip of staples of claim 10 wherein the adhesive is selected from one or more of poly vinyl alcohol, starch, gelatin and cellulose.

12. The strip of staples of claim 11 wherein the adhesive is polyvinyl alcohol.

13. A kit of parts comprising:(a) a strip of staples according to any of claims 10 to 12; and(b) a stapler configured to dispense a staple as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the stapler comprising a tray with an internal shoulder profile adapted to retain staples with an elongate retaining member wider than the fastening member, wherein the strip of staples is configured to be loaded into the stapler tray.

14. The staple of any preceding claim, wherein the fastening member is configured in an arrowhead or V-shaped geometry for improved penetration in nonwoven or knitted fabrics.

15. A method of fastening textile garments comprising the steps of:(a) positioning two fabric layers;(b) applying a staple as claimed in any preceding using a stapler; and(c) securing the fabrics together by elastic deformation and reformation of the fastening member.

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