Flexible Textile Fastener With Interstitial Recesses For Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fasteners for textiles, such as those used in brassieres and swimwear, often fail to provide sufficient tensile strength, flexibility, adjustability, and comfort while also risking snagging or damage to delicate garments and lacking precise alignment.
Innovation Solution
A flexible fastener system comprising arrays of studs and rings with interstitial recesses and apertures, where the studs are connected via arms and supported by carrier pieces, allowing for continuous adjustment and alignment, with features like tapered surfaces and curvature to prevent misalignment and ensure secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If hook and loop fasteners are used for flexibility and adjustability, then ease of operation is improved, but tensile strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fastener is segmented into multiple independent stud elements arranged in arrays, where each stud can engage independently with corresponding openings. This segmentation allows the fastener to maintain flexibility while distributing tensile loads across multiple engagement points, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and tensile strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener combines multiple material properties and structural features: rigid studs for strength, flexible carrier strips for adjustability, and engineered geometric shapes (tapered studs, rounded openings). This composite approach integrates both flexibility and high tensile strength within a single fastener system.
2Reliability
If conventional fasteners are used for securing textiles, then fastening function is achieved, but harmful factors worsen due to snagging and damage to delicate garments
Solution Approach 1:
The stud geometry is specifically engineered with localized features: tapered surfaces for controlled engagement, rounded distal ends to prevent snagging, and precise dimensional relationships between stud diameter and opening size. These local quality modifications eliminate harmful snagging effects while maintaining reliable fastening function.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered stud geometry converts potential harm (sharp edges that could snag) into benefit (smooth engagement surfaces that guide proper alignment and prevent catching on fabric). The design transforms what would be harmful sharp features into beneficial alignment and engagement aids.
3Reliability
If conventional fasteners are used for securing textiles, then fastening is achieved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to lack of alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The studs feature asymmetric geometry with tapered surfaces that naturally guide alignment during engagement. The tapered configuration creates a self-aligning mechanism where the stud must approach the opening in a specific orientation, ensuring precise alignment without requiring manual adjustment or complex positioning systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered stud geometry performs preliminary alignment action before final engagement. As the stud approaches the opening, the tapered surface automatically positions it correctly, pre-aligning the fastening elements before they lock into place. This preliminary alignment ensures precise positioning without requiring additional alignment steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible fastener includes a plurality of arrays of studs engaged with complimentary arrays of rings. The studs of each array are connected to diagonally adjacent studs via arms adjoining the stem of the stud. Interstitial recesses defined by the arms and stems are sized and configured to engage with the heads of studs on an engaging fastener piece. In embodiments, the fastener provides high tensile strength, continuous adjustment in two directions, and improved comfort when used in a garment. In some embodiments the fastener includes features which ensure alignment between pieces.