3m Innovative Properties Company

Andreas Urban

Leigh E Wood

Volker Hauschildt

Thomas J Gilbert

Mark A Peltier

William C Unruh

Kristopher K Biegler

Peter Kitzer

Edwin P Zonneveld

A method of making a mechanical fastening strip and a reticulated mechanical fastening strip are disclosed. The method includes providing a backing having upstanding posts; providing interrupted slits through the backing, the interrupted slits being interrupted by at least one intact bridging region; spreading the slit backing to provide multiple strands separated from each other between at least some of the bridging regions to provide at least one opening; and fixing the multiple strands of the backing in a spread configuration. The reticulated mechanical fastening strip includes multiple strands of a backing attached to each other at bridging regions in the backing and separated from each other between the bridging regions to provide openings. Upstanding posts on each of the multiple strands have bases attached to the backing, and each of the multiple strands has a width that is greater than that of the bases of its attached upstanding posts.

Method of making a mechanical fastening strip and reticulated mechanical fastening strip therefrom

Mechanical fastener

Mechanical closure element

A hook strip is provided having a backing with a first surface and a length in a first direction; multiple rows of hook elements aligned in the first direction and projecting from the first surface of the backing; and slits in the backing between at least some pairs of adjacent rows of the hook elements. The slits may be interrupted by a bridging region of the backing, or the slits may be partial slits that penetrate the thickness of the backing in a range from 40 to 90 percent. A fastening laminate that includes a carrier and the hook strip described above joined to the carrier is also provided. In some embodiments, the fastening laminate includes slits that form separate, abutting portions of the backing on the carrier. An absorbent article containing the hook strip and a method of making the hook strip are also disclosed.

Slit hook strips and laminates and articles containing the same

Growing community of inventors

Cologne, Germany

Andreas Urban