Ykk Corporation of America

Ykk Corporation

Craig Jay Graham

Nobuo Fujisawa

Tsuyoshi Minato

Ryuichi Murasaki

Mitsuru Akeno

Wolfgang Coronel

John Alexander Galbreath

Joel William Pfeil

Yoshiaki Hamada

A mold shim or insert is disclosed, which is placed between the surface of a forming mold or mold magnet and a fastener strip that is to be molded into a foam object. The mold shim compensates for the variability of the mold surface and provides a more even surface for the fastener strip to seal against &#x2014;thereby preventing fouling of the strip's fastening elements during the molding process. Alternative embodiments of the invention are not used with a fastener strip, but instead have engaging members on their non-mold-proximate surface for engaging clips or wires which are thereby embedded into the foam object during the molding process.

Molds having a veneered pedestal for forming a foam object

The present invention provides a fastener strip having magnetically attractable particles which are not located across the entire volume of the strip, but rather are incorporated in a discrete, distinct area of the strip. The fastener strip has a base and many hook pieces which rise from a fastening surface of the base. One embodiment has a magnetically attractable body in a row which rises from the surface of the base and is located along a substantially center line of the fastener strip. The magnetically attractable particles are incorporated in the magnetically attractable body and a part of the base located below the magnetically attractable body, and the magnetically attractable particles are not dispersed across the whole area of the base. A method of manufacturing such a strip is also described here.

Fastener strip with discrete magnetically attractable area, and method and apparatus of making same

A fastener is disclosed with a fiber-covered element for anchoring the fastener in a finished foam seat cushion, and/or a fiber-covered element for sealing the fastening members of the fastener against fouling during the seat cushion molding process. The fiber-covered elements can additionally be magnetically attractable, and serve to temporarily secure the fastener to the forming mold during the molding process.

Fastener with fiber-covered anchor and sealing elements

This invention provides a fastener strip in which fastening elements form a fastener layer on a front face of the fastener strip. Rows of vertical members are disposed along each of the side edges of the fastener layer and each row comprises vertical members formed with an appropriate interval between them for controlling the degree of foam penetration during the molding process. The vertical members anchor the fastener strip to an object during molding of the object and form an effective seal against fouling of the fastening elements.

Fastener strip having sealing vertical wall

The invention is a fastener strip ( ) with vent holes ( ) through the base layer ( ), underneath hooks ( ) or other fastening elements, to prevent air from being trapped beneath fastener strip ( ) when it is placed on a forming mold ( ) in a foam object molding process. Side sealing means ( ), end sealing means ( ), and magnetic or other holding means may also be incorporated into fastener strip

Fastener strip having vent holes

The invention is a deep-groove fastener which securely retains a seat cover within the groove of a deeply contoured seat bun. The fastener comprises an elongated body generally concave in cross section and having an interior cavity. A plurality of notched ridges are located on the surface of the interior cavity. The notched ridges serve as fastening elements for engaging loop or other material attached to the underside of a seat cover. Anchor elements are located on the exterior, non-cavity surface of the main body, to aid in anchoring the invention within a foam seat bun. The main body additionally comprises two flange-like sealing legs having a relatively flat bottom surface, to seal the sides of the invention against fouling during the seat bun molding process. Magnetically attractable particles are incorporated into the sealing legs, to hold the invention securely to a magnetized seat bun forming mold.

Deep-groove fastener

A bundling strap for bundling objects is disclosed. The bundling strap has a generally trapezoidal shape and includes a first surface with loops and a second surface with hooks. The strap also have a narrow end and a wide end with an aperture. Methods of producing the strap are also disclosed. These methods includes laminating a sheet of hooks to a sheet of loops and either directly cutting the composite sheet into bundling straps and/or lining the hooks with a second sheet of loops and cutting the lined composite sheet into bundling straps.

Sheet material including a surface fastener

The invention is a hook fastener strip ( ), having magnetically attractable wires ( & ) which are located between, and retained by, hook members ( ) on the front face of the fastener strip ( ). Each hook member ( ) is comprised of a shaft ( ) and a split-mushroom-shaped head ( ). The outer edges of head ( ) protrude beyond the sides of shaft ( ), and the undersides of the outer edges form ledges ( & ) which serve to retain the magnetically attractable wires ( & ) within the hook layer of the fastener strip ( ). The magnetically attractable wires ( & ) within the fastener strip allow it to be secured to a correspondingly magnetically attractive object.

Fastener strip with magnetic attractant

The invention is a seat bun mold ( ) with a recess ( ) suitable for containing a fastener strip ( ) to be molded into the seat bun, the recess ( ) having an end wall ( ) shaped so as to provide a snap-fit seal against the end of the fastener strip ( ), in order to prevent fouling of the fastener strip ( ) during the seat bun molding process. End wall ( ) extends from the bottom to the top of the recess ( ), and substantially curves inward along its lower extent and outward along its upper extent. The end of fastener strip ( ) is snapped into recess ( ) by first aligning fastener strip ( ) over recess ( ) and then exerting downward pressure. The tension of the end of fastener strip ( ) against end wall ( ) forms a seal to prevent intrusion of liquid molding material through end wall ( ) of recess ( ).

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Eastman, GA, United States of America

Craig Jay Graham