Seats of vehicles or trains, various sofas, office chairs and the like are often configured so that a surface of a cushion body (foam body) molded in a predetermined shape using a foaming resin material is covered with a cover material made of fiber fabric, natural or synthetic leather or the like. The cushion bodies used in such various seats or the like may have a curved surface formed in an unevenness shape, which meets ergonomic requirements, to keep a sitting posture, in which a user is not tired even if sitting thereon for a long time.
Also, when the cover material is covered on the surface of the cushion body, a technique is often employed in which the cushion body is molded in a desired shape and then the cover material is covered and fixed on the surface of the obtained cushion body. In this case, particularly, a molded hook and loop fastener is commonly used as a means for fixing a surface of the cushion body and a back surface of the cover material to each other.
The molded hook and loop fastener is configured so that a plurality of engaging elements (e.g., male engaging elements) are arranged on one surface (first surface) of a base material made of thermoplastic resin, and the molded hook and loop fastener is integrally molded to expose the engaging elements on the surface of the cushion body upon molding of the cushion body. Also, on the back surface of the cover material for covering the cushion body, a plurality of engaging elements (female engaging elements) capable of engaging with the engaging elements of the molded hook and loop fastener are provided.
Then, after the cover material is covered on the cushion body with the molded hook and loop fastener integrated, the female engaging elements arranged on the back surface of the cover material are pressed toward the male engaging elements of the molded hook and loop fastener exposed on the surface of the cushion body, thereby engaging the cover material to molded hook and loop fastener. Thus, the cover material can be easily fixed to the surface of the cushion body along the unevenness shape of the surface, thereby preventing the cover material from being floated from the cushion body.
For the molded hook and loop fastener used in fixing the cover material and the cushion body to each other, in order to stably ensure a required fixation strength, it is necessary to prevent a foaming resin material for the cushion body from infiltrating into a region of the molded hook and loop fastener (engaging element region), in which engaging elements thereof is formed, upon foaming of the cushion body and thus to expose the engaging element region of the molded hook and loop fastener on the surface of the cushion body.
Meanwhile, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. S64-43705 (Patent Document 1), a hook and loop fastener is disclosed which can prevent infiltration of a resin material into an engaging element region and is configured to be integrated with a cushion body.
For example, as shown in FIG. 22, a hook and loop fastener 80 described in Patent Document 1 includes a hook and loop fastener member 81 having a plurality of hook-shaped engaging elements 83 erected on a surface of a flat plate-shaped base material 82, resin infiltration-preventing members 84 arranged along right and left side edge portions of the base material 82 and made of a non-woven fabric having a generally L-shaped cross-section, and a fixation member 85 made of a non-woven fabric arranged on a back surface of the base material 82.
Also, in Patent Document 1, the resin infiltration-preventing members 84 and fixation member 85 are fixed to the hook and loop fastener member 81 by welding, such as high frequency welding or thermal welding, or bonding with an adhesive. In addition, the generally L-shaped cross-sectioned resin infiltration-preventing members 84 are arranged to be spaced outward in a width direction from locations of the hook-shaped engaging elements 83 erected on the base material 82.
When a cushion body with which the hook and loop fastener 80 of Patent Document 1 is integrated is foamed, as shown in FIG. 23, the hook and loop fastener 80 is mounted on an inner surface (cavity surface) of a cushion body molding mold 86 and then a foaming resin material 87 is injected into an inner space (cavity space) of the mold 86.
In this case, in the inner surface of the mold 86, a concave groove portion (trench portion) 88 is provided to allow a part of the hook and loop fastener 80 to be inserted therein and thus to position and hold the hook and loop fastener 80, and the concave groove portion 88 is formed to have a groove shape, groove dimension and groove depth corresponding to a shape of the hook and loop fastener 80. The plurality of engaging elements 83 and one leg portion of each of the generally L-shaped resin infiltration-preventing members 84 are inserted in the concave groove portion 88 of the mold 86. At this time, the other leg portion of each of the resin infiltration-preventing members 84 is arranged to be sandwiched between the base material 82 of the hook and loop fastener 80 and the inner surface of the mold 86.
In such a state where the hook and loop fastener 80 is set in the concave groove portion 88 of the mold 86, the foaming resin material 87 is injected into the mold 86 to perform foaming Thus, the resin infiltration-preventing member 84 made of a non-woven fabric absorbs the foaming resin material 87 and also prevents the foaming resin material 87 from infiltrating into the concave groove portion 88, thereby allowing the cushion body, with which the hook and loop fastener 80 is integrated, to be manufactured.
Thus, in the cushion body with the hook and loop fastener 80 integrated manufactured as described above, the engaging elements 83 of the hook and loop fastener 80 is prevented from being potted with the foam body and thus the engaging elements 83 of the hook and loop fastener 80 can be exposed on the outer surface of the cushion body. Accordingly, in the cushion body with the hook and loop fastener 80 integrated, reduction of an engaging force by the engaging elements 83 can be prevented.
Also, in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2009/058179 (Patent Document 2), a molded hook and loop fastener is disclosed in which an anchor layer made of a non-woven fabric is fixed to a back surface of a base material having a plurality of engaging elements erected on a surface thereof.
Also, the molded hook and loop fastener of Patent Document 2 is configured so that the non-woven fabric, which is the anchor layer, extends outward in a width direction from right and left end edges of the base material of the molded hook and loop fastener. In addition, a magnetically attractable coating layer is formed on a back surface of a part of the non-woven fabric, which is fixed to the base material, and front surfaces of parts thereof, which extend outward from the right and left end edges of the base material.
When a cushion body with the molded hook and loop fastener of Patent Document 2 integrated is foamed, a molding mold having magnets arranged on a cavity surface thereof is used. The molded hook and loop fastener is mounted on a part of the mold, on which the magnets are arranged, so that the plurality of engaging elements face to the cavity surface, and as a result, the coating layer formed on the non-woven fabric of the molded hook and loop fastener is attracted to the magnets. Thus, the molded hook and loop fastener is attracted and fixed to the cavity surface of the mold by a magnetic force, and also the non-woven fabric extending from the right and left end edges of the base material is attracted to the magnets to be contacted with the cavity surface of the mold.
In this state, when injection molding of a foaming resin material is performed, infiltration of the foaming resin material into a region of the molded hook and loop fastener, in which the engaging elements are formed, is prevented because the non-woven fabric extending from the right and left end edges of the base material is contacted with the cavity surface so that the plurality of engaging elements are confined inside of the non-woven fabric. Thus, the cushion body with the hook and loop fastener integrated can be manufactured.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds