JP7637427B2 - Method for manufacturing tape-shaped opening and closing device for article opening - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tape-shaped opening and closing device for an article opening, a manufacturing method thereof, and an article using this opening and closing device. "Articles" include, for example, clothes, bags, shoes, and openable containers.

There are many types of tape-like fasteners for opening and closing objects. Some of the well-known types include those with multiple snap buttons spaced at regular intervals along the tape, those that combine fastener teeth with a slide fastener pull tab, and hook-and-loop fasteners in the form of a tape.

In the present invention described below, multiple permanent magnet pieces are arranged in a tape-like shape. Prior art of this type includes, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-70508, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-74010, Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-269713, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-137015, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-538435.

The encapsulation device of JP2013-538435, which is believed to be closest to the present invention, has a first flexible strip 10 (the symbols in this and the next paragraphs are those described in this prior art document) and a second flexible strip 20. The former has a cavity 16 in which a magnet piece 18 can be incorporated, and the latter has a cavity 26 in which a magnet piece 28 can be incorporated. The magnet piece 18 is embedded in the cavity 16 by a first film 19, and the magnet piece 28 is embedded in the cavity 16 by a second film 29. The first strip 10 and the second strip 20 come into contact with each other, and the magnet pieces 18 and 28 are magnetically attracted to each other.

The first membrane 19 and the first flexible strip 10, and the second membrane 29 and the second strip 20 are connected "mechanically" ([0187]) or "selected from the group consisting of high frequency welding, ultrasonic welding, heat welding, stitching, sealing tape, adhesive bonding or combinations thereof" ([0188]).

Practical publication 59-70508 Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-74010 JP 11-269713 A Patent Publication 2001-137015 Special table 2013-538435

According to the above-mentioned JP2013-538435 (Patent Document 5), in order to embed the magnet pieces, the film covering the surface of the strip body and the magnet pieces is mechanically or chemically bonded. The magnet is then fixed in position within the cavity by this adhesion. The remaining Patent Documents 1 to 4 are similar in this respect, although we will not introduce them one by one.

In the above-mentioned conventional methods, if the film covering the surface of the strip body and the magnet pieces is not bonded sufficiently, moisture can seep in through the gaps and cause the magnets to rust, or the joints can be damaged and, in extreme cases, the magnets can pop out. The present invention aims to solve these problems by thermally shrinking the resin to firmly fix the magnets in place.

The present invention, which achieves the above-mentioned object, is a method for manufacturing a tape-type opening and closing device for an article opening, comprising the steps of preparing a heat-shrinkable resin tube and arranging a plurality of magnets at regular intervals within the resin tube, wherein the step of arranging a plurality of magnets at regular intervals within the resin tube comprises the steps of creating a tape with the magnets attached with an adhesive and sealing this within the resin tube, and further comprises the steps of heating the tube to cause thermal shrinkage and fix the magnets, wherein the step of creating the tape with the magnets attached and sealing this within the tube comprises the steps of (a) to (h) as follows:
(a) A first tape is placed on top of a plurality of fixed magnets set at regular intervals on a jig.
(b) placing a plurality of magnets on the first tape and attaching them to the fixed magnet via the first tape;
(c) imparting adhesiveness to the magnet on the first tape.
(d) A second tape is placed on top of the magnet on the first tape and adhered to the adhesive magnet.
(e) Peeling the first tape and the second tape from the fixed magnet.
(f) The first tape and the second tape are pulled away from each other, and only the second tape with the magnet attached thereto is taken out.
(g) Attaching a weight to the second tape having the magnet attached thereto.
(h) The second tape with the magnet attached thereto is inserted into the resin tube with the weight at the front.

In another embodiment, the tube contains not only a plurality of magnets but also a tape with the magnets attached thereto, which is required in one embodiment of the method for producing a tape-like closure.

Preferably, the heat-shrinkable resin tube is a complete tube with no longitudinal incisions.

In another embodiment, the heat-shrinkable resin tube is a tube having a single welded portion along its length.

In yet another embodiment, the heat-shrinkable resin tube is a tube having two welded stripes along its length.

The tube made of the heat-shrinkable resin in each of the above embodiments also has welded portions at both longitudinal ends.

The present invention is also a method for manufacturing a tape-type opening and closing device for an article opening. A first method includes the steps of preparing a heat-shrinkable resin tube, arranging a plurality of magnets at regular intervals in the tube, and heating the tube to heat-shrink the tube and fix the magnets, and is characterized in that the step of arranging a plurality of magnets at regular intervals in the resin tube includes the steps of preparing a tape with the magnets attached by adhesive and sealing the tape in the resin tube.

The second method is characterized by the fact that, in addition to the first method, it further includes a step of forming welded portions at both longitudinal ends of the resin tube.

According to the third method, the process of producing the tape with the magnet attached thereto and enclosing it in the tube comprises the steps (a) to (h) described below in [0021].

Preferably, each of the above methods further includes a step of heating both longitudinal ends to form welded portions. If possible, this step is economically performed simultaneously with the welding step in each of the above methods.

In the first method, the "step of placing a plurality of magnets at regular intervals within the tube" preferably comprises creating a tape with magnets attached and sealing this within the tube.

Preferably, the "method of creating a tape with a magnet attached and sealing it in the tube" is carried out as follows:

(a) A first tape is placed on top of a plurality of fixed magnets set at regular intervals on a jig.
(b) placing a plurality of magnets on the first tape and attaching them to the fixed magnet via the first tape;
(c) providing a magnetic head on said first tape with adhesive properties to the tape;
(d) A second tape is placed on top of the magnet on the first tape and adhered to the adhesive magnetic head.
(e) Peeling the first tape and the second tape from the fixed magnet.
(f) The first tape and the second tape are pulled apart from each other, and only the second tape with the magnetic head attached thereto is taken out.
(g) Attaching a weight to the second tape with the magnetic head attached thereto.
(h) Insert the second tape with the magnetic head attached into the tube with the weight at the front.

The resin used for the tube may be any resin that can be heat-shrunk and heat-sealed. Such resins may include polyolefin, silicone, fluororesin, and other resins that are well known in themselves.

The magnets used may be well-known permanent magnets. For example, well-known permanent magnets such as alnico magnets, ferrite magnets, and neodymium magnets may be used.

The tape-shaped opening and closing device for an article opening of the present invention comprises a tube made of heat-shrinkable resin and a number of magnets arranged at regular intervals within the tube. The magnets are encapsulated by the resin after heat shrinkage, making it easy to fix them in position at regular intervals, and reducing the risk of rusting of the magnets due to moisture intrusion and damage to the magnets within the tape.

In particular, if a tube without cuts is used as the resin, there are no welded parts in the middle except at both ends, which makes it beautiful in appearance, smooth to the touch, and easy to attach to clothing or the opening of a bag.

1 is a perspective view of a bag in which a tape-shaped opening/closing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is used for an opening/closing portion. 1A is a side view of a tape-type opening/closing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a plan view, FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1B, and FIG. 1A and 1B are perspective views showing steps (a) and (b) of a method for producing a tape-shaped opening/closing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a magnetization method in the tape-shaped opening/closing device manufacturing method according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. 11A to 11C are perspective views showing steps (a), (b), and (c) of a method for producing a tape-shaped opening/closing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 11A and 11B are perspective views showing steps (a) and (b) of a method for producing a tape-shaped opening/closing device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are plan views showing examples of magnetic pole arrangement of a tape-shaped opening/closing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 11A and 11B are plan views showing examples of magnetic pole arrangement of a tape-type opening/closing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1D are side views showing steps (a) to (d) of manufacturing the tape-shaped opening and closing device of Example 1. 1A to 1F are side views showing manufacturing steps (e) and (f) of the tape-shaped opening and closing device of Example 1. 3A to 3C are side views showing steps (g) to (i) of manufacturing the tape-shaped opening and closing device of Example 1.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention is described based on the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bag B in which a tape-shaped opening/closing device 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is used for the opening 11. This bag opening 11 can be opened wide by inserting a finger into the opening 11 at any location where the magnet of the opening/closing device 1 is not installed, and the opening 11 can be opened wide by the force of the finger against the magnetic attraction. When the finger is released, the opening 11 is immediately closed automatically by the magnetic attraction. This prevents the opening from being left open due to carelessness in forgetting to close it, allowing pickpockets to steal the contents.

Although not shown, the device can be used for other items that generally have openings and closings in addition to bag B. For example, the openings and closings of trousers or skirts, pocket openings, sleeves, glove insertion openings, shoes, boots, openable and closable containers, etc. For example, when used on trousers, it eliminates the embarrassment of forgetting to close the front opening after using the toilet.

The tape-shaped opening and closing device 1 used in Figure 1 is related to Example 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, multiple disk-shaped magnets 13 are set at regular intervals inside a tubular resin 12, and their positions are fixed by the shrinking and deforming resin.

This tape-shaped opening and closing device 1 is sealed at both ends 14, 15, so it does not allow moisture to enter. There is nothing but air between the magnets 13. For decoration or other needs, the spaces between the magnets can be filled with colored powder or the like.

Resin 12 may be any resin that can be thermally shrunk and thermally welded. Such resins may be polyolefin-based, silicone-based, fluororesin-based, or other well-known resins.

A well-known permanent magnet can be used as the magnet 13. As the permanent magnet, for example, an alnico magnet, a ferrite magnet, a neodymium magnet, or the like, which are themselves well-known, can be used.

The number of magnets 13 used can be freely set depending on the application. A long magnetic tape of several meters to several tens of meters can be prepared and cut at the work site to the required length of the tape with the required number of magnets depending on the application.

The distance between the magnets 13 can also be freely set to any length depending on the application. A distance of 8 mm to 50 mm will usually be sufficient. If it exceeds 50 mm, the opening 11 will not necessarily be able to be closed adequately.

The size of magnet 13 should be determined based on the intended use and the diameter of the tube. Generally, a diameter of 3 mm to 15 mm is sufficient. The diameter of the tube should be approximately 1 to 2 mm larger than the maximum diameter part of the magnet before heat shrinkage.

The shape of the magnet 13 is not limited to a disk, and can be any shape, but it is preferable for it to have a flat surface with a large contact area (a cube, a rectangular prism, etc.). Shapes with a small contact area, such as spheres, are not suitable.

The magnetic pole arrangement of the multiple magnets 13 can also be freely determined according to the application and need. Examples of magnetic pole arrangements are shown in Figure 5. In (a), south and north poles are arranged alternately on both the front and back of the tape. In (b), the front side of the tape has only south poles, and the back side has only north poles.

It is also possible to set a non-magnetized metal piece inside the tape-shaped opening and closing device 1 and magnetize it after fixing it in position. This makes it possible to avoid situations where the magnets stick together before thermal contraction and a constant distance cannot be maintained. The magnetized state is shown in Figure 4. If the magnets are arranged and magnetized as in (a), the S poles and N poles can be set alternately, and if the magnets are arranged and magnetized as in (b), the S poles and N poles can be magnetized every other one.

To manufacture this tape-shaped opening and closing device 1, as shown in Figure 3, the disk-shaped magnet 13 is pushed into one end of the tube 12 at a fixed distance, and then heated with a heat gun or hot air to cause thermal shrinkage. In this embodiment, the diameter of the tube 12 is 7 mm, the diameter of the disk-shaped magnet 13 is 6 mm, and the height is 3 mm. The work in Example 1 was done manually, but it is possible to mass-produce it by mechanization. Both ends 14, 15 are similarly heat-treated and sealed.

When sealing magnets into tubes, arranging the magnets manually is time-consuming and tends to result in inaccurate placement of the magnets. To seal magnets into tubes at precise, consistent intervals, it is preferable to use the following method.

9(a) and 9(b), a first tape 22 is placed on top of a plurality of fixed magnets 21 set at regular intervals on a jig 20. The first tape 22 is simply placed on the fixed magnets 21 and is not fixed in place.
9C, a plurality of magnets 13 are placed on the first tape 22 and attached to the fixed magnet 21 by magnetic force so as to sandwich the first tape 22.
9(c), the head of the magnet 13 on the first tape 22 is made adhesive to the tape by, for example, applying an adhesive (not shown) to the head 131 of the magnet 13 or using an adhesive tape as the second tape described below.
(d) The second tape 23 is placed on top of the magnet 13 on the first tape 22 and attached to the magnet 13.
(e) The first tape 22 and the second tape 23 are peeled off from the fixed magnet 21. The reason for using the first tape 22 is to prevent the magnet 13 on the second tape 23 from directly adhering to the fixed magnet 21 and becoming difficult to separate. As shown in Figure 9-2 (e), when the first tape 22 is lifted, the second tape with the magnet 13 attached is lifted away from the fixed magnet 21.
9-2(e) and (f), the first tape 22 and the second tape 23 are pulled away from each other, and only the second tape 23 with the magnet 13 attached thereto is taken out. The first tape 22 is no longer needed at this point, so it is removed.
(g) A lead thread 25 with a weight 24 is attached to the second tape 23 to which the magnet 13 is attached.
(h) The second tape 23 with the magnet 13 attached thereto is inserted into the tube 12. At this time, the tube 12 is held vertically, and the lead-in thread 24 and the second tape 23 with the magnet 13 attached thereto are inserted into the tube by utilizing the gravity of the weight 25. The subsequent steps (FIG. 9-3(i)) are as described above.

With this method, not only the magnet 13 but also the second tape 23 to which it is attached remains inside the finished tape-like closure. If the tube 12 were transparent, the tape 23 inside might make it look unattractive, but this can be avoided by making the tube 23 opaque. Also, as will be described later, the finished tape-like closure is often stored inside a bag-like passage (not shown) called piping in a bag or the like, so it is hidden in the passage and the appearance is not much of a problem.

The tube used in this example is a transparent flame-retardant shrink tube known as "Sumitube V (300V)" (a registered trademark of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.) and is made of flame-retardant polyvinyl chloride resin. The shrinkage rate/inner diameter shrinkage rate was 50% or more, and the length change rate was -30% or more.

To attach this tape-shaped opening and closing device 1 to the bag B in Figure 1, piping was provided at the left and right openings of the bag to house this tape-shaped opening and closing device 1, and it was placed inside it. Of course, the positions of the magnets 13 of the left and right tape-shaped opening and closing devices were almost aligned, and the south pole and north pole were placed facing each other.

Figure 5 shows a manufacturing method of a tape-like opening and closing device 1A according to Example 2. In this example, a single cutout 16A is provided in the longitudinal direction of a heat-shrinkable tube 12A, and multiple magnets 13A are set at regular intervals through this cutout 16A (a) (b). After welding the edges 17A of the cutout 16A together, the entire resin is heat-shrunk (c). Both ends 14A, 15A are also welded. In this way, a tape-like opening and closing device 1A with a single welded portion 17A as shown in Figure 7 is obtained.

To attach the tape-shaped opening/closing device 1A of Example 2 to an object, it can be passed through a bag-shaped passage as in Example 1, or it can be sewn or glued to the opening of the object by utilizing the welded portion 17A of the cut portion.

In Example 2, a tube with one longitudinal cut was used, but this can be replaced with a slightly wider, flat, heat-shrinkable resin plate. The resin plate is folded along the longitudinal centerline, and magnets are enclosed in the same manner as in Example 2. The longitudinal edges and both ends are welded together, and then the entire plate is heat-shrunk. Example 2 and Example 3 are essentially the same, with the only difference being whether the bent portion is formed in advance or formed later by folding.

In Example 4, as shown in Figure 6, two heat-shrinkable resin plates 12B1, 12B2 are used. A number of magnets 13B are set between them at regular intervals (a), and the left and right longitudinal ends 17B1, 17B2 of the two resin plates are welded together, after which the entire resin is heat-shrunk. In this way, a tape-shaped opening and closing device 1B having two welded portions 17B1, 17B2 as shown in Figure 6 (b) is obtained. Both ends 14B, 15B are also welded and sealed.

1, 1A, 1B Tape-shaped opening and closing device 11 Opening and closing part 12 Tube-shaped resin.
12A: Tube-shaped resin with cut portion 12B1, 12B2: Two flat pieces of resin 13, 13A, 13B: Magnets 14, 15; 14A, 15A; 14B, 15B: Both ends 16A: Cut portion 17A: Cut edge (one welded portion)
17B1, 17B2 Left and right ends (two welded stripes)
20 Jig 21 Fixed magnet 22 First tape 23 Second tape 24 Sinker 25 Lead-in thread B Bag

Claims (2)

A method for manufacturing a tape-type opening and closing device for an article opening, comprising the steps of:
A step of preparing a heat-shrinkable resin tube (12);
The method includes a step of disposing a plurality of magnets (13) at regular intervals in the resin tube (12),
The step of arranging a plurality of magnets (13) at regular intervals in the resin tube (12) includes a step of preparing a tape (23) to which the magnets (13) are attached by an adhesive, and sealing the tape in the resin tube (12);
Further, the step of heating the tube to thermally shrink the tube and fix the magnet is included.
In the method,
The method includes the steps of preparing the tape (23) having the magnet (13) attached thereto and enclosing it in the tube (12), the steps including the steps of (a) to (h) below.
(a) A first tape (22) is placed on a plurality of fixed magnets (21) set at regular intervals on a jig (20).
(b) A plurality of magnets (13) are placed on the first tape (22) and attached to the fixed magnet (21) via the first tape (22).
(c) imparting adhesiveness to the magnet (13) on said first tape (22).
(d) A second tape (23) is placed on top of the magnet (13) on the first tape (22) and adhered to the adhesive magnet (13).
(e) The first tape (22) and the second tape (23) are peeled off from the fixed magnet (21).
(f) The first tape (22) and the second tape (23) are pulled away from each other, and only the second tape (23) with the magnet (13) attached thereto is taken out.
(g) Attach a weight (25) to the second tape (23) to which the magnet (13) is attached.
(h) The second tape (23) with the magnet (13) attached thereto is inserted into the resin tube (12) with the weight (25) at the front. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming welded portions (14, 15; 14A, 15A; 14B, 15B) at both ends of the resin tube (12) in the longitudinal direction.

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