Inventor takes aim at velcro with his "Slidingly Engaging Fastener"

While it may not be as quick to roll off your tongue, 66-year old inventor Leonard Duffy thinks that his "Slidingly Engaging Fastener" has what it takes to replace the tried and true velcro for most binding needs, and he's now taken home a Popular Science invention award for it. According to PopSci, the mouthful of an invention uses a series of interlocking grids consisting of tiny hexagonal or triangular "islands," which apparently form an uncommonly strong bond when they're joined together (able to support eight times the weight of velcro). The invention also bests velcro in one other key area: it's completely silent. While it doesn't look like it'll be commercially available anytime soon, the invention has apparently drawn the interest of some 150 product designers, as well as a company interested in using it to attach artificial limbs. And while others would likely suggest otherwise, Duffy doesn't seem willing to budge on the name, insisting that "it's slidingly engaging... it's the slidingly engaging fastener."

[Via Gadget Lab]

[paul34 @ May 19th 2007 9:18PM]

Heh, seems like an interesting guy... with an even better invention!

I can't wait to replace all my noisy and somewhat annoying velcro =D

[joel johnson @ May 19th 2007 9:28PM]

Interestingly enough, the invention he is taking aim at is the "hook and loop fastener." Velcro is just the name of a company that happens to make such fasteners among other things.

[Nate! @ May 21st 2007 1:02AM]

What's wrong with Slidingly Engaging Fastener? It could be Sef. That's better.

[rafa @ May 19th 2007 9:35PM]

3M already has a similar product; it's given out with the pass for my local toll. To replace velcro you really need to make people want it that much more. As it stands velcro is the standard.

3M Dual Lock
http://www.a1stopstormshop.com/images/3M%20DualLock.JPG

[Jesse S @ May 19th 2007 11:51PM]

I had that crap on my GPS. One day, I tried to take the GPS off, and half the "locks" ripped out. Another time, the adhesive started to come off.

[Jeremy K. @ May 19th 2007 11:54PM]

Yeah, that 3M Dual Lock stuff is terrible...

[Dave @ May 19th 2007 9:39PM]

Uh-oh. 3M is likely going to try and off this guy.

[Craig C @ May 19th 2007 10:11PM]

yeah my guess is that theyll velcro him to a submarine

[granny down east @ May 19th 2007 10:45PM]

"slidingly engaging fly"
I like it.

[Grey Acumen @ May 19th 2007 11:09PM]

If I can tell women that the crotch of my pants has something slidingly and engaging in it, I'm all for it :P

[Nathan @ May 19th 2007 11:10PM]

I dunno Craig, I don't think 3M really want to get the Irony Police involved.

[Russell @ May 20th 2007 12:30AM]

3M Dual Lock is great if you only have to remove an item a couple of times, but it wears too much after repeated attachment and then you get weaker and weaker bonds each time.

If this stuff doesn't do that then bring it on.

I use Dual Lock to attach my valentine 1 to the brake reservoir on my motorcyles... works for a while then you have to reel in the radar detector by it's cord at 80mph as it flaps around behind you.

[Deezee @ May 20th 2007 12:30AM]

Velcro will never die. NEVER!!!!!

Long live Velcro.

[Tom Gabriele @ May 20th 2007 12:48AM]

i think he will make millions... like the silent velcro inventor kid in Garden State. this guy will just encounter the riches later in life.

[Gary @ May 20th 2007 5:17PM]

Fuck yeah tom, i was just thinking about garden state when i heard this, "Silent Velcro... You lucky motherf*cker" "I think if i stood in front of my class and presented silent velcro they would have sent me away much sooner" Incredible.

[Asterra @ May 20th 2007 1:52AM]

A good example of an innovation that is painfully easy to reverse-engineer and copy, meaning we will probably see its widespread use in China long before any legitimate product exist.

[S @ May 20th 2007 5:50AM]

Comon guys, NOBODY said it? SEF.........the acronym for his fastener. The name sucks, but the acronym works! Even easier than velcro...can you say, SEF? :) "I used a sef strip to fasten my bag lid closed."

[James @ May 20th 2007 9:53AM]

They'll spend a few million to pile the marketdroids on it, and come up with a name that evokes "stickyness" without actually meaning anything -- like Velcro (TM) (R) (C) (XYZ). That's my guess.


Aside: people go a little apeshit with the trademark enforcement sometimes. Does anybody else die a little inside when they read the back of the box for some e.g. Harry Potter game and see "Explore Hogwarts(tm) with Harry Potter(tm)(sm)(C), Ron Weasley(tm), Hermione Granger(tm), and all the other Gryffindor(tm) characters you know and love!"?

[Josh @ May 20th 2007 11:38AM]

It is good to that individuals inventors can still compete to a degree with big business - a good idea is a good idea - especially if it beats the big boys (like 3M). Power to him if he wants to call it a slidingly engaging fastener, it is his product and he should be able to do whatever he wants with it - even if it is awkward (SEF all the way)

I hope he starts mass producing this sometime, it would be very cool to see him steal business from the big companies.

[3rdsun @ May 20th 2007 1:31PM]

My favorite part of unhooking Velco is the sound it makes. What fun is a silent fastener.

[L.Rawlins @ May 20th 2007 2:06PM]

Slide Engage Fastener. (SEF)

Much less tong tangling!

[Z @ May 21st 2007 5:01AM]

He doesn't want to change the name? That's not only a name no one will remember (I've already forgotten what it was exactly), I just remember it was annoying to say. But these are the types of things inventors get stuck on: many of them are incapable of seeing the big picture. They get so defensive about the smallest things, and because they don't budge, they never sell what they invent.

If he ever wants to actually sell this stuff, he's going to have to set aside any stubbornness about the name and let the people who actually know how to market things (which he clearly doesn't know how to do) the freedom to come up with a name consumers will actually remember and not be annoyed to speak.

Loosen up, Leonard. Let the experts figure out the name.

And best of luck. Looks like a great product.