HK1010123B - Separable slide fastener - Google Patents

Description

Separable slide fastener

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a separable slide fastener, comprising: a pair of fastener tapes; an assembly of a pair of engaging elements secured by stitching to adjacent longitudinal edges of the fastener strips, each engaging element assembly having a series of engaging elements molded in a pair of mutually parallel connecting lines with a distance therebetween, and the engaging elements being individually folded into a U-shape about the longitudinal edges of each opposing fastener strip; an insert pin and a box-shaped pin, which are fixed to the lower end portions of the respective fastener tapes.

Background

Japanese utility model laid-open patent Hei-4-125708 discloses a separable slide fastener comprising a pair of fastener tapes, an assembly of a pair of engaging elements fixed to adjacent longitudinal edges of the fastener tapes by sewing, and a separable bottom positioning assembly fixed to adjacent lower end portions of the fastener tapes. The assembly of each bite piece includes a series of bite pieces die cast on a pair of mutually parallel connecting lines that are embedded in the upper and lower leg portions of the series of bite pieces, respectively. The mating elements in each mating element assembly are individually folded into a U-shape about the inside longitudinal edge of each respective zipper strip. Each zipper strip has a projection (thickening) along its inner longitudinal edge to which the legs of a series of engaging members are secured by means of a suture. The lower end portion of each fastener tape is formed by removing several engaging pieces. The insert pin of the lower positioning assembly is secured to the lower end portion of the non-engaging member of one of the fastener tapes. A box-shaped pin is fixed to the lower end portion of the non-engaging piece of the other fastener tape.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. Hei-7-79815 discloses another separable slide fastener comprising a pair of fastener tapes, an assembly of a pair of engaging elements attached to adjacent longitudinal edges of the fastener tapes by sewing, and a separable bottom positioning member attached to a lower end portion of the adjacent fastener tapes. Each fastener tape is woven so as to form a woven tubular projection along the inner longitudinal edge thereof, into which a plurality of core threads are inserted. The assembly of each fastener strip includes a series of fastener elements made of thermoplastic resin which are die-cast on a pair of mutually parallel connecting lines and individually folded into a U-shape around the inner longitudinal edges of each opposing fastener strip; the upper and lower leg portions of the engaging piece are sewn to the projecting portion of the fastener tape to clamp the projecting portion of the fastener tape between the leg portions. The insert pin of the bottom positioning assembly is secured to the lower end boss of one of the fastener strips, here adjacent the lowermost mating member. And the box pin is fixed to the lower end boss of the other fastener tape, here near the lowermost fastener strip.

In the conventional die-cast (molded) slide fastener, since the insert pin and the box pin of the separable bottom positioning block are fixed to the longitudinal edges of the respective fastener tapes so as to cover the sewing thread after cutting the connecting line of the components of the engaging elements, it is difficult to obtain a firmly stable bottom positioning block, the elements of which are easily removed from the fastener tapes.

A solution is proposed by the first publication. According to this solution, to stably fix the engaging elements to the raised longitudinal edges of the fastener tape, a pair of grooves are provided on the inner surfaces of the upper and lower leg portions of each engaging element, and the individual engaging elements are fixed to the raised longitudinal edges of the fastener tape by sewing so that the raised portions are fitted into the grooves of the leg portions. Several engaging elements are removed by cutting connecting yarns to form the lower end portion of each fastener tape, where an insert pin or a box-shaped pin is fixed to the lower end portion of each fastener tape without a projecting portion of the engaging element. However, with this structure, a gap occurs at the boundary between the pin or the box pin and the lowermost engaging member, so that the engaged engaging member rows are easily cracked at the boundary. Further, since there is a convex portion, when sewing the engaging piece to the fastener tape, it is difficult to sew the components of the engaging piece to the edge of the fastener tape, which is very difficult to perform and wastes man-hours.

According to another solution provided by the second publication, the protrusions of the fastener tapes are modified to facilitate the seaming of the components of the mating elements to the edges of the fastener tapes. However, because of the presence of the core thread, it is difficult to smoothly stitch the components of the engaging piece to the edge of the fastener tape, so that the productivity cannot be improved. Further, since the insert pin or the box-shaped pin is fixed to the lower end portion of each fastener tape adjacent to the lowermost engaging element by molding, a gap occurs at a boundary between the insert pin or the box-shaped pin and the lowermost engaging element, so that the engaged engaging element row is easily cracked at the boundary.

Disclosure of Invention

A first object of the present invention is to provide a separable slide fastener in which an insert pin or a box-shaped pin is firmly fixed to lower end portions of opposing fastener tapes, which abut against a lowermost fastener element, so that it is possible to prevent the engaged fastener element rows from being cracked, and it is easy to sew the fastener elements in the fastener element assembly to each fastener tape. The productivity is improved and the commercial usability of the slide fastener is improved.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a separable slide fastener in which an insert pin or a box-shaped pin is fixed to a lower end portion of opposing fastener tapes in a unique manner to firmly couple lowermost engaging elements, preventing the engaged rows of engaging elements from being cracked, so that the slide fastener is stable during use.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a separable slide fastener in which a series of engaging elements have a unique shape so as to be firmly sewed to respective opposing fastener tapes together with a lowermost engaging element in a stable manner, thereby enabling to stably fix an insert pin and a box pin to lower end portions of respective opposing fastener tapes.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a separable slide fastener in which the fastener tapes and the sewing thread of special materials are used to mold the lower end portions of the opposing fastener tapes so that the insert pin and the box pin can be firmly fixed to the fastener tapes in a simple manner.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a separable slide fastener in which a pin and a box-shaped pin of special materials are used, various pins and box-shaped pins can be used, and an excellent fixing means is used.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a separable zipper comprising a pair of zipper tapes, an assembly of a pair of engaging elements and a separable bottom positioning assembly. The assembly of the pair of engaging elements is secured to the inner edge of the adjacent fastener tapes by a seam, the assembly of each of the engaging elements comprises a pair of mutually parallel connecting lines and a series of discrete engaging elements molded on the connecting lines with a certain distance between the engaging elements, and the engaging elements are individually folded into a U-shape around the respective inner edges of the fastener tapes, and several engaging elements are detached from the lower end portions of the fastener tapes by cutting the connecting lines. At this time, the suture line of the corresponding portion which is not cut is left as a core, and the upper and lower leg portions of the lowermost one of the engaging pieces are formed into a thin portion by flattening. The separable bottom positioning assembly has a pin and a box pin. An insert pin is fixed to a lower end portion of one of the fastener tapes so as to sandwich the thin-thickness portion and the wire core. A box-shaped pin is fixed to the lower end portion of the other fastener tape so as to clamp the thin-thickness portion and the core. The engaging elements are made by molding a thermoplastic resin, and the lowermost engaging element of each of the fastener tapes except for the connecting head (engaging head) is formed into the thin thickness portion by being crushed.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the coupling head of the lowermost fastener strip of each fastener strip is cut away.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the outer end portions of the upper and lower leg portions of the lowermost engaging element of each fastener tape are cut off.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the outer surfaces of the upper and lower leg portions of each engaging member are provided with a transverse groove, and a pair of side surface recessed portions connecting the transverse grooves are provided on the side surfaces opposite thereto. The suture is received in the transverse slot and the side recess.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the fastener tapes and the sewing thread comprise at least thermoplastic synthetic fibers. The suture held by the plug pin and the box pin is sintered as a core.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the insert pin and the box pin are made of metal and are fixed to the respective fastener tapes by clamping.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, the plug pin and the box pin are injection-molded from a thermoplastic resin.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view of the separable fastener stringer of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line a-a in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the components of the mating elements of the separable zipper.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the metal latch of the assembly at the bottom end portion of the zipper strip and the separable bottom stop.

FIG. 5 is a plan view, partially in section, showing the bottom end portion of one of the zipper strips with a modified metal insert pin secured to the zipper bottom end portion.

FIG. 6 is a plan view, partly in section, showing a bottom end portion of one fastener tape, in which an insert pin made of thermoplastic resin is fixed to the bottom end portion of the fastener.

FIG. 7 is a plan view, partly in section, showing a bottom end portion of a fastener tape having a modified insert pin made of thermoplastic resin fixed to the bottom end portion of the fastener.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the separable slide fastener of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the separable slide fastener of the present invention comprises a pair of fastener tapes 1, a pair of fastener elements 2 fixed to opposite longitudinal edges of the fastener tapes 1, respectively, in a row, and a bottom positioning member 3 fixed to opposite bottom end portions of the fastener tapes 1. The bottom positioning block 3 comprises an insert pin 4 mounted on the bottom end portion of one fastener tape 1, a box-shaped pin 5 mounted on the bottom end portion of the other fastener tape 1, and a box body 6 mounted on the box-shaped pin 5.

As shown in fig. 3, a flat bite assembly 8 is formed by injection molding a series of bites 2 spaced apart on a pair of parallel connecting lines 7 from a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide, polyacetal and polypropylene by a molding process. Each engaging member 2 has a connecting head 10 and a pair of leg portions 11 protruding in opposite directions of the connecting head 10. The two connecting lines 7 are respectively embedded at one side close to the outer ends of the leg parts 11. The surface of each leg 11 has a transverse groove 12, said transverse groove 12 being located near the connecting line 7 on the side facing the connecting head 10, and a pair of recesses 13 being provided on the opposite side surfaces, communicating with the opposite ends of the transverse groove 12.

As shown in fig. 4, the series of engaging pieces 2 of the flat engaging piece assembly 8 is folded individually into a U-shape around the connecting head 10 and sewn to the inner longitudinal edge of each fastener tape 1 and fixed to the fastener tape 1 by a sewing thread 14, the sewing thread 14 being housed in the lateral grooves 12 and the recessed portions 13 of the upper and lower leg portions 11. Each fastener tape 1 is knitted or woven from thermoplastic synthetic fiber yarns, for example, using polyamide and polyester fiber yarns, or mixed fiber yarns composed of synthetic fibers and natural fibers. The suture 14 may also comprise a synthetic filament or a mixed filament product of synthetic and natural fibers. Preferably, the connecting thread 7 is also a synthetic filament of the same type.

A continuous strip of opposing zipper strips made of the zipper tape 1 and the fastener element assembly 8 is cut into predetermined length pieces and several fastener elements 2 are removed at the bottom area of each zipper strip by cutting the connecting line 7 and the connecting heads 10 of the fastener elements 2. The sewing thread 14 without a fastener and the fastener tape 1 are fused together by ultrasonic welding or other methods to form a core 15. The pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is fixed to the wire core 15, and in the process, the respective upper and lower leg portions 11 of the lowermost engaging member 2 are flattened by ultrasonic processing or other processing method to form the thin portion 16, with or without cutting the connecting head 10.

As shown in fig. 2, the thin thickness portion 16 has a thickness such that when the insert pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is mounted to the upper and lower thin thickness portions 16, the thickness of the insert pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is equal to the thickness of the coupling head 10 of the lowermost engaging piece 2 or equal to the thickness of the coupling head 10 of the next engaging piece 2, so that the slider passing on the opposite fastener stringer can freely slide on the insert pin 4 and the box-shaped pin 5 to separate the slide fastener tapes 4 and 5

Each insert pin 4 and box pin 5 is fixed to the bottom end portion of the corresponding fastener tape 1 so as to sandwich a wire core 15 (see fig. 4) and upper and lower thin thickness portions 16 of the lowermost engaging element 2, as shown in fig. 2. For example, as shown in fig. 4, the insert pin 4 is constituted by a metal elongated box body having a key groove hole 17 at one side, into which a wire core 15 provided at a lower end portion of each fastener tape 1 is inserted, and upper and lower tongues 18 slightly inclined are provided at one end, sandwiching a portion 16 whose upper and lower thicknesses are thin. As shown in fig. 1, the box-shaped pin 5 also comprises an elongated box body made of metal, which is shorter than the plug 4 and has vertical flat outer surfaces, with upper and lower tongues 18 at one end holding upper and lower thin-walled portions 16. The other end of the box pin 5 is inserted into and fixed to the box body 6.

The bolt 4 and the box-shaped pin 5 are made of zinc alloy or aluminum alloy by die casting. As shown in fig. 5, the connecting head 10 of the lowermost engaging member 2 may be cut away leaving leg portions 11 and forming flat upper and lower thin portions 16. The latch 4 is closed at the outer opening between the two tongues 18 and has an engaging projection 19, said projection 19 extending integrally at the upper end of the latch 4 for engaging the lowermost engaging member 2 of the accompanying zipper slide. Alternatively, the box-shaped pin 5 and the box 6 may be molded simultaneously as a single body. Meanwhile, the insert pin 4 and the box-shaped pin 5 are passed through the core 15 of each lower end portion of the opposing fastener tapes 1 and fixed to the upper and lower thin-thickness portions 16, where the front and rear walls of the insert pin 4 clamp the lowermost engaging element 2 and the core 15, thereby forming one body. Thus, the plug 4 is fixed to the lower end portion of one fastener stringer. A box-shaped pin 5 is fixed to the lower end portion of the other fastener stringer in the same manner as the fixing latch 4.

In the state shown in fig. 6, the plug pin 4 and the box-shaped pin 5 are made of thermoplastic resin such as polyamide, polyacetal and polypropylene. The connecting head 10 of the lowermost engaging member 2 is cut away leaving the upper and lower leg portions 11 forming flat upper and lower thinner portions 16. Further, as shown in fig. 4, the plug 4 is formed at the lower end portion of one fastener stringer by injection molding using a thermoplastic resin, thereby integrally sandwiching the portion 16 of the lowermost engaging element 2 having a thin vertical thickness and the core wire 15.

Fig. 7 shows another form in which the outer ends of the coupling head 10 and the upper and lower leg portions 11 of the lowermost engaging piece 2 are cut off, and the remaining upper and lower leg portions 11 are processed by ultrasonic waves to form flat upper and lower thin portions 16, where the pin 4 is provided at the lower end portion of one fastener stringer so as to completely cover the upper and lower thin portions 16 by injection molding using a thermoplastic resin. A box-shaped pin 5 is provided at the lower end portion of the other fastener stringer in the same manner as the fixing latch 4. Thus forming a strong detachable bottom positioning member 3.

The following advantages can be obtained with the separable slide fastener of the present invention.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a separable slide fastener comprises: a pair of fastener tapes 1; a pair of engaging element assemblies 8 are fixed to the inside edge of the fastener tape 1 by a sewing line 14, each engaging element assembly 8 comprising a pair of parallel connecting lines 7 and a series of individual engaging elements 2 molded on the connecting lines 7 with a certain distance therebetween and folded in a U-shape around the inner edge of the corresponding fastener tape 1, several engaging elements 2 are removed from the lower end of the fastener tape 1 by cutting the connecting lines 7 while leaving the corresponding portions of the sewing line 14 uncut as a core 15, and the upper and lower leg portions 11 of the lowermost engaging element 2 are crushed to form a thin portion 16; a separate bottom positioning block 3 has an insert pin 4 fixed to a lower end portion of one fastener tape 1 so as to sandwich a thin thickness portion 16 and a core 15, and a box-shaped pin 5 fixed to a lower end portion of the other fastener tape 1 so as to clamp the thin thickness portion 16 and the core 15. With this structure, the latch 4 and the box-shaped pin 5 can be fixed to the lowermost engaging piece 2 without leaving a gap therebetween, and thus, the mutually coupled engaging piece rows can be prevented from being cracked. Such a cracking phenomenon often occurs in the conventional separable slide fastener. Also, the assembly 8 of the engaging member can be sewed to each of the fastening tapes 1 without any difficulty, thereby improving productivity.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, partly because the upper and lower leg portions 11 of the engaging piece 2 made of thermoplastic resin are formed into the flat thin upper and lower portions 16 and partly because the pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is fixed to the thin upper and lower portions 16, it is possible to firmly attach the pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 to the lowermost engaging piece 2, so that a separable slide fastener which is free from cracking and has high strength can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, partly because the lowermost connecting head 10 of the engaging piece 2 made of thermoplastic resin is cut off, leaving the upper and lower leg portions and forming the flat upper and lower thin portions 16, and partly because the pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is fixed to the lowermost engaging piece 2 so as to cover the upper and lower thin portions 16, the pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 can be reliably and firmly fixed to the lowermost engaging piece 2, and therefore, a separable slide fastener of high strength which avoids cracking can be obtained.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, partly because the outer ends of the connecting head and the upper and lower leg portions 11 on the lowermost engaging piece 2 made of thermoplastic resin are cut away while leaving the upper and lower leg portions 11 and forming them into the flat thin upper and lower portions 16, and partly because the bolt 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is fixed to the lowermost engaging piece 2 so that the thin upper and lower portions 16 can be completely covered, the bolt 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 can be accurately and firmly fixed to the lowermost engaging piece 2, and therefore, a separable slide fastener of high strength which avoids cracking can be obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, partly because the outer surfaces of the upper and lower leg portions of each engaging piece 2 made of thermoplastic resin have the transverse groove 12 and the pair of recessed portions 13 on the opposite side surfaces, which communicate with the opposite ends of the transverse groove 12, and partly because the sewing thread 14 is accommodated in the transverse groove 12 and the recessed portions 13 on the side surfaces, it is possible to sew the engaging piece 2 to the adjacent longitudinal edges of the opposite fastener tapes 1 in a very simple and stable structure, and therefore, it is possible to firmly fix the insert pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, partly because the fastener tapes 1 and the sewing thread 14 comprise at least thermoplastic synthetic fibers, and partly because the sewing thread 14 of the lower end portion of each fastener tape 1 and the fastener tapes 1 are fused by ultrasonic welding or some other method to form the core 15, it is possible to firmly fix the insert pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 to the lower end portion of each fastener tape 1 so as not to be taken out accidentally, and to obtain a separable fastener of high strength.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the insert pin 4 or the box pin 5 can be made of a metal material and fixed to the lower end portion of the opposing fastener tapes 1 by clamping, the insert pin 4 or the box pin 5 can be firmly fixed to each fastener tape, respectively, with a simple working measure. Thus, a separable slide fastener having a metallic separable bottom positioning member can be manufactured in a simple manner.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the insert pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 is molded from the injection-molded thermoplastic resin, the insert pin 4 or the box-shaped pin 5 can be firmly fixed to the lower end portion of each fastener tape 1, respectively, with a simple processing device. Therefore, a separable slide fastener having a separable bottom positioning member of thermoplastic resin can be manufactured by a simple method.

Claims (7)

1. A separable zipper, comprising:

a pair of fastener tapes; a pair of mating elements secured to adjacent inner edges of the fastener strips by a seam, each mating element comprising a pair of mutually parallel connecting lines and a series of discrete mating elements molded onto the connecting lines with a distance between the mating elements, and folded into a U-shape about the respective inner edge of each fastener strip; a separable bottom positioning member comprising an insert pin fixed to a lower end portion of one of the fastener tapes and a box-shaped pin fixed to a lower end portion of the other fastener tape; wherein several of said engaging pieces are detached from said lower end portion of each of said fastener tapes, a sewing thread at the corresponding portion is left as a core, upper and lower leg portions of the lowermost one of said engaging pieces are crushed to form a flattened thin-walled portion, said insert pin is fixed to one of said fastener tapes so as to sandwich said thin-walled portion and said core, and said box-shaped pin is fixed to the other fastener tape so as to sandwich said thin-walled portion and said core.

The method is characterized in that: the engaging elements are molded of thermoplastic resin, and the lowermost engaging element of each of the fastener tapes except for the coupling head is crushed to form the flat thin portion.

2. The separable fastener as defined in claim 1, wherein: the coupling head of the lowermost engaging element of each of the fastener tapes is cut off.

3. The separable fastener as defined in claim 2, wherein: outer end portions of upper and lower leg portions of a lowermost fastener of each of the fastener tapes are cut off.

4. A separable fastener as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: the outer surfaces of the upper and lower legs of each bite piece have transverse grooves and on opposite sides have a pair of side recesses connecting the transverse grooves, and the suture extends through the transverse grooves and the side recesses.

5. A separable fastener as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: the fastener tape and the sewing thread at least comprise thermoplastic synthetic fibers, and the sewing thread held by the insert pin and the box pin is fused as a core.

6. A separable fastener as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: the pin and the box-shaped pin are made of metal and are fixed to the respective fastener tapes by clamping.

7. A separable fastener as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein: the pin and the box-shaped pin are injection molded from a thermoplastic resin.