US2000795A - Closure - Google Patents

Description

y 7, 1935. F. SWEENEY 2,000,795

CLOSURE Filed Nov. 10, 1954 IIIIII/IIIII 'IIIIIIIIIII/ INVENTOR Frank E. Sweeney 0 milmgg lgfi WITNESSES Patented May 7 1935 1 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcg v CLOSURE Frank E. Sweeney, Roselle, N. J., asslgnor to Sweeney-Block & 00., Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 10, 1934, Serial No. 752,539

4 Claims.

A further object more specifically is to provide a garment or any other commodity with an opening, located at any desired place, with overlaps provided with thickened edges on both sides of the opening, and means for connecting a slide fastener to such commodity immediately adjacent the opening so, that the thickened edges of the overlaps will prevent any part of the fastener sliding mechanism becoming interlocked therewith.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure l is a front view of a dress, provided with a closure, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of Fig. 1 on the line 2--2, thesame being on an enlarged scale; I i H I Fig. 3 is a front view of a childs suit with an embodiment of the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showing a modified arrangement of a fastener overlap with enlarged or thickened edge;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a second modified form of the edge.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 indicate a dress which is provided with a body 2 open down the front at 3 and provided with the desired neck opening l. The dress is also provided with sleeves 5 and 6 .of any desired kind. It will be observed that the front opening 3 extends from the neck opening 4 downwardly a desired distance, as, for instance, to the point 1. A slide fastener structure 8 is connected to the parts of the body 2 so as to disengageably connect the edges of the opening together.

In garments of this kind, which are for small children, the goods are made from thin material and if, for the purpose of forming an overlap for the fastener, an ordinary double thickness at the opening 3 were provided the edges of such overlap would sometimes become punctured by the slide member. 9 of the fastener structure 8. As shown in Fig. 2, the slide member 9 is.

necessarily provided with slots Ill and l I so as to slide over the tapes l2 and [3. In order for the slide member 9 to move freely, there is provided a slightly greater opening than the thickness of the tape and, consequently, the edges of the overlaps at the opening 3 sometimes become pinched, and if the strap M were given a jerk or hard pull the edge would become torn. For this reason heretofore it has been impossible to use a slide fastener on small childrens dresses or in connection with other commodities, where the overlapping edges, adapted to cover the fastener, are made of comparatively thin material. In the present invention, however, means have been provided which will overcome this difficulty, namely,

the enlarging of the edges l5 and I6.

As shown in Fig. 2, the edges l5 and I6 are enlarged by having the material looped over and around cords I1 and I8, and then suitable lines of stitching i9 and 20 positioned adjacent the cords so as to provide, in a certain sense, beads.

This enlarged rounded structure, which is slightly stiffened by reason of the cords, will not enter the openings I0 and l I, even if brought into contact therewith and, consequently, slide 9 may be moved back and forth freely and carelessly, if

desired, without any danger of catching in the side edges of the opening 3. As shown in Fig. 2, the body 2 extends over to the edges l5 and I6, around the cords H and I8, and then back to the points 2! and 22. The material is bent back again and looped at 23 and 24, with a small return section so that the linesof stitching 26 and .21 may hold. the edge of the tapes l2 and I3 flrmlyin place, lines of stitching 28and '25 being arranged adjacent the edges 2| and 22. In this way the fastener structure 8 is really suspended from seams 28 and 29. When strap l4 and the operating handle of slide 9 are moved along tapes I2 and 13, they temporarily displace or part the reinforced edges and 16 of the normally adjacent overlaps. However, as soon as they pass, the overlaps retract to their intended, fastenercovering position, being moved together by the stiffness of the reinforcement of their edges, as indicated at 30 in Figure 1, so as to completely hide tapes l2 and I3 andpresent a pleasing appearance of the entire closure. This arrangement permits the child at any time to open or close the dressat the front without danger of any part of the slide fastener pinching or interlocking any part of the dress.

stitches 28 and 29. There is a pair of uppermost flaps and another pair of lowermost flaps. The

,uppermost flaps consist of two folded or doubled single layers or plys of the garment material, the

' doubling extending over the entire width of the uppermost flaps. Their inner Edges are'reinforced and are adapted to cooperate with one of material, held together by stitches 26 and 21,

which stitches also hold in place tapes l2 and iii of the slide fastener. The double layer portions of the lowermost flaps form theinner edges thereof, which are placed apart from one another,

. as clearly seen from Figure 2.

Both uppermost and lowermost flaps are formed from a single ply of the garment material folded upon itself as described, and constitute continuations thereof. The inner edges or margins of the flaps are considered those which are nearestto each other while the outer margins of both flaps coincide with one another and are held together by stitches 28 and 29.

In Fig. 3 the same inventive idea is provided in a boys suit, the same being indicated by the numeral 3|. In this form of garment the opening 3 extends preferably past the waist-line, but otherwise the construction is identical to that shown in Fig. 1 and therefore will need no addi-' tional description. In this form of the inven-- tion, as well as that shown in Fig. 1, very thin material and cords, as shown in Fig. 2,- are'preferably used although other forms of edge reinforcement may be. employed. For instance, the material may be looped as indicated by" in Fig. 4 and strips of the same or of other material 33 inserted, It will be evident that the looping could be made around the strips 33' first, and then held fixed by stitching l9. This will provide a rounded edge which is somewhat enlarged and which will prevent the overlaps becoming caught by slots l0 and H of the slide member 9.

Also if preferred, instead of using the cord or filling 33,. the edges of the overlaps may be turned upon themselves, as indicated at 34 in Fig. 5, and the line of stitching I9" provided for holding the rolled-up parts together. It will therefore be seen that where the material used is relatively thin, any form of means which will thicken, the edge of the overlaps and present a smooth structure will function to prevent the slide member 9 from pinching or interlocking therewith.

In forming garments of the character described without this thickened rounded edge, the slide member 9 will sometimes have pinched the edge of the opening, thus making the garments unsaleable. By providing this thickened rounded edge the slide fastener never pinches or becomes unworkable by reason of the engagement with the edge and, consequently, children or anyone else may operate the slide fastener as often as desired.

While I have shown and described my closure in'connection with children's garments, and while I have disclosed specific forms thereof, be it understood that my closure may be employed in connection with any other commodity where the sc-called zipper fastener is used for drawing togather two edges, adapted to be united, and which fastener is to be covered by flaps or overlaps so as to conceal the fastener itself. and I therefore reserve for myself the right to thus employ my invention in connection with any desired commodity, and to make changes and improvements therein without departing from the broad claims.

I claim:

1. In a closure for disengageably connecting or drawing together two edges of a commodity made of relatively thin material, an edge construction comprising a single ply of material folded upon itself to form several superimposed adjacent upper and lower double layers, of which layers the upper double layer is provided at its free edge with a reinforcement, while the lowermost double layer forms a free edge, adapted to serve as attaching means for a slide fastener and a slide fastener secured to said lowermost double layer.

2. In a closure for disengageably connecting or drawing together the edges of an opening of a commodity made of relatively thin material, an

scope of my idea, asset forth in the annexed edge construction formed from the material and layer forming attaching means, a slide fastener,

secured to the latter so that the edge-reinforced upper double layer normally overlaps said slide fastener and forms a displaceable and retractable cover means for the latter.

3. In an article made of relatively thin, pliable or drawn together, a closure construction formed material and having edges adapted to be closed a from the material of the article, and comprising at each edge a single ply of the material folded so as to constitute two adjacent, superposed flaps,-

each flap consisting of two folded single layers of material and having free edges, the free edge of one flap materially extending over the free edge of the other flap, the edge of theme flap provided with an edge-reinforcement, a slide fastener having attaching tapes each secured by means of its tape to the free edge of the other flap, the firstmentioned flap adapted'to normally overlap said slide fastener and further adapted to be displaceable and retractable when the fastener is being actuated.

4. In a garment made of relatively thin, pliable material, having edges adapted to be closed or drawn together, a closure construction for two corresponding edges formed, in combination, from the garment material itself and a slide fastener having a strap-equipped slide member, said construction comprising, at each of the corresponding edges, a single ply of the garment material, folded so as to form two adjacent flaps, free at their inner margins, but secured together to the single ply of the material at their outer margins, each of the flaps comprising a. continuation of the single ply garment material, folded upon itself, one of the flaps being relatively wide and forming the outer cover of the closure and provided with a cord reinforcement at its bent-over, inner margin, the other flap being formed beneath and adjacent to the first-mentioned flap with a bentover, free, inner margin which is relatively narrow, and its entire width being considerably less than that of the cover flap, a slide fastener, having attaching tapes, secured by means of these tapes to the inner margin of the other flap, the reinforced inner margins of the cover flaps of both corresponding'edges adapted to normally abut, while permitting their temporary displacement by the moving slide member and its strap.

FRANK E. SWEENEY.

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