US2606351A - Slide fastener slider having pressure extensions - Google Patents

Description

H. WENDE 7 Aug. 12, 1952 SLIDE FASTENER SLIDER HAVING PRESSURE EXTENSIONS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1949 H. WENDE Aug. 12, 1952 I SLIDE FASTENER SLIDER HAVING PRESSURE EXTENSIONS 2 SHEETSSI-IEET 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1949 Jay. IIIIIIIII'..

'IIIIIIIIII INVENTOR. Hermann Wend BY 7 HTTURNEY fatented Aug. 12, 1952 sp ns FAST-ENER sLIDER HAVING 'PB WB TENS ON.

Hermann :Wende,

:Zurich-Zollikon, Switzerland,

assignonto Bernard E. Smith, New ork;:N.'. Application February 1 lfifiafierialN 75;?25

,6: Claims.

1 Ihls invent-ion relates toseparable slide fasteners and more particolarly to improved sliders for eflecting opening and closing of separable slidej fa stenersoi the-type including a pair of elong'a ed flexible elern'ents one having an enlargement extending alongitsfree edge and the other having a sqeket extending along its free edge arranged to embracingl-y receive and inter- .loclringli e a e such enlargement to close the fastener.

The invention is more specifically directed to eheh f e bl estehere w e-h h l m r es a lh e ee hh ehh -l fla Stringer, ef shher r ther ex l materiel, h i one or more enl rgernents along or parallel to its free edge with the side edges of the enlargements being reversely directed to define grooves therealong on either side of the str nger. The other 1 ereierahhhf h same ma a and comprises a stringer enlarged along its free edge to provide one orniore outwardly opening sockets: along or parallel to such edge. These sockets i fl a eee 3. en m ts n such first mentioned ele tit, and each socket has one whe ha rs e re re t e e .rihs h s .ihh hrtay e reh e he e i er th ehh iseme ie the first ehti h mem rfastener element e eheh eer are a ed a @heh e e hv e S e Slider mer 1e iQ ?1 1Y eh reerre h a n their f ee ease These sheet h v s 9 Ou e h h elmeah emh h the e t an ee 'e s er e h. he heeeh emh ethe en ar e ment "T e .eeee e eha he me h i r he ope the lifit and the enlargement thereihter W ehe het-e eh l me h fi t ee he eeehetehie' h e eree e t interleek t fa te r elements W e t Sheer is mo d en eee in e ehe ih .qhe eh e he 9%;? a s sh re th ehla sem ex t e the eee t h eh leeteris r eas s eu he entiy y theihre ehahhe heeh t al w t. h hneh d hr the n a ement ehah meahs 1 1h eret t nsu e Pro e hh t ehhis e th e ie it has .h ete er been. eohside ee eee aw h .iehh h .eha he means e hav el e e i m hs h wi h th enlar m t a wit h see e fihiseseet fi ihs hi the li e e the astene elemehte'h e se era .si sa vehtaees n p're ie For e ample. in the ase of J fasten h m e ehe, s y t i 1 are of large .e f ete ne fastener elements, d

contact, causing rapid hehhee ehra eh 1 the to the extensive areas of wear destroying the-utility of the fastener. Also, with s all dimension fasteners, it isverydifllcult to form the slider to the proper shapeand dimensions. .I'hese sliders are commonly formed .of

shetxmetal, a-nd a thickness or gauge of metal is needed to insure proper rigidity of the slider; Forming this metal to the proper, conforming shape-is difiicult, expensive and,iin some cases, :i-mpossible.

These disadvantagesmay. be avoided by form? ing the s-liderso that-it does not have afclose,

conforming, and exact fit with the fastener .elements, thereby eliminating. orreducing the abrassive effect for large sliders andsfacilitating the formation e f-small sliders. However, this-intros; duces another undesire'd efiect in that, if. the slider does not exactly. conform .to the. .shapeof the :fastener elements, reliance must be had on the natural resiliency of the elements :to com: 'i has brought the elements inlto'position .ior .such embrace. Consequently, the finalaclosure of the elements occurs at a poi t some'distance beyond the slider. Between this-pointzand the sliden-the elements are not completely interlocked and may separate under transverse stresses.

To obviate this disadvantage while retaining the advantages of-asl-ider which does not'have an exact fit with-the socket and enlargement,ithe present invention provides a slider having: exten sions arranged-to press the socket walls, rearwardly beyo d the slider channels, into interlocking engagement with the enlargement.

These ,eggtensions, by preventing expansion ofthe until the elerne nts yare ornpletely interlocked.

At fuc" tlrne, of' eourse, transverse stresses are unab e to open master-lea due tothe intereh hs .e h a tehe elem he emh imeh 91 h e t h h extensions comprise transversely" fflat, "longitiidiha eh e ehehe eshehdi sf h 'w s-h flanges Let th et r. "q l-hlm r h e t s onv rse earr erql and re s th he l- Wel 9 t e i eehe f te n en W ee h lhehethe lhP'Q- hh?ht h u h er ehahh l iel'h ahly e ir le h e an v rse y e t ndin was and t s rollers Y re parallel to the socket walls'and spaced silfficiently cleee he ea h ether e Press hee 'h h t e r ht le h he .eh e haehtwi h t e emergernent.

.Shdere tie use wit eeeh h shle'separabl fat teners are usually formed of sheet 'r ntalf fine their interlocking embraceafter the slider to the complex shaping involved, fairly extensive manual operations are required to form the slider, and, if automatic or semi-automatic machinery is employed, it is complicated in design and. expensive to construct. Furthermore, it is difiicult, particularly in the case of small sliders, to properly form the requisite angles and curvatures in the metal.

With this in mind, the invention further contemplates the formation of such sliders by extrusion, punching, or plastic techniques. With such techniques, large numbers of sliders can be rapidly produced at low cost, the exact desired form can be produced with precision, and there is no necessity to compromise on operating character- Y istics because of design difliculties. Additionally, the slider may be made from materials which are not suitable for formation from sheet stock, thus widening the range of materials available for sliders so that selection may be made on esthetic,

economic or other grounds. For example, special alloys or plastic compositions can be used as the slider material.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 738,832, filed April 2, 1947, for Fastening Device for Garments, Shoes, Tents, and the Like, said copending application being filed under the International Convention and being based upon Swiss application No. 84,081, filed July 15, 1943, in Switzerland.

It is, accordingly, among the objects of this invention to provide improved sliders for separable, flexible fasteners.

Another object is to provide a slider causing greatly reduced abrasion on the fastener elements while still insuring firm interlocking thereof.

Still another object is to provide a slider having means cooperable with the flexible fastener elements to insure their resistance to transverse, slider opening stresses.

. A further object is to provide a slider of the above type which may be formed by extrusion punching, or plastic techniques.

These, and other novel features, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view of a separable slide fastenerof the type to which the present invention is directed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one form of slider according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the slider.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a separable slide fastenor, of the type shown in Fig. 1, having the slider of Fig. 2 incorporated therewith.

, Figs. 5 through 11 are transverse sectional vlews'of the slider taken on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 4.

Fig. 12 is an end elevational view of a modified form of fastener to which the invention principles are applicable.

Fig. 13 is a side elevational view of another form of slider according to the invention.

Figs. 14 through are transverse sectional views of the slider of Fig. 13, taken on the correspondingly numbered lines of that figure.

Fig. 21 is a view of the central portion of Fig. 18, on a large scale, showing a fastener element therein.

Referring first to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 11, the separable fastener to which the invention is applicable is shown in Figs. 1 and 4 as comprising a pair of elongated fastener elements 30 and 40, formed of suitably flexible, preferably waterproof material, such as natural or synthetic rubber, plastic composition material or the like.

Specifically, fastener element 3!] may comprise a substantially fiat stringer portion 3| having a socket extending along its free edge. Stringer 3| may have demarcation ribs 32 extending along either side and acting as location lines for securing the stringer to the fabric of the article to which the fastener is to be applied. Socket 35 has spaced parallel walls 33 with inturned free edges 34 shaped to form inwardly directed, substantially triangular ribs 36, 36. However, ribs 36 may have other cross-sectional shape as circumstances may dictate.

Element 40 likewise has a stringer portion 4| with locating ribs 42 on either side thereof. Along its free edge, element 40 has an enlargement 45 having a thickness substantially equal to the spacing of the inner surfaces of socket walls 33, 33. The rearward surface of enlargement 45 is formed with rearwardly opening grooves 46, 46 on either side of stringer 4|, and these grooves have the same cross-sectional shape and area as ribs 36, 36. When fastener elements 33, 40 are fully interengaged to close the fastener, enlargement 45 is embraced by socket 35 and ribs 35 interlock in grooves 46, thus preventing opening of the fastener under transverse stresses.

Engagement and disengagement of elements 33 and 40 is effected by movement of a slider 50 forwardly and rearwardly along socket 35 and enlargement 45. This slider is shown in perspective in Fig. 2, in horizontal section in Fig. 3 and in place in Fig. 4. Slider 50 is essentially comprised of a sheet metal member bent and shaped to form what might be termed a double shell of cylindrical external form, and includes outer and inner channels and 65, respectively, arranged to receive socket 35 and enlargement 45, respectively. Channel 55 is generally C-shaped, and channel has a simple channel configuration. Channels 35 and 45 are diagonally related and oppositely facing, so as to draw the socket and enlargement toward each other when the slider 50 is moved in one direction, and separate them when the slider is moved in the opposite direction.

The C-shaped, outer, or socket channel 55 has a base 5| comprising sections 52, 52, separated by a slot 53 arranged to receive the stringer 4| of element 40. The side walls 54, 54 of channel 55 have inturned or reentrant flanges 5B, 56 defining a slot 5'! arranged to receive stringer 3| of element 30. Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, it will be noted that channel 55 has only a loosely embracing fit with socket 35.

The inner or enlargement channel 65 is formed integrally with outer channel 55, although it terminates short of the rearward or closing end of channel 55. Thus, the side walls 62 of channel 65 are continuations of base sections 52 of channel 55, being united by base 6| of the inner channel and being bent inwardly toward each other where they approach the base of the outer channel to form confining or reentrant flanges defining an inner, restricted, slot opening 53a. Channel 65 is substantially frustoconical and is angularly disposed with respect to the outer channel (Fig. 3) so that its base 3| and reentrant flanges both approach flanges 56 of outer channel 55 toward the closing end of slider 56. The inner channel 65 thus fits around enlargement 45 and draws it further intoouter channel 55 as slider 50 is moved iorwaiidly in a closing direction. Conversely, the enlar ement 4 5 isdrawn outwardly of channel 65 as the slider 50, is moved rearwardly in ,an opening dire tion Movemen .of sli er 50 is effect b a ta 65 di g o a loop .61 rme o o ec red t o side wal 5. o out r channel .55-

.Tbeon a pn of slid r .50 in int r ock nssep arabl e emen s .313... 9 t close h fas n r may be b s und rstood by ref rence to F s .5 hrou h 1 Fi 5 t e relat e no 1; f lement 9 ml 49 is s own at a oint herons h fast ne enin an o slide 59- E emee 30 and 4 are c m e el epa ated all 3.- 3. o s sket 35 ar substa tis lr ar c lsl is e ch ot ea e sl der 59 socket 35 s o en d sli t due to the action of inner channel 55 in entering between and separating walls 53 within slider 50, as shown in Fig. 6, such separation being accommodated by the wide separation of flanges .54, 54 of outer channel 55. Also, inner channel 65 has begun to draw enlargement 45 into socket 35. Immediately in front of the opening end of slider 50, as shown in Fig. '7, socket 35 has been opened wider by channel 65 and enlargement .45 has been drawn further into the opened socket 35.

Conditions at the entrance to slider 55 are shown in Fig. 8. Atthis point, channel 65 has forced the walls of socket 35 outwardly against the flanges 54 of channel 55. The inner channel has likewise drawn enlargement 55 further into socket 35. Just short of the rearward end of inner channel 65,35 shown in Fig. 9, enlargement 45 has been drawn fully into socket"35, whose width is greater than the width of the enlargement. Due to the rearwardly decreasing width of channel 55, walls 3-3 of the socket have begun to approach each other to close on enlargen ent 45.

As enlargement 45 leaves the end of channel 65, walls 33 of socket .35 continue to close on the enlargement. Howeyer, in order to avoid the abrasive efiect f large areas of contact between outer channel 55 and the socket walls, the channel 55 does not engage the socket walls. Up to this point, closure is effected by the resiliency of walls 33 of socket 3,5, but complete closure does not occur until a point beyond outer channel 55 is reached. Consequently, without special provision to prevent it. the fastener could be opened beyond the slider, by transverse stresses, before the natural flexibility of the socket 35 has completed the interlocking of elements'Bll and, with ribs 36 seating in grooves 5.5.

The invention provides means for closing walls 33 onto enlargement 435 immediately beyond ohannel 5-5 .so that transverse stresses cannot disengage the fastener elements. In the embodiment of Figs 1 through ch means's mprisss a pa o tongues W, W f rm d a in s ale tsnsisn o ide W ll 5 o h e 5 Refs ne" o Figs and 1 ngues are transversely flat and approach each other outwardly of channe1 55 until'their spaeing is equal to the normal width of socket 55 its closed pos ti n- T9 a h e e t is s ts-c ton u are on it d nally ur ll n ard sash o er u il the r inner s r a e ar dis osed substantially l s to t er than the i e wal s .5 5.4 of oute chan 5- hus. on ues 19 begin to force 5, 3 inw dl immediate af er emergence 5 5 551 135 tram cha nel 55, and brin the Walls,

6. 33 or the sock t a ainst enlar ement diet the ends of tongues 1;,0, ,as-shown in F :11. The

t n u s 1!! thus re train walls 33 gainst .s par r tion.-.imm di te v beyond'the m b y of slide 55, whereby transrerse stresses are ineffective to b n the-fastenerb forethe elements 30 and ,0 are fully interlocked. A reverse movement of parts occurs on forward opening movement of slider .50.

The slider-'50-. mayb fabricated .ofsheet meta or other sheet material without requiring exact rrespondence of its channels o the shape of the socketand enlargement. It should be noted that contact of channel 55 is 'reducedsubstantially-to the line contacts between the outer free ed es of walls 53. while chan l 6 h s li co tactonly with the reversely directed ed s .ofl largement 45and,.for a short distance only, line contact h the cu d o e sur a e of the enlar em nt Thus fri ti is ea ly educed. ithrel an ebe ne nlacedon to es 19 t i u gradual, f rc clc inso so t 5 n o nlargemc Tll s on ues a o ours t a dif ere t-t rm an e te d f parts of s i e 50 oth r tha flan e :54 of ch e Fi .2 ho s a modi d m f tene comprising an element 38 having a wider socket-.35 pr ided w th e -a s ed r ran l pairs of bs .35 an 35"- So ket 5' i a r ng d win lost w th enlar e nts t5 and on astener e ement 1 9, T e enlar ment ha e lat ral-1y pa ed Pairso pa al el roove a d corforrning to the ribs of socket 35. In this case.

t e lider o ld have a lar e ute channel and a d ub e in r c ann l Figs 13 t ou h 1 9 illus ate nother em ed? merit of the slider capable of formation byextrusion, punching .or plastic techniques'and hay-.- ing rollers in place of the tongues 10 of slider 50. The slider includes an outer or socket channel and a nne o en a g m t annel 85 w th the outer channel having relatively thin walls and the inner channel having thicker wall portions and being shaped in the form of a nozzle.

Thus, the outer chann l .85 comprises essens tially two side walls Bl having reentrant flanges formed by inturned edges 82 spaced to form a slot 83 to receive the stringer 3! of element 30 Side walls 8| are substantially polygonal shape, each having a rearward edge 84 perpendicular to the direction of travel of the slider and forward edges 85, 85 merging into the projecting nose 9! of inner channel 95, as may be best seen in Fig. 14. Sid walls 8! are integral with webs 81, 81 conjointly forming the base of channel 85 and separated by a slot 88 to receive stringer 4l of fastener element 40. Adjacent the opening or forward end of slider 80, webs 81 as well as side walls .81 merge into and are preferably integral with the walls of channel 95. It should be noted that channel .85 decreases in cross-section from the opening or forward end to the -closing or rearward end of slider 80, and is connected to channel only adjacent the opening orforreceive stringer 4! of element 40, and having rearwardly extending bulbous edges 94. These edges are arranged to have substantially line contact in the grooves 35 of enlargement 45, as best seen in Fig. 21. Referring to Fig. 14, it will be noted that slot 91 approaches the slot 83 defined by flanges 82 of the outer channel from the opening toward the closing end of slider 89, and that member 92 decreases in thickness in the same direction. Figs. through 18 illustrate these features, and it will be noted that slots 88 and 9! merge at the connection of channels 85 and 95 at the opening end of the slider.

Channel 95 terminates short of the rearward end of channel 85, as seen in Figs. 13, 14 and 19, so that the fastener elements are guided only by the outer channel 85 as they pass from the closing end of the slider 80. Channel 85 loosely embraces element 38, and as the slider 88 is drawn in a closing direction, the rounded back surface 96 of channel 95 enters socket and spreads its walls so that enlargement may be drawn by the reentrant flanges into the socket as channel 95 approaches the rearward end of the slider. The flexible walls of socket 35 tend to close on enlargement 45 as the latter emerges from channel S5.

However, in accordance with the invention, channel 85 does not function to close socket 35, in order to avoid abrasion of the surfaces of the socket, and only such resilience of the socket is relied on to efiect partial closure of the fastener. As explained, such closure is not sufliciently complete, immediately beyond the outer channel 85, to afford adequate resistance to transverse sep aration stresses. To provide for firm closing of socket 35 immediately beyond the slider, the tongues 70 of slider 5U could be utilized, as could also an equivalent arrangement.

In the case of slider 80, such equivalent arrangement is shown as a pair of parallel rollers 98 rotatably mounted in extensions 99 of outer channel 85 and arranged to engage the outer surfaces of socket 35. Rollers 98 extend inwardly of side walls 8|, as may be seen from a comparison of Figs. 19 and 20, and thus roll along the walls of socket 35 pressing them into firm interlocking engagement with enlargement 45 to resist transverse opening stresses on the fastener.

It will thus be noted that the sliders and 89 are characterized by not having a close, exact fit with elements 30 and 4!) and thus not having an abrading effect thereon. Also, as the tolerances are accordingly not so close, the sliders may be more easily formed. Slider 80 has the further advantage of being arranged for formation by punching, extrusion, or plastic techniques, facilitating mass production and increasing the range of usable materials. To resist the transverse opening stresses which might open the fastener during its final closing movement beyond the slider, extensions in the form of tongues, rollers, or the like are provided to insure rapid and positive closing of the fastener. It should be understood that the terms opening end and forward end, as used in relation to the slider, refer to the end of the slider from which the fastener emerges or extends in an open condition and that the opposite end of the slider is designated the closing end or rearward end.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles thereof, it should be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied such principles.

What I claim is:

1. For use with a slide fastener of the type including a first flexible fastener element comprising a substantially flat, elongated stringer having an enlargement extending along a free edge thereof and a second flexible fastener element comprising a substantially flat, elongated stringer having a socket extending along a free edge thereof, said socket opening toward and arranged to embracingly receive said enlargement, a slider movable forwardly along said elements in a closin direction to effect insertion of said enlargement into said socket to close the fastener and movabl rearwardly to effect removal of said enlargement from said socket to open the fastener, said slider comprising means defining an outer G-shaped channel arranged to surround said socket with a clearing fit and having reentrant flanges defining a first slot for receiving the stringer of said second fastener element, the portion of said means defining the base of said outer channel having a second slot therein for receiving the stringer of said first fastener element;

without departing from said means also having integrally connected portions defining an inner channel for receiving said enlargement, said inner channel having reentrant portions defining a restricted opening facing toward said second slot, said first slot and said restricted opening converging rearwardly to draw said enlargement into and out of said socket as the slider is moved respectively in closing and opening directions, the rearward end of the inner channel terminating short of the rearward end of the outer channel; said means defining said channels having extensions projecting beyond the rearward end of the outer channel adjacent opposite sides thereof, said extension having surfaces disposed inwardly with respect to the side walls of said outer channel with a substantially closer spacing than said side walls for firmly engaging the outer side Walls of the socket of said second fastener element beyond the rearward end of the outer channel and forcing them toward each other in firm engagement with the enlargement of said first fastener element as the slider is moved forwardly in a closing direction.

2. A slider according to claim 1 in which said extensions projecting beyond the rearward end of the outer channel are transversely fiat continuations of the side walls of the outer channel and converge rearwardiy toward each other to form said inwardly disposed surfaces for engaging the outer side Walls of the socket of said second fastener element.

3. A slider according to claim 1 in which said extensions projecting beyond the rearward end of the outer channel have a pair of rollers side Walls of the socket of said second fastener element.

4. For use With a slide fastener of the type including a first flexible fastener element comprising a substantially fiat, elongated stringer elongated stringer having a socket extending along a free edge thereof, said socket opening toward and arranged to embracingly receive said enlargement and having inwardly directed ribs adapted to interlock in the grooves of said enlargement for securing the enlargement in the 7 socket, a slider movable forwardly along said elements in a closing direction to effect insertion of said enlargement into said socket to close the fastener and movable rearwardly to effect removal of said enlargement from said socket to open the fastener, said slider comprising means defining an outer C-shaped channel arranged to surround said socket with a clearing fit and having reentrant flanges defining a first slot for receiving the stringer of said fastener element, the portion of said means defining the base of said outer channel having a second slot therein for receiving the stringer of said first fastener element; said means also having integrally connected portions defining an inner channel for receiving said enlargement, said inner channel having reentrant portions defining a restricted opening facing toward said second slot, said first slot and said restricted opening converging rearwardly to draw said enlargement into and out of said socket as the slider is moved respectively in closing and opening directions, the rearward end of the inner channel terminating short of the rearward end of the outer channel; said means defining said channels having extensions projecting beyond the rearward end of the outer channel adjacent opposite sides thereof, said extensions having surfaces disposed inwardly with respect to the side walls of said outer channel with a substantially closer spacing than said side walls for firmly engaging the outer side walls of the socket of said second fastener element beyond the rearward end of the outer channel and forcing them toward each other in firm engagement with the enlargement of said first fastener element, with said inwardly directed ribs of the 10 socket interlocked with said grooves defined by the side edges of the enlargement, as the slider is moved forwardly in a closing direction.

5. A slider according to claim 4 in which said extensions projecting beyond the rearward end of the outer channel are transversely fiat continuations of the side walls of the outer channel and converge rearwardly toward each other to form said inwardly disposed surfaces for engaging the outer side walls of the socket of said second fastener element.

6. A slider according to claim 4 in which said extensions projecting beyond the rearward end of the outer channel have a pair of rollers mounted thereon with their axes parallel to the side walls of the outer channel, said rollers being disposed adjacent opposite sides of said outer channel and being spaced substantially closer together than the side walls of said outer channel to form said inwardly disposed surfaces for engaging the outer side walls of the socket of said second fastener element.

HERMANN REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,959,318 Sundback May 15, 1934 1,959,319 Sipe May 15, 1934 2,035,028 Temple Mar. 24, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 536,990 Germany of 1931 325,618 Italy of 1935 375,235 Italy of 1939 200,985 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1939 522,663 Great Britain of 1940 241,887 Switzerland of 1946

Images