Patent Application
20240090691
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The disclosure relates to zipper operating devices and more particularly pertains to a new zipper operating device for operating a zipper attached to a garment and traversing part of a back of a user.
The prior art relates to zipper operating devices which are operated by a user when donning or removing a garment with a back-positioned zipper. Zipper operating devices typically have either a rigid elongated rod or a flexible line to which an engagement mechanism is attached at one end for engaging a zipper slider. Designs of zipper operating devices often include relatively elaborate mechanisms for engaging the slider which introduce unnecessary complexity that increases cost, manufacturing difficulties, and usage problems. Thus, a zipper operating device which addresses these problems is desired.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an elongated rod being rigid and having a first end and a second end. A hook is pivotably coupled to the first end of the elongated rod and is configured for insertion into an eyelet of a slider of a zipper.
Another embodiment of the disclosure includes a method comprising providing a zipper operating device having an elongated rod being rigid and having a first end and a second end. A hook is pivotably coupled to the first end of the elongated rod. The method further comprises providing a garment with a zipper positioned such that it traverses a portion of a back of a suer. The zipper has a slider with an eyelet. The hook is inserted into the eyelet, and the elongated rod is moved such that the hook engages the slider to open or close the zipper.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
A handle 30 is coupled to the second end 16 of the elongated rod 12. The handle 30 may form a closed loop 32 which includes a base 34, a pair of legs 36, and a grip 38. The base 34 is attached to and extends in opposite directions from the elongated rod 12. The pair of legs 36 is attached to and extends upwardly from the base 34. The grip 38 is attached to the legs 36 and is spaced from the base 34. The grip 38 typically has a bottom surface 40 with a plurality of finger indentations 42 positioned therein to facilitate gripping of the handle 30.
In an alternative embodiment as shown in
In use, a user 56 inserts the hook 18 into the eyelet 28 of the slider 26 of the zipper 24. The user 56 then grips the grip 38 of the handle 30 and moves the handle 30 such that the hook 18 engages the slider 26 to open or close the zipper 24 as desired by the user 56. The user 56 may grip and move one or both the first handle 52 and the second handle 54 of the alternative embodiment to engage the slider 26 to open or close the zipper 24. In particular, the zipper 24 operating device 10 may be used to open and close a zipper 24 attached to a garment 58 worn by the user 56 which traverses a portion of a back 60 of the user 56.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
