Patent Application
20240298756
The purpose of this invention is to produce a replacement puller handle on the slider fastener of a zipper in the event that the original puller handle breaks. It eliminates the necessity to replace the entire zipper or the garment in this event. Both of these carry a substantial cost and time penalty especially when compared with that entailed with just removing the broken handle, and attaching the handle of this invention.
The field of this invention resides in the category of the movement of a slider fastener along the track of the zipper to either open it or to close it. The handle is the means by which the slider fastener is manually pulled in sequentially opposing directions.
There have been many designs of slider fasteners or zippers over the years, since the original appeared in 1893 in U.S. Pat. No. 504,038 to Whitcomb L. Judson for a Clasp Locker or Unlocker for Shoes on Aug. 29, 1893. Subsequent to this first patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,219,881 for a Separable Fastener, was granted to G. Sundback on Mar. 20, 1917, which he superseded with U.S. Pat. No. 1,340,187 for a Quick Opening Separable Fastener. In the intervening decade between then and now, the basic design has remained essentially the same although with many refinements and improvements in materials, scale, and adoption to various applications not envisioned at the time of it's inception. Accordingly, there have been many improvements in the manufacturing process, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,416,397 to Hung An Chen for Waterproof Slide Fastener on Aug. 26, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,839 to K. Funaya for an Insertion Unit for Inserting Pull Tabs of Sliders of Slide Fasteners; U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,103 to Ching-Fu Liao for an Integral Sliding Member of a Slide Fastener and the Molding Device on Dec. 25, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,288 to F. Mayerhofer for Means for the Manufacture of Zip Fasteners on Dec. 25, 1990. However, with all the refinements and improvements that have been made to the zipper or slide fastener over its lifetime to the present, there has been no focus or adjustment made to the connection of the puller handle or tab, to the slider fastener; it has continued to be a permanent attachment of the mechanism.
The present invention resides in a puller handle or tab that is not a permanent attachment to the slider fastener of a zipper, but can be attached or detached as desired. It enables an operator or user of the device to continue to use it even when the assembled puller handle has malfunctioned or broken. Typically, this occurs because of metal fatigue, as most slider fasteners and their attached puller handles are constructed of a metal. The puller handle of this invention is constructed as a two piece mechanism having an elongated upper structure that is bifurcated into feet in its base, each of which has an aperture that is aligned with the other. When the feet of this invention is placed astride the bridge formed on the upper surface of the slider fastener, these apertures are accessed by a pin that is passed through the aperture formed between the upper surface of the slider fastener and the under surface of the bridge. The puller handle is then mounted and is capable of urging the slider fastener in the direction that the operator desires; either to open or to close the zipper. In some applications there could be a very reduced clearance between the upper surface of the slider fastener and the base of the feet, which would create a friction that would limit or make it difficult to pivot the puller handle. In such an occurrence, there is an embodiment that has serrations on the base of the feet along 80 degrees of it's surface on either side of the apogee of their apertures that would abrade the upper surface of the slider fastener like a file, removing some of it's material and increasing the clearance. As shown the transverse apertures in the feet are constructed off-center of the feet so that a slight cam action is produced downward on the upper surface of the slider fastener inducing an upward pressure on the pin as the puller handle is pivoted back and forth, progressively through 180 degrees. The sum of these two constructions would increase the clearance for the puller handle to operate increasingly freely up to it's 180 degree range of motion.
The above as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description and accompanying drawings. These illustrate the principles of the invention, as an example.
The puller handle or tab 10 presented in my invention described in this application is adapted as a replacement for the puller handle or tab that is attached to the slider 100 of a zipper by a molding process at the time of manufacture. This puller handle or tab 10 performs the same function as the typical puller handle or tab of the current zipper but is adapted to be attached or detached to the slider 100 as desired by the operator of the zipper. This puller handle or tab 10 is mounted as a replacement for the original puller handle or tab if it is broken or otherwise unable to perform its function of urging the slider 100 along the track of the zipper. This puller handle or tab 10 is positioned astride the bridge 101 of the slider 100 and secured there when the pin 15 is pushed through the transverse aperture 12 defined in the viewed proximal foot 11a. The aperture 102 formed between the bridge 101 of the slider 100 and the upper surface 103 of the slider fastener 100 gives access to the transverse aperture 12 defined in the viewed distal foot 11b. As no threads are utilized retention of the viewed distal end of the pin 15 in the transverse aperture 12 defined in said foot 11b is accomplished by friction of the fit of the pin 15 fitted in the transverse aperture 12 defined in foot 11b. The action of urging the pin is accomplished by a force directed against the pin head 16 by any available means but most likely by a clasping tool.
The puller handle or tab 10 presented in my invention described in this application is adapted as a replacement for the puller handle or tab that is attached to the slider fastener 100 of a zipper by a molding process at the time of manufacture. This puller handle or tab 10 performs the same function as the typical puller handle or tab of the current zipper, but is adapted to be attached or detached to the slider fastener 100 as desired by the operator of the zipper. This puller handle or tab 10 is mounted as a replacement for the original puller handle or tab in the event that it is broken or otherwise unable to perform it's function of urging the slider fastener 100 along the track of the zipper. This puller handle or tab 10 is positioned astride the bridge 101 of the slider fastener 100 and secured there when the pin 15 accesses the aperture 12 of proximal foot 11a defined in the base of the puller handle or tab 10 and is moved through the aperture 102 formed between the under surface of the bridge 101 and the upper surface 103 of the slider fastener. It then accesses the aperture 12 in the distal foot 11b completing the connection of the two feet. Threads 18 at the distal end of pin 15 are engaged in threads 14 formed in the aperture 12 in the distal foot 11b and ensure retention of said pin 15. The head 16 of pin 15 functions as a stop to the passage of pin 15 when it is pivoted by a tool engaged in slot 17. If there is minimal to no clearance between said base of the foot 11a and foot 11b and said upper surface 103 of said slider fastener 100 when the puller handle 10 is pivoted it's movement would be affected and it's functionality impaired. This could occur in some zippers which have very close tolerances. Serrations 13 defined on the base of the foot 11a and foot 11b function to abrade the upper surface 103 of the slider fastener 100 thereby increasing the available clearance and allowing the puller handle to be pivoted progressively freely through its range of up to 180 degrees.
Accordingly the reader will see that the puller handles of the various embodiments presented in the specification and illustrations have a clear advantage over the devices of the prior art. Their use allows the continued usage of the original zipper in the event that a breakage or malfunction of the puller handle occurs. This invention eliminates the need to replace the complete zipper at a penalty of time and cost or to discard the impaired object at an even greater loss in value and time. Typically a puller breakage occurs because of metal fatigue due to cyclical forces on it when it is pulled in sequentially opposite directions. This invention allows the remnant of the original puller handle to be removed from it's mount on the bridge of the slider fastener by friction or by cutting or by the application of torque to break it off. The device of this invention can then be mounted over the bridge of the slider fastener and the pin pushed through the aperture in the nearside foot to pass beneath the bridge of the slider fastener into the aperture defined in the far side foot. The pin can then be secured in it's place either by the tightness of the connection in the aperture defined in the foot or by the engagement of threads.
