Slide fastener slider

Abstract

A slide fastener slider, in which a pair of projecting portions are formed such that they project from shoulder mouth side end portions of a pair of flanges to a shoulder mouth side, the flanges being erected on both right and left sides of a lower plate. Each projecting portion is constituted of a stepped portion formed by extending from the shoulder mouth side end portion of each flange to the shoulder mouth side, and a downward slope formed from the stepped portion up to a top face of the lower plate. The pair of projecting portions allow an inclination of a leg portion of a fastener element to be returned to a substantially horizontal state, thereby preventing contact between a fastener tape and each flange to block breaking of threads in the fastener tape.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a slide fastener slider according to an embodiment of the present invention (first embodiment);

FIG. 2 is an entire perspective view of a lower blade when viewed from above (first embodiment);

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1 (first embodiment);

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of the slide fastener slider;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of major portions of the slide fastener slider before the posture of an element is displaced (first embodiment);

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of major portions of the slide fastener slider after the posture of the element is displaced (first embodiment);

FIG. 7 is an entire perspective view of a lower blade (conventional example); and

FIG. 8 is an entire perspective view of the lower blade (conventional example).

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described specifically with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not restricted to any particular embodiment but may be modified in various ways as long as substantially the same components as the present invention are possessed and the same operation and effect are achieved. In the present invention, for example, the shape, arrangement, configuration and the like of the slide fastener slider are not restricted to the configuration of embodiment described below and may be changed appropriately depending on a necessity.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a side view of a slide fastener slider according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an entire perspective view of a lower blade of the slide fastener slider of the invention when viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the slide fastener slider of the invention. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of major portions of the slide fastener slider before the posture of an element is displaced. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of major portions of the slide fastener slider after the posture of the element is displaced.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the slide fastener slider, an upper blade 1 and a lower blade 2 are connected and fixed integrally with a connecting post so as to configure a slider body 4. A pull tag 5 is provided on the upper blade 1. An element passage 23 is formed inside the slider body 4 such that linear elements 17 can be inserted.

The upper blade 1 is constituted of an upper plate 6 and a pull tag attaching portion 7 erected on the top thereof. A space is formed in the pull tag attaching portion 7 so as to insert one end portion of the pull tag 5 so that the pull tag 5 is attached thereto rotatably. The lower blade 2 is constituted of a lower plate 8. The upper plate 6 and the lower plate 8 are arranged in parallel with a gap in a vertical direction of the slider body 4, and the gap serves as the element passage 23.

The element passage 23 is extended in a back-forth direction of the slider body 4. The slider body 4 has shoulder mouths 13, which allow the linear elements 17 in a separated state to be inserted, at its front end side thereof, and a rear mouth 10, which allows the linear elements 17 in an engagement state to pass therethrough, at the rear end side thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of flanges 9, 9 extending from the rear mouth 10 side of the slider body 4 to the shoulder mouth 13 side are erected along the right and left side edges of the lower plate 8. Pressing faces 12, 12 for guiding the linear elements 17 passing through the element passage 23 while pressing inverted portions 20 of the linear elements 17 are formed along a longitudinal direction of each flange 9, 9 on the inner side faces of the flanges 9, 9. A tape groove which allows a fastener tape 21 to pass therethrough is provided between the top face of the flange 9 and the top plate 6.

Projecting portions 14, 14 are formed such that they extend from the end portion on the shoulder mouth 13 side of each flange 9, 9, and have stepped portions 15, 15 having a smaller height than the top face of each flange 9, 9 on the top face of each projecting portion 14. Downward slopes 16, 16 are formed from the periphery of each stepped portion 15 up to the top face of the lower plate 8.

Each downward slope 16, 16 is formed in a continuous shape from the inner face side of the flange 9, 9 toward the outer side edge of the lower plate 8 on the shoulder mouth 13 side along the periphery of the stepped portion 15, 15. Each downward slope 16, 16 is formed as a face continuous to each pressing face 12, 12. The projecting portion 14 is constructed of the stepped portion 15 and the downward slope 16. Each downward slope 16, 16 may be formed up to the outer side edge of the lower plate 8 or up to just before the outer side edge of the lower plate 8.

An elevated portion 11 is formed in the center of the top face of the lower plate 8 such that it is elevated from the connecting post 3 to the rear mouth 10.

The pressing faces 12, 12 are projected toward the element passage 23 from the inner side faces of the flanges 9, 9, and the projecting shape is different between that of the rear mouth 10 side and that of the shoulder mouth 13 side across an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of each flange 9, 9. The rear mouth 10 side of the pressing face 12, 12 is formed as a step having a vertically right-angle wall face directed to the lower plate 8. This step is arranged at the intermediate position in the vertical direction of each flange 9, 9, and the top face of the step is formed as a downward slope directed from the inner side face side of each flange 9, 9 to the top end of the right-angle wall, or to the inside of the element passage 23.

On the other hand, a downward slope directed to the lower plate 8 is formed on the shoulder mouth 13 side of each pressing face 12, 12 instead of the step having the right-angle wall face vertically. The stepped portion 15 of the projecting portion 14 is arranged at substantially the same height position as the top end of the right-angle wall face and at a height position lower than the height of the pressing face 12, 12 formed on the top face of the vertically right-angle wall face on the rear mouth 10 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower end on the shoulder mouth 13 side of each downward slope 16, 16 can be extended more with respect to the position of an end edge portion 18 on the rear mouth side of the connecting post 3 in the back-forth direction of the lower blade 2. As a consequence, an interval between the downward slope 16 and the connecting post 3 extending in the direction of the shoulder mouth 13 can be constructed as an extending passage for restricting the right-left direction of the element passage 23.

Accordingly, when the linear elements 17 enter from the shoulder mouth 13 side, a coupling head 19 is guided by the connecting post 3 while the inverted portion 20 is pushed up along the downward slope 16. Because each downward slope 16, 16 is formed in a continuous shape from the inner side face of each flange 9, 9 toward the outer side edge of the lower plate 8 on the shoulder mouth 13 side, the fastener tape can be guided securely for entering the slide body from the shoulder mouth 13. In addition, the opening area of the shoulder mouth 13 can be expanded, thereby facilitating invasion of the fastener tape into the slide body.

Consequently, even if the linear elements 17 enter from the shoulder mouth 13 side with their leg portions inclined, they can be returned from an inclined state to a substantially horizontal state by the downward slope 16. Even if the linear elements enter from the shoulder mouth 13 side with the leg portions 25 inclined without being turned to the substantially horizontal state, the fastener tapes enter the slider body 4 smoothly and the leg portions 25 between the inverted portion 20 and the coupling head 19 can be returned to the substantially horizontal state before the linear elements 17 engage each other. Therefore, right and left elements can be engaged with each other securely. Accordingly, so-called chain breaking phenomenon that the right and left elements fail to engage each other can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 4, the linear element 17 having entered from the shoulder mouth 13 of the slider body 4 is moved to the rear mouth 10. Because each downward slope 16, 16 is formed to be continuous to the pressing face 12, 12, the inverted portion 20 is introduced continuously to the pressing face 12 (not shown) stably while being raised along the downward slope 16. Thereafter, the inverted portion 20 is placed on the pressing face 12 and guided up to the rear mouth 10.

In a case where a lateral pulling force is applied to the linear element 17 when the linear element 17 is located on the shoulder mouth side with respect to the downward slope 16, the linear element 17 is inclined such that it rolls in the direction of being pulled as shown in FIG. 5. More specifically, as for the positional relation of height between the inverted portion 20 and the coupling head 19, the inverted portion 20 goes down while the coupling head 19 side goes upward, so that the leg portion 25 is inclined.

In this state, the fastener tape 21 attached to the linear element 17 is also inclined in the same direction as the leg portion 25, so that the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 is lower than the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 with the leg portion 25 being in a substantially horizontal state. In FIG. 5, the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 and the top face of the flange 9 are described in the same height. However, the inclination between the inverted portion 20 and the coupling head 19 in terms of the positional relation of height is further increased by the magnitude of the lateral pulling force applied to the linear element 17, so that the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 is sometimes located below the top face of the flange 9.

However, according to the present invention, even when the lateral pulling force is applied to the linear element 17, the inverted portion 20 is raised along the slope face 16 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, so that positional relation of the leg portion 25 between the inverted portion 20 and the coupling head 19 can be returned to a substantially horizontal state. Consequently, as shown in FIG. 6, the inclination of the portion of the fastener tape 21 between the inverted portion 20 and the coupling head 19 turns to a substantially horizontal state, which allows the height position of the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 to be set higher than the top face of the flange 9.

The configuration of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, prevents contact between the shoulder mouth side end edge portion of the flange 9 and the bottom face of the fastener tape 21, thereby preventing the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 from making sliding contact with the shoulder mouth side end edge portion of the flange 9. Thus, the present invention can prevent breaking of threads from occurring in the fastener tape 21 due to friction generated when the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 and the shoulder mouth side end edge portion of the flange 9 make sliding contact with each other.

As shown in FIG. 2, chamfered portions 22 can be provided by chamfering the corners of the shoulder mouth side end edge portions of the flanges 9, 9. This makes it possible, as shown in FIG. 4, to prevent contact between the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 and the shoulder mouth side end edge portion of the flange 9 more securely. In addition, even if the fastener tape makes contact with the corner, the breaking of threads in the fastener tape 21 due to friction can be prevented because the contact face of the flange with the bottom face of the fastener tape 21 is of a smooth surface formed by chamfering.

The present invention can be applied effectively to a slide fastener which is opened/closed with a slider pulled upward.

Claims

1. A slide fastener slider, comprising: a slider body in which an element passage allowing linear elements to pass therethrough is formed between an upper plate and a lower plate by connecting the upper plate and the lower plate with a connecting post;a pair of flanges which are erected extending from a rear mouth side toward a shoulder mouth side of the slider body along both right and left sides of the lower plate; andpressing faces which are formed on inner side faces of the flanges along a longitudinal direction of the flanges, for guiding the linear elements passing through the element passage while pressing inverted portions of the linear elements, whereinthe slide fastener slider further comprises:projecting portions which are formed so as to extend in a direction to the shoulder mouth side from shoulder mouth side end portions of the flanges, in whichthe projecting portions comprise stepped portions having a smaller height than top faces of the flanges; anddownward slopes formed from the stepped portions to a top face of the lower plate, the downward slopes being formed in a continuous shape from the inner side faces of the flanges to outer side edges of the lower plate on the shoulder mouth side while being continuous to the pressing faces.

2. The slide fastener slider according to claim 1, wherein bottom end edges of the slopes extending in the direction to the shoulder mouth side in a back-forth direction of the slider is located closer to the shoulder mouth side than an arrangement position of an end edge portion on the rear mouth side of the connecting post.