The present invention relates to creation of a fastener element having a specific shape, and to a slide fastener with a function of dividing one space into four spaces orthogonal to one another.
In many existing slide fasteners, elements are attached in a line to each of edges of a pair of tapes. By moving a slider between left and right elements in pair, which constitute one set of elements, the left and right elements are successively meshed with each other for closing of the slide fastener in a freely openable manner. With that structure, the slide fastener operates such that when the slider is pulled and moved from an open state of the fastener in a direction toward the side where the elements are unmeshed, the elements are meshed with each other up to the position to which the slider has been moved, and such that when the slider is pulled and moved from a closed state of the fastener in a direction toward the side where the elements are meshed, the elements are unmeshed from each other up to the position to which the slider has been moved. The slide fasteners are primarily attached to openings of clothes, bags, etc. for helping people to more easily put on and off the clothes and to take things into and out of the bags.
The known slide fasteners have been used just in a way of dividing one space into two spaces to be adapted for the case of putting on and off the clothes and the case of opening and closing the bags, as described above. A slide fastener is provided with a function of dividing one space into four spaces orthogonal to one another, by creating a fastener element having a specific shape.
A slide fastener according to a first aspect comprises elements, which are arranged in a line along each of oppositely-positioned edges of opening/closing ends of horizontal fastener tapes, and a slider, the slide fastener including a horizontal functional section for dividing one space into two spaces and a vertical functional section for dividing each of the two spaces, divided by the horizontal functional section, into two spaces with one operation by sliding the slider along the elements, wherein the horizontal functional section includes element heads which are meshed with and unmeshed from each other with the sliding of the slider along the elements, and horizontal fastener tapes which are opened and closed in a horizontal direction corresponding to meshing and unmeshing of the element heads, and wherein the vertical functional section is extended upwards and downwards in a vertical direction perpendicularly to the horizontal functional section and includes upper element legs which are formed by extending portions of the elements upwards in the vertical direction and by bending the extended upper portions into a hook-like shape, upper holding portions formed by distal ends of the upper element legs coming close to and moving away from each other in conjunction with the meshing and the unmeshing of the element heads, an upper vertical fastener tape which is engageable in the upper holding portions for selective opening/closing in the vertical direction on an upper side, lower element legs which are formed by extending portions of the elements downwards in the vertical direction and by bending the extended lower portions into a hook-like shape, lower holding portions formed by distal ends of the lower element legs coming close to and moving away from each other in conjunction with the meshing and the unmeshing of the element heads, and a lower vertical fastener tape which is engageable in the lower holding portions for selective opening/closing in the vertical direction on a lower side.
According to the slide fastener according to the first aspect, the slide fastener comprises elements, which are arranged in a line along each of oppositely-positioned edges of opening/closing ends of horizontal fastener tapes, and a slider, the slide fastener including a horizontal functional section for dividing one space into two spaces and a vertical functional section for dividing each of the two spaces, divided by the horizontal functional section, into two spaces with one operation by sliding the slider along the elements, wherein the horizontal functional section includes element heads which are meshed with and unmeshed from each other with the sliding of the slider along the elements, and horizontal fastener tapes which are opened and closed in a horizontal direction corresponding to meshing and unmeshing of the element heads, and wherein the vertical functional section is extended upwards and downwards in a vertical direction perpendicularly to the horizontal functional section and includes upper element legs which are formed by extending portions of the elements upwards in the vertical direction and by bending the extended upper portions into a hook-like shape, upper holding portions formed by distal ends of the upper element legs coming close to and moving away from each other in conjunction with the meshing and the unmeshing of the element heads, an upper vertical fastener tape which is engageable in the upper holding portions for selective opening/closing in the vertical direction on an upper side, lower element legs which are formed by extending portions of the elements downwards in the vertical direction and by bending the extended lower portions into a hook-like shape, lower holding portions formed by distal ends of the lower element legs coming close to and moving away from each other in conjunction with the meshing and the unmeshing of the element heads, and a lower vertical fastener tape which is engageable in the lower holding portions for selective opening/closing in the vertical direction on a lower side. With that structure, it is possible to provide the slide fastener with the function enabling the slide fastener to be used in way of dividing one space into four spaces, which are orthogonal to one another, with one operation using one slider.
An embodiment of a slide fastener according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to
As illustrated in
The vertical functional section 35 is extended upwards and downwards in the vertical direction perpendicularly to the horizontal functional section 31. Upper element legs 36 extending upwards in the vertical direction and lower element legs 38 extending downwards in the vertical direction are bent into a hook-like shape. Distal ends 36a of the upper element legs 36 and distal ends 38a of the lower element legs 38 are positioned away from each other at the position (corresponding to
Details of the element 30 and the slider 40, both constituting the slide fastener, will be described below with reference to
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
An element passage 56 is formed inside the slider body 50, and the plural elements 30 arranged in a line along each of the oppositely-positioned edges of the opening/closing ends of the fastener tapes 20 are inserted through the element passage 56. The element passage 56 allows the insertion of the meshed elements 30 therethrough on the side corresponding to the linear line E (
As illustrated in
The operation of the slide fastener 10 constituted by the elements 30, each having the above-described specific shape, and the slider 40 will be described below. When the pull 60 is pulled to slide the slider 40 in the direction denoted by the arrow X, as illustrated in
When the heads 32 of the elements 30 are meshed with each other, the distal ends 36a of the upper element legs 36 extending upwards perpendicularly to the horizontal functional section 31 come closer to each other, as illustrated in
Similarly, when the distal ends 38a of the lower element legs 38 extending downwards perpendicularly to the horizontal functional section 31 come closer to each other in conjunction with the meshing of the element heads 32, the lower holding portions 38b are formed (
Further, when the pull 60 is pushed to slide the slider 40 in the direction reversed to that denoted by the arrow X (
As described above, by creating and employing the fastener element having above-described shape, the slide fastener includes the horizontal functional section for dividing one space into two spaces and the vertical functional section for further dividing each of the two spaces, divided by the horizontal functional section, into two spaces with one operation using one slider. It is therefore possible to provide the slide fastener which can divide one space into four spaces, which are orthogonal to one another, with one operation using one slider.
Accordingly, when the slide fastener is applied to partitioning of the inside of a temporarily installed tent with the horizontal functional section and the vertical functional section both oriented to extend in the up-and-down direction, one living space formed inside the temporarily installed tent can be divided into four independent spaces with one operation using one slider.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-162280 | Jul 2009 | JP | national |
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Entry |
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International Search Report of PCT/JP2010/004281, mailing date Oct. 12, 2010. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120096685 A1 | Apr 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2010/004281 | Jun 2010 | US |
Child | 13342279 | US |