Patent Grant
7257868
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slider preferable for a concealed type slide fastener and the concealed type slide fastener equipped with the same slider.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional typical slide fasteners are classified broadly into two types, i.e. a normal type and a concealed type. In a normal type slide fastener 100, as shown in
The slider body 105 has upper and lower blades 105a, 105b and a connecting post 105c for connecting the upper and lower blades 105a, 105b. This connecting post 105c connects the upper and lower blades 105a, 105b and in a space between the upper and lower blades 105a and 105b, defines a Y-shaped element guide passage in which right and left shoulder mouths for separating and passing right and left fastener element rows 107 of the right and left fastener stringers 103, the fastener element rows constituted of a multiplicity of the fastener elements 102, separately and a rear mouth for passing the engaged fastener element rows 107 are communicated with each other. At right and left side edges of the upper and lower blades 105a, 105b, there are provided upper and lower flanges 105a-1, 105b-1 which are at right angle to the upper and lower blades 105a, 105b and approaching each other. The fastener tape 101 is passed through a gap between the upper and lower flanges 105a-1 and 105b-1 entirely across both inside and outside of the slider body 105.
That is, in this normal type slide fastener 100, the fastener element row 107 disposed on the same plane of the fastener tape 101 is passed through the element guide passage of the slider body 105 without folding back the fastener tape 101. Thus, whether the slide fastener 100 is opened or closed, the fastener elements 102 are exposed outside. At the same time, a sewing thread 108 of the fastener element row 107 with respect to the fastener tape 101 is also exposed outside.
On the other hand, in recent years, use of the concealed type slide fastener in which the fastener elements are invisible from a surface side of the slide fastener has been demanded more and more in design viewpoints and this concealed type slide fastener has been used in clothes, shoes and the like frequently. An example of an ordinary concealed type slide fastener has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3439605 (patent document 1). In case of a concealed type slide fastener 200, as shown in
Each of fastener element rows 204 of the right and left fastener stringers 203 is passed through the guide passage of a slider 205 together with the folded-back piece 201a-1 of the fastener tape 201. At this time, other portion of each fastener tape 201 than the folded-back piece 201a-1 and the fastener element row 204 covers the front surface side of a slider body 206. Thus, the body 206 of the slider 205 applied for this kind of the concealed type slide fastener is usually provided with a guide post 206c which is extended from the shoulder mouth to the rear mouth in the central portion in the right and left direction of the lower blade 206b, and element guide flanges 206d each having an inverted L shaped section, the element guide flanges comprising rising portions 206d-1 which rise along right and left side edges of the lower blade 206b and horizontal portions 206d-2 extended horizontally from top ends of the rising portions in a direction of approaching each other.
A pull tab mounting portion 206c-1 is provided protrudedly on a top face of the guide post 206c and a pull tab 207 is mounted on the same pull tab mounting portion 206c-1 such that it can be moved freely in a back and forth direction. This pull tab mounting portion 206c-1 is projected upward between the opposing tape folded-back portions of the right and left fastener stringers 203. Thus, the fastener element rows 204 and their sewing threads are hidden behind the rear face of the fastener tapes so that they are invisible from outside and when the slide fastener 200 is closed, an opening/closing portion of a product on which the same fastener 200 is mounted is exposed only in the form of a seam line, thereby providing a neat appearance.
However, instead of the concealed type slide fastener having such a complicated structure, for example, a concealed type slide fastener proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,986 (patent document 2) has been known. According to the patent document 1, without changing the structure of the upper and lower blades in the ordinary slide fastener shown in
According to the same document 1, the side edges of the fastener tapes are extended more to the coupling head side of the fastener elements than the normal position, and when the slide fastener is opened or closed, particularly when closed, the opposing side edges of the fastener tapes press each other so that they makes firm contact with each other and as a consequence, the fastener element rows are invisible from outside. Further, if the fastener tape is provided with waterproofness, no water enters via the fastener elements through the gap between the side edges because the opposing side edges of the fastener tapes press each other so that they make firm contact with each other and consequently, this is a structure suitable for shoes, waterproof clothing and the like.
However, according to the patent document 2, although the fastener element row is located on the bottom face of the fastener tape, because it is sewed with sewing thread without folding back the fastener tape, that sewing thread itself is exposed on the surface. If the concealed type slide fastener disclosed in the patent document 2 is adopted to a product which strikes violently and repeatedly such as various kinds of sport shoes, if the sewing thread is exposed outside as described above, an external force is applied to the same sewing thread or the sewing thread is caught by a tool nearby so that it is likely to be cut out. Further, if the same slide fastener is adopted to for example waterproof clothes, water is likely to enter through the seam line because the seam line is exposed outside, so that no expected waterproof effect is obtained.
On the other hand, in case of the slider 205 of concealed type slide fastener having an ordinary structure shown in
The present invention has been accomplished to solve various kinds of problems concerning a particular structure of the conventional slider for the concealed type slide fastener and an object of the invention is to provide a slider for a concealed type slide fastener having an excellent design performance in which not only a seam line but also any sewing thread are not exposed outside and having an excellent operability for opening and closing the slide fastener, and a slide fastener having an excellent durability using the same slider.
Such an object is achieved by a basic configuration of a slider for a concealed type slide fastener of the present invention, namely, a slider for a concealed type slide fastener, the slider engaging and disengaging respective fastener element rows of the concealed type slide fastener in which fastener elements are continuously attached to folded-back pieces on a rear face side of respective folded-back side edge portions formed in a double structure created by folding back opposing side edge portions of a pair of right and left fastener tapes into a U shape, the slider including: an upper blade and a lower blade connected through a connecting post; lower flanges provided at right angle to right and left side edges of the lower blade and approaching toward the upper blade; and between the upper blade and the lower blade, guide passages for guiding the respective folded-back side edge portions in the double structure of the fastener tapes and the respective fastener element rows in an engageable/disengageable posture.
Further, according to the basic configuration of the concealed type slide fastener of the invention equipped with the aforementioned slider comprises: a pair of right and left fastener tapes including folded-back side edge portions in a double structure created by being folded back into a U shape along side edges thereof and including tape main bodies except the side edge portions; right and left fastener element rows attached along folded-back pieces of the folded-back side edge portions; and a slider which is slid along the fastener element row and carries out an engagement/disengagement of the right and left fastener element rows, wherein the slider has an upper blade and lower blade connected by a connecting post, and flanges provided at right angle to right and left side edges of the lower blade and approaching the upper blade, and between the upper blade and the lower blade, guide passages for guiding the respective folded-back side edge portions in the double structure of the fastener tapes and the respective fastener element rows attached to the folded-back pieces in an engageable/disengageable posture.
In the slider of the invention, a gap in a vertical direction at each of right and left side edges between the upper and lower blades is set to such a dimension allowing only a fastener tape main body except the folded-back side edge portion to be passed through. Further, in the slider of the invention, it is preferable that protrusions, which are disposed along top portions of right and left side faces of the connecting post and on the upper blade so as to be protruded from the upper blade toward the lower blade, is provided; element guide spaces for guiding the fastener element rows in the engageable/disengageable posture are formed between bottom end faces of the protrusions and the lower blade, and the spaces surrounded by the side faces of the protrusions, the element guide spaces and the upper blade constitute tape-side-edge-portion guide spaces for accommodating the folded-back side edge portions of the respective fastener tapes, while the engageable/disengageable posture of the fastener element rows are maintained. According to a further preferred aspect, the bottom end faces of the protrusions are formed as inclined faces, each of the inclined faces being inclined upward from an inner side of each of the element guide spaces to an outer side thereof. Further, it is permissible that expanded rows are extended on bottom faces of right and left portions of the upper blade in a back and forth direction of the slider, the expanded rows being expanded obliquely downward from the connecting post to an outer side.
According to the slide for the concealed type slide fastener of the invention, because the folded-back side edge portions of the fastener tapes are accommodated in the right and left guide passages between the upper and lower blades across the connecting post, in such a condition that the folded-back side edge portions are folded back in a double structure, together with the fastener elements attached to the folded-back pieces, no local closely contact sliding force is applied to the folded-back portions of the folded-back side edge portions by end edges of the horizontal portions of the inverted-L shaped flange portions unlike conventionally and even if a strong pulling force in a right and left direction is applied to the right and left fastener tapes, the fastener elements are never raised obliquely or the folded-back portions of the fastener tapes are never opened. As a consequence, the sliding operation of the slider is carried out smoothly and the fastener elements can be engaged or disengaged securely. Further, the durability of the tape is intensified and the appearance of a product equipped with the concealed type slide fastener of the present invention is never damaged.
By providing with the protrusions which are protruded from the upper blade to the lower blade along the right and left side faces of the connecting post, the element guide spaces for guiding the fastener element rows are defined between the bottom end faces of the protrusions and the lower blade and the spaces surrounded by the side faces of the protrusions, the element guide spaces and the upper blade can be defined as tape-side-edge-portion guide spaces for accommodating and guiding the folded-back side edge portions of the fastener tapes. As a result, the fastener elements are never raised within the element guide spaces unintentionally. Thus, while the fastener element rows are guided and slid within the element guide spaces, the folded-back side edge portions in the U shape of the fastener tapes are guided and slid independently of the fastener elements through the tape-side-edge-portion guide spaces. Consequently, the sliding postures of both are maintained at a constant condition so that the engagement and disengagement of the fastener elements are carried out smoothly.
If the bottom end faces of the protrusions are formed as inclined faces which are inclined upward from the inner side of the element guide passages toward the outer side thereof, the configurations of the folded-back side edge portions in the U shape of the fastener tapes slid and guided through the tape-side-edge-portion guide spaces are stabilized. Further, even if the fastener elements are about to be raised so that they come into contact with the bottom end faces of the protrusions, the fastener elements are never damaged because this bottom ends are formed as the inclined faces.
If the expanded rows are extended on the bottom faces of right and left portions of the upper blade in the back and forth direction of the slider, the expanded rows being expanded obliquely downward from the inner side of the element guide passages toward the outer side thereof, when a force in right and left directions is applied to the right and left fastener tapes, that is, a lateral pulling force is applied to the concealed type slide fastener chain so that the fastener elements are about to tilt, the fastener tapes make surface contact with the expanded rows so as to increase friction resistance on the fastener tapes thereby making it difficult for the fastener elements to tilt. Because the fastener tapes make surface contact along the inclined bottom faces of the expanded rows, the fastener tapes are protected from damage.
If the gap between each of the flanges of the lower blade and the upper blade is set to the dimension allowing the fastener tape main body except each of the folded-back side edge portions to be passed through, the slider can be slid smoothly without changing the accommodation style of the folded-back side edge portion and fastener elements of the fastener tape accommodated in the slider.
Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the slider for the concealed type slide fastener of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The basic structure of the concealed type slide fastener 10 of this embodiment shown in
Referring to the same Figure, opposing side edges of a pair of right and left fastener tapes 11 are both folded back downward and in this specification, these folded-back portions are called folded-back side edge portions 15. That is, these folded-back side edge portions 15 refer to entire folded-back portions including folded-back pieces 15a which are folded back into a U shape after extended from tape main bodies 16. After side edge portions of the fastener tapes 11 are folded back as described above, their configurations are fixed permanently by heat setting or the like. The fastener element rows 12 are sewed according to multi-thread chain stitch onto the bottom faces of the folded-back pieces 15a of the folded-back side edge portions 15 with a sewing thread 17 so that they are integrated with the folded-back pieces 15a and as a consequence, the right and left fastener stringers 18 are constructed. Even in the fastener tapes of the concealed type slide fastener 10 of this embodiment, like the conventional one, tape portions extending from the tape main bodies 16 of the folded-back side edge portions 15 are floating from the folded-back pieces 15a, so that they are not sewed with the sewing thread 17. In the meantime, reference numeral 19 in
The fastener elements 14 of this embodiment sewed on the bottom face of the folded-back piece 15a are constituted of the continuous fastener element row 12 in which a single mono-filament made of thermoplastic resin is molded into a coil and coupling heads 14a are disposed on part of respective coil portions linearly. That is, each of the coil portions constituting the respective fastener elements 14 comprises the coupling head 14a, upper and lower leg portions 14b extended substantially horizontally from upper and lower portions of the coupling head and a connecting portion 14c which connects the upper and lower leg portions 14b of adjacent fastener elements 14.
On the other hand, the slider 20 of this embodiment which is a characteristic portion of the invention which guides the fastener element rows 12 of the right and left fastener stringers 18 having the above-described structure so as to engage and disengage opposing fastener elements 14 comprises a slider body 21 and a pull tab 22 as shown in
Y-shaped guide passages 28 are formed among the connecting post 25, the upper/lower blades 23, 24 and the respective flanges 26, 27, such that separate passages are joined together to a single passage from a shoulder mouth to a rear mouth. In this embodiment also, the most important point exists in existence of the upper blade 23 and the height of the guide passage 28. If comparing the slider structure and the guide passage 28 of the present invention with the structure and element guide passage of the conventional concealed type slide fastener slider 205 shown in
In the normal type slide fastener slider 105 shown in
According to the example shown in the same Figure, on corners defined by the bottom face of the upper blade 23 and the right and left side faces of the connecting post 25, there are provided protrusions 25a which are protruded outward to the right and left outer sides, those protrusions being extended from the shoulder mouth side of the slider 20 in which the right and left fastener element rows 12 are moved in a separate condition toward the rear mouth side in which the right and left fastener element rows 12 are moved in an engagement condition. On the upper blade 23, land portions 29 are formed, each of which is narrowed gradually from an end face on the rear moth side of the connecting post 25 toward the rear mouth and the front end of the protrusion 25a is continuously connected to the proximal end of the land portion 29. Further, the bottom face of each of the right and left protrusions 25a is formed as an inclined face 25a-1 which is inclined upward in the right or left direction as shown in
On the other hand, a pair of right and left pull tab holding posts 30 are provided protrudedly on the top face of the upper blade 23 and a shaft portion 22a of the pull tab 22 is supported between the right and left pull tab holding posts 30. A cam face 22b is formed in the peripheral face in the center of this shaft portion 22a and a pawl portion 31a of a locking pawl provided spring 31 described later is moved vertically by a rotation of the pull tab 22 so that it engages or disengages one fastener element row 12 of the right and left fastener stringers 18 engaged within the slider 20 so as to disable the sliding of the slider 20 or enables the sliding thereof. For this reason, a pawl through hole 29a, which the pawl portion 31a is capable of passing through, is formed in the center of the land portion 29. The locking pawl provided spring 31 is composed of a leaf spring piece bent to two stages as shown in
To mount the locking pawl provided spring 31 onto the slider 20, as shown in
The mounting structure of the pull tab 22 and the locking pawl provided spring 31 is substantially not different from the mounting structure disclosed in for example Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 63-1854 and therefore, please refer to the same publication if necessary.
According to the concealed type slide fastener 10 of this embodiment having the above-described structure, the Y-shaped guide passage 28 formed between the upper and lower blades 23, 24 with the connecting post 25 has a height and width allowing the folded-back side edge portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 and the fastener element rows 12 to be passed through sufficiently. Thus, with the folded-back side edge portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 and the fastener element rows 12 passed through the guide passage 28 and further the tape main body 16 of the fastener tape 11 passed through the gap formed between the upper and lower blades 23, 24, the slider is slid in the back and forth direction. Thus, in the concealed type slide fastener 10 of this embodiment, the top face of the upper blade 23 is exposed on the surface and seems not different from ordinary slide fastener just at a glance. However, if looking at the right and left fastener stringers 18, no sewing thread 17 is exposed on the surface at opposing end portions of the right and left fastener tapes 11 as shown in
To slide the concealed type slider 20 of this embodiment on right and left fastener stringers 18 in the back and forth direction along the length direction, if the pull tab 22 is rotated upward as indicated with a phantom line in
According to this embodiment, if the slider 20 is moved to the shoulder mouth (forward), fastener element rows 12 passed through together along the guide passage 28 formed between the upper and lower blades 23, 24 and the right and left fastener element rows 12 on right and left folded-back side edge portions 15 are moved relatively to the rear mouth. The fastener stringers 18 in separate condition are engaged with each other when they pass through the land portion 29, so that the slide fastener 10 is closed. Conversely, if the slider 20 is moved to the rear mouth (backward), the fastener element rows 12 passed through along the guide passage 28 formed between the upper and lower blades 23, 24 and the right and left fastener element rows 12 in engagement condition on the right and left folded-back side edge portions 15 are disengaged by the connecting post 25 while they are moved from the rear mouth side to the shoulder mouth side, so that the right and left fastener stringers 18 are separated to open the slide fastener 10.
According to this embodiment, to avoid such a flaw, the protrusion 25a is projected from the upper side face of the connecting post 25 up to the land portion 29 as shown in
When the lateral pulling force is applied to the fastener tape 11 so that the fastener elements 14 are about to be raised due to the existence of the expanded portion 23a, the folded-back side edge portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 makes contact with the expanded inclined face 23a-1 of the expanded portion 23a, so that friction resistance due to that face contact increases thereby preventing the fastener elements 14 from being inclined further. As a result, the sliding operation of the slider 20 is carried out smoothly and at the same time, the fastener elements 14 can be securely engaged or disengaged. Further, the inside face of the folded-back end of the fastener tape does not make a sliding contact with the edge of a horizontal portion of the inverted L shaped flange unlike the conventional concealed type slide fastener so that the durability of the fastener tape can be increased.
According to this embodiment, the gap between the respective flanges 26 and 27 of the upper blade 23 and the lower blade 24 is set to such a dimension allowing the fastener tape main body 16 except the folded-back side edge portion 15 to be passed through. Thus, accommodation style for the folded-back side edge portion 15 and the fastener element rows 12 of the fastener tape 11 moved through the guide passage 28 in the slider 20 is not changed largely, thereby enabling the slider to be slid further smoothly.
By provision of the protrusion 25a as described above, an element guide space for guiding the fastener element row 12 is defined between the bottom end inclined face 25a-1 of the protrusion 25a and the lower blade 24 and further, a space surrounded by the side face of the protrusion 25a, the element guide space and the upper blade 23 is defined as a tape-side-edge-portion guide space for accommodating and guiding the folded-back side edge portion 15 of each fastener tape 11. That is, the guide passage 28 is sectioned as the element guide space 28a and the tape-side-edge-portion guide space 28b. As a result, the fastener element row 12 is guided and slid through the element guide space 28a existing at the bottom of the guide passage 28 while the folded-back side edge portion 15 of each of the right and left fastener tapes 11 is slid and guided through the tape-side-edge-portion guide space 28b defined independently above the element guide space 28a in which the fastener element row 12 is moved.
As understood from these figures, in case of the shoe 1 equipped with the concealed type slide fastener 10 of the present invention, the element sewing thread 17 of the concealed type slide fastener 10 is not exposed outside at all. Therefore, not only no water invades into the inside through any seam line but also the ends of the folded-back side edges portions of the right and left fastener tapes keep firm contact with each other as described previously and as a consequence, no water invades through gaps between the right and left ends. As a result, the entire waterproofness is improved. Contrary to this, in case of the conventional shoe 2, the sewing thread 17 of the fastener element is exposed outside and thus, water easily invades through the seam line. As a consequence, not only water penetrates into the interior of the shoe 2 through the gaps in the fastener elements but also several lines of the sewing threads are produced outside thereby making redundant in fashion viewpoints.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-198373 | Jul 2004 | JP | national |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060000067 A1 | Jan 2006 | US |
