Patent Application
20160183640
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to zip fasteners and more particularly to a snap button zipper, which includes a row of male snap buttons and a row of female snap buttons respectively longitudinally arranged on two zipper tapes, and a zipper slider movable to force the male snap buttons into engagement with or away from the respective female snap buttons.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Conventional zippers generally comprise two zipper tapes, two rows of interlocking teeth, a zipper slider, pins, a top stop, and a bottom stop. Sliding the zipper slider along the zipper tapes can force the two rows of interlocking teeth into engagement with or away from each other. The interlocking teeth can be made of metal, resin or nylon. Further, conventional zippers have different types, such as close end zipper, open end zipper, X type zipper, O type zipper, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,960,010 and US Patent Pub. 20090113676A1 discloses a vintage classic zipper design, which comprises interengageable hook and eye members preferably stamped from sheet metal and respectively firmly crimped upon the edges of two zipper tapes, and a zipper slider movable longitudinally to engage or disengage the interengageable hook and eye members. The interengageable hook and eye members have curved anchoring portions for attachment to the zipper tapes. The anchoring portions of the interengageable members are of relatively short length as compared to the length of the faces of the interengageable members which are in contact when pairs of the members are in interengagement. The hook members have the hook struck from the body of the member and these hooks preferably lie substantially in the plane of the zipper tape when the member is attached thereto. Perforations may be provided in the member. Shoulders on opposite faces of the member form guides for the slider. The eye member is similar in construction to the hook member except that the hook is replaced by an opening or eye which is punched therein to receive the corresponding hook. According to this design, the contact between the zipper slider and the interengageable hook and eye members is a linear contact, thus, moving the zipper slider cannot accurately and positively force the hook members into engagement with the respective eye members, and, the area of the interengageable hook and eye members for contact with the zipper slider can wear quickly with the use of the zipper.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is main object of the present invention to provide a snap button zipper, which eliminates the drawbacks of engagement instability and quick wear of the prior art snap button zipper due to small contact surface area between the male and female snap buttons, ensures a high level of zipper slide sliding stability and engagement accuracy between the male and female snap buttons, and prolongs the lifespan of the zipper.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a snap button zipper comprises two zipper tapes each having a longitudinal side rib extending along one respective long side thereof, a row of male snap buttons arranged along the longitudinal side rib of one zipper tape, each said male snap button having an engagement part and a clamping part clamped on the longitudinal side rib of the respective zipper tape, a row of female snap buttons arranged along the longitudinal side rib of the other zipper tape, each female snap button having an engagement part for interlocking with the engagement part of one respective male snap button and a clamping part clamped on the longitudinal side rib of the other zipper tape, and a zipper slider slidable in one of two reverse directions to force the male snap buttons into engagement with the respective female snap button or to separate the male snap buttons from the respective female snap button. The clamping part of each male or female snap button comprises two clamping panels for clamping on two opposite sides of the longitudinal side rib of the respective zipper tape, two sliding guide portions respectively extending from the clamping panels and respectively defining a respective planar surface for coupling the zipper slider and guiding the zipper slider to move along the zipper tapes, two mounting panels respectively extending from the sliding guide portions for fixation to opposing top and bottom walls of the respective zipper tape. The zipper slider comprises two sliding guide grooves that have respective one ends thereof separated from each other and respective other ends thereof merged into each other to form a Y-shape passage for receiving the male and female snap buttons, and a plurality of stop blocks respectively located at two opposing lateral sides thereof and respectively abutted against respective outer sides of the sliding guide grooves at different elevations and adapted for contacting and moving along the planar surfaces of the sliding guide portions.
Preferably, the clamping panels of the male and female snap buttons are arched panels, each having one end connected to the respective sliding guide portion. Each sliding guide portion has one end thereof connected to one respective arched panel, and an opposite end thereof connected to one respective mounting panel at right angles.
Preferably, each mounting panel comprises a plurality of spikes located at an inner wall thereof.
Preferably, the engagement part and clamping part of each male or female snap button are made of a single piece of metal sheet by stamping. The engagement part has the shape of a curved plate with two opposite ends thereof respectively connected to the two clamping panels of the associated clamping part.
Preferably, each male snap button comprises a hook portion protruding from the engagement part thereof; each female snap button comprises a hook hole located in the engagement part thereof and adapted for receiving the hook portion of the respective male snap button. Further, the zipper slider is movable in one of two reverse directions to force the hook portions of the male snap buttons into or away from the hook holes of the female snap buttons.
Preferably, the engagement part and clamping part of each male or female snap button constitute a configuration of two linked hollow triangles.
The snap button zipper achieves the following effects: subject to the design of the sliding guide portions of the clamping parts of the male and female snap buttons and the design of the planar surfaces of the sliding guide portions and the design of the stop blocks of the zipper slider, a large contact surface area is provided between the zipper slider and the male and female snap buttons, ensuring a high level of zipper slider sliding stability and engagement accuracy between the male and female snap buttons, and preventing quick wearing between the zipper slider and the male and female snap buttons.
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Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
