Structure of zipper slide for invisible zipper

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6497016
  • Patent Number
    6,497,016
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, June 19, 2001
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, December 24, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Sandy; Robert J.
    • Jackson; André L.
    Agents
    • Rosenberg, Klein & Lee
Abstract
A zipper slide for invisible zipper is constructed to include a slide base, a hook plate, a spring element, a locating plate, and a pull tab, the slide base having a longitudinally extended partition block and a recessed receiving chamber in the partition block, the recessed receiving chamber having a hook hole, a first receiving space, a second receiving space and a retaining portion for the positioning of the hook plate and the spring element, the pull tab being coupled to the hook plate by a coupling ring, the slide base, the hook plate, the spring element and the connecting plate being fully automatically fastened together by an automatic stamping machine.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




The present invent relates to a zipper slide for invisible zipper and, more particularly to an improved structure of zipper slide for invisible zipper, which is assembled fully automatically by a stamping machine to save labor cost.





FIG. 1

shows a zipper slide for invisible zipper according to the prior art. This structure of zipper slide


1


comprises a slide base


10


, a swivel hook plate


11


, a spring


12


, and a pull tab


13


. The hook plate


11


has a middle part pivoted to the slide base


10


by a rivet


111


. The pull tab


13


is coupled to one end of the hook plate


11


. The spring


12


is mounted in the slide base


1


and connected between a part of the slide base


1


and the one end of the hook plate


11


. This structure of zipper slide


1


is functional. However, because the hook plate


11


is pivotally connected to the slide base


10


by the rivet


111


, the assembly of the zipper slide consumes much labor and, cannot be achieved by a fully automatic machine.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention has been accomplished to provide a zipper slide for invisible zipper, which eliminates the aforesaid drawback. It is the main object of the present invention to provide a zipper slide for invisible zipper, which is assembled fully automatically by a stamping machine to save labor consumption and to reduce the manufacturing cost. According to the present invention, the zipper slide for invisible zipper comprises a slide base having a longitudinally extended partition block and a recessed receiving chamber in the partition block, the recessed receiving chamber of the partition block comprising a hook hole, a receiving space, and a retaining portion, a hook plate mounted in a recessed receiving chamber in the partition block of the slide base, the hook plate having a hooked tip hooked in the hook hole of the partition bloc and a bottom butt positioned in the receiving space of the partition block, a spring element mounted in the slide base, the spring element having one end fastened to the retaining portion of the partition block and an opposite end pressed on a top face of the hook plate to hold down the hook plate in position, a locating plate fixedly fastened to the slide base, and a pull tab coupled to a hooked tip of the hook plate by a coupling ring. The slide base, the hook plate, the spring element and the connecting plate are fully automatically fastened together by a stamping machine.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a sectional assembly view of a zipper slide for invisible zipper constructed according to the prior art.





FIG. 2

is an exploded view of a zipper slide for invisible zipper constructed according to the present invention.





FIG. 3

is an elevational assembly view of the zipper slide for invisible zipper according to the present invention.





FIG. 4

is a side view in section of FIG.


3


.





FIG. 5

is a sectional view showing the action of the present invention (I).





FIG. 6

is a sectional view showing the action of the present invention (II).





FIG. 7

is a sectional view showing the action of the present invention (III).











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Referring to FIGS. from


2


through


4


, a zipper slide


70


for invisible zipper in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising a slide base


20


, a hook plate


30


, a spring element


40


, a locating plate


50


, and a pull tab


60


. An automatic machine to save labor cost assembles the zipper slide


70


.




The slide base


20


is made of metallic material, for example, aluminum alloy or zinc alloy, comprising two parallel guide ways


21


, which receive the respective zipper tapes (not shown) and have a respective rear part disposed in communication with each other, and a longitudinally extended upright partition block


22


, which separates the guide ways


21


. The upright partition block


22


comprises a recessed receiving chamber


23


, which receives the hook plate


30


.




Referring to FIGS. from


2


through


4


again, the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


comprises a hook hole


24


, a first receiving space


25


, a second receiving space


26


disposed below the hook hole


24


, and a retaining portion


27


.




The hook plate


30


is made of metallic material, for example, aluminum alloy or zinc alloy, comprising a hooked tip


31


extended from one end thereof and inserted through the hook hole


24


into the second receiving space


26


of the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


of the slide base


20


, a bottom butt


32


supported in the first receiving space


25


of the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


of the slide base


20


(see FIG.


4


), a bearing portion


33


extended from an opposite end thereof and stopped against a part of the peripheral wall of the first receiving space


25


of the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


of the slide base


20


, and a top face


33


adapted to support the spring element


40


.




The pull tab


60


is made of metallic material, for example, aluminum alloy or zinc alloy, having a knuckle


63


at its one end to which a coupling ring


62


is pivoted for coupling the pull tab


60


to the hooked tip


31


of the hook plate


30


. The coupling ring


62


defines a hole


61


through which the hooked tip


31


of the hook plate


30


passes. As indicated in

FIG. 3

, the coupling ring


62


couples the pull tab


60


to the hook plate


30


. Further, the pull tab


60


can be marked with a trademark or logo.




The spring element


40


may be variously shaped. According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spring element


40


is a flat spring plate. Alternatively, the spring element


40


can be a curved clamping plate or U-shaped spring plate. When installed, the spring element


40


has one end fixedly connected to the retaining portion


27


of the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


, and the other end pressed on the top face


33


of the hook plate


30


to hold the hook plate


30


in position, keeping the hooked tip


31


of the hook plate


30


hooked in the hook hole


24


of the slide base


20


(see FIG.


4


).




The locating plate


50


is made of made of metallic material, for example, aluminum alloy or zinc alloy, and fixedly fastened to the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


of the slide base


20


at a top side. The locating plate


50


, the slide base


20


, the spring element


40


and the hook plate


30


are fixedly fastened together by stamping (see FIG.


3


).




Referring to FIGS. from


5


through


7


, when pulling the pull tab


60


forward, the bottom butt forms a pivot about which the hook plate rotates to displace the hook tip within the hook hole, the bearing portion


33


is forced against the peripheral wall of the first receiving space


25


of the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


of the slide base


20


, the top face


34


of the hook plate


30


is stopped against one end of the locating plate


50


, and the hooked tip


31


of the hook plate


30


is hooked in the hook hole


24


, and therefore the slide base


20


is positively moved with the pull tab


60


relative to the zipper tapes being received in the guide ways


21


. When stopped from pulling the pull tap


60


, the spring power of the spring element


40


forces the hook plate


30


downwards, thereby causing the hooked tip


31


of the hook plate


30


to be engaged into the second receiving space


26


of the recessed receiving chamber


23


of the partition block


22


of the slide base


20


again.




According to the present invention, the slide base


20


, the hook plate


30


and the spring element


40


are fastened together by stamping. Because the assembly process of the zipper slide


70


eliminates manual riveting, the manufacturing cost of the zipper slide


70


is low.




A prototype of zipper slide for invisible zipper has been constructed with the features of FIGS.


2


˜


7


. The zipper slide for invisible zipper functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier.




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.



Claims
  • 1. A zipper slide for an invisible zipper comprising:a slide base, said slide base having a longitudinally extended upright partition block, said upright partition block comprising a recessed receiving chamber, said recessed receiving chamber comprising a hook hole, a receiving space, and a retaining portion; a hook plate displaceably mounted in said slide base, said hook plate comprising a hooked tip extended from one end thereof and extending into said hook hole of said recessed receiving chamber, a bearing portion formed on an opposing end and extending into said receiving space of said recessed receiving chamber, a bottom butt disposed intermediate said hooked tip and said bearing portion and supported in the receiving space of said recessed receiving chamber, and a top face disposed at a top face of said hook plate, said bottom butt forming a pivot about which said hook plate rotates to displace said hooked tip within said hook hole; a flat spring plate having one end fixedly connected to said retaining portion of said recessed receiving chamber and an opposing end pressed against said top face of said hook plate for holding said hook plate within said recessed receiving chamber and biasing said hook plate to position said hooked tip to extend through said hook hole; a locating plate fixedly fastened to the recessed receiving chamber of said partition block of said slide base; a coupling ring coupled to the hooked tip of said hook plate, said coupling ring defining a hole through which the hooked tip of said hook plate passes; and a pull tab coupled to the hole of said coupling ring.
  • 2. The zipper slide for invisible zipper of claim 1 wherein said slide base, said hook plate and said spring element are fastened together by stamping.
  • 3. The zipper slide for invisible zipper of claim 1 wherein said slide base comprises two parallel guide ways separated by said partition block and adapted to receive a respective zipper tape.
  • 4. The zipper slide for invisible zipper of claim 1 wherein said recessed receiving chamber of said partition block of said slide base further comprises a second receiving space disposed below and in communication with said hook hole and adapted to receive said hooked tip of said hook plate.
  • 5. The zipper slide for invisible zipper of claim 1 wherein said pull tab has one end terminating in a knuckle coupled to said coupling ring.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
90208910 U May 2001 TW
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Number Name Date Kind
4679281 Ishii et al. Jul 1987 A
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5611121 Akeno et al. Mar 1997 A
5625927 Chu May 1997 A
5625928 Terada et al. May 1997 A
5771546 Minato Jun 1998 A
5809622 Yaguramaki Sep 1998 A
5864928 Matsushima Feb 1999 A
6314624 Lin Nov 2001 B1