US3798715A

US3798715A - Slider assembly for slide fastener

Info

Publication number: US3798715A
Application number: US00343079A
Authority: US
Inventors: G Moertel
Original assignee: Textron Inc
Current assignee: Talon Inc
Priority date: 1973-03-20
Filing date: 1973-03-20
Publication date: 1974-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1991-03-26
Also published as: NL7401273A; GB1424949A; AU6499674A; AR201846A1; CA987076A; CH568730A5; JPS5651766B2; BR7400649D0; IT1004383B; DE2404353A1; JPS49120744A; BE810328A; LU69279A1; FR2222035B1; FR2222035A1

Abstract

A slider assembly for a slide fastener is disclosed with a slider body with a locking spring for preventing accidental opening movement and with an elongate link for releasing the locking spring. A pull tab pivotally connected with the link is movable between a locked position and an operative position wherein the link is moved to abut the locking spring and move a locking end thereof to an unlocked condition. The slider assembly is particularly useful with slide fasteners of the concealed type in that the slider assembly is substantially hidden from view in locked position.

Description

United States Patent [191 Moertel SLIDER ASSEMBLY FOR SLIDE FASTENER [75] Inventor: George B. Moertel, Conneautville,

[73] Assignee: Textron, Inc., Providence, R].

[22] Filed: Mar. 20, 1973 [21 1 Appl. No.: 343,079

[52] US. Cl. 24/205.l4 K, 24/205.l R [51 Int. Cl A44b 19/30 [58} Field of Search 24/205.14 K, 205.14 R, 24/205.l

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,450.550 10/1948 Griffin 24/205.l4 R

[451 Mar. 26, 1974 3,050,804 8/l962 Morin 24/205.l4 K

Primary ExaminerBernard A. Gelak [57] ABSTRACT A slider assembly for a slide fastener is disclosed with a slider body with a locking spring for preventing accidental opening movement and with an elongate link for releasing the locking spring. A pull tab pivotally connected with the link is movable between a locked position and an operative position wherein the link is moved to abut the locking spring and move a locking end thereof to an unlocked condition. The slider assembly is particularly useful with slide fasteners of the concealed type in that the slider assembly is substantially hidden from view in locked position.

13 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDmzs I874 SHEEY 1 [IF 3 PATENTEUHARZB I974 SHEET 2 [IF 3 FEGG PEG. 7

SLIDER ASSEMBLY FOR SLIDE FASTENER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to slide fasteners and, more particularly, to a slider assembly having a pull tab concealed in a locked position.

2. Description of the Prior Art Slide fasteners are conventionally utilized to provide elongated closures for garments and the like, such slide fasteners normally including interengaging elements which are controllably interlocked by movement of a slider having a pull tab extending therefrom. In order to improve aesthetic appeal of slide fastener closures, it is desirable to conceal as much of the slide fasteners as possible. Thus, there have been may attempts to design the material of the closure to conceal the slide fastener as well as many attempts to design the slide fastener to be attractive and/or unobtrusive. In attempting to conceal the pull tab of the slider, functional as well as aesthetic considerations are involved in that slides conventionally carry locking members which are operated by the pull tabs when the slide fasteners are partially or completely closed to engage the interengaging elements and prevent inadvertent opening movement of the slides.

The use of concealed type slide fasteners presenting a seam-like appearance has increased significantly in recent years due to the fact that the interengaging elements and the slider are hidden from view. In this type of slide fastener it is desirable that the pull tab be moved from the more accessible and visible outer garment side of slide fastener to the inner garment side following partial or completed closing of the slide fastener in order to conceal pull tab and thereby improve the aesthetic appearance of garments, particularly ladies apparel.

Various designs of slider assemblies for slide fasteners have been suggested in the prior art, such as U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,284,864 and 3,516,127. These patents, as well as U. S. Pat. No. 2,238,823, also disclose special designs of a locking construction by which the slider assemblies are locked in the closed position. Prior art slider assemblies for slide fasteners have not been entirely satisfactory because they are relatively complex in design, consist of numerous elements, and are expensive to manufacture. Further, the operation of such slide assemblies is difficult at times due to tip of the slider and unsatisfactory meshing of the interengaging elements of the fastener chain. Some of the disadvantages of prior art slider assemblies further include the use of intricate components which are difficult to assemble and tend to block smooth operation, especially with wear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is generally characterized in a slider assembly for a slide fastener including a slider body including a base plate extending between front.

member pivotally mounted in the elongate channel and movable to extend along the elongate channel without protruding above the walls; and a pull tab pivotally connected with the link and movable between a locked position abutting the base plate of the slider body with the elongate member of the link extending along the elongate channel and an operating position with the elongate member extending from the elongate channel and abutting the locking member to move the locking end out of the Y-shaped channel.

Accordingly, it is anobject of the present invention to construct a slider assembly overcoming the abovementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Another object of the present invention is to utilize an elongate link in combination with an elongate channel in a slider body to provide positive locking and sliding operation without tipping or tilting of the slider body.

A further object of the present invention is to construct a slider assembly for a slide fastener from a minimum number of components.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a locking spring retaining groove in the base plate of a slider body with a tapering width to facilitate assembly and construction with simplified components.

The present invention has another object in that the base plate of a slider body has a concave recess mating with a convex surface of a pull tab to provide centered, stationary placement of the pull tab in a locked position.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to construct a slider assembly with a concealed pull tab in a locked position, the slider assembly including a slider body, with flanged side walls for use with a concealed type slide fastener and a slider body with longitudinally slotted side walls for receiving tapes of a visible type slide fastener.

Some of the advantages of the present invention over the prior art are that the slider assembly of the present invention is simple in design and assembly, utilizes a small number of components, can be utilized with concealed and visible type slide fasteners and is inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunc-' tion with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial front elevational view of a garment utilizing a slide fastenerembodying a slider assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view with parts broken away of the slider assembly of FIG. 2 during a closing operation;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view with parts broken away of the slider assembly of FIG. 2 during an opening operation;

FIG. 5 is a partial top plan view of the slider assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial bottom plan view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the staggered line 7-7 of FIG. 5 with the pull tab in dashed lines in its locked position;

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 7 with the pull tab in its unlocked position;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a detail of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a partial front elevational view of a garment utilizing a slide fastener embodying another embodiment of a slider assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view with parts broken away of the slider assembly of FIG. 10 during a closing oper ation; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the staggered line 12-12 of FIG. 11 with the pull tab in dashed lines in its locked position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A slider assembly 10 according to the present inven tion is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 for use with a slide fastener of the concealed type, such slide fastener including a pair of folded tapes l2 and 14 each having interengaging elements 16 extending therefrom to be controlled by movement of slider assembly 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the folded edges of the

tapes

12 and 14 meet to provide a seam-like appearance for the material or garment and, with the slide fastener fully closed, the slider assembly 10 is substantially hidden from view.

Slider assembly 10 is constructed of a slider body 18, a link 20 pivotally mounted on a slider body 18, a pull tab 22 extending from link 20 and locking spring 23 mounted on slider body 18. Slider body 18 has a base plate 24 with a pair of

side walls

26 and 28 extending transversely therefrom, and

flanges

30 and 32 extend transversely from

side walls

26 and 28, respectively, projecting toward each other in spaced, parallel relation to base plate 24.

Side walls

26 and 28 cooperated with

flanges

30 and 32 and base plate 24 to form a Y- shaped channel extending longitudinally through the slider body 13, the channel diverging at a connector head or diamond 34 centrally disposed on base plate 24 at a front end 36 thereof. Diamond 34 has tapering sides terminating at an apex 38 defining the throat of the Y-shaped channel, and a lip 40 protrudes from the sides of the diamond in alignment with

flanges

30 and 32 such that the slider body 18 has a substantially constant depth determined by the size of the Y-shaped channel with no protrusions extending toward the seam of the tapes l2 and 14 of the slide fastener. Diamond 34 has a pair of

parallel walls

42 and 44 spaced from the longitudinal center of the slider body and extending from tapered sides longitudinally to the front end 36 of the slider body 18.

Walls

42 and 44 form an elongate channel 46 therebetween and have grooves 48 and 50 extending longitudinally along their inner surfaces, respectively, with

protrusions

52 and 54 formed in grooves 48 and 50, respectively, by pinching or otherwise deforming the

walls

42 and 44, as best shown in FIG. 5.

The'base plate 24 of the slider body 18 has a locking spring retaining groove 56 formed in the bottom thereof and angularly oriented with respect to the Iongitudinal center of the slider body, the groove 56 extending from a bore or cast hole 58 in wall 44 of the diamond 34 to an opening 60 adjacent apex 38, as best shown in FIG. 6. Groove 56 is wide adjacent opening 60 and tapers to a narrow end adjacent bore 58 with an opening 62 communicating between channel 46 and groove 56 centrally between the wide and narrow ends. Locking spring 23 is formed of a wire member round in cross section having a bent fixed end 64 swaged in bore 58, a humped central portion as extending into channel 46 through opening 62 and a bent locking end 68, preferably bevelled, extending into the (shaped channel through opening 66, as best shown in FIG. 7. The angular orientation of the retaining groove 56 is such that the locking end as of spring 23 is centered in the slider body whereas the humped central portion 66 is close to or abutting wall 44 in opening 62 in order to assure precise operation of the locking spring 23. The angular orientation of the locking spring 23 has the advantages that there can be a longer throw to the spring and also when pull tab 22 is moved to its concealed locking position the spring 23 will not interfere with movement of the pull tab.

Link 20 is formed of an elongate member 70 terminating at one end at a round loop 72 having a center axis extending transverse to the longitudinal center of the slider body 18 and at the other end in a round head 74 having its center offset from the center of member 70. Link 20 is pivotally mounted in channel 46 on the slider body 18 with ears 76 extending transversely from opposite sides of head 74 and pivotally and slidably received in grooves 43 and 50. Link 23 is dimensioned such that it lays in elongate channel 46 without protruding therefrom with loop 72 extending slightly beyond the front end 36 of the slider body. Pull tab 22 is formed with an offset end 78 forming a loop extending through loop 72 of the link 20 and an end 80 which has a pair of flat surfaces meeting at an apex extending longitudinally along the center of the pull tab to provide the end 80 of the pull tab with a convex V- configuration mating with a concave V-configuration recess 82 formed in the bottom of base plate 24 adjacent a rear end 84 of the slider body, the recess 82 extending from opening 60 to the rear end. The thickness of pull tab 22 increases toward end 80', and. similarly, the depth of recess 82 increases toward rear end 84 of the slider body such that the pull tab 22 nests in the recess 82 with the length of the body of the pull tab being substantially equal to the length of the base plate 2% and the offset end 78 aligned with the front end 36 of the slider body.

In order to open the slide fastener, the portion of the

tapes

12 and 14 extending above the slider assembly 10 are separated, and the pull tab 22 is pivotally moved from the locking position shown in FIG. 2 in conjunction with link 20 to extend between the tapes to be grasped and pulled. The force on the pull tab 22 pivots the link 20 to the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 thereby positioning head 74 to engage humped central portion 66 of the locking spring 23 when the pull tab is in the operative position. As the pull tab is pulled, ears 76 slide in grooves 48 and 50 such that head 74 engages the humped central portion 66 to pivot the locking spring 23 about fixed end 64 to withdraw locking end 68 of the spring into opening 68 thereby placing the locking spring in a position so as not to interfere with movement of the slider assembly to separate the interengaging elements 16.

In closing the slide fastener, pull tab 22 will be in the operative position illustrated in FIG. 3, and the slider assembly 10 is moved such that the elements In converging in the Y-shaped channel will be interengaged, the locking spring 23 not interfering with such movement due to the bevel of the locking end 68. Once the slider assembly is moved to the end of the slider fastener, the pull tab 22 is pivoted in conjunction with the link to engage the base plate 24 as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 7. The mating of end 80 of the pull tab 22 with access 82 in the base plate 24 permits the pull tab to be flat against the slider body 18 and prevents movement of the pull tab thereby not irritating a wearer of the garment utilizing the slide fastener even though the pull tab is on the inside of the garment. To this end, the rear surface of the pull tab is preferably a flat smooth surface. With the slider assembly in the locked position, the slider assembly is substantially hidden from view, as shown in FIG. 1, with no protrusions in the seam formed along the folded edges of the tapes of the slide fastener.

In the locked position, locking end 68 of the spring extends to the Y-shaped channel between interengaging elements to' assure that the slider assembly 10 does not inadvertently move to open the slide fastener. The offset position of the head 74 of the link 20 spaces the head from the humped central portion 66 of the locking spring 23 such that sliding movement of the link 20 will not move the locking spring. Thus, the slider assembly 10 is positively locked against movement until the pull tab 22 is pivoted back to the position of FIGS. 4 and 8.

The ease of operation of slider assembly 10 is superior to those of the prior art in that slider assembly 10 has no cap and cap mounting lugs or ramps, which in other designs are a source of operational interference caused by garment-cap interaction. Further, the tendency of slider assembly 10 to tip is reduced in the opening direction and eliminated in the closing direction because of the relatively large degree of longitudinal travel of the pull tab and link relative to the slider body in the direction of motion with controlled clearance between the pull and garment. Furthermore, in place of a cap, the slider assembly 10 has a contoured projecting lip 40 which extends laterally to cover the critical mesh area where elements 16 are interengaged. The lip 40 has a lower contour to match the profile of the interengaging elements in the covered area, and its upper contour is smooth and designed to avoid interference with a garment panel during operation use of the lip 40 permits control of the interengaging elements to be transferred to the lower contour oflip 40 thus allowing a reduction in the overhang of flanges and 32. This in turn permits more gentle flexing of the slide fastener and garment panel during operation.

Another embodiment of a slider assembly 1110 according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 for use with a visible type slide fastener. Parts of the slider assembly 110 and the slide fastener of FIG. 10 similar to parts of the slider assembly 10 and the slide fastener of FIG. 2 are given the same reference numbers with 100 added, and parts of slider to parts of the slider assembly 10 are given identical reference numbers and are not described again for the sake of brevity.

The primary difference between

slider assemblies

10 and 110 is that slider assembly 110 is designed for use with a visible type slide fastener having a pair of

tapes

112 and 114 secured to the material of a garment or the like, each of the

tapes

112 and 114 carrying interengaging elements 116 along the inner edge thereof. Since the side fastener, as shown in FIG. 10, is externally visible, the slider assembly 110 is formed with

side walls

126 and 128 having

longitudinal slots

86 and 88 therein, respectively, for receiving the

tapes

112 and 114.

Side walls

126 and 128 are formed of lower and upper flanges in order to define the

slots

86 and 88 with base plate 24 having

flanges

90 and 92 extending transversely from the edges thereof to define the lower flanges of

side walls

126 and 128, respectively, and a top plate 94 extending over the base plate 24 having

flanges

96 and 98 extending transversely from the edges thereof to define the upper flanges of side walls 126 and 1128, respectively. Top plate 94, which has a flat upper surface, is supported by the diamond 34 such that the slider body 118 is essentially formed of the diamond 34 with base plate 24 and top plate 94 extending in parallel spaced relation from opposite ends thereof to form the slotted

side walls

126 and 128 and define the Y-shaped channel through the slider body.

The surface of the top plate 94 is continuous with the exception of the elongate channel 46 formed by

walls

42 and 44 of the diamond, and the link 20 is pivotally and slidably mounted in the channel 46. The base plate 24 has recess 82 therein for receiving and centering the pull tab 22 in a concealed position, as shown in FIGS. 10 and I2, and the locking spring 23 is mounted in groove 56 to be operated by link 22 with the locking end 68 extending into the Y-shaped channel to engage the interengaging elements 116 to prevent inadvertent movement of the slider assembly.

The operation of the slider assembly is the same as that described above with reference to slider assembly 10, it being noted that the pull tab is concealed in the locked position and that the top plate 94 has an aesthetically pleasing flat configuration as well as protecting the meshing area for the interengaging elements 116.

The slider assemblies of the present invention may be simply and conveniently manufactured in the following manner from either a plastic or a metallic material. The pull tab 22 and the link 20 may be manufactured in a single operation as a two-piece casting. This manufacturing technique makes it possible to avoid the necessity of a separate pull tab and link assembly operation and also makes it possible to realize the higher strengths possible with continuous sections in the interlocking

loops

78 and 72. This technique permits a much higher strength-size ratio than a conventional clasp pull. Locking spring 23 is inserted into V groove 56 and seated in the slider body with fixed end 64 seated in bore 58. The slider body, which is constructed as a one-piece casting, then may be swaged' adjacent the mouth of bore 58 thereby locking the spring 23 in place. The spring 23 is fully contained in the slider body, permitting the body-spring assembly to be hoppered for assembly with the pull tab and link. Clearance is provided for both spring 23 and link 20 in the slider body to facilitate finishing of the slider assembly. The locking end 68 of spring 23 extends through opening 60 in the base plate of the slider body when spring 23 is in its assembled at-rest position. The link 20 and pull tab 22 are assembled with the slider body by sliding ears 76 into grooves 48 and 50 of the diamond, and the

walls

42 and 44 are subsequently swaged at 52 and 54 to lock the link 20 in the elongate channel 46 while still permitting the link to slide longitudinally therein.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many modifications, variations, changes in details and reversal of parts, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown on the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is: 1. A slider assembly for a slide fastener comprising a slider body including a base plate extending between front and rear ends, and diamond means disposed on said base plate at said front end to define a Y-shaped channel extending longitudinally through said slider body, said diamond means including wall means forming an elongate channel along the longitudinal center of said slider body;

locking means having a locking end movably extending into said Y-shaped channel;

linking means including an elongate member pivotally mounted in said elongate channel and movable to extend along said elongate channel without protruding above said wall means; and

a pull tab pivotally connected with said link means and movable between a locked position abutting said base plate of said slider body with said elongate member of said link means extending along said elongate channel and an operating position with said elongate member extending from said elongate channel and abutting said locking means to move said locking end out of said Yshaped channel.

2. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base plate of said slider body has a concave recess therein adjacent said rear end, and said pull tab has a convex surface mating with said concave recess to be received therein when said pull tab is in said locked position.

3. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base plate has a first opening therein adjacent said diamond means and a second opening therein communicating with said elongate channel, and said locking means includes a spring having an end defining said locking end extending through said first opening, a central humped portion extending through said second opening and a fixed end secured to said slider body at said front end, said central humped portion being moved by abutment with said elongate member of said link means when said pull tab is moved to said operating position.

4. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said elongate member of said link means is slidable in said channel to abut said central humped portion of said spring when said pull tab is moved to said operating position.

5. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 4 wherein said base plate has a retaining groove therein receiving said spring, said first opening in said base plate is disposed along the longitudinal center of said slider body, and said fixed end of said spring is secured in said wall means of said diamond means spaced from the longitudinal center of said slider body, said retaining groove and said spring being angularly oriented relative to the longitudinal center of said slider body and said retaining groove tapering from a wide end adjacent said first opening to a narrow end adjacent said wall means.

6. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said elongate member has a head at one end pivotally and slidably received in said channel, said head being offset such that said head cannot abut said central humped portion of said spring when said pull tab is in said locked position.

7. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 6 wherein said wall means includes a pair of spaced walls having longitudinal grooves therein, and said offset head of said elongate member has a pair of ears extending transversely from opposite sides thereof to be slidably and pivotally received in said grooves in said pair of spaced walls.

8. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 7 wherein said base plate of said slider body has a concave recess therein extending between said first opening and said rear end and said pull tab has a convex surface mating with said concave surface to be received therein when said pull tab is in locked position.

9. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein said elongate member has a loop end opposite said offset head, and said pull tab has an offset end forming a loop extending through said loop end of said elongate member.

10. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elongate member has a head at one end pivotally and slidably received in said channel, said head being offset to abut said locking means when said pull tab is in said operating position and such that said head cannot abut said locking means when said pull tab is in said locked position.

11. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said base plate has an opening therein adjacent said diamond means, and a retaining groove extending from said opening toward said front end angularly oriented relative to the longitudinal center of said slider body, and said locking means includes a spring received in said retaining groove.

12. A slider assembly as claimed in claim ll wherein said slider body includes a top plate extending from said diamond means in parallel spaced relation with said base plate and side walls extending between said base plate and said top plate and having longitudinal slots therein.

13. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said slider body includes side walls extending transversely from opposite sides of said base plate, said side walls having flanges extending transversely therefrom projecting toward each other in spaced parallel relation to said base plate.

Claims

1. A slider assembly for a slide fastener comprising a slider body including a base plate extending between front and rear ends, and diamond means disposed on said base plate at said front end to define a Y-shaped channel extending longitudinally through said slider body, said diamond means including wall means forming an elongate channel along the longitudinal center of said slider body; locking means having a locking end movably extending into said Y-shaped channel; linking means including an elongate member pivotally mounted in said elongate channel and movable to extend along said elongate channel without protruding above said wall means; and a pull tab pivotally connected with said link means and movable between a locked position abutting said base plate of said slider body with said elongate member of said link means extending along said elongate channel and an operating position with said elongate member extending from said elongate channel and abutting said locking means to move said locking end out of said Y-shaped channel.

12. A slider assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said slider body includes a top plate extending from said diamond means in parallel spaced relation with said base plate and side walls extending between said base plate and said top plate and having longitudinal slots therein.