CA1266952A - Zipper necktie - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A pretied necktie comprising a semirigid knot support, a front tie member fixed to and wrapped around the knot support, and a rear tie member having a loop-shaped, neck-encircling upper end which can be enlarged or reduced in size by means of a zip fastener comprising two continuous strings of interlockable elements that are symmetrically secured onto opposite portions of the loop and pass through a slider connected to the knot support. The slider comprises a small elongated hooking member integrally projecting from one of its side. This hooking member acts as the male element of a snap fastener. The female element of this snap fastener is defined by a small slot provided in the front wall of the knot support. The use of such a snap fastener makes the pretied necktie very easy to assemble.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

a) Field of the invention The pxesent invention is concerned with a pretied necktie of the type comprising a semirigid knot support, a front tie member fixed to and wrapped around the knot support and a rear tie member having a loop-shapedl neck encircling upper end which can be inserted and adjusted around the neck of a wearer by means of a zip fastener forming part of it.
More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a pretied necktie of the above mentioned type, which is improved in that the semirigid knot support and the slider of the zip fasteners are provided with a set of cooperating snap fastening means that make them very easy to connect and thereby make the necktie very easy to manufac-ture and assemble.

b) Brief description of the prior art Pretied neckties of the above mentioned type are already known and some of them ~ven are commercially available. In this connect:Lon, reerence can be made, by way of exclmple, to U.S. patent n 3,89~,698 to BY~U et al.
or to Unlted States patent n 4,513,~53 to C~IEN et al.
Reference can also be made to copending Canadian patent applicatlon n ~,3g5 filed on Novembe.r 1st, 1~85 to -the name of the pres.ent Lnventor, Mr. Martln LANDE.
If all the e~is-tincJ pret:Led necktles of the above menti.oned type have numerous advantages, they also have a common known drawback, namely the fact that they are difficult to assemble. Indeed, the structure of all these known pretled neckties makes it compulsory to connect together, in one single step, the front tie member, the knot ~Z~95~

support and the gripping tab of the slider oE the zip ~astener, such a connection being usually carried out by means of a rivet. In addition of requesting some skill, this method of connecting the various elements of the neckties requires the use of a riveting machine,-thereby substantially increasing the cost o~ the neckties.
Moreover, all the existing pretied ne,ckties of the above mentioned ties have another common known drawback, namely the fact that they all tend to loosen during use, thereb~ requiring -the wearer to readjust permanently the knot of the tie about his neck. Indeed, a problem with these known neckties is that the zip fastener used for varying the size of the neck encircling loop is never hard enough to prevent it Erom loosening during use.
To overcome this well known drawback, different solutions have been proposed up to now.
In U.S. patent n ~,513,~53, it is suggested to insert a M-shaped clamp as plug into the vertical hole o~
the knot support in order to lock the rear tie member in position. In copending Canadian patent application n 494,395, it is suggested to use a stopper made of compres-sible foam. rrhis stopper is slldably engac3ed into the vertical hole of the knot support Ln such a manner to engage the strings and lock the same. :Ct ls also sucJgested as an ZS alternative ln this copending Cana~ictn patent application, to use strips of V~CI~:astener f:Lxed -to suitable parts o the :Eront and rcar t:Le members to lock them together once the neck encircling Loop has been adjtlsted.
These proposed solut:Lons are eEEicient in 3() use. However, thcy requ;Lre either clamps or stoppers that are not rig:Ldly connected to the knot support and -thus can be lost, or str:Lps of VEI,CR~ that must stitched and thus increase the amount of time and labour required in order to assemble the tie.

. ~!, ~26~52 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pretied necktie of the above mentioned S type, whose structural elements are designed to ~e assembled in a very simple yet efficient manner, without requiring particular skill from those in charge of this assem~ly, nor requiring the use of a riveting or similar machine.
In accordance with the invention,this object is achieved by using snap fastening means for connecting the slider of the zip fastener with the rear side of the front wall of the knot support. The male element of these snap fastening means are connected to, or integral with,the slider whereas the female element is connected to, or integral with the rear side of the front wall of the knot support. Thus, it becomes very easy to connect the slider of the zip fastener to which the rear tie member is mounted , onto the knot support. It ~ecomes also very easy to detach the rear tie member from the knot support whenever necessary.
. Another object of the present is to provide an improved pretied necktie oE the above mentioned type, which is urther providecl with very efficient yet simple means for braking or even completely preventing the movement of the rear tie member relative to the knot supportin such manner as to retain the knot of the tie in position aEter the neck encircling loop has been adjusted around the wearer's neck.
The pretied necktie according to the lnvention has, as any conventional tie, a front tie portion, a knot portlon, a neck enc:lrcling portion and a rear tie portion. It basically comprises a knot support having vertical front wall provided wlth front and rear sides. This knot support is made of a semir:lgid material, such as polye-thylene plastic. The necktie also comprises a front tie member having an upper end fixed to the fronk side of -the front wall of the knot support. This front tie member is wrapped around the knot ~26i4~95~

support in such a manner as to form both the knot and front tie portions o~ the tie. In addition, the pretied necktie according to the invention comprises a rear tie member having an upper end formed as a loop. This rear tie member forms both the neck encircling and rear tie portions of the tie.
A zip fastener is provided for enlarging or reducing of the siæe of the loop and thus allowing insertion and adjustment of the necktie around the neck of a wearer.
The zip fastener comprises two continuous strings of interlockable elements symmetrically stitched onto opposite portions of the loop. The zip fastener also comprises a slider in which the interlockable elements of the two strings pass and are cammed in, or uncammed from interlocked position.
The slider is fixed to the rear side of the front wall of the knot support, whereby relative movement of the upper end of the rear tie member with respect to the knot support to which the slider is connected, causes the loop of this rear tie member to be increasecd or reduced in size.
In accordance with the invention, the struc-ture of the above mentioned pretied necktie is improved inthat it further comprises snap fastening means for connecting the slider of the zip ~astener to the rear side of the front wall of the knot support. ~hese snap fastening means comprise male and fernale elements that are detachably connectable to each other, the male element beLnc3 rlgidly connectecl to or lntecJral wlth the slider, the ~emale element belng rlgldly connected or lntegral w:lth the front wall of the kno-t support.
Prov:Lded that the sl~der of the zip fas-tener :Ls of conventional structure and comprises a small elongated hooklng member integrally projecting from one of its sicles Eor plvotably holdlng a yrlpplncJ -tab, use can be made of ; this small elongated hooking member as male element a~ter having removed the gripping tab therefrom. In such a case, the female element of the snap fastening means may consist of a small slot provlded in the front wall of the knot support, 9~
-- 5 ~

this slot being shaped and sized to receive and snap on the small elongated hooking member of the slider.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the male element of the snap fastening means may consist of small hooking pin fixed to and projecting from one side of the slider. In such a case, the female element of the snap fastening means may consist of a standard snapping eye sized to receive the hooking pin.
In both cases, the knot support is preferably a hollow body having a kidney-shaped, vertical through~hole and a downwardly extending tongue forming part of its vertical front wall. Then, the small slot or snapping eye defining the female element of the snap fastening means are provided onto -this tongue.
In both of these cases, the upper end of the front tie member can also be fixed in a very simple manner by a staple -to the vertical front wall of -the knot support just above the snap fastening means. This obviously makes the necktie according to -the invention very easy to assemble, without any complicated machine.
~ n order -to brake or even stop the movement of the rear tie member relative to the knot support and -thus to reta:Ln the knot portion Oe thc -l::Le ln posit:Lon after the encircl:lng portion has been adjuste~ thc around wearer's neck, the slider of the ~ip fastener with the strings passing there through, can be hammerecl ~own prior to being connected to the fronl: wal.l oE a knot support. Such a hammerLng :Lncreac;es the pitchincJ act:Lon oE the slider onto the interlockable elementc; oE the stri.ngs and thus achieve the re~uired braking, ln a very simple and inexpensive manner~
~ lternatlvely, -the rear side of the tongue of the knot support may be shaped so as to be in direct contact with, and to bear against the rear tie member on both sides of the slider when the same is snapped on, such a contact causing the tongue to act as a Eriction pad to 95~
~ 6 retain the knot of the tie in position.
To lock the knot portion, use can also be made Or a slider of the type comprising a locking pin pressed by a spring to normally engage the interlockable elements and lock the strings inside the slider, wuch a pin being mechan-ically connected to an operating tab. In such a case, the operating tab is mounted on and extends from the other side of the slider which is opposite the male element of the snap fastening means. Moreover, the operating tab is positioned in such a manner as to extend inside the vertical through-hole of the knot support and to bear against the rear wall of this knot support, whereby a mere pressure excited onto the rear wall of the knot support causes the operating tab to withdraw the locking pin and release the strings, such a release in turn allowing the neck encircling portion to be increased or reduced in size.
In accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the two continuous strings of interlockable elements consists o two different portions of a sincJle zip fastener string of interlockable elements of symmetrical construction, stitched along the full lengh-t of the loop-formed upper end of the rear tie member. Once again, this eature makes the necktie according to the invention very easy to assemble.
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Some embodiments of the inv~ntion wlll now be describecl in greater detall, w:Lth reference to the accOmpan~inCJ drawincJs in whlch~
~ fl~ure 1 is a Eron-t view of a pretied necktie accor~incJ to the inventlon, illustratin~ the wrapping of the front tie member around the knot support to form the knot port iOII;
3S - figure 2 ls an exploded perspective view ~695i'~

of a first embodiment of a knot support and slider assembly for use in the pretied necktie shown in figure l;
- figure 3 is a side elevational, cross-section view of the knot support and slider assem~ly sho~
in figure 2;
- ~ic~re 4 isa bottom rear perspective view o~
a second embodiment of a knot support and slider asser~ly, showing the slider in detached position;
- figure 5 is a side elevational, cross-section view of the knot support and slider assembly shownin figure 4, with the knot support and slider in detached position;
- figure 6 is a rear perspective view of a variant of the assembly shown in figure 2;
- figure 7 is a side elevational, cross-section view of the variant shown in figure 6;
- figure 8 is a top, cross-sectional vlew of the variant shown in figuxes 6 and 7; and - figures 9 and 10 are side elevational, cross-section views of another variant of the assembly shown in figure 2, with the slider provided wi-th a locking pin and an operatiny tag.

DBSCRIPTION OF SEVERAL PREFERRED EMBODIMENrr9 rrhe pretLed neck-tie according to the invention as shown in the acCompany:incJ drawings, has, as any conventlonal t:Le, a front tie port:Lon 1, a knot por-tion 3, a neak encircllng portion 5 and a rear t:Le port:Lon 7.
~s better shown in figures 1, 2, 4 and 6, the pretled necktie basically comprlses a knot support 9 made of semiriyid material, such as plastic. The knot support 9 advantageously comprises a hollow body having a vertical front wall 10, a vertical rear wall l?, a kidney-shaped, vertical through-hole 11 in between the walls 10 and 12, and a down-... .. . .

, .

: , , ~L26~9 wardly extending tongue 13 forming part of the vertical ~ront wall 10.
The pretied necktie also comprises a front tie member 15 having an upper end 17 fixed onto the ~ront side of the front wall 10 of the knot support 9. This front tie member 15 is wrapped around the knot support 9 in such a manner as to form both the knot and front tie portions 3 and 1 of the necktie.
The pretied necktie further comprises a rear tie member consisting of a band of fabric 21 having one edge along the full length of which a single zip fastener string 23 of interlockable elements of symmetrical construction is stitched. This band 21 of fabric with its ed~ing string 23 of interlockable elements is folded and manipulated in such a manner as to have both of its ends 25 and 25' passed simultaneously inside a zip fastener slider 27 which is itsel~
connected to the rear wall of the tonyue 13, just under the through-hole 11 of the knot support 9. In this slider 27, the opposite interlockable elements of symmetrical construction are cammed in interlocked position. The lower portion of the folded band 21, whose ends 25~ 25' are joined under the slider 27, defines the rear tie portion 7 of the tie whereas the upper portion of the band 21 which forrns a large loop, defines the neck encircling portion 5 of the tie.
OE course, relative movement of the upper end oE the rear tie member w:L-th respect to the knot support ~ to which the slider 27 is connected, causes -the neck encircling portion 5 deflned by the loop formed by rear t:le member to be lncre~sed or reduced in sl~e.
As explained in ~he preamble oE the present speci~ication, -this basic structure Ls already known per se and disclosed, by way oE example, in copending Canadian patent n 494,39S filed on November lst, 1985. By way of mere reference, it can be indicated that use can be made of the strinc~ sold by Y.K.K. CANADA INC. under the trademark 25 :

;';' :

9~
g CF ZIPLON, as zip fastener string 23. Indeed, the interlockable elements of ~his particular string have proved to have the symmetrical construction which is necessary to make the rear tie member operable as disclosed hereinabove.
In accordance with the present invention, snap fastening means are provided for connecting the slider 27 of the zip fastener to the rear side of the front wall of the knot support 9.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the invention shown in figures 2 and 3, these snap fastening means comprise a male element 29 which is integral to the slider 27, and a female element 31 which is integral to the front wall o~ -the knot suppor-t 9, these male and female elements 29 and 31 being detachably connectable -to each other.
In greater de-tails, the male element 29 of the snap fastening means consists of a small elongated hooking member integrally projecting from one side of the slider 27.
Such a hooking member 29 exists in most of the commercially available sliders, for use in pivotably mounting a gri.pping tab (not shown) for operating the zip fastener. Therefore, one can see that it is not necessary to modify in any way the sll.der 27 o:E the above mentioned type oE zip fastener used in accordance with the pres0nt invent:Lon, to make this slider useEul and operable. ~s a mcltter o:E :Eact, the only ~5 step to bc taken -to adapt a standard z.ippcr to the present :Lnven~:Lon :Ls to remove ttle g:r:;pp:itlg tab frolrl ~he hook:ing rnemb~:r 29.
~l'he ecmale eLaman~ 31 Oe the snap Eas~enincJ
mearls advantageously consists o~ a :mal:L slot provided in the ront wall o~ the knot support 9. ~s clearly shown in the accompanyinCJ :E:icJures, the slot 31 :Ls shaped and sized to receive, and snap on, the stnall elongated hooking member 2 of the sl.Lder 27.
Usually, the elongated hooking member 29 of the sli.der 27 is provided with a transversal, slot-shaped ~7` .~.
'~

. .

695~

through-hole 33 in which the gripping tab is pivotably mounted.
In such a case, the sma].l slot 31 provided in the front wall of the knot support 9 can be so shaped as to define a pair of opposite tongues 35 (see figure 2) sized to engage and snap in both sides of the through-hole 33 of the hooking member, when the same is inserted and pressed into the slot 31. Such an arrangement makes the connection of the male and female elements of the snap fastening means very reliable.
As clearly shown in -the drawings, the slot 31 acting as female element of the snap :Eastening means, is advantageously provided in the tongue 13 which downwardly extends the vertical front wall 10 of the knot support 9.
This particular positioning advantageously permits the upper end 17 of the front ti.e member 15 to be ~ixed onto the upper surface of vertical front wall 10 of the knot support 9, above the tongue 13. As shown in figure 1, such a fixation can be easily achieved by means oE a s-taple 37. Once agaln, one can see that the various structural elements of the pretied necktie according -to the invention are very easy to assemble even by an unskilled person, without any costly equipment.
~ndeed, the rear tie member 7 and the slider 27 can be merely snapped onto the rear side oE the tongue 13 of a knot swpport 9. While the E:ront t:i.e member can be simply s~apled onto the knot s~lpport 9, ~herohy mak:ing the whole neckt.ie ve:ry easy to asst)m~le.
:Cn accordance w:ith anothcr embod:iment oE the inven-t:ion shown:Lrl E:i.cJures ~ ancl 5, l:he mal.e elernent oE the snap Eastenin~ mcclns cc)ns:isks of a small. hookincJ p.in 29' fi.xed to and protect:iny Erom one .si.de Oe the sL:ider 27. .In such a case, the :eema:Le e:Lement Oe the snap fasten.ing means consists oE a snapping eye 31' si~ed to :receive the hooking pin 29'.
'l'he hooking p:in 29' and snapping eye 31' can be made of metal or plastic and can have any shape such as round as shown in figure 4, or scluare (to make them non-rotatable with respect ~3 , .i.;

~.2~ 35~

- lOa -to each other). These elements 29' and 31' can be welded fi~ed or punched in any standard way onto the slider 27 and knot support 9, respectively. However, these pin 29' and eye 31' can also be ...~_ ~266~5~

made integral to the slider 27 and knot support 9. sy way of example, when both of the knot support 9 and slider 27 are made of plastic material, the pin 29' and snapping eye 31' can be integrally molded therein.
As shown in figures 4 and 5, the snapping eye 31' is preferably positioned onto the tongue 13 of the knot support 9. Once again, the upper end 17 of the front tie member can be fixed by a stample to the front wall 10 of the knot support, just above the snapping eye 31'.
To make the pretied necktie accordi.ng to the invent.ion very effi.cient in use, means can be provided for braking or even stopping the movement of the rear tie member relative to the kno-t support 9 in SUC}I a manner as to retain the knot support por-tion 3 of the tie in posi-tion aiter the neck-encircling por-tion 5 has been adjusted around the wearer's neck.
In accordance with the invention, such a braking can be achieved by merely hammering down the slider 27 of the zip fastener after having passed the strings 23 there-through. Such a hammering can be made prior to connectiny the slider 27 to the knot support 9, in order to increase -the pltchlng act:ion oE the slider onto the interlockable elements of the strings and thereby make the slid:LncJ mo~ion o~ thcse s~rincJs .lns:Lclc the slicler more d:L~E:I.cult. This, O:e course al:l.ows the knot o the t:Le to stay in po~it:Lon aEter the neck enc-ircli.ng portion has becr adjusted arouncl the wearer's ncGk.
:Cn accordance wlth khe var:Lant o the inven-tion as shown in EicJure~ 6 to ~, brak:Lng o the rear tie member can also be achieved by shaplncJ the rear s:Lde of the ton~ue 13 o the knot support 9 in such a manner that i-t is in direct contact and hears onto the rear tie member 7 on both sides o the slider 29 when the same is snapped on in the srnall hole 3L :in -the tongue 13. To achieve such a contact and friction, the rear side of the tongue 13 can be 6~9S~

prc)vided with a small rec~ss 37 whose depth is substantially equal to the khickness of the corresponding side of the slider 27. The recess 37 which e~ends all around the slot 31 can be sized to allow full insertion therein of the slider 27, as shown in the drawings; This in turn allows the rear side of the tongue 13 to come into contact with the band of fabric 21 forming the rear tie member 7 (see figure 8) and to act as a friction pad to retain the knot of a ti.e in position after the neck encircling portion 5 has been adjusted around the wearer's neck.
According to another variant shown in figures 9 and 10, use can also be made of a slider 27 which, on one side, cornprises a small elongated hooking member 29 and, on the other side, a locking pin 41 pressed by a spring 43 to normally engage the interlockable elements and thereby lock the strings inside the slider (see figure 9). The locking pin 41 and its spring 43 are both mounted inside another small elongated member 45 projecting from the other side of the slider 27. ~n operating tab 47 is pivotably mounted onto the member 45 and mechanically connected to the locking pin 41 either directly or via the spring 43 to raise -the pin 41 and thereby release the strings whenever desired.
It .is wor-th noting that this pa.rticular cornblnati.on of a locking p:ln with an operat:in~ tab to lock 2S the strlngs of :Lnterlockable elemt3nts oE a zlp fastener is very standarcl and manuEacturecd by most of khe zlp fastener manuE~Icturt.l;r.c;. Ii .iCJ al.so :i.ntereG;tlng tt.~ note thak sl.idt-rc;
prov:idecI w:i.th cJr:ipp.in(J or opc~rc.It::i.rlcl tcabs on both .q:i.des a:re a:I..so ve:ry comrnorI and usetl~ by way o: example, :in tht! rnanu-~actu.re o.~ the cJa:rments Icnown ag ":rt)versi.ble". However,to the appl.:icanl'.c; knowledge, the:rt-~ :is no slider presently ava:il.able, hav.iny a mere~ grlppincJ tab on one side and a combined locking~p.in-operating tab assembly on the o-ther s:ide as discl.osed hereinabove in the reEerence to figures 9 and lO.

,~

S~
- 12a -As shown in figures 9 and 10, the operating tab 47 in mechanical connection with the locking pin 41 is mounted and positioned in such a manner as to extend vertically in-side the vertical through-hole 11 of the knot support 9 and bear against the rear wall /

:

~6~9~

support. As can be seen, mere pressure exerted by a f.inger onto the rear wall 12 of the knot support which, as aforesaid, is made of semirigid plastic material, causes the operating tab 47 to withdraw the locking pin 41 from the interlockable elements of the strings and thereby to release these strings, such a release in turn allowing the tie encircling loop to be increased or reduced in size.
It is worth noting tha-t the latter variant is particularly interesti.ng since it is the only one which allows positive fixation and locking of the rear tie member with respect to the knot suppGrt.

~ . .

Claims (17)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In a pretied necktie having, as any conventional necktie, a front tie portion, a knot portion, a neck encircling portion and a rear tie portion, said pretied necktie comprising:
- a knot support made of semirigid material, said knot support having a vertical front wall with front and rear sides;
- a front tie member having an upper end fixed to the front side of the front wall of said knot support, said front tie member being wrapped around the knot support in such a manner as to form both the knot and front tie portions of the necktie;
- a rear tie member having an upper end formed as a loop, said rear tie member forming both of said neck encircling and rear tie portions of the necktie; and - a zip fastener for enlarging or reducing the size of the loop and thus allowing insertion and adjustment of the pretied necktie around the neck of a wearer, said zip fastener comprising two continuous strings of interlockable elements symmetrically stitched onto opposite portions of the loop and a slider in which the interlockable elements of the two strings pass and are cammed in, and uncammed from, interlocked position, said slider being connected to the rear side of the front wall of the knot support whereby relative movement of the upper end of the rear the member with respect to the knot support to which the slider is connected causes the loop of said rear tie member to be increased or reduced in size, the improvement wherein:
- snap fastening means are provided for connecting the slider of the zip fastener to the rear side of the front wall of the knot support, said snap fastening means comprising male and female elements detachably connectable to each other, said male and female elements being rigidly connected to, or integral with, said slider and said front wall of the knot support, respectively.

2. The improved pretied necktie of claim 1, wherein:
- the slider of the zip fastener comprises a small elongated hooking member integrally projecting from one of its sides;
- the male element of the snap fastening means consists of said small elongated hooking member; and - the female element of said snap fastening means consists of a small slot provided in the front wall of the knot support, said slot being shaped and sized to receive and snap on the small elongated hooking member of the slider.

3. The improved pretied necktie of claim 2, wherein:
- the small elongated hooking member of the slider is provided with a tranversal, slot-shaped through-hole;
and - the small slot provided in the front wall of the knot support is so shaped as to define a pair of opposite tongues sized to engage and snap in both sides of the through-hole of the hooking member when the same is pressed into the small slot.

4. The improved pretied necktie of claim 3, wherein:
- the knot support is a hollow body having a kidney-shaped vertical, through-hole;
- said body has a downwardly extending tongue forming part of its vertical front wall;

- the small slot defining the female element of the snap fastening means is provided in said tongue; and - the upper end of the front tie member is fixed with a staple to the vertical front wall of the knot support abovesaid small slot.

5. The improved pretied necktie of claim 4, wherein the slider of the zip fastener with the strings passing therethrough, is hammered down prior to being connected to the front wall of the knot support, in order to increase the pinching action of said slider onto the interlockable elements of the strings and thus retain the knot of the tie in position after the neck encircling loop has been adjusted around a wearer's neck.

6. The improved pretied necktie of claim 4, wherein the rear side of the tongue of the knot support is so shaped as to be in direct contact with, and bear onto, the rear tie member on both sides of the slider when the same is snapped on in the small hole of said tongue, such a contact causing the tongue to act as a friction pad to retain the knot of the tie in a position after the neck encircling loop has been adjusted around a wearer's neck.

7. The improved pretied necktie of claim 4, wherein:
- the slider of the zip fastener further comprises a locking pin, pressed by a spring to normally engage the interlockable elements and lock the strings inside the slider, and an operating tab mechanically connected to said locking pin to raise the same and thus release the strings whenever desired;
- said operating tab is mounted on and extends from the other side of the slider, which is opposite to the small elongated hooking member; and - said operating tab is positioned in such a manner as to extend inside the vertical through-hole of the knot support and bear against the rear wall of said knot support, whereby a mere pressure applied onto said rear wall of the knot support causes said operating tab to withdraw the locking pin and release the strings, such a release in turn allowing the neck-encircling loop to be increased or reduced in size.

8. The improved pretied necktie of claim 5, wherein said two continuous strings of interlockable elements consist of two different portions of a single zip fastener string of interlockable elements of symmetrical construction stretched along the full lentgh of the loop-formed upper end of the rear tie member.

9. The improved pretied necktie of claim 8, wherein said single zip fastener string is a 25 CF ZIPLON*
string (*trade mark of Y.K.K. CANADA INC.).

10. The improved pretied necktie of claim 6, wherein said two continuous strings of interlockable elements consist of two different portions of a single zip fastener string of interlockable elements of symmetrical construction stretched along the full lentgh of the loop-formed upper end of the rear the member.

11. The improved pretied necktie of claim 10, wherein said single zip fastener string is a 25 CF ZIPLON *
string (*trade mark of Y.K.K. CANADA INC.).

12. The improved pretied necktie of claim 7, wherein said two continuous strings of interlockable elements consist of two different portions of a single zip fastener string of interlockable elements of symmetrical construction stretched along the full lentgh of the loop-formed upper end of the rear tie member.

13. The improved pretied necktie of claim 12, wherein said single zip fastener string is a 25 CF ZIPLON *
string (*trade mark of Y.K.K. CANADA INC.).

14. The improved pretied necktie of claim 1, wherein:
- the male element of the snap fastening means consists of a small hooking pin fixed to and projecting from one side of the slider; and - the female element of said snap fastening means consists of a snapping eye sized to receive the hooking pin.

15. The improved pretied necktie of claim 14, wherein:
- the knot support is a hollow body having a kidney-shaped vertical, through-hole;
- said body has a downwardly extending tongue forming part of its vertical front wall;
- the snapping eye defining the female element of the snap fastening means is provided in said tongue; and - the upper end of the front tie member is fixed by a staple to the vertical front wall of the knot support above said snapping eye.

16. The improved pretied necktie of claim 15, wherein said two continuous strings of interlockable elements consist of two different portions of a single zip fastener string of interlockable elements of symmetrical construction stretched along the full lentgh of the loop-formed upper end of the rear tie member.

17. The improved pretied necktie of claim 16, wherein said single zip fastener string is a 25 CF ZIPLON*
string (*trade mark of Y.K.K. CANADA INC.).