EP1090565A2

EP1090565A2 - Stud member for a snap fastener

Info

Publication number: EP1090565A2
Application number: EP00120444A
Authority: EP
Inventors: designation of the inventor has not yet been filed The
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-10-06
Filing date: 2000-09-19
Publication date: 2001-04-11
Also published as: ITMI992088A1; ITMI992088A0; EP1090565A3; IT1313772B1

Abstract

An improved back-male assembly for snap fasteners comprises a cap for covering the surface of the head of the back-male assembly and having an upturned edge on the opposite surface of the web, for cooperating with a corresponding portion of the base of the fastener male assembly, for holding a material flap it is fixed to, thereby eliminating any needs of using a reinforcement washer, while allowing the covering cap to be quickly and simply applied to the exposed portion of the back-male assembly head.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved back-male assembly for snap fasteners in general, and a snap-fastener including this back-male assembly.
More specifically, the field of the invention is that of the snap fasteners used for quickly closing cloth article flaps, leather article flaps and the like.
Said snap fasteners conventionally comprise a male portion or assembly riveted on a back-male portion or assembly, therebetween a reinforcement washer, threaded axially on the back-male assembly stem is arranged. The thus made back-male assembly can be easily fitted on the female portion of the snap fastener, to which a corresponding clamping head is riveted.
The above mentioned snap fasteners and, in particular, the snap fasteners including a reinforcement washer therein, have the drawback that they are rather complex construction-wise. In fact, the provision of said reinforcement washer requires a pre-assembling of said reinforcement washer on the stem of the back-male element, with the consequent requirement of performing a perfect centering of the two portions and threading the washer on the stem, with a consequent increase of the making cost.
Moreover, prior reinforcement washer-snap fastener arrangements have the further disadvantage that the operation for applying thereto a covering cap, to be arranged on the back-male head, to provide the snap fastener with a desired aesthetic aspect, is very difficult.
Actually, the application of the mentioned cover cap, in the presence of a reinforcement washer, would provide an excessive thickness, which would be antiaesthetic, as well as of difficult and expensive making.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide a novel back-male assembly or element for snap fasteners in general which, differently from prior back-male assemblies, does not require any provision of a reinforcement washer and which, moreover, can be easily and quickly coupled to a covering cap for covering the back-male assembly head.
A further object of the invention is to provide a snap-fastener including the mentioned back-male assembly.
The above mentioned object, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an improved back-male assembly and snap fastener respectively according to Claims 1 and 7. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
Thus, the snap fastener according to the present invention provides a lot of advantages.
At first, the construction of the snap fastener is very simplified, since it does not include any reinforcement washers, while providing the same effect as that provided by a conventional reinforcement washer.
Moreover, the assembling operations of the snap fastener are made much quicker, since on the back-male assembly of the snap fastener no reinforcement washer must be mounted.
Finally, the snap fastener according to the present invention comprises a covering cap for covering the back-male assembly head, thereby providing it with a desired aesthetic and ornamental pattern.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned objects, characteristics and advantages will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred embodiment of the snap fastener according to the invention, being shown, by way of an indicative, but not limitative, example, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, where:
Figure 1 is an exploded view showing an exemplary snap fastener including a back-male assembly or element according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the back-male assembly of the snap fastener shown in Figure 1, an assembled cap being provided on the head thereof;
Figure 3 shows the back-male assembly of Figure 2 including, riveted thereon, the snap fastener male element, applying an application to a fabric material or the like; and
Figure 4 illustrates a modified embodiment of the counter-male assembly of Figure 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The snap-fastener according to the present invention has been generally indicated in Figure 1 by the reference number 1. Said back-male assembly comprises a back-male element 5 thereon a first fabric flap 11, or any other desired material, is clamped by a male element 9. Said male element 9 back-male 5 assembly is specifically designed for engaging with a female portion 10 in turn coupled to a second fabric flap 13 or the like.
The back-male 5 has a substantially T-shape cross section and comprises a head 4 and a stem 8 arranged cross-wise of said head. Against the surface 14 of the back-male 5 head, opposite to that 7 supporting the stem 8, a cap 2, preferably made of a plastic material, is applied. Said cap comprises a flat bottom 3, thereon, at the side of and in the direction of the head 4 of the back-male 5, an edge 6, adapted to be upturned and clamped on said surface 7 of said head 7 is provided.
As shown in Figure 2, the cap 2 is affixed to the head 4 of the back-male element 5 by causing the bottom 3 to adhere to the surface 14 of said back-male head 4 and by clamping the edge 6 of the cap along the contour of the head 4 and against the surface 7 thereof. According to the invention, the size of the upturned edge 6 is so designed as to cover a broad portion of the top surface 7 of the head 4, to cooperate with a corresponding portion of the surface 12 of the bottom 15 of the male element 9 to held said fabric flap 11 therebetween (Figure 3).
Preferably, if "L" is the width of the bottom 15 of the male element 9 and "I" is the width of the edge portion 6 of the upturned cap 2 of the head 4 of the back-male 5, then the ratio L/I will vary from 1/1 and 2/1. The first of these embodiments is shown in Figure 4. According to an example of the invention, said sizes "L" of the bottom 15 and "I" of the edge 6 upturned portion are respectively of 2.7 mm and 2 mm.
Thus, the cooperation of the upturned edge 6 of the cap 2 and corresponding portion 12 of the bottom 15 of the male element 9 will improve the clamping of the snap fastener to the fabric flap 11, pressed therebetween, thereby providing a firm connection and preventing a possible damage of the fabric from detaching the snap fastener.
Owing to the invention, and as is shown in Figure 3, the upturned arrangement of the edge 6 of the cap 2 on the back-male element 5 head 4, providing the above mentioned reinforcement function of the snap fastener clamped on the fabric, will provide a simultaneous covering of the head 4 of the back male 5. This covering, in actual practice, is provided by the disclosed flat bottom 3 fully covering the exposed to the view portion of the head 4 of the back male 5, to provide the desired chromatic effects, as well as allowing figures, marks, signs and the like to be easily applied.
The invention, as above disclosed and illustrated, can be easily used for making any desired types of snap fasteners, such as that type of snap fastener including a parallel or round spring on the female portion thereof, or including a back male element having a tubular or pointed stem.
The invention can be also applied to jeans snap fastener, by providing an upturned edge cap on the head of the nail element to be affixed in the jeans snap fastener. In such a case too, in actual practice, a cooperation between the upturned edges of the cap on the head and the snap fastener stem, favoring a proper clamping of the snap fastener to the fabric material, will be obtained.

Claims

An improved back-male assembly for snap fasteners in general, of the type comprising a head and a stem, characterized in that said back-male assembly comprises reinforcement means for reinforcing a clamping of the snap fastener to a supporting material, said reinforcing means being integrated in a covering cap for covering said head of said back-male assembly.
A back-male assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that said back-male assembly comprises a cap including a bottom covering an exposed surface of said head of said back-male assembly, said reinforcing means comprising an edge made as a single piece with said cap, said edge being provided for being upturned about said head and above said head thereby covering at least a major portion of a surface of said head supporting said stem and arranged oppositely from said exposed surface.
A snap fastener according to Claim 2, characterized in that said upturned edge portion is designed for cooperating with a corresponding portion of a surface of the bottom of said back-male assembly of the snap fastener, thereby clamping said supporting material flap and providing a reinforcement of the latter as clamped to said snap fastener.
A back-male assembly, according to Claim 3, characterized in that a ratio L/I of a width of said bottom of said male element and L of a width of said edge portion of said cap varies from 1:1 top 2:1.
A back-male assembly according to Claim 4, characterized in that said width of said bottom and said width of said upturned edge portion have respectively a value of 2.7 mm and 2 mm.
A back-male assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that said cap is made of a plastic material.
A snap fastener of a type including a male and back-male assembly, clamped on a first material flap and a female portion clamped to a second material flap, characterized in that said back male assembly includes a cap having an upturned edge according to Claim 5.
A snap fastener according to Claim 7, characterized in that said snap fastener comprises a parallel or round spring on said female portion, and a back-male element having a tubular or pointed stem.
A jeans snap fastener, characterized in that said jeans snap fastener comprises a nail having a head including an upturned edge cap according to Claim 6.