EP3148357A1

EP3148357A1 - Closing device for clothing and accessories

Info

Publication number: EP3148357A1
Application number: EP15739674.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fabrizio GIACOMOZZI; Lorenzo GIACOMOZZI
Original assignee: Accessori Val Vibrata Srl
Current assignee: Accessori Val Vibrata Srl
Priority date: 2014-03-10
Filing date: 2015-05-26
Publication date: 2017-04-05

Abstract

The present invention concerns a closing device positioned between a first and a second margin (M, M') of an article, comprising two flexible strips (2, 2'),which can be paired and having a first free end (L, L') and being joined to a second end (E) provided with a stop (3), said second end being fixed on a first margin (M), coupling elements (4) on each edge (5, 5') of the two adjacent edges of the strips, at least one slider (6) sliding along said edges (5, 5') and configured to join said coupling elements (4) along a first sliding direction and to separate said strips along an opposite sliding direction and joining means (8) positioned on the second margin (Μ'), said means being connectable to said slider (6). This device is typically suitable for garments and accessories.

Description

TITLE

"CLOSING DEVICE FOR CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES"

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a closing device to be applied to various articles, typically, but not limited to, garments and accessories. In particular, the present invention relates to a zipper-type device with which two margins of said articles are drawn together. More in particular, this device is of the slider zipper kind, such as zip fasteners of closed end type.

The term "slider zippers" means those zippers having flexible strips that can be paired, on the edges of which there are present elements that enable these strips to be coupled, and therefore these elements are defined hereinafter as "coupling elements". According to the type of zipper, the coupling elements are profiles, each on the respective edge of the strip, structured to mutually interpenetrate. These profiles can be discrete, i.e. single adjacent units, such as a plurality of hooks (or teeth), as in the case of zip fasteners, or two continuous profiles, each on the respective edge of the strip, structured to mutually interpenetrate, as in closing devices for plastic bags. Said profiles can be mutually coupled and decoupled by means of a passage in a Y-shaped path inside a slider. In fact, said path divides the slider into two parts, on one side and on the other side of said path. At least one of the aforesaid parts has a shape that allows it to be grasped or has means adapted to be gripped, commonly called puller or zip puller, these means facilitating movement of the slider in order to pull it along the sliding directions. In articles of reversible type, for example jackets, both the aforesaid parts of the slider have a shape that allows it to be grasped or have means adapted to be gripped. Therefore, for ease of description, hereinafter the term "visible part" indicates the part of the slider facing the outside of the article. Usually, said part is structured so that it can be grasped by the user to move the slider along the zipper. The other part is defined herein as "invisible part".

The zippers used in the present invention are of closed end type. In closed end zippers, the two strips at one of the two ends are always joined by a stop. Therefore, at this end the zipper is provided with a single terminal end against which the slider ends its travel.

At the opposite end the two strips can be separated. When the zipper is open, the two strips are separated. At this end there are usually two terminal ends, one for each strip, that prevent the slider from exiting from the zipper.

In this description, the term open zipper means that the coupling elements on the edges are not mutually coupled, while the term closed zipper means that the coupling elements on the edges are mutually coupled.

Said closing device is used, in particular, in the sector of clothing, footwear and accessories, such as belts, shoes, etc. However, this device can also be used in other sectors, such as the furnishing and household article sectors.

Devices currently in use and similar in purpose to the present invention are, for example, buttons, laces and the like.

Analogously to said known devices, the device of the present invention has the purpose of holding together the margins of garments or other articles.

A known device such as, on the one hand, buttons and buttonholes and, on the other, laces or cords, enables the article to be maintained firmly closed once the device has been fastened. However, these devices have some drawbacks. The former have a preset adjustment of the width of the opening that depends on the positioning of the buttons and buttonholes on the article. The latter require a fastening operation that involves a few steps and manual dexterity. Therefore, on the one hand this operation takes time and on the other requires a certain degree of dexterity. Instead, at times it would be more advantageous and practical for said operation to be performed more rapidly.

The aforesaid drawbacks are solved by the present invention, which is a device for a fastening or closing, or both, in the form of a closed-end zipper that enables a fine adjustment and simultaneously ensures a rapid adjustment of closing/opening of the device.

This device comprises two separable and distinct units, which are (I) the zipper and (II) the joining means. Each of said units (I) and (II) is fixed on one of the two adjacent margins of the article. The hinge (I) is provided with a slider which can be joined to joining means (II) placed on the margin opposite the margin on which the zipper is fixed. The movement of the slider along the zipper, to the desired point of the zipper, enables the desired distance between the aforesaid two opposite margins to be obtained. Subsequent joining of the slider to the aforesaid joining means enables the desired distance between said two margins of the article to be maintained. Therefore, according to the position of the slider, its movement along the zipper causes the two adjacent margins to move mutually toward or away from each other. More specifically, positioning of the slider in proximity of the stop corresponds to the zipper completely open. Therefore, this position of the slider constitutes the maximum movement of the margins toward each other attainable with the present invention. In the opposite case, i.e. positioning of the slider against or in proximity of the terminal end only corresponds to the completely closed position of the zipper. Therefore, this position of the slider constitutes the maximum possible distance between the two margins of the article attainable with the present invention when the two separable units of the device are still connected to each other.

Due to this solution, the device of the present invention also offers the advantages of being adjustable easily and with only one hand in the case in which the slider is never separated from the joining means.

The present invention therefore relates to a closing device positioned between a first and a second margin of an article, comprising the following components: a) two flexible strips, that can be paired and having a first free end and being joined to a second end provided with a stop, said second end being fixed on a first margin,

b) coupling elements on each edge of the two adjacent edges of the strips, c) at least one slider sliding along said edges and configured to join said coupling elements along a first sliding direction and to separate said strips along an opposite sliding direction, and

d) joining means connectable to said slider.

Said joining means are positioned on the second margin of the article.

The joining means are fixed, preferably directly, on the second margin of the article.

The components from (a) to (c) form a slider zipper.

When in use, the joining means of the device are connected to the slider, so that during its movement along the zipper of the slider draws with it the joining means. These latter are connectable to any part of the slider, preferably to the invisible part of the slider.

Just as in prior art zippers, the slider has at least one of the two parts with a structure adapted to be gripped or provided with a gripping means, such as in the case of a zip fastener.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the description below, provided by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: - Fig. 1 is a front view of the closing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the joining means are not connected to the slider of the zipper;

- Fig. 2 is a rear view of the closing device of Fig. 1 , when the joining means are coupled and the zipper is partly open;

- Fig. 3 is a front view of the closing device of Fig. 1 , applied to a garment, when the joining means are connected to the slider and the zipper is open;

- Figs. 4a, 4b and 5 are other examples of application of the closing device according to the present invention.

In the accompanying figures, the closing device is indicated as a whole with the numeral 1.

Fig. 1 shows the closing device not in use, i.e. when the joining means are not connected to the zipper. The zipper is fixed on the first margin and the joining means are fixed directly on the second margin. The slider 6 is provided with a gripping means 7 positioned on the visible part of the slider.

According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, shown in Fig. 2, the joining means 8 are configured to be connected, for example to couple, on the invisible part 6b of the slider 6. In particular, the joining means 8 comprise a clasp 9 that supports a movable element (10) configured to close said clasp 9.

Joining means of other kind are possible, such as two hook-shaped clasps.

Fig. 3 shows the closing device in use in closed form. The joining means are connected to the invisible part of the slider and this is in proximity of the zipper stop.

The joining means are connectable to the slider, preferably to the invisible part, but if required they can be connected to the visible part. Therefore, the slider has a suitable element E, for example a ring, to be able to connect to said joining means. The same gripping means could act as suitable element E.

As previously mentioned, the devices of the present invention are preferably configured as a zip fastener.

As is known, zip fasteners are provided with coupling elements 4 that comprise a plurality of hooks (or teeth) that can be mutually coupled and decoupled by means of a slider 6.

Another kind of slider zippers are those zippers provided with coupling elements comprising a first continuous profile and a second continuous profile on the respective strips 2, 2'. These profiles are structured to mutually interpenetrate. Zippers of this kind are typically used as closing devices for plastic bags.

The devices according to the present invention are made with the materials normally used in the prior art to produce them, such as metal or thermoplastic material.

These devices are well known to those skilled in the art and therefore will not be described in further detail.

Those skilled in the art may also introduce some modifications or variants, for example in the shape of the joining means, or slider provided with a safety stop to prevent involuntary opening of the closure, or gripping means positioned on both parts of the slider, which are to be considered included in the scope of protection granted by the content of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A closing device (1) positioned between a first and a second margin (M, M') of an article, comprising the following components:

a) two flexible strips (2, 2') that can be paired and having a first free end (L, L') and being joined to a second end (E) provided with a stop (3), said second end being fixed on a first margin (M),

b) coupling elements (4) on each edge (5, 5') of the two adjacent edges of the strips,

c) at least one slider (6) sliding along said edges (5, 5') and configured to join said coupling elements (4) along a first sliding direction and to separate said strips along an opposite sliding direction, and

d) joining means (8) positioned on the second margin (Μ'), said means being connectable to said slider (6).

2. The device (1) according to claim 1 , wherein said joining means (8) are configured to connect to an invisible part (6B) of the slider (6).

3. The device (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the joining means (8) comprise a clasp (9) that supports a movable element (10) configured to close said clasp (9).

4. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one gripping means (7) connected to the slider (6) to draw this latter along said sliding directions.

5. The device (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling elements (4) comprise a plurality of hooks that can move mutually toward and away from the slider (6).

6. The device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the coupling elements (4) comprise a first continuous profile and a second continuous profile on the respective strips (2, 2'), said profiles being structured to mutually interpenetrate.