GB2196691A

GB2196691A - Fastener

Info

Publication number: GB2196691A
Application number: GB08625448A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Maxwell Robson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-10-23
Filing date: 1986-10-23
Publication date: 1988-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 2006-10-23
Also published as: GB2196691B; GB8625448D0

Abstract

A slide-type, but slideless, fastener has mating elongate parts 11, 12 which include a hook-like cross- section rib 13 on one part 11 and a latch-like rib 14 on the other part 12 adapted to engage the hook-like rib 13 to hold the two parts in fastening engagement, the latch-like rib 14 being pivotable for engagement and disengagement with respect to the hook-like rib 13 and being located near an edge 17 of its part 12 so that pressure applied at the edge pivots the rib 14. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fastener This invention relates to slide-type, but in this case, slideless fasteners.

It has been proposed to make slide-type fasteners without the usual interlocking teeth attached to stringers but, rather, with simple extrusions of plastics material with interlocking profiles or cross-sections. Such fasteners are to be found on plastic document wallets.

It is a problem with such fasteners that, largely on account of the flexible nature of the material of which they are made, they are relatively easy to spring open simply by virtue of lateral forces between their two parts. To provide greater resistance to such tendency, more complicated cross-sectional latching arrangements have been proposed. These, however, reguire correspondingly complicated sliders. While such complicated sliders are realisable theoretically, in practice it is difficult if not impossible to produce them easily and inexpensively to the right tolerances, especially in the smaller sizes of fastener.

The present invention provides an improved fastener of this type which, however, despite being adeguately secure against springing open when not required to, eliminates entirely the need for a slider. Production becomes a matter therefore of extruding only the ribbed parts.

The invention comprises a slide-type, but slideless, fastener, having mating, elongate parts which include a hook-like cross-section rib on one part and a latch-like rib on the other part adapted to engage said hook-like rib to hold the two parts in fastening engagement, said latch-like rib being pivotable for engagement and disengagement with respect to said hook-like rib and being located near an edge of its part so that pressure applied at said edge pivots said latch-like rib.

The said parts may be made of a flexible material and said hook-like rib pivoted by virtue of a guasi-pivot axis formed by the crosssectional configuration of said material. Said cross-sectional configuration may include a Vshaped notch terminating at said quasi-pivot axis.

The fastener may have a guide groove for insertion of a fingertip or like object to effedt pivoting of said latch-like rib out of engagement with said hook-like rib. Engagement of said latch-like rib in said hook-like rib for closing the fastener may be simply effected by insertion of the fingertip in the groove or by arranging that the latch-like rib is resiliently pivoted by a camming action as the two parts are pressed together.

The parts may be held together by interlocking ribs and grooves themselves held together by engagement of said hook-like rib and said latch-like rib. Said interlocking ribs and grooves may include a part-circular crosssection rib on one part and a complementary part-circular cross-section groove on the other part, the axis of said rib and groove arrangement (when interlocked) permitting pivoting, by rotation of the rib in the groove, so as when the latch-like rib is disengaged to permit the two parts to separate.

The parts may be made of flexible material such that they can twist relatively so that a length of the fastener may be engaged while an adjacent length is disengaged.

On the other hand, applications can be seen for arrangements in which the parts are made of rigid material such that pivoting of any portion of the length of said latch-like rib pivots all or a substantial length thereof so that an entire length of said latch-like rib disengages from the hook-like rib at once.

One embodiment of a fastener according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which the single Figure is a perspective view showing particularly the cross-section.

The slide-type, but slideless, fastener illustrated in the Figure has mating, elongate parts 11, 12 which include a hook-like cross-section rib 13 on one part 11 and a latch-like rib 14 on the other part 12 adapted to engage said hook-like rib 13 to hold the two parts 11, 12 in fastening engagement. Said latch-like rib 14 is pivotable for engagement and disengagement (in the sense of double-headed arrow 16) with respect to said hook-like rib 13 and is located near an edge 17 of its part 12 so that pressure applied at said edge 17 pivots said latch-like rib 14.

The parts 11, 12, are made of flexible material such as extruded polyamide, polyester or other polymer, and said hook-like rib 13 is pivoted by virtue of a quasi-pivot axis (indicated by line 18 in the drawing) formed by the cross-sectional configuration of the material.

The configuration referred to includes a Vshaped notch terminating at said quasi-pivot axis 18.

The fastener has a guide groove 19, formed by part-grooves in the parts 11, 12, for insertion of a finger tip 21 or like object to effect pivoting of said latch-like rib 14 out of engagement with said hook-like rib 13. Although the fastener is designed to work without a slide, it would obviously be possible to provide a slide which would substitute for the finger tip.

In use in, say, a fastener for clothing, replacing the conventional slide-type fastener, a fingertip would be inserted as illustrated at one end of the fastener to unlatch the latchlike rib 14 at that end, the resiiiency of the material of which the fastener is made enabling the parts to twist relatively so that an unfastened length could be adjacent a fastened length. The fingertip can then be run along the fastener to or towards the other end thereof to gradually unlatch the latch-like rib 14 from the hook-like rib 13 and thus open the fastening. Alternatively, unfastening, once the opening has been started at one end, can continue by simply pulling laterally on the two parts of the fastening (or what they are connected to).

The two parts are held together by interlocking ribs 22 and grooves 23 which are themselves held together by engagement of the said hook-like and latch-like ribs, 13, 14.

Said interlocking ribs 22 and grooves 23 include a part-circular cross-section rib 22' of one part and a complementary part-circular cross-section groove 23' of the other part in which the rib 22' can be a snap fit. The axis of this rib and groove arrangement 22', 23' (when interlocked) permits pivoting of the one part 11 relative to the other 12, by rotation of the rib 22' in the groove 23', so as when the latch-like rib 14 is disengaged to permit the two parts 11, 12 to separate.

Closing of the fastener begins at one end, or the other with the rib 22' being inserted in the groove 23' and the parts 11 and 12 rotated to engage the hook-like and latch-like ribs 13, 14. The latch-like rib is opened up for insertion into the hook of the rib 13 by insertion of the fingertip into the groove 19, or simply by pressing the parts together when the latch-like rib 14 will displace to the side and then snap into engagement.

While, as noted above, the parts 11, 12 may be made of flexible material, they may, in other arrangements, be made of rigid material such that pivoting of any portion of the length of the latch-like rib 14 pivots all of it. This could be useful in building panels and the like which are rigid and have no use of flexible connectors but nevertheless need connecting e.g. to each other. Extruded arrangements may have parts of the cross-section of rigid, other parts of flexible extrudate, so that a fastener part may be made integral with a building panel.

With a flexible arrangement it may be noted that it is also possible to provide non-rectilinear extrusions or mouldings so that the fasteners can follow a circular, elliptical or other curved path such as might be useful e.g. for a can closure, a closure disc being provided on its rim with one part of the fastener and the can being provided with the other part. This arrangement will clearly be more useful with plastics material can closures which have inherent flexibility, so that they can be bent locally out of engagement with the rim of the can.

For conventional situations where airtightness watertightness is required, the fastener, being continuous in nature rather than comprised of individual interlocking pairs of segments spaced apart (however closely) along the fastener, is ideal. Additional e.g. labyrinth, seals can be built into the cross-section if desired. However, it will be desirable to effect sealing of seam lines by which the stringers 31 of the fastener are secured to the edges 32 of the garment to be joined. Such is achieved by flaps 33 which are bent back over the seam 34 and secured in such bentback position by further tongue and groove arrangements 35 as shown generally in the Figure.

It will be appreciated that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above example only, many variations, such as might readily occur to one skilled in the art, being possible, without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A slide-type, but slideless, fastener, having mating, elongate parts which include a hook-like cross-section rib on one part and a latch-like rib on the other part adapted to engage said hook-like rib to hold the two parts in fastening engagement, said latch-like rib being pivotable for engagement and disengagement with respect to said hook-like rib and being located near an edge of its part so that pressure applied at said edge pivots said latch-like rib.

2. A fastener according to claim 1, said parts being made of flexible material and said hook-like rib being pivoted by virtue of a quasi-pivot axis formed by the cross-sectional configuration of said material.

3. A fastener according to claim 2, said cross-sectional configuration including a Vshaped notch terminating at said quasi-pivot axis.

4. A fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 3, having a guide groove for insertion of a fingertip or like object to effect pivoting of said latch like rib out of engagement with said hook-like rib.

5. A fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the two parts are held together by interlocking ribs and grooves themselves held together by engagement of said hook-like rib and said latch-like rib.

6. A fastener according to claim 5, in which said interlocking ribs and grooves include a part-circular cross-section rib of one part and a complementary part-circular cross-section groove of the other part, the axis of said rib and groove arrangement (when interlocked) permitting pivoting of the one part relative to the other by rotation of the rib in the groove so as when the latch-like rib is disengaged to permit the two parts to separate.

7. A fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in which the parts are made of flexible material such that they can twist relatively so that a part of the fastener may be engaged while an adjacent part is disengaged.

8. A fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 8, in which the parts are made of rigid material such that pivoting of any portion of the length of said latch-like rib pivots all or a substantial length thereof so that an entire length of said latch-like rib disengages from the hook-like rib at once.