US2440007A - Slide fastener - Google Patents

Description

April 20, 1948. M, FRANK 2,440,007

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Sept. 14, 1945 v INVENT TjYe/Wza/z W2k ATTORNEY Patented Apr.` 20, 1948 2,440,007 SLIDE FASTENER Herman M. Frank,

New Britain, necticut New Britain. Conn., assignmto The North &CJudd Manufacturin cnn.,

g Company,

a corporation of Con- Application September 14, 1945, Serial No. 616,218

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to slide fasteners and, in particular, to the provision of a new and improved slide fastener interlocking member, element or secon It is an object of this invention to provide such a new and improved interlocking member, or scoop, which is symmetrical, top and bottom, and

-two stringers oi appropriate length may be "pulled-up or connected by interlocking engagement of their scoops regardless of which end of rections of its movement over the stringers.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such an interlocking member or scoop which is of simple form, which is possessed of great strength, which affords relatively great security of interlocking engagement and which provides adequate flexibility in operation without sacrifice of strength, security or durability.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a. scoop which engages with and disengages from the adjacent opposed or complementary scoops of the opposite slide fastener stringer with minimum interference, thus reducing frictional wear to a minimum.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved slide fastener embodying such interlocking fastener members or scoops as a part thereof.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention Will clearly appear from the following description, the accompanying drawing, and the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, fastener embodying, as ing fastener members, this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detailed enlarged, isometric view of a single fastener member or scoop, as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged plan view, partly in section, of portions of adjacent coupled ;tringers, illustrating the interlocking relation- ;hip between the complementary engaging Afaspartly cutaway, of a slide a part thereof, interlockor scoops, according to tener members, or scoops, shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of interlocking member, or scoop, according to this invention and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the interlocking relationship of the modified form of interlocking fastener members or scoops of Fig. 4, when engaged.

'I'he most common, known ,slide fasteners are non-universal and-single acting. -The interlocking fastener members or scoops thereof are nonsyrnmetrical, top and bottom; the interlocking portions of the most common type comprise a projection or crown extending from the upper or top surface thereof and a concentric, substantially complementary recess or pocket in the lower or bottom surface thereof. For satisfac` tory operative engagement of the scoops of a pair of stringers all crowns or projections must extend upwardly: all recesses or pockets must extend downwardly. To assemble a pair of stringers, only one end of each may serve as the upper end or top end; this requires much care and time in assembly which is unnecessary where, as in this invention, the scoops are universal and concentric top and bottom, since either end of a Stringer embodying such scoops may be combined with either end of the other stringer in assembly irrespective of which side of either Stringer, or both, is disposed forwardly of the fastener. Whereas, in the single acting fasteners of the prior art "popping out" or accidental separation or uncoupling of the stringers below the slider was virtually catastrophic, generally requiring repair of the fastener, in fasteners ac' cording to this invention, movement of the slider, in such cases, downwardly or toward open position, will "heal the fastener by recoupling the accidentally uncoupled stringere below the slider.

Various attempts have. heretofore. been made to provide scoops which are double acting but such structures which have been provided generally were either non-symmetrical, top and bottom (i. e., provided with bottom surfaces dissimilar to the top surfaces) or provided with such complicated and intricate arrangements of male and female members and/or surfaces, such as webs and channels, as to be well nigh incapable of production in the desirable small, light weight, sizes with such accuracy as is necessary to achieve smooth, positive operation; when reduced in size to the necessary extent, the strength of such intricate engaging or interlocking portions became negligible.

According to this invention. all of the above locking fastener disadvantages are obviated by provision of a simple scoop constnuction wherein the engaging, interlocking portions and surfaces are extremely simple and massive as compared with the size of the scoops; which surfaces and portions are concentrically and symmetrically arranged and wherein their arrangement provides a scoop which has an outer or nose portion which is of less height than the central (or inner interlocking) portion for reduction of interference to a minimum, and which construction is possessed, also, of various other advantages which will appear from the following description and the drawing wherein: y

Fig. 1 illustrates the application of one preferred form of this invention to a slide fastener comprising a pair of similar stringers of which the right hand stringervis generally designated 1 and the left hand Stringer is generally designated 8. Each Stringer comprises a textile or other flexible tape or carrier 9 having an edge reinforcement I'Il at its inner edge and a row of similar equally spaced interlocking fastener members, elements, or scoops Il secured thereto in suitable known manner as by clamping, casting, molding or by an adhesive, depending upon the material of which the interlocking members or elements are formed. Adjacent the interlocking members or scoops I I. the reinforced inner edges of the tapes are connected by a bottom stop or bottom end fitting I2`of known form. A top stop I4 of known form is attached to each reinforced inner tape edge in known manner.

Supported for sliding movement along the rows of fastener members or scoops II, to an extent limited by the rbottom stop I2 and top stops I4, is a slider I5 of conventional form and provided with a manually engageable finger piece or pull tab I6 for convenience of operation.

The fastener is opened by manually moving the slider downwardly toward the bottom stop I2 and closed by moving the slider I5 in the reverse direction, upwardly toward the top stops Il. This closing and opening of the fastener is effected through progressive engagement and disengagement of the fastener members or scoops Il of the stringers 1 and 8 by the cam portion of the slider I5 in a manner well known in the art.

In most slide fasteners known today, the intermembers or scoops are dissimilar top and bottom, i. e., the interlocking portions or heads each comprise superposed concentric complementary crown and pocket surfaces or portions. The scoops or fastener members when separated above the slider may be readily engaged by the slider but it is extremely difcult, if not impossible, to reengage them when they are separated below the slider. This separation generally occurs accidentally but is desirable in certain "applications in the garment and other arts.

According to this invention, the upper and low er or top and bottom sides of the fastener members or scoops are identical, making their progressive engagement by the slider substantially equally easy and convenient in both directions of movement of the slider, i. e., upwardly or downwardly on the rows of fastener members I I.

Furthermore, before application of the components or bottom stops I2 and top stops Il, the

stringers 1 and 8 are reversible, i. e., either end of a stringer may be used as the top end and either side may be the front side since the scoops II are universal. This feature greatly simplifies assembly of the stringers together and attachment of the bottom stop I2 and top stops I4.

The details of one preferred form of interlocklng'member or scoop. according to this invention, are shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, wherein it will be seen that the scoop comprises a head portion or interlocking portion I1 and a jaw or leg portion I8. The leg portion I8 includes a pair of transversely spaced legsIS with a channel or crotch 2li therebetween,` this jaw or leg portion I8 straddling the inner or reinforced edge of the stringer tape 8 with the channel or crotch engaging the tape edge reinforcement I'II and the legs I9 clampingly or otherwise closely engaging the opposite side surfaces of the Stringer tape 9. This jaw or leg portion IB of the scoop I I is of conventional form, the inventive novelty in the scoop II residing in the form, or nature, of the front end, head or interlocking portion I1 thereof.

The top or upper surface of the scoop II is designated 2l and the bottom or lower surface thereof, being identical, is also designated 2 I. The identical side surfaces are both designated 22. The similar rear or leg end surfaces are designated 23 and the front or front end surface, which may be properly termed the nose or nose surface, is designated 2l.

The length of the scoop II is the distance between the leg end surfaces 23 and the nose surface 24. lbetween the top and bottom surfaces 2l and the width or breadth of the scoop is the distance between the side surfaces 22.

The interlocking portion or head portion I1 of the scoop I I is identical on opposite, top and bottom, sides. Each of these sides is provided at the outer end with a recess, pocket, or socket 25 and an adjoining complementary crown or projection l2B.

As shown in Fig. 3, the pocket 25 and crown 26 have inclined sidewalls which act as cam or wedge surfaces guiding the head portions of adjacent scoops I I into and out of engagement with minimum interference, resistance and frictional wear.

It is to be noted that in this preferred form, shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the pockets or sockets 25, which extend inwardly from the top and bottom surfaces 2l, are disposed at the outer end of the scoop, outwardly beyond the crowns or projections 26. 'I'his constitutes an important feature since this outer end travels furthest, and first engages the adjacent scoops of the opposite stringer during meshing and unmeshing, when the adjacent scoops of the fastener contact and move relative to one another.

`('Jomparison with the form shown in Figs. 4 and 5 will clearly illustrate this point since the scoop IIa shownv in Figs. 4 and 5, save for reversal of the relative position of the pockets 25 and crowns or projections 26, is otherwise similar t0 the scoop II shown in Figs. 1. 2 and 3 and described above.

While the form, or embodiment, illustrated in Figs. i to 3 is preferable for the above, appar-l ent, reason, nevertheless this last described embodiment (of Figs. 4 and 5,) embodies a substantial advance over the prior art in simplicity, universality, strength and durability. v

Freedom from transverse disengagement of adjacent engaged scoops is effectively prevented by the lateral inclined surfaces of the recesses or pockets 25 and the engaged lateral, inclined surfaces of the crowns or projections 26. The noncircular form of the pockets and projections inhibits undue relative rotary movement between adjacent engaged scoops or fastener members.

The height of the scoop is the distance While the illustration in the drawing has been directed to but two embodiments or modications, it is, of course, to be understood that the size, relative dimensions and proportions of each of the illustrated forms is susceptible of variation and modification within rather wide limits and that other forms are embraced by the spirit of this invention.

Itis, of course, to be understood that the above A description is merely illustrative eindv in nowise limiting and that I intend to comprehend within my invention such modiiications as are included in the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a slide fastener, a pair of complementary stringers, each comprising a relatively flexible carrier with a row of predeterminedly spaced fastener elements secured to one edge portion thereof, each oi' said fastener elements .being symmetrical top and bottom having a leg portion at one end providing attachment to said carrier and an interlocking portion at the opposite end, said interlocking portion comprising oppositely disposed concentric pockets in the top and bottom surfaces of said interlocking member and oppositely disposed concentric projections substantially complementary with said pockets extending from said top and bottom surfaces and adjacent said pockets said projections and pockets each being substantially rectangular andthe projections being disposed between said pockets and said tape engaging channel and in substantial contiguity with said pockets.

2. The structure deiined in claim l wherein any point on one fastener element is spaced from the corresponding point of an adjacent fastener element on the same Stringer a distance substantially equal to the height of the leg portion of a fastener member.

HERMAN M. FRANK.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,846,919 Sundback Feb. 23, 1932 25 1,934,084 Murphy Nov. 7, 1933 2,068,939 Winterhalter Jan. 26, 1937 2,385,021 Morin Sept. 18, 1945

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