US3139659A

US3139659A - Slide fasteners

Info

Publication number: US3139659A
Application number: US111936A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ian M Matheson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-05-23
Filing date: 1961-05-23
Publication date: 1964-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 1981-07-07

Description

July 7, 1964 I. M MATHESON SLIDE FASTENERS 2 Sheets-sheaf. 1

Filed May 25. 1961 IIIIIMIWIIIIHIIIIIEI lllllllllllllll July 7, 1964 l. M. MATHESON SLIDE FASTENERS 2: 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1961 Ill FIG?

United States Patent Oflice 3,133,659 Patented July 7, 1964 3,139,659 SLIDE FASTENERS Ian M. Matheson, Wellington, New Zealand (RD. 1, Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand) Filed May 23, 1961, Ser. No. 111,936 6 Claims. (Q1. 24206) This invention relates to slide fasteners for use with garments and more particularly the invention has reference to slide fasteners which are adjustable as between two overlapping parts of a garment or article in which a track is on one part of the garment or article and facing a slider on another part of a garment or article, the slider having a locking lever to maintain the slider in a desired position on the track.

Prior to this invention it has been usual for the slide fastener to maintain its hold on a track in one place thereon and therefore on a very small portion of the track with a consequent deformation or loss of control in holding the parts of the garment or article neatly together.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved slide fastener device for conjoining and adjusting overlapping materials in which the slider keeps control of both parts of the garment or article, which parts overlap so that the parts are maintained in the correct relationship for neatness or for the comfort of the wearer particularly in the case of trousers, skirts, and corsets where the overlapping parts of the garment around the wearer such as at the hips of the wearer or at the front, or the back of the wearer and the slide fastener can be adjusted at the hips to a Wearers requirements.

According to this invention the improved device has several parts which combine to conjoin and to permit adjustment of an overlap in materials, and the device comprises a conjoining support slider and an inner sup port track on the outer face of an inner overlap of ma terial to slidably retain the support slider, and a locking slider with a locking lever and an outer locking track on the inner face of an outer overlap of material, the arrangement and construction being such that when the overlaps of material are in desired juxtaposition, the support track and the locking track are facing each other in a lengthwise direction and the conjoining support slider engages and conjoins with the support track and the locking slider engages with the locking track to conjoin overlapping materials with the locking slider having its locking lever accessible and operable to effect adjustment of the overlaps in the material and to hold the material together with the desired overlap.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan of the device in its operable position showing the overlap in the materials,

FIGURE 2 shows the device and the overlap of the materials according to FIGURE 1 with the overlaps of material hinged apart, and showing one form of the outer or support track and its relationship to the outer overlap of material,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view in elevation of the conjoining slider for the support track,

FIGURE 4 is a cross section on line II of FIG- URE 1 of the support track attached to the inner surface of the outer overlap of the materials,

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view in elevation of the support slider when on the support track and positioned as shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 6 is another form of the invention showing the outer or support track in arcuate form to allow for variations in distance from a fixed securing tack along the edges of the overlap to the support track, ac-

cording to the amount of overlap given to the materials, and

FIGURE 7 is another view of the form of the invention according to FIGURE 6 but showing the relationship of the parts and the support given to the inner overlap with an increased overlap of the overlapping materials.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings of this invention as applied to a garment indicated generally by arrow 1, laps 2 and 5 of the material of the garment overlap each other and are shown with upper edges 20 and 5a of the laps 2 and 5 of a material, in juxtaposition with each other and when in use are in the same general plane. The inner lap 2 of the material has an inner locking track 3 attached to its outer face 4, and such inner track 3 lies or is arranged in the same general plane as the said upper edges of the laps 2 and 5 of the material. The outer face 4 also has attached to it a support slider 6, and in one arrangement of the parts, the conjoining support slider 6 is aligned with and situated at a distance from the inner locking track 3 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 so that the locking track 3 and the support slider 6 are arranged in the same general plane with the laps 2 and 5 of the material lying one over the other.

Furthermore, with particular reference to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the arrangement of the support slider 6 and the inner locking track 3 on the outer face 4 of the inner lap 2 of material, is such that a locking slider 7 of the outer lap 5 of the material can engage on the locking track 3 and the support slider 6 can join with and engage on a support track 3 on an inner face 9 of the outer lap 5 of the material.

The support track 8 can be T-shaped in cross section, as shown in FIGURE 4, to form a stem with the cross of the stem forming flanges 17 on which the support slider 6 is adapted to engage and slide as shown in FIG- URE 5. The stem of the outer slider track 8 has holes 18 (see FIGURES 4 and 5) to take stitching 19 (see FIGURE 1) whereby the outer slider track 8 can be sewn to the inner surface 9 of the outer lap 5 of material as shown in FIGURE 1.

A desirable outer support track 8 is made of a nylon or acrylic, polythene or thermo-pl astic material which can be penetrated by a sewing needle which can be used to pass through the stem of the support track 8 to effect sewing of the support track 8 to the outer lap 5 of the material by stitching 19 as shown in FIGURE 1 in dotted line.

It is desired for the carrying out of this invention,

that the support track 8 on the inner face 9 of the outer lap 5 of material in relation to the track 8 slopes or curves away and downwards in its relationship with the aligned inner track 3 and support slider 6 so that in this invention the locking slider 7 is in alignment with the support track 8 and in this arrangement when in use the track 8 is facing and placed at an angle to the track 3 on the outer face 4 of the inner lap 2 of material.

The slope or angle-off arrangement of the track 8 in relation to the inner slider track 3 is desirable to alloW for variations in distance from a fixed securing tack 20 (FIGS. 6 and 7) along the edges of the overlap given to the materials.

As shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings the free edge of the lap, 5 is related to the central portion of the track 3 and looseness of the material takes care of or allows for variations in the short distance about a securing tack 20 as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, but the considerable variations in distance from the securing tack 20 (which forms a central point from which the free areasae edge forms a radius) in the position of the support slider 6 is taken care of and allowed for by the slope or curve of the support track 8. This allowance for the increase in distance is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7 wherein the greater distance from the securing tack 20 to the Support slider 6 compare with the distance to the locking slider 7 is offset or allowed for by the curve downwardly of the support track 8.

Thus, as shown in the drawings, the arrangement of the parts is such that the support slider 6 can engage on the support track 8 and the locking slider 7 can engage on the locking track 3 to hold overlappingmaterials 2 and in desired adjustment and juxtaposition.

The locking slider- 7 can extend beyond a vertical distal edge of the lap 5 of material so that a locking lever 10 which is pivotally associated with the outer locking slider 7 and engageable on the locking track 3,

a is accessible and operable by a wearer of a garment to Which the device is applied so that the locking lever 10 can be manipulated to effect desired adjustment of the locking lever 10 on the locking track 3 whereby the support slider 6 on the support track 8 is moved to an adjusted position for the purpose of carrying out the invention in maintaining overlaps of material in desired relationship.

Withfurther reference to FIGURE 2, the distal end of the outer lap 5 has a loop in which in-turned parts 14 of the locking slider 7 are anchored to retain the locking slider 7 in pivotal association with the said distal end of outer lap 5. Further the locking slider 7 has portions 11 which are turned in towards each other as shown and are arranged to pass upon the locking track 3 as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

In one form of'the invention the support slider 6 has lengthwise extended arms 12 by which the slider is fixed into and to a garment. If desired the slider 6 can be made integral with the locking track 3 so that the slider 6 and the track 3 can be easily affixed as one element to the inner lap 2 of material. With reference to FIG- URES 3 and 5 of the drawings, the slider 6 has the form of a cross and is provided with lugs 13 at both ends of a cross bar 16, and lugs 13 can be in pairs and turned over and adapted, as shown in FIGURE 5, to engage and slide over and thereby be retained on the flanges 17 of the outer slider track 8. The conjoining slider 6 is therefore movable in one dimension only in relation to the support track 8. Further the slider 6 and the track 3 as well as the track 8 on the inner face 9 of an outer overlap 5 of material can be made of flexible material such as nylon or acrylic, polyethylene or thermoplastic material. Also the track 8, as shown in FIGURE 5, has at least one end formed and increased in size at 8a to take several tack bars or a plurality of stitches as indicated by additional holes 18 whereby an end of the track 8 can be stitched securely to the outer lap'5 of the material.

Thus, by this invention there is provided a combination of parts to conjoin and permit adjustment of the laps 2 and 5 in a material, and as applied to a garment such as a pair of trousers, the laps 2 and 5 can be effected at the hips of the wearer adjacent to the usual pocket on or about a hip whereby the laps 2 and 5 of materials are not only held in one place by the locking slider 7 engaging on an inner locking track 3, but also the conjoining support slider 6 is engaged on an outer support track 8 so that the laps 2 and 5 of the material are held in juxtaposition and in desired arrangement neatly and snugly to an article or on a wearer of a garment incorporating the improved device.

What I do claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States of America is:

1. An adjustable fastener for the waist band of garments or the like where the ends of the material overlap providing an inner and an outer lap of material each having a top edge and a free end, the fastener comprising a supporting slider fixed to the outer surface of the inner lap of material at its free end facing the inner surface of said outer lap, an elongated rib-like strip of material secured full length on the inner surface of said outer lap having a shape complementary to the shape of said support slider and forming a support track adapted to be guidingly engaged by said support slider extending from a position near the free end of said outer lap in a direction generally parallel to the top edge of the lap to hold said inner lap against said outer lap in all positions of adjustment of the fastener and to positively position the top edge of said outer lap with respect to the top edge of said inner lap, a locking slider secured to the free end of said outer lap, an elongated rib-like strip of material secured full length on the outer surface of said inner lap having a locking configuration complementary to the shape of said locking slider and forming a locking track adapted to be.

guidingly and lockably engaged by said locking slider, said locking track lying in general alignment with said supporting slider and extending from a position adjacent said supporting slider where it may be engaged by said locking slider when said support slider is engaged with said support track to a-position remote from said support slider, each said track at its end adjacent the free end of its respective lap of material being unobstructed whereby the fastener is separable.

2. The adjustable fastener of claim 1 in which said support track is curved.

3. The adjustable fastener of claim 1 in which said support track is unobstructed at its endadjacent said locking slider and is blocked at its end determining the greatest extent of overlap of said laps.

4. The fastener 'of claim 1 in which said support track is disposed at a slight angle with respect to said locking track and to the top edge of said outer lap.

5. The fastener of claim 1 in which said support track is of T-section, the stem of the T being secured to the inner surface of the outer lap of material, and said supporting slider includes curved fingers engaging about the arms of said T.

6. The fastener of claim 1 in which said locking'slider is secured to the end of said outer lap and extends there beyond.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims

1. AN ADJUSTABLE FASTENER FOR THE WAIST BAND OF GARMENTS OR THE LIKE WHERE THE ENDS OF THE MATERIAL OVERLAP PROVIDING AN INNER AND AN OUTER LAP OF MATERIAL EACH HAVING A TOP EDGE AND A FREE END, THE FASTENER COMPRISING A SUPPORTING SLIDER FIXED TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE INNER LAP OF MATERIAL AT ITS FREE END FACING THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID OUTER LAP, AN ELONGATED RIB-LIKE STRIP OF MATERIAL SECURED FULL LENGTH ON THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID OUTER LAP HAVING A SHAPE COMPLEMENTARY TO THE SHAPE OF SAID SUPPORT SLIDER AND FORMING A SUPPORT TRACK ADAPTED TO BE GUIDINGLY ENGAGED BY SAID SUPPORT SLIDER EXTENDING FROM A POSITION NEAR THE FREE END OF SAID OUTER LAP IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE TOP EDGE OF THE LAP TO HOLD SAID INNER LAP AGAINST SAID OUTER LAP IN ALL POSITIONS OF ADJUSTMENT OF THE FASTENER AND TO POSITIVELY POSITION THE TOP EDGE OF SAID OUTER LAP WITH RESPECT TO THE TOP EDGE OF SAID INNER LAP, A LOCKING SLIDER SECURED TO THE FREE END OF SAID OUTER LAP, AN ELONGATED RIB-LIKE STRIP OF MATERIAL SECURED FULL LENGTH ON THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID INNER LAP HAVING A LOCKING CONFIGURATION COMPLEMENTARY TO THE SHAPE OF SAID LOCKING SLIDER AND FORMING A LOCKING TRACK ADAPTED TO BE GUIDINGLY AND LOCKABLY ENGAGED BY SAID LOCKING SLIDER, SAID LOCKING TRACK LYING IN GENERAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID SUPPORTING SLIDER AND EXTENDING FROM A POSITION ADJACENT SAID SUPPORTING SLIDER WHERE IT MAY BE ENGAGED BY SAID LOCKING SLIDER WHEN SAID SUPPORT SLIDER IS ENGAGED WITH SAID SUPPORT TRACK TO A POSITION REMOTE FROM SAID SUPPORT SLIDER, EACH SAID TRACK AT ITS END ADJACENT THE FREE END OF ITS RESPECTIVE LAP OF MATERIAL BEING UNOBSTRUCTED WHEREBY THE FASTENER IS SEPARABLE.