US3224061A - Terminal member for plastic filament zippers - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 2l, 1965 D. o. TAYLOR TERMINAL MEMBER FOR PLASTIC FILAMENT ZIPPERS Filed Sept. 17, 1964 Inv. .Donald 0. Taylor United States Patent 3,224,061 TERMINAL MEMBER FOR PLASTIC FILAMENT ZIPPERS Donald 0. Taylor, Waterbury, Conn., assigner to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Sept. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 397,118 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-205.11)

My invention relates generally to zippers of the type employing continuous plastic filaments attached to a pair of tapes. Such filaments may be of a modified coil design or a meandering form which is not strictly a coil, but which like a coil presents a Series of aligned open loop portions along the Stringer edge.

Plastic filament zippers have usually employed metallic terminal or stop members in spite of some difficulties in anchoring the ends of the filaments. Various proposals have also been made for molding Such terminal members to the tapes, sometimes with portions of the molding extending into the filament, but this is a difficult molding operation.

In the case of metal stop members and especially on the pin side of a separable bottom connection, the Stringer will tend to hinge where the terminal stop member joins the filament and eventually break the filament and tape at that point.

It iS, accordingly, an object of my invention to introduce in this combination, a reinforcement element which is flexible enough to allow the necessary bending of the Stringer, but which will inhibit the Severe fiexing at a concentrated point next to the terminal element.

My invention makes possible the use of the same metal parts as used in the more common type of metal zippers. On one Side there is a pin which is threaded through the Slider and on the other side there iS a box-like retainer for receiving the pin, such retainer being in turn, clamped to a tube securely anchored to such other Stringer. While the reinforcement may be also employed with the tube and retainer side, it is not So much needed there because during the threading and unthreading operation, the slider is always in position against the retainer, whereas on the pin side, there is normally nothing to prevent severe iiexing of the Stringer immediately above the pin.

According to the invention, a short semi-rigid strand of material is arranged along the tape edge and anchored into the rigid terminal member which is clamped around the tape end. This strand extends into the open loop portions of a few of the plastic filament coils. Thus, in addition to preventing severe flexing of the Stringer just above the terminal member, this strand helps to fill up the open loop portions of the coil and prevent the end portion of the coil from shifting laterally away from the stitching which holds the coil to the tape.

A further object of the invention is to provide an adequate reinforcement device for the above purpose which is simple and economical, and easy to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In the drawing:

FIG. l is a front view of the bottom portion of a zipper of the plastic filament type with a separable bottom;

FIG, 2 is also a view of the bottom portion of the zipper with the bottom connection in section;

FIG. 3 illustrates the action of the parts during threading of the pin through the slider with the top of the Slider removed to facilitate illustration;

FIG. 4 iS a cross-section on line 4 4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-section on line 5 5 of FIG. 3.

The zipper shown has the fiat fabric tapes 6 and 7 having edges 8 and 9, respectively, which may abut one another on the back side of the zipper when it is closed. The fastener means consists essentially of a modified form of coil 10 on the tape 6 and a Similar coil 11 on the tape 7. Each of these coils has a series of closely spaced and aligned open loop portions 12 along the Stringer edge and preferably, extending slightly beyond such edge where there is a head portion 13 adapted to interlock with corresponding head portions of the mating Stringer.

Throuhout each coil there is a relatively inextensible cord 14, and the fastening means is attached to the tape by Suitable stitching S through the coil and tape, and preferably, also penetrating through the cord (see FIG. 4). The fastener, of course, is opened and closed by a common form of slider 15.

The separable bottom connection is made of rigid parts, preferably metal. For this purpose, the filaments are cut so as to leave an end portion 16 on the pin side Somewhat lower than the portion 17 of the retainer side. The cord 14, however, in each instance, preferably extends to the bottom of the tape, and in order to reinforce this end portion of the tape against crosswise strain, a cross tape 18 is folded around the end of the Stringer and cord, and adhesively secured to the tape.

The pin member of the separable end connection is preferably a metal tube-like element 19 of a common form found in metal zippers, and it is clamped securely around the edge of the tape, the cord 14 and cross tape 18. It also preferably clamps the end portion 16 of the coil.

The reinforcing element is a semi-rigid strand 20, preferably of plastic material and having one end firmly clamped into the U-bend of the tube-like pin member 19. This semi-rigid strand extends through the open loop portions 12 of a plurality of the coil convolutions, preferably, five or six such convolutions.

On the other side, the construction of the separable bottom connection may be Similar to that of a metal fastener, except that preferably, the tube element 21 grips around the end portion 17 of the coil. The retainer iS a twin-channeled box-shaped member 22 which is made by U-bending a section of metal rolled to the shape indicated in section at the bottom of FIG. 2. In the left hand channel, as viewed in this figure, the tube 21 is securely clamped, while the somewhat wider channel 23 to the right allows room for freely receiving the pin element 19.

It will thus be observed that I have provided an extremely simple device for effectively reinforcing the Stringer at the vital point immediately adjacent the terminal member. It is only necessary to cut an extruded strand of material, such as nylon, thread it through a few of the open loops of the coil and clamp the metal pin member in place in the usual manner.

What I claim is:

1. In a zipper fastener, a fabric Stringer, fastening means of the continuous plastic filament type carried by the Stringer and presenting a series of closely spaced and aligned open loop portions along the stringer edge; a rigid terminal member clamped around said Stringer in line with said open loop portions and a Semi-rigid strand of material securely anchored inside said terminal member and extending into a plurality of said open loop portions adjacent one end of said series.

2. In a zipper fastener, a fiat fabric Stringer, a continuous plastic filament in the form of a modified coil, a cord extending throughout the length of the coil, means securing said cord and coil to the fabric Stringer along its edge, said coil terminating short of one end of Said Stringer, a rigid tube-like terminal member secured to References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,398,592 4/1946 Morin 24-205-l1 5 3,067,476 12/1962 Cromberg 24-205.1l 3,162,918 12/1964 Burbank 2li-205.11

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A ZIPPER FASTENER, A FABRIC STRINGER, FASTENING MEANS OF THE CONTINUOUS PLASTIC FILAMENT TYPE CARRIED BY THE STRINGER AND PRESENTING A SERIES OF CLOSELY SPACED AND ALIGNED OPEN LOOP PORTIONS ALONG THE STRINGER EDGE; A RIGID TERMINAL MEMBER CLAMPED AROUND SAID STRINGER IN LINE WITH SAID OPEN LOOP PORTIONS AND A SEMI-RIGID STRAND OF MATERIAL SECURELY ANCHORED INSIDE SAID TERMINAL MEMBER AND EXTENDING INTO A PLURALITY OF SAID OPEN LOOP PORTIONS ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID SERIES.

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