US3522638A

US3522638A - Slide-fastener slider with locking pawl

Info

Publication number: US3522638A
Application number: US761092A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Ambros; Hermann Ettinger
Original assignee: Zipp Werk GmbH
Current assignee: Zipp Werk GmbH
Priority date: 1967-09-20
Filing date: 1968-09-20
Publication date: 1970-08-04
Anticipated expiration: 1987-08-04
Also published as: DK127157B; NO120130B; LU56797A1; GB1182545A; IE32326L; IE32326B1; AT299846B; CH471554A; BE720647A; ES153952Y; SE347864B; ES153952U; FR1584649A; DE1610472B1

Description

Aug. 4, 1970 R. AMBROS ET AL 3,522,638

SLIDE-FASTENER SLIDER WITH LOCKING PAWL Filed Sept. 20, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l I l 9 RICHAR AMBROS HERMA ETTINGER F I G 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Aug. 4, 1970 os ET AL SLIDE-FASTENER SLIDER WITH LOCKING PAWL Filed Sept. 20, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F l G .4

AMBRos ETTINGER INVENTOR.

RICHARD HERMANN ATTO'RNEY United States Patent 01 3,522,638 Patented Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,638 SLIDE-FASTENER SLIDER WITH LOCKING PAWL Richard Ambros, Nuremberg, and Hermann Ettinger, Erlangen, Germany, assignors to Zipp Werk G.m.b.H., Nuremberg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Sept. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 761,092 Claims priority, application Germany, Sept. 20, 1967,

U.S. Cl. 24205.14 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A slider for a slide-fastener stringer in which the upper shield member, which is joined to the lower shield member by a wedge-shaped core, is provided with a recess in which a rectangular locking pawl is disposed. A well in the core receives a spring which bears against the locking pawl to urge the latter against a camming eccentric of the handle flap to force a tooth at the other end of the locking pawl into engagement with the coupling elements through a window in the upper shield member. The flap, when swung about its pivot, cams the locking pawl against the spring force and about a fulcrum on the upper shield member to withdraw the tooth in the deadcenter position of the eccentric cam. Off the deadcenter position, the spring retains the flap and the locking pawl in their locking positions.

Our present invention relates to separable slide fasteners and, more particularly, to a locking slider for a slidefastener stringer.

Separable slide fasteners are currently in widespread use and, generally, comprise a slide-fastener stringer whose slider is shiftable along a pair of interengageable coupling elements to interconnect and separate in accordance with the direction of movement of the slider. The coupling elements, which can be continuous syntheticresin coils or a chain of individual coupling members of synthetic resin or metal, are mounted upon respective support tapes so as to form slide-fastener heads which, in turn, may be provided at the ends of the coupling elements with so-called end-stop members designed to prevent the slider from being removed from the coupling elements.

The sliders of such devices usually include an upper and a lower shield interconnected by a core of Wedgeshaped configuration subdividing the interior of the slider into a pair of channels which merge at the tail of the slider, i.e. at the trailing portion thereof with respect to the direction of movement of the slider in the fastenerclosing direction. Such sliders are commonly provided with flaps, tongues, or other members adapted to be gripped easily by the user for drawing the slider to and fro along the the stringer. It has also been a common practice to provide such sliders with locking elements which engage between coupling heads of the coupling elements to prevent movement of the slider until the handle flap is lifted to release the locking arrangement. Such slide fasteners are often provided for trousers, shoes, corsets, and the like, inasmuch as they prevent the considerable lateral stress on the slide fastener from independently opening the system.

These locking devices have in the past included a lock ing pawl constituting part of the handle flap and passing through a window or aperture in the upper shield member of the slider and engageable with one of the coupling elements when the handle flap is pushed toward the shield member. When the handle flap is lifted, the pawl or tooth is withdrawn and the slider may be shifted. These units may also include a spring adapted to hold the handle flap ice and the pawl which is unitary therewith in its locked position.

It has been found that these arrangements often have the disadvantages that the locking pawl is worn, bent or otherwise deformed or destroyed, thereby rendering the device ineffective. Replacement of the inefiective part is, of course, impossible in this conventional system. It may also be pointed out that clamping arrangements providing a friction lock for the slider have proved to be unsatisfactory as well in practice.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved slider for slide-fastener assemblies in which a firm lock is achieved with a minimum of eifort while the aforementioned disadvantages are avoided.

Another object of this invention is to provide a locking slider for a slide-fastener closure which is particularly resistant to opening and is thus highly desirable for shoes, trousers and corsets.

The slider of the present invention comprises, as is usual in such structures, an upper shield member and a lower shield member joined together by a wedge-shaped core defining within the slider the merging channels through which the coupling elements pass. The present system, however, includes a locking pawl in the form of a tonguelike lever which is structurally independent of the flap and is received in the upper shield member, While being spring-biased such that an inwardly bent tooth of the pawl passes through a window or aperture in the upper shield member into engagement with the coupling elements upon which the slider is shiftable. Above this locking pawl there is provided a handle flap whose pivot is close to the locking pawl and which is formed with an eccentric cam held by the spring-biased locking pawl in the locked position of the device but swingable about this pivot to cam the locking pawl against its biasing spring and withdraw the tongue from engagement with the coupling element.

According to an important feature of this invention, the locking pawl is provided with a pair of fulcra between the biasing spring which acts upon one end of the locking pawl and the tongue or tooth formed at the other end. One fulcrum is provided by the eccentric which has a deadcenter position in which the locking pawl is withdrawn from engagement 'with the Icoupling element. On one side of this deadcenter position, the spring urges the locking pawl against the cam which then serves as the fulcrum and swings the pawl into engagement with the coupling element. When the handle bap and cam are swung into or through the deadcenter position, the spring is overridden and the locking pawl is swung about the second fulcrum (formed on the upper shield member between the first fulcrum and the locking tooth of the pawl) to bring the locking pawl out of engagement with the coupling element.

According to a more specific feature of this invention, the upper shield member is provided with an outwardly open recess accommodating the generally flat locking pawl and at least partially enclosing the handle flap when the latter is in its locked position. Furthermore, we provide a blind well in the upper shield member and the wedge-shaped core member to accommodate a compression-type helical coil spring which bears upon an end of the pawl. Between this well or chamber and the window or aperture through which the locking tooth passes, we provide a second fulcrum in the form of a ramplike surface extending from the spring compartment to a fulcrum edge disposed between the pivot of the handle and the window or aperture. The cam portion of the handle is thus able to swing the locking pawl against the string in the region of the ramp and above the second fulcrum. Furthermore, the handle flap may be removably mounted in a pair of journal lu-gs which are bifurcated to allow slight spreading for insertion and removal of the handle flap. Upon removal of the handle flap, of course, the sheet-metal stamped locking pawl, which is substantially flat and can be composed of spring steel, may be withdrawn and replaced. To this end, the locking pawl may itself hav a window through which the journal lug passes and which is held in place by the handle flap. It will be understood, however, that a pair of such lugs may be provided and may cooperate with a central boss of the handle flap rather than a bifurcated structure.

The arrangement of the present invention has been found to be totally unaffected by the problems which have plagued arrangements in which the pawl is mounted upon the handle flap, provides firm and positive locking, and facilitates repair and replacement of the several parts.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a slider according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III I of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the parts thereof shown in another operating position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, with the handle flap and locking pawl removed from the slider embodying this invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIG. 2.

In the drawing, we show a slider for a slider-fastener stringer of any conventional type which comprises a lower shield member 1, an upper shield member 2 and a core 3 of wedge-shaped configuration (see FIG. 4) intenconnecting the upper and lower shield members and unitarily molded from synthetic resin therewith.

The core member 3 defines within the slider a pair of

channels

3a and 3b (FIG. 5) which merge at the trailing end 30 of the slider and have a collective width at the latter end which is less than the total of the width of the coupling elements so that the latter are interfitted as they traverse the slider.

The upper shield member is provided with a generally flat locking pawl 4 stamped from sheet metal and provided with a window 4a through which a journal block or lug 13 of the upper shield member can pass. The rectangular locking pawl 4 is provided at its right-hand end (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) with a downwardly turned tooth 5, shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 in a locking position. The tooth 5 passes through a transverse aperture 1.1 (FIGS. 2 and 4) in the upper shield member and projects downwardly beneath the roof 2a of the channel within the slider to engage the coupling elements which lie in these channels.

A handle flap 7 is formed with a bifurcated end 7a straddling the lug 13 and is pivotally mounted therein by a pintle 7b bridging the cam-like eccentric lugs 8 which bear upon the locking pawl 4.

A locking spring 6 (FIGS. 1 through 3) is received within a well 9 in the upper shield member 2 and in the core 3 (see FIG. 4) and bears upwardly against the lefthand end of the locking pawl 4. The latter thus constitutes a lever with a fulcrum at 8a against the cam lug 8 whereby the tooth 5 is urged in the clockwise sense through the aperture 11 and into looking engagement with the coupling elements. Spring 6 is a compression-type helical coil spring which may be simply dropped into the well 9.

Within a recess formed between a pair of

protective ridges

10a and 10b of the upper shield member, the upper shield member 2 is provided with a ramp 12 below the cam portions 8 and extending from the spring chamber 9 to a fulcrum edge 12:: located between the fulcrum 8a and the tooth 5. The cams 8 are thus able to urge the left-hand end of the locking pawl 4 in the counterclockwise direction sense about the edge 12a and thereby swing the tooth 5 out of engagement with the coupling elements.

The journal lug 13 is bifurcated, as will be apparent from FIGS. 1 and 4, to allow the pintle 7b to be snapped out of the lug for mounting and dism'ounting of the Operating member 7. Furthermore, the generally flat locking pawl 4, which is bent only to form the tooth 5, may be removed or replaced simply by withdrawing the operating flap 7 and positioning the original or another locking pawl over the lug 13.

We claim:

1. A locking slider for a slide-fastener stringer having a pair of coupling elements adapted to pass through said slider for connection and disconnection of the coupling elements upon movement of the slider in opposite directions therealong, said slider comprising a slider body formed with an upper shield member, a lower shield member and a core member interconnecting said shield members and defining therewith a pair of channels for said coupling elements said body being provided with a well open at said upper shield member in the region of said core member; a generally flat elongated locking pawl on said upper shield member formed at one end remote from said well with a tooth for engagement with at least one of the coupling elements in said slider, thereby looking said slider thereto, said locking pawl overlying said well at its other end; a compression coil spring bearing upon said other end of said pawl and received in said well; and a handle flap pivotally mounted on said upper shield member and provided with an eccentric cam swingable about its pivot axis and engageable with said locking pawl intermediate said well and said tooth and adapted to displace said locking pawl against the force of said spring to withdraw said tooth from. engagement with the coupling elements, said upper shield member being formed with a fulcrum for said pawl between said camming formation and said tooth.

2. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein said upper shield member is formed with at least one journal lug pivotally supporting said flap, said spring urging said locking pawl against said cam to swing the locking pawl into engagement with the coupling elements, said other end of said pawl retaining said spring in said well.

3. A slider as defined in claim 2 wherein said upper shield member is provided with an aperture proximal to said one end of said locking pawl, said tooth extending through said aperture in a position of said pawl generally fiat against said upper shield member, said pawl being formed with a window receiving said lug, said flap being bifurcated and lying on opposite sides of said lug while bearing upon said pawl on said opposite sides, said upper shield member being formed with a generally flat ramp extending from said fulcrum to said well, said pawl resting against said ramp upon pivotal movement of said flap to swing said pawl about said fulcrum and withdraw said tooth from said coupling elements.

4. A locking slider for a slide-fastener stringer having a pair of coupling elements adapted to pass through said slider for connection and disconnection of the coupling elements upon movement of the slider in opposite directions therealong, said slider comprising a slider body formed with an upper shield member, a lower shield memher and a core member interconnecting said shield members and defining therewith a pair of channels for said coupling elements; a locking pawl on said upper shield member formed at one end with a tooth and spring biased into the interior of said slider for engagement with at least one of the coupling elements therein, thereby looking said slider thereto; and a handle flap pivotally mounted on said upper shield member and provided with a camming formation adapted to displace said locking pawl against its spring bias and withdraw said tooth from engagement with the coupling elements, said upper shield member being formed with at least one journal lug pivotally supporting said flap, said flap being provided with an accentric cam swingable about its pivot axis and engageable with said locking pawl, the spring bias of said locking pawl urging same against said cam to swing the locking pawl into engagement with the coupling elements, said upper shield member being provided with an aperture proximal to said one end of said locking pawl, said tooth extending into said aperture, said slider further comprising a compression-type spring bearing upon an opposite end of said looking pawl and urging same against said cam, said cam bearing upon said locking pawl intermediate said ends, said upper shield member defining a fulcrum for said locking pawl intermediate said cam and said one of said ends whereby swinging movement of said flap and said cam pivot said locking pawl about said fulcrum to withdraw said tooth from engagement with the coupling elements, said cam having a deadcenter position in which said locking pawl is swung out of engagement with said coupling elements, said spring retaining said flap in an oif-dcadcenter position upon locking engagement of said pawl with the coupling elements, said upper shield member being provided with a ramp inclined from said second fulcrum to said well away from said cam and therebelow whereby said cam retains said pawl against said ramp in said deadcenter position.

5. A slider as defined in claim 4 wherein said upper shield member is provided with an upwardly open well extending into said core member and receiving said spring.

6. A slider as defined in claim 4 wherein said upper shield member is formed with a recess receiving said locking pawl.

7. A slider as defined in claim 4 wherein said bearing lug is bifurcated to facilitate insertion and removal of said flap, said flap being bifurcated and extending on opposite sides of said lug while being provided with cam formations on opposite sides thereof.

8. A slider as defined in claim 7 wherein said locking pawl is generally rectangular and is stamped from sheet metal, said locking pawl being substantially flat except for the region of said tooth and being formed with a window, said lug projecting through said window, said well and said aperture being formed within said recess.

9. A locking slider for a slide-fastener stringer having a pair of coupling elements adapted to pass through said slider for connection and disconnection of the coupling elements upon movement of the slider in opposite directions therealong, said slider comprising:

a slider body formed with an upper shield and a lower shield defining a pair of channels for said coupling elements;

a generally fiat elongated locking pawl overlying said upper shield and formed at one end and with a downwardly turned tpoth, said body being formed with a well extending transversely to said locking pawl beneath the other end thereof and overlain by said other end of said' locking pawl;

a coil spring received in said well and bearing upon said other end of said locking pawl to bias same away from said upp r. shield;

a pivot lock formed on said upper shield and protruding through said loigking pawl, said locking pawl being formed with a window passing: said lug; and

a handle flap having a bifurcated end pivotally mounted on said lug andjflanking same, said flap being formed on opposite sides of said lug with eccentric camming formations engaging said locking pawl between said spring and said tooth and along a side of said locking pawl opposite said spring, said upper shield being formed with a fulcrum between said camming formations and said tooth enabling pivoting movement of said locking ,pawl under the control of said flap, said upper shield; being further provided with a recess formed with a rfamp between said well and said fulcrum and beneath said camming formations whereby said locking pagwl is pressed against said ramp upon swinging movement of said flap.

ihferences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,289,955 7/1942 Berg 24--2( 5.14

2,397,693 4/ 1946 Rabinow 24-20514 2,487,3 86 11/ 1949 Scheuermann 24205. 14

2,520,496 8/ 1950 Deutsch 24--205.14

3,270,535 9/ 1966 Fukuroi 24-20514 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,078,005 11/ 1954 'France.

BERNARD A. GELAK, Primary Examiner