US3817433A - Means for operating garment slide fastener - Google Patents

Abstract

A nose-like element is provided with an orifice in its tip to receive and hold a slide fastener or zipper tab. When this element is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the back of a woman desiring to zip or unzip her dress or other garment, and with the zipper tab so inserted in its orifice, is moved in that disposition along the interlocking elements of the slide fastener, the desired zipping or unzipping of the garment is conveniently accomplished. In the preferred embodiment movement of the element is accomplished by its mounting on some type of track means and providing a drawstring to move it up or down on such track means. In a more simple embodiment, the element may be adjustably mounted with a slight cant on the end of an elongated member to be held in one''s hand and operated in the manner of a ''''back scratcher.

Description

United States Patent 1191 Thomas June 18, 1974 MEANS FOR OPERATING GARMENT SLIDE FASTENER Edward E. Thomas, 158 Donner Ave., Ventura, Calif. 93003 [22] Filed: Jan. 19, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 325,023

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No 165,994. July 26, 1971.

[76] Inventor:

Primary Examiner-George H. Krizmanich Attorney, Agent, or FirmSmyth, Roston & Pavitt 1 ABSTRACT A nose-like element is provided with an orifice in its tip to receive and hold a slide fastener or zipper tab. When this element is disposed substantially perpendicularly to the back of a woman desiring to zip or unzip her dress or other garment, and with the zipper tab so inserted in its orifice, is moved in that disposition along the interlocking elements of the slide fastener,

the desired zipping or unzipping of the garment is conveniently accomplished. 1n the preferred embodiment movement of the element is accomplished by its mounting on some type of track means and providing a drawstring to move it up or down on such track means. In-a more simple embodiment, the element may be adjustably mounted with a slight cant on the end of an elongated member to be held in ones hand and operated in the manner of a back scratcher.

5 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures aif PMENTEI'Hun m an SHEU 10F 3 iMLi/ PATENTEDM 18 1914 saw 2 or 3 law/AW MEANS FOR OPERATING GARMENT SLIDE FASTENER RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 165,994, filed July 26, 1971, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Issue Date Inventor Patent No.

R. S. Vahan 2,604,242 July 22', I952 H. L. Robertson, et al 3,l99,753 Aug. I0, 1965 Lewis F. NcNitt- 3,568,901 1 Mar. 9, 1971 While each of the mechanisms of these several prior art patents does provide for a vertical movement of 'a zipper tab through a wall-mounted pulley arrangement, none of the mechanisms appears thus-far to have received wide-spread consumer acceptance. This lack of consumer acceptance may possibly be because each prior art mechanism appears to be somewhat complicated to installandmaintain; further, because of its complexity, each would appear to be costly to produce and, hence, would have to be sold at a fairly high price; also, because each mechanism requires the woman to locate behind her boththe hook-ofthe mechanism and the zipper tab, and insert the former in the latter; and lastly, the inclusion'in each prior art mechanism of a hook could produce undesirable catching in the dress fabric or the users' skin. Thus, although the basicidea of the expired Vahan patent, namely, providing a wall mounted device for gripping a zipper tab behind a woman and enabling her, by pulling a flexible element, the end of which is conveniently located in front of her, to cause the thus-gripped zipper tab to be moved up or down as desired, is a good one, the prior art devices which have been devised to carry out this basic idea have apparently been unsatisfactory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention obviates the problems inherent in the prior art mechanisms by providing a greatly simplified drawstring device which operates to pull up or down a blocklike elementmounted for movement along at least one track. Integral with the block-like el-- from each side thereof through an end of the device is employed by the user to pull the block up or down. The block may move on and be held by a plurality of tracks extending into slotting in the blocks, or the track may comprise a keyed cylindrical rodwith the block comprising an annulus moving coaxially on the rod and having a projection extending into the keyway to prevent the annular block from rotating about the cylindrical rod as it is moved therealong. In another embodiment, the cylindrical rod need not be keyed but one side of the block may be matingly and slidably disposed in abutment witha back-up member extending parallel with the rod.

Alternatively, the rod could be polygonial in cross section and the slidable annulus provided with an orifice similarly shaped slidably to receive such rod and to be moved therealong.

In a still further embodiment, th orificed nose may be adjustably cantedly mounted on the end of an elongated member having a handle, and said nose with the zipper moved vertically by reaching over ones shoulder with this member. I

It may be seen, thus, that the present invention eliminates the hook of the prior art mechanisms and greatly simplifies. the drawing arrangement with consequent ease of use and substantial reduction in the cost of manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4 t I FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG'. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a section taken on the line-99 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10is a plan view of a hook carrying tab insert.

FIG.'11 is a side elevation of the tab insert of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a still further embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a section taken on the line l3l3 of FIG. 12.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the embodiment of the .inventionthere shown comprises an elongated wallmounting strip 10, the ends l2, 14 of which are orificed at 16 to permit screws 18 to be passed therethrough in order to screw the stripends 12, 14 onto a wall or door 20.

i I A-rectangularly shaped housing 22 is secured by one sides 24, 28 and 30 may have an inwardly projecting rib 24a, 28a, 30a respectively centrally disposed to extend for the length of the side. The ends of the housing are closed by bevelled caps 35a, 35b. Each cap 35a, 35b is centrally orificed at 35a, 35b respectively, to permit a cord 36 to be passed therethrough.

Slidably fitting within the housing is a zipper tab carrier member 38 which may be formed integrally to include a track riding block section 40 and an outwardly projecting noselike element 42. The block section 40 is vertically grooved on each of three sides at 40a, 40b, 40c, slidably to receive respectively ribs 280, 24a and 30a, and has a pair of orifices 44 44a extending through it. A pair of cords 36, 36a, each of which terminates at one end in a knob 46a or 46b is passed through an orifice 35a or 35b in the end caps 35a, 35b respectively and through an orifice 44 or 44a in block 40, where it is knotted at 45 or 45a respectively.

The noselike projection 42 is formed to taper to a blunt tip 48 into which extends a flat recess 50 which is adapted to receive a zipper tab 52 of a zipper 54 attached to the fabric 56 of a womans dress, blouse or other garment.

The device of the FIGS. l-3 embodiment could be constructed of wood, but it lends itself more readily to being constructed of molded plastic components which may be either molded together integrally, or where necessary to assemble in the final form, may be adhesively secured together in proper sequence. For example, the plate and back side 24 of the housing 22 could be molded together integrally. On the other hand, in order that the carrier member 38 may be fitted within the housing 22, one end cap 35a or 35b must be placed on the end of the housing 22 after the block section 40 of the carrier member 38 has been slipped into the end of the housing, which is to be closed by each cap 35a or 35b. Also, the slotted wall 32 may be separately formed from the remainder of the housing and in two halves 32a, 32b divided along the line 58-58 and inserted into the lateral slots 60a, 60b in the carrier member 38 after it is slipped into the other walls 24, 28, 30 of the housing to receive ribs 24a, 28a and 30a in its slots 40a, 40b and 40c, whereupon the halves 32a, 32b may be adhered to the edges of the sides 28 and 30.

Also, the carrier member 38 may be formed of two halves 38a, 38b divided along the plane 62 -62 through the orifices 44, 44a thereby to permit insertion of the cord 36 into said orifice. The halves 38a, 38b may then be adhered together.

In use, after the device is mounted on a wall or door 20, a woman desiring to zip up her dress where the zip per is located in the middle of her back, backs up to the noselike projection 42 and inserts the zipper tab 52 into the slotting 50, reaches for the upper cord knob 46b and pulls the latter. Such pulling draws the carrier member 38 upwardly within the housing along the ribs 24a, 28a and 30a and moves its noselike projection 52 vertically but horizontally oriented, thereby raising with it vertically the zipper tab 52 to close the zipper 54. In order to effect an unzipping of her dress, a woman simply elevates the carrier member 38 to the proper height for the zipper tab 52, inserts the latter into the'slotting 50 in the noselike projection 42, and pulls the lower knob 46a. Thereby, the carrier member 38 is moved downwardly within the housing, taking with it the zipper tab 52 to unzip the dress.

The two embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, differ essentially from that illustrated in FIGS. l-3 inclusive, and described above, only in the method of tracking the carrier member and in eliminating the I housing 22. Thus, in the FIGS. 4 and 5 embodiment, the carrier member 38 rides up and down along the pair of rods 62, 64, which are of circular cross-sections and pass through the cylindrical orifices 66, 68 respectively in the base or block section 70 of the member 38. An additional track may be provided in the form of the rib 72 of dovetailed cross-section which extends centrally along the strip 10 between the orificed terminal block members 74, 76. Rib 72 may be grooved at 78 slidably to receive the cord 36 which only passes through and into the base 70 for a short looping 80 as shown in FIG. 5.

The embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 is even further simplified to the extent that the carrier member 38" rides up and down on only a single longitudinally extending element 82. However, to prevent the member 38" from rotating about the element 82, the latter is made polygonial in cross-section and the orifice 84 through which it passes is formed with a mating crosssection.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is quite similar to that shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, but differs in employing a cylindrical rod 82' as the carrying track for the element 38". In order to prevent the latter from rotating about the rod 82, its base 380 may be formed angularly to seat slidably within the angularly formed front wall 10a of the strip 10. The rod 82 may be slotted at 82a to permit the cord 36 to slide therein as it is pulled to draw the element 38" along the rod 82'. Additionally, in the FIGS. 8 and 9 embodiment, the cord 36 is looped over the terminal block 102 to return back down in a slot 103 extending the length of the strip 10' down to an opening 104 below the lower terminal block 106. The thus returned cord end 108 may be terminated with a knob 110 similar to the knob 112 on the other end 113 of the cord 36', or the knobs 110 and 112 may be formed or painted to distinguish each other and thereby indicate to the user which one will raise the zipper tab and which one will pull it down. With this cord arrangement, each cord 108, 113 end may be pulled downwardly to move the noselike carrier 38" upwardly or downwardly.

FIGS. 10 and 11 disclose a hook insert tab 114 which may be utilized if desired with each of the noselike elements 38, 38, 38" and 38". Tab 114 comprises a flat insert portion 114a and a gripping portion II4b. The latter is bulged out so that it can be gripped to insert the portion 114a into the flat recess 50, and carries on it an upper hook 114a and a lower hook 114d. This tab 114 may be employed if desired by the user to provide hooking means for attachment to the zipper tab in lieu of inserting such tab into the recess 50.

In the simplest embodiment of the invention of those illustrated in the drawings, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, no provision is made for moving a carrier member 38 upwardly and downwardly along track means by a pull cord system. Instead, the member 39, is attached slightly rotatably ina seating cavity 86 provided in one end 88 of an elongated element 90, the other end 92 of which is formed as a handle. In this embodiment, the member 39, as the other carrier members 38, 38', 38" and 38" heretofore discussed and illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 9 inclusive, is similarly formed of a base 94 and a tapered blunt noselike projection 96, in the end of which is provided a horizontal flat recess 98 to receive the tab of a zipper. In this embodiment of the invention, the user holds the handle over or under her shoulder and brings the end 88 to the zipper tab level. With her other hand she inserts the tab into the slot 98 and then raises the element 90 by the handle 92 to pull up the zipper tab so inserted in the slot 98 in the noselike projection 96. In order to enable the member 39 to be disposed in substantially normal alignment with the users back despite the angle at which the element 90 will be held over ones shoulder, whether by a lefthanded or righbhanded person, there is provided in the end 88 a double rectangular seating cavity 86 with each rectangle'86a, 86b being disposed at about a 35 angular rotation from the other. The base 94 of the member 39 is rotatably secured in the cavity 86 by a pin 100 so that the base may be rotated about the pin axis to seat in either the rectangle 86a or 86b, and would be so disposed, depending upon whether the user employs the FIGS. ll, 12 device with his right hand over his left or right shoulder, or left hand over his left or right shoulder.

It will be appreciated that the present invention may thus be adapted to many convenient forms and may be easily an inexpensively constructed. It is simple to operate and by use of the bluntnose into which the zipper tab is inserted, avoids the possibility of tearing the dress fabric or scratching the users skin.

I claim:

1. In combination for facilitating the opening and closing of zippers on articles of clothing, such as womens dresses, the zipper having a tab for operating the zipper,

a rigid elongated 'support'strip,

guide means extending in the elongated direction along the support strip and fixedly positioned relative to the elongated strip,

a carrier member supported on the guide means and slidably displaceable along the guide means, the carrier member having a configuration for cooperation with the guide means to provide for reciprocal movement of the carrier member in the elongated direction, the carrier member including an elongated portion extending outwardly from said strip and maintained normally to the elongated strip direction during displacement of the carrier relative to the strip in said direction; and said elongated portion terminating in a smooth, blunt nose, said nose having a recess extending axially inwardly toward the strip for a predetermined'distance to receive and retain the tab of the zipper during displacement of the carrier in the elongated direction relative to the strip,

a pair of. cord means, one extending oppositely from the other from each endof the carrier along the strip in the elongated direction, to the ends of the strip, and a means at each end of the elongated strip to support the respective cord means for drawing thereby in its respective direction beyond the end of the strip.

2. In combination for facilitating the opening and closing of zippers on articles of clothing such as womens dresses, the zipper having a tab for operating the zipper,

a rigid elongated support strip,

guide means extending in the elongated direction along the support strip and fixedly positioned relative to the elongated strip, a carrier member supported on the guide means and slidably displaceable along the guide means, the carrier member having a configuration for cooperation with the guide means to provide for movement of the carrier member in the elongated direction, I

the carrier member extending outwardly from the elongated strip in a direction transverse to the elongated direction of the strip,

there being a recess at the outer end of the carrier member to receive the tab of the zipper and retain the tab in the carrier transversely as the carrier is displaced along the guide means,

a first end cap fixedly attached to the strip at one elongated end of the strip, there being an opening in the first end cap,

a second end cap fixedly attached to the strip at the other elongated end of the strip, there being an opening in the second end cap,

a first cord attached to the carrier member and extending in one direction from the carrier member through the opening in the first end cap and operable when activated to slide the carrier member in that direction along the guide means, and

a second cord attached to the carrier member and extending in an opposite direction from the carrier member through the opening in the second end cap and operable when activated to slide the carrier member in the opposite direction along the guide means.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the guide means are defined by sides provided on the strip and ribs provided in the sides and the carrier member is provided with grooves to mate with the ribs on the sidesv 4. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the guide means are defined by a rod fixedly secured to the first and second end caps and disposed in substantially rigid relationship to the strip and said carrier member being provided with an aperture for support on the rod in slidable relationship to the rod.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein the rod has a cross-sectional configuration different from a circle and the aperture in the carrier member has a mating configuration to prevent the carrier member from rotating relative to the rod.

Claims (5)

1. In combination for facilitating the opening and closing of zippers on articles of clothing, such as women''s dresses, the zipper having a tab for operating the zipper, a rigid elongated support strip, guide means extending in the elongated direction along the support strip and fixedly positioned relative to the elongated strip, a carrier member supported on the guide means and slidably displaceable along the guide means, the carrier member having a configuration for cooperation with the guide means to provide for reciprocal movement of the carrier member in the elongated direction, the carrier member including an elongated portion extending outwardly from said strip and maintained normally to the elongated strip direction during displacement of the carrier relative to the strip in said direction; and said elongated portion terminating in a smooth, blunt nose, said nose having a recess extending axially inwardly toward the strip for a predetermined distance to receive and retain the tab of the zipper during displacement of the carrier in the elongated direction relative to the strip, a pair of cord means, one extending oppositely from the other from each end of the carrier along the strip in the elongated direction, to the ends of the strip, and means at each end of the elongated strip to support the respective cord means for drawing thereby in its respective direction beyond the end of the strip.

2. In combination for facilitating the opening and closing of zippers on articles of clothing such as women''s dresses, the zipper having a tab for operating the zipper, a rigid elongated support strip, guide means extending in the elongated direction along the support strip and fixedly positioned relative to the elongated strip, a carrier member supported on the guide means and slidably displaceable along the guide means, the carrier member having a configuration for cooperation with the guide means to provide for movement of the carrier member in the elongated direction, the carrier member extending outwardly from the elongated strip in a direction transverse to the elongated direction of the strip, there being a recess at the outer end of the carrier member to receive the tab of the zipper and retain the tab in the carrier transversely as the carrier is displaced along the guide means, a first end cap fixedly attached to the strip at one elongated end of the strip, there being an opening in the first end cap, a second end cap fixedly attached to the strip at the other elongated end of the strip, there being an opening in the second end cap, a first cord attached to the carrier member and extending in one direction from the carrier member through the opening in the first end cap and operable when activated to slide the carrier member in that direction along the guide means, and a second cord attached to the carrier member and extending in an opposite direction from the carrier member through the opening in the second end cap and operable when activated to slide the carrier member in the opposite direction along the guide means.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the guide means are defined by sides provided on the strip and ribs provided in the sides and the carrier member is provided with grooves to mate with the ribs on the sides.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the guide means are defined by a rod fixedly secured to the first and second end caps and disposed in substantially rigid relationship to the strip and said carrier member being provided with an aperture for support on the rod in slidable relationship to the rod.

5. The combination set forth in claim 4, wherein the rod has a cross-sectional configuration different from a circle and the aperture in the carrier member has a mating configuration to prevent the carrier member from rotating relative to the rod.

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