Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
  • A44B—BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE
  • A44B19/00—Slide fasteners
  • A44B19/42—Making by processes not fully provided for in one other class, e.g. B21D53/50, B21F45/18, B22D17/16, B29D5/00
  • A44B19/44—Securing metal interlocking members to ready-made stringer tapes
  • A44B19/46—Securing separate interlocking members
  • A44B19/48—Arranging interlocking members before securing
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
  • A44B—BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE
  • A44B19/00—Slide fasteners
  • A44B19/02—Slide fasteners with a series of separate interlocking members secured to each stringer tape
  • A44B19/04—Stringers arranged edge-to-edge when fastened, e.g. abutting stringers
  • A44B19/06—Stringers arranged edge-to-edge when fastened, e.g. abutting stringers with substantially rectangular members having interlocking projections and pieces

Definitions

• This invention pertains to the area of technology of the production of zip fasteners, also known as zippers.
• these devices make it possible to reversibly connect two edges made of, e.g. , cloth or leather, on both of which are mounted a number of adjacent teeth that are arranged facing one another and shaped in such a way that the teeth fit together, thus being locked together, as a result of the action of a slide that is moved by hand in such a way as to cause it to travel along the zip fastener line that is to be closed.
• the securing, with respect to one another, of the teeth that are mounted on the two opposing edges is accom ⁇ plished by means of the slide, which causes the projecting parts of the heads on each tooth to mate with the recesses with matching zipper slots provided on a opposing adjacent tooth.
• the teeth are shaped in such a way that the zipper can be opened or closed by activating either of two slides that face in opposite directions.
• said teeth are made in a shape having bilateral symmetry and each have two tapered heads that face in opposite directions and two matching anchoring slots that are shaped accordingly.
• the meshing of a series of teeth is accomplished by gripping their two attachment tabs on an edge of the element to which the zipper is to be secured, whereby the attachment operations are preceded by the orienting of each tooth, which is taken from a feed magazine, in the position that is appropriate for the methods of operating the device that then secures said teeth.
• the task of selecting and orienting the teeth is fairly complex and often requires the use of sophisticated devices that produce high-frequency vibration, as well as various devices that help align the teeth in the desired position.
• the inventor of this invention has conceived of a zipper tooth which opens in both directions and which has characteristics that make the above-described operations of selection and orientation very simple.
• the main characteristic of this invention is the fact that the two above-mentioned tapered symmetrical heads both project to a predetermined extent with respect to the lateral profile of the tooth and can serve as supports around which the teeth, which are previously arranged vertically, can turn under the action of gravity alone, thus arranging themselves in identical adjacent and perfectly aligned positions, e.g., inside a guide channel whose width is less than the distance between the tops of the heads themselves, which consequently rest on its outer edges.
• the object of this invention is actually a bilater ⁇ ally symmetrical zipper tooth that can open in two directions and is equipped with attachment tabs, two tapered heads, and two anchoring slots which make it possible to both open and close the zipper using either of two slides that face in opposite directions, wherein the distance between the tops of the two tapered heads is greater than the thickness of the other parts of the tooth itself, so that the two heads can act as a support around which the tooth can turn under the action of gravity.
• the object of the invention also includes a process for ensuring the selection and orientation of the teeth that are made according to the invention.
• Fig. 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of the tooth according to the invention
• - Fig. 2 shows a side view of two adjacent teeth of the type depicted in Fig. 1 hooked together;
• - Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show the major phases of the process of selecting and orienting the teeth with the aid of a guide channel;
• - Fig. 6 shows a top view of the guide channel that support a tooth.
• a tooth In that is produced according to the invention is shown in Figs. 1 and 2; said tooth includes two tabs 2, 7 stretched apart, two slots 5, 6, and two tapered heads 3 , 4 that are symmetrical with respect to median plane ⁇ of tooth in itself.
• Distance d between tops 3a, 4a of two heads 3, 4 is greater than the thickness of the other parts of tooth In, i.e., maximum transverse thickness t of tabs 2, 7, such that said two heads 3, 4 can be used as support points for tooth In on two opposing flat supports 8b, 8d (see Figs. 5 and 6) that are less far apart than distance d between tops 3a, 4a and further apart than maximum trans ⁇ verse thickness t of tabs 2, 7.
• tooth In can be made to turn around the support points on two tapered heads 3, 4 with their tabs 2, 7 interposed between said opposing flat supports 8b, 8d.
• Said opposing flat supports 8b, 8d constitute the inner walls- of a guide channel 8 (Figs. 5, 6) in order to advantageously simplify, as indicated in the preamble, the process of selecting and aligning the teeth so that they can be placed on the edges of the zip closure that is to be made.
• this process includes only the phases of picking up the teeth (Fig. 3) from a feed magazine (not shown) , orienting the teeth in the vertical direction (Fig. 4) , noting their position in order to align them (Fig. 5) with respect to one another in a vertical plane ⁇ , and moving them forward (see arrow A) in this position until they reach a vertical guide channel 8 whose width 1 is smaller than distance d between tops 3a, 4a of heads 3, 4 of teeth In and larger than the thickness of all the other parts of the teeth themselves (in practice larger than transverse thickness t of tabs 2, 7) .
• each tooth In is oriented, turning as shown in Fig. 5 around the contact points between two tapered heads 3, 4 and edges 8b, 8d of guide channel 8, in such a way as to assume the position from which the force of gravity applied to its center of gravity turns out to be perpendicular to the segment that connects the two support points of the two symmetrical heads and all of the teeth, which are alike, turn out to be aligned and oriented in an identical fashion.
• each tooth slides (see arrow B) along channel 8, supported by heads 3, 4, toward its lower end 8i, which is located close to device 9 which is supposed to grasp the teeth and clamp them in such a way as to form the edges of a zipper.
• Fig. 5 the device is depicted in schematic form only since its characteristics, which are well known to one skilled in the art, are not the object of this invention. Also, the devices for orienting the teeth before they are directed into guide channel 8 are not depicted since there are various types of such devices (rollers, parallel walls, etc.) that are well known to one skilled in the art.

Landscapes

• Slide Fasteners (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=4206975

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (1)

Citations (6)

• 1996
  • 1996-05-22 CH CH129096A patent/CH690893A5/it not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1997
  • 1997-04-09 WO PCT/IB1997/000376 patent/WO1997043920A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1997-04-09 EP EP97914506A patent/EP0840559A1/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1997-04-09 AU AU21740/97A patent/AU2174097A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (6)

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