[0001] This invention relates to a separable bottom end assembly adapted to be attached
to bottom end portions of a pair of fastener stringers of slide faster for separably
connecting the two fastener stringers with one another.
[0002] A typical conventional type of separable bottom end assembly for a slide fastener
comprises a socket member attached to the bottom end portion of one fastener stringer
and having a first pin member integral with the socket member, and a second pin member
attached to the bottom end portion of the other fastener stringer. For connecting
the separated fastener stringers with one another, with a slider kept in contact with
the socket member, the second pin member is inserted deeply into the socket member
through the slider, whereupon the slider is moved upwardly with the second pin member
kept in this inserted position. During that time, the slider must be pulled upwardly
away from the socket member by one hand of the user, while the socket member and the
second pin member must be held in a coupled status by the other hand. For separating
the interconnected fastener stringers from one another, the second pin member must
be removed from the socket member by one hand, with the slider held in contact with
the socket member by the other hand. It is therefore difficult for a little child,
an old person or a handicapped person to perform this two-hand operation.
[0003] A solution for the foregoing problem is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility
Model Publication No. 7845/1970. In the arrangement of this Japanese publication,
the pull tab has a small projection, and the socket member has a hole in which the
projection is engageable to hold the slider against the socket member in such a manner
that the groove of the slider is aligned with the groove of the socket.
[0004] With this prior art, since the slider and the socket member are coupled with one
another by the projection-and-hole connection, the second pin member can be inserted
into the socket member through the slider only by one hand. However, at the beginning
of closing the slide fastener by pulling the slider upwardly, after the second pin
member is inserted, to close the slide fastener, the second pin member would often
be lifted and removed from the socket member in response to the upward movement of
the slider. Particularly in the case of a jumper, since pulling forces act on the
second pin member and the socket member in such a manner that these two members are
moved away from each other, the second pin member inserted in the socket member would
be lifted from the socket member at the beginning of closing operation of the slider.
Therefore, smooth closing of the slide fastener cannot always be guaranteed.
[0005] Another separable bottom end assembly for a slide fastener is known from WO 89/06504.
Such assembly comprises a socket member attached to a bottom end portion of one of
the fastener stringers of the slide fastener and a separate pin member attached to
a bottom end portion of the other stringer for being inserted into the socket member
through the slider. However, according to this known assembly, it is still necessary
to pull manually the slide to interlock the rows of zipper teeth, which can be difficult
in particular for a little child, an old person or a handicapped person.
[0006] It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a separable bottom end assembly,
for a slide fastener, with which a pair of fastener stringers can be correctly connected
with and separated from one another simply by one hand.
[0007] As claimed the invention proposes a separable bottom end assembly for a slide fastener
including a pair of fastener stringers and a slider threaded on the fastener stringers,
each of the fastener stringers having a row of coupling elements, the assembly comprising:
a socket member attached to a bottom end portion of one of the fastener stringers
and having a first separate pin member; a second separate pin member attached to a
bottom end portion of the other fastener stringer and adapted to be inserted into
the socket member through the slider.
[0008] According to the invention, said socket member includes an outer box in which said
first separate pin member is received so as to project upwardly therefrom, an inner
box received in said outer box, said outer box having, on its outer surface, means
for locking a pull tab of the slider in a locking position when said inner box is
pushed downwardly by the slider against the bias of at least one spring mounted between
said outer box and said first separate pin member; said inner box has a hollow portion
through which said second separate pin member is insertable, and said second separate
pin member has an engaging projection engageable with a lowermost coupling element
of said one fastener stringer when said at least one spring urges said inner box upwardly
after the pull tab has been released from the locking position.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the invention, said locking means is a locking projection
adapted to lockingly engage in an opening of the pull tab of the slider.
[0010] In operation, when connecting the separated fastener stringers, the pull tab of the
slider is brought into engagement with the locking projection of the outer box with
the slider is pushed against the inner box against the bias of the spring, and then
the second pin member is inserted into the hollow portion of the inner box through
the slider, whereupon the pull tab of the slider is released from the locking projection
of the outer box. In response to this releasing, the inner box is moved upwardly by
the resilience of the spring so that the second pin member inserted in the inner box
is brought toward the first pin member and assumes a posture parallel thereto, at
which time the engaging projection of the second pin member is brought into engagement
with the lowermost coupling element of the companion fastener stringer. Since the
slider is pulled upwardly with the second pin member kept from removing the socket
member, smooth and correct closing operation of the slide faster can be achieved.
[0011] When separating the interconnected fastener stringers, the pull tab of the slider
is brought into engagement with the locking projection with the slider pushed against
the inner box in the above-mentioned manner, whereupon the second pin member is removed
from the inner box. Since the engaging projection of the second pin member would be
inclined so as to disengage from the lowermost coupling element of the companion fastener
stringer, the second pin member can be removed from the socket member smoothly.
FIG. 1 is a front view, with parts broken away, of a separable bottom end assembly,
of this invention, attached to a slide fastener, showing a pair of fastener stringers
separated from one another;
FIG. 2 is a side view, with parts broken away, of FIG. 1, showing how the slider is
locked on a socket member;
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view, with parts broken away, of the separable bottom
end assembly;
FIG. 4 is a front view, with parts broken away, of the separable bottom end assembly
with a second pin member inserted into the socket member through the slider locked
on the socket member;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the separable bottom end assembly with
the slider released from the socket member; and
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front view of a slide fastener to which the separable bottom
end assembly of this invention is attached, showing a pair of fastener stringers partially
closed.
[0012] A separable bottom end assembly according to one embodiment of this invention will
now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the separable bottom end assembly generally comprises a socket
member 1 and a separate pin member (hereinafter called "second pin member") 2.
[0014] The socket member 1, as shown in FIG. 3, includes an outer box 3, an inner box 4
and an intermediate part 5. The outer box 3 is an upwardly open box having a pair
of opposed stepped portions 6, 6 projecting respectively from a pair of confronting
inner side walls. One of the confronting side walls has at its upper portion a vertically
extending guide hole 7, and the other side wall has on its outer surface a locking
projection 8 extending from a lower portion of the outer surface and on its bottom
surface a looped portion 9 for a purpose described below. The inner box 4 is an upwardly
and downwardly open rectangular tube having at each corner, a blind hole 10 extending
upwardly from the bottom and terminating short of the top. The inner box 4 is received
in the outer box 3 above the two stepped portions 6, 6 and has such a size as to project
slightly from the top of the outer box 3. A spring 11 is received in each of the blind
holes 10, acting on the outer and inner boxes 3, 4 to normally urge the inner box
4 upwardly. The inner box 4 also has on its outer surface a pin 12 received in the
guide hole 7 of the outer box 3. The intermediate part 5 has a base 13 received between
the two stepped portions 6, 6 of the outer box 3, a separate pin member (hereinafter
called "first pin member") 14 extending vertically upwardly from the center of the
base 13 through the inner box 4, and a guide portion 15 extending vertically upwardly
from the base 13 into the inner box 4 and shorter than the first pin member 14. Thus
the intermediate part 5 has a generally L-shaped contour. The first pin member 14
has on its rear surface a vertical groove 16 for receiving the tape t of one fastener
stringer f1 of a slide fastener. The intermediate part 5 is fixedly mounted in the
outer box 3 by means of rivets, adhesive, etc. As thus assembled, there is defined
a hollow portion 17 in the inner box 4 above the guide portion 15 for receiving the
second pin member 2.
[0015] The second pin member 2 is a generally rectangular stick having in one surface a
vertical groove 18 for receiving the tape t of the other fastener stringer f2. The
second pin member 2 also has an engaging projection 19 extending from an upper portion
of the other surface, for a purpose described below. The second pin member 2 is vertical
at the upper portion of the other surface and is inclined at the lower portion so
as to taper to the lower end.
[0016] For assembly, the first pin member 14 and the second pin member 2 are attached to
the respective fastener stringers f1, f2 contiguously to the respective lowermost
coupling elements e, e, as shown in FIG. 1. At that time, the inner edges of the opposite
fastener tapes t, t are inserted respectively through the groove 16 of the first pin
member 14 and the groove 18 of the second pin member 2 and are fixedly attached thereto
by caulking, if these pin members 14, 2 are made of metal, or by injection molding,
if they are made of synthetic resin. The inner box 4 of the socket member 1 is normally
urged upwardly by the resilience of the springs 11 and is prevented, by the pin 12
inserted in the guide hole 7 of the outer box 3, from being removed from the outer
box 3. By the first pin member 14 and the guide portion 15, the inner box 4 can be
guided perpendicularly in either the upward or the downward direction.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the locking projection 8 formed on the outer box 3 is engageable
in an opening h of a pull tab p of a slider s when the inner box 4 is pushed downwardly
against the bias of the springs 11 by the slider s until the inner box 4 contacts
the stepped portions 6, 6 of the outer box 3. The form of the locking projection 8
depends on the form of the pull tab p of the slider s; for example, if the pull tab
p has a projection (not shown) on the rear surface, the locking projection 8 should
be substituted by a recess (not shown) for lockingly receiving the projection.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, when inserted into the inner box 4 through the slider s with
the inner box 4 pushed to the lowermost position, the second pin member 2 assumes
a slightly inclined posture, and the inclined surface of the second pin member 2 comes
in contact with the first pin member 14 while a part of the rear surface of the second
pin member 2 comes in contact with one of a pair of guide flanges of the slider s.
Therefore the second pin member 2 is prevented from being further inserted into the
inner box 4. To the looped portion 9 formed on the bottom surface of the outer box
3, a connector 20 such as a hook or a looped band may be attached, as shown in FIG.
6.
[0019] For interconnecting the separated fastener stringers f1, f2 as shown in FIG. 1, the
slider s is pulled downwardly all the way along the fastener stringer f1, pushing
the floating inner box 4 downwardly, whereupon the locking projection 8 is brought
into engagement with the opening h of the slider pull tab p to hold the inner box
4 in depressed position and the slider s in contact with the socket box 1. In this
status, the second pin member 2 is inserted into the hollow portion 17 from the front
side of the slider s as shown in FIG. 4, and the slider pull tab p is released from
the locking projection 8 as indicated by phantom lines in FIG. 2. In response to this
releasing, the inner box 4 rises automatically under the resilience of the springs
11, as shown in FIG. 5, so that the inclined second pin member 2 is moved so as to
assume an upright posture, thus bringing the engaging projection 19 of the second
pin member 2 into engagement with the lowermost coupling element e1 of the companion
fastener stringer f1. Then the slider s is pulled upwardly to close the opposite fastener
stringers f1, f2. As a result, the two fastener stringers f1, f2 have been inter connected.
At that time, if the connector 20 (FIG. 6) is hooked on a fixed thing nearby the user,
a smooth closing operation of the slider s can be guaranteed.
[0020] For separating the interconnected fastener stringers f1, f2 from one another, the
slider s is pulled downwardly to depress the inner box 4 as shown FIGS. 1 and 2, and
then the slider pull tab p is brought into engagement with the locking projection
8 of the outer box 3, whereupon the second pin member 2 is removed from the socket
member 1. As a result, the two fastener stringers f1, f2 have been separated from
one another.
[0021] With the separate bottom end assembly of this invention, since when interconnecting
and separating the opposite fastener stringers with and from one another, the inner
box is depressed into the outer box against the bias of the springs by the slider,
and the slider is fixedly secured to the outer box to hold the inner box in this depressed
position, the inner box rises automatically under the resilience of the springs to
bring the engaging projection of the second pin member into engagement of the lowermost
coupling element of the companion stringer so that the slide fastener can be properly
closed simply by one hand and also so that the opposite fastener stringers can be
separated simply by one hand.
1. A separable bottom end assembly for a slide fastener including a pair of fastener
stringers (f1, f2) and a slider (s) threaded on the fastener stringers (f1, f2), each
of the fastener stringers (f1, f2) having a row of coupling elements, said assembly
comprising : a socket member (1) attached to a bottom end portion of one (f1) of the
fastener stringers and having a first separate pin member (14) ; and a second separate
pin member attached to a bottom end portion of the other fastener stringer (f2) and
adapted to be inserted into said socket member (1) through the slider (s), characterized
by the fact that said socket member (1) includes an outer box (3) in which said first
separate pin member (14) is received so as to project upwardly therefrom, an inner
box (4) received in said outer box (3), said outer box (3) having, on its outer surface,
means for locking a pull tab (p) of the slider (s) in a locking position when said
inner box (4) is pushed downwardly by the slider against the bias of at least one
spring (11) mounted between said outer box (3) and said first separate pin member
(14), by the fact that said inner box (4) has a hollow portion (17) through which
said second separate pin member (2) is insertable, and by the fact that said second
separate pin member (2) has an engaging projection (19) engageable with a lowermost
coupling element (e1) of said one fastener stringer when said at least one spring
(11) urges said inner box (4) upwardly after the pull tab has been released from the
locking position.
2. A separable bottom end assembly according to claim 1, characterized by the fact said
locking means is a locking projection (8) adapted to lockingly engage in an opening
(h) of the pull tab (p) of the slider (s).
1. Teilbarkeitselement für einen Reißverschluß mit zwei Reißverschlußbändern (f1, f2)
und einem auf die Reißverschlußbänder (f1, f2) aufgezogenen Schieber (s), wobei jedes
Reißverschlußband (f1, f2) eine Kuppelgliederreihe aufweist, umfassend: ein Kastenteil
(1), das an einem unteren Bereich (f1) eines der Reißverschlußbänder befestigt ist
und ein erstes getrenntes Stiftteil (14) aufweist, und ein zweites getrenntes Stiftteil,
das an einem unteren Endbereich des anderen Reißverschlußbandes (f2) befestigt ist
und das durch den Schieber (s) hindurch in das Kastenteil (1) eingesetzt werden kann,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das Kastenteil (1) einen äußeren Kasten (3), der das erste getrennte Stiftteil
(14) aufnimmt, so daß es nach oben hinausragt, und einen von dem äußeren Kasten (3)
aufgenommenen inneren Kasten (4) aufweist, wobei der äußere Kasten (3) an seiner Außenseite
Mittel hat, um einen Griff (p) des Schiebers (s) in einer Verriegelungsstellung zu
verriegeln, wenn der innere Kasten (4) von dem Schieber gegen die Kraft mindestens
einer zwischen dem äußeren Kasten (3) und dem ersten getrennten Stiftteil (14) angeordneten
Feder (11) nach unten gedrückt wird, daß der innere Kasten (4) einen hohlen Bereich
(17) hat, durch den das zweite getrennte Stiftteil (2) einführbar ist, und daß das
zweite getrennte Stiftteil (2) einen Eingriffsvorsprung (19) hat, der mit einem untersten
Kuppelglied (e1) des besagten einen Reißverschlußbandes in Eingriff bringbar ist,
wenn die besagte mindestens eine Feder (11) den inneren Kasten (4) nach oben drückt,
nachdem der Griff aus der Verriegelungsstellung gelöst wurde.
2. Teilbarkeitselement nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß das besagte Verriegelungsmittel ein Verriegelungsvorsprung (8) ist, der mit
einer Öffnung (h) des Griffs (p) des Schiebers (s) in Verriegelungseingriff bringbar
ist.
1. Ensemble d'extrémité inférieure séparable, destiné à une fermeture à glissière comprenant
une paire de bandes d'accrochage (f₁, f₂) et un curseur (s) enfilé sur les bandes
d'accrochage (f₁, f₂), chaque bande d'accrochage (f₁, f₂) portant une rangée d'éléments
d'accouplement, ledit ensemble comprenant : un élément formant douille (1) fixé à
la partie d'extrémité inférieure de l'une (f₁) des bandes d'accrochage et comportant
un premier tenon séparé (14) et un second tenon séparé fixé à la partie d'extrémité
inférieure de l'autre bande d'accrochage (f₂) et pouvant être introduit dans ledit
élément formant douille (1) en traversant ledit curseur (s),
caractérisé par le fait que ledit élément formant douille (1) comprend une boîte extérieure
(3) dans laquelle ledit premier tenon séparé (14) est reçu pour en dépasser vers le
haut, une boîte intérieure (4) logée dans ladite boîte extérieure (3), ladite boîte
extérieure (3) ayant, sur sa surface extérieure, un moyen pour bloquer la tirette
(p) du curseur (s) en position verrouillée quand ladite boîte intérieure (4) est poussée
vers le bas par le curseur à l'encontre de la sollicitation d'au moins un ressort
(11) installé entre ladite boîte extérieure (3) et ledit premier tenon séparé (14),
par le fait que ladite boîte intérieure (4) comporte une partie creuse (17) par laquelle
peut être introduit ledit second tenon séparé (2), et par le fait que ledit second
tenon séparé (2) présente une saillie de mise en prise (19) qui peut s'accrocher avec
l'élément d'accouplement le plus bas (e₁) de ladite première bande d'accrochage quand
ledit ressort (11) au nombre d'au moins un pousse ladite boîte intérieure (4) vers
le haut après que la tirette a été libérée de la position de verrouillage.
2. Ensemble d'extrémité inférieure séparable selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par
le fait que ledit moyen de blocage est une saillie de blocage (8) qui peut s'engager
de manière verrouillante dans un orifice (h) de la tirette (p) du curseur (s).