BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to slide fasteners.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Numerous slide fasteners have been proposed over the years, typically with pairs of stringers mounting respective rows of laterally extending parallelepipedic-shaped teeth constructed to be brought together in a common plane by a slider so the rows of teeth engage one another to fasten together. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,836,058 to Cullum. While generally serving its intended purpose, the shape of such teeth on such slide fasteners are dictated by the particular function and degree to which such teeth interlock to prevent separation, typically presenting a somewhat routine, utilitarian appearance for the closed fastener.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A slide fastener including a slider with flanking tracks to receive a pair of first and second stringers mounting respective first and second rows of laterally elongated teeth projecting toward one another and constructed to guide the free extremities through spaced apart planes and then back into a common plane to releasably lock together. The teeth of the opposite rows include catches to, when interleaved, catch and releasably hold the mating teeth of opposite rows together.

The method of the present invention includes the selection of a slider to fasten first and second rows of zipper teeth together and operating the fastener to slide in one direction to shift the respective first and second rows of teeth first into spaced-apart horizontal planes and then into a common plane to crowd the teeth together and latch respective catches and receivers together to hold the teeth in respective latched positions.

The features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description which should be read in conjunction with the

accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a slider incorporated in the link chain zipper of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view thereof; FIG. 3 is a top front perspective view of the rows of teeth incorporated in the link chain zipper of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom back perspective view thereof;

FIG. 5 is a top view, in reduced scale, of the confronting rows of teeth and the slider of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6A is a transverse sectional view, in enlarged scale, taken along the line 6A-6A of FIG. 5 to show a detail of teeth incorporated in the invention shown in Fig 5;

FIG 6B is a side view, in enlarged scale, taken along the line 6B-6B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a right side view in enlarged scale of the chain link zipper device shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a front end view of the chain link zipper device shown in FIG. 7;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are respective transverse sectional views, in enlarged scale, taken along the line 9-9 and 10-10 in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the slider shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the slide fastener device of the present invention includes, generally, a slider 35 incorporating a pair of flanking tracks 61 and 63 to receive a pair of first and second stringers 21 and 23 mounting respective first and second rows 24 and 26 of laterally projecting first and second teeth 25 and 27 configured with respective free extremities to be tilted out of, and then back into a common plane to be releasably locked together. The slider 35 is constructed to be slid in one direction along the respective rows of teeth to cause the respective tracks 61 and 63 to first shift the distal extremities of the rows of teeth into spaced apart planes and then urge them toward one another while also tilting their free extremities into a common plane from opposite sides of that common plane.. As travel of the slider continues, the teeth will be crowded together and hooked to one another to be releasably retained.

The teeth are formed with releasable retaining devices which may be in the form of hooks, or as shown in a preferred embodiment, catches 41 on one side and sockets on the opposite defining receivers 43 (FIGS. 6A and 6B) to, when interleafed, cooperate in locking the rows of teeth together.

As will be appreciated by the reader from a review of this description, the respective stringers 21 and 23 may be constructed, of stiff or semi-rigid material, for example, of coarse, relatively stiff woven cloth, or flexible hard plastic links such that the respective teeth can be articulated for interleafing with one another.

In practice, we have constructed our slide fastener device of various materials, including thermoplastic material and metal to provide a desirable construction for various different applications.

The multiplane tracks 61 and 63 are constructed to guide the free extremities of the teeth of the first and second rows over and under one another and back into a common plane to connect together. The resultant structure provides the artisan with a platform from which he or she has the freedom to construct the exposed surfaces with many different attractive shapes in a manner not heretofore feasible. As an example, referring to FIG. 5, in top plan view, the teeth 25 and 27 may be formed with inside edges 51 and 53 angled and an obtuse angle of about 150° relative to one another. The teeth are formed on their opposite sides with opposite ends angling at an obtuse angle relative to one another of about 140° and joined centrally by an arcuate central edge 45 to cooperate in forming exterior boomerang shape. The respective teeth are formed on with central bodies and on one extremity with proximal, somewhat rectangular base sections 47 mounted to the respective stringers 21 and 23 and on their opposite ends with the free extremities 31. The free extremities 31 terminate in blunt planar ends 32.

The surfaces 56 are formed with the bores defining the receivers 43 and posts defining the catches 41 are mounted on the surfaces 53 to be selectively received in the respective confronting bores as the teeth are drawn together.

With continued reference to FIGS. 5 and 6A and 6B, the rows of teeth are constructed for pairs of confronting teeth to be, when crowded together in a common plane, joined together such that the planar surfaces 51 and 53 of the pairs interleafed teeth are disposed in confronting relationship with the respective free ends 32 nested against the planar surfaces 51 of the tail sections. With this configuration it will be understood that adjacent pairs of teeth in each row cooperate to, when joined, form a space therebetween complementing the shape of the connecting tooth from the opposite row.

In one preferred embodiment, we provide a further catch function by configuring the confronting edges of the teeth 25 with upwardly facing first hooks 44 to be selectively engaged by downwardly opening second hooks 46 (FIG. 6B) As a result, when the teeth are guided into lateral alignment over and under one another, upon tilting of the teeth into a common plane, the hooks of the juxtaposed teeth will be hooked together to cooperate in preventing separation until the slider manipulates the teeth apart. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 6A-6B, the teeth are formed on their respective outside edges with longitudinal, laterally outwardly opening slots 52 to receive the respective marginal edges of the stringers 21 and 23.

The catches 41 and receivers 43 on the confronting surfaces of juxtaposed teeth serve to, when the zipper is closed, engage one another to, as long as the teeth are pressed into engagement, prevent the juxtaposed teeth from sliding laterally away from one another. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the catches and receivers may thus take many forms such as the post and blind bores shown in the accompanying drawings, laterally extending, small ratchet teeth to engage recessed grooves in mating teeth, hooks, or other catching arrangements that will occur to those of skill.

In some preferred embodiments, the teeth are approximately 3/8 of an inch long and about ¼-inch wide at their widest part, and about 1/8 to 3/16-inch thick.

With this size and configuration, the free extremities of the teeth have such body that, if the opposed rows were moved laterally seeking to make engagement in the same general plane as with conventional sliders, the teeth of the opposing rows would interfere with one another and block against interleafing.

For that reason, we have constructed the slider 35 with the flanking tracks 61 and 63 (FIGS. 7 and 8) to, as they extend rearwardly from their leading ends 62 and 64, angle , respectively, proximally downwardly and upwardly and to then as they continue rearward angle back to a common plane. As they converge along funneling sections 66 and 68 to funnel toward one another, the bottom wall 70 of the track 61 (FIG. 11) ramps downwardly along the lateral inside edge to a cavity 74 to be disposed below a neutral or common plane of the lateral ramp position 76 of the bottom wall 72 of the track 63 to elevate the teeth 46 over the teeth 44 as they are drawn together to be fed out the fastening sections 80 and 82 which crowd the teeth of the adjacent rows together. The tracks thus guide the free extremities of the respective second and first teeth proximally downwardly and upwardly to thus elevate the hooks 46 while lowering the hooks 44 (FIG. 9) so the hooks will clear each other as the funneling effect by such tracks translate the teeth toward one another to align the hooks 46 over the hooks 44 (FIG. 9). Then as the tracks guide the rows of teeth into a common plane, defined by the bottom walls in the crowding sections 80 and 82, the catches will be received in the respective receivers and the hooks 46 hooked behind the respective hooks 44. In one proposed embodiment the walls of the slider are transparent so the action of the teeth can be observed. As will be appreciated by the reader, while the preferred embodiment of the slider serves to tilt the teeth to perform the locking and release functions, in other embodiments, the slider may be constructed to, as it translates along the rows of teeth, shift the teeth bodily into and out of the common plane for locking and unlocking.

In operation, it will be appreciated that the stringers may be fastened to adjacent edges

71 and 73 of a garment or the like (FIG. 5). Then, when the slide fastener is to be closed, the slider 35 will be slid along the length thereof to draw the rows of teeth in through the funnel- shaped funnel sections 66 and 68 (FIG. 11) of the tracks 61 and 63 along predetermined paths dictated by the shape of the walls of such tracks as defined by the respective bottom walls 70 and 72. This will serve to tilt the distal ends of the row of teeth passing through the track 63 upwardly and translate them inwardly to be disposed over the free ends of the teeth passing through the track 61 and into the track recess 74. Continued travel of the slider will draw the free ends of the respective rows of teeth into vertical alignment at disposed in vertical alignment as dictated by the track portion 76 and recess 74. Still further travel of the slider 35 will then drive the teeth into interleafed relationship interposing the teeth of one row between respective pairs of teeth of the other row. This will serve to position the teeth of the rows of teeth 26 and 27 with the respective catches 41 in the receivers 43 such that, as full closure of the rows of teeth on one another is completed in the track crowding sections 80 and 82, the free extremities of the teeth will be rotated into position driving the catches 41 fully into the respective receivers 43 to establish a locking relationship resisting lateral forces applied to the clothing edges 71 and 73. Concurrently the hooks 44 and 46 will be engaged behind each other to cooperate in locking the teeth of the mating rows to each other.

As will be appreciated by those of skill, in some embodiments the catches and receivers are constructed to perform the locking function and in other embodiments the hooks will serve as the locks.

As will be appreciated by the reader, as the teeth pass into the crowding sections 80 and 82 the teeth of the rows will be pressed together so the teeth of one row will be interleafed into the complementarily shaped gap between adjacent teeth of the opposite row and crowded together longitudinally to be maintained in their interlocked positions as shown in FIG. 5. Lateral outwardly acting forces from the garment edges 71 and 73 applied through the stringers 25 and 27 tending to pull the teeth laterally apart will be resisted by the catches 41 locked in the receivers 43 and the hooks 44 and 46 to thus maintain a secured closed position. Then, when the zipper is to be opened, the slider 35 can be slid in the opposite direction relative to the row of teeth, causing the tracks 61 and 63 to manipulate the free extremities of the teeth of the row 25 to be elevated while the free extremities of the teeth in the row 27 are lowered to concurrently withdraw the catches 41 from the receivers 43 and free the hooks 44 and 46 from one another as the free extremities in the teeth of the respective rows are pivoted longitudinally outwardly away from one another opening gaps between juxtaposed teeth of each row, drawing the catches 41 out of the respective receivers 43.

In this regard, it will be appreciated that, as the slider 35 (FIG. 11) is drawn to the left, the free extremities of the teeth in the track 61 will be drawn downwardly into the recess 74 while those in the track 63 are elevated in the track portion 76 to thus disengage the teeth 44 and 46 to shift them to different horizontal planes while concurrently withdrawing the catches 41 from the receivers 43 so the funnel sections 68 and 70 will cooperate in driving the rows of teeth laterally apart as separated by the divider 60 to thus free the stringers 21 and 23 for separation.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the device of the present invention provides an economical and secure means for establishing a fastening function between adjacent elements wherein the adjacent rows of teeth are locked together in secure fashion, but yet are easily separated for opening of the fastener.

The invention may be embodied in other forms without departure from the spirit and essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments described therefore are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Although the present invention has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art are also within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is intended to be defined only by reference to the appended claims.