Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
- 103723Z
This invention relates generally to slide fasteners and
; in particular to what is commonly referred to as bridge top
stops whose primary function is to inseparably connect the
upper ends of the stringers of a slide fastener for limiting
the upward movement of a slider in the operation of opening
or closing the fastener stringer.
As is well known, slide fasteners equipped with bridge
top stops of the character described have found extensive use
in garment placket and other closure openings including those
in bags, suitcases and like articles. While a wide variety
of bridge top stops have been proposed and used in the art,
most of them have been found not entirely satisfactory in
that the bondage of such prior-art top stops to the fastener
stringers, which is effected for example by injection-moulding
of U-shaped members to reinforced or beaded edges of the
stringer tapes, is not sufficiently strong to withstand greater
shocks or lateral pull usually applied to the bridge type of -~
top stop than to any other ordinary top stops. The prior-art
bridge top stops have therefore often experienced objectionable
, deformation or in the worst case detachment from the stringer
:~ tapes.
; In view of the above-noted deficiencies of the prior
. art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
new and improved bridge top stop for slide fasteners which is
simple in construction and highly reliable in function.
It is a more specific object of the invention to pro-
vide a bridge top stop which can be secured with sufficient
mechanical strength and positional stability to reinforced or
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beaded edges of the stringer tapes so as to remain in service
over extended lengths of time.
According to the present invention, there is provided
a slide fastener including a pair of stringer tapes each
carrying a row of interlocking fastener elements on a beaded
longitudinal edge thereof and a slider movable along said
rows of fastener elements for coupling and uncoupling the ..
same, a the_moplastic bridge top stop comprising a generally
U-shaped channel member formed by two similar plate members
spaced apart in a generally parallel relationship and inter-
connected by a generally U-shaped inner peripheral wall
member at inner peripheral edges of said plate members, said
plate members defining with said peripheral wall member a
channel generally U-shaped in plan, said channel being completely
filled up with fastener element-free portions of said beaded
edges in compressed condition, said portions of said beaded
edges of the respective stringer tapes and generally the entire
length of the inner peripheral wall member being fused together
at least one of said plate members being provided at the outer ;:~
peripheral edge thereof with a flange protruding to the other
plate member to define with same a circumferential slit,
and flange being positioned to hold the longitudinal edge
portion. of the respective stringer tapes that lie immediately
adjacent said beaded edges.
The features which are believed to be novel and charac-
teristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in
the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well
as the additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best
understood from the following description of a preferred embodi-
ment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts
of the several views, and wherein:
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103723~ :
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a slide fastener having mounted
,
` thereon a bridge top stop constructed in accordance with the
invention;
::. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the bridge top stop shown
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103~ 32
Pig. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on
~- the line III - III of Fig. 1, showing the bridge top stop pre-positioned on and along the beaded edges of the stringer tapes;
and
Flg. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the
bridge top stop compressed and affixed to the beaded edges of
the stringer tapes.
Reference is first directed to Fig. 1 to briefly describe
; the general organizatinn of a slide~fastener employing the; 10 bridge top stop according to this invention. The slide fas-
tener generally designated at 10 comprises a pair of stringer
~ tapes 11 and 12 each carrying along their respective longitudi-; nal beaded edges lla and 12a a row of interlocking fastener
elements E secured in place by sewing stitches S in the well
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known manner. The type of fastener elements E is optional in
the practice of the in~ention; for example, it may be of a
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continuous plastic filament in the form of a helical spring as
presently shown, or in a meandering form, or of a metal in a -
discre~e formation. The oppcsite rows of fastener elements E
are brought into or out of engagement with each other by a
slider 13 as the latter is moved therealong to close or open
the fastener 10 in the usual manner. The reference numeral 14
generally designates a preferred form of the bridge top stop
ac~ording to the invention.
- As illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 2 the bridge top
stop 14 has a substantially horse-shoë shaped body (also
referred to as "a generally U-shaped channel membern) which
has bifurcations 15a and 15b ex*ending parallel with each other
;~ and which comprises a pair of similar plate members 16 and 17
: _ 4 _ ~:
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)37Z3Z ~:
: interconnected at their inner peripheral edges by a peripheral
wall member 18 (also referred to as "a generally U-shaped
` inner peripheral wall member"). The upper and lower plate
members 16 and 17 have formed at and along their respective
outer peripheral edges inwardly directed flanges 15a and 17a tha
; are spaced apart by a circumferential slit 19. As shown, there ~
~ is formed a substantially cross-sectionally square channel 20 :.
.. which is defined by the plate members 16, 17, the inner peri-
pheral wall 18 and flanges 16a, 17a at the outèr peripheral
edges of members 16, 17. The channel extends substantially
::~ in a "U"-shaped configuration throughout the entire peripheral
. length of the body 15. The channel 20 has a dimen-
: I sion calculated to accommodate the beaded edge lla (12a) .-:
.. . ..
of the tape 11, (12) such that its interior space may
:, be fully and completely filled by the beaded edge
.;~ lla,(12a) when the top stop body 15 is secured together into
, positive engagement with the latter as hereafter described.
-. 15 The circumferential slit 19 which communicates with the channel
, 20 is initially just large enough to permit a given thickness .
of tape 11,(12) to be threaded therethrough. ~.
!
:., The bridge top stop 14 of the above construction and
. configuration is mounted on the upper ends of the stringer ~ :
' 20 tapes 11,12 in the manner depicted in Figs. 3 and 4. The - .
S beaded edges lla and 12a o~ separated stringer tapes 11 and
- 12 are threaded through the channel 20 in the respective bifur~
~; cations l5a and 15b of the top stop 14. In which instance, the
longitudinal edge portions of the tape web designated at 21
immediately adjacent the beaded edges lla,12a are threaded ~:
through the slit 19. As and after the top stop 14 has thus
been mounted in the desired position on the stringer tapes 11,12
- as illustrated in Pig. 3, it is secured together into positi~e ~
~ ':
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~03723Z
. engagement with the beaded edges lla,12a in a direction perpen-
dicular to the plane of the slide fastener 10 by suitable means
. such as for example by the known techniques of supersonic or
high frequency heating where the top stop 14 is formed of a
.~ S thermoplastic material, or by punching where it is of a metal.
..
The final shape of the top stop 14 thus secured to the stringer
tapes 11,12 is shown in Fig. 4 from which it will be seen that
.: the beaded edges lla,12a are completely embedded and firmly
. anchored in the channel 20 in a manner to fill up the interior
spacing of the latter, while the longitudinal edge portions 21
... .
- of the respective stringer tapes 11,12 are firmly caught in
-~. the slit 19 between the flanges l~a,17a w~ereby the top stop
~ 14 can be stabilized in position against increased external
. .stresses.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate
different modifications deferring from the preferred
- embodiment disclosed herein before. Thus, for instance,
one can re~dily conceive an arrangement wherein only
one of the plate members 16, 17 is provided with
O the flange, the other plate member being generally
flat. Such modification,-together with other modifications,
may differ from the preferred embodiment as disclosed,
however, they would still fall within the scope of the
present invention as defined in the accompanying claims.
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