Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for aid-
ing in the installation of sliders on slide fastener chains.
BACKGROI~ND ART
The prior art, as exemplified in U.S. Patents No.2,838,831,
No. 2,879,588, No. 2,949,666 and No. 3,116,544, contains a
number of methods and apparatus for installing sliders on slide
fastener chains, either manually or automatically. Flush cut or
gapped chain sections are gripped and guided into either the slider
throat or slider mouth openings to install the sliders on the slide
fastener chains. When sliders are installed by guiding separated
slide fastener stringers into the respective converging slider
throat openings, it is difficult to insert the ir.ner coupling por-
tions of the ends of the separated stringers into the slider throat
openings, particularly where the slider chain has relatively large
coupling elements such as large spiral coil coupling elements or
where the slider contains projections for retarding opening move-
ment of the slider.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is summarized in a method of installing a
slider on a pair of slide fastener stringers having respective end
sections which are separated, the method including the steps of
positioning a slider next to a stringer guiding means which has an
upper surface and a pair of converging flanges with inner surfaces
aligned with and adjacent to respective inner surfaces of diverging
ends of slider flanges; placing inner portions of the end slide
fastener stringer sections, including sections of coupling element
trains with respective slider flange engaging means of the slide
fastener stringers, on the upper surface of the stringer guiding
means; engaging the slider flange engaging means of the end slide
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~astener stringer sections with the inner surEaces of the respect-
ive guiding means flanges; and simultaneously advancing the end
slide fastener stringer sections along the guiding means flanges
while maintaining engagement of -the slider flange engaging means
with the respective guiding means flanges to simultaneously insert
the end slide fastener stringer sections into the slider and to
interlock the trains of coupling elements on such end slide fastener
stringer sections by means of the slider.
An object of the invention is to reduce the difficulty
of insertion of separated end portions of slide fastener stringers
into the converging openings of a slider throat.
Another object of the invention is to increase the produc-
tion quantity and to reduce operator fatigue by providing a mechani-
cal aid to make slidering of slide fastener stringers easier.
One advantage of the invention is that converging flanges
on guiding means are used to funnel separated slide fastener string-
ers into slider throats.
One feature of the invention is that a slide fastener
stringer guiding means includes both an upper surface and converg-
ing flanges for abutting and engaging slide fastener stringer flangeengaging means during advancement of the slide fastener stringers
into converging slider openings.
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention
will be apparent from the following description of the preferred
embodiment taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view taken from the front upper
right corner of a slidering apparatus for aiding in the installation
of a slider on a slide fastener chain in accordance with the inven-
tion.
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Fig. 2 is a plan view of a slider installed on a pair of
slide fastener stringers.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a slider to be positioned
in the apparatus of Fig. l for installation on a slide fastener
chain.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the slider oE Fig. 3
taken along a horizontal plane midway between the upper and lower
wings of the slider.
Fig. 5 is elevational cross-sectional view taken from the
right of the apparatus of Fig. 1 particularly illustrating a step
of positioning the slider of Fig. 2 in the apparatus.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the relative posi-
tionsof a slide fastener stringer guide tray and a slider in the
apparatus in Figs. l and 5 after the slider has been positioned in
the apparatus of Fig. l.
Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the tray and slider of Fig.
6 during one step in the installation of a slider on a pair of
slide fastener stringers.
Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a broken-away portion
of the slide fastener chain guide tray during the step of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the
apparatus for installing a slider on a slide fastener chain in
accordance with the invention.
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an upper guide member in
the modification of Fig. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A slidering apparatus, illustrated in Fig. l, for aiding
in the installation of a slider on a pair of slide fastener string-
ers to form a slide fastener assembly, shown in Fig. 2, in accord-
ance with the invention includes a slider holding mechanism indi-
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cated generally at 20 and a ~l~de-~~astener stringer guiding mecha-
smindicated ~enerally at 22 mounted on supportiny means such as
a vertical support 24 with table mounting means. The slide fastener
assembly includes a slider 26 and a pair of stringers indicated
generally at 28 and 20 which have respective carrier tapes 32 and
34 and respective trains of coupling elements 36 and 38 upon which
the slider 26 is slidably mounted for opening and closing the slide
fastener. In the installation of the slider 26 on the slide fas-
tener stringers 28 and 30, the slider 26 is positioned in the slider
holding mechanism 20, and the inner-edge portions of the stringers
28 and 30 with the coupling elements 36 and 38 are inserted into
the slider 26 using the stringer guide member 22 as an aid to form
the slide fastener assembly.
The coupling elements 36 and 38 of the stringers 28 and
30 are illustrated as spiral coil coupling elements formed by con-
volutions of a continuous thermoplastic monofilament shaped in a
conventional manner and supported by respective beads 40 and 42 on
the inner-edges of the tapes. The tapes 32 and 34 are woven, with
the weaving being made simultaneously with the attaching of the
spiral coil coupling elements and the formation of the beads 40
and 42 in a conventional manner. However, the present sliding
method and apparatus could be employed on any other type of slide
fastener stringers in place of the illustrated woven spiral string-
ers.
The slider 26, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, includes an
upper wing member 44 and a lower wing member 46 which are joined
and held in parallel spaced relationship by a divider post 48 ex-
tending between rounded ends of the wing members 44 and 46. The
wing members 44 and 46 have respective pairs of flanges 50 and 52
which extend from corresponding opposite laterial portions of the
wing members 44 and 46 toward the flanges of the opposite wing
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member. These flanges 5Q and 52 and the divider post 48 together
with the inner walls of the wing members 44 and 46 form a generally
Y-shaped channel indicated generally at 54 and shown upside down in
Fig. 4. The channel 54 has a common channel portion 56 extending
between parallel portions of the flanges 50 and 52 and has branch
portions 58 and 60 extending between respective diverging portions
of the flanges 50 and 52 on opposite sides of the divider post 48.
In operation of the slider on the stringers 28 and 30 of Fig. 2,
the beads 40 and 42 form flange engaging means which engage inner
surfaces of the flanges 50 and 52 to bring about closing movement
of the coupling elements 36 and 38 as the inner portions of the
stringers 28 and 30 proceed through the branch channel portions 58
and 60 into the common channel portions 56 during closing movement
of the slider while the divider post 48 engages the head portions
of the coupling 36 and 38 to spread and separate the coupling ele-
ments during movement of the coupled inner edge portions of the
stringers 28 and 38 through the common channel portion 56 into the
respective branch channel portions 58 and 60. It is noted that
some types of slide fastener stringers other than the illustrated
woven spiral type of slide fastener stringer may include other means
for engaging the slider flanges 50 and 52 in place of the illustra-
ted beads 40 and 42.
The illustrated sliders 26 have pyramidal shaped locking
projections 62 extending from the inside surfaces of the flanges 50
and 52 for engaging the flange engaging means of the stringer 28
and 30 to retard opening movement of the slider. Additonally the
slider 26 has a handle 65 mounted on the upper wing member 44 for
being engaged by a suitable tool (not shown) to move the slider 26.
Because the slider 26 is not provided with a standard pull for being
gripped by conventional slider holding mechanisms, the slider 26 is
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~ ovided with tabs 64 extending from the lower wing mel~er 46 out-
wardly from the parallel portions of the flanges 52 for providing
means by which the slider may be held in the slider holding mechanism
20 during the insertion of the stringers 28 and 30 into the slider
26. Howeverl other conventional type sliders which do not have
locking projections or holding tabs and which have standard pulls
can be installed on slide fastener stringers in accordance with the
present invention. The locking projections 62 of the slider 26
renderconventional slidering techniques more difficult and thus the
present invention is particularly useful on sliders containing
similar locking projections.
The slider holding mechanism 20 in one relatively simple
form is formed by an upraised portion 66 of the support 24 and a
holding tab engaging member 68 mounted on the rear of the portion
66. The raised portion 66 has an upper flat surface 70 upon which
the bottom of the slider 26 rests with the front edge 72 of the
portion 66 being rounded to conform to the rounded end of the slider
26. The tab engaging member 68 has a pair of holding prongs 74
extending forward over opposite side edge portions of the surface
70 spaced above the surface 70 for engaging the outside surfaces of
the flanges 52 as well as the tabs 64 to hold the slider 26 in the
slider holding mechanism 20 during insertion of the slide fastener
stringers. Any other slide fastener holding mechanism can be
employed in place of the holding mechanism 20 including automatic
mechanisms which sequentially and automatically feed sliders from a
slider supply to a position for installation on slide fastener
stringers.
The stringer guide mechanism 22 includes a guide tray 80
which has the general shape of a sector of a flat annulus. The inner
rounded edge 82 of the tray 80 is formed to closely fit with the
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~ ~nded end of the slider 26. The tray 80 is normally supported at
a hei.ght relati.ve to the slider holding mechanism 20 50 that the
upper surface of the tray 80 is aligned with the inside floor sur-
face of the lower wing member 46 bordering the branched channel
portions 58 and 60. The tray 80 has flanges 84 and 86 extending
upward from the radial edges to a height above the upper surface of
the tray about egual to the height of flanges 52 above the inside
floor surface of the wing member 46. The angular convergence of
the flanges 84 and 86 is selected to align the inner surfaces of
the flanges with the inner surfaces of the outer diver~ing portions
of the flanges 52.
In the specifically disclosed embodiment of the stringer
guide mechanism 22 of Figs. 1 and 5 the tray 80 is mounted for verti-
cal sliding movement relative to the vertical support 24 in order
to enable the sliders 26 to be positioned in the slider holding
. mechanism 20. A vertical slidP bar 90 is slidably contained within
: a channel 92 in the support 24 by means of a cover plate 94. A
compression spring 96 extends between the lower end of the slide bar
90 and the wall of the support at the lower end of the channel 92
. 20 for normally biasing the slide bar 90 upward. A second vertically
:. movable bar 98 is mounted in front of the cover plate 94 on the
slide bar 90 by means of a block 100 extending through a ~ertical
slot 102 formedin the cover plate 94. The tray 80 has a downward
; extending block 104 which is secured to the upper end of the outer
bar 98 while the inner portion of the tray 80 is supported on an
upper portion 106 of the bar 90 bent at a 90 angle with the end
contoured to mate with the rounded surface 72 of the upper portion
66 of the support 24. A thumb handle 108 is mounted on the bar 98
: for enabling the bars 90 and 98 to be depressed against the bias of
the compression spring 96 to lower the tray 80 and permit the inser-
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i~no~ a slider in the slider holding mechanism 20. The uppermostposition of the tray 80 is determined by the upper end oE the block
100 engaging the cover plate 94 at the upper end of the slot 102.
~t is noted that for alternative types of slider holding
mechanisms not requiring lowering of the tray 80 to position a
slider on the slider holding mechanisms, the tray 80 may be station-
arily mounted.
As shown in Fig. 1, a horizontal bar 110 may be mounted
on one end of an arm 112 which has its other end mounted to the sup-
port 24. The bar 110 is held in a position suitable to support
article portions to which slide fastener stringers are attached in
front of the slidering apparatus.
In an installation of a slider on slide fastener stringersin accordance with the invention, the tray 80 is lowered by depres-
sing the thumb handle 108 to lower the tray below the upper surface70 of the slider holding mechanism 20 as shown in Fig. 5. A slider
22 is positioned on the surface 70 with the holding prongs 74 engag-
ing the flanges 52 and holding tabs 64 of the slider 26. Thereafter
the thumb handle 108 is released permitting the tray 80 to be re-
turned upward by the bias of the spring 96 whereupon the front edge82 of the tray 80 prevents removal of the slider 26 from the holding
mechanism 20 and to bring about alignment of the upper surface of
the tray 80 with the upper floor surface of the wing member 46 in
the channels 58 and 60 as shown in Fig~ 6. The flanges 84 and 86
have their inner surfaces aligned with the inner surfaces of the
flanges 52 of the slider 26. Inner portions of separated end por-
tionsof the stringers 28 and 30 are positioned on the tray 80 and
moved outwardly, as shown in Fig. 7~ to engage the beads or flange
' engaging means 40 and 42 of the stringers with the flanges 84 and
86 with the tapes 32 and 34 extending over the flanges 84 and 86
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-ast the radial edges of the tray 80. Sligh-t thumb pressure by the
operator downward against the inner end portions of the stringers 28
and 30 insures engagement of the beads 40 and 42 with the flanges 84
and 86. Then the separated end portions of the stringers 28 and 30
are moved as indicated by the arrows 114 and 116 to insert the inner
portions of the stringers 28 and 30 into the respective channels 58
and 60 of the slider 26. The operator by gripping the tapes 32 and
34 between the thumbs 120 and 122 and forefingers 124 and 126 of
the respective hands on opposite sides of the tray 80 and slider 26
and by forcing the stringers 28 and 30 rearward can bring about move-
ment of the coupling elements 36 and 38 and the beads 40 and 42
through the branch channels 58 and 60 into the common channel portion
56 resulting in interlocking of the coupling elements 36 and 38 and
installation of the slider 26 on the slide fastener stringers 28 and
30 as shown in Fig. 2. The slider 26 is released by depressing the
thumb lever 108 and moving the slider forward.
Installation of sliders on separated ends of slide fastener
stringers is rendered substantially easier by the present invention.
' The employment of a tray or stringer guide member 80 having converg-
ing flanges 84 and 86 aligned with diverging portions of flanges 52
~, of a slider and having an upper surface of the tray aligned with
;, the floor surface in the slider renders the installation of the
slider substantially easier by enabling the flange engaging means
of the stringers to be engaged and guided by the tray flanges during
' 25 the insertion of the coupling elements of the separated ends into
the slider. The tray flanges operated as a funnel -to direct the
-~ slider coupling elements into the appropriate slider channels. In
the prior art the smallness of the slider channels as well as the
critical range of angles at which the coupling elements must enter
the converging channels of the slider render insertion of separated
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end portions of stringers into sllder branch channels difficult to
reliably perform by an operator at high production rates.
In a modification of the invention as shownin Figs. 9 and
10, the tray 80 is mounted upon a block 120 slidable within a slide
122 for vertical movement and is biased upward by a spring 123 be-
neath the block 120. An upper member 124 is mounted upon a post 126
which extends from a mount on the support upward through vertical
openings through the block 120 and tray 80 to support the upper mem-
ber above the tray 80. The upper member 124 has a rear edge 128
mating with the contour of the upper wing member 44 of the slider
26 and has converging flanges 130 and 132 which are aligned with
flanges 50 of the upper wing member 44. The upper member 124 in the
modification is used to hold the flange engaging portions of the
stringers in engagement with the flanges 84 and 86 of the tray 80.
The tray 80 may be pushed downward against the force of the spring
' 123 for releasing the slide fastener stringers from between the mem-
bers 124 and 80.
Since many modifications, variations and changes in detail
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may be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is
intended that all matter described in the foregoing description and
shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative
and not in a limiting sense.
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