Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
I
BACKGROUND OF TME_N~TENTION
Foe_ of the Invention
The present invention relates to slide fasteners,
and more particularly to a slide fastener slider with a
detachable pull tab.
Prior Art
Japanese Utility Model Publication No 49-43449
published on November 28, 1974 discloses a slide fastener
slider having a pull tab removably attached to a pull tax
support pivot ably connected to a slider body. The pull
tab and the support are joined together by a pin fitted in
and extending through a pair of aligned holes in the pull
tab and the support, a U-shaped resilient member being
snappingly fitted in a groove in the support over the opposite
ends of the pin. the disclosed slider has a relatively
complex structure and hence is not suitable for an automated
assembling. Further, the attachment and detachment of the
pull tab to and from the support is tedious and time-consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide
a slide fastener slider having a pull tab support to which
a pull tab can detachably be attached easily.
Another object of the present invention is to
provide a slide fastener slider which it relatively simple
in construction and assemblable through a simple and
time-saving procedure which easily lends itself to
automation.
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Still another object of the present invention is
to provide a slide fastener slider with its pull tab
easily replaceable with another pull tab to meet a
certain mode of use or user's preference.
The present invention provides, in general terms,
a pull tab support pivstably connected to a slider body
including a resilient pull tab retainer which is normally
urged under its own resiliency to close off a channel for
the passage there through of a neck portion of a pull tab
to retain the neck portion within an aperture in the support.
When the pull tab retainer is displaced out of the channel
against its own resiliency, the heck portion can be removed
out of the aperture through the channel to thereby detach
the pull tab off the support.
Many other advantages, features and additional objects
of the present invention will become manifest to those versed
in the art upon making reference to the detailed description
and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which preferred
structural embodiments incorporating the principles of the
present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a slide fastener
according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a
portion of the slider shown in FIG. I showing the
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manner in which a pull tab is being attached;
FIG. 3, appearing with FIG is a side Elena
tonal view of the portion of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged exploded perspective view
of the slider shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view,
partly in cross section, of a portion of a slide
fastener slider according to another embodiment;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of
FIG. Al illustrative of the way in which a pull tab is
being attached;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
Viva: of FIG. S;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
VIVA of FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of
a portion of a slide fastener slide according to still
another embodiment;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of
the portion shown in FIG 9 illustrative of the manner
in which a pull tab is being attached;
Fig 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along
line XI-XI of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 it a view similar to FIG. 11, showing
parts prior to their assembling;
FIG. 13 is a cros~-sectional view taken along
line XIII-XIII of FIG. 9;
FIG. 14 is a cro5s-sectional view taken along
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line XIV-XIV of FIG. 10;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of
a slide fastener slider according to another embodiment;
and
FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional
view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15.
TAILED DESCRIPTION
The principles of the present invention are
particularly useful when embodied in a slide fastener
slider such as shown in FIG . 1, generally indicated by
the reference numeral 20. The slide fastener slider 20
generally comprises a slider body 21, a pull tab
support 22 pivot ably connected at one end to the
slider body 21, and a pull tab 23 detachably attached
to the pull tab support 22.
s shown in FIGS. 2 through 4, the pull tab
support 22 has a substantially oval opening 24 in one
end thereof and a substantially rectangular aperture 25
in the opposite end thereof. The opening 24 is partly
defined by an arcuate pivot portion 26 pivot ably
connected lo the slider body 21 (FIG. 1). The aperture
25 is defined, at its one side remote from said opening
24, by a straight support portion 27. The support
portion 27 is in the shape of a rod having an oval cross
section FIG. I and has an enlarged end 27' of circular
cross section having a diameter D (FIG. 3) which is
substantially the same as the length of the major axis
of the oval cross section.
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The pull tab 23 has at one end thereof a neck
portion 28 and an opening 29 extending in and trays-
tersely through the neck portion 28. The neck portion
28 is in the shape of a split sleeve having a long-
tudinal slit 30 (FIGS. 3 and 4) communicating with the
opening 29. The opening 29 has a diameter which is
larger than the diameter D of the end portion 27',
and the slit 30 has a width W (FIGS. 3 and 4) which is
smaller than the diameter D and the length of the
minor axis of the oval cross section of the support
portion 27. The pull tab 23 as it is mounted on -the
pull tab support 22 is pivot ably movable with the
opening 29 loosely receiving therein the support portion
27.
The pull tab support 22 is recessed in its
opposite surfaces to form a thin portion 31 adjacent
to the aperture 25, and a pair of channels 32,33
extending parallel to the end 27' and communicating
with the aperture 25. The thin portion 31 has
a thickness T (FIG. 3) which is smaller than the width
W of the slot in the neck portion 28 so that the
latter can be moved through the channels 32,33 in the
directions of the arrowheads A (FOX and 4). The thin
portion 31 further has a recess 34 opening to the
aperture 25 adjacent to the end 27'.
us shown in FIG. 2, the channels 32,33 are
- normally closed by a resilient pull tab retainer 35
acting as a torsion spring on the pull tab support 22.
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As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pull tab retainer 35 is
generally U-shaped and comprises a pair of laterally
spaced legs 36,37 connected by a lateral joint 38 and
a pair of confronting bent ends 39,40 extending from
the legs 36,37 remotely from the lateral joint 38. The
lateral joint 38 is slightly twisted on itself such
that the legs 36,37 are normally out of lateral align-
mint with each other as shown in FIG. 20 The thin
portion 31 has in its opposite surfaces a pair of
holes 41,42 located remotely from the aperture 25 and
the channels 32,33 and positioned out of lateral
registry. The pull tab retainer 35 is attached over the
thin portion 31 across the channels 32,33 with the
bent ends 39,40 pivot ably fitted respectively in the
holes 41,42. the shape of the pull tab retainer 35
and the position of the holes 41,42 are selected
such that the pull tab retainer 35 is normally urged
under its own resiliency to move in the counter clock-
wise direction indicated by the arrow B (FIG. 2) with
the lateral joint 38 received in the recess 34, thus
closing off the channels 32,33.
For removing the pull tab 23l the pull tab
retainer 35 is angularly moved by fingers (not shown)
in the direction of the arrow C (FIG. 2) against the
:
resiliency of the retainer 35 until the retainer 35
is lifted clear out of the channels 32,33. The pull
tab 23 can now be detached from the pull tab support
22 by pulling the neck portion 28 out through the
:
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SKYE
channels 32,33. The pull tab retainer 35 can move in
the direction of the arrow B under its own resiliency to
close off the channels 32,33 again when it is released
from the finger pull.
When the detached pull tab is to be attached again,
it is pushed laterally along so that the opening 29
fits over the end 27' of the support portion 27 and the
neck portion 28 forces the retainer 35 to turn in the
direction of the arrow C tFTG. 2) against its own
resiliency. Continued forced insertion of the neck
portion 28 causes the same to slide below and past the
lateral joint 38 and then into the aperture 25, where-
upon the retainer 35 springs back in the direction of
the arrow B to close the channels 32,33. Accordingly,
the pull tab 23 can be attached and detached quite
easily.
FIGS. 5 through 8 show a modification according
¦ to the present invention in which a pull tab 43 is
I removably attached to a pull tab support 44. The pull
tab 43 and the pull tab support 44 are substantially
the same as the pull tab 23 and the pull tab support 22
described above and shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 with the
exception that the pull tab support 44 lo recessed in
one surface thereof to form a substantially rectangular
! thin portion US extending perpendicular to a support
portion 46 along one end of an aperture 47. The thin
portion 45 has a thickness which is smaller than the
width off slit snot shown) in a neck portion 48 of
.
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the pull tab 43. The pull tab support 44 further has
a blind hole 49 extending parallel to the support port
lion 46 across- the aperture 47, the hole 49 opening at
one end FUGUE. 6) to the thin portion 45. A stopper 51 extends
on the thin portion 45 along an edge 52 thereof remote
from the aperture 47 so as to define a gap 53 between
the end 50 of the hole 49 and the stopper 51, there
being also defined, between one or the lower end of the
stopper 51 and one end 54 of the support portion 46,
a channel 55 for the passage there through of the neck
portion 48.
s shown in FIG. 5, a substantially U-shaped,
resilient pull tab retainer 56 is placed in the hole
49. The pull tab retainer 56 has a pair of interconnect-
Ed legs 57,58 spaced from each other, the legs 57,58 be-
in snugly received in the blind hole 49. The leg 58
has an outwardly bent end portion 59 extending through the gap 53
normally across the channel 55 to thereby prevent the
neck portion 48 from being removed out of the aperture
47 through the channel 55.
For detaching the pull tab 43 from the pull tab
support 44, the bent end portion 59 of the pull tab
retainer 56 is lifted by a finger (not shown) inserted
through the channel 55 against the resiliency of the
retainer 56 until the bent end portion 59 abuts against
the stopper 51 as shown in FIG. 6. Then, the pull tab
43 is pulled off the pull tab support 44 by guiding the
neck portion 48 through the channel 55. inn released
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from the finger, the bent end portion 59 and hence
the leg 58 is resiliently lowered to the position of
FIG. 5. For reattachment of the pull tab 43, the
neck portion 48 is pushed into the channel 55 to thereby
force the bent end portion 59 to move upwardly out of
the channel 55. At this time, the upward movement of
the leg 58 may be assisted by a finger inserted
through Lye channel 55. The neck portion 48 is finally
moved past the bent end portion 59 into the aperture
47, and then the leg 58 springs downwardly back to the
position of FIG. 5.
According to another embodiment of the present
invention shown in FIGS. 9 through 14, a pull tab support
60 has in its one surface a substantially C-shaped
recess 61 extending along and in spaced relation to an
aperture 62. The recess 61 communicates at one end '
with a groove 63 extending longitudinally in a support
portion 64. The opposite end of the recess 61 is held
in communication with the aperture 62 to form a channel
65 for the passage there through of a neck portion 66
of a pull tab 67 (shown by phantom lines by clarity).
A generally U-shaped, resilient pull tab retainer
68 has a pair of interconnected legs 69,70 spaced from
each other and extending normally parallel to each other,
the legs 69,70 being positioned respectively in the
recess 61 and the groove 63. The leg 69 has an inward-
lye bent end portion 71 normally extending across the
channel 65 to thereby prevent the pull tab 67 from
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displacing off the pull tab support 60. As shown in
FIGS. 12 and 11, the leg 70 is first placed in the
groove 63 and then is secured to the support portion
64 by staking opposite edges 72,73 of the groove 63.
When the pull tab 67 is to be detached, the bent
end portion 71 of the resilient pull tab retainer 60
is elevated by a finger (not shown) against the
resiliency of the retainer 60 until the bent end portion
71 is displaced clear out of the channel 65. Then,
the neck portion 66 is guided through the channel 65
into the aperture 62 as shown in FIG. 10. When released
from the finger, the retainer 60 can snappingly be
returned to its normal position shown in FIG. 9.
To attach the pull tab 67 again the neck portion 66
is pushed into the channel 65 against the bent end
portion 71, which is forcibly moved upwardly against
the resiliency of the retainer 68. Think portion 66
is forced until it moves past the bent end portion 71
into the aperture 62. The retainer 68 then snaps down-
warmly to the normal position of FIG. 9 in which the
bent end portion 71 closes off the channel 65.
According to still another embodiment of the
present invention shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, a pull tab
support 74 comprises a substantially rectangular body
75 and a ring 76 joined to the body 75 and adapted to
be pivot ably connected to a slider body (not shown.
The body 75 is in the form of a split bush and
has an aperture or hole 77 extending trays-
tersely there through, and a channel 78 (FIG. 16)
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extending in the lower surface of the body 75 and
communicating with the hole 77 throughout the length
thereof, the hole 77 being partly defined by a hook
or support portion 79 having a substantially C-shaped
cross section (FIG. 16). The support portion 79 has
in its free end a recess 80 (FIG 16) facing to the
hole 77. A pull tab 81 has an opening 82 in one end,
defined partly by a neck portion in the shape of
an arcuate ponytail 83 acting as a pivot about which the
pull tab 81 turns, the ponytail 83 being normally receive
Ed in the hole 77. The pull tab 81 as it is mounted
on the pull tab support 74 is pivotal movable with
the ponytail 83 loosely retained in the hole 77. Roy
channel 78 is wide enough to allow the ponytail 83 to
pass there through.
A generally U-shaped, resilient pull tab
retainer 84 is attached to the body 75 to normally
close the channel 78. As shown in FIG. 16, the body
75 has a horizontal groove 85 extending in the lower
surface thereof longitudinally between the hole 77 and
one end remote from the support portion 79, and
a vertical groove 86 extending in and vertically
across one end surface and communicating at one end
with the groove 85. A bottom wall 87 of the groove 85
slopes upwardly toward the hole 77 for the purpose
described below. The body 75 further has a horn octal
slot 88 extending substantially parallel to -the groove
85 and opening at one end to the groove 86, and
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a rectangular aperture 89 in the upper surface, commune-
acting with the slot 88. The aperture 89 has a width
smaller than the width of the slot 88 as shown in FIG.
15.
As shown in FIG. 16, the resilient pull tab
retainer 84 comprises a leaf spring including a pair of
spaced legs 90,91 connected by a joint 92 and normally
extending parallel to each other. The legs 90,91 and
the joint 92 are positioned respectively in the slot 88,
the groove 85 and the groove 86. The leg 90 is notched
to form a resilient locking flap or projection 93
inclined upwardly away from a free end of the leg 90.
For attaching the retainer 84 fixedly to the body 75,
the leg 90 is inserted into the slot 88 to thereby
force the projection 93 downwardly until the projection
93 enters the aperture 89, whereupon the projection 93
snappingly returns to its normal position and mockingly
engages with an edge 94 of the aperture 89. The leg 91
has a straight free end portion 95 normally extending
across the channel 78 and received resiliently in the
recess 80 in the support portion 79.
For removing the pull tab 81l the end portion 95
of the leg 91 is moved by a finger (not shown upwardly
against the resiliency of the rottener until the leg
91 abuts against the sloped bottom wall 87 to thereby
clear out of the channel 78. Then, the pull tab 81
is pulled off the pull tab support 74 by guiding the
ponytail 83 through the channel 78. The leg 91 is
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resiliently lowered to its normal position of FIG. 16.
When the detached pull tab 81 is to be attached again,
the ponytail 83 is pushed into the channel 78 to thereby
force the end portion 95 upwardly away from the recess 80
against the resiliency OX the retainer I The ponytail 83
is forced in until it moves past the end portion 95 into
the hole 77. The leg 91 then springs downwardly back
to the normal position in which the end portion 95 closes
off the channel 78 and is held against the recess 80.
With the arrangement of the present invention,
the pull tab can quickly be attached to and detached
from the pull tab support in a simple operation.
The pull tab retainer is relatively simple in construe-
lion and hence can operate reliably and stably
for an extended period of time. The overall slider
structure is accordingly relatively simple and can be
assembled through a simple and time-saving procedure
which easily lends itself to automation. The pull tab
can therefore be replaced with other pull tabs to suit
desired application or meet user's preference.
Although various minor modifications may be
suggested by those versed in the art, it should be
understood that I wish to embody within the scope of
the patent warranted heron, all such embodiments
as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my
contribution to the art.
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