Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BACKGROUND OE' THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a pair of
snappingly engageable members of synthetic resin for
snappingly engaging two parts of a snap fastener such as a
snap button for use on a garment or a bag, or a cord
stopper, or the like.
2. Descrip~ion of the Prior Art:
Conventional snappingly engageable members of
synthetic resin for snap fasteners such as snap buttons are
disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Rublication No.
39-11309 published April 30, 1964 and Japanese Patent
Publication No. 43-4035 published February 14, 1968, for
example. These known snappin~ly engageable members
comprise a male member having an annular stud projecting
from one side of a base and a female member having an
annular socket on a base~ The male and female members can
be combined with each other by inserting the annular stud
snappingly into the annular socket.
One problem with the known snappingly engageable
members is that care should be taken in assembling them
since the male and female members are structurally
different from each other and have to b0 sorted out from
each other.
SUM~RY OF THE I~lVENTION
In view of the aforesaid problem of the
conventional snappingly engageable members, it is an ~bject
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of the present invention to provide a pair oE snappingly
engageable members which can easily be assembled in a
foolproof process without taking special care.
According to the present invention, there is
provided a pair of snappingly engageable members oE
identical shape each comprising a base having a pair of
male snap legs disposed on one surface thereof in spaced
confronting relation to each other, the male snap legs
having bulging portions, respectively, projecting laterally
away from each o-ther, and a pair of female snap legs
disposed on said one surface in spaced confronting relation
to each other, the female snap legs having a pair of
locking portions, respectively, projec-ting laterally toward
each otherl the bulging portions and the locking portions
having longitudinal ends confronting each other.
When the snappingly engageable members are put
together, the male snap legs on the base of one of the
snappingly engageable members snappingly engage the female
snap legs on the base of the other snappingly engageable
rnember, and the female snap legs on the base of said one
snappingly engageable member snappingly engage the male
snap legs on the base of the other snappi.ngly engageable
member.
Many other advantages and features 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
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structural embodiments inco~porating the principles of the
present invention are shown by way of illus-trative example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of snappingly
engageable members according to a first embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view taken along line II - II of
FIG. 1, showing a base;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
III - III of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line
IV - IV of FIG. 2;
FIG~ 5 is a cross-sectional view of the
snappingly engageable members, as assembled, of FIG. l;
FIG. 6 is a front eleva-tional view o~ snappingly
engageable members according to a second embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 7 iS a plan view taken along line VII ~ VII
of FIG. 6, showing a base;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the
snappingly engageable members, as assembled, of FIG. 6;
FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of snappingly
engageable members according to a third embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 10 iS a cross-sectional view taken along
line X - X of FIG. 9;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view taken along
llne XI - XI oE FIG. 9;
FIG 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a
snappingly engageable member of FIG. 9 with a cord inserted
therethrough; and
FIG . 13 is a front elevational view of the
snappingly engageable members, as assembled, of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Identical parts are denoted by identical
reference numerals throughout views.
FIG . 1 shows two snap fasteners ll shown as snap
buttons each incorporating a snappingly engageable member
according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Each of the snap buttons ll comprises an attachment 14 made
of synthetic resin and having a central stud 13 projecting
from the back of a head 12l and a snappingly engageable
member made of synthetic resin and including a base 16
having a central insertion hole 15 extending transversely
therethrough.
The snappingly engageable member is f.ixed to the
distal end of the stud 13 inserted into the insertion hole
15 wi~h a ~iece of cloth C clamped between the head 12 and
the base 16, the distal end of the stud 13 being deformed
into a flange 17 which engages the face of the base 16 (see
also FIG. 5).
As shown in FIGS. l and 2, the ba.se 16 is oE a
disc shape hav.ing on its Eace a pair of male snap legs l9,
a pair of female snap legs 20, and a guide leg 21, all
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projecting away from the attachment 14 and having
substantially rectangular elongate shapes. The male snap
le~s l9, the female snap legs 20, and the guide leg 21 are
of substantially the same height, and project beyond the
top surface of the flange 17.
The male snap legs 19 have side stopper surfaces
23, respectively, aligned with a first central line Ll
extending diametrically across the base 16, and are
symmetrically positioned with respect to a second central
line L2 extending also diametrically across the base 16 in
perpendicular relation to the first central line Ll. ~he
male snap legs l9 are oE the same length in the direction
along the second central line L2. As illustrated in FIG.
3, the male snap legs 19 have bulging portions 24,
respectively, on outer side ed9es thereo, the bulging
portions 24 projecting laterally outwardly away Erom each
other.
The female snap legs 20 have side stopper
surfaces 26, respectively, aligned with the first central
line Ll, and are symmetrically positioned with respect to
the second central line L2. The female snap legs 20 are
positioned farther from the second central line L2 than the
male snap legs l9, but have their side stopper surfaces 26
partly cont.iguous to the side stopper surfaces 23 oE the
male snap legs l9. The female snap legs 20 are of the same
length in the direction along the second central line L2.
The male and female snap legs l9, 20 are equal in length to
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each other. As shown in FIG. 4, the female snap legs 20
have locking portions 27, respectively, on inner side edges
thereof, the locking portions 27 projecting laterally
inwardly towaxd each other. The bulging poxtions 24 of the
male snap legs 19 on the base 16 of one oE the snappingly
engageable members (on -the upper side, for example, in FIG.
1) can snappingly engage the locking portions 27 of the
female snap legs 20 on the base 16 oE the other snappingly
engageable member (on -the lower side, for example, in FIG.
1). The bulging portions 24 of the male snap legs 19 and
the locking portions 27 of the female snap legs 20 have
their longitudinally confronting ends positioned adjacent
to and facing each other.
The guide leg 21 is disposed across the second
central line L2 between the female snap legs 20 remotely
from the first central line Ll and extends along the first
central line Ll~ The guide leg ~1 has a length smaller
than the dimension or distance between the inner
confronting side surfaces of the male snap legs 19.
The attachment 14 has a projection 14a on a
periphreal edge thereof for positioning a directional
pattern or group of letters on the face of the head 12.
Likewise, the base 16 of the snappingly engageable member
also has a projection 16a on a peripheral edge thereoE for
orienting or positioning the base 16 with respect to the
piece of cloth C.
When the snappingly engageable members mounted on
the respective pieces of cloth C are to be brought into
snapping engagement with each o-ther as shown in FIG . 5 / the
snappingly engageable members are axially aligned and
superposed on each other while the projections 16a being
disposed in diametrically opposite relation to each other
across the insertion holes 15. Then, with the guide legs
21 on the bases 16 facing each other across the insertion
holes 15, the bases 16 are pressed against each other. The
male snap legs 19 on one of the bases 16 snappingly engage
the female snap legs 20 on the other base 16, and the
female snap legs 20 on one of the bases 16 snappingly
engage the male snap legs 19 on the other base 16 (see FIG.
5). The guide legs 21 may not necessarily be required.
The snappingly engageable members are identical
in construction to each other and can be brought into
interfitting engagement when putting the snap fasteners
together. The snappingly engageable members are not
required to be sorted out from each other. Therefore, the
snap fasteners such as snap buttons 11 can be assembled in
a foolproof fashion without the need for special assembling
care. Since the stopper surfaces 23, 26 of the male and
Eemale snap legs 19, 20 are partly positioned adjacent to
each other, when the snap buttons 11 are put together, the
side stoppe~ surfaces 23 oE ~he male snap legs 19 of one oE
the bases 16 are held against the side stopper surfaces 23
of the male snap legs 19 of the other base 16, and the side
stopper surfaces 26 of the female snap legs 20 of one of
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the bases 16 are held against the side stopper surfaces 26
of the female snap legs 20 oE the other base 16.
Accordingly, the snappingly engageable members are
prevented from being displaced or wobbling with respect to
each other once they are assembled together. Inasmuch as
the snappingly engageable members are of the sa~e shape,
they can be molded by one type of molds, and a ~olding
machine for molding them is required to have only one
hopper and one chute.
FIGS. 6 through 8 illustrate snappingly
engageable members according to a second embodiment of the
present invention t incorporated in respective snap buttons.
Each of the snap buttons 11 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7
comprises a seat 29 having a central insertion hole and a
snappingly engageable member having a base 16 with a stud
13 projec-ting from the back thereof. The stud 13 inserted
in the insertion hole of the seat 29 is deEormed to secure
the base 16 to the seat 29, with a piece of cloth C clamped
between the base 16 and the seat 29. A centering guide leg
21 is disposed between the female snap legs 20 just beneath
-the central line Ll of the base 16, as shown in FIG. 7, the
guide leg 21 having an engaging surface aligned with the
first central line Ll. The guide legs 21 on the bases 16
serve to axially align the snap but-tons 11 with each other
when they are put together. The other structural details
of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 through 8 are the same
as those of the first embodiment. In the second
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embodiment, when the snap buttons 11 are put together as
shown in FIG. 8, the guide legs 21 are held against each
other across the first central line L1 to bring the axial
centers of the snap buttons 11 easily into alignmen-t with
each other.
FIGS. 9 through 13 show snappingly engageable
members according to a third embodiment of the presen-t
invention, incorporated in respective cord stoppers.
Each of the cord stoppers comprises a male member
32 and a Eemale member 33 snappingly inserted in the male
member 33. The male member 32 has a head 35 with a through
hole 36 defined transversely therethrough for insertion of
a cord therethrough. The male member 32 also has a pair of
spaced resilient legs 37 projecting downwardly from the
lower surface of the head 35, as shown in FIG, 10. The
female member 33 comprises a hollow cylindrical base 16
having a vertical hole 38 for insertion oE the male member
32 therein and a pair of diametrically opposite cord
insertion holes 39 confronting each other horizontally and
held in communication with the vertical hole 38 in an upper
portion thereo~ For further details of the cord stopper,
reference should be made to U.S. Patent No. 4,724,584
issued to Kasai on February 16, 1988.
The snappingly engageable members of the third
embodiment are substantially the same as those of the
second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, except that the
base 16 ~ each oF the snappingly engageable members of the
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third embodirnent comrises the cylindrical female member 33
(see FIG. 11).
In use, the cord stoppers are mounted on the
opposite ends of a cord D ( FIG . 12 ) which has been inserted
through the hood or the like of a parka, or any of various
items required to be tied by a cord. Then, the snappingly
engageable members oE the cord stoppers are snappingly
coupled to prevent the ends of the cord from swinging
around (see FI~. 13).
In the third embodiment, the base 16 of each
snappingly engageable member comprises the cylindrioal
female member 33 of the cord stopper. However, the head 35
of the male member 32 of each cord stopper may be used as
the base of the snappingly engageable membe~.
The present invention is not limited to
snappingly engageable members for use in snap buttons or
cord stoppers. However, two snappingly engageable members
of the present invention may be incorporated in a pair of
various articles or parts that should be brought into
snapping engagement with each other~ The male snap legs 19
and the female snap legs 20 may be of any of various shapes
such as sectorial shapes, other than the illustrated
rectangular elongate form.
Although various minor modifications ~ay be
suygested by those versed in the art, it should be
understood that we wish to embody within the scope of the
patent warranted hereon, all such embodiments as reasona~ly
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and properly come within the scope of our contribution to
the art.
