Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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This invention relates to a slide fastener and more
particularly to a pair of slide fastener stringers of
substantially continuous or endless length.
It is the usual practice of slide fastener manufacturers
to conjoin a multiplicity of predetermined individual unit
lengths of fastener stringers to form extended, continuous -~
lengths of such stringers which are conveniently referred
to hereln as "slide fastener chain" as contrasted to individual
slide fastener products, the resulting slide fastener chain
being subsequently subjected to dying, parts assembling and
other finishing operations.
One conventional way of conjoining or interconnecting
discrete, adjoining lengths of stringers was to superpose
their respective end portions one on the other and staple
them together. Another alternative way known in the art was
to lay adjoining stringers in the same plane with their
respective ends held in confronting relation and sew or
otherwise secure them together with use of an adhesive film.
Such known conjoining procedures were disadvantageous in that
the joints of unit stringers connected in a continuous row
would often present an obstacle to the running of a slider
along the stringers when tested for the opening and closing
perfomance of the fastener chain. Therefore, it was necessary
to discontinue the operation of the testing machine every so
often in order to disconnect the~`joints of adjoining unit
stringers to mount the slider. Further, the slide fastener
chain to be used for fishing nets, which is manufactured by
conjoining individual fastener lengths, has a further drawback
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in that thQ, rows of fastener elements which have been coupied
togeth.er on the respective stringer tapes are prone to become
uncoupled or disengaged at and from where the joints are
located when stresses are applied tending to split the
stringers apart.
With a view to eliminating the foregoing difficulties
of the prior art slide fastener chalns, the present invention
: has for one of its objects to provide an improvement in a
slide fastener chain wherein adjoining unit lengths of fastener
stringers are interconnected by such jointing means which will
. permit sliders to run smoothly therethrough along the fastener
element rows and which will also preclude accidental split-
opening of the opposed stringers that have been coupled.
In general terms, the present invention provides a ,.
slide fastener chain comprising: a multiplicity of pairs
of predetermined unit length of slide fastener stringers,
each stringer including a support tape and a row of inter-
locking fastener elements secured to an inner longitudinal
edge of said tape, each of said rows- of interlocking fastener
elements having a coupling head and connecting portions, said
stringers being disposed in the same plane with their
respective adjoining ends confronting with each other across
a gap space; and jointing means conjoining said unit length
of stringers, said means comprising two thermoplastic slug
one on each support tape generally conforming in cross-
sectional profile to the contour of each of said rows of
interlocking fastener elements and an adhesive reinforcing
strip integr~l with said slug and extending substantially
transversely of said support tape, wherein each of said
thermoplastic slugs is arcuately sh,aped with its outwardly
curved central periphery extending towards and substantially
flush with the coupling heads of each or said rows of inter-
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locking fastener elements and with tapered ends eac'n lyinsubstantially in registry ~lth the connec-ting portions of
each of said rows o~ interlocking fastener elements.
According to another feature of the present invention,
one of said thermoplastic slugs on one support tape is
provided at its central periphery with a projection for
engagement in a recess formed in the corresponding peripheral
portion of the other thermoplastic slug on the mating support
tape. In accordance with a further feature of the present
invention, each of said thermoplastic slugs has an elongate
recess in the upper surface thereof. In accordance with
a further feature of the present invention, the tapered ends
of each of said slugs are each fused together with a portion
of the fastener element. The adhesive reinforcing strip is
preferably reduced in width to about half the full width of
the support tape. The jointing means is injection-moulded
to the fastener stringer~
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The above and other objects and features of the inven-
tion will be apparent from the following description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate by
way of example certain preferred embodiments which the inven-
tion may assume in practice.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a fragment of a length of
slide fastener chain showing a jointing means connecting
adjoining stringers end to end;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the lines II - II
of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the lines III - III
of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of a fragment of slide fastener
chain showing two identical opposed stringers partly in
disengaged disposition and partly interengaged by a slider;
Fig. 5 is a plan view on enlarged scale of a fragment
of one of a pair of fastener stringers showing one way of
attaching a jointing means thereto;
Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing another way
of attaching the jointing means;
Fig. 7 is a view similar to Figs. 5 and 6 but showing
still another way of attaching the jointing means;
Fig. 8 is a plan view on enlarged scale of a fragment
of slide fastener chain showing a slider passing though the
jointing means;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a slide fastener chain
showing a modified form of jointing means;
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Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a slide fastener chain
showing still another modification of jointing means;
Fig. 11 is a plan view of a fragment of slide fastener
chain showing another embodiment;
Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on the lines XII-XII
of Fig. 11;
Fig. 13 is a plan view on enlarged scale of the slide
~ fastener chain of Fig. 11 showing the same at~ached to a
'` garment 'fabric;
Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but showing
-the~fa-s*e-ne~ chain carring 'thereon a 'rein'forcing;strip; and
Fig. 15 is a sectional view of jointing means showing
the same applied to a slide fastener chain having a meandering
; ' form of fastener elements.
Like reference characters refers to like parts through-
out these various views.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings and Fig. 1
in particular, there is shown a pair of slide fastener string-
ers 10,11 each of which comprises a support tape 12,(13) and
a row of interlocking fastener elements 14 which is shown for
purposes of illustration to be in the form of a continuous
helical structure. The row of fastener elements 14 is seucred,
as by sewn stitches 15, to a longitudinal marginal edge 16 of
each support tape 12,(13). The two oppositely disposed
stringers 10,11 are shown in Fig~ 1 as in coupled or inter-
engaged conditions.
Longitudinally adjoining stringers 10,10' or 11,11'
of a predetermined length are conjoined or interconnected by
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jointing means 17, in a manner hereinafter described, to form
a continuous slide fastener chain F.
The jointing means 17 which constitutes an important
aspect of the present invention comprises a thermoplastic
slug 18 generally conforming in cross-sectional profile to
the contour of a coiled element 14 on each stringer 10,(11)
as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and an adhesive reinforcing strip
or film 19 integral with the slug 18 and extending substantial-
ly transversely of the support tape 12,(13). The thermoplastic
slug 18 is generally banana-shaped or arcuate with its
outwardly curved central periphery 18a extending towards
and substantially flush with the coupling head 14a of the
fastener element 14 and with each of its tapered ends 18b
lying substantially in registry with the connec-ting portions
or U-turns 14b of the fastener element 14. The reinforcing
strip 19 covers over the ~ull width of the pair of slide
fastener stringers 10,11 and 10',11'. The jointing means 17
thus constructed provides for smooth reception therethrough
and movement therealong of a slider S in a manner hereinafter
described.
The jointing means 17 may be secured to the support
tape 12,(13) by any known techniques, a preferred one of
which is to injection-mould a thermoplastic material such
as nylon or similar polymers to shape directly onto a portion
20 of the respective tape which is devoid of fastener elements
14. The jointing means 17 .is thus securedin place spanning
between adjoining stringers 10,10' or 11,11' which are disposed
in the same plane with their respective ends confronting with
each other. If desired, a gap space 21 may be provided ..
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between the respective confronting ends of the adjoining
stringerslO,10' or 11,11'~
Fig. S illustrates the jointing means 17 secured to
the element-free portions 20 of adjoining stringers 11,11'
with its tapered ends 18b positioned adjacent terminal
elements 14 on the respective tape.
Fig. 6 illustrates the jointing means 17 secured in
place in a manner similar to Fig. 5 but with its tapered ends - -
18b each fused together with a portion of the fastener element
14.
Fig. 7 illustrates the jointing means 17 secured in
place in a manner similar to Fig. 6 but with greater gap space
21 resulting from the cutting away of defective portions of
either of adjoining stringers 11,11'.
When mounting sliders _ on the slide fastener chain
F consisting of a multiplicity of unit lengths of stringers
10,10' and 11,11' which have been conjoined in the manner
above described, they are moved along the rows of fastener
elements 14 in a direction to take the latter into coupling
engagement in the well known manner as shown in Fig. 4.
The slider S, upon approaching and passing the jointing means
17, brings the arcuate slug 18 on one joined stringer 10,10'
resiliently into abutting engagement with that on the other
or companion stringer 11,11' as flanged rails S' of the
~5 slider S guide the slugs 18 through channel S" in very much
the same fashion as they guide the rows of fastener elements
14 as shown in Fig. 8, the opposed arcuate slugs 18 being
~lared in this position to avoid impinging contact with the
diamond S"' of the slider S.
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~ here i5 shown in Fig. 9 a modification of jointing
means 17 in which the slug 18 on one stringer is provided at
its central periphery 18a with a projection 22 for engagement
in a recess 23 formed in the corresponding peripheral portion
of another slug 18 on the mating stringer, whereby the two
cooperating slugs are securely coupled against separation
when transverse stresses are applied to split apart the
fastener chain.
Fig. 10 ~hows another modification of jointing means
17 wherein an elongate recess 24 i5 formed in the upper
surface of the slug 18 with a view to imparting increased
resiliency to the mass of the slug 18 and hence improving the
passage of the slider therethrough. Fig. 9 shows that each
of the recesses 25 extends longitudinally substantially
centrally of one of the slots 18 throughout the entire
length of the same.
passage of the slider therethrough.
Figs. 11 through 13, inclusive, illustrate still another
modification in which the jointing means 17 has an adhesive
strip 25 integral with the arcuate slug 18, the strip 19
being reduced in width to about half the full width of the
support tape 12,(13) with a view to facilitating sewing of
the fastener chain F onto a garment G in the manner shown in
Fig. 13. Another feature of this modification resides in the
provision of a bay 2Ç at the sides of the junction of a~joining
stringers 10,10' and 11,11' which is formed by tapering off
the ends of the respective tapes as by means of a hot cutter.
In ~he event that lateral pull is applied to the garment G, it
will be directed, away from the jointing means 17, towards
the rows of fastener elements 14 because the bay 26 extendin~
in the region of jointing means 17 remains unsewn and hence
free from the influence of lateral stresses. The embodiment
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described in connection with Figs. 11,12 and 13 may be further
modifiedto eliminate the tendency of the fastener chain F
to split open or undergo separation of interlocked element
rows by providing an elongated reinforcing strip 27 which is
sewn or otherwise secured to the support tapes 12,13 to
overlie the bay 25 closely adjacent the adhesive film 19
of the jointing means 17, as shown in Fig. 14.
Fig. 15 shows a further modification wherein the
jointing means 17 is attached to the fastener chain F in
sandwitched relation; namely, to extend symmetrically over
both surfaces of the support tapes 12,13 in very much the same
way as a meandering or zig-zag form of fastener elements is
attached to the tapes.
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
hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come
within the scope of our contribution to the art.
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