U.S. patent application number 10/365801 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-21 for slider for slide fastener.
Invention is credited to Tenjin, Tsukasa.
Application Number | 20030154578 10/365801 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27678129 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030154578 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tenjin, Tsukasa |
August 21, 2003 |
Slider for slide fastener
Abstract
A slider for a slide fastener is constituted by three members
including a body, a pull tab and a cover for pull tab attachment, a
concave fitting groove capable of accommodating the lower end face
of the cover is provided on the upper surface of the body, a
welding projection to be protruded outward is provided in a part of
the surface of the lower end face of the cover or a part of the
bottom face of the fitting groove, and the welding projection is
welded integrally by ultrasonic processing in a state in which the
body formed of a resin and the cover are caused to come in contact
with each other by pressure such that a fused resin does not
overflow from the fitting groove to an external surface, resulting
in the fabrication of a slider which can prevent a fused and
solidified lump from being formed and can make a good
appearance.
Inventors: |
Tenjin, Tsukasa; (Toyama,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BELL, BOYD & LLOYD, LLC
PO BOX 1135
CHICAGO
IL
60690-1135
US
|
Family ID: |
27678129 |
Appl. No.: |
10/365801 |
Filed: |
February 13, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/430 ;
24/415 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B 19/26 20130101;
B29L 2005/00 20130101; B29C 65/08 20130101; Y10T 24/2588 20150115;
B29C 66/30221 20130101; Y10T 24/2561 20150115; B29C 66/47 20130101;
B29C 66/30223 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/430 ;
24/415 |
International
Class: |
A44B 019/26 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 15, 2002 |
JP |
P. 2002-037752 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A slider for a slide fastener, comprising: a body of a slider;
and a cover for pull tab attachment which is provided on an upper
surface of the body, wherein a fitting groove for accommodating a
lower end face of the cover is provided on the upper surface of the
body, and wherein a welding projection is protruded from a part of
one of a surface of the lower end face and a bottom face of the
fitting groove, and wherein the body and the cover are welded
integrally.
2. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, wherein a
plurality of welding projections is formed to be protruded at a
predetermined interval.
3. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, wherein
the welding projection is formed to be continuously protruded.
4. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, wherein
the welding projection is provided on one of the lower end face of
a side wall of the cover and the bottom face of the fitting groove
of the body which is opposed to the lower end face of the side wall
of the cover.
5. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, wherein
the welding projection is formed to take a square cross
section.
6. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, wherein
the welding projection is formed to take a triangular cross
section.
7. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, further
comprising a pull tab mounted on the formed body in a pivotal
support configuration.
8. The slider for a slide fastener according to claim 1, wherein
the welding projection is fused in order to integrally weld the
body and the cover.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a slider in a slider
fastener, and more particularly to a bonding mechanism of a body
and a cover for attaching a pull tab which can be used in a slider
having an automatic or semiautomatic stopper in which an attachment
column is provided on the upper surface of a slider body as well as
a free slider.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A slider for a slide fastener which has conventionally been
known includes a slider having an automatic stopper in which an
attachment column provided on the upper surface of a slider body is
covered with a cover for pull tab attachment and a free slider in
which a cover for attaching a pull tab is directly fixed to the
upper surface of a body. As shown in FIG. 14, the slider 101 has
been disclosed in JP-A-51-12243 in which a fitting groove 111
capable of fitting the lower end portions 121 of both side walls
119 of a cover 104 is provided on the upper surface of a slider
body 102. The lower end portions 121 of both side walls 119 of the
cover 104 are fitted in the fitting groove 111 and the lower end
portions 121 of the cover 104, and the body 102 are then welded
integrally in the fitting groove 111 by ultrasonic processing. The
slider 101 also includes an attachment column 110 and a pivot
122.
[0005] In the slider 101 for a slide fastener shown in FIG. 14
which has been described above, the lower end portions 121 of both
side walls 119 of the cover 104 for pull tab attachment are fitted
in the fitting grooves 111 provided on the upper surface of the
body 102 in parallel, and the lower end portions 121 of the cover
104 and the body 102 are welded integrally in the fitting grooves
111 by the ultrasonic processing. Accordingly, the surface of the
lower end portion 121 of the cover 104 and the whole bottom face of
the fitting grooves 111 are welded in a contact state. Therefore,
the surface of the lower end portion 121 of the cover 104 and the
whole bottom face of the fitting groove 111 are fused. For this
reason, the amount of fusion of the cover 104 and the body 102 is
large to generate a situation in which a fused material overflows
from the fitting groove 111 to the surface of the body 102.
[0006] The fused material overflowing from the fitting groove 111
is stuck to all of the upper, front and rear surfaces of the body
102 and the side, front and rear surfaces of the cover 104 and is
thus solidified so that the beauty of the slider 101 is spoiled.
Moreover, a lump of the fused material stuck to the upper surface
of the body 102 and the side surface of the cover 104 comes in
contact with a pull tab 103 when the pull tab 103 is to fall down
toward the upper surface of the body 102. Therefore, it is hard to
cause the pull tab 103 to completely fall down toward the upper
surface of the body 102. Accordingly, it is necessary to carry out
a work for removing the lump of the fused material which is stuck.
Thus, there is a problem in that the production efficiency of the
slider 101 is deteriorated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention has been made in consideration of the
above-mentioned problem. As a main object, a first aspect of the
invention is directed to a slider which is provided with a welding
projection protruded from a part in a groove formed on the lower
end of a cover for pull tab attachment or the surface of a body,
has such a configuration that a fused material can be prevented
from being fused excessively and overflowing to the surface of the
body to stick a lamp even if the body and the cover are welded by
ultrasonic processing, and does not spoil the beauty of the slider
but makes a good appearance, and furthermore, a slider for a slide
fastener which firmly fixes a cover for pull tab attachment.
[0008] In addition to the object of the first aspect of the
invention, a second aspect of the invention is directed to the
slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding projection is
provided at a predetermined interval in the groove formed on the
lower end of the cover for pull tab attachment or the surface of
the body, and the fused material can be spread toward a spacing
between the projections in the groove and can be prevented from
flowing out of the groove.
[0009] In addition to the object of the first aspect of the
invention, a third aspect of the invention is directed to the
slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding projection to be
provided in the groove formed on the lower end of the cover for
pull tab attachment or the surface of the body takes such a shape
as to generate a gap on left and right during fitting, and the
fused material can be spread toward a spacing between the
projections in the groove and can be prevented from flowing out of
the groove.
[0010] In addition to the object of the first, second or third
aspect of the invention, a fourth aspect of the invention is
directed to the slider for a slide fastener, wherein it is possible
to carry out efficient welding, and furthermore, to maintain a
great strength by specifying a place in which the welding
projection is to be provided in the groove formed on the lower end
of the cover for pull tab attachment or the surface of the
body.
[0011] In addition to the object of the first, second or third
aspect of the invention, a fifth aspect of the invention is
directed to the slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding
projection to be provided in the groove formed on the lower end of
the cover for pull tab attachment or the surface of the body takes
a square cross section to increase an amount of fusion, and the
projection suitable for a large-sized slider requiring a great
fusion strength is thus formed.
[0012] In addition to the object of the first, second or third
aspect of the invention, a sixth aspect of the invention is
directed to the slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding
projection to be provided in the groove formed on the lower end of
the cover for pull tab attachment or the surface of the body takes
a triangular cross section to reduce an amount of fusion, and the
projection suitable for a small-sized slider which does not require
a great fusion strength is thus formed.
[0013] In order to attain the objects, the first aspect of the
invention is mainly directed to a slider for a slide fastener
having a body 2 of a slider 1 and a cover 4 for pull tab attachment
which is provided on an upper surface of the body 2, wherein a
concave fitting groove 11 for accommodating a lower end face 21 of
the cover 4 is provided on the upper surface of the body 2, a
welding projection 25 is protruded outward in a part of a surface
of the lower end face 21 of the cover 4 or a bottom face of the
fitting groove 11 of the body 2, and the body 2 of the slider 1
formed of a resin and the cover 4 for pull tab attachment are
welded integrally by ultrasonic processing or the like.
[0014] In addition to the structure according to the first aspect
of the invention, the second aspect of the invention is directed to
the slider for a slide fastener, wherein a plurality of welding
projections 25 to be provided in a part of the surface of the lower
end face 21 of the cover 4 or the bottom face of the fitting groove
11 of the body 2 is formed to be protruded at a predetermined
interval therebetween.
[0015] In addition to the structure according to the first aspect
of the invention, the third aspect of the invention is directed to
the slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding projection 25
to be provided in a part of the surface of the lower end face 21 of
the cover 4 or the bottom face of the fitting groove 11 of the body
2 is formed to generate a constant gap portion on left and right
sides of a continuous projection 31.
[0016] In addition to the structure according to the first, second
or third aspect of the invention, the fourth aspect of the
invention is directed to the slider for a slide fastener, wherein
the welding projection 25 to be provided in a part of the surface
of the lower end face 21 of the cover 4 or the bottom face of the
fitting groove 11 of the body 2 is formed on the lower end face 21
of a side wall 19 on both sides of the cover 4 or the bottom face
of the fitting groove 11 of the body 2 which is opposed to the
lower end face 21 of the side wall 19 of the cover 4.
[0017] In addition to the structure according to the first, second
or third aspect of the invention, the fifth aspect of the invention
is directed to the slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding
projection 25 to be provided on the surface of the lower end face
21 of the cover 4 or the bottom face of the fitting groove 11 of
the body 2 is formed such that the shape of a protruded portion
such as a rectangular parallelepiped 27 or a truncated cone 30 with
a predetermined interval, or a continuous projection 31 takes a
square cross section.
[0018] In addition to the structure according to the first, second
or third aspect of the invention, the sixth aspect of the invention
is directed to the slider for a slide fastener, wherein the welding
projection 25 to be provided on the surface of the lower end face
21 of the cover 4 or the bottom face of the fitting groove 11 of
the body 2 is formed such that the shape of a protruded portion
such as a pyramid 26, a hipped member 28 or a cone 29 with a
predetermined interval, or a continuous projection 31 takes a
triangular cross section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a slider for a slide
fastener.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the slider.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the body of the slider.
[0022] FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the cover of the
slider.
[0023] FIG. 5 is an enlarged bottom view showing the cover of the
slider.
[0024] FIG. 6 is an exploded front view showing a state of the
slider in which welding has not been carried out.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view showing a state in which
the body abuts on the cover before the welding of the slider.
[0026] FIGS. 8(a), 8(b) and 8(c) are explanatory views showing the
welding protrusion of a pyramid.
[0027] FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c) are explanatory views showing the
welding protrusion of a hipped member.
[0028] FIGS. 10(a), 10(b) and 10(c) are explanatory views showing
the welding projection of a cone.
[0029] FIGS. 11(a), 11(b) and 11(c) are explanatory views showing
the welding projection of a truncated cone.
[0030] FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing the welding
projection of a protruded portion.
[0031] FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a body provided with the
welding projection.
[0032] FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing a well-known
slider, a part of which is taken away.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] An embodiment of a slider for a slide fastener according to
the invention will be specifically described below with reference
to the drawings.
[0034] The slider for a slide fastener according to the invention
is constituted by three members including a body 2, a pull tab 3
and a cover 4 for pull tab attachment as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, and
at least the body 2 and the cover 4 for pull tab attachment are
formed by injection molding using a thermoplastic resin such as
polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide, polyacetal or polypropylene,
and the pull tab 3 is mounted on the formed body 2 in a pivotal
support configuration and the cover 4 is provided thereon and is
welded to the upper surface of the body 2 so that a slider 1 is
fabricated.
[0035] The body 2 of the slider 1 couples an upper plate 6 and a
lower plate 7 through a guide column 8, and flanges 9 for guiding a
fastener element are provided on both side edges of the upper plate
6 and the lower plate 7. The flange 9 is provided on only one of
the upper plate 6 and the lower plate 7 depending on the
configuration of the fastener element in some cases. An attachment
column 10 is erected longitudinally on the upper surface of the
upper plate 6, and the stopping mechanism of the slider 1 is
provided on the attachment column 10 according to circumstances so
that a slider having an automatic or semiautomatic stopper can be
finished.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment column 10 erected on the
upper plate 6 of the body 2 is separately provided on a forward
part of the body 2 (that is, the shoulder side) and a rear part
(that is, the rear side), and the opposed surfaces of the front and
rear attachment columns 10 are formed on slant face portions 12
respectively and perform an auxiliary duty for guiding a pivot 22
of the pull tab 3 together with a bearing portion 20 of the cover
4. A concave fitting grooves 11 capable of fitting the cover 4 for
pull tab attachment are provided in the forward part of the
attachment column 10 on the shoulder side and base portions on both
sides, and the rear part of the attachment column 10 on the rear
side and base portions on both sides, respectively.
[0037] The fitting groove 11 is concaved to take such a shape as to
reach a slightly inner center from both a corner portion 14 in the
rear part of the attachment column 10 on the shoulder side and the
corner portion 14 in the forward part of the attachment column 10
on the rear side, and is formed to precisely hold the bearing
portion 20 having a great thickness which is formed in the central
part of the cover 4. Furthermore, a projection 13 is provided in
the central part of the fitting groove 11 formed laterally on the
front and rear ends of the body 2 in order to prevent the cover 4
from being shifted to the left and right of the body 2 when the
cover 4 is fitted, and is formed to be fitted in a concave portion
23 provided on a front wall 17 and a rear wall 18 in the cover
4.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cover 4 for covering the
attachment column 10 of the body 2 is wholly formed by a
bilge-shaped box, the front wall 17, the rear wall 18 and a side
wall 19 are provided on a forward part, a rear part and both sides
over the periphery of the cover 4 respectively, and the concave
bearing portion 20 capable of inserting the pivot 22 of the pull
tab 3 therethrough is provided on the center of the side walls 19
at both sides, and front and rear lower end faces 21 of the bearing
portion 20 are formed to have great thicknesses and to be fitted in
the corner portions 14 of the body 2. Moreover, the inverted
U-shaped concave portions 23 are provided in the central parts of
the lower end faces 21 in the front wall 17 and the rear wall 18 to
fit the projections 13 provided on the front and rear ends of the
body 2, thereby precisely holding the cover 4.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of welding projections 25 of
a rectangular parallelepiped 27 for welding the cover 4 to the body
2 is provided at a predetermined interval in a longitudinal line in
a part of the surfaces of the lower end faces 21 in the left and
right side walls 19 of the cover 4, and the cover 4 is fitted in
the fitting groove 11 provided on the body 2 so that the body 2 and
the cover 4 can easily be welded to each other.
[0040] In the assembly of the slider, the pivot 22 of the pull tab
3 is mounted between the attachment columns 10 provided on the
upper surface of the body 2, the attachment column 10 is then
covered by the cover 4 and the lower end face 21 of the cover 4 is
thus fitted and held in the fitting groove 11 of the body 2 as
shown in FIG. 7, and thereafter, the welding projection 25 is fused
and welded to the bottom portion of the fitting groove 11 by
ultrasonic processing. In this case, the welding projection 25 is
not provided over the whole surface of the lower end face 21 of the
cover 4 so that a gap is present around the welding projection 25.
Consequently, a fused resin is filled in the fitting groove 11 and
is solidified, and does not overflow from the fitting groove 11 to
the surface of the body 2. For this reason, the beauty of the
slider 1 can be prevented from being spoiled, and furthermore, the
fused resin can be prevented from overflowing to the surface of the
body 2 to be solidified, thereby forming a lump differently from a
conventional product.
[0041] For the slider 1 according to an embodiment of the
invention, as shown in an exploded view of FIG. 6, the fitting
groove 11 to be formed around the attachment column 10 in the upper
plate 6 of the body 2 has a depth of approximately 0.5 mm and a
width which is equal to the width of the lower end face 21 of the
cover 4 and the welding projection 25 to be formed on the lower end
face 21 of the cover 4 has a height of approximately 0.2 mm and a
width which is almost half of the width of the lower end face 21,
and they are welded by the ultrasonic processing. A dimension is
varied depending on the size of the slider 1.
[0042] The shape of the welding projection 25 protrudingly provided
at a predetermined interval from the lower end face 21 of the cover
4 may be the rectangular parallelepiped 27 having a square section
shown in FIG. 5, a pyramid 26 having a triangular section shown in
FIGS. 8(a), 8(b) and 8(c), a hipped member 28 having a triangular
section shown in FIGS. 9(a), 9(b) and 9(c), a cone 29 having a
triangular section shown in FIGS. 10(a), 10(b) and 10(c) or a
truncated cone 30 having a square section shown in FIGS. 11(a),
11(b) and 11(c). As shown in FIG. 12, moreover, one or two
projections 21 having a triangular or square section may be
provided over almost the whole length of the lower end face 21 of
the cover 4. The welding projection 25 may have other shapes. For
example, the welding projection 25 may be formed by a prism or a
cylinder which has a square section.
[0043] The welding projections 25 having various configurations do
not need to be provided on only the lower end face 21 of the cover
4 but may be provided on a surface in the fitting groove 11 formed
on the upper plate 6 of the body 2. For example, as shown in FIG.
13, the welding projection 25 is provided at a predetermined
interval on the surface in the fitting grooves 11 formed on both
sides of the attachment column 10 or one projection having a gap
formed on both sides may be provided, and may be caused to come in
contact with the flat lower end face 21 of the cover 4 by pressure
and may be thus welded by the ultrasonic processing.
[0044] The slider for a slide fastener according to the invention
has the structure described above and produces the following
effects by such a structure.
[0045] According to the first aspect of the invention, a slider for
a slide fastener has a body of the slider and a cover for pull tab
attachment which is provided on an upper surface of the body,
wherein a fitting groove for accommodating a lower end face of the
cover is provided on the upper surface of the body, a welding
projection is protruded from a part of a surface of the lower end
face or a bottom face of the fitting groove, and the body and the
cover are welded integrally. Consequently, the lower end face of
the cover and the bottom face of the fitting groove of the body do
not wholly come in contact with each other but come in contact with
each other by the welding projection having a gap therearound.
Therefore, it is possible to obtain a slider in which excessive
fusion can be prevented, a fused material does not overflow from
the fitting groove and beauty can be enhanced. Furthermore, there
is no solidified lump obtained by overflowing from the fitting
groove as in a conventional product. Thus, it is possible to
produce an effect that the normal fall-down operation of a pull tab
can be carried out.
[0046] According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition
to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, a plurality of
welding projections is formed to be protruded at a predetermined
interval. Consequently, a fused material flows into the welding
projections provided at the predetermined interval and is filled
therein. Thus, it is possible to obtain an advantage that the fused
material can be effectively prevented from overflowing from the
fitting groove.
[0047] According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition
to the effect of the first aspect of the invention, the welding
projection is formed to be continuously protruded. Consequently,
the fused material flows into a gap portion formed on both sides of
the welding projection and is filled therein. Thus, it is possible
to obtain an advantage that the fused material can be effectively
prevented from overflowing from the fitting groove.
[0048] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition
to the effect of the first, second or third aspect of the
invention, the welding projection is provided on the lower end face
of a side wall of the cover or the bottom face of the fitting
groove of the body which is opposed to the lower end face of the
side wall of the cover. Consequently, the welding is carried out in
a longitudinal direction, that is, a lengthwise direction of the
body. Therefore, it is possible to produce an advantage that an
effective welding strength can be obtained and a bad effect of
causing the fused material to overflow to the front and rear faces
of the body can be prevented.
[0049] According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition
to the effect of the first, second or third aspect of the
invention, the welding projection is formed to take a square cross
section. Consequently, the amount of a material for forming the
welding projection can be increased and the welding strength of the
body and the cover can be enhanced. Thus, it is possible to produce
an advantage that the invention is suitable for the fabrication of
a large-sized slider requiring a great welding strength.
[0050] According to the sixth aspect of the invention, in addition
to the effect of the first, second or third aspect of the
invention, the welding projection is formed to take a triangular
cross section. Consequently, the amount of the material for forming
the welding projection is reduced and the fused material can be
prevented from overflowing from the fitting groove. In addition, it
is possible to produce an advantage that the invention is suitable
for the fabrication of a small-sized slider which does not require
a great welding strength. Thus, the advantage produced by the
invention is very remarkable.
* * * * *