U.S. patent application number 11/106588 was filed with the patent office on 2006-10-19 for snap button with pull-apart resisting structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to Button International Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Tsung-Lung Chen.
Application Number | 20060230583 11/106588 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37107038 |
Filed Date | 2006-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060230583 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Tsung-Lung |
October 19, 2006 |
SNAP BUTTON WITH PULL-APART RESISTING STRUCTURE
Abstract
A snap button with pull-apart resisting structure includes a
male and a female part. The male part is provided on a bottom
surface with a raised portion, and a connecting head having a neck
portion centered at and projected from the raised portion. A recess
portion is provided on one side of the raised portion to create a
difference in the distances from an end surface of the connecting
head to the raised portion and to the recess portion. The female
part includes a central through hole, a part of which is a non-full
circular hole enclosed by an elastic frame and having a diameter
slightly smaller than that of the connecting head on the male part,
and the other part of the central through hole is an extended
curved hole corresponding to the recess portion on the male part
and enclosed by a raised frame of a predetermined height.
Inventors: |
Chen; Tsung-Lung; (Taipei
City, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
TROXELL LAW OFFICE PLLC
SUITE 1404
5205 LEESBURG PIKE
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22041
US
|
Assignee: |
Button International Co.,
Ltd.
|
Family ID: |
37107038 |
Appl. No.: |
11/106588 |
Filed: |
April 15, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/114.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44D 2201/14 20130101;
Y10T 24/3683 20150115; A44B 17/0041 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
024/114.4 |
International
Class: |
A44B 1/32 20060101
A44B001/32 |
Claims
1. A snap button with pull-apart resisting structure, comprising a
male part and a female part; said male part being provided on a
bottom surface within a predetermined area with a raised portion,
and at a central area with a connecting head that projects from
said raised portion and is formed at a root portion with a narrowed
neck portion; an area of the bottom surface of said male part
extended from an edge of said male part to a line in parallel with
that edge and transversely passing through a center of said
narrowed neck portion of said connecting head forming a recess
portion in said raised portion, so that there is a difference
between a height from an end surface of said connecting head to
said raised portion and a height from the end surface of said
connecting head to said recess portion; and said female part being
provided on a top surface with a raised portion that has an overall
area slightly smaller than that of said female part, and at a
central area with a through hole having predetermined size and
shape; a part of said through hole being a non-full circular hole
having a diameter slightly smaller than that of said connecting
head on said male part and being enclosed in an elastic frame, and
a groove being provided along an outer side of said elastic frame
with a plurality of spaced supporting rods radially extended from
an outer wall surface of said elastic frame to an inner wall
surface of said groove; the other part of said central through hole
being located at a position corresponding to said recess portion on
said male part and in the form of an extended and curved hole with
a raised frame of a predetermined height extended along said
extended curved hole.
2. The snap button with pull-apart resisting structure as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said raised frame on said female part has a
height larger than that of said elastic frame, and is movable in
said recess portion on said male part.
3. The snap button with pull-apart resisting structure as claimed
in claim 1, wherein said female part is provided on a bottom
surface at a position corresponding to said raised frame with a
shallow curved recess portion.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a snap button, and more
particularly to a snap button with pull-apart resisting structure
that is not easily pulled apart and would maintain in a fastened
state even if the snap button were subjected to an unexpected pull
force.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A snap button has been widely used on various kinds of
garments and bags, and includes a male and a female part for
connecting to two different parts of a garment or a bag to
releasably fasten the two parts together.
[0003] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional snap button
with the male and the female part 10, 20 thereof in a separated
state. As shown, the male part 10 of the conventional snap button
is provided on a bottom surface with a square raised portion 11
having an area slightly smaller than that of the male part 10. A
connecting head 12 is centered at and projected from the raised
portion 11. The connecting head 12 is formed at a root portion with
a narrowed neck portion 13. The female part 20 is provided on a top
surface with a square raised portion 21 having an area slightly
smaller than that of the female part 20. A round hole is centered
at the raised portion 21 on the female part 20. An elastic annular
element 22 is supported in the round hole by a plurality of short
compressible rods 23 radially extended from an outer wall surface
of the elastic annular element 22 to an inner wall surface of the
round hole, such that the elastic annular element 22 defines a
central through hole 24 in the round hole on the female part 20 for
the connecting head 12 on the male part 10 to insert thereinto.
[0004] When the male part 10 is fastened to the female part 20, a
free end portion of the connecting head 12 first passes through the
central through hole 24 defined by the elastic annular element 22
to forcibly push against the short compressible rods 23. When the
free end portion of the connecting head 12 has passed through the
elastic annular element 22, the elastic annular element 22 is
engaged with the narrowed neck portion 13 of the connecting head 12
under a restoring force of the compressible rods 23 to thereby
firmly hold the male part 10 to the female part 20.
[0005] In the above-structured conventional snap button, the
connecting head 12 on the male part 10 has a size very close to
that of the central through hole 24 on the female part 20. When the
snap button in a fastened state is subjected to an unexpected pull
force, the central through hole 24 defined by the elastic annular
element 22 tends to easily expand, so that the male part 10 is
easily separated from the female part 20 to undesirably release the
snap button and accordingly the garment or the bag fastened using
the snap button.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
snap button with pull-apart resisting structure, which is not
easily pulled apart and would maintain in a fastened state even if
the snap button were subjected to an unexpected pull force.
[0007] To achieve the above and other objects, the snap button with
pull-apart resisting structure according to the present invention
includes a male part and a female part. The male part is provided
on a bottom surface within a predetermined area with a raised
portion, and at a central area with a connecting head that projects
from the raised portion and is formed at a root portion with a
narrowed neck portion. An area of the bottom surface of the male
part extended from an edge of the male part to a line in parallel
with that edge and transversely passing through a center of the
narrowed neck portion of the connecting head forming a recess
portion in the raised portion, so that there is a difference
between the heights from an end surface of the connecting head to
the raised portion and to the recess portion. The female part is
provided on a top surface with a raised portion that has an overall
area slightly smaller than that of the female part, and at a
central area with a through hole having predetermined size and
shape. A part of the through hole is a non-full circular hole
enclosed in an elastic frame and having a diameter slightly smaller
than that of the connecting head on the male part. A groove is
formed along an outer side of the elastic frame, and a plurality of
spaced supporting rods being radially extended from an outer wall
surface of the elastic frame to an inner wall surface of the
groove. The other part of the through hole is located at a position
corresponding to the recess portion on the male part and in the
form of an extended and curved hole with a raised frame of a
predetermined height extended along the extended curved hole.
[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
raised frame on the female part has a height larger than that of
the elastic frame to serve as a reinforcing element, and is movable
in the recess portion.
[0009] In another operable embodiment of the present invention, the
female part of the snap button is provided on a bottom surface at a
position corresponding to the raised frame with a shallow curved
recess portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional snap button
with male and female parts thereof in a separated state;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a snap button with
pull-apart resisting structure according to the present invention
with male and female parts thereof in a separated state;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the snap button of FIG. 2 with
male and female parts thereof in a separated state;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the male and female parts
of the snap button of FIG. 3 in a fastened state; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the fastened male and female
parts of the snap button of FIG. 4 in a state of being subjected to
an unexpected pull.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Please refer to FIG. 2 that is a perspective view of a snap
button with pull-apart resisting structure according to an
embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the snap button
includes a male part 30 and a female part 40. The male part 30 is
provided on a bottom surface with a substantially U-shaped raised
portion 31 that has an area smaller than an overall area of the
male part 30, and at a central area with a connecting head 32
projected from the raised portion 31. The connecting head 32 is
formed at a root portion with a narrowed neck portion 33. An area
of the bottom surface of the male part 30 enclosed in the U-shaped
raised portion 31 is a recess portion 34 extended from an edge of
the male part 30 to a line in parallel with that edge and
transversely passing through a center of the narrowed neck portion
33 of the connecting head 32. Therefore, there is a difference
between a height from an end surface of the connecting head 32 to
the raised portion 31 and a height from the end surface of the
connecting head 32 to the recess portion 34.
[0017] The female part 40 is provided on a top surface with a
raised portion 41 that has an overall area slightly smaller than
that of the female part 40, and at a central area with a through
hole 44 having predetermined size and shape. A part of the central
through hole 44 is a non-full circular hole having a diameter
slightly smaller than that of the connecting head 32 on the male
part 30 and enclosed in an elastic frame 42. A groove 47 is
provided along an outer side of the elastic frame 42 with a
plurality of spaced supporting rods 43 radially extended from an
outer wall surface of the elastic frame 42 to an inner wall surface
of the groove 47. The other part of the central through hole 44 is
located at a position corresponding to the recess portion 34 of the
male part 30 and in the form of an extended and curved hole 45. A
raised frame 46 of a predetermined height is provided to extend
along the extended curved hole 45. In a preferred embodiment of the
present invention, the raised frame 46 has a height larger than
that of the elastic frame 42, and is movable in the recess portion
34 on the male part 30.
[0018] Please refer to FIGS. 3 to 5 that are sectional views
showing the male and the female part 30, 40 of the snap button of
the present invention in separated, fastened, and forcibly pulled
states, respectively. When an external force A is applied on the
male part 30 of the snap button to fasten the male part 30 to the
male part 40, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the connecting head 32 an
the male part 30 first passes through the central through hole 44
to press against the elastic frame 42, so that the elastic frame 42
is slightly elastically and radially push outward. When the
external force A is continuously applied, and the narrowed neck
portion 33 of the connecting head 32 on the male part 30 reaches at
the central through hole 44, the previously elastically pushed
elastic frame 42 is brought by a restoring force thereof to engage
with the narrowed neck portion 33 and thereby firmly hold the male
part 30 to the female part 40 to fasten the snap button in a normal
manner, as shown in FIG. 4.
[0019] When the snap button in a fastened state is subjected to an
unexpected pull force B, as shown in FIG. 5, the narrowed neck
portion 33 of the male part 30 is brought by the pull force B to
slide from the non-full-circular part of the central through hole
44 to the extended and curved hole 45, which is integrally extended
from and communicating with the non-full-circular part of the
through hole 44. Since the extended and curved hole 45 has a
diameter smaller that that of the connecting head 32 on the male
part 30, it effectively retains the connected head 32, and
accordingly, the male part 30 thereto, preventing the male part 30
from being pulled apart from the female part 40 by the unexpected
pull force.
[0020] Since the unexpected pull force would normally bring the
neck portion 33 on the male part 30 to collide with and accordingly
wear down an inner wall surface of the extended and curved hole 45
on the female part 40, it is necessary to prevent this undesirable
effect. To this end, the raised frame 46 extended along the
extended and curved hole 45 provides an increased load area to
protect the snap button.
[0021] A shallow curved recess portion 48 is provided on a bottom
surface of the female part 40 at a position corresponding to the
raised frame 46 on the top surface of the female part 40. The
shallow curved recess portion 48 allows a lower part of the
connecting head 32 of the male part 30 to slide therein without
being stuck to the bottom of the female part 40, ensuring that the
narrowed neck portion 33 of the male part 30 subjected to an
unexpected pull force could fully move into the extended and curved
hole 45 to contact with the raised frame 46.
[0022] When it is desired to release the previously fastened snap
button, simply slide the connecting head 32 and the narrowed neck
portion 33 thereof out of the extended and curved hole 45 into the
central through hole 44, and the snap button can be released in a
normal way.
[0023] With the above arrangements, the snap button of the present
invention in a fastened state is effectively protected from being
undesirably pulled apart by an unexpected external pull force
applied on the male part, and is therefore more practical for
use.
[0024] The present invention has been described with a preferred
embodiment thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications in the described embodiment can be carried out
without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention
that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
* * * * *