U.S. patent application number 13/106426 was filed with the patent office on 2011-12-15 for slide fastener.
This patent application is currently assigned to RIRI SA. Invention is credited to Alessandro Ostinelli, Dany Yazbeck.
Application Number | 20110302749 13/106426 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42744999 |
Filed Date | 2011-12-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110302749 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Yazbeck; Dany ; et
al. |
December 15, 2011 |
Slide Fastener
Abstract
A slide fastener comprising a pair of tapes, a top stop, a
bottom stop and rows of fastening teeth arranged on the edge of
said tapes, comprising at least one pair of dummy teeth located in
a gap of the rows of fastening teeth, restoring a continuity of the
rows of fastening teeth, so to allow free passage of the slider,
and at the same time providing a distinctive feature in the row of
fastening teeth.
Inventors: |
Yazbeck; Dany; (Varese,
IT) ; Ostinelli; Alessandro; (Castel S. Pietro,
CH) |
Assignee: |
RIRI SA
Mendrisio
CH
|
Family ID: |
42744999 |
Appl. No.: |
13/106426 |
Filed: |
May 12, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
24/405 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B 19/24 20130101;
Y10T 24/2543 20150115; A44B 19/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/405 |
International
Class: |
A44B 19/08 20060101
A44B019/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 20, 2010 |
EP |
10163380.8 |
Claims
1) A slide fastener comprising a pair of tapes, a top stop, a
bottom stop, a first row of fastening teeth arranged on the edge of
one of said tapes and a second row of fastening teeth arranged on
the edge of the other one of said tapes, the fastening teeth of the
first row being able to engage and disengage the fastening teeth of
the second row to close and open the slide fastener, characterized
in that: a) in at least one position of the slide fastener between
the top stop and the bottom stop, two consecutive fastening teeth
of the first row and two consecutive fastening teeth of the second
row are spaced away, thus forming a gap in the first row of teeth,
and a gap in the second row of teeth, the gap of the first row
facing the gap of the second row, b) a first dummy tooth and a
second dummy tooth are associated to the tapes and respectively
fitted into said gaps of the first and second row, the first dummy
tooth and second dummy tooth being suitable to restore a continuity
of the rows of fastening teeth, so to allow a free passage of the
slider.
2) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said dummy teeth having
at least one surface adapted to support a distinctive element of
the slide fastener.
3) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said dummy teeth having
a dimension, shape, color, material or any combination thereof
which is different from those of the fastening teeth, so that the
dummy teeth provide a distinctive element of the slide
fastener.
4) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said first and second
dummy tooth being larger than the fastening teeth of the slide
fastener, in the longitudinal direction of the slide fastener.
5) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said first and second
dummy tooth providing an engagement which is substantially rigid in
a transversal direction perpendicular to the direction of the
slider.
6) The slide fastener according to claim 1, each dummy tooth being
configured with a core portion, an upper arm portion and a lower
arm portion.
7) The slide fastener according to claim 6, the upper arm portion
and/or the lower arm portion of the dummy teeth having a flat
surface adapted to carry a distinctive element.
8) The slide fastener according to claim 6, the lower arm portion
of one of said first and second dummy teeth being larger than the
lower arm portion of the other, having end parts extending beyond
the core portion.
9) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said dummy teeth having
magnetic parts to provide a tactile feeling during the use.
10) The slide fastener according to claim 1, at least one of said
dummy teeth having one or more holes to provide transpiration of
the slide fastener.
11) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said dummy teeth
hosting electrical contacts to provide additional functions of the
slide fastener.
12) The slide fastener according to claim 1, said dummy teeth
carrying a light-emitting or light-reflecting part, so to provide a
distinctive effect or night visibility.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to European Patent
Application No. 10163380.8, filed May 20, 2010, the entirety of
which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF APPLICATION
[0002] The invention relates to slide fasteners. The invention
discloses a technique for personalizing or labeling a slide
fastener.
PRIOR ART
[0003] A slide fastener basically comprises: a pair of tapes, a row
of teeth arranged on the edge of each tape, a top stop, a bottom
stop, a slider with a pull-tab. The tapes are made of a fabric or
plastic material; the teeth, top and bottom stop and slider are
usually made of metal or plastics. The teeth have conjugate end
parts that are able to engage and disengage each other, upon the
action of the slider.
[0004] The slide fastener is often required to bear decorative
elements, a logo, a trademark or the like, for aesthetic purposes
and/or for individualization of the product. This is especially
required by the fashion industry for high-end slide fasteners.
[0005] The tapes are not a convenient support for any decorative
element or logo. Currently, the parts of a slide fastener that are
suitable to bear such elements are the top and bottom stops, the
slider and the pull-tab. For example a symbol, a trademark or logo
can be printed or engraved in a metal stop, slider or pull-tab. No
other part suitable to this purpose is available. The teeth in
particular are too small and hence the engaged rows of teeth in a
closed slide fasteners have always substantially the same
appearance.
[0006] It should also be noted that in a closed slide fastener the
stops and the slider are not so visible, being at the ends of the
slide fastener. Hence, when e.g. a garment is worn, there is little
possibility in the prior art to give a recognizable appearance to
the slide fastener.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention is aimed to improve the ability to
individualize a slide fastener. The invention provides a visually
distinctive element in an intermediate position of the row formed
by the fastening teeth. This is accomplished by the provision of
dummy teeth between two of the fastening teeth of each row of the
slide fastener, in at least one intermediate position of the slide
fastener.
[0008] Hence, the above problem is solved with a slide fastener
comprising a pair of tapes, a top stop, a bottom stop, a first row
of fastening teeth arranged on the edge of one of said tapes and a
second row of fastening teeth arranged on the edge of the other one
of said tapes, the fastening teeth of the first row being able to
engage and disengage the fastening teeth of the second row to close
and open the slide fastener, characterized in that: [0009] a) in at
least one position of the slide fastener between the top stop and
the bottom stop, two consecutive fastening teeth of the first row
and two consecutive fastening teeth of the second row are spaced
away, thus forming a gap in the first row of teeth, and a gap in
the second row of teeth, the gap of the first row facing the gap of
the second row, [0010] b) a first dummy tooth and a second dummy
tooth are associated to the tapes and respectively fitted into said
gaps of the first and second row, the first dummy tooth and second
dummy tooth being suitable to restore a continuity of the rows of
fastening teeth, so to allow a free passage of the slider.
[0011] One or more intermediate gaps according to point a) above
can be provided. Preferably the intermediate gap may be located
substantially in the middle of the slide fastener, but any position
is possible. In a garment, for example, the position of a couple of
said dummy teeth is preferably in the upper half, which means
closer to the upper stop, so to be more visible when the garment is
worn.
[0012] The dummy teeth as disclosed at point b) above are meant as
replacement elements that fill a gap in the respective row of
fastening teeth, associated to a fastener tape. Said elements that
do not need to engage each other with conjugate parts in a
gear-like manner, as conventional teeth of slide fasteners do,
although in some embodiments the dummy teeth may have mutually
engaging parts to strengthen the slide fastener.
[0013] The dummy teeth may preferably provide an engagement which
is adapted to maintain alignment of the tapes, and to avoid the
opening of the slide fastener. Said engagement is preferably
substantially rigid at least in a transversal direction, i.e.
perpendicular to the direction of the slider. In a preferred
embodiment, the first and second dummy tooth arranged in one gap of
the slide fastener have coupling means in the form of at least a
male part and a female part providing an engagement which is
substantially rigid in said transversal direction.
[0014] Preferably, the dummy teeth are larger than the teeth of the
slide fastener, in the longitudinal direction of the slide
fastener. Being larger than the conventional teeth, the dummy teeth
are recognizable and able to individualize the fastener.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment, a dummy tooth according to the
invention is configured with a core portion, an upper arm portion
and a lower arm portion. The upper arm portion, in use, is outside
a garment or item carrying the slide fastener, while the lower arm
portion is inside. The upper arm portion and/or the lower arm
portion may have a flat surface adapted to carry a distinctive
element. For example, a logo, trademark or the like can be printed
or engraved onto the upper and/or the lower arm portion. More
preferably, said arm portions have end flanges to securely hold the
edges of the fastener tapes.
[0016] The distinctive feature of said dummy teeth may be achieved
in any way. For example by means of shape, color, material or any
combination thereof. For example the dummy teeth may be configured
to show a certain letter, number or logo when the slide fastener is
closed and the two dummy teeth are facing each other. Hence, a
distinctive element is formed in an intermediate position of the
chain of the teeth, for example in the middle, which is readily
visible and greatly improves the individual appearance of the slide
fastener. For example, a certain logo or mark can be written or
formed half on one dummy tooth and half on the other, so that the
logo is composed when the slide fastener closes. In some
embodiments the left/right dummy teeth are shaped to form
themselves a trademark or logo, e.g. a symbol or letter, when they
are close together.
[0017] The dummy teeth may be of a material and/or color other than
the material of other parts of the slide fastener, namely of the
engaging teeth and stops, to enhance distinctiveness.
[0018] The left and right dummy teeth of each pair need not to be
identical. In some embodiments of the invention, the two dummy
teeth are different. In a preferred embodiment, the lower arm
portion is made larger than the upper arm portion, in order to
completely fill the gap between the fastening teeth.
[0019] A slide fastener according to the invention, for example,
can be manufactured by the steps of: making fastener tapes with
rows of fastening teeth, removing a selected number of fastening
teeth in at least one selected position of the fastener tapes, thus
forming gaps in the rows of fastening teeth, and fixing the dummy
teeth to the fastener tapes, so to fill the aforesaid gaps.
[0020] A further aspect of the invention is that the above dummy
teeth are able to support additional functions. According to
exemplificative embodiments, they may have magnetic parts to
provide a tactile feeling in the operation of a metal slider, such
as a variation in the force required to move the slider; they may
have one or more holes to provide transpiration; they may host
electrical contacts to detect certain actions such as opening of
the slide fastener; they may support a light-emitting or
light-reflecting element, so to provide a further distinctive
effect or night visibility. For example a slide fastener according
to the invention with a couple of dummy teeth with an electrical
contact can be positioned close to the upper stop and used to
detect opening of the slide fastener.
[0021] The main advantage of the invention is that a novel option
for individualizing or labeling a slide fastener is allowed. A
visually distinctive effect is obtained by a singularity in the
rows of fastening teeth, although the provision of the dummy teeth
allow the normal operation of the slider.
[0022] Moreover, the provision of one or more couple(s) of the
above dummy teeth makes possible a number of additional optional
features, compared to conventional fastener. Another advantage is
that the invention needs no significant modification of the slider,
because the dummy teeth substantially restore the chain of the
engaging teeth and allow a free passage of the slider. Hence, a
conventional slider can be used. Another advantage is that the
chain of teeth is not significantly weakened, in particular when
the dummy teeth have engagement against opening of the slide
fastener in the transversal direction. These and further advantages
of the invention will be more evident from the detailed description
provided here below, given as indicative and not limiting
example.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is plan view of a slide fastener according to an
embodiment of the invention, comprising a pair of dummy teeth
filling a gap in the rows of the fastening elements.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a detail of the slide fastener of FIG. 1.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the slide fastener of
FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pair of dummy teeth of the
slide fastener of FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0027] FIGS. 5 to 8 are views of the right and left dummy tooth of
FIG. 4, according to one of the embodiments of the invention.
[0028] FIG. 9 is a lateral view of a detail of the slide
fastener.
[0029] FIG. 10 is a top view of a slide fastener according to one
of the preferred embodiment with the dummy replacement teeth
showing a letter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] A slide fastener as in FIG. 1 comprises a pair of tapes 1, a
top stop, a bottom stop, a first row 2 of fastening teeth 3
arranged on the edge of one of tapes 1, and a second row 4 of
fastening teeth 3 arranged on the edge of the other tape 1. The
teeth of the first row 2 being able to engage and disengage the
teeth of the second row 4 to close and open the slide fastener upon
action of a slider 7.
[0031] Two consecutive fastening teeth of the rows 2 and 4 are
suitably spaced away, forming gaps that are filled with a first
dummy tooth 5 and a second dummy tooth 6, respectively associated
to tapes 1.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 2, the fastening teeth 3a, 3b are spaced
forming a first gap in the row 2, where the dummy tooth 5 is
inserted, and the fastening teeth 3c, 3d of the other row 4 are
spaced forming a second gap, where the dummy tooth 6 is
inserted.
[0033] Said dummy teeth 5 and 6 are elements adapted to restore a
continuity of the rows 2 and 4, in particular to allow sliding of
the slider 7.
[0034] In the example (FIG. 2), the gap between fastening teeth 3a,
3b corresponds to removal of two fastening teeth in the row 2,
between the aforesaid fastening teeth 3a and 3b. The gap between
fastening teeth 3c, 3d of the other row 4 corresponds to removal of
one tooth. More generally, as fastening teeth 3 are alternated,
gaps for the elements 5, 6 correspond to n fastening teeth 3
missing on one row such as row 2, and (n+1) fastening teeth 3
missing on the other row such as row 4.
[0035] As seen in the figures, the dummy teeth 5, 6 are larger than
fastening teeth 3 in the longitudinal direction of the slide
fastener.
[0036] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a preferred embodiment of the dummy teeth
5 and 6. Each is configured with a core portion 10, 11, an upper
arm portion 12, 13 and a lower arm portion 14, 15. The upper arm
portions 12 and 13, in use, are outside a garment or item carrying
the slide fastener, while the lower arm portions 14, 15 are
inside.
[0037] The upper arm portion and/or the lower arm portion have
preferably flat surfaces 16 adapted to carry a distinctive element.
For example, a logo, trademark or the like can be printed or
engraved onto a surface 16 of the upper and/or the lower arm
portion.
[0038] More preferably, said arm portions have end flanges 17 to
securely hold the edges 18 of the fastener tapes 1, as depicted in
the sectional view of FIG. 3. The side edges 18 are clamped by arm
portions 12, 13 and 14, 15, preferably by deformation of lower arm
portions 14, 15, which are bent to hold the side edges 18 of
fastener tapes, as shown in said FIG. 3.
[0039] The inner face of the core portions 10, 11 of the dummy
teeth 5, 6 has preferably a coupling means to prevent opening of
the slide fastener in the zone of said dummy teeth, when the
fastener elements 3 are missing. In the figures, said coupling
means is in the form of projecting portions 19 and 20 and recesses
21, 22. In a preferred embodiment, the core portion has also a
projection 23 on the outer face, to improve the strength of
connection to the fastener tapes 1, by pressing against the edges
18.
[0040] The left and right dummy teeth 5, 6 of each couple need not
to be identical in shape. In a preferred embodiment, the lower arm
portion of one dummy tooth is larger than the lower arm portion of
the other. FIGS. 5 to 8 show that the dummy tooth 6 has a lower arm
portion 15 which is larger than lower arm portion 14 of the dummy
tooth 5. Said lower arm portion 15 has end parts 15A extending
beyond the core portion 11, to suitably cover the space S (Fig, 9)
which is left between two fastening teeth 3.
[0041] FIG. 10 shows an exemplificative embodiment where the dummy
teeth 5, 6 are shaped to form a letter "H" when the slide fastener
is closed.
* * * * *