A Method For Producing Tugged Zip Fasteners

Abstract

A method is disclosed for producing zip fasteners having applied thereon tags indicating information relative to zip fastener products. Continuous production of these zip fasteners is made possible by feeding a train of tags in a direction at right angles to the direction of movement of a zip fastener chain.

Description

This invention relates to a method for producing a zip fastener having provided thereon a tag or label and has particular reference to a method for applying a series or train of tags one at a time successively onto a chain of zip fasteners.

Heretofore, zip fasteners are known which are provided with a tag indicating thereon the types, sizes, prices, instructions and so on to facilitate the identification of different product fasteners.

However, no practical methods have hitherto been proposed for applying such tags continuously where desired onto a continuous zip fastener chain. A typical example of a prior-art method is as illustrated in FIG. 10 to align a series of tags in end-to-end superposed relation to an individually separated zip fastener, staple or otherwise secure them one after another to a bottom end of the fastener, and thereafter cut the thus secured piece of tag off from the rest of tags. While it is possible with such conventional method to feed a train of tags continuously with respect to zip fasteners of individual product length, these zip fasteners must of necessity be fed one by one by hand. Therefore, the rate of producing tagged fasteners has been considerably limited. Furthermore, such a conventional method has the disadvantage that the tags are often placed out of position on the zip fasteners, resulting in unattractive appearance of the finished products.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel method for producing tagged zip fasteners at an increased rate of speed as compared to the prior art techniques.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method which will eliminate the above-noted difficulties of the prior-art method and which permits of the attachment of tags with sufficient positional stability, viz. in correct position on a continuous chain of zip fasteners.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a method which makes it possible to apply tags onto a zip fastener chain in a cycle of operation continuous with the finishing of a zip fastener product.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will appear apparent from the detailed description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols refer to like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the invention for applying a train of tags successively onto a chain of zip fasteners;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a piece of tag folded halfway up when the fastener chain is cut to a product length;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a train of tags employed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating another method embodying the invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tag taken along the line V--V of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustration still another method embodying the invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a product zip fastener provided thereon with a tag according to the method of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of another product zip fastener provided thereon with a tag according to the method of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of still another product zip fastener provided thereon with a tag according to the method of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a conventional practice for applying tags onto individually separated zip fasteners.

According to the invention there is provided a method for producing tagged zip fasteners which essentially comprises aligning a train of tags in parallel with the plane of a chain of zip fasteners, each of said tags having a fold line along which it is foldable, feeding said train of tags in a direction at right angles to the direction of movement of said fastener chain until said tags are brought one at a time successively into a predetermined position on said fastener chain, attaching an end of said tag onto said fastener chain with the fold line of said tag lying adjacent to a cutting line of said fastener chain along which said chain is cut to a product length, cutting said fastener chain along said cutting line, and separating the thus attached tag from its train.

Referring now to the drawings and to FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a chain of zip fasteners C moving in the direction of the arrow. The zip fastener F is of the usual construction comprised of two opposed stringer tapes 10 each carrying along one longitudinal edge thereof a row of interlocking elements 11, a slider 12 movable along these elements for opening and closing the stringer tapes 10, and end stops, viz. top end stop 13 and bottom end stop 14.

The tags to be applied onto the above fastener chain according to the invention are interconnected serially in side by side relationship in the form of a tag train 15. Each individual tag or piece of tag 16 in the train 15 has a width substantially equal to or slightly smaller than the width of the fastener F. The tag 16 has a stem portion 17 at one end for securing the same, as by a staple 18, to the fastener chain and an opening or hook eye 19 at the opposite end for hanging an individual zip fastener F on a suitable support (not shown) for purposes of display. The tag 16 is further provided with a transverse recess or groove 20 as indicated by broken line, which groove defines a fold line along which the tag is allowed to be folded on itself lengthwise of the fastener F. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the tag train 15 is provided with a plurality of transversely extending slits 21 which define separation lines between adjoining pieces of tags 16.

The train of tags 16 is fed intermittently in a direction at right angles to the direction of movement of the fastener chain C, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1, until a leading tag 16 is brought into superposed position on the chain C with its fold line lying adjacent to a cutting line 22 along which the chain is cut to an individual product length. In this position, a staple 18 is applied from above to the stem portion 17 of the tag 16 thereby securing the same to the portion of the chain C that is devoid of elements 11 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The leading tag 16 is then separated from the rest of the tags in the train 15 followed by folding the tag 16 on itself halfway up as shown in FIG. 2 to expose to view the cutting line 22 so as to permit the chain C to be cut therealong.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is characterized in that the tags 16 are completely folded when they are supplied to the fastener chain C so that the chain can be cut simultaneously as the leading tug 16 is separated.

FIG. 6 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention wherein the position of the tags 16 relative to the fastener chain C is inverted as compared to the embodiment of FIG. 1, so that the tag 16 attached to product zip fastener F assumes a folded position in use as shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 3 shows a train of tags 16 which are devoid of slits 21 and which may be employed according to the invention.

Having thus described the invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the specific methods herein above advanced, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing tagged zip fasteners which comprises providing a train of tags each having a fold line along which it is foldable, feeding said train of tags in a direction at right angles to the direction of movement of said fastener chain until said tags are borught one at a time successively into a predetermined position on said fastener chain, attaching an end of said tag onto said fastener chain with the fold line of said tag lying adjacent to a cutting line of said fastener chain along which said chain is to be cut to a product length, separating the thus attached tag from its train of tags, and cutting said fastener chain along said cutting line.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein said train of tags are supplied in folded position so that the fastener chain can be cut simultaneously with the separation of said tags.

3. A method for producing tagged zip fasteners comprising: providing both a series of connected together tags and a continuous length of fastener chain composed of a series of zip fastener sections each having fastener elements having stop members at opposite ends thereof; intermittently feeding said length of fastener chain along a path of travel to successively and intermittently position each zip fastener section in a common working position; intermittently feeding said series of connected together tags transversely to the feeding direction of said length of fastener chain to successively and intermittently superposition individual tags over the end portions of individual zip fastener sections when the latter are in said common working position; attaching the superposed tags to their respective zip fastener sections to form a tagged zip fastener section; and separating both each attached tag from the remaining series of tags and each tagged zip fastener section from the remaining length of fastener chain to form individual tagged zip fastener sections.

4. A method according to claim 3; wherein said separating step comprises breaking the attached tag from the remaining series of tags by folding the attached tag along a predetermined fold line and cutting the tagged zip fastener section from the remaining length of fastener chain.