Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Zipper or required component thereof – Including complementary – aligning means attached to ends of...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-11
2002-07-23
Brittain, James R. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Zipper or required component thereof
Including complementary, aligning means attached to ends of...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06421887
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bottom end stop for a slide fastener. The bottom end stop for a slide fastener attached to bottom ends of the fastener stringers comprises a fitting piece on one side and a joining piece on the other. The fitting piece and the joining piece are engaged with each other vertically with respect to a fastener face, that is, in a front-rear surface direction by a snap method and then the fitting piece and joining piece are joined together in a lateral direction of the fastener, so that the fastener stringers can be fit and attached into the slider.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional type of bottom end stop for a slide fastener, in which a fastener stringer is fit laterally into the slider is disclosed in the specification of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,927. As shown in
FIG. 18
, a fitting piece
11
′ and a joining piece
10
′ attached to bottom ends of the right and left fastener stringers
1
′ are formed of a pin
50
′ having an expanding head portion provided at a front end thereof and a socket
51
′ in which a protruding portion is formed on an inner face of a circular hole portion. After the pin
50
′ and the socket
51
′ are engaged with each other by a snap method, a blade
52
′ formed on one fastener stringer
1
′ is fit in between guide flanges of the slider
3
′ provided on the other fastener stringer
1
′ by rotating around the pin
50
′ and the socket
51
′.
In the bottom end stop for a slide fastener of a type in which one of fastener stringers
1
′ is fit laterally into the slider
3
′ provided on the other fastener stringer
1
′ as described above, the pin
50
′ for engaging the fitting piece
11
′ with the joining piece
10
′ is provided so as to protrude toward a surface of the fastener stringer
1
′ and then engaged with the socket
51
′. However, since the slider
3
′ is provided on the fastener stringer
1
′ of the pin side, each time an operation for engaging the pin
50
′ with the socket
51
′ is carried out, a hanging pull tab has to be raised upward of the fastener chain. Thus, the releasing operation is very troublesome and therefore, cannot be carried out quickly.
The present invention has been achieved in views of the above described problem. An object of the present invention is to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener, wherein a fitting piece having a female engaging portion is attached to one of right and left fastener stringers and a joining piece having a male engaging portion is attached to the other fastener stringer, while the female engaging portion and the male engaging portion are capable of engaging with/disengaging from each other in a vertical direction with respect to the fastener faces and rotating in a horizontal direction when they are engaged with each other. The slider is held by a holding portion provided on one of the male and female engaging portions to prevent the slider from dropping out, and the male engaging portion is engaged with the female engaging portion on an opposite surface to a surface in which a single pull tab provided on the slider exists, thereby preventing the pull tab provided on the slider from obstructing an engaging operation between the male engaging portion and the female engaging portion, so that the engaging/disengaging operation can be carried out easily and quickly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which a male engaging portion thereof is composed of a pair of leg portions which is circular in its outer shape and easily deformed elastically facing in a longitudinal direction of the fastener tape. A female engaging portion is formed to have locking portions to easily lock with the leg portions, provided on an inner face of a circular hole portion. Even if a lateral pulling force is applied to a fastener chain, particularly to the bottom end stop from the right and left directions, the engagement between the male engaging portion and the female engaging portion is never released.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which the male engaging portion comprises a thick portion around the periphery of a base portion thereof and a protrusion having expanding head portions provided at a tip thereof. The female engaging portion is provided with elastic pieces easily deformed elastically and capable of engaging with the protrusion formed on an inner face of the hole portion in which the protrusion can be inserted and is formed so that the thick portion comes adjacent to the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion. Even when a lateral pulling force is applied to a fastener chain, particularly to the bottom end stop from the right and left directions, the engagement is never released.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which the protrusion is provided with head portions expanding outward on opposing faces and the inner face of the hole portion is provided with the protruding portion which lie over each of the head portions when the fitting piece and joining piece are rotated in a direction that they are joined together. Even when a pushing-up force is applied to a fastener chain, particularly to the bottom end stop from the front or back surface thereof, the engagement is never released.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which the joining piece is provided with a convex portion protruded horizontally and a concave portion in which the convex portion can be fit when the fitting piece and joining piece are rotated in a direction that they are joined together. Even when a pushing-up force is applied to the bottom end stop from the front or back surface thereof, the engagement is never released.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which the concave portion comprises an inner surface on a base portion of a side in which the fitting piece and joining piece lie over each other, a vertical wall erected on this base portion and a horizontal plate extending from a tip of the vertical wall in parallel to the inner surface of the base portion. This restricts easily a position in which the convex portion is inserted into the concave portion and enables to specify an engagement position between the fitting piece and joining piece easily.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which when the fitting piece and joining piece are engaged with each other and rotated in a direction that they are joined together, the slider provided on the fastener stringer is moved slightly upward of the fastener chain, thereby starting operation of the slider can be carried out securely and easily.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which the female engaging portion and male engaging portion are disposed outside of an end portion of the fastener tape, a rotation of the right and left fastener stringers is facilitated and the female engaging portion and male engaging portion are formed in a rigid structure.
To achieve the above described objects, according to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a bottom end stop for a slide fastener, wherein a fitting piece
11
is attached to a bottom end of one of right and left fastener stringers
1
of the slide fastener while a joining piece
10
is attached to the bottom end of the other, a female engaging portion
34
and a male engaging portion
20
are formed on the fitting piece
11
and the joining piece
10
respectively, such that they can be engaged with/disengaged from each other in a vertical direction with respect to faces of respective fastener tapes
2
and so that the female engaging portion
34
and
Oda Kiyoshi
Yamagishi Koji
Brittain James R.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
YKK Corporation
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