Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Zipper or required component thereof – Having interlocking surface with continuous cross section
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-16
2001-07-03
Sakran, Victor N. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Zipper or required component thereof
Having interlocking surface with continuous cross section
C024S381000, C024S389000, C024S400000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253425
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide fastener comprising reflective tapes as separate bodies which have a certain degree of rigidity and have bulging edge portions with reflective portions on their surfaces, the reflective tapes being attached along fastener elements so as to form reflective portions on surfaces beside of the fastener elements of the slide fastener at constant intervals. The slide fastener reflects light when illuminated at night such that a presence of the fastener can be clearly indicated and recognized.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a conventional slide fastener as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 63-135390, wherein a retroreflective sheet is adhered or bonded to a portion of a surface of each fastener tape of the slide fastener.
There is also a tape for a slide fastener as disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 284984, wherein a retroreflective tape is woven into a woven fastener tape to appear on front and rear surfaces of the fastener tape in a longitudinal direction by holding the retroreflective tape by every several wefts such that the retroreflective tape is adjacent to a fastener element attaching portion.
Furthermore, there is a reflective tape as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 4-7689, wherein one longitudinal edge of a tape as a reflective tape is hollow-woven and a single yarn formed by finely slitting a reflective film into yarns is woven into the hollow-woven portion to form a reflective tape.
There is also a slide fastener as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 64-39024, wherein an elastic band having a bulging portion at an edge portion is sewn along one longitudinal edge of the band on a rear face of a fastener tape such that the bulging portion is positioned on a fastener element side and the bulging portions come into contact with each other when a fastener is closed.
In the tape for the slide fastener according to the first example of the foregoing prior art, because the retroreflective sheet is attached to the surface of the fastener tape by adhering means or bonding means, the retroreflective sheet may peel off the fastener tape in use of the slide fastener and there is uncertainty about if the tape for the slide fastener can effectively and properly exhibit its reflective function for the long term. Moreover, because a retroreflective portion is flat, a three-dimensional reflecting function can not be expected.
In the tape for the slide fastener according to the second example, the retroreflective tape does not peel off the fastener tape. However, because the fastener tape is a woven tape and the retroreflective tape is woven into by wefts such that the tape is adjacent to fastener elements, the slider slides on a face of the retroreflective tape in opening and closing operations by the slider. Therefore, the retroreflective tape may suffer fretting damage and has a problem with its durability. Moreover, a three-dimensional reflecting function can not be expected.
In the reflective tape according to the third example, because both the foundation woven portion and hollow-woven portion are flexible and are easily dented by pressure, the reflective tape is suitable as a beaded edge for clothes, bags, or the like. However, because the hollow-woven portion does not have rigidity, the three-dimensional reflective function can not be expected when the reflective tape is used with the slide fastener in an opening portion of the clothes, bags, or the like.
Next, because the band which has the bulging portion at the edge portion thereof and is used in the slide fastener according to the fourth example is disposed not on a front side but on an inner side, i.e., a rear face of an opening edge of a bag or the like, it is impossible to dispose the band such that the bulging portion appears on the front face of the fastener tape to exhibit ornamental effects of the slide fastener, i.e., a three-dimensional reflecting function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed with the above-described problems in view, and it is a main object of the invention to provide a slide fastener formed by attaching reflective tapes to surfaces of fastener tapes, the reflective tapes each having at an end portion thereof a reflective portion. The slide fastener has a three-dimensional reflecting function on surfaces of the fastener tapes by simple structure and means, can indicate its presence by properly reflecting light when illuminated at night, and has favorable appearance.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener which can further properly exhibit the three-dimensional reflecting function by specifying a shape and a disposing form of a bulging edge portion of each reflective tape, the bulging edge portion having a reflecting function.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having an excellent reflecting function by simple structure and material by specifying forms of the attaching portion and the bulging edge portion of each reflective tape and by employing a reflective film in the reflective portion of the bulging edge portion.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having an excellent reflecting function by simple material by using a retroreflective film or a light storage reflective film as the reflective film used in the reflective portion.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having a further excellent reflecting function by simple structure and material by specifying forms of the attaching portion and the bulging edge portion of each reflective tape and by employing reflective yarn as warp or warp knitting yarn of the reflective portion of the bulging edge portion.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having an excellent reflecting function by specifying a form of the reflective yarn used in the reflective portion and by using a retroreflective film or a light storage reflective film as material of the reflective yarn.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having a reflecting function by specifying a form of the reflective yarn used in the reflective portion and by dyeing a synthetic fiber with fluorescent dye or fluorescent brightener or by applying fluorescent bleaching to the synthetic fiber.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having an excellent reflecting function by simultaneously molding the attaching portion and the bulging edge portion of each reflective tape by using thermoplastic resin by integrally molding means, and by forming the reflective portion on the bulging portion.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having an excellent reflecting function and wherein the reflective portion on the bulging edge portion of each reflective tape can be formed using simple means by coating the surface of the bulging edge portion with reflective coating after molding of the reflective tape.
It is an object of the invention to provide a slide fastener having an excellent reflecting function and wherein the reflective portion on the bulging edge portion of each reflective tape can be formed extremely easily by mixing reflective material into the bulging edge portion at the time of molding of the bulging edge portion.
To achieve the above objects, according to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided as a main structure a slide fastener comprising reflective tapes provided separately from fastener tapes and each having a band-shaped attaching portion, a bulging edge portion integrally formed on a longitudinal edge portion of the attaching portion, and a reflective portion provided to the bulging edge portion, each the reflective tape being attached to the fastener tape along fastener elements such that at least a distance corresponding to a thickness of a flange of a slider is maintained between the bulging edge portion and a side of the fastener elements and that the reflective portion on the bulg
Hasegawa Takayuki
Matsushima Hideyuki
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Sakran Victor N.
YKK Corporation
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