Textiles: knitting – Fabrics or articles – Incorporated unknitted materials
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-26
2001-12-25
Worrell, Danny (Department: 3626)
Textiles: knitting
Fabrics or articles
Incorporated unknitted materials
C024S393000, C066S195000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332341
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slide fastener tape composed of warp yarn knitting structure having an element attaching portion on which a fastener element is attached, the element attaching portion being formed by knitting in a swollen state along a side edge portion of a knitted tape main body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a slide fastener has been attached to various kinds of flexible clothes, so that a fastener tape itself has been demanded to have flexibility. Therefore, various kinds of knitted fastener tapes having much more flexibility than woven fabric have been developed. Particularly, in view of its flexibility and stability of the state, warp knitted fastener tape has been widely used.
For example, according to Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-16088, as a first embodiment thereof, a tape main body is formed of double structures by double row needles and an element attaching portion to be connected to the main body is formed of a double tricot knitting structure by the double row needle in a swollen state, so as to surround a core material. Further, as a second embodiment of the same publication, an edge portion of the tape main body on a side of the element attaching portion is formed of the double structures by double row needles and the element attaching portion to be connected to the main body is formed of the double tricot knitting structure by the double row needle so as to surround the core material.
According to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-56713, for example, the tape main body is formed of single layer structure by only a needle of the front surface or rear surface. The element attaching portion is composed of double chain knitting structure knitted with two knitting yarns disposed on the core material and both sides thereof, a weft yarn inserting structure by weft yarn inserted with being swung symmetrically to the right and left between knitting patterns of the chain knitting structure and another weft yarn inserting structure comprised of the tricot knitting structure, chain knitting structure and normal weft yarn knitting structure, composing part of the tape main body. The double chain knitting structures and the weft insertion yarn of the element attaching portion are respectively knitted into the front surface and rear surface of the tape main body alternately so as to form the element attaching portion in a substantially completely rectangular section.
In the fastener tape for slide fastener composed of such warp knitting structure, irrespective of whether the tape main body is composed of the single structure by a single row needle or the double structures by the double row needles, the aforementioned element attaching portion is formed such that it is swollen with a larger thickness than the tape main body so as to surround the core material extended in the longitudinal direction with the double warp knitting structures.
Therefore, if it is intended to form the swollen element attaching portion integrally with the tape main body by the warp knitting structure, necessarily it has to be knitted by means of a double row needle knitting machine. To form the element attaching portion having the aforementioned structure, the core material is provided in the middle of the double row needles and the element attaching portion is formed by double row needles.
If it is intended to form the tape main body with double structures by double row needles like the element attaching portion, the core material is disposed on the line passing the center of an end face in a side edge portion of the tape main body in the longitudinal direction because the tape can be formed symmetrically to the front and rear surfaces. Therefore, it is possible to form the swelling state on the front and rear surfaces of the element attaching portion symmetrically to the front and rear surfaces.
If the tape main body is intended to be formed of a single structure using only one side of double row needles, however, the core material is deviated toward the-other side of the double row needles from the center of the end face in the side edge portion of the tape main body, even if the side edge portion in the tape main body is formed of double structures as disclosed in the second embodiment of the aforementioned Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-16088 as well as in the fastener tape disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-56713. Consequently, the swelling state of the element attaching portion is also deviated toward the other side, so that upon implanting the element, the element cannot be implanted equally on the same plane, thereby causing some disadvantages such as obstructing a smooth sliding of the slider.
According to the knitting structure disclosed in the publication, the warp knitting structure in the tape main body is composed of the chain knitting structure and weft yarn inserting structure. The weft yarn inserting structure of those structures is only interlaced with needle loops in part of the double tricot knitting structure, which is the warp knitting structure in the element attaching portion, and connected to the element attaching portion. Therefore, knitting pattern density at the connecting portion tends to be coarse, so that it is difficult to secure a desired attaching strength of the element.
If the tape main body is composed of the double structures as described above, the main body is formed thick so as to increase rigidity, so that flexibility expected for knitted fabric may be lost. Therefore, an initial purpose thereof cannot be achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a slide fastener tape capable of securing flexibility and attaching strength without losing a proper flexibility of knitted fabric and having a warp knitting structure allowing the element to be attached uniformly.
To secure a flexibility in the slide fastener tape having a warp knitting structure of this type, it is preferable to knit the tape main body in a single layer structure. On the other hand, to secure a sufficient attaching strength of the element, it is preferable to form the element attaching portion in such a swelling state that the core material is incorporated internally with double layer structure like the conventional art.
As a result of accumulated considerations and repeated trial productions, it has been found that if the tape main body is formed by one needle row and the element attaching portion is formed of double layer structure by double needles while inserting the core material between the double row needles, the core material is always deviated toward one side of the tape surface of the tape main body.
Then, a further consideration based on this finding was carried out and finally, the following invention was reached.
According to a main aspect of the Invention, there is provided a slide fastener tape composed of warp knitting structure having an element attaching portion formed integrally with a tape main body along a side edge thereof, being characterized in that the tape main body is composed of warp knitting structure formed by one row needle of double row needles, and the element attaching portion has a core material and is composed of plural groups of double tricot knitting structures lapped alternately between double row needles so as to surround a peripheral portion of a core material and a knitting structure, which is part of the tape main body, and needle loops of the knitting structure, which are part of the tape main body, are overlapped with needle loops, which are part of the double tricot knitting structure.
According to the invention, because the tape main body is composed of a single layer structure using one needle row of the double row needles, this fastener tape can secure flexibility particular to knitted fabric. On the other hand, the element attaching portion is composed of double layer structure by double row needles so as to surround the core material
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Worrell Danny
YKK Corporation
LandOfFree
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