ENHANCED SLIDER
A zipper slider is provided. The zipper slider includes a slider body configured to slide along a zipper, the slider body having an upper wing. The zipper slider also includes a pulling member with two walls on the upper wing, wherein the two walls are longitudinally disposed on the upper wing and an assembly groove is formed between the two walls. The two walls include an aperture on each wall, wherein the apertures form a transverse channel. The zipper slider further includes a pull tab having a pintle, wherein the pintle is disposed in the transverse channel. The zipper slider further includes a cap configured to cover the assembly groove.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of International Application Ser. No. PCT/CN2013/072906 filed on Mar. 20, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, which claims priority of Chinese Patent Application 201220387379.2, filed on Aug. 4, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to a slider and, more particularly, to an enhanced slider.
BACKGROUNDZipper is one of the most practical inventions of last century, and is extensively used in a wide range of trades and industries. Traditional sliders of zippers may be categorized into automatic locking and non-automatic locking An automatic locking slider usually includes a slider body, a pull tab, a locking lever, a plate spring, and a cover. The cover may be fixed to an upper wing of the slider, and attach the pull tab to the slider. The plate spring and the locking lever may be disposed within the cover. The locking lever may receive pressing force generated by the plate spring. Under the force, a locking prong of the locking lever may pass a locking opening on the upper wing to be disposed in the space between two zipper teeth to lock the slider in a position. The pull tab may lift the locking lever when it is pulled. The locking prong may be subsequently removed between zipper teeth to release the locking of the slider to allow the movement of the slider on zipper. Traditionally, the locking lever, the plate spring and the cover are manufactured by press riveting. The slider body and the cover containing the plate spring and locking lever are also manufactured by press riveting. The manufacturing of a slider is complex and the efficiency is low.
The disclosed slider is directed at solving one or more problems set forth above and other problems.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREOne aspect of the present disclosure provides a zipper slider. The zipper slider includes a slider body configured to slide along a zipper, the slider body having an upper wing. The zipper slider also includes a pulling member with two walls on the upper wing, wherein the two walls are longitudinally disposed on the upper wing an assembly groove is formed between the two walls. The two walls include an aperture on each wall, wherein the apertures form a transverse channel. The zipper slider further includes a pull tab having a pintle, wherein the pintle is disposed in the transverse channel. The zipper slider further includes a cap configured to cover the assembly groove.
One aspect of the present disclosure provides a process of making a zipper slider. The process includes the following steps. A slider body with an upper wing is provided. A pulling member with two walls is attached on the upper wing. The two walls are longitudinally disposed on the upper wing. The two walls have an aperture on each wall, wherein an assembly groove is formed between the two walls and the apertures form a transverse channel. A pull tab with a pintle is provided and the pintle is disposed in the transverse channel. The assembly groove is covered with a cap.
Other aspects of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the description, the claims, and the drawings of the present disclosure.
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
As shown in
The first protruding block 17 may be disposed on the platform 151, and the second protruding block 18 may be disposed on the platform 161. The transverse dimension of the block 17 and the block 18 may be smaller than that of the platform 151 and the platform 161, respectively. Thus, a first sliding groove 171 may form between the block 17 and the wall 13, and a second sliding groove 181 may form between the block 18 and the wall 13.
As shown in
The slider 100 may include the locking opening 15. The opening 15 penetrates the upper wing 11 and the platform 151 vertically. The middle section of the wall 141 may be removed to accommodate the opening 15. The slider 100 may also include the chamber 16. The chamber 16 may be disposed within the platform 161. The chamber 16 may be formed by removing certain portion of the platform anterior to the block 18. The chamber 16 is connected to the channel 14 through an opening 144 on the wall 142.
The locking lever 30 includes a lever body 31. In certain embodiments, the lever body 31 may be curved. As shown in
As shown in
Returning to
The transverse dimension of the receiving grooves 41 and 42 may be similar to that of the block 17 and 18 respectively, and the transverse dimension of the spring 40 at the two ends may be similar to that of the platform 151 and 161 respectively. Thus, a first sliding portion 411 and a second sliding portion 421 may fit into the sliding groove 171 and 181 respectively. The sliding portions 411 and 421 may slide on the sliding groove 171 and 181 respectively. As shown in
The process 600 may be completed without using press riveting. The pull tab 20 may be directly disposed in the pulling member 12. In addition, the assembly groove 131 is formed on the pulling member 12. The locking lever 30 and the plate spring 40 may be disposed in the groove 131 by insertion. The cap 50 may be snapped on the groove 131 to enclose the locking lever 30 and the plate spring 40. The whole process 600 is quick and convenient. Thus, the efficiency of making the slider 100 is improved. The process 600 may be completed manually or automatically on an assembly device.
While various embodiments in accordance with the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood that the invention is not limited thereto. The present invention may be changed, modified and further applied by those skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the detail shown and described previously, but also includes all such changes and modifications. For example, the size, shape, and appearance of slider according to the present disclosure may be changed to adjust the use of the slider on different items.
A slider consistent with the disclosed embodiments may offer several benefits. A slider consistent with the disclosed embodiments includes a pulling member with two walls on an upper wing of a slider body and a pull tab is directly disposed within the pulling member. Because the pulling force may be directly exerted on the walls, the pulling member may bear great force. Further, the pulling member with two walls may be integrated in the upper wing and may bear greater force transmitted through the pull tab. Thus, a user may pull the pull tab with greater force.
Further, an assembly groove is formed on the pulling member and a locking lever and a plate spring may be assembled within the assembly groove. A cap covers the assembly groove and encloses the locking lever and the plate spring within the slider. The assembly of the slider body may not need press riveting and the assembly process is convenient and efficient. The manufacturing efficiency is thus improved.
Claims
1. A zipper slider, comprising:
- a slider body configured to slide along a zipper, the slider body having a upper wing;
- a pulling member with two walls on the upper wing, wherein the two walls are longitudinally disposed on the upper wing and an assembly groove is formed between the two walls;
- an aperture on each of the two walls, wherein the apertures form a transverse channel;
- a pull tab having a pintle, wherein the pintle is disposed in the transverse channel; and
- a cap configured to cover the assembly groove.
2. The zipper slider according to claim 1, further comprising:
- a locking lever having a pivot end and a locking prong;
- a plate spring, wherein the plate spring contacts the locking lever and exert a force on the locking lever;
- a chamber disposed in the assembly groove; and
- a locking opening on the upper wing, wherein
- the locking lever is so configured that the pivot end is disposed in the chamber and the locking prong penetrates the locking opening to be disposed between two zipper teeth when the pull tab is in a resting state, and the locking prong is lifted to disengage from the zipper teeth when a pull force is exerted on the pull tab.
3. The slider according to claim 2, comprising:
- a first protruding block in the assembly groove; and
- a first receiving member on the cap to correspond to the first protruding block.
4. The slider according to claim 2, comprising:
- a first platform disposed close to an end of the assembly groove.
5. The slider according to claim 4, wherein:
- the first platform has a first receiving structure and the cap has a first attaching member, wherein the first receiving structure and the first attaching member interact to attach the cap to the pulling member.
6. The slider according to claim 4, comprising
- a first protruding block disposed on the first platform; and
- a first receiving member on the cap to correspond to the first protruding block.
7. The slider according to claim 6, comprising:
- a first sliding groove on the first platform, wherein
- the first sliding groove is located between the protruding block and one of the two walls.
8. The slider according to claim 7, comprising:
- a first sliding portion on the plate spring, wherein:
- the first sliding portion is configured to slide on the sliding groove.
9. The slider according to claim 1, wherein:
- the pulling member is integrated to the upper wing.
10. The slider according to claim 1, wherein:
- the cap is configured not to receive a pulling force when a pulling force is exerted to the pull tab.
11. The slider according to claim 1, wherein:
- the cap is removably attached to the pulling member.
12. A process of making a slider, comprising the steps of:
- providing a slider body with an upper wing;
- attaching a pulling member with two walls on the upper wing, the two walls having an aperture on each wall, wherein the two walls are longitudinally disposed on the upper wing, an assembly groove is formed between the two walls and the apertures form a transverse channel;
- providing a pull tab with a pintle and disposing the pintle in the transverse channel; and
- covering the assembly groove with a cap.
13. The process of claim 12, wherein a chamber is disposed in the assembly groove and a locking opening is disposed on the upper wing, comprising the steps of:
- disposing a locking lever having a pivot end and a locking prong in the assembly groove; and
- disposing a plate spring, wherein the plate spring contacts the locking lever and exert a force on the locking lever, wherein:
- the locking lever is so configured that the pivot end is disposed in the chamber and the locking prong penetrates the locking opening to be disposed between two zipper teeth when the pull tab is in a resting state and the locking prong is lifted to disengage from the zipper teeth when a pull force is exerted on the pull tab.
14. The process according to claim 13, wherein:
- a first platform is disposed close to an end of the assembly groove
15. The process according to claim 14, wherein:
- the first platform has a first receiving structure and the cap has a first attaching member, wherein the first receiving structure and the first attaching member interact to attach the cap to the pulling member.
16. The process according to claim 15, wherein:
- a first protruding block is disposed on the first platform; and
- a first receiving member is disposed on the cap, wherein:
- the first receiving member corresponds to the first protruding block.
17. The process according to claim 16, wherein:
- a first sliding groove is formed on the first platform, wherein
- the first sliding groove is located between the protruding block and one of the two walls.
18. The process according to claim 17, wherein:
- the plat spring includes a first sliding portion, wherein:
- the first sliding portion is configured to slide on the first sliding groove.
19. The process according to claim 12, wherein:
- the process is completed without press riveting.
20. The process according to claim 12, wherein:
- the pulling member is integrated to the upper wing.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 29, 2013
Publication Date: Mar 27, 2014
Applicant: KEE (GUANGDONG) GARMENT ACCESSORIES LIMITED (Foshan)
Inventors: Qiulei Li (Foshan), Tao Wang (Foshan)
Application Number: 14/093,400
International Classification: A44B 19/30 (20060101); A44B 19/42 (20060101);