Modified Adhesive Zipper Device

Abstract

A modified adhesive zipper device. The device has two flexible stringers with rows of teeth and an adhesive substance coated on the flexible stringers. The device has a slider and one or two pull tabs for actuation of the slider. The device has stopping means that inhibit the ability of the pull tabs to rotate away from the longitudinal axis of the device, and thereby prevent contact between the pull tabs and the adhesive substance coated on the flexible stringers.

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/929,025, filed Jan. 18, 2014.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally directed to a modified adhesive zipper design and a new method for opening and closing openings in flexible materials using an adhesive zipper.

2. Background Information

Ever since the original invention of the “clasp locker” by Whitcomb Judson in the 1890s, and its subsequent improvement by Gideon Sundback in 1913-1917 (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 1,219,881), zippers have been used in a variety of applications for detachably connecting adjacent flexible material pieces. Today zippers are still used in a variety of fields for opening and closing openings between two adjacent pieces of flexible material, i.e., zippers are still commonly used to detachably connect adjacent pieces of flexible materials.

The operation of opening and closing an opening between pieces of flexible material with a zipper is well known. The zipper apparatus has individual members (“teeth”) that are connected in staggered fashion to the abutting edges of adjacent flexible stringers. Each of the stringers is connected to one of the pieces of flexible material that define an opening in the flexible material that is to be opened or closed. Each of the zipper's teeth have a recess on one side and a projection on the other side that are of similar dimensions. Closing the opening between the pieces of flexible material using the zipper involves pulling the zipper's slider with at least one pull tab connected to the slider so that lengthwise movement of the slider causes the staggered teeth of the zipper on both sides of the opening to align on top of each other in male-female interlocking fashion inside an internal channel within the body of the slider. This alignment of the teeth in interlocking fashion closes the zipper and generally pulls the stringers together, which, in turn, pulls the connected pieces of flexible material together so that the previous opening in the flexible material defined by the pieces of the flexible material is closed. The operation of reopening the opening between the pieces of flexible material is simply accomplished by pulling the pull tab in the opposite direction and thereby moving the slider in the opposite direction which disconnects the staggered individual teeth of the zipper so that the zipper is opened and the prior opening in the flexible material defined by the pieces of flexible material is reopened as the zipper's stringers and the connected pieces of flexible material separate one from another. In some embodiments, the stringer may be eliminated so that the teeth of the zipper are directly connected to the pieces of flexible material. In other embodiments, the zipper has two pull tabs connected to the slider, with one pull tab connected to the top planar side of the zipper slider and one pull tab connected to the bottom planar side of the slider.

In the construction, repair, abatement and similar trades, zippers are frequently used to open or close an opening in containment barriers made of flexible material where the opening in the containment barrier is used as an entry point or exit point for one or more workers who perform various tasks in a workspace located inside the containment barrier. The use of a containment barrier made of flexible material is necessary when the environment inside the containment barrier must be kept separate from the environment outside the containment barrier. For example, workers in the construction industry engaged in construction of new structures, or in remodeling or restoration of older structures, may use containment barriers made of flexible material when they are performing work that is dusty or could contaminate the air or surrounding environment. Likewise, workers in the abatement industries performing mold abatement, asbestos abatement, lead paint removal or other work that generates dust or air contaminants in a residential or commercial setting often use a containment barrier made of flexible material to separate their workspace that is located inside the containment barrier from the environment outside the containment barrier. This type of containment barrier can be beneficial in preventing dust or other contaminants from escaping the area inside the containment barrier.

When workers in the construction, abatement or similar industries use a containment barrier made of flexible material, they commonly use a zipper device to open and close openings in the containment barrier. The workers' ingress into and egress out of the area located within the containment barrier is typically accomplished by cutting a slit through the flexible material of the containment barrier thereby creating an opening in the containment barrier, and then using a zipper device with stringers connected to both sides of the opening in the flexible material to open or close the opening in the containment barrier. Entry into the area contained within the containment barrier is accomplished by unzipping the zipper device with the top pull tab (pull tab of the zipper located on the outside of the containment barrier) which creates a temporary opening in the containment barrier for a worker to move through or to move equipment through, and then re-zipping the zipper device using the bottom pull tab (pull tab of the zipper located on the inside of the containment barrier) so as to close the opening in the containment barrier from the inside. Leaving the area inside the containment barrier involves unzipping the zipper device from the inside of the containment barrier using the zipper device's bottom pull tab, moving out of the containment barrier, and then re-zipping the opening from outside of the containment barrier using the top pull tab to close the containment barrier. In this type of application, the zipper device's longitudinal axis is generally aligned vertically to the ground.

In the type of application discussed in the preceding paragraphs, containment barriers are typically constructed using flexible materials such as man-made fibers or sheeting made of polymers such as various plastics, vinyl, polyethylene (MDPE, HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE, VLDPE), and similar types of materials. Adhesive zipper devices are commonly used to open and close an opening in the flexible material that is used as a containment barrier. An adhesive zipper device is one in which the stringers can be adhered to the pieces of flexible material defining an opening in the flexible material by means of an adhesive substance provided on the stringers of the zipper device. Use of an adhesive zipper device allows the opening in the containment barrier to be closed or opened using the zipper device. Most adhesive zipper devices have an adhesive substance, such as a rubber or silicone-based adhesive, that is provided on each of the stringers for attachment to the flexible material of the containment barrier, but dual-sided adhesive tape attached to each stringer also may be used as a functional equivalent of the adhesive substance as the means of attaching an adhesive zipper device's stringers to the flexible material of a containment barrier.

A typical process for installing and using an adhesive zipper device to open or close an opening in the flexible material of a containment barrier involves adhering both stringers of the adhesive zipper device to the flexible material of the containment barrier using the adhesive substance or tape provided on the stringers, then unzipping the zipper, cutting a slit in the flexible material of the containment barrier underlying the adhesive zipper to create an opening that will serve as an entrance/exit point in the containment barrier, and thereafter using the adhesive zipper device to open or close the opening in the flexible material of the containment barrier allowing ingress and egress.

The adhesive zipper devices that are typically used to create doors in containment barriers commonly have two pull tabs attached to the zipper slider, with one pull tab being located on each planar side of the slider such that one pull tab is located outside of the containment barrier (top pull tab) and one pull tab is located inside of the containment barrier (bottom pull tab).

Adhesive zipper devices with two pull tabs such as those discussed in the immediately preceding paragraph are used to open and close openings in many other applications by detachably connecting pieces of flexible material. Two such applications of adhesive zipper devices with two pull tabs for opening and closing an entrance/exit point that are similar to the application discussed above are use of an adhesive zipper devices with two pull tabs to open or close doors in a greenhouse or in a tent where the entrance/exit point for the greenhouse or tent is an opening between flexible materials that form the walls of the greenhouse or tent. Another application involves the use of adhesive zipper devices to open and close covers for items such as vehicles, boats, or bicycles wherein the covers are made of flexible materials.

Conventional zipper design and parts of conventional zippers of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1A, 2, and 2A of the drawings filed herewith are commonly used with an adhesive substance provided on the stringers or with tape attached to the stringers to form the adhesive zipper devices. The known method of opening and closing openings in pieces of flexible material with an adhesive zipper device involves use of such conventional zipper design incorporated into the adhesive zipper device. However, the previously known method of using conventional zipper design in adhesive zipper devices is problematic for at least two reasons. A problem frequently encountered when attempting to open or close an adhesive zipper device with two pull tabs in which one of the pull tabs is connected to the top planar side of the slider and the second pull tab is connected to the bottom planar side of the slider is that the pull tab on the opposite side from the pull tab that is being pulled by the user can become adhered to the adhesive substance or tape provided on a stringer. Additionally, a prior art zipper device's pull tab occasionally will become entangled with the flexile material itself during the opening or closing of the zipper. For example, a worker attempting to use a prior art adhesive zipper device to open an opening in a containment barrier made of flexible material such as polymer sheeting will often pull the top pull tab (located outside containment barrier) with the result that the bottom pull tab (located inside containment barrier) becomes adhered to the adhesive substance or tape provided on one or both of the device's stringers. At times the bottom pull tab (located inside the containment barrier) of the adhesive zipper device also becomes entangled with one or both pieces of flexible material that define the opening in the flexible material.

Adhesion of a pull tab to the adhesive substance provided on a stringer of a prior art adhesive zipper device occurs on the planar side of the device where the stringers have been adhered to the pieces of flexible material that define the opening in the flexible material. In other words, adhesion of a pull tab of an adhesive zipper device will occur at a location where the stringer is adhered to a piece of flexible material using an adhesive substance or tape that is provided on the stringer. The separate but closely related problem of entanglement of a zipper pull tab with the flexible material itself theoretically could involve the pull tabs on either planar side of the adhesive zipper device, but typically occurs on the planar side of the device located opposite from the user. These types of problems involving adhesion of a pull tab with the adhesive substance or tape of the device, or the entanglement of a pull tab with the flexible material itself, can result in the device becoming completely nonfunctional or may result in attempts to release or disentangle the adhered or entangled pull tab using brute force which may cause the integrity of the flexible material to become compromised. For example, a worker attempting to open an opening in a containment barrier from outside the containment barrier using an adhesive zipper device and encountering a bottom zipper pull tab (inside the containment barrier) that is adhered to the adhesive substance or tape connecting the adhesive zipper's stringer to a piece of the flexible material may pull on the top pull tab (outside the containment barrier) with enough force to tear the containment barrier, which would result in an undesirable loss of separation between the environment inside the containment barrier and the environment outside the containment barrier.

In view of the limitations associated with known adhesive zipper devices, there is a need for a modified adhesive zipper device that prevents the problems involving adhesion of a pull tab or entanglement of a pull tab. What is also needed is a method of using an adhesive zipper device to open or close openings in flexible materials that prevents the device's pull tab on the side of the slider opposite from the user from becoming adhered to the adhesive substance or tape connecting the stringer to the flexible material and prevents the pull tab from becoming entangled with the flexible material itself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a modified adhesive zipper device that will prevent pull tabs from becoming adhered to the adhesive substance or the tape that connects the stringers to pieces of flexible material, and also prevents entanglement of the pull tabs with the flexible material itself. The present invention also involves a method for using a modified adhesive zipper device to prevent pull tabs from becoming adhered to the adhesive substance or the tape that connects the stringers of the device to the flexible material, and also prevents entanglement of the pull tabs with the flexible material.

The Inventors have realized that the adhesion of an adhesive zipper device's pull tab to the adhesive substance or tape provided on the device's stringer, as well as the occasional entanglement of a pull tab with the flexible material itself, are both caused by the ability of the pull tabs in a conventional adhesive zipper device to swing loosely from side to side and rotate away from the longitudinal axis of the device when the slider is moved. It is an object of the present invention to avoid adhesion of the modified adhesive zipper device's pull tabs with the adhesive substance or tape provided on the device's stringers by inhibiting or preventing the swinging/rotation of the pull tabs from side to side away from the longitudinal axis of the zipper and toward the stringers of the device. It is an object of the present invention to avoid entanglement of the pull tabs with the pieces of flexible material by inhibiting or preventing swinging/rotation of the pull tabs from side to side away from the longitudinal axis of the zipper and toward the stringers of the device.

The modified adhesive zipper device that prevents a pull tab attached to the slider of the device from becoming adhered to the adhesive substance or tape connecting a stringer to flexible material, and that will also prevent the pull tab from becoming entangled with the flexible material itself, is a device that incorporates pull tab stopping means that inhibit or prevent one or both pull tabs connected to the slider from swinging loosely from side to side and rotating away from the longitudinal axis of the device and toward the stringers. A method of preventing a pull tab located on the planar side of an adhesive zipper device opposite from the planar side where the user is located from becoming adhered or entangled is to use a modified adhesive zipper device that incorporates pull tab stopping means on at least the planar side opposite from the user that inhibit or prevent the pull tab from freely swinging and rotating from side to side away from the longitudinal axis of the device. In the device and method disclosed herein, the pull tab of the modified adhesive zipper device is provided with pull tab stopping means, and therefore the pull tab that is not being held by the user is not free to swing loosely from side to side or rotate away from the longitudinal axis of the device such that said pull tab will not become adhered to the adhesive substance or tape on the stringers, and will not become entangled with the pieces of flexible material to which the stringers are attached.

It is also an object of this invention to prevent rotation of the pull tabs away from the longitudinal axis of the modified adhesive zipper device without the use of locking zipper mechanisms (locking zippers are zippers in which the slider, pull tabs, or both, can be locked into place and the slider will not move along the rows of teeth, where the locking of the zipper typically depends on the location of the pull tabs in relation to the slider). Locking zippers are known in the relevant art. Locking zipper mechanisms are not used in the present invention because the modified adhesive zipper device should always be capable of being opened or closed from either planar side of the device.

The device and method disclosed herein involve a modified adhesive zipper device with two pull tabs in which one or both pull tabs are prevented from rotating away from the longitudinal axis of the device, i.e., in which rotation of one or both pull tabs around an axis of rotation perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device is inhibited or prevented completely. A number of embodiments of the modified adhesive zipper device which may be used to practice this method are set forth in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description is to be read in conjunction with the identified drawing figures that are included as a part of this patent application.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a conventional adhesive zipper device.

FIG. 1A is a back elevation view of a conventional adhesive zipper device.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a conventional adhesive zipper device.

FIG. 2A is a top view of a conventional adhesive zipper device.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein with alternative pull tab.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the slider and pull tabs of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the slider and pull tabs of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a front detail view of the slider and pull tabs of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a front detail view of the slider and pull tabs of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein incorporating an alternate zipper pull tab and slider combination.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein incorporating alternate zipper pull tabs and slider combination.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein incorporating alternate zipper pull tabs and slider combination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description is to be read in conjunction with the identified drawing figures that are included as a part of this patent application.

FIGS. 1, 1A, 2 and 2A are different views of a conventional adhesive zipper device and its parts that are illustrated in order to demonstrate certain common features of such devices and to demonstrate the problem that is hereby recognized. The conventional adhesive zipper device 10 is used to open and close an opening in flexible material by detachably connecting adjacent flexible material pieces 201 that define an opening in the flexible material. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional adhesive zipper device 10 has two flexible stringers 11, each of which carry a row of multiple interlocking teeth 70 provided on abutting edges of each flexible stringer 11. The flexible stringers 11 are typically adhered or attached with an adhesive substance 202 to the flexible material pieces 201 defining the opening in the flexible material that is to be opened or closed. The conventional adhesive zipper device 10 is used to open and close the opening in the flexible material defined by the flexible material pieces 201 in a manner well known in the art by means of a slider 20 that is moved along a longitudinal axis 1 of the conventional adhesive zipper device 10 using at least one pull tab 30. The conventional adhesive zipper devices 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1A, 2, and 2A have two pull tabs 30 (the bottom pull tab is not shown in FIG. 1). The rows of teeth 70 are situated in a staggered fashion along the abutting edges of the flexible stringers 11 so as to engage each other in interlocking fashion when the slider 20 is advanced lengthwise along the longitudinal axis 1 of the conventional adhesive zipper device 10, and to disengage from each other when the slider 20 is moved lengthwise along the longitudinal axis 1 in the opposite direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A, the slider 20 of the conventional adhesive zipper device is comprised of two plates 21 connected by a neck portion 23 so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped internal channel within the slider 20 through which the teeth 70 of the flexible stringers 11 will pass when they are being interlocked or disconnected. The slider 20 is further comprised of pull tab connection members 22 with transverse openings 25 through each pull tab connection member 22. The conventional adhesive zipper device has two pull tabs 30, each of which have trunnion members 31 that are pivotally disposed within the transverse openings 25 of the pull tab connection members 22 such that the pull tabs 30 can be pivoted around a pivot axis 3, as shown in FIG. 2A. The pull tabs 30 of the conventional adhesive zipper device also have pull tab openings 32 between the main body of the pull tabs 30 and the trunnion members 31 to accommodate the cross sectional area and shape of the pull tab connection members 22.

In the conventional adhesive zipper device, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1A, 2, and 2A, the transverse openings 25 in the pull tab connection members 22 are larger than the diameter of the trunnion members 31 of the pull tabs 30. Furthermore, in the conventional adhesive zipper device the pull tab openings 32 are larger than the cross sectional area of the pull tab connection members 22. As a result of these characteristics, the pull tabs 30 are able to loosely swing from side to side and away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the conventional adhesive zipper device 10. This ability of the pull tabs 30 to swing away from the longitudinal axis 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1 by the alternate pull tab positions envisaged by dashed lines 30′ and 30″. In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, in the conventional adhesive zipper device, the pull tabs 30 are able to rotate around an axis of rotation 2 that is perpendicular to the device that passes through the pull tab openings 32.

FIG. 1A illustrates one of the problems frequently encountered when opening and closing the opening in flexible material pieces 201 using a conventional adhesive zipper device 10. In the conventional adhesive zipper device 10, the pull tabs 30 are free to swing from side to side away from the device's longitudinal axis 1. As shown in FIG. 1A, when one of the pull tabs 30 swings away from the longitudinal axis 1, it can become adhered to the adhesive substance 202 that connects the flexible stringers 11 to the pieces of flexible material 201 that define the opening in the flexible material. Furthermore, because the pull tabs 30 in the conventional adhesive zipper device are free to swing from side to side away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the device, they may become entangled under or entangled with one of the pieces of flexible material 201.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device that is disclosed herein and may be used to practice the method disclosed herein. This embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device 300 has flexible stringers 11 coated along their length with an adhesive substance 202, and further features a slider 20 with pull tab connection members 22, and pull tabs 302 (the bottom pull tab is not shown) with pull tab openings 320, where the pull tabs 302 also have raised protrusions 101 that are part of the pull tabs 302 and are of sufficient elevation from the planar surface of the pull tabs 302 such that the raised protrusions 101 serve as pull tab stopping means that inhibit the pull tabs 302 from swinging loosely from side to side and rotating away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the modified adhesive zipper device 300 when the slider 20 is moved. In the embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device 300 illustrated in FIG. 3, the raised protrusions 101 serve as pull tab stopping means that inhibit the pull tabs 302 from rotating around a rotational axis passing perpendicularly through the pull tab openings 320 when force is applied to the pull tabs 302 that would otherwise cause rotation of the pull tabs 302 to a position where they might come into contact with the adhesive substance 202. In other words, the raised protrusions 101 inhibit rotation of the pull tabs 302 around an axis of rotation perpendicular to the device and thereby inhibit rotation of the pull tabs 302 away from the longitudinal axis 1, thereby preventing the pull tabs from coming into contact with the adhesive substance 202 coating each of the flexible stringers 11. By inhibiting rotation of the pull tabs 302 away from the longitudinal axis 1, the raised protrusions 101 of the pull tabs 302 prevent the pull tabs 302 from contacting and becoming adhered to the adhesive substance 202 (or tape if tape is used as a functional equivalent) coated on the flexible stringers, and thereby also prevent entanglement of the pull tabs 302 with any flexible material pieces (not shown) that is attached to the flexible stringers 11.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device that is disclosed herein and may be used to practice the method disclosed herein. The embodiment of the adhesive zipper device 400 that is shown in FIG. 4 is essentially the same in all respects as the embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 3, except that the pull tabs 402 (bottom pull tab not shown) are provided with longitudinal raised protrusions 102 which are of sufficient height from the planar surface of the pull tabs 402, and are of sufficient longitudinal length, that they cooperate to form a channel around the pull tab connection members 22 of the slider 20. The longitudinal raised protrusions 102 serve as the pull tab stopping means that inhibit rotation of the pull tabs 402 away from the longitudinal axis 1, and prevent the pull tabs 402 from coming into contact with the adhesive substance 202 (or tape if it is used as a functional equivalent) coated on the flexible stringers 11 of the device.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the slider 20 and pull tabs 302 of the embodiment 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 shows a different view of the raised protrusions 101, pull tabs 302, pull tab openings 320, slider 20, and pull tab connection members 22.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the slider 20 and pull tabs 402 of the embodiment 400 illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 shows a different view of the longitudinal raised protrusions 102, pull tabs 402, pull tab openings 320, slider 20, and pull tab connection members 22.

FIG. 7 is a front detail view of the embodiment 300 previously illustrated in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 shows a different view of the raised protrusions 101, pull tabs 302, pull tab openings 320, slider 20, and pull tab connection members 22.

FIG. 8 is a front detail view of the embodiment 400 previously illustrated in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 shows a different view of the raised protrusions 102, pull tabs 402, pull tab openings 320, slider 20, and pull tab connection members 22.

FIG. 9 illustrates certain features of an alternate embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein which may be used to practice the method disclosed herein (the flexible stringers and adhesive substance are not illustrated, but are part of this embodiment). The alternate embodiment 500 has an alternate pull tab 502 and alternate pull tab connection members 103 that are connected to a slider 104. The alternate pull tab 502 shown in this illustration has a pivot trunnion member 34 that is pivotably disposed within transverse openings in the alternate pull tab connection members 103. The relationship between the pivot trunnion member 34 and the alternate pull tab connection members 103 serves as pull tab stopping means and prevents all rotation of the alternate pull tab 502 away from the longitudinal axis 1 toward the flexible stringers of the device (not shown) because the transverse openings in the alternate pull tab connection members 103 are of substantially the same diameter as the pivot trunnion member 34. This relationship between the pivot trunnion member 34 and the alternate pull tab connection members 103 allows for the alternate pull tab 502 to pivot around the pivot trunnion member 34 toward the front or back of the slider, while also preventing the alternate pull tab 502 from swinging loosely away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the device and preventing contact with the adhesive substance on the flexible stringers (not illustrated).

FIG. 10 illustrates certain features of another embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein which may be used to practice the method disclosed herein (the flexible stringers and adhesive substance are not illustrated, but are part of this embodiment). The embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device 600 illustrated in FIG. 10 has a slider 35 with pull tab connection members 105 extending from both planar surfaces of the slider 35. Two pull tabs 36 are provided with pull tab openings 37 through which the pull tab connection members 105 are disposed. As shown in FIG. 11, the pull tab openings 37 are of substantially the same shape and cross-sectional area as the pull tab connection members 105. In this arrangement, the pull tabs 36 may still be pivoted toward the front or back of the slider 35 along the pull tab connection members 105, which serve as a sort of track for the pull tabs 36 to follow as they are pivoted, but the relationship between the pull tab openings 37 and the pull tab connection members 105, in which each are of substantially the same shape and cross-sectional area, prevents the pull tabs 36 from swinging loosely from side to side and away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the device such that the pull tabs 36 will not come into contact with the adhesive substance that is coated on the flexible stringers of the modified adhesive zipper device (flexible stringers not illustrated).

FIG. 11 illustrates certain features of yet another embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein that can be used to practice the method disclosed herein (the flexible stringers and adhesive substance are not illustrated, but are part of this embodiment). The embodiment of the modified adhesive zipper device 700 features a slider 35 which has pull tab connection members 105 extending from each planar surface of the slider 35. Two pull tabs 38 are provided with pull tab openings 37 and at least one pull tab hole 39 that is an aperture through each of the two pull tabs 38. The slider 35 is also provided with a slider body protrusion 106 (bottom slider body protrusion not shown) that extends outwardly from each of the planar surfaces of the slider 35. When the longitudinal axis 1 of the modified adhesive zipper device 700 is aligned generally vertically to the ground, and when the pull tabs 38 are not being held by a user, the slider body protrusions 106 extending from each planar side of the slider are of sufficient height that they will engage the pull tab holes 39 of each of the pull tabs 38 in male-female fashion. In this orientation, the disposition of the slider body protrusions 106 within the pull tab holes 39 will serve as the pull tab stopping means that will inhibit the pull tabs 38 that are not being held by the user from swinging freely from side to side or rotating away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the device, and therefore the pull tabs 38 will not swing loosely away from the longitudinal axis 1 of the slider 35 thereby preventing contact with the adhesive substance on the flexible stringers (not shown) and avoiding adhesion or entanglement of the pull tabs 38.

Although illustrative embodiments have been described hereinabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should also be understood that the present invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be made to the number and internal arrangement of the components in the embodiments depicted without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, a modified adhesive zipper device could be manufactured with pull tabs that are rigidly affixed to the body of the slider or in which the pull tabs are cast, cut, or molded from the same material as the slider and are one piece with the slider, and the inability of the pull tab to rotate away from the slider would serve as the pull tab stopping means. As another example, the modified adhesive zipper device disclosed herein may also be provided with removable release film that cover the adhesive substance which is coated along the length of the two flexible stringers, and such release films would be removed during use or application of the device. Such variations will still come within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, using a dual-sided adhesive tape in the place of the adhesive substance on the two stringers of the device would be functionally equivalent to the coating of an adhesive substance on the flexible stringers such as a rubber or silicone based adhesive substance, or other type of adhesive substance coated on the stringers. All such changes and modifications should be understood to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An adhesive zipper device comprising:

two flexible stringers where each of the flexible stringers is coated with an adhesive substance on at least one planar side of the device and the adhesive substance runs along the length of the stringers on said planar side, and where each of the flexible stringers is provided with a row of teeth attached to the stringer in staggered fashion along the abutting edges of the stringers;

a slider having at least one pull tab connection member that rises from the planar surface of the slider on the same planar side of the device as the planar side on which each of the stringers are coated with adhesive substance, wherein the pull tab connection member has a transverse opening in said pull tab connection member, and where said slider also contains a Y-shaped internal channel in the center of the slider through which the rows of teeth may pass in order to be reversibly interlocked with each other as the slider is moved lengthwise along a longitudinal axis of the adhesive zipper device that is defined by the abutting edges of the two flexible stringers at the location where the rows of teeth are interlocked or disconnected inside the slider by actuation of the slider;

a pull tab that is connected to the slider by a trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the pull tab connection member, and also having a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the pull tab that accommodates the body of the pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening;

pull tab stopping means that inhibit rotation of the pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the adhesive zipper device and thereby inhibit rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers and prevent contact between the pull tab and the adhesive substance coated on the stringers; and

2. The device of claim 1, where

said pull tab opening surrounds the cross sectional area of the pull tab connection member and where part of the pull tab that wholly or partially defines the pull tab opening serves as the trunnion member of the pull tab that passes through the transverse opening in the pull tab connection member, and where the pull tab stopping means for inhibiting rotation of the pull tab away from said longitudinal axis of the device is comprised of raised protrusions on the pull tab, where at least one of said raised protrusions is located on each side of the pull tab connection member and where the raised protrusions are of sufficient elevation above the planar surface of the pull tab that one of them will come into contact with the pull tab connection member should the pull tab begin to rotate away from the longitudinal axis of the device during movement of the slider, thereby inhibiting rotation of the pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the device and inhibiting rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers during movement of the slider.

3. The device of claim 2, where

said raised protrusions are two longitudinal raised protrusions on the pull tab with one of the longitudinal raised protrusions located on one of the sides of the pull tab opening and the other raised longitudinal protrusion located on the opposing side of the pull tab opening and where the said two longitudinal protrusions are of sufficient elevation from the planar surface of the pull tab to form a raised channel around the pull tab connection member where the raised channel serves as the pull tab stopping means such that if the pull tab begins to rotate away from the device's longitudinal axis during movement of the slider, one of the longitudinal raised protrusions will come into contact with the pull tab connection member thereby inhibiting rotation of the pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the device and inhibiting rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers during movement of the slider.

4. The device of claim 1, where

said trunnion member is a pivot trunnion member located at a distal end of the pull tab with said pivot trunnion member being pivotably disposed within a transverse opening in a pull tab connection member where the shape and cross sectional area of the pivot trunnion member and the transverse opening are substantially the same and where the disposition of the pivot trunnion member within a transverse opening of the pull tab connection member allows for the pull tab to be pivoted around an axis running through the center of the transverse opening such that the pull tab may be pivoted in a vertical plane with the device's longitudinal axis, and where disposition of the pivot trunnion member within the transverse opening having substantially the same cross sectional area and shape as the pivot trunnion member serves as the pull tab stopping means that prevents the pull tab from rotating away from the longitudinal axis of the device and prevents rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers during movement of the slider.

5. The device of claim 1, where

the pull tab connection member has a cross sectional area that is not purely circular in shape, where the pull tab opening surrounds the cross sectional area of the pull tab connection member, and where the pull tab opening is of substantially the same shape and cross sectional area as the pull tab connection member such that the body of the pull tab connection member serves as a track along which the pull tab is free to travel toward the front or back of the slider and in the same vertical plane as the longitudinal axis of the fastener, but where the substantially same shape and cross sectional area of the pull tab opening and the pull tab connection member serves as pull tab stopping means and prevents the pull tab from rotating away from the longitudinal axis of the device and prevents rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers during movement of the slider.

6. The device of claim 1, where

said pull tab further comprises a pull tab hole that is a second aperture through the pull tab, and where said slider has a slider body protrusion that rises up from the planar surface of the slider, and where said slider body protrusion has a cross sectional area and shape and is also of sufficient elevation from the planar surface of the slider such that the slider body protrusion will fit into the pull tab hole and such that when the slider body protrusion is engaged in male-female orientation with the pull tab hole the slider body protrusion will serve as pull tab stopping means and will come into contact with an edge of the pull tab hole thereby inhibiting rotation of the pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the device and inhibiting rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers during movement of the slider.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a second pull tab connection member wherein the second pull tab connection member is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab connection member and is a mirror-image of the first pull tab connection member and has all of the same features as the first pull tab connection member, but extends outwardly from the opposite planar surface of the slider than the first pull tab connection member; and

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is connected to the slider by a trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the second pull tab connection member, where the second pull tab also has a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the second pull tab that accommodates the body of the second pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening of the second pull tab, and where the second pull tab otherwise provides the same features as the first pull tab, but in mirror-image of the first pull tab and is located on the opposite planar side of the device.

8. The device of claim 2 further comprising:

a second pull tab connection member wherein the second pull tab connection member is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab connection member and is a mirror-image of the first pull tab connection member and has all of the same features as the first pull tab connection member, but extends outwardly from the opposite planar surface of the slider than the first pull tab connection member; and

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is connected to the slider by a trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the second pull tab connection member, where the second pull tab also has a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the second pull tab that accommodates the body of the second pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening of the second pull tab, and where the second pull tab otherwise provides the same features as the first pull tab, but in mirror-image of the first pull tab and is located on the opposite planar side of the device.

9. The device of claim 3 further comprising:

a second pull tab connection member wherein the second pull tab connection member is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab connection member and is a mirror-image of the first pull tab connection member and has all of the same features as the first pull tab connection member, but extends outwardly from the opposite planar surface of the slider than the first pull tab connection member; and

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is connected to the slider by a trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the second pull tab connection member, where the second pull tab also has a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the second pull tab that accommodates the body of the second pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening of the second pull tab, and where the second pull tab otherwise provides the same features as the first pull tab, but in mirror-image of the first pull tab and is located on the opposite planar side of the device.

10. The device of claim 4 further comprising:

a second pull tab connection member wherein the second pull tab connection member is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab connection member and is a mirror-image of the first pull tab connection member and has all of the same features as the first pull tab connection member, but extends outwardly from the opposite planar surface of the slider than the first pull tab connection member; and

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is connected to the slider by a pivot trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the second pull tab connection member, where the second pull tab also has a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the second pull tab that accommodates the body of the second pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening of the second pull tab, and where the second pull tab otherwise provides the same features as the first pull tab, but in mirror-image of the first pull tab and is located on the opposite planar side of the device.

11. The device of claim 5 further comprising:

a second pull tab connection member wherein the second pull tab connection member is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab connection member and is a mirror-image of the first pull tab connection member and has all of the same features as the first pull tab connection member, but extends outwardly from the opposite planar surface of the slider than the first pull tab connection member; and

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is connected to the slider by a trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the second pull tab connection member, where the second pull tab also has a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the second pull tab that accommodates the body of the second pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening of the second pull tab, and where the second pull tab otherwise provides the same features as the first pull tab, but in mirror-image of the first pull tab and is located on the opposite planar side of the device.

12. The device of claim 6 further comprising:

a second pull tab connection member wherein the second pull tab connection member is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab connection member and is a mirror-image of the first pull tab connection member and has all of the same features as the first pull tab connection member, but rises from the opposite planar surface of the slider than the first pull tab connection member;

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is connected to the slider by a trunnion member that passes through the transverse opening in the second pull tab connection member, where the second pull tab also has a pull tab opening that is an aperture through the second pull tab that accommodates the body of the second pull tab connection member that is disposed within the pull tab opening of the second pull tab, and where the pull tab has a pull tab hole that is a second aperture through the pull tab, and where the second pull tab otherwise provides the same features as the first pull tab, but in mirror-image of the first pull tab and is located on the opposite planar side of the device; and

a second slider body protrusion wherein said second slider body protrusion is located on the same planar side of the device as the second pull tab connection member and the second pull tab, where the second slider body protrusion will fit into the pull tab hole such that when the slider body protrusion is engaged in male-female orientation with the pull tab hole of the second pull tab, the second slider body protrusion will serve as pull tab stopping means and will come into contact with an edge of the pull tab hole in the second pull tab, thereby inhibiting rotation of the second pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the device and inhibiting rotation of the second pull tab toward the stringers during movement of the slider.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the trunnion member is of substantially the same diameter and shape as the transverse opening through the pull tab connection member, and the diameter and shape of the pull tab connection member is substantially the same as the pull tab opening.

14. An adhesive zipper device comprising:

two flexible stringers where each of the flexible stringers is coated with an adhesive substance on at least one planar side of the device and the adhesive substance runs along the length of the stringers on said planar side, and where each of the flexible stringers is provided with a row of teeth attached to the stringer in staggered fashion along the abutting edges of the stringers;

a slider where said slider contains a Y-shaped internal channel in the center of the slider through which the rows of teeth may pass in order to be reversibly interlocked with each other as the slider is moved lengthwise along a longitudinal axis of the adhesive zipper device that is defined by the abutting edges of the two flexible stringers at the location where the rows of teeth are interlocked or disconnected inside the slider by actuation of the slider; and

a pull tab that is rigidly connected to the slider by weld or by being molded or cut from the same piece of material as the slider such that rotation of the pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the adhesive zipper device is prevented and thereby rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers is also prevented.

15. The device of claim 14 further comprising:

a second pull tab wherein the second pull tab is located on the opposite planar side of the device from the first pull tab, and where the second pull tab is rigidly connected to the slider by weld or by being molded or cut from the same piece of material as the slider such that rotation of the pull tab away from the longitudinal axis of the adhesive zipper device is prevented and thereby rotation of the pull tab toward the stringers is also prevented.

16. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

Removable release film that is placed on top of the adhesive substance that is coated on the two flexible stringers, where said release film can be removed prior to use of the device.

17. The device of claim 1 wherein there is no locking zipper mechanism located on the same planar side of the device as the adhesive substance such that the device does not contain a locking mechanism on that planar side that could disable the ability of the slider to be moved forward and backward in a lengthwise manner along the longitudinal axis of the device as a result of the orientation of the pull tab in relation to the slider.

18. The method of using an adhesive zipper device to open and close openings within pieces of flexible material wherein the adhesive zipper device is provided with means for preventing a pull tab of the adhesive zipper device from rotating away from the longitudinal axis of the adhesive zipper device and coming into contact with the adhesive portions of the adhesive zipper device.