US20140115836A1

US20140115836A1 - Slide On Zipper Assembly

Info

Publication number: US20140115836A1
Application number: US13/661,670
Authority: US
Inventors: Hsun Chang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-10-26
Filing date: 2012-10-26
Publication date: 2014-05-01

Abstract

A slide on zipper device is a fastener that is comprised of two zipper tapes with C-type sliders on the sides without zipper teeth to be slid onto two tracks, which are O-type rails attached to one side of tapes. The sides of the tapes without rails are attached to an article where a fastener is desired. The two zipper tapes with sliders can alternatively be a set of individual blocks with two sliders on the underside to be slid onto a pair of tracks or rails to act as a fastener. This device makes a zipper or fastener easy to change and recyclable.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a device for mounting a slide fastener or zipper onto the opening side of an article. Slide fasteners such as zippers are widely used on clothing, bags, shoes, and even containers. A common problem is that zippers are hard to fix or change after it is sewn onto an article. Thus, it increases disposed waste. It is also impossible to switch the colors, shapes, and styles of a zipper once it has been attached to an article.
The problem with the zipper can be remedied by using the rail-slide device with zipper mounting. The rail-slide device has two parts: the rail and the slider. This device can be made in several different shapes as long as the rail and slider are strong enough to hold each other without falling off. Furthermore, the device can be made of recyclable material.
It is beneficial and more practical to set a slider device on the side of the zipper tape without teeth and the rail device on the opening side of an article to form a track. The slider zipper can then be slid onto the track, and the ends can be fastened with clip caps if the ends have flanges, or with nut heads if the ends are threaded. This will prevent the slider from sliding off the track and allow The Slide On Zipper Assembly to function as a regular zipper.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Slide On Zipper Assembly is comprised of a slider zipper and a pair of tracks. A slider zipper consists of two slider zipper tapes. The end of the slider can be flanged to be covered by a clip or snap cap, or, threaded to be covered by a nut cap to stop the slider from slipping off. The slider can be one piece or a combined segmented piece for more flexibility. The pair of tracks is two rails fixed separately onto each opening side of an article, with each rail being one piece or a combined segmented piece for more flexibility.
There are several ways to fix a track onto an article. Plastic mold, glue, a clamping device, etc. can be used to affix the rail on the opening side. A practical way to make a track would be setting a rail in a cord passage on the opening side. A cord passage can be made by bending a tape so that the two sides can be sealed together to form a loop. The sealed side is then sewn or fixed to the opening side on an article to become a cord passage. Or, a cord passage can also be made by bending a tape and sewing the two sides directly onto the opening side. Insert a rail inside the cord passage, slide on the slider zipper, and set it in place with the flange and cap or thread and nuts device at the ends of the slider zipper.
The slider zipper can be used on everyday apparels and accessories, bags, shoes, etc. as long as a track or cord passage is set on each side of the opening on an article. A set of multiple tracks or cord passages can also be fixed onto the opening sides to adjust the width of the opening.
Furthermore, a slider zipper tape can be cut into sections to make it more flexible. Each section can also be cut to the width of a zipper tooth, forming individual units of a zipper tooth with a C-type tail. Individual units of a stop with a C-type tail and a retainer with a C-type tail can be arranged with units of zipper tooth with a C-type tail to become a slider zipper. Once the units are arranged in the desired sequence and length, plastic molding, glue, or a cord tie can be used to fix the units in place. The parts can be made in different colors, shapes, and sizes.
The slider zipper on tracks looks like a long strap with two slider devices on each side, acting as a long individual block with two parallel sliders mounted on a pair of tracks. This long individual block is too big to move back and forth as a slider of a fastener as it is inconvenient to use or switch. Thus, by cutting the block into a set of desired segments, called Dual Sliders, and having spare tracks or rails on either side, the Dual Sliders can function as a zipper that can be opened from either side and the middle.
Dual Sliders can be switched by linking a set of tracks or rails that have the same thread and nuts device onto the tracks or rails in use, and moving all or part of the Dual Sliders onto the linked set of tracks or rails for storage. Remove the linked set of tracks or rails and connect the ends together to keep the stored Dual Sliders in place. Another set of tracks or rails with the desired Dual Sliders can then be connected, and the Dual Sliders can be easily moved onto the tracks and rails in use.
Another way to switch Dual Sliders is piece by piece with the Dual Slider Exchanger. The Dual Slider Exchanger is a small flat plate on which two segments of tracks with joint devices on all ends are attached in parallel. The tracks themselves are short, but longer than length of the Dual Sliders. They are also thinner than the opening of the C-type sliders of the Dual Sliders and the distance between the two tracks should be equal to the distance between the two C-type sliders. To use the Dual Slider exchanger, one side should be attached to the tracks or rails in use, and the other side should be attached to a spare pair of tracks or rails. Once completely attached, Dual Sliders can be individually exchanged by sliding a Dual Slider onto the thinner tracks and effortlessly lifting it off. The desired piece of Dual Slider can then be easily placed on and slid onto the tracks or rails. If the to-be-exchanged Dual Slider is the middle, simply slide all the ones before it onto the spare tracks or rails, exchange the piece, and slide all the pieces back onto the tracks or rails in use. The ends of the Dual Slider Exchanger can also be connected to the opposite ends of the tracks or rails in use to form a loop. Switching a Dual Slider can then be done by moving the pieces along the loop to gain access to the one that is to be switched.
Dual Slider can be any shape or size as long as they fit the tracks or rails, and, they can be made in any color.
The general purpose of this invention is to replace the common zipper with a slider zipper that can be easily switched and changed to match one's needs and styles.
Another purpose is to allow the manufacture of zippers to be done in parts, making it easier to control the style and flexibility of zippers.
A third purpose, as stated with the Dual Sliders, is to produce a zipper that can open from either side and the middle, which can provide a more convenient and direct access to items in a bag, container, etc.
A further purpose is to allow the adjustment of the width of an opening of an article, which can lead to the manipulation of size and capacity to some degree.
Yet another purpose is to allow a zipper to become an item that can be fashionable and decorative.
Still another purpose is to make a zipper recyclable and therefore, environmentally friendly.
An additional purpose of this invention is the ability of this design to also function as a bracelet, necklace, etc. that can be matched and changed to express individual creativity.
Other purposes and advantages of this invention will be evident in the following description and the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slider zipper tape on a track fixed on an opening side in accordance to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ends of the slider zipper tape, which have flanges and clip caps on those flanges;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the Dual Sliders, Dual Sliders on tracks or rails, Dual Sliders on a looped track or looped rail, the Dual Slider Exchanger, and a side view of the tracks of the Dual Slider Exchanger.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of The Slide On Zipper Assembly 15 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 3 of the accompanying drawings.
The Slide On Zipper Assembly 15 is a slider zipper that consists of two slider zipper tapes 3 or 4, each to be slid onto a track 2A. The track 2A is a tape 1B with a rail 2 on one side and the other side sewn onto the opening side of an article 1, or, is a rail 2 in a cord passage 1A fixed on an opening side of an article 1 (FIG. 1). The slider zipper tape 3 is a regular zipper tape 3A with a slider 3B set on the side without teeth. The slider 3B can be made in many different shapes and styles, such as C-type. The width of the opening 10 of the C-type slider must be smaller than the diameter of the matching O- type rail 2 and 2B. The diameter of the O- type rail 2 and 2B must be smaller than the inner width 11 of the C-type slider to allow the slider 3B to slide onto the rail 2 and 2B without falling off.
By horizontally cutting the slider zipper tape 3 into several small segments the size of a zipper tooth, zipper tooths with a C-type tail 5, stops with a C-type tail 5A, and retainers with a C-type tail 5B can be manufactured as individual units or parts. The segmented slider zipper tape 4 can be built with these individual unit or parts 5, 5A and 5B by arranging them in sequence and then fixing them in place using plastic molding, glue tape, a cord tie, etc.
To prevent the slider zipper tape 3 from sliding off the track 2A, flanges 6 are set on the ends of the slider 3B to form a slider zipper tape with flanged ends 3C. With the segmented slider zipper tape 4, the stop with a C-type tail 5A and the retainer with a C-type tail 5B can be made with a flange on the appropriate side as seen with 5C and 5D, respectively. When these units or parts are arranged in sequence and fixed, they will become a segmented slider zipper tape with flanged ends 4A. After the slider zipper tape with flanged ends 3C or segmented slider zipper tape with flanged ends 4A is slid onto a track 2A, a clip cap 7 or 8 is clipped onto each flange 6 to keep the slider zipper tape 3C or 4A from sliding off (FIGS. 1 and 2).
The Slide On Zipper Assembly 15 can also be made with another configuration as seen in FIG. 3. A set of Dual Sliders 9 is slid onto a pair of tracks or rails 2B that have bolts 12B on one end and nuts 12C on the other. The Dual Sliders 9 are prevented from sliding off by screwing on nuts that are wider than the width of the track or rail 2B onto the bolts 12B and screwing bolts with a big bolt head into the nuts 12C.
Dual Sliders 9 can also be slid onto a looped track or rail 2B. The looped track or rail 2B has a joint device 12 which consists of a bolt 12B and nut 12C, to close the loop. The other side of the loop may have an S-shaped clip 12A that can be used to connect both ends to form a circular fastener.
The Dual Slider Exchanger 13 consists of a small flat plate 14 and two short segments of track 2C set in parallel. The two short segments of track 2C are longer than the length of a Dual Slider 9, but their width must be smaller than the width of the opening of the C-type slider 10 to allow the Dual Sliders 9 to be easily lifted off and placed on. Each short segment of track must have a bolt 12B on one end and a nut 12C on the other, and their sizes must match the sizes of the bolts and nuts of the tracks or rails onto which they will be attached.
Though many forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, the ideas of the invention are not limited to those illustrations and descriptions.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A slide on zipper device that utilizes the rail and slide function on the mounting of a zipper, having a pair of slider zipper tapes and a pair of tracks to form a slider zipper. Said slider zipper can be designed as a one-way separating zipper, a two-way separating zipper, or a non-separating zipper as long as sliders are set to the side of the zipper tape without teeth and the tracks are attached to the opening sides of an article. All parts of the slider zipper should match in shape, style, and size; particularly, the sliders and rails on the track should be complementary. To be used as a zipper, the sliders of a slider zipper are slid onto the rails of the tracks and stop devices are set on the ends of the tracks or on the ends of the sliders used to keep the sliders zipper tapes in place.

The slide on zipper device can also be made by setting a track on the article and a track on the zipper tape, and using a separate independent slider to hold the two tracks together. The track on the article and on the zipper tape can both be cord passages with rails inserted inside to become a cord passage track and a cord passage zipper tape, respectively. The same separate independent slider is slid over both the cord passage track and the cord passage zipper tape to attach a slide on zipper to any article. This makes a cord passage style slide on zipper device.

Utilizing the same rail and slide function, the slide on zipper device can also be designed as a set of dual sliders, which acts as a set of slider zipper tapes, that slides onto a pair of tracks or rails to be used as a slider fastener. A set of dual sliders on tracks or rails can be removed and stored by connecting spare tracks or rails to the ones in use, sliding the set of dual sliders onto the spare tracks or rails, and disconnecting the spare tracks or rails with the removed dual sliders. Dual sliders can be switched individually using a dual slider exchanger, which consists of two short segments of track that are mounted on a small flat plate in parallel. The rails on the tracks of the dual slider exchanger must be thinner than the width of the opening of the C-type slider to allow the dual sliders to be easily lifted off and place on to make a switch. This design can also be used as a decorative device or piece.

A slider zipper tape is a regular zipper tape with a slider set to the side without teeth. The slider can be made of plastic, metal, or any material strong enough to ensure the slider stays on the track. It can be made as one piece or composed of several small units or parts for more flexibility. The slider can be made in any shape, style, or size as long as the track is complementary in shape, style, or size so that the slider can slide onto the track without falling off. A C-type slider should be matched or complemented with an O-type track, and so on and so forth. Thus, the inner width of the C-type slider should be larger than the width of the O-type track, and the width of the opening of the C-type slider should be smaller than the width of the O-type track so that the slider may slide onto the track without falling off or pulling apart. The properties just stated should be constant regardless of the shape, style, size, or “type” of the slider and rail.

A track is a tape with a rail fixed on one side. The other side of the tape is sewn or attached to a side of an opening of an article or any part of an article that needs a fastener. A track can also be a rail inserted into a cord passage, which is a tape bent vertically with the two edges fixed together and sewn or fixed onto the side of an opening of an article. Still, a track, too, can be made by firmly wrapping the fabric or material from the opening side of an article around a rail and fixing it in place. However, the fabric or material must be thinner than the width of the opening of the slider to ensure that the slider can slide onto the rail.

A stop device can be set at the ends of a slider, track, or rail to act as a stop. It can also be used as a joint for connection. A stop device can be designed as a flanged end onto which a snap or clip cap can be attached, or, as a bolt or a nut head to which a nut or bolt, respectively, can be screwed on. As a stop, the head of the bolt or nut to be screwed on must be as wide as or wider than the slider. If an end is to be connected to another end, then the ends should be complementary and both ends should be the same size.

2. A slider zipper tape as in claim 1 is a tape with zipper teeth one side and a slider with stop devices on the ends, which is clamped, plastic molded, glued, or otherwise fixed, on the other side of the tape. The slider zipper tape can be made entirely of plastic molding.

3. A slider of a slider zipper tape as in claim 2 can be made in a variety of shapes, styles, and sizes, can be composed of almost any material, and can have stop devices on the ends. As a C-type slider, the slider is a hollow circular column with an opening, and is matched with an O-type track or rail. It can also be the opposite, where the slider is O-type and the track is C-type. The slider can be made as one piece or as several small segments or parts that are plastic molded, glued, clamped, or otherwise fixed on the side of the zipper tape without teeth.

4. A rail tape as in claim 1 is a tape with a rail fixed on one side. The rail itself or the entire rail tape can be made as one piece or as several segments or parts that are casted or plastic molded together. A rail can be O-type or made in other shapes, styles, or sizes. The rail tape can be sewn, or otherwise fixed, onto an article to become a track.

5. A rail as in claim 1 is a strip or stick of plastic, metal, or any recyclable material, and can be made in many different shapes, styles, or sizes as long as it fits the desired design and is complementary to the slider. For flexibility, a rail can be composed of several small strips or sticks that are partly linked, or, made by molding, casting, or otherwise fixing several small strips or sticks to a thread tape.

6. A track as in claim 1 can be a rail tape that is set or fixed on a desired place of an article. Or, it can be a rail or a rail inserted into a cord passage set directly on a desired place of an article. Also, a track may be plastic molded onto an article.

7. A cord passage as in claim 1 is a tape bent or folded lengthwise with the touching two edges fixed together and fixed on an article. It can also be a cylindrical or tube-like tape that is fixed on an article. The thickness of the material of the tape, even when folded, must be thinner than the width of the opening of the slider. A cord passage as a track can also be a set of cord passages. The easiest way to make a cord passage is by bending or folding the material of an article to form a cord passage as described above. Yet, a cord passage can be made by bending a tape that has symmetrical and equally distanced box-like cutouts lining the middle of the tape so that the resultant cord passage resembles a wing of a hinge. Furthermore, a cord passage can be made by attaching several rings or loops equally distanced apart to a tape.

8. The units or parts of a slider zipper tape that is cut into segments as in claim 1 are individual units or parts that can be combined in sequence and fixed together to become a fastener. Such units or parts include a zipper tooth with a C-type tail; a zipper stop with a C-type tail; a zipper retainer with a C-type tail; a zipper pin with a C-type tail; a zipper stop with a C-type tail that has an end with a stop device; a zipper retainer with a C-type tail that has an end with a stop device; and, a zipper pin with a C-type tail that has an end with a stop device. The tails of the units or parts are not limited to the C-type; they can any type or shape as long as they match or complement the tracks or rails that will be used. These units or parts can be made by plastic molding or from any material desired or needed.

9. A dual slider as in claim 1 is a strip, bar, or block with two slider devices underneath for sliding the dual slider onto tracks or rails. Dual sliders can be made in any color, shape, style, or size, as long as the slider devices on the underside match or complement the tracks or rails. They can also be made in plastic, metal, wood, or any recyclable material.

10. A dual slider exchanger as in claim 1 is a pair of short segments of track set in parallel on a flat plate-like structure. The width of these tracks is thinner than the width of the opening of the slider devices underneath the dual sliders to allow the dual sliders to be easily lifted off and placed on. The tracks have connective devices, such as a bolt and nut device, etc., on the ends to connect to the tracks or rails that have dual sliders to be removed or switched piece by piece. The dual slider exchanger can be made from any material desired or needed.

11. Dual sliders on tracks or rails as in claim 1 can have a variety of applications. Dual sliders on tracks or rails can function as a fastener that can open from either side and the middle. They can be used as decoration on clothing, bags, accessories, etc. They can be made to be worn as jewelry, such as a bracelet, necklace, etc. The dual sliders and tracks and rails can be made in any shape or style that is desired or needed as long as the sliders and tracks and rails match and complement. They can also be made from any material desired, needed, or suited to the designated function. Any material used should be strong enough to hold the weight of the dual sliders and maintain a set of dual sliders in a desired formation or design.

12. A cord passage zipper tape as in claim 1 is made by bending a tape length-wise and attaching zipper teeth onto the two touching edges of the bended tape. The cord passage can be made from a single strip of tape, several small segments of tape, or a tape that, when folded, resembles the shape of a wing of a hinge.

13. A slider of the cord passage style slide on zipper device as in claim 1 is a separate independent slider that can hold multiple tracks together without falling or sliding off. The slider can be made in any style, color, design, and shape as long as the shape is complementary to the shape of the tracks onto which it will slide. The separate independent slider can have stop devices on the ends.

14. A cord passage that resembles a wing of a hinge as in claim 7 can be used as a track when a rail is inserted and the two touching ends are attached to an article. It can also be used as a track connected to the cord passage zipper tape. When both the cord passage on the article and the cord passage on the cord passage zipper tape resemble a wing of a hinge, the two cord passages can be interlocked and held together by inserting a single rail with stop devices at the ends.

15. A cord passage that is made by attaching several rings or loops equally distanced apart to a tape as in claim 7 can have many uses. It can be, as previously stated, used as a track when a rail is inserted to become a part of the slide on zipper device. However, when two tapes with cord passage rings or loops are held in parallel and rails with stop devices at the ends are inserted perpendicularly to the rings or loops on both tapes, the exposed rails between the two parallel tapes can be used as a frame onto which one or several bags are attached. Each bag is fixed with a cord passage, or a cord passage can be made by folding the edge of the bag opening and setting it in place, and a rail with stop devices is inserted into the cord passage rings or loops and the cord passage on the opening of the bag, with the cord passage on the opening of the bag placed between two cord passage rings or loops to be used. Each rail attached along the two parallel tapes with cord passage rings and loops can hold a bag to form multiple storage bags. When this assembly is made small, it can be attached to the inside of a tote bag or other bags to create multiple bags or compartments. When made larger, this assembly can be used alone as a storage devices. Furthermore, cord passage slide on zipper devices can be placed next to the rails on the cord passage rings or loops that have bags attached and held together with a separate independent slider. With another slide on zipper device attached to the other side of the bag opening, the bag will have a functional zipper. The tapes with cord passage rings or loops can be made with any material to appropriately suit how it will be used, accounting for flexibility, durability, weight capacity, style, color, and design.