Invisible zipper

Abstract

Provided is an invisible slide fastener in which a film member is less likely to be pressed by a strong force and hooked on a slider, and in which excellent sliding properties of the slider can be obtained. This invisible slide fastener (1) is provided with a pair of fastener stringers (10) and a slider (40), each fastener stringer (11) having a pocket fabric part (16) formed by double knitting and at least one film member (30) held within the pocket fabric part (16), the pocket fabric part (16) being provided continuously on at least a part of a tape bent part (14) of the fastener stringer (11) and at least a part of an element attachment part (15), and the pocket fabric part (16) being provided continuously on at least a part of the tape bent part (14) and at least a part of the element attachment part (15). When the cross-section of the fastener stringer (10) is viewed from the position of the front edge of the flange section (49) of the slider body (41), the inside edge of each of the left and right film members (30) is disposed above the position of the lower end of the upper plate section (44) of the slider body (41) in the vertical direction of the slider body (41).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a concealed zipper. Background Art

[0002] As one type of slide fastener, there is known a concealed slide fastener in which, when left and right fastener elements are engaged, the engaged fastener elements are concealed so as not to be visible from the outer surface side of the slide fastener.

[0003] International Publication No. 2011 / 030442 (Patent Document 1) discloses a fastener stringer for a concealed slide fastener. The fastener stringer of Patent Document 1 includes a fastener tape having a knitted structure and coil-shaped fastener elements sewn to the fastener tape.

[0004] The zipper tape comprises a tape body; a tape folded portion extending from one side edge of the tape body in the tape width direction and folded into a U-shape; and a fastener element attachment portion extending further from the tape folded portion. A pocket fabric portion is provided in the fastener element attachment portion and a portion of the tape folded portion in the tape width direction of the zipper tape. Two membranes are overlapped and enclosed within the pocket fabric portion of the zipper tape.

[0005] The zipper elements are sewn to the element attachment portion of the zipper tape, along with the two membranes, using a double lockstitch using a sewing thread composed of two needle threads and one suture thread. In this case, because the two sewing needles performing the double lockstitch pierce the membrane within the bag fabric portion during the sewing process, multiple groups of two through holes are formed along the length of the membrane, each with a needle thread passing through it. Thus, the zipper elements and membrane are secured to the element attachment portion of the zipper tape by the sewing thread.

[0006] Furthermore, in the fastener stringer of Patent Document 1, the rigidity of the pocket fabric portion of the fastener stringer is enhanced by the film within the pocket fabric portion. Therefore, in a concealed zipper manufactured using the fastener stringer of Patent Document 1, for example, when the left and right fastener elements are engaged and a lateral tension is applied that pulls the left and right fastener tapes outward in the left and right directions, the formation of a gap between the left and right fastener tapes can be prevented or suppressed. This improves the concealment of the concealed zipper.

[0007] [Prior art literature]

[0008] [Patent Document]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 030442

[0010] In a concealed zipper manufactured using the zipper chain tape of the above-mentioned patent document 1, for example, when the slider is slid in the direction of engaging the left and right chain teeth, the membrane retained in the bag fabric portion of the zipper tape is sometimes strongly pushed by a part of the slider and strongly interferes with the slider. As a result, the sliding resistance of the slider is increased, and the operation of the slider sometimes becomes heavy.

[0011] Furthermore, when the slider is slid, the membrane in the zipper tape may get caught on the slider, causing the slider to stop during its sliding. In this case, the user operating the slider may forcibly pull the stopped slider, which may result in damage to the zipper tape of the invisible zipper. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The present invention has been completed in view of the above-mentioned existing problems, and its purpose is to provide a hidden zipper that is unlikely to cause the membrane component retained in the zipper tape to be strongly pushed and hooked on the slider when the slider is slid, thereby achieving good sliding performance of the slider.

[0013] The zipper belt has a pair of zipper strips with a plurality of zipper teeth sewn on the zipper strips to form a tooth row; and a slider that can be slidably mounted on the tooth row. When the zipper strips are viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to the length direction, each zipper strip has a strip body; a strip folding portion that extends from one side edge of the strip body and folds into a U-shape; and a tooth mounting portion that extends from the strip folding portion and is sewn with the zipper teeth. The zipper strip has a bag fabric portion that is formed by double weaving as a part of the zipper strip; and at least one film component that is retained in the bag fabric portion, the bag fabric portion being secured between at least a part of the strip folding portion and at least one of the tooth mounting portions. The cam is configured to extend along the length of the slider body and to extend along the length of the slider body, wherein the cam is configured to extend along the length of the slider body and to extend along the length of the slider body.

[0014] In the invisible zipper of the present invention, it is preferred that when observing the cross-section of the zipper chain tape at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion, the inner side end edges of the left and right membrane parts are respectively arranged on the upper side than the lower surface position of the flange portion in the upper and lower directions of the slider body.

[0015] In addition, preferably, the upper plate portion of the slider body has a front end surface facing forward and arranged orthogonally to the front-to-back direction, and when the cross-section of the zipper chain is observed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion, the inner side edges of the left and right membrane parts are respectively arranged in the upper side than the lower end position of the front end surface of the upper plate portion in the upper and lower directions of the slider body.

[0016] Furthermore, preferably, when observing the cross section of the fastener stringer at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion, the inner side edges of the left and right film members are respectively arranged above the upper surface position of the flange portion in the vertical direction of the slider body.

[0017] In the present invention, preferably, the fastener elements are sewn to the element attachment portion of the fastener tape by double lockstitching using a sewing thread comprising two needle threads, and at least one of the needle threads penetrates the bag fabric portion and the film component of the fastener tape.

[0018] According to the concealed slide fastener of the present invention, when the slider is slid, the film member held in the fastener tape is less likely to be strongly pressed and caught on the slider, thereby stably achieving good sliding properties of the slider. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a transverse section perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the concealed slide fastener according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 It is schematically represented Figure 1 The shown cross-sectional view is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the left and right fastener stringers of the concealed slide fastener.

[0021] Figure 3 It is schematically represented Figure 1 A perspective view of the slider of the invisible zipper shown.

[0022] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A front view of the slider is shown.

[0023] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A top view of the slider is shown.

[0024] [Description of labels]

[0025] 1: Invisible zipper; 10: Zipper chain; 11: Zipper tape; 13: Belt body; 14: Belt folding part; 15: Chain element mounting part; 16: Bag fabric part; 20: Chain element row; 21: Zipper chain element; 22: Engaging head; 23: Upper foot; 24: Lower foot; 25: Connecting part; 26: Core thread component; 30: Membrane component; 35: Sewing thread; 36: Needle thread; 36a: First needle thread; 36b: Second needle thread; 37: Stitching thread; 40: Slider; 41: Slider body; 42: Lower plate; 43: Connecting post; 43a: Fixed claw portion; 44: upper plate portion; 45: upper plate main body portion; 45a: lower surface; 46: upper plate guide portion; 46a: front end surface; 46b: lower surface; 47: rear end portion of the upper plate; 48: side wall portion; 49: flange portion; 51: pull-tab mounting column; 52: protruding piece portion; 53: shoulder opening; 54: rear opening; 55: with insertion gap; 61: first main body component; 62: second main body component; H1: position of the lower end of the upper plate portion; H2: position of the lower surface of the flange portion; H3: position of the lower end of the front end surface of the upper plate portion; H4: position of the upper surface of the flange portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a transverse section perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the concealed slide fastener according to the present embodiment. Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the left and right fastener stringers according to the present embodiment. Figure 3 、 Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 The three-dimensional view, front view and top view schematically show the slider of the invisible zipper respectively.

[0028] In the following description, the front-to-back direction refers to a direction along the length of the elongated zipper stringer 10 or zipper tape 11, and is also a direction along the sliding direction of the slider 40. In the front-to-back direction, the direction in which the slider 40 slides when closing the invisible zipper 1 is referred to as the front, and the direction in which the slider 40 slides when opening the invisible zipper 1 is referred to as the rear.

[0029] The left-right direction refers to the direction along which the pair of fastener tapes 10 in the concealed zipper 1 approach and separate from each other. In the left-right direction, the direction of each fastener tape 10 on the left or right side, which is closer to the other fastener tape 10, is considered the inner side of the left-right direction, and the direction of the side of each fastener tape 10 on the left or right side, which is farther away from the other fastener tape 10, is considered the outer side of the left-right direction. The tape width direction is a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the fastener tape 11 and along the fastener tape 11 in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-back direction of the fastener tape 10 or the fastener tape 11.

[0030] The up-down direction is a direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and the left-right direction in the invisible zipper 1, and is a direction along the front-back direction of the invisible zipper 1 and the thickness direction of the zipper tape 11 when the left and right zipper elements 21 are engaged. In this case, the side on which the left and right zipper tapes 11 are arranged relative to the left and right zipper elements 21 is referred to as the upper side, and the side on which the left and right zipper tapes 11 are arranged relative to the left and right zipper elements 21 is referred to as the lower side.

[0031] Figure 1 The concealed slide fastener 1 of the illustrated embodiment includes a pair of left and right fastener stringers 10 each including a plurality of fastener elements 21 sewn together on left and right fastener tapes 11 to form an element row 20 , and a slider 40 slidably attached to the left and right element rows 20 .

[0032] The concealed slide fastener 1 of this embodiment is used by being attached to, for example, a seat cover of a car seat, etc. In addition, in the present invention, the use of the concealed slide fastener 1 is not particularly limited.

[0033] Each of the left and right fastener stringers 10 includes a fastener tape 11 formed to be elongated in the front-back direction and a plurality of fastener elements 21 sewn to the tape side edge portions of the fastener tape 11 by stitching lines 35 (sewing threads).

[0034] A plurality of fastener elements 21 are attached to the back side of the invisible slide fastener 1 relative to the fastener tape 11. In addition, when the fastener elements 21 on both sides are engaged and the invisible slide fastener 1 is closed (see FIG. Figure 2 ), since the meshed left and right zipper elements 21 are covered and hidden by the left and right zipper tapes 11 from the upper side, the zipper elements 21 cannot be seen from the outer surface side (the side exposed to the outside) of the invisible zipper 1.

[0035] In each zipper stringer 10, a plurality of zipper elements 21 are formed by winding a monofilament made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide or polyester into a coil shape. Therefore, the plurality of zipper elements 21 have a continuous coil shape in which each zipper element 21 is connected to the adjacent zipper elements 21 in the front-to-back direction.

[0036] The plurality of continuous fastener elements 21 are fixed to an element attaching portion 15 (described later) of the fastener tape 11 by double-stitching of sewing lines 35 , thereby forming an element row 20 composed of the plurality of fastener elements 21 along the front-rear direction on the fastener tape 11 .

[0037] Each zipper tooth 21 has: an engaging head 22 that engages with the zipper tooth 21 of the engaging object; an upper leg 23 and a lower leg 24 extending from the upper end and lower end of the engaging head 22 in the left and right directions respectively; and a connecting portion 25 that connects the upper leg 23 (or lower leg 24) of the zipper tooth 21 with the lower leg 24 (or upper leg 23) of the zipper tooth 21 adjacent in the front-to-back direction.

[0038] In this embodiment, the upper leg portion 23 of the fastener element 21 is arranged in contact with the fastener tape 11, and the lower leg portion 24 is arranged away from the fastener tape 11. A flexible core member 26 is inserted between the upper leg portion 23 and the lower leg portion 24 of the fastener element 21. The core member 26 is fixed to the fastener tape 11 together with the fastener element 21 by a sewing thread 35.

[0039] Each fastener tape 11 on either side has a knitted structure and is woven into an elongated strip shape using a plurality of warp yarns and weft yarns. In addition, in the present invention, the material and fineness of the warp yarns and weft yarns forming the fastener tape 11 are not particularly limited.

[0040] For example, the cross section of each of the left and right fastener tapes 11 in a state where the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged ( Figure 2 ) comprises: a belt main body portion 13; a belt folding portion 14 extending from one side edge of the belt main body portion 13 in the belt width direction and folded into a U shape; and a chain element mounting portion 15 extending from the belt folding portion 14 in the belt width direction and for mounting the zipper chain element 21.

[0041] The tape body 13 of the fastener tape 11 is formed of a single-knit weave and includes a portion for sewing to a zipper attachment product, such as a seat cover of an automobile seat. For example, the concealed zipper 1 of this embodiment is attached to an automobile seat by sewing the tape body 13 of the fastener tape 11 to the seat cover. The present invention is not limited to specific configurations such as the weave of the tape body 13 of the fastener tape 11 or its widthwise dimensions.

[0042] The tape folded portion 14 is disposed between the tape body 13 and the element attaching portion 15 in the tape width direction of the fastener tape 11 and is folded into a U-shape so that the tape body 13 and the element attaching portion 15 overlap in the vertical direction.

[0043] The element attachment portion 15 is arranged on the lower side of the belt main body 13 so as to face the belt main body 13. A bag fabric portion 16 formed by double weaving is provided on a portion of the belt folding portion 14 and a portion of the element attachment portion 15. Two film members 30 are held in a vertically overlapped state within the bag fabric portion 16.

[0044] In this embodiment, the tape folded portion 14 comprises a first folded portion formed by a single-weave pattern between the bag fabric portion 16 and the tape body portion 13, and a second folded portion formed by a portion of the bag fabric portion 16. The element attachment portion 15 comprises a first attachment portion formed by the portion of the bag weaving portion 16 excluding the second folded portion, and a second attachment portion (tape extension portion) extending outward from the first attachment portion in the tape width direction and formed by a single-weave pattern. In this case, the second attachment portion is preferably formed using two or more and five or fewer warp yarns.

[0045] Since the chain element mounting portion 15 has the above-mentioned first mounting portion and second mounting portion, as described later, when a double-thread lockstitch sewing machine is used to sew the zipper chain element 21 to the zipper tape 11, the sewing needle arranged on the outside of the two sewing needles of the sewing machine can pierce the zipper tape 11 at a position on the outside of the zipper tape 11 in the left and right directions of the membrane part 30.

[0046] Therefore, the needle thread 36 (first needle thread 36a, described later) that forms the stitch with the sewing needle does not penetrate the film member 30, but can penetrate the fastener tape 11 and intersect with the sewing thread 37. Furthermore, in the present invention, the weave structure of the first fold portion of the tape fold 14 is not particularly limited; for example, the entire tape fold 14 may be woven using a bag weave. The weave structure of the second attachment portion of the element attachment portion 15 is not particularly limited, as long as the second attachment portion is formed using a single weave.

[0047] The pocket fabric portion 16 is formed continuously in the tape width direction over at least a portion of the tape folding portion 14 and at least a portion of the element attaching portion 15. For example, in a cross-sectional view of the fastener stringer 10, the pocket fabric portion 16 includes: an upper woven portion forming the tape inner peripheral surface of the pocket fabric portion 16; a lower woven portion forming the tape outer peripheral surface of the pocket fabric portion 16; a first joining portion connecting the upper woven portion and the lower woven portion on the element attaching portion 15 side; and a second joining portion connecting the upper woven portion and the lower woven portion on the tape folding portion 14 side.

[0048] While the fastener tape 11 is being woven, the two film members 30 are inserted into the pocket fabric portion 16 of the fastener tape 11. In this case, the two film members 30 are provided as one of the warp yarns on a loom capable of double weaving, so that the film members 30 are inserted into and retained in the pocket fabric portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 during the weaving of the fastener tape 11. Furthermore, the film member 30 of this embodiment is arranged so as to span the tape folding portion 14 and the element attaching portion 15 in the tape width direction of the fastener tape 11.

[0049] In this embodiment, the two film members 30 are formed from polyester resin. The two film members 30 are formed from the same synthetic resin and have the same thickness. Furthermore, in the present invention, the material of the film members 30 is not particularly limited. In addition to polyester resin, synthetic resins such as polypropylene resin, nylon resin, and polycarbonate resin can also be used. Furthermore, in the present invention, two film members 30 made of different materials can be retained within the bag fabric portion 16. Furthermore, the film members of the present invention include not only members formed from synthetic resin into a film shape, but also film-like or thin members, such as members formed by solidifying or softening at least a portion of a woven or knitted fabric. In this case, the film member preferably has higher rigidity than the zipper tape.

[0050] When the fastener elements 21 are sewn to the fastener tape 11 using the double-thread lockstitch sewing machine, the innermost of the two sewing needles pierces the two film members 30. However, as described above, the outermost sewing needle does not pierce the two film members 30, but only pierces the fastener tape 11. Therefore, a plurality of through-holes arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the film member 30 are formed at regular or substantially regular intervals in the film member 30 after the sewing process. Alternatively, in the present invention, two rows of through-holes along the longitudinal direction of the film member 30 may be formed in the film member 30 by having both sewing needles pierce the film member 30.

[0051] Each of the upper and lower film members 30 has a thickness of not less than 0.05 mm and not more than 0.30 mm, preferably not less than 0.08 mm and not more than 0.20 mm. A thickness of not less than 0.05 mm for the film members 30 can appropriately increase the rigidity of the pocket fabric portion 16 in the fastener tape 11. A thickness of not more than 0.30 mm for the film members 30 allows for easy penetration of the film members 30 by a sewing needle during sewing of the fastener elements 21 and the fastener tape 11. Furthermore, in the present invention, the thickness of the film members 30 can be appropriately varied depending on the material of the film members 30, etc.

[0052] In the cross section of the left and right fastener stringers 10 in the state where the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged (see Figure 2), the outer side edge of the film member 30 is positioned inwardly of the outermost side edge of the fastener element 21 in the left-right direction in the tape width direction, and is particularly preferably positioned inwardly of the connecting portion 25 of the fastener element 21. The inner side edge of the film member 30 is preferably positioned inwardly of the innermost position of the core wire member 26 in the left-right direction in the tape width direction.

[0053] In this embodiment, as described above, two film members 30 are inserted and retained in the bag fabric portion 16. However, in the present invention, the number of film members 30 retained in the bag fabric portion 16 is not particularly limited. Depending on the thickness of the film member 30 used, for example, only one film member 30 may be retained in the bag fabric portion 16, or three or more film members 30 may be retained.

[0054] In each of the left and right fastener tapes 10, the sewing threads 35 that sew the fastener elements 21 and the membrane member 30 to the fastener tape 11 include two needle threads 36 that pass through the fastener tape 11 and a single stitching thread 37 that intersects the two needle threads 36. The needle threads 36 of this embodiment include a first needle thread 36a that is inserted through the outside of the fastener tape 11 by one of the two sewing needles provided in the sewing machine, and a second needle thread 36b that is inserted through the inside of the fastener tape 11 by the other sewing needle.

[0055] In this case, the first needle thread 36a of the sewing thread 35 is configured so as not to penetrate the film member 30 but to penetrate the element attachment portion 15 of the zipper tape 11. Alternatively, the first needle thread 36a may be configured so as to press against the outer side edge of the film member 30 so that the position of the film member 30 does not shift (or is difficult to shift) in the tape width direction. This makes it difficult for the slider 40 to interfere with the outer side edge of the film member 30 when the slider 40 is slid in the concealed zipper 1. Furthermore, in the present invention, the first needle thread 36a of the sewing thread 35 may have a portion that penetrates both the zipper tape 11 and the film member 30.

[0056] The second needle thread 36b of the sewing thread 35 is arranged to penetrate both the fastener tape 11 and the film member 30. The film member 30 is sewn and fixed to the fastener tape 11 by the second needle thread 36b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the position of the film member 30 from shifting relative to the fastener tape 11 in the tape length direction and the tape width direction.

[0057] The slider 40 of this embodiment includes a slider body 41 and a pull tab (not shown) attached to the slider body 41 and pulled when the slider 40 is operated. The shape, size, and material of the pull tab are not particularly limited in the present invention. The slider body 41 has a bilaterally symmetrical shape with respect to a center plane passing through the center in the left-right direction.

[0058] The slider body 41 includes: a lower plate portion 42 forming the bottom portion of the slider body 41; a connecting column 43 rising from the central portion of the lower plate portion 42 in the left-right direction; an upper plate portion 44 extending from the upper end portion of the connecting column 43 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction; left and right side wall portions 48 rising from the left and right side edges of the lower plate portion 42; and left and right flange portions 49 extending from the upper end portion of the side wall portion 48 to the inner side in the left-right direction.

[0059] The slider body 41 also includes a tab mounting post 51 provided on the upper surface of the upper plate portion 44 and a tab portion 52 extending forward from the front end of the lower plate portion 42. The shapes and sizes of the tab mounting post 51 and the tab portion 52 are not particularly limited in the present invention. Alternatively, the slider body 41 may be formed without the tab portion 52.

[0060] At the front end of the slider body 41, left and right shoulder openings 53 are provided on either side of the connecting post 43. Each shoulder opening 53 is sized to accommodate the left or right zipper element 21 and a portion of the left or right zipper tape 11. The shoulder openings 53 are formed so as to be surrounded by the lower plate 42, connecting post 43, upper plate 44, one side edge, and one flange 49 of the slider body 41.

[0061] A rear opening 54 is provided at the rear end of the slider body 41. The rear opening 54 is sized to allow the intermeshing left and right zipper elements 21, a portion of the left zipper tape 11, and a portion of the right zipper tape 11 to pass therethrough. Furthermore, the rear opening 54 is formed so as to be surrounded by the lower plate portion 42, the left and right side edges, and the left and right flange portions 49 of the slider body 41.

[0062] Inside the slider body 41, a substantially Y-shaped element guide path is provided that communicates with the left and right shoulder openings 53 and the rear opening 54. Figure 5 As shown, a substantially Y-shaped tape insertion gap 55 for inserting the left and right fastener tapes 11 is formed on the upper surface of the slider body 41 from the shoulder 53 to the rear opening 54 of the slider body 41 .

[0063] The lower plate portion 42 of the slider body 41 is formed into a thin plate. The upper surface of the lower plate portion 42 is arranged toward the element guide path of the slider body 41. The upper surface of the lower plate portion 42 is provided with a shallow recess and a raised portion arranged at the connection portion of the left and right side walls 48.

[0064] The connecting post 43 is disposed at the front end of the lower plate portion 42. In this embodiment, the connecting post 43 is formed from both the first main body member 61 and the second main body member 62, described later, of the slider body 41. The connecting post 43 is provided with left and right fixing claws 43a that plastically deform when the second main body member 62 is assembled and fixed to the first main body member 61.

[0065] The upper plate portion 44 is configured to extend from the upper end portion of the connecting column 43 in the left-right direction and the front-back direction. Figure 5 ), the upper plate portion 44 includes an upper plate main portion 45 having an isosceles triangle shape; an upper plate guide portion 46 extending forward from the upper plate main portion 45; and an upper plate rear end portion 47 extending slenderly rearward from the rear end portion of the upper plate main portion 45. In this case, the connecting column 43 is provided so as to connect to both the upper plate main portion 45 and the upper plate guide portion 46 of the upper plate portion 44.

[0066] In a top view of the slider body 41, the upper plate body 45 of the upper plate portion 44 is formed into an isosceles triangle, with the vertex located at the rear end of the upper plate body 45. The upper plate body 45 has a lower surface 45a facing the element guide path of the slider body 41, an upper surface located opposite the lower surface 45a, and left and right side surfaces located on the equilateral portion of the isosceles triangle.

[0067] The lower surface 45a of the upper plate body 45 is arranged opposite to the lower plate 42 and is formed into a plane perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction. Figure 4 ), the lower surface 45a of the upper plate main body 45 is arranged at the lowest lower end position of the upper plate main body 45 in the vertical direction, and is arranged below the lower surface position of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41. The side surface of the upper plate main body 45 is arranged to face the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41 via the belt insertion gap 55.

[0068] The upper plate guide portion 46 of the upper plate portion 44 extends forward and obliquely upward from the upper plate main body 45. The upper plate guide portion 46 has a front end surface 46a facing forward, an upper end surface facing upward, an upper inclined surface disposed between the upper end surface and the upper plate main body 45, a lower surface 46b disposed between the lower end of the front end surface 46a and the upper plate main body 45, and left and right sidewall surfaces.

[0069] The front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46 is formed as a flat surface arranged perpendicular to the front-back direction. In the present invention, the front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46 arranged perpendicular to the front-back direction may include, for example, a flat surface or a curved surface arranged substantially perpendicular to the front-back direction by being tilted at an angle of less than 5° relative to a plane perpendicular to the front-back direction.

[0070] In this embodiment, the lower end of the front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46, which is located at the lowest position, is located above the lower surface position of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41 in the vertical direction, and is also located below the upper surface position of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41.

[0071] The upper end surface of the upper plate guide portion 46 is arranged perpendicular to the up-down direction. A handle mounting column 51 is connected to the upper inclined surface of the upper plate guide portion 46.

[0072] The lower surface 46b of the upper plate guide portion 46 is formed as an inclined surface that is inclined from the boundary portion with the upper plate main body portion 45 toward the front in a manner away from the lower plate portion 42. In this way, due to the inclination of the lower surface 46b of the upper plate guide portion 46, when the slider 40 is slid in the closing direction of the chain element row 20, the zipper chain element 21 inserted into the shoulder portion 53 of the slider body 41 is easily pressed into an appropriate posture by the lower surface of the upper plate guide portion 46, and can be smoothly guided between the upper plate main body portion 45 and the lower plate portion 42.

[0073] In the top view of the slider body 41 ( Figure 5 ), the upper plate rear end portion 47 of the upper plate portion 44 extends straightly toward the rear from the upper plate main body portion 45 and is formed slenderly along the front-to-back direction.

[0074] The left and right side walls 48 of the slider body 41 are continuously provided on the left and right side edges of the lower plate 42 from the front end to the rear end thereof. Each side wall 48 extends upward from the lower plate 42 in the vertical direction.

[0075] The left and right flange portions 49 of the slider body 41 extend inward in the left-right direction from the upper end portion of the left or right side wall portion 48 .

[0076] In a top view of the slider body 41, the upper plate portion 44 and the tape insertion gap 55 are positioned between the left and right flange portions 49. In this case, in the region where the inner side edges of the flange portion 49 and the upper plate portion 44 face each other in the front-to-back direction, the tape insertion gap 55 is provided at an appropriate interval between the flange portion 49 and the upper plate portion 44, allowing one of the left and right fastener tapes 11 to pass through. Furthermore, in the region where the inner side edges of the left and right flange portions 49 face each other, the tape insertion gap 55 is provided at an appropriate interval between the left and right flange portions 49, allowing both left and right fastener tapes 11 to pass through in a mutually contacting state.

[0077] The slider body 41 of this embodiment includes a first main body component 61 and a second main body component 62. The first main body component 61 includes a lower plate portion 42, a portion of a connecting post 43, left and right side wall portions 48, left and right flange portions 49, and a tab portion 52. The second main body component 62 includes a portion of the connecting post 43 including left and right fixing claw portions 43a, an upper plate portion 44, and a pull-tab mounting post 51. The slider body 41 is formed by assembling and fixing the second main body component 62 to the first main body component 61.

[0078] In this case, the second main body part 62 is fixed to the first main body part 61 by attaching the second main body part 62 to a portion of the connecting column 43 provided on the first main body part 61 and then pressing the left and right fixing claws 43a provided on the second main body part 62 inward in the width direction to plastically deform them. In addition, in the present invention, the method and means for manufacturing the slider body 41 are not particularly limited. For example, the slider body can also be formed from a single component manufactured in a single molding process.

[0079] In the invisible slide fastener 1 of this embodiment, when the left and right fastener stringers 10 are observed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, the cross section ( Figure 1 ), the inner side edge positions of the membrane components 30 held in the bag fabric portions 16 of the left and right fastener tapes 11 are respectively arranged above the position H1 of the lower end of the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41 in the vertical direction.

[0080] Here, the position of the front end edge of the flange portion 49 includes not only the position of the front end edge arranged at the frontmost side of the flange portion 49 in the front-back direction, but also includes positions within 2 mm in front and rear of the front end edge. The inner side edge of the membrane member 30 refers to the position of the inner side edge of the membrane member 30 when observing the above-mentioned cross section ( Figure 1 ), it is arranged at the innermost side edge (the side closest to the tape body 13 or the side closest to the fastener tape 11 on the other side) of the film member 30 in the tape width direction.

[0081] In addition, in this embodiment, when observing the above-mentioned cross section ( Figure 1 ), the inner side edges of the left and right film members 30 held in the bag fabric portion 16 are preferably positioned above position H2 of the lower surface of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41 in the vertical direction, more preferably above position H3 of the lower end of the front end surface 46a of the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41, and particularly preferably above position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41. The upper limit position of the inner side edge of the film member 30 in the bag fabric portion 16 is not particularly limited, but the inner side edge of the film member 30 is preferably positioned below the upper end of the front end surface 46a of the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41. For example, it may be positioned below position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41.

[0082] In this embodiment, the cross section ( Figure 1 ) can be changed by, for example, adjusting the size of the film part 30 in the tape width direction, the size of the chain element mounting portion 15 of the zipper tape 11 in the tape width direction, and the position and size of the bag fabric portion 16 provided on the zipper tape 11.

[0083] Next, a method of manufacturing the slide fastener stringer 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0084] First, a loom is used to weave the fastener tape 11 having the double-woven bag fabric portion 16. In addition, when weaving the fastener tape 11, the film member 30 is woven into the bag fabric portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 by arranging two overlapping film members 30 as one of the warp yarns.

[0085] Thus, the strip-shaped fastener tape 11 is woven, in which the film member 30 is held within the pocket fabric portion 16. At this time, the film member 30 is held within the pocket fabric portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 in the following manner: when the concealed zipper 1 is manufactured, the inner side edge of the film member 30 is positioned above the position H1 of the lower end of the upper plate portion 44 relative to the slider body 41.

[0086] Next, a double-thread lockstitch sewing machine is used to sew the coil-shaped fastener elements 21 onto the element attachment portion 15 of the zipper tape 11 woven as described above. In the sewing process using the double-thread lockstitch sewing machine, the plurality of fastener elements 21 are sewn to the element attachment portion 15 of the strip-shaped fastener tape 11 before being folded into a U-shape, using a sewing thread 35, with the core thread member 26 inserted between the upper leg portion 23 and the lower leg portion 24 of each fastener element 21.

[0087] In this sewing process, one of the two sewing needles provided in the sewing machine is caused to pierce the fastener tape 11 at a position on the outside of the film member 30, and the other sewing needle is caused to pierce both the fastener tape 11 and the film member 30. At this time, as described above, since the fastener tape 11 of this embodiment has the single-knit second attachment portion extending outward from the pocket fabric portion 16, the one sewing needle can stably pierce the fastener tape 11 at a position on the outside of the film member 30.

[0088] Furthermore, each fastener element 21 is sewn to the element attaching portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 by the sewing thread 35 with each engaging head 22 facing the tape folded portion 14 of the fastener tape 11 and the upper leg portion 23 in contact with the fastener tape 11 .

[0089] After the above-described sewing process, the fastener tape 11, to which the fastener elements 21 are sewn, is folded into a U-shape by the tape folding portion 14, so that the engaging heads 22 of the fastener elements 21 protrude outward from the tape folding portion 14. At this time, the film member 30 within the pocket fabric portion 16 is secured by the sewing thread 35. Therefore, the film member 30 can be stably held at a predetermined position within the pocket fabric portion 16 of the fastener tape 11.

[0090] After the fastener tape 11 is bent as described above, the fastener stringer 10 is subjected to heat setting or the like so as to maintain the shape of the fastener tape 11. In this way, the fastener stringer 10 of the present embodiment is manufactured.

[0091] Furthermore, the manufactured fastener stringers 10 are combined into a left and right set, and the sliders 40 are attached to the element rows 20 of the left and right fastener stringers 10 to manufacture the fastener stringers 10. Figure 1 The invisible zipper 1 is shown.

[0092] In the concealed zipper 1 of this embodiment manufactured through the above steps, two film members 30 are fixed to the pocket fabric portions 16 of the left and right fastener tapes 11, respectively. Therefore, the rigidity of the region of the fastener tape 11 where the pocket fabric portion 16 is formed is enhanced by the film members 30. Therefore, when the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged, the film members 30 can press the tape folding portion 14 to a position where the tape folding portions 14 of the left and right fastener tapes 11 are in close contact with each other or in the vicinity of such a position.

[0093] This makes it easier to maintain close contact between the left and right tape folds 14 of the invisible zipper 1. Therefore, even if a lateral pulling force is applied while the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged, a gap is unlikely to form between the left and right fastener tapes 11, making it difficult for the fastener elements 21 to be seen from above the invisible zipper 1. Consequently, the concealment of the invisible zipper 1 can be improved.

[0094] In addition, in this embodiment, when the left and right fastener stringers 10 are viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, the cross section ( Figure 1 ), the inner side edge of the film member 30 is positioned above the position H1 of the lower end of the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41 in the vertical direction as described above.

[0095] Thus, in the invisible zipper 1, for example, when the slider 40 is slid in the meshing direction of the fastener element rows 20, a portion of the film member 30 held in the fastener tape 11 can be easily inserted into the tape insertion gap 55 of the slider body 41. As a result, when the slider 40 slides, the inner side edge of the film member 30 can be prevented or suppressed from being strongly pushed and hooked on the connecting post 43 of the slider body 41, the boundary between the connecting post 43 and the upper plate portion 44, the lower surface of the upper plate portion 44, or the left and right side wall surfaces of the upper plate portion 44.

[0096] Therefore, it is difficult to cause undesirable situations such as an increase in the sliding resistance of the slider 40 due to the film member 30 or a stop of the slider 40 during operation, and good sliding properties of the slider 40 can be stably obtained. In addition, as a result, the user who operates the slider 40 does not need to forcibly pull the slider 40 that has stopped hooking on the film member 30 as in the past, thereby preventing the zipper tape 11 from being damaged by forcible operation of the slider 40.

[0097] In particular, in the present embodiment, the position of the inner side edge of the membrane part 30 is arranged above the position H2 of the lower surface of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41 in the up-down direction, preferably above the position H3 of the lower end of the front end surface 46a of the upper plate portion 44, and more preferably above the position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portion 49.

[0098] Thus, when the slider 40 slides, the film member 30 can be more effectively prevented or suppressed from being pressed or caught by the connecting post 43 and the upper plate 44 of the slider body 41. Therefore, when the slider 40 slides, the above-mentioned inconvenience can be less likely to occur.

[0099] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible as long as the present invention has substantially the same configuration and exhibits the same operational effects.

[0100] For example, in the above embodiment, the plurality of zipper elements 21 are formed in a continuous coil shape. However, in the present invention, the shape of the zipper elements 21 is not limited, and the plurality of zipper elements 21 may be formed in a continuous zigzag shape, for example, by having a plurality of bent portions bent at right angles.

Claims

1. A concealed zipper comprising: a pair of left and right zipper belts (10), wherein a plurality of zipper teeth (21) are sewn onto the zipper belts (11) to form a tooth row (20); and a slider (40) which can be slidably mounted on the tooth row (20), wherein when observing a cross section of the zipper belt (10) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, each of the zipper belts (11) comprises: a belt body portion (13); a belt folding portion (14) which extends from a side edge of the belt body portion (13) and is folded into a U-shape; and a tooth mounting portion (15) which extends from the belt folding portion (14) and is sewn with the zipper teeth (21), characterized in that: The fastener tape (11) comprises: a bag fabric portion (16) formed at a portion of the fastener tape by double weaving; and at least one film member (30) held within the bag fabric portion (16). The bag fabric portion (16) is continuously provided on at least a portion of the belt folding portion (14) and at least a portion of the element mounting portion (15). The slider body (41) of the slider (40) comprises: a lower plate portion (42); a connecting column (43) rising from the central portion of the lower plate portion (42) in the left-right direction; an upper plate portion (44) extending from the upper end portion of the connecting column (43) in the left-right direction and the front-back direction; left and right side wall portions (48) rising from the left and right side edges of the lower plate portion (42); left and right flange portions (49) extending from the upper end portion of the side wall portion (48) to the inner side in the left-right direction; left and right shoulder openings (53) arranged at the front end portion (53) of the slider body (41); and a rear opening (54) arranged at the rear end portion of the slider body (41). When observing the cross-section of the zipper chain tape (10) at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49) of the slider body (41), the inner side end edges of the left and right membrane parts (30) are respectively arranged on the upper side than the lower end position (H1) of the upper plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) in the upper and lower directions of the slider body (41).

2. The invisible zipper according to claim 1, characterized in that: When observing the cross-section of the zipper chain tape (10) at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49), the inner side edges of the left and right membrane parts (30) are respectively arranged on the upper side than the lower surface position (H2) of the flange portion (49) in the upper and lower directions of the slider body (41).

3. The invisible zipper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) has a front end surface (46a) facing forward and arranged orthogonally to the front-rear direction. When observing the cross-section of the zipper chain tape (10) at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49), the inner side edges of the left and right membrane parts (30) are respectively arranged on the upper side than the lower end position (H3) of the front end surface (46a) of the upper plate portion (44) in the upper and lower directions of the slider body (41).

4. The invisible zipper according to claim 1, characterized in that: When observing the cross-section of the zipper chain tape (10) at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49), the inner side edges of the left and right membrane parts (30) are respectively arranged above the upper surface position (H4) of the flange portion (49) in the upper and lower directions of the slider body (41).

5. The invisible zipper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The zipper element (21) is sewn to the element mounting portion (15) of the zipper tape (11) by double-thread lockstitching using a sewing thread (35) comprising two needle threads (36). At least one of the needle threads (36) passes through the bag fabric portion (16) and the film component (30) of the fastener tape (11).

Images