Concealed zipper

Abstract

[Task] To provide a concealed slide fastener in which a favorable slideability of a slider can be achieved by preventing a film part from easily pressing strongly against the slider and being caught by it. [Solution] A concealed slide fastener (1) according to the present invention comprises a pair of slide fastener longitudinal members (10) and a slider (40); a fastener tape (11) has a hollow weave portion (16) formed by a double weave, and at least one film member (30) held inside the hollow weave portion (16); the hollow weave portion (16) is provided over at least a part of a tape turn-up portion (14) and at least a part of a link attachment portion (15) in the fastener tape (11); and when a cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts (10) is viewed at the position of end edges of flange portions (49) of a slider body (41), inside end edges of the left and right film parts (30) are arranged on the upper side with respect to the lower end position of a top plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) in the up-down direction of the slider body (41).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a concealed zipper. [General state of the art]

[0002] Among the zippers, a concealed zipper is known in which, when left and right coupling elements are engaged, the engaged coupling elements are concealed so that they are not visible from the outer surface of the zipper.

[0003] International Publication No. 2011 / 030442 (Patent Document 1) describes a zipper longitudinal part to be used in a concealed zipper. The zipper longitudinal part in Patent Document 1 has a fastener tape with a woven structure and spiral-shaped coupling elements to be sewn to the fastener tape.

[0004] The fastener tape includes a tape main body portion, a tape foldover portion extending from a side edge of the tape main body portion in a tape width direction and folded in a U-shape, and a link attachment portion extending further from the tape foldover portion. In the tape width direction of the fastener tape, the link attachment portion and a part of the tape foldover portion of the fastener tape are provided with a hollow weave portion. Inside the hollow weave portion of the fastener tape, two film bodies are superimposed on each other.

[0005] The coupling elements are sewn to the link attachment portion of the fastener tape using double-thread chain stitches with a sewing thread comprising two needle threads and one looper thread, along with the two film bodies. In this case, since two sewing machine needles performing double-thread chain stitches pierce the film bodies inside the hollow fabric portion during the sewing process of sewing the coupling elements to the fastener tape, many groups of two through-holes are formed in the film bodies in the longitudinal direction, and the needle threads are each passed through a corresponding through-hole. Consequently, the coupling elements and the film bodies are attached to the link attachment portion of the fastener tape by the sewing thread.

[0006] Furthermore, in the zipper longitudinal member in Patent Document 1, the rigidity of the hollow weave portion of the fastener tape is increased by the film bodies inside the hollow weave portion. Thus, in a concealed zipper manufactured using the zipper longitudinal member in Patent Document 1, it is possible to prevent or suppress the formation of a gap between the left and right fastener tapes when the concealed zipper, in a state where, for example, the left and right fastener elements are engaged, experiences a lateral tensile force that pulls the left and right fastener tapes toward the outside in a left-to-right direction. Thus, the concealability of the concealed zipper can be improved. [Prior art documents][Patent specifications]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 030442 [Summary of the invention][Problems to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In one of the concealed slide fasteners manufactured using the slide fastener longitudinal member in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a likelihood that, for example, when a slider is slid in a direction in which left and right rows of links are engaged, the film bodies held inside the hollow woven portion of the fastener tape greatly interfere with the slider by being strongly pressed against a part of the slider, thereby increasing the sliding resistance of the slider, so that operation of the slider becomes difficult.

[0009] There's also a risk that the film particles inside the fastener tape could be caught by the slider when sliding, causing the slider to stop moving mid-way through the process. In particular, there's a risk that a user operating the slider could forcefully pull on the stopped slider, thereby damaging the fastener tape of the concealed zipper.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a concealed slide fastener in which favorable slidability of a slider can be achieved by not allowing a film member held inside a fastener tape to be strongly pressed against and caught by the slider when the slider is slid. [Means of solving the problems]

[0011] To achieve the above object, the concealed slide fastener provided according to the present invention comprises a left-right pair of zipper elongates, each of which has a plurality of coupling elements sewn to a fastener tape to form a link row, and a slider slidably attached to the link row, wherein each of the fastener tapes, when viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the zipper elongates, has a tape main body portion, a tape fold-over portion extending from a side edge portion of the tape main body portion and folded in a U-shape, and a link attachment portion extending from the tape fold-over portion and to which the coupling elements are sewn, wherein each of the fastener tapes has a hollow woven portion formed at a part of the fastener tape by a double woven fabric, and at least one film portion,which is held inside the hollow fabric portion; the hollow fabric portion is provided over at least a part of the band folding portion and at least a part of the link attachment portion; a slider body of the slider has a bottom plate portion, a connecting column rising from a central portion of the bottom plate portion in a left-right direction, a top plate portion extending from an upper end portion of the connecting column in the left-right direction and a front-right direction, left and right side wall portions rising from left and right side edge portions of the bottom plate portion, left and right flange portions extending from upper end portions of the side wall portions in the left-right direction toward an inner side, left and right shoulder openings provided at a front end portion of the slider body, and a rear opening,which is provided at a rear end portion of the slider body; and, when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions in the slider body, inside end edges of the left and right film parts are arranged on an upper side with respect to a lower end position of the top plate portion of the slider body in an up-down direction of the slider body.

[0012] In the concealed slide fastener according to the invention, it is advantageous that, when the cross section of the slide fastener longitudinal parts is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions, inside end edges of the left and right film parts are arranged on an upper side with respect to a position of the lower surface of each flange portion in the up-down direction of the slider body.

[0013] Furthermore, it is advantageous that the top plate portion of the slider body has an end surface facing forward and arranged perpendicular to the front-back direction, and that, when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions, inside end edges of the left and right film parts are arranged on an upper side with respect to a lower end position of the end surface of the top plate portion in the up-down direction of the slider body.

[0014] Furthermore, when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions, it is advantageous that inside end edges of the left and right film parts are arranged on an upper side with respect to a position of the upper surface of each flange portion in the up-down direction of the slider body.

[0015] In the present invention, it is advantageous that the coupling elements are sewn to the link attachment portions of the fastener tapes by double-thread chain stitches with a sewing thread comprising two needle threads, and that at least one of the needle threads penetrates the hollow fabric portions and the film parts of the fastener tapes. [Beneficial effects of inventions]

[0016] In the concealed slide fastener according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the film member held inside each fastener tape from being strongly pressed against and caught by the slider when the slider is slid, and thus it is possible to stably obtain favorable slidability of the slider. [Brief description of the drawings] Fig. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to a front-back direction of a concealed slide fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing a section perpendicular to a front-back direction of left and right zipper longitudinal parts in the Fig. 1 shows the concealed zipper. Fig. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing a slider of the Fig. 1 shows the concealed zipper. Fig. 4 is a front view of the Fig. 3 shown slider. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the Fig. 3 shown slider. [Mode of carrying out the invention]

[0017] A suitable embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to a front-back direction of a concealed slide fastener in the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a sectional view schematically showing a section perpendicular to a front-back direction of left and right zipper longitudinal members in the present embodiment. Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are a perspective view, a front view, and a plan view schematically showing a slider of the concealed slide fastener.

[0019] In the following description, the front-to-back direction is a direction along the longitudinal direction of a thin and long zipper longitudinal part 10 or a fastener tape 11, and is a direction along a sliding direction in which a slider 40 is slidable. Furthermore, with respect to the front-to-back direction, a sliding direction of the slider 40 when a concealed zipper 1 is closed is forward, and a sliding direction of the slider 40 when the concealed zipper 1 is opened is rearward.

[0020] The left-right direction is a direction along a direction in which a pair of the zipper longitudinal parts 10 in the concealed zipper 1 approach and separate from each other. Furthermore, with respect to the left-right direction, a direction of each of the left and right zipper longitudinal parts 10 approaching the zipper longitudinal part 10 on the other side is toward the inside in the left-right direction, and a direction of each of the left and right zipper longitudinal parts 10 separating from the zipper longitudinal part 10 on the other side is toward the outside in the left-right direction. The tape width direction is a direction along the fastener tape 11, which is perpendicular to a thickness direction of the fastener tape 11 in a sectional view and perpendicular to the front-back direction of the zipper longitudinal part 10 or the fastener tape 11.

[0021] The up-down direction is a direction perpendicular to the front-back direction and the left-right direction of the concealed fastener 1, and is a direction along the front-back direction of the concealed fastener 1 and the thickness direction of the fastener tape 11 in a state where the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged. In this case, a side on which the left and right fastener tapes 11 are arranged with respect to the left and right fastener elements 21 is the upper side, and a side on which the left and right fastener tapes 11 are arranged with respect to the left and right fastener tapes 11 is the lower side.

[0022] The concealed zipper 1 in the Fig. 1 has a left-right pair of the slide fastener lengths 10, in each of which a plurality of the coupling elements 21 are sewn to each of the left and right fastener tapes 11 to form link rows 20; and the slider 40 is slidably attached to the left and right link rows 20.

[0023] The concealed zipper 1 in the present embodiment is used by attaching it to, for example, a seat cover or the like of an automobile seat. Note that the use of the concealed zipper 1 in the present invention is not particularly limited.

[0024] In each of the left and right zipper longitudinal parts 10, the fastener tape 11 is formed to be thin and long in the front-back direction, and a plurality of the coupling elements 21 are sewn to a tape side edge portion of the fastener tape 11 with a sewing thread 35 (machine sewing thread).

[0025] The many coupling elements 21 are attached to the support tapes 11 on the rear surface side of the concealed slide fastener 1. In addition, in a state where the concealed slide fastener 1 is closed with the left and right coupling elements 21 engaged (see Fig. 2), the engaged left and right coupling elements 21 are covered and concealed from the upper side by the left and right support tapes 11, so that the coupling elements 21 can be concealed and made invisible from the outer surface (outward-facing surface) of the concealed slide fastener 1.

[0026] In each of the longitudinal fastener parts 10, the multiple coupling elements 21 are formed into a spiral shape by winding and forming a monofilament made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide or polyester. Thus, the multiple coupling elements 21 have a continuous spiral shape, in which each of the coupling elements 21 is connected to its adjacent coupling elements 21 in the front-to-back direction.

[0027] The plurality of continuous coupling elements 21 are attached to a link attaching portion 15 described later of each fastener tape 11 by double-thread chain stitches with the sewing thread 35, and each link row 20 formed by the plurality of coupling elements 21 is thereby formed along the front-back direction of the fastener tape 11.

[0028] Each of the coupling elements 21 has an engaging head portion 22 that is engaged with the coupling element 21 that is an engagement target; an upper leg portion 23 and a lower leg portion 24 that extend from an upper end portion and a lower end portion of the engaging head portion 22 in the left-right direction, respectively; and a connecting portion 25 that connects the upper leg portion 23 (or the lower leg portion 24) of the coupling element 21 to the lower leg portion 24 (or the upper leg portion 23) of the coupling element 21 adjacent in the front-right direction.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the upper leg portions 23 of the fastener elements 21 are arranged in contact with the fastener tapes 11, and the lower leg portions 24 are arranged away from the fastener tapes 11. A core strand member 26 having flexibility is inserted between each upper leg portion 23 and each lower leg portion 24 of the fastener elements 21. This core strand member 26 is attached to the fastener tapes 11 together with the fastener elements 21 by the sewing thread 35.

[0030] Each of the left and right supporting tapes 11 has a woven structure and is formed by weaving into a thin and long belt with a plurality of warp and weft threads. Note that in the present invention, the materials, fineness, and the like of the warp and weft threads used to manufacture the supporting tapes 11 are not particularly limited.

[0031] In one cut ( Fig. 2) in which the left and right fastener elements 21 are in an engaged state, for example, each of the left and right fastener tapes 11 has a tape main body portion 13, a tape fold-over portion 14 extending from a side edge portion of the tape main body portion 13 and folded in a U-shape, and the link attachment portion 15 extending in the tape width direction from the tape fold-over portion 14 and to which the fastener elements 21 are attached.

[0032] The tape main body portion 13 of the fastener tape 11 is formed by a plain weave structure and has a part to be sewn to a target product for attaching the zipper, such as a seat cover of a car seat. For example, the concealed zipper 1 in the present embodiment is attached to a car seat by sewing the tape main body portion 13 of the fastener tape 11 to a seat cover. Note that, in the present invention, specific shapes such as the weaving structure and the dimension in the tape width direction of the tape main body portions 13 of the fastener tapes 11 are not limited.

[0033] The tape folding portion 14 is disposed between the tape main body portion 13 and the link attachment portion 15 in the tape width direction of each fastener tape 11, and is formed to be folded in a U-shape so that the tape main body portion 13 and the link attachment portion 15 are superimposed on each other in the up-down direction.

[0034] The link attachment portion 15 is disposed on the underside of the band main body portion 13 so as to face the band main body portion 13. A part of the band folding portion 14 and a part of the link attachment portion 15 are provided with a hollow woven portion 16 formed by a double woven fabric, and two film pieces 30 are held in a state of vertically stacking inside this hollow woven portion 16.

[0035] In the present embodiment, the band fold-over portion 14 includes a first fold-over portion formed by a plain weave between the hollow weave portion 16 and the band main body portion 13, and a second fold-over portion formed by a part of the hollow weave portion 16. The link attachment portion 15 includes a first attachment portion formed by the other part of the hollow weave portion 16 except for the second fold-over portion, and a second attachment portion (band extension portion) extending from the first attachment portion toward the outside in the band width direction and formed by a plain weave. In this case, the second attachment portion is preferably formed using two or more and five or fewer warp threads.

[0036] With the link attaching portion 15 having the first and second attaching portions described above, when sewing processing is performed, it is possible to sew the coupling elements 21 to each fastener tape 11 using a double-thread chain stitch sewing machine as described above, to have one of two sewing machine needles of the sewing machine, one of which is arranged on the outer side, pierce the fastener tape 11 at a position on the outer side with respect to the film parts 30 of the fastener tape 11 in the left-right direction.

[0037] Thus, a needle thread 36 (a first needle thread 36a described later) with which seams are formed by this sewing machine needle can cross a looper thread 37 by penetrating the fastener tape 11 without penetrating the film pieces 30. Note that the weaving structure of the first fold-over portion of the tape fold-over portion 14 is not particularly limited in the present invention, and, for example, the entire tape fold-over portion 14 may be woven with a hollow weave structure. The weaving structure of the second attachment portion of the link attachment portion 15 is not limited as long as the second link attachment portion is formed by a plain weave.

[0038] In the tape width direction, the hollow woven portion 16 is continuously formed over at least a part of the tape fold-over portion 14 and at least a part of the link attachment portion 15. For example, in a cross-sectional view of the zipper longitudinal member 10, the hollow woven portion 16 includes an upper-side woven portion forming a tape inner peripheral surface of the hollow woven portion 16, a lower-side woven portion forming a tape outer peripheral surface of the hollow woven portion 16, a first binding portion connecting the upper-side woven portion and the lower-side woven portion on the link attachment portion 15 side, and a second binding portion connecting the upper-side woven portion and the lower-side woven portion on the tape fold-over portion 14 side.

[0039] The two film pieces 30 are inserted into the interior of the hollow weave portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 at the same time as the fastener tape 11 is woven. In this case, the two film pieces 30 are inserted into the interior of the hollow weave portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 simultaneously with the weaving of the fastener tape 11 and are held there by being arranged as one of the warp threads in a weaving machine capable of double weaving. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, each film piece 30 is arranged across the tape folding portion 14 and the link attachment portion 15 in the tape width direction of the fastener tape 11.

[0040] In the present embodiment, the two sheet members 30 are made of polyester resins. The two sheet members 30 are made of identical resins and are formed to have identical thicknesses. Note that in the present invention, the materials of the sheet members 30 are not particularly limited, and materials other than polyester resin may be used, for example, a resin such as polypropylene resin, nylon resin, polycarbonate resin, or the like. Furthermore, in the present invention, two sheet members 30 whose materials are different from each other may be held inside the hollow woven portion 16. Further, in the present invention, the sheet members include not only a member in which a resin is molded in a sheet shape, but also, for example, a sheet-shaped member or a thin member such as a film.A part in which at least a portion of a woven or knitted fabric is hardened or softened. In this case, the film parts preferably have a higher stiffness than the carrier tapes.

[0041] When the sewing process of sewing the coupling elements 21 to each fastener tape 11 is performed by the above-described double-thread chain stitch sewing machine, one of the two sewing machine needles, namely the one located on the inner side, pierces the two film pieces 30, while, as described above, the sewing machine needle located on the outer side pierces only the fastener tape 11 without piercing the two film pieces 30. Therefore, in each film piece 30 after the sewing process, many through-holes arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the film piece 30 are formed at a constant pitch or a substantially constant pitch. Note that, in the present invention, through-holes can be formed in two rows along the longitudinal direction of the film piece 30 by having both of the two sewing machine needles pierce the film piece 30.

[0042] Each of the upper and lower film members 30 has a thickness of 0.05 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less, preferably a thickness of 0.08 mm or more and 0.20 mm or less. With film members 30 each having a thickness of 0.05 mm or more, it is possible to appropriately increase the rigidity of the hollow woven portions 16 of the fastener tapes 11. With film members 30 each having a thickness of 0.30 mm or less, it is possible to facilitate the sewing machine needles from piercing the film members 30 when performing sewing on the fastener elements 21 and the fastener tapes 11. Note that in the present invention, the thicknesses of the film members 30 can be changed as needed in accordance with the materials and the like of the film members 30.

[0043] In one cut (see Fig. 2) of the left and right slide fastener stringers 10 in a state where the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged, the position of outer-side end edges in the film parts 30 in the tape width direction is preferably located on the inner side with respect to an outermost side edge of each fastener element 21 in the left-right direction, particularly on the inner side with respect to the connecting portion 25 of each fastener element 21. The position of the inner-side end edges in the film parts 30 in the tape width direction is preferably located on the further inner side with respect to the innermost lateral position of the core strand part 26 in the left-right direction.

[0044] Note that in the present embodiment, the two film pieces 30 are inserted into and held inside the hollow woven portion 16 as described above. However, in the present invention, the number of film pieces 30 held inside the hollow woven portion 16 is not particularly limited. Only one film piece 30 may be held inside the hollow woven portion 16, or three or more film pieces 30 may be held, for example, in accordance with the thicknesses and the like of the film pieces 30 to be used.

[0045] In each of the left and right zipper longitudinal parts 10, the sewing thread 35 for sewing the coupling elements 21 and the film parts 30 to the fastener tape 11 includes two needle threads 36 penetrating the fastener tape 11 and a looper thread 37 crossing the two needle threads 36. In the present embodiment, the needle threads 36 include the outside first needle thread 36a to be passed through the fastener tape 11 by one of two sewing machine needles installed in a sewing machine, and an inside second needle thread 36b to be passed through the fastener tape 11 by the other of the sewing machine needles.

[0046] In this case, the first needle thread 36a of the sewing thread 35 is arranged to penetrate the link attachment portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 without penetrating the film pieces 30. Furthermore, the first needle thread 36a may be arranged to press outer side edge portions of the film pieces 30, so that the positions of the film pieces 30 are not (or not easily) shifted in the tape width direction. Consequently, when sliding the slider 40 into the concealed slide fastener 1, it is possible to prevent the outer side edge portions of the film pieces 30 from interfering with the slider 40. Note that, in the present invention, the first needle thread 36a of the sewing thread 35 may include a portion that penetrates the fastener tape 11 and the film pieces 30.

[0047] The second needle thread 36b of the sewing thread 35 is arranged to penetrate both the fastener tape 11 and the film parts 30. This second needle thread 36b sews and secures the film parts 30 and the fastener tape 11. In this way, a shift in the positions of the film parts 30 in the tape length direction and the tape width direction relative to the fastener tape 11 can be prevented or suppressed.

[0048] The slider 40 in the present embodiment includes a slider body 41 and a pull piece (not shown) that is attached to the slider body 41 and is pulled when the slider 40 is operated. Note that in the present invention, the shape, size, material, and the like of the pull piece are not particularly limited. The slider body 41 has left-right symmetry with respect to a center plane passing through the center in the left-right direction.

[0049] The slider body 41 includes a bottom plate portion 42 constituting a bottom surface part of the slider body 41; a connecting column 43 rising from a central portion of the bottom plate portion 42 in the left-right direction; a top plate portion 44 extending from an upper end portion of the connecting column 43 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction; left and right side wall portions 48 extending from left and right side edge portions of the bottom plate portion 42; and left and right flange portions 49 extending from upper end portions of the side wall portions 48 toward the inside in the left-right direction.

[0050] Furthermore, the slider body 41 includes a tension member attachment column 51 provided on an upper surface of the upper plate portion 44, and an overhang portion 52 extending forward from a front end portion of the lower plate portion 42. Note that, in the present invention, the shapes and sizes of the tension member attachment column 51 and the overhang portion 52 are not particularly limited. Furthermore, the slider body 41 may be formed without the overhang portion 52.

[0051] At a front end portion of the slider body 41, left and right shoulder holes 53 are provided on both left and right sides of the connecting column 43. Each of the left and right shoulder holes 53 is formed with a size capable of inserting the coupling elements 21 on the left or right side and a part of the fastener tape 11 on the left or right side. Furthermore, the shoulder holes 53 are each formed to be surrounded by the bottom plate portion 42, the connecting column 43, the top plate portion 44, a side edge portion, and a flange portion 49 of the slider body 41.

[0052] A rear opening 54 is provided at a rear end portion of the slider body 41. The rear opening 54 is formed with a size that allows the interlocking coupling elements 21 on the left and right sides, a part of the fastener tape 11 on the left side, and a part of the fastener tape 11 on the right side to be inserted. Furthermore, the rear opening 54 is formed to be surrounded by the bottom plate portion 42, the left and right side edge portions, and the left and right flange portions 49 of the slider body 41.

[0053] A substantially Y-shaped link guide passage is provided inside the slider body 41 and communicates with the left and right shoulder openings 53 and the rear opening 54. Furthermore, at a portion of the upper surface of the slider body 41, as shown in Fig. 5, substantially Y-shaped tape insertion gaps 55 for inserting the left and right support tapes 11 from the shoulder openings 53 to the rear opening 54 of the slider body 41 are formed.

[0054] The bottom plate portion 42 of the slider body 41 is formed in the shape of a thin plate. The upper surface of the bottom plate portion 42 faces the link guide passage of the slider body 41. On the upper surface of the bottom plate portion 42, there are a shallow recessed portion and a curved portion located at a part where the left and right side wall portions 48 are connected.

[0055] The connecting column 43 is arranged at a front end portion of the lower plate portion 42. In the present embodiment, the connecting column 43 is formed by both a first body portion 61 and a second body portion 62 of the slider body 41, which will be described later. This connecting column 43 is provided with left and right fastening pawl portions 43a, which are plastically deformed when the second body portion 62 is assembled and fixed to the first body portion 61.

[0056] The top plate portion 44 is arranged to extend in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction from an upper end portion of the connecting column 43. In a plan view ( Fig. 5) of the slider body 41, the top plate portion 44 includes a top plate body portion 45 in the shape of an isosceles triangle; a top plate guide portion 46 extending from the top plate body portion 45 toward the front; and a top plate rear end portion 47 extending rearward from a rear end portion of the top plate body portion 45 and being thin and long. In this case, the connecting column 43 is provided to be connected to both the top plate body portion 45 and the top plate guide portion 46 of the top plate portion 44.

[0057] In a plan view of the slider body 41, the upper plate body portion 45 of the upper plate portion 44 is formed such that the apex corner of the isosceles triangle is located at a rear end portion of the upper plate body portion 45. The upper plate body portion 45 has a lower surface 45a facing the link guide passage of the slider body 41; an upper surface opposite the lower surface 45a; and left and right side surfaces located at equal side portions of the isosceles triangle.

[0058] The lower surface 45a of the upper plate body portion 45 is arranged to face the lower plate portion 42 and is formed as a flat surface perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction. Furthermore, in the up-down direction, the lower surface 45a of the upper plate body portion 45 is arranged at the lowest end position in the upper plate body portion 45 and is on the lower side with respect to the positions of the lower surfaces of the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41 in a front view ( Fig. 4) of the slider body 41. Side surfaces of the upper plate body portion 45 are arranged to face the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41, with the tape insertion gap 55 disposed therebetween.

[0059] The top plate guide portion 46 of the top plate portion 44 extends forward from the top plate body portion 45 so as to be inclined obliquely upward. The top plate guide portion 46 has a front surface 46a facing forward, an upper end surface facing upward, an upper inclined surface disposed between the upper end surface and the top plate body portion 45, a lower surface 46b disposed between a lower end portion of the front surface 46a and the top plate body portion 45, and left and right side wall surfaces.

[0060] The end surface 46a of the top plate guide portion 46 is formed as a planar surface perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Note that in the present invention, the end surface 46a perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the top plate guide portion 46 includes a flat surface or a curved surface, with which the end surface 46a of the top plate guide portion 46 is arranged substantially perpendicular to the front-rear direction by being inclined at an angle of 5° or less with respect to a plane perpendicular to, for example, the front-rear direction.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the lower end of the end surface 46a of the top plate guide portion 46, which is located at a lowest position, is arranged on the upper side with respect to the positions of the lower surfaces of the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41, and is arranged on the lower side with respect to the positions of the upper surfaces of the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41 in the up-down direction.

[0062] The upper end surface of the upper plate guide portion 46 is arranged perpendicular to the up-down direction. The tension member attachment column 51 is connected to the upper inclined surface of the upper plate guide portion 46.

[0063] The lower surface 46b of the upper plate guide portion 46 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes forward from a boundary portion relative to the upper plate body portion 45 so as to separate from the lower plate portion 42. With such an inclination of the lower surface 46b of the upper plate guide portion 46, when the slider 40 is pushed in a closing direction of the link rows 20, it is possible to easily tilt the coupling elements 21 to be inserted into the shoulder holes 53 of the slider body 41 so that they come into a suitable orientation by the lower surface of the upper plate guide portion 46, and it is possible to smoothly guide the coupling elements 21 toward a space between the upper plate body portion 45 and the lower plate portion 42.

[0064] In a top view ( Fig. 5) of the slider body 41, the upper plate rear end portion 47 of the upper plate portion 44 extends straight and rearward from the upper plate body portion 45 and is formed to be thin and long in the front-rear direction.

[0065] The left and right side wall portions 48 of the slider body 41 are provided at left and right side edge portions of the bottom plate portion 42 so as to be continuous from a front end portion to a rear end portion of the bottom plate portion 42. Each of the side wall portions 48 extends from the bottom plate portion 42 in the up-down direction toward the top side.

[0066] The left and right flange portions 49 of the slider body 41 extend from an upper end portion of the side wall portion 48 on the left or right side in the left-right direction toward the inside.

[0067] In a plan view of the slider body 41, the top plate portion 44 and the tape insertion gaps 55 described above are arranged between the left and right flange portions 49. In this case, in a region where inner side edge portions of the flange portions 49 and the top plate portion 44 face each other in the front-rear direction, the tape insertion gaps 55 into which each of the left and right fastener tapes 11 is to be inserted are provided at an appropriate distance between each of the flange portions 49 and the top plate portion 44. Furthermore, in a region where respective inner side edge portions of the left and right flange portions 49 face each other, the tape insertion gaps 55 into which the two contacting left and right fastener tapes 11 are to be inserted are provided at an appropriate distance between the left and right flange portions 49.

[0068] The slider body 41 in the present embodiment includes the first body part 61 including the bottom plate portion 42, a part of the connecting column 43, the left and right side wall portions 48, the left and right flange portions 49, and the overhang portion 52, and the second body part 62 including a part of the connecting column 43, including the left and right fastening pawl portions 43a, the top plate portion 44, and the pull-piece attachment column 51. Furthermore, the slider body 41 is formed by assembling and fixing the second body part 62 to the first body part 61.

[0069] In this case, the second body part 62 is fixed to the first body part 61 by attaching the second body part 62 to a part of the connecting column 43 provided in the first body part 61, and then pressing the left and right fastening pawl portions 43a provided in the second body part 62 toward the inside in the width direction and plastically deforming them. Note that in the present invention, the method, means, and the like for manufacturing the slider body 41 are not particularly limited, and the slider body can be formed from a single body part manufactured in a single molding step, for example.

[0070] In the concealed slide fastener 1 in the present embodiment, when a cross section ( Fig. 1) When viewed perpendicularly to the front-to-back direction of the left and right slide fastener longitudinal members 10 at the position of end edges of the flange portions 49 in the slider body 41, the positions of the inside end edges of the film members 30 held inside the hollow woven portions 16 of the left and right fastener tapes 11 are respectively arranged on the upper side with respect to a position H1 of a lower end of the top plate portion 44 of the slider body 41 in the up-down direction.

[0071] Here, the position of the end edges of the flange portions 49 includes not only the position of the end edges on the most forward side in the front-rear direction in the flange portions 49, but also positions that are 2 mm in front and behind and close to the end edges. The inside end edges of the film parts 30 mean lateral end edges located on the innermost side (the side closest to the belt main body portion 13 or the side closest to the support tape 11 on the other side) of the film parts 30 in the belt width direction when the above-described cross section ( Fig. 1) is considered.

[0072] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the above-described cross section ( Fig. 1), the positions of the inside end edges of the left and right film pieces 30 held inside the hollow fabric portions 16 are each preferably located on the upper side with respect to a position H2 of the lower surface of each flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, more preferably located on the upper side with respect to a position H3 of the lower end of the end surface 46a of the top plate portion 44 of the slider body 41, and particularly preferably located on the upper side with respect to a position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41 in the up-down direction.Note that, while the upper limit position of the inside end edge of the film parts 30 inside the hollow woven portions 16 is not particularly limited, the positions of the inside end edges of the film parts 30 are preferably located on the lower side with respect to the position of the upper end of the end surface 46a of the top plate portion 44 of the slider body 41, and may be located, for example, on the lower side with respect to the position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41.

[0073] In the present embodiment, the positions of the inside end edges of the film parts 30 when the above-described cross section ( Fig. 1) can be changed by, for example, adjusting the sizes of the film parts 30 in the tape width direction, the sizes of the link attachment portions 15 of the fastener tapes 11 in the tape width direction, the positions and sizes of the hollow woven portions 16 provided in the fastener tapes 11, and the like.

[0074] Next, a method for manufacturing the slide fastener longitudinal member 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0075] First, each fastener tape 11 comprising the hollow weave portion 16 of a hollow weave is woven using a weaving machine. By placing two superimposed film pieces 30 as one of the warp threads when weaving the fastener tape 11, the film pieces 30 are woven into the interior of the hollow weave portion 16 of the fastener tape 11.

[0076] Consequently, the belt-shaped fastener tape 11 is woven with the film pieces 30 held inside the hollow woven portion 16. At this time, the film pieces 30 are held inside the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 so that, when the concealed slide fastener 1 is manufactured, the positions of the inside end edges of the film pieces 30 in the slider body 41 are arranged on the upper side with respect to the position H1 of the lower end of the top plate portion 44.

[0077] Next, a sewing process is performed to sew the spiral-shaped fastener elements 21 to the link attachment portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 woven as described above using a double-thread chain stitch sewing machine. In the sewing process using the double-thread chain stitch sewing machine, in a state where the core strand member 26 is interposed between the upper leg portion 23 and the lower leg portion 24 of each fastener element 21, a plurality of the fastener elements 21 are sewn with the sewing thread 35 to the link attachment portion 15 of the belt-shaped fastener tape 11 that has not yet been folded into a U-shape.

[0078] In this sewing processing, one of the two sewing machine needles arranged in the sewing machine is made to pierce the fastener tape 11 at a position on the outside with respect to the film parts 30 of the fastener tape 11, and the other of the sewing machine needles is made to pierce both the fastener tape 11 and the film parts 30. At this time, since the fastener tape 11 in the present embodiment, as described above, has the second attachment portion made of a plain weave extending from the hollow weave portion 16 to the outside, it is possible to make the above-described one sewing machine needle stably pierce the fastener tape 11 at a position on the outside with respect to the film parts 30 of the fastener tape 11.

[0079] Further, the coupling elements 21 are sewn with the sewing thread 35 to the link attaching portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 in a state in which respective engaging head portions 22 face the tape turn-up portion 14 side of the fastener tape 11 while the upper leg portions 23 are in contact with the fastener tape 11.

[0080] After performing the above-described sewing processing, the fastener tape 11, to which the fastener elements 21 have been sewn, is folded into a U-shape at the tape turn-over portion 14, so that the engaging head portions 22 of the fastener elements 21 protrude outward from the tape turn-over portion 14. At this time, the film pieces 30 are fixed inside the hollow woven portion 16 by the sewing thread 35. Therefore, the film pieces 30 can be stably held inside the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11, so that they are located at a predetermined position in the fastener tape 11.

[0081] After the zipper longitudinal member 11 is folded as described above, heat-setting or the like is performed on the zipper longitudinal member 10 to maintain the shape of the zipper longitudinal member 11. Thus, the zipper longitudinal member 10 in the present embodiment is manufactured.

[0082] Furthermore, the Fig. 1 is manufactured by combining the manufactured zipper longitudinal parts 10 as a left-right set and attaching the slider 40 to the rows of links 20 of the left and right zipper longitudinal parts 10.

[0083] In the concealed slide fastener 1 manufactured through the above steps in the present embodiment, since the two film parts 30 are fixed inside each hollow web part 16 of the left and right fastener tapes 11, the rigidity of the regions where the hollow web parts 16 of the fastener tapes 11 are formed is increased by the film parts 30. Therefore, the tape turn-up portions 14 can be pressed by the film parts 30 to a position where the tape turn-up portions 14 of the left and right fastener tapes 11 are in close contact with each other or to a position close to the close contact position when the left and right fastener elements 21 are in an engaged state.

[0084] Consequently, the close contact state of the left and right tape foldover portions 14 in the concealed slide fastener 1 can be easily maintained. Therefore, even if, for example, a lateral pulling force is applied in a state where the left and right fastener elements 21 are engaged, a gap is not easily formed between the left and right fastener tapes 11, and it is possible to make the fastener elements 21 not easily visible from the top of the concealed slide fastener 1. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the concealability of the concealed slide fastener 1.

[0085] In addition, in the present embodiment, when a cross section ( Fig.1) When viewed perpendicular to the front-to-back direction of the left and right zipper longitudinal members 10 at the position of the end edges of the flange portions 49 of the slider body 41, the positions of the inside end edges of the film members 30 as described above on the upper side with respect to the position H1 of the lower end of the top plate portion 44 of the slider body 41 in the up-down direction.

[0086] Consequently, for example, when the slider 40 is slid in the engaging direction of the rows of links 20 in the concealed slide fastener 1, a part of the film pieces 30 held inside the fastener tapes 11 can be easily inserted into the tape insertion gaps 55 of the slider body 41. Thus, a situation can be prevented or suppressed in which the inside end edges of the film pieces 30 are strongly pressed against and caught by the connecting post 43 of the slider body 41, the limiting portion between the connecting post 43 and the top plate portion 44, the lower surface of the top plate portion 44, the left and right side wall surfaces of the top plate portion 44, or the like when the slider 40 is slid.

[0087] In this way, it is possible to stably achieve favorable slidability of the slider 40 by reducing the likelihood of occurrence of inconveniences such as an increase in sliding resistance of the slider 40, stopping of the sliding of the slider 40 during operation, and the like due to the film parts 30. Furthermore, since a user operating the slider 40 does not need to perform an operation of forcibly pulling the slider 40 that has stopped being caught by the film parts 30, as in the prior art, the support tapes 11 can be prevented from being damaged by a forcible operation of the slider 40.

[0088] Specifically, in the present embodiment, the positions of the inside end edges of the film members 30 are arranged on the upper side with respect to the position H2 of the lower surface of each flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, appropriately arranged on the upper side with respect to the position H3 of the lower end of the end surface 46a of the top plate portion 44, and further appropriately arranged on the upper side with respect to the position H4 of the upper surface of each flange portion 49 in the up-down direction.

[0089] Consequently, it is possible to more effectively prevent or suppress a situation in which the film parts 30 are pressed against and caught by the connecting column 43, the top plate portion 44, and the like of the slider body 41 when the slider 40 is pushed. Thus, it is possible to further reduce the likelihood of inconveniences such as those described above occurring when the slider 40 is pushed.

[0090] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified in various ways as long as the invention has substantially the same configurations as the present invention and exerts similar effects.

[0091] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the plurality of coupling elements 21 are formed in a continuous spiral shape. However, in the present invention, the shape of the coupling elements 21 is not limited, and, for example, the plurality of coupling elements 21 may be formed in a continuous zigzag shape by including many bent portions bent at right angles. [Description of reference symbols] 1 concealed zipper 10 Zipper lengthwise part 11 Carrying strap 13 Band main body section 14 Band folding section 15 link attachment sections 16 hollow tissue section 20-link row 21 coupling element 22 Intervention head section 23 upper leg section 24 lower leg section 25 connecting section 26 Core strand part 30 slide parts 35 sewing thread 36 needle thread 36a first needle thread 36b second needle thread 37 looper thread 40 sliders 41 slide body 42 sub-plate section 43 Connecting column 43a Fastening latch section 44 Top plate section 45 Upper plate fuselage section 45a lower surface 46 Top plate guide section 46a Frontal surface 46b lower surface 47 Top plate rear end section 48 side wall section 49 Flange section 51 Drawbar attachment column 52 overhang section 53 Shoulder opening 54 rear opening 55 Tape insertion gap 61 first fuselage section 62 second fuselage section H1 Position of the lower end of the top plate section H2 Position of the lower surface of the flange section H3 Position of the lower end of the end face of the sub-plate section H4 Position of the upper surface of the flange section QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 2011 / 030442 [0003, 0007]

Claims

[1] A concealed slide fastener (1) comprising: a left-right pair of slide fastener lengths (10), each of which has a plurality of coupling elements (21) sewn to a fastener tape (11) to form a link row (20); and a slider (40) slidably attached to the link rows (20), wherein each of the fastener tapes (11) has, when viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the slide fastener lengths (10), a tape main body portion (13), a tape turn-over portion (14) extending from a side edge portion of the tape main body portion (13) and folded over in a U-shape, and a link attachment portion (15) extending from the tape turn-over portion (14) and to which the coupling elements (21) are sewn, characterized by , that each of the support bands (11) has a hollow fabric section (16) formed on a part of the support band (11) by a double fabric, and at least one film part (30) held inside the hollow fabric section (16), the hollow fabric portion (16) is provided over at least a part of the band folding portion (14) and at least a part of the link attachment portion (15), a slider body (41) of the slider (40) has a lower plate portion (42), a connecting column (43) rising from a central portion of the lower plate portion (42) in a left-right direction, a top plate portion (44) extending from an upper end portion of the connecting column (43) in the left-right direction and a front-rear direction, left and right side wall portions (48) rising from left and right side edge portions of the lower plate portion (42), left and right flange portions (49) extending from upper end portions of the side wall portions (48) in the left-right direction toward an inner side, left and right shoulder openings (53) provided at a front end portion of the slider body (41), and a rear opening (54) provided at a rear end portion of the slider body (41), and when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts (10) is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions (49) of the slider body (41), inside end edges of the left and right film parts (30) are arranged on an upper side with respect to a lower end position (H1) of the top plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) in an up-down direction of the slider body (41). [2] Concealed zipper according to claim 1, characterized by that when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts (10) is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions (49), inside end edges of the left and right film parts (30) are arranged on an upper side with respect to a position (H2) of the lower surface of the flange portions (49) in the up-down direction of the slider body (41). [3] Concealed zipper according to claim 1, characterized by , that the top plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) has an end face (46a) facing forward and arranged perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts (10) is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions (49), inside end edges of the left and right film parts (30) are arranged on an upper side with respect to a lower end position (H3) of the end surface (46a) of the top plate portion (44) in the up-down direction of the slider body (41). [4] Concealed zipper according to claim 1, characterized bythat when the cross section of the zipper longitudinal parts (10) is viewed at a position of end edges of the flange portions (49), inside end edges of the left and right film parts (30) are arranged on an upper side with respect to a position (H4) of the upper surface of the flange portions (49) in the up-down direction of the slider body (41). [5] Concealed zipper according to claim 1, characterized by , that the coupling elements (21) are sewn to the link attachment portions (15) of the carrying straps (11) by double-thread chain stitches with a sewing thread (35) comprising two needle threads (36), and at least one of the needle threads (36) penetrates the hollow fabric sections (16) and the film parts (30) of the supporting tapes (11).

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