Hidden slide fastener

Abstract

To provide a hidden slide fastener capable of obtaining excellent slidability of a slider by preventing a film member from being strongly abutted to the slider and being caught by the slider.SOLUTION: A hidden slide fastener (1) includes a pair of fastener stringers (10) and a slider (40). Each one of fastener tapes (11) includes: a hollow-weaving part (16) formed by hollow-weaving; and at least one of film members (30) to be held inside the hollow-weaving part (16). The hollow-weaving part (16) is arranged over a portion from at least a part of a tape bending part (14) in the fastener tape (11) and at least a part of an element attachment part (15). When a cross-sectional face of the fastener stringer (10) is viewed at a position of a front end edge of a flange part (49) in a slider body (41), inner side end edges of the right and left film members (30) are respectively arranged on an upper side from a lower end position of an upper plate part (44) of the slider body (41) in a vertical direction of the slider body (41).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a concealed slide fastener. [Background technology]

[0002] One type of slide fastener is a hidden slide fastener that, when the left and right fastener elements are interlocked, can conceal the interlocked fastener elements from view from the outer surface of the slide fastener.

[0003] WO 2011 / 030442 (Patent Document 1) describes a fastener stringer used in a concealed slide fastener. The fastener stringer in Patent Document 1 has a woven fastener tape and a coil-shaped fastener element sewn to the fastener tape.

[0004] The fastener tape has a tape main body, a tape folding portion extending in the tape width direction from one side edge of the tape main body and folded into a U-shape, and an element mounting portion extending further from the tape folding portion. In the tape width direction of the fastener tape, a hollow woven portion is provided at the element mounting portion of the fastener tape and at a part of the tape folding portion. Two film bodies are stacked and enclosed within the hollow woven portion of the fastener tape.

[0005] The fastener element is sewn together with two film bodies to the element attachment portion of the fastener tape by a double chain stitch using a sewing thread including two needle threads and one looper thread. In this case, two sewing machine needles performing the double chain stitch pierce the film body in the hollow woven portion during the sewing process for sewing the fastener element to the fastener tape, so that multiple pairs of through holes are formed in the length direction of the film body, and a needle thread is passed through each through hole. As a result, the fastener element and the film body are fixed to the element attachment portion of the fastener tape by the sewing thread.

[0006] Furthermore, in the fastener stringer of Patent Document 1, the rigidity of the hollow woven portion of the fastener tape is increased by the film body within the hollow woven portion. Therefore, in a concealed slide fastener manufactured using the fastener stringer of Patent Document 1, for example, when the left and right fastener elements are engaged and a lateral pulling force is applied to the left and right fastener tapes that pulls them outward in the left-right direction, the formation of a gap between the left and right fastener tapes can be prevented or suppressed. This allows the concealment of the concealed slide fastener to be improved. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

[0008] In a hidden slide fastener manufactured using the fastener stringer of Patent Document 1 described above, for example, when the slider is slid in the direction of interlocking the left and right element rows, the film body held within the hollow woven portion of the fastener tape may be pressed strongly against a part of the slider and interfere strongly with the slider, which may increase the sliding resistance of the slider and make it difficult to operate.

[0009] Furthermore, when the slider is slid, the film body in the fastener tape may get caught on the slider, causing the slider to stop midway through its movement. In particular, in this case, the user operating the slider may forcibly pull the stopped slider, which may result in damage to the fastener tape of the concealed slide fastener.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to provide a hidden slide fastener that makes it difficult for the film member held within the fastener tape to be pressed strongly against the slider or to become caught when the slider is slid, thereby achieving good sliding properties for the slider. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a hidden slide fastener comprising a pair of left and right fastener stringers each having a row of elements formed by sewing a plurality of fastener elements to a fastener tape, and a slider slidably attached to the row of elements, each of the fastener tapes having, when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fastener stringer, a tape main body portion, a tape folding portion extending from one side edge of the tape main body portion and folded into a U-shape, and an element attachment portion extending from the tape folding portion and having the fastener elements sewn thereto, wherein the fastener tape has a hollow woven portion formed by double weaving in a part of the fastener tape, and at least one film member held within the hollow woven portion, and the hollow woven portion is formed by weaving the tape folding portion into a U-shape. a slider body of the slider that is provided across at least a part of the curved portion and at least a part of the element mounting portion and that has a lower plate portion, a connecting pillar rising from the left-right center of the lower plate portion, an upper plate portion extending in the left-right and front-rear directions from the upper end of the connecting pillar, left and right side wall portions rising from the left and right side edges of the lower plate portion, left and right flange portions extending inward in the left-right directions from the upper ends of the side wall portions, left and right shoulder openings provided at the front end of the slider body, and a rear opening provided at the rear end of the slider body, and that when the cross section of the fastener stringer is viewed at the position of the front end edges of the flange portions of the slider body, the inner side end edges of the left and right film members are each positioned higher than the lower end positions of the upper plate portions of the slider body in the up-down direction of the slider body.

[0012] In the hidden slide fastener of the present invention, when the cross section of the fastener stringer is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion, it is preferable that the inner side end edges of the left and right film members are each positioned above the lower surface position of the flange portion in the vertical direction of the slider body.

[0013] Furthermore, it is preferable that the upper plate portion of the slider body has a front end surface that faces forward and is arranged perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction, and when the cross section of the fastener stringer is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion, the inner side end edges of the left and right film members are each arranged above the lower end position of the front end face of the upper plate portion in the up-and-down direction of the slider body.

[0014] Furthermore, when the cross section of the fastener stringer is viewed at the position of the front edge of the flange portion, it is preferable that the inner side edges of the left and right film members are each positioned above the upper surface position of the flange portion in the vertical direction of the slider body.

[0015] In the present invention, it is preferable that the fastener element is sewn to the element mounting portion of the fastener tape by a double chain stitch using a sewing thread including two needle threads, and that at least one of the needle threads passes through the hollow woven portion of the fastener tape and the film member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] With the concealed slide fastener of the present invention, when the slider is slid, the film member held within the fastener tape is less likely to be pressed against the slider or to get caught, thereby enabling the slider to stably achieve good sliding properties. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1]1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of a hidden slide fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the left and right fastener stringers in the concealed slide fastener shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a slider of the concealed slide fastener shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of the slider shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the slider shown in FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the hidden slide fastener of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross section perpendicular to the front-rear direction of left and right fastener stringers of this embodiment. Fig. 3, Fig. 4, and Fig. 5 are a perspective view, a front view, and a plan view, respectively, schematically showing the slider of the hidden slide fastener.

[0019] In the following description, the front-to-rear direction is the direction along the length of the elongated fastener stringer 10 or fastener tape 11, and also the direction along the sliding direction of the slider 40. Furthermore, with regard to the front-to-rear direction, the direction in which the slider 40 slides when closing the hidden slide fastener 1 is referred to as the front, and the direction in which the slider 40 slides when opening the hidden slide fastener 1 is referred to as the rear.

[0020] The left-right direction is the direction along which a pair of fastener stringers 10 are moved toward or away from each other in the hidden slide fastener 1. Furthermore, with regard to the left-right direction, the side of each left and right fastener stringer 10 that approaches the other fastener stringer 10 is the inside in the left-right direction, and the side that moves away from the other fastener stringer 10 is the outside in the left-right direction. The tape width direction is the direction perpendicular to the thickness of the fastener tape 11 and along the fastener tape 11 in a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the fastener stringer 10 or fastener tape 11.

[0021] The up-down direction is a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction in the hidden slide fastener 1, and is a direction along the front-to-back direction of the hidden slide fastener 1 and the thickness direction of the fastener tape 11 when the left and right fastener elements 21 are interlocked. In this case, the side on which the left and right fastener tapes 11 are arranged relative to the left and right fastener elements 21 is the upper side, and the side on which the left and right fastener elements 21 are arranged relative to the left and right fastener tapes 11 is the lower side.

[0022] The hidden slide fastener 1 of this embodiment shown in Figure 1 has a pair of left and right fastener stringers 10 in which element rows 20 are formed by sewing multiple fastener elements 21 to left and right fastener tapes 11, respectively, and a slider 40 slidably attached to the left and right element rows 20. The concealed slide fastener 1 of this embodiment is used by being attached to, for example, a seat cover for an automobile seat, etc. In the present invention, the use of the concealed slide fastener 1 is not particularly limited.

[0023] Each of the left and right fastener stringers 10 has a fastener tape 11 formed long and narrow in the front-to-rear direction, and a plurality of fastener elements 21 sewn to the tape side edges of the fastener tape 11 with sewing thread 35 (sewing thread).

[0024] The multiple fastener elements 21 are attached to the back surface side of the hidden slide fastener 1 with respect to the fastener tape 11. When the left and right fastener elements 21 are interlocked and the hidden slide fastener 1 is closed (see FIG. 2), the interlocked left and right fastener elements 21 are covered from above by the left and right fastener tapes 11, so the fastener elements 21 can be made invisible from the outer surface side (the surface side exposed to the outside) of the hidden slide fastener 1.

[0025] In each fastener stringer 10, the multiple fastener elements 21 are formed by winding and molding a monofilament made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide or polyester into a coil shape. Therefore, the multiple fastener elements 21 have a continuous coil shape in which each fastener element 21 is connected to the fastener element 21 adjacent in the front-rear direction.

[0026] A plurality of consecutive fastener elements 21 are fixed to the element mounting portion 15 of the fastener tape 11, which will be described later, by double chain stitching with sewing thread 35, thereby forming an element row 20 consisting of a plurality of fastener elements 21 along the front-to-rear direction of the fastener tape 11.

[0027] Each fastener element 21 has an interlocking head 22 that interlocks with the mating fastener element 21, an upper leg portion 23 and a lower leg portion 24 that extend in the left-right direction from the upper end and lower end of the interlocking head 22, respectively, and a connecting portion 25 that connects the upper leg portion 23 (or lower leg portion 24) of the fastener element 21 to the lower leg portion 24 (or upper leg portion 23) of the fastener element 21 adjacent in the front-to-rear direction.

[0028] In this embodiment, the upper leg portion 23 of the fastener element 21 is disposed in contact with the fastener tape 11, and the lower leg portion 24 is disposed away from the fastener tape 11. A flexible core cord member 26 is inserted between the upper leg portion 23 and the lower leg portion 24 of the fastener element 21. This core cord member 26 is fixed to the fastener tape 11 together with the fastener element 21 by a sewing thread 35.

[0029] Each of the left and right fastener tapes 11 has a weave structure and is formed by weaving a plurality of warp threads and weft threads into a long, narrow strip shape. In the present invention, the material and fineness of the warp threads and weft threads forming the fastener tape 11 are not particularly limited.

[0030] Each of the left and right fastener tapes 11, for example, in a cross section (Figure 2) when the left and right fastener elements 21 are interlocked, has a tape main body portion 13, a tape folding portion 14 extending in the tape width direction from one side edge of the tape main body portion 13 and folded into a U-shape, and an element mounting portion 15 extending in the tape width direction from the tape folding portion 14 and to which the fastener element 21 is attached.

[0031] The tape main body 13 of the fastener tape 11 is formed of a single weave and has a portion that can be sewn to a fastener-receiving product such as a seat cover for an automobile seat. For example, the concealed slide fastener 1 of this embodiment is attached to an automobile seat by sewing the tape main body 13 of the fastener tape 11 to the seat cover. Note that in the present invention, the specific form of the weave of the tape main body 13 of the fastener tape 11, the dimension in the tape width direction, etc., is not limited.

[0032] The tape folding portion 14 is arranged between the tape main body 13 and the element mounting portion 15 in the tape width direction of the fastener tape 11, and is formed by folding the tape main body 13 and the element mounting portion 15 in a U-shape so that they overlap in the vertical direction.

[0033] The element mounting portion 15 is disposed below the tape main body portion 13 so as to face the tape main body portion 13. A hollow woven portion 16 formed by double weaving is provided in a part of the tape folding portion 14 and a part of the element mounting portion 15, and two film members 30 are held in a vertically overlapping state within this hollow woven portion 16.

[0034] In this embodiment, the tape folding portion 14 has a first folding portion formed by a single weave between the hollow woven portion 16 and the tape main body portion 13, and a second folding portion formed by a part of the hollow woven portion 16. The element mounting portion 15 has a first mounting portion formed by the remaining part of the hollow woven portion 16 excluding the second folding portion, and a second mounting portion (tape extension portion) extending outward in the tape width direction from the first mounting portion and formed by a single weave. In this case, the second mounting portion is preferably formed using two to five warp threads.

[0035] Since the element mounting portion 15 has the first mounting portion and the second mounting portion described above, when performing the sewing process of sewing the fastener element 21 to the fastener tape 11 using a double chain stitch sewing machine as described below, the outer one of the two sewing needles of the sewing machine can be pierced through the fastener tape 11 at a position outside the film member 30 of the fastener tape 11 in the left-right direction.

[0036] Therefore, one needle thread 36 (first needle thread 36a described later) that forms a stitch with this sewing machine needle can penetrate the fastener tape 11 without penetrating the film member 30 and intersect with the looper thread 37. In the present invention, the weave of the first folded portion of the tape folded portion 14 is not particularly limited, and for example, the entire tape folded portion 14 may be woven with a hollow weave. The weave of the second mounting portion of the element mounting portion 15 is not particularly limited as long as the second mounting portion is formed with a single weave.

[0037] The hollow woven portion 16 is formed continuously in the tape width direction over at least a portion of the tape folded portion 14 and at least a portion of the element mounting portion 15. In a cross-sectional view of the fastener stringer 10, for example, the hollow woven portion 16 has an upper woven portion that forms the inner peripheral surface of the tape of the hollow woven portion 16, a lower woven portion that forms the outer peripheral surface of the tape of the hollow woven portion 16, a first bonding portion that connects the upper and lower woven portions on the element mounting portion 15 side, and a second bonding portion that connects the upper and lower woven portions on the tape folded portion 14 side.

[0038] The two film members 30 are inserted into the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 at the same time as the fastener tape 11 is woven. In this case, the two film members 30 are set as one of the warp threads on a loom capable of double weaving, and are inserted and held in the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 when the fastener tape 11 is woven. In addition, the film member 30 of this embodiment is arranged across the tape folding portion 14 and the element mounting portion 15 in the tape width direction of the fastener tape 11.

[0039] In this embodiment, the two film members 30 are made of polyester resin. The two film members 30 are made of the same synthetic resin and have the same thickness. 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 be used. In the present invention, two film members 30 made of different materials may be held within the hollow woven portion 16. Furthermore, the film member of the present invention includes not only a member formed from a synthetic resin into a film, but also a film-like or thin member, such as a member formed by hardening or softening at least a portion of a woven or knitted fabric. In this case, the film member preferably has higher rigidity than the fastener tape.

[0040] When performing the sewing process of sewing the fastener elements 21 to the fastener tape 11 using the double chain stitch sewing machine described above, the inner one of the two sewing needles pierces the two film members 30, but the outer one, as described above, pierces only the fastener tape 11 without piercing the two film members 30. Therefore, in the film member 30 after the sewing process, a plurality of through holes are formed at regular or approximately regular intervals in a row in the length direction of the film member 30. Note that in the present invention, two rows of through holes along the length direction of the film member 30 may be formed by piercing the film member 30 with both of the two sewing needles.

[0041] 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 0.08 mm or more and 0.20 mm or less. When the thickness of the film member 30 is 0.05 mm or more, the rigidity of the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 can be appropriately increased. When the thickness of the film member 30 is 0.30 mm or less, it becomes easier to pierce the film member 30 with a sewing needle when sewing the fastener element 21 and the fastener tape 11. In the present invention, the thickness of the film member 30 can be changed as appropriate depending on the material of the film member 30, etc.

[0042] In a cross section of the left and right fastener stringers 10 in a state in which the left and right fastener elements 21 are interlocked (see FIG. 2), the position of the outer side edge of the film member 30 is preferably arranged more inward in the tape width direction than the outermost side edge in the left and right direction of the fastener element 21, in particular, more inward than the connecting portion 25 of the fastener element 21. The position of the inner side edge of the film member 30 is preferably arranged further inward in the tape width direction than the innermost position in the left and right direction of the core cord member 26.

[0043] In this embodiment, as described above, two film members 30 are inserted and held in the hollow woven portion 16. However, in the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the number of film members 30 held in the hollow woven portion 16. Only one film member 30 may be held in the hollow woven portion 16, or three or more film members 30 may be held, depending on, for example, the thickness of the film member 30 used.

[0044] In each of the left and right fastener stringers 10, the sewing thread 35 that sews the fastener elements 21 and the film member 30 to the fastener tape 11 includes two needle threads 36 that pass through the fastener tape 11 and one looper thread 37 that intersects with the two needle threads 36. The needle threads 36 in this embodiment include an outer first needle thread 36a that is passed through the fastener tape 11 by one of two sewing machine needles installed in a sewing machine, and an inner second needle thread 36b that is passed through the fastener tape 11 by the other sewing machine needle.

[0045] In this case, the first needle thread 36a of the sewing thread 35 is arranged to penetrate the element attachment portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 without penetrating the film member 30. The first needle thread 36a may also be arranged to press the outer edge of the film member 30 so that the position of the film member 30 does not shift (or is less likely to shift) in the tape width direction. This makes it possible to prevent the outer edge of the film member 30 from interfering with the slider 40 when sliding the slider 40 in the concealed slide fastener 1. Note that in the present invention, the first needle thread 36a of the sewing thread 35 may have a portion that penetrates the fastener tape 11 and the film member 30.

[0046] 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 second needle thread 36b sews and fixes the film member 30 to the fastener tape 11. This makes it 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 tape width direction.

[0047] The slider 40 of this embodiment has a slider body 41 and a pull tab (not shown) that is attached to the slider body 41 and is pulled when the slider 40 is operated. Note that the shape, size, material, etc. of the pull tab are not particularly limited in the present invention. The slider body 41 has a shape that is symmetrical with respect to a central plane that passes through the center in the left-right direction.

[0048] The slider body 41 has a lower plate portion 42 that forms the bottom surface of the slider body 41, a connecting pillar 43 that rises from the center of the lower plate portion 42 in the left-right direction, an upper plate portion 44 that extends from the upper end of the connecting pillar 43 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction, left and right side wall portions 48 that rise from the left and right side edges of the lower plate portion 42, and left and right flange portions 49 that extend inward in the left-right direction from the upper ends of the side wall portion 48.

[0049] The slider body 41 also has a pull-tab mounting post 51 provided on the upper surface of the upper plate 44 and a protruding piece 52 extending forward from the front end of the lower plate 42. In the present invention, the shapes and sizes of the pull-tab mounting post 51 and the protruding piece 52 are not particularly limited. The slider body 41 may also be formed without the protruding piece 52.

[0050] At the front end of the slider body 41, left and right shoulder openings 53 are provided on both the left and right sides of the connecting pillar 43. Each of the left and right shoulder openings 53 is formed to have a size that allows the left or right fastener element 21 and a part of the left or right fastener tape 11 to be inserted therethrough. In addition, the shoulder opening 53 is formed so as to be surrounded by the lower plate portion 42, connecting pillar 43, upper plate portion 44, one side edge portion, and one flange portion 49 of the slider body 41.

[0051] A rear opening 54 is provided at the rear end of the slider body 41. The rear opening 54 is formed with a size that allows the mutually interlocked left and right fastener elements 21, a portion of the left fastener tape 11, and a portion of the right fastener tape 11 to be inserted therethrough. The rear opening 54 is also formed so as to be surrounded by the lower plate portion 42, the left and right side edge portions, and the left and right flange portions 49 of the slider body 41.

[0052] An approximately Y-shaped element guide path that communicates with the left and right shoulder openings 53 and the rear opening 54 is provided inside the slider body 41. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5, an approximately Y-shaped tape insertion gap 55 for inserting the left and right fastener tapes 11 is formed on the top surface of the slider body 41 from the shoulder openings 53 of the slider body 41 to the rear opening 54.

[0053] The lower plate portion 42 of the slider body 41 is formed in a thin plate shape. The upper surface of the lower plate portion 42 is arranged to face 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 portion where the left and right side wall portions 48 are connected.

[0054] The connecting pillar 43 is disposed at the front end of the lower plate portion 42. In this embodiment, the connecting pillar 43 is formed by both a first body member 61 and a second body member 62 (described later) of the slider body 41. The connecting pillar 43 is provided with left and right fixing claws 43a that are plastically deformed when the second body member 62 is assembled and fixed to the first body member 61.

[0055] The upper plate portion 44 is disposed so as to extend in the left-right and front-rear directions from the upper end of the connecting pillar 43. In a plan view of the slider body 41 ( FIG. 5 ), the upper plate portion 44 has an upper plate main body portion 45 having an isosceles triangle shape, an upper plate guide portion 46 extending forward from the upper plate main body portion 45, and an upper plate rear end portion 47 extending rearward in an elongated shape from the rear end portion of the upper plate main body portion 45. In this case, the connecting pillar 43 is provided so as to be connected to both the upper plate main body portion 45 and the upper plate guide portion 46 of the upper plate portion 44.

[0056] The upper plate main body 45 of the upper plate portion 44 is formed such that, in a plan view of the slider body 41, the apex angle of an isosceles triangle is located at the rear end of the upper plate main body 45. The upper plate main body 45 has a lower surface 45a facing the element guide path of the slider body 41, an upper surface located on the opposite side of the lower surface 45a, and left and right side surfaces located on the equilateral parts of the isosceles triangle.

[0057] The lower surface 45a of the upper plate main body portion 45 is disposed opposite the lower plate portion 42 and is formed on a plane perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the up-down direction. The lower surface 45a of the upper plate main body portion 45 is disposed at the lowest lower end position of the upper plate main body portion 45 in the up-down direction when viewed from the front of the slider body 41 (FIG. 4), and is disposed below the position of the lower surface 45a of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41. The side surface of the upper plate main body portion 45 is disposed opposite the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41 across the tape insertion gap 55.

[0058] The upper plate guide portion 46 of the upper plate portion 44 extends obliquely upward toward the front from the upper plate main body portion 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 portion 45, a lower surface 46b disposed between the lower end of the front end surface 46a and the upper plate main body portion 45, and left and right side wall surfaces.

[0059] The front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46 is formed as a flat surface that is disposed perpendicular to the front-rear direction. Note that in the present invention, the front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46 that is perpendicular to the front-rear direction also includes a flat surface or a curved surface that is inclined at an angle of 5° or less with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to the front-rear direction, so that the front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46 is disposed approximately perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0060] In this embodiment, the lower end, which is located at the lowest position of the front end surface 46a of the upper plate guide portion 46, 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. The upper end surface of the upper plate guide portion 46 is disposed perpendicular to the vertical direction. A pull tab mounting post 51 is connected to the upper inclined surface of the upper plate guide portion 46.

[0061] The lower surface 46b of the upper plate guide portion 46 is formed as an inclined surface that slopes forward from the boundary with the upper plate main body portion 45 and away from the lower plate portion 42. Because the lower surface 46b of the upper plate guide portion 46 is inclined in this manner, when the slider 40 is slid in the closing direction of the element row 20, the fastener element 21 inserted into the shoulder opening 53 of the slider body 41 can be easily tilted to an appropriate posture by the lower surface of the upper plate guide portion 46 and can be smoothly guided toward between the upper plate main body portion 45 and the lower plate portion 42.

[0062] The upper plate rear end portion 47 of the upper plate portion 44 extends straight rearward from the upper plate main body portion 45 in a plan view of the slider body 41 (FIG. 5), and is formed elongated along the front-rear direction.

[0063] The left and right side wall portions 48 of the slider body 41 are provided continuously on the left and right side edges of the lower plate portion 42, from the front end to the rear end of the lower plate portion 42. Each side wall portion 48 extends upward from the lower plate portion 42 in the vertical direction. The left and right flange portions 49 of the slider body 41 extend inward in the left-right direction from the upper end of the left or right side wall portion 48 .

[0064] In a plan view of the slider body 41, the above-mentioned upper plate portion 44 and tape insertion gap 55 are disposed between the left and right flange portions 49. In this case, in a region where the inner side edges of the flange portions 49 and the upper plate portion 44 face each other in the front-rear direction, the tape insertion gap 55, through which one of the left and right fastener tapes 11 is inserted, is provided at an appropriate interval between the flange portions 49 and the upper plate portion 44. Furthermore, in a region where the inner side edges of the left and right flange portions 49 face each other, the tape insertion gap 55, through which both the left and right fastener tapes 11 are inserted while being in contact with each other, is provided at an appropriate interval between the left and right flange portions 49.

[0065] The slider body 41 of this embodiment has a first body member 61 including a lower plate portion 42, a portion of the connecting pillar 43, left and right side wall portions 48, left and right flange portions 49, and a protruding piece portion 52, and a second body member 62 including a portion of the connecting pillar 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 body member 62 to the first body member 61.

[0066] In this case, the second body member 62 is fixed to the first body member 61 by attaching the second body member 62 to a part of the connecting column 43 provided on the first body member 61, and then pressing the left and right fixing claws 43a provided on the second body member 62 inward in the width direction to cause plastic deformation. Note that in the present invention, the method and means for producing the slider body 41 are not particularly limited, and for example, the slider body may be formed from a single member that is produced in a single molding process.

[0067] In the hidden slide fastener 1 of this embodiment, when a cross section (Figure 1) perpendicular to the front-to-back direction of the left and right fastener stringers 10 is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion 49 in the slider body 41, the positions of the inner side edges of the film member 30 held within the hollow woven portion 16 of the left and right fastener tapes 11 are each located above the position H1 of the lower end of the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41 in the vertical direction.

[0068] Here, the position of the front edge of the flange portion 49 includes not only the position of the frontmost front edge of the flange portion 49 in the front-to-rear direction, but also positions adjacent to that front edge within 2 mm forward and rearward. The inner side edge of the film member 30 means the side edge that is located on the innermost side of the film member 30 in the tape width direction (the side closest to the tape main body portion 13 or the side closest to the mating fastener tape 11) when viewing the above-mentioned cross section (FIG. 1).

[0069] In this embodiment, when viewed in the cross section (FIG. 1) described above, the positions of the inner edges of the left and right film members 30 held within the hollow woven portion 16 are preferably located above position H2 of the underside of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, more preferably above position H3 of the lower end of the front end face 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. Note that the upper limit position of the inner edges of the film members 30 within the hollow woven portion 16 is not particularly limited, but the position of the inner edges of the film members 30 is preferably located below the upper end of the front end face 46a of the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41, and may be located below position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, for example.

[0070] In this embodiment, the position of the inner side edge of the film member 30 when viewed in the above-mentioned cross section (Figure 1) can be changed, for example, by adjusting the size of the film member 30 in the tape width direction, the size of the element mounting portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 in the tape width direction, and the position and size of the hollow woven portion 16 provided on the fastener tape 11.

[0071] Next, a method for manufacturing the fastener stringer 10 according to this embodiment will be described. First, a loom is used to weave a fastener tape 11 having a double-woven hollow portion 16. When weaving the fastener tape 11, two overlapping film members 30 are set as one of the warp threads, so that the film member 30 is woven into the hollow portion 16 of the fastener tape 11.

[0072] This results in weaving of a strip-shaped fastener tape 11 in which the film member 30 is held within the hollow woven portion 16. At this time, the film member 30 is held within the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11 so that, when the concealed slide fastener 1 is manufactured, the position of 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 with respect to the slider body 41.

[0073] Next, a double chain stitch sewing machine is used to perform a sewing process in which the coil-shaped fastener elements 21 are sewn to the element attachment portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 woven as described above. In the sewing process using the double chain stitch sewing machine, the multiple fastener elements 21 are sewn to the element attachment portion 15 of the belt-shaped fastener tape 11 before being folded into a U shape with a sewing thread 35, with the core cord member 26 inserted between the upper leg portion 23 and the lower leg portion 24 of each fastener element 21.

[0074] In this sewing process, one of two sewing needles arranged on a sewing machine is pierced through the fastener tape 11 at a position outside the film member 30 of the fastener tape 11, and the other sewing needle is pierced through both the fastener tape 11 and the film member 30. At this time, since the fastener tape 11 of this embodiment has the single-woven second attachment portion extending outward from the hollow woven portion 16 as described above, the one sewing needle can be stably pierced through the fastener tape 11 at a position outside the film member 30 of the fastener tape 11.

[0075] Furthermore, each fastener element 21 is sewn to the element mounting portion 15 of the fastener tape 11 by sewing thread 35 with its respective interlocking head 22 facing the tape folding portion 14 of the fastener tape 11 and its upper leg portion 23 in contact with the fastener tape 11.

[0076] After the above-mentioned sewing process is performed, the fastener tape 11 to which the fastener elements 21 are sewn is folded into a U-shape at the tape folding portion 14, thereby causing the interlocking heads 22 of the fastener elements 21 to protrude outward from the tape folding portion 14. At this time, the film member 30 in the hollow woven portion 16 is fixed by the sewing thread 35. Therefore, the film member 30 can be stably held at a predetermined position of the fastener tape 11 in the hollow woven portion 16 of the fastener tape 11.

[0077] After the fastener tape 11 is folded as described above, the fastener stringer 10 is subjected to heat setting or the like to maintain the shape of the fastener tape 11. In this way, the fastener stringer 10 of this embodiment is manufactured. Furthermore, the manufactured fastener stringers 10 are combined into a pair on the left and right, and sliders 40 are attached to the element rows 20 of the left and right fastener stringers 10, thereby manufacturing the hidden slide fastener 1 shown in FIG.

[0078] In the concealed slide fastener 1 of this embodiment manufactured by the above process, two film members 30 are fixed respectively within the hollow woven portions 16 of the left and right fastener tapes 11, and therefore the rigidity of the region where the hollow woven portions 16 of the fastener tape 11 are formed is increased by the film members 30. Therefore, when the left and right fastener elements 21 are in an interlocking state, the film members 30 can press the tape folded portions 14 up to the position where the tape folded portions 14 of the left and right fastener tapes 11 come into close contact with each other or up to the vicinity of the position where they come into close contact with each other.

[0079] This makes it easier to maintain a close contact state between the left and right tape folding portions 14 of the concealed slide fastener 1. For this reason, even if a lateral pulling force is applied when the left and right fastener elements 21 are interlocked, gaps are less likely to form between the left and right fastener tapes 11, making it possible to make the fastener elements 21 less visible from above the concealed slide fastener 1. Therefore, the concealment of the concealed slide fastener 1 can be improved.

[0080] In this embodiment, when a cross section (Figure 1) perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the left and right fastener stringers 10 is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41, the position of the inner side edge of the film member 30 is arranged 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.

[0081] This makes it possible to easily insert a portion of the film member 30 held within the fastener tape 11 into the tape insertion gap 55 of the slider body 41 when, for example, the slider 40 of the concealed slide fastener 1 is slid in the meshing direction of the element row 20. This makes it possible to prevent or suppress the inner side edge of the film member 30 from being strongly pressed against or caught on the connecting posts 43 of the slider body 41, the boundary between the connecting posts 43 and the upper plate portion 44, the underside of the upper plate portion 44, or the left and right side wall surfaces of the upper plate portion 44 when the slider 40 is slid.

[0082] This makes it difficult for problems to occur, such as an increase in the sliding resistance of the slider 40 and the slider 40 stopping during operation due to the film member 30, and makes it possible to stably obtain good sliding properties of the slider 40. As a result, a user operating the slider 40 does not need to forcibly pull the slider 40 that has stopped due to being caught on the film member 30, as in the conventional case, and therefore damage to the fastener tape 11 caused by forcible operation of the slider 40 can be prevented.

[0083] In particular, in this embodiment, the position of the inner side edge of the film member 30 is arranged above the position H2 of the underside of the flange portion 49 of the slider body 41 in the vertical direction, preferably above the position H3 of the lower end of the front end face 46a of the upper plate portion 44, and even more preferably above the position H4 of the upper surface of the flange portion 49.

[0084] This more effectively prevents or suppresses the film member 30 from being pressed against or caught on the connecting posts 43 and the upper plate portion 44 of the slider body 41 when the slider 40 slides. This makes it more unlikely that the above-mentioned problems will occur when the slider 40 slides.

[0085] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible as long as they have substantially the same configuration as the present invention and provide similar effects. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the multiple fastener elements 21 are formed in a continuous coil shape. However, in the present invention, the shape of the fastener elements 21 is not limited, and the multiple fastener elements 21 may be formed in a continuous zigzag shape by including multiple bent portions that bend at right angles, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1. Hidden slide zipper 10 Zipper Stringer 11 Zipper Tape 13 Tape main body 14 Tape folding section 15 Element mounting part 16 Bag Weaving Section 20 element string 21 Fastener element 22 Interlocking head 23 Upper leg 24 Lower leg 25 Connecting part 26 Core cord member 30 Film material 35 Sewing thread 36 Needle thread 36a 1st needle thread 36b 2nd needle thread 37 Looper thread 40 Slider 41 Slider body 42 Lower plate part 43 Connecting column 43a Fixed claw part 44 Upper plate 45 Upper plate body 45a Bottom side 46 Upper plate guide part 46a Front end surface 46b Bottom side 47 Rear end of upper plate 48 Side wall 49 Flange 51 Handle mounting post 52 Projection piece 53 Shoulder 54 Aftertaste 55 Tape insertion gap 61 First fuselage member 62 Second fuselage member H1 Position of the bottom edge of the upper plate H2 Position of the bottom surface of the flange H3 Position of the lower edge of the front end face of the upper plate H4 Position of the top surface of the flange

Claims

1. A hidden slide fastener (1) comprising a pair of left and right fastener stringers (10) each having a plurality of fastener elements (21) sewn to a fastener tape (11) to form an element row (20), and a slider (40) slidably attached to the element row (20), wherein each of the fastener tapes (11), when viewed in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the fastener stringer (10), has a tape main body (13), a tape folding portion (14) extending from one side edge of the tape main body (13) and folded into a U-shape, and an element attachment portion (15) extending from the tape folding portion (14) and to which the fastener elements (21) are sewn, The fastener tape (11) has a hollow woven portion (16) formed by double weaving in a part of the fastener tape (11), and at least one film member (30) held in the hollow woven portion (16), The hollow woven portion (16) is provided across at least a portion of the tape folded portion (14) and at least a portion of the element mounting portion (15), The slider body (41) of the slider (40) has a lower plate portion (42), a connecting pillar (43) rising from the center of the lower plate portion (42) in the left-right direction, an upper plate portion (44) extending in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction from the upper end of the connecting pillar (43), 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 inward in the left-right direction from the upper end of the side wall portion (48), left and right shoulder openings (53) provided at the front end of the slider body (41), and a rear opening (54) provided at the rear end of the slider body (41), When the cross section of the fastener stringer (10) is viewed 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 film members (30) are each arranged above the lower end position (H1) of the upper plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) in the vertical direction of the slider body (41). A hidden slide fastener.

2. When the cross section of the fastener stringer (10) is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49), the inner side end edges of the left and right film members (30) are each arranged above the lower surface position (H2) of the flange portion (49) in the vertical direction of the slider body (41).

2. The concealed slide fastener according to claim 1.

3. The upper plate portion (44) of the slider body (41) has a front end surface (46a) facing forward and disposed perpendicular to the front-rear direction, When the cross section of the fastener stringer (10) is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49), the inner side end edges of the left and right film members (30) are each arranged above the lower end position (H3) of the front end surface (46a) of the upper plate portion (44) in the vertical direction of the slider body (41).

2. The concealed slide fastener according to claim 1.

4. When the cross section of the fastener stringer (10) is viewed at the position of the front end edge of the flange portion (49), the inner side end edges of the left and right film members (30) are each arranged above the upper surface position (H4) of the flange portion (49) in the vertical direction of the slider body (41).

2. The concealed slide fastener according to claim 1.

5. The fastener element (21) is sewn to the element mounting portion (15) of the fastener tape (11) by double chain stitching with a sewing thread (35) including two needle threads (36), At least one of the needle threads (36b) passes through the hollow woven portion (16) of the fastener tape (11) and the film member (30).

2. The concealed slide fastener according to claim 1.

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