Female engagement member, female snap button, and snap fastener

Abstract

To provide a female engagement member, a female snap button, and a snap fastener that allow attachment to a sheet using a snap fastener attaching machine, while reducing the distance between sheets to which the male and female snap buttons are attached.SOLUTION: There is provided a female engagement member 22 constituting a female snap button 10 having a female engagement portion 23 that is detachably engageable with a male engagement portion 14 of a male engagement member 12 of a male snap button 11, where the female engagement portion 23 is provided at one end, and a clinching projection 24 is provided at the other end. The female engagement portion 23 is cylindrical and has a recessed space 26 that is open toward one end from the outer edge of a disk-shaped substrate 25 so as to be detachably engageable with the male engagement portion 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a snap fastener, a female snap button among male and female snap buttons that can be engaged with and disengaged from each other and that constitute the snap fastener, and a female engaging member that constitutes the female snap button. [Background technology]

[0002] As a conventional synthetic resin snap fastener, one having a female snap button 1 and a male snap button 51 that can be freely engaged and disengaged with each other, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6(A) is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] The female snap button 1 has a female engaging member (also called a socket or spring) 2 and a female-side retaining member (also called a head or rivet) 3 that holds it. The female engaging member 2 has a generally cylindrical female engaging portion 5 that protrudes from the outer edge of a ring-shaped base plate 4 on one side thereof, an outward flange 6 connected to the tip of the protruding portion, and a folded portion 7 on the outer edge of the outward flange 6. The retaining member 3 has a generally disk-shaped head 8 with a crimping projection 9 protruding from the center of one side of the head 8.

[0004] The female snap button 1 configured in this manner is attached to the sheet S1 by inserting the crimping protrusion 9, which has been pierced through the sheet S1, such as a fabric for clothing or small items, into the central opening 4a of the base plate 4, and then striking the tip of the crimping protrusion 9 to expand and deform it, thereby crimping the crimping protrusion 9 to the base plate 4.

[0005] On the other hand, male snap button 51 has a male engaging member (also called a stud or a pin) 52 and a male retaining member (also called a post, a pin or a rivet) 53 that holds it. Male engaging member 52 is configured by concentrically protruding a substantially cylindrical engaging male portion 55 with a smaller diameter than base plate 54 from one surface side of a substantially disk-shaped base plate 54. Retaining member 53 is configured by protruding a crimping projection 57 from the center of one surface side of a substantially disk-shaped head 56.

[0006] The male snap button 51 configured in this manner is attached to the sheet S2 by inserting the crimping protrusion 57, which has been pierced through the sheet S2, such as fabric for clothing or small items, into the central opening 54a provided in the center of the base plate 54, and then applying a blow to the tip of the crimping protrusion 57 to expand its diameter and deform it, thereby crimping the crimping protrusion 57 to the base plate 54. The central opening 54a has a smaller diameter than the engaging male part 55.

[0007] Then, by inserting the engaging male part 55 of the male snap button 51 attached to the sheet S2 into the engaging female part 5 of the female snap button 1 attached to the sheet S1, the engaging female part 55 releasably engages with the engaging male part 5. There are various structures for this engagement, such as one in which a part on the inner peripheral surface of the engaging female part 5 that becomes smaller in diameter towards its open end (outward flange 6) engages with a part on the outer peripheral surface of the engaging male part 55 that becomes larger in diameter towards its tip end (away from the substrate 54), or one in which a bulging part on the inner peripheral surface of the engaging female part 5 that bulges outwards engages with a bulging part on the outer peripheral surface of the engaging male part 55 that bulges outwards. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4725738 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3186877 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4706843 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] In the above-mentioned conventional snap fastener, as shown in Figure 6(A), when both snap buttons 1, 51 (female engaging portion 5, male engaging portion 55) are engaged, the female engaging member 2 and male engaging member 52 are present between the sheet S1 to which the female snap button 1 is attached and the sheet S2 to which the male snap button 51 is attached, so the two sheets S1, S2 are inevitably separated. If the sheets S1, S2 are made of clothing fabric, for example, if the distance D between the sheets S1, S2 is large, there is a concern that underwear worn underneath the clothing may be visible through the gap.

[0010] Therefore, if the flange 54b extending outward from the engaging male portion 55 on the base plate 54 of the male engaging member 52 is eliminated and configured as shown in Figure 6(B), the flange 54b will no longer prevent the two sheets S1 and S2 from approaching each other, and the distance D can be reduced. However, in this case, there is a risk that it will become impossible to attach the male snap button 51 to the sheet S2 using a snap fastener attaching machine such as that shown in Patent Document 3, for example.

[0011] 7, the snap fastener installation machine places the holding member 53 on a receiving base 58, holds the male engaging member 52 with a chuck 60 of a driving tool 59, and lowers the driving tool 59 with a sheet S2, such as the edge of a garment, between the receiving base 58 and the driving tool 59. As the chuck 60 and a guide punch 61 clamp the flange 54a of the male engaging member 52, the crimping projection 57 of the holding member 53 eventually penetrates the sheet S2 and passes through the central opening 54a of the male engaging member 52, with a portion of the projection protruding upward. When the tip of the crimping projection 57 in this state is then struck with a crimping punch 62 to expand and deform it, the male engaging member 52 and the holding member 53 are crimped together with the sheet S2 sandwiched therebetween, i.e., the male engaging member 52 and the holding member 53 are attached to the sheet S2.

[0012] Therefore, if the flange portion 54b is removed as shown in Figure 6(B), the male engaging member 52 cannot be held by the driving tool 59 (chuck 60 and guide punch 61), and it may become impossible to attach the male snap button 51 to the sheet S2.

[0013] The present invention has been made with the above in mind, and its object is to provide a female engaging member, a female snap button, and a snap fastener that can be attached to sheets using a snap fastener attaching machine while reducing the distance between the sheets to which the male and female snap buttons are attached. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to achieve the above object, the female engaging member of the present invention is a female engaging member constituting a female snap button having an engaging female portion that detachably engages with an engaging male portion of a male engaging member of a male snap button, The engaging female part is provided on one end side and a crimping protrusion is provided on the other end side, and further, the engaging female part is cylindrical and has a recessed space that is open from the outer edge of the disk-shaped substrate to one end side so that it can be freely detachably engaged with the engaging male part (Claim 1).

[0015] On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the female snap button of the present invention comprises a female engaging member as described in claim 1 and a female retaining member to which the crimping protrusion of the female engaging member is crimped (claim 2).

[0016] In the above female snap button, the female holding member and the female engaging member may each have a convex portion on the side that comes into contact with a sheet onto which the female snap button can be attached (claim 3).

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention provides a snap fastener consisting of a female snap button and a male snap button as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the female retaining member has the same structure as the male retaining member to which the crimping protrusion of the male engaging member is crimped (claim 4). [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The present invention provides a female engaging member, a female snap button, and a snap fastener that can be attached to sheets using a snap fastener attaching machine while reducing the distance between sheets to which female and male snap buttons are attached.

[0019] In other words, in the inventions claimed in each claim of this application, instead of providing the crimping protrusion on the female holding member as in the past, the crimping protrusion is provided on the female engaging member, and further, this crimping protrusion is provided on the opposite side of the engaging female portion that detachably engages with the engaging male portion of the male engaging member, and an open recessed space is provided on one end of the engaging female portion so that it can detachably engage with the engaging male portion. This reduces the distance between the sheets to which the male and female snap buttons are attached. Moreover, by using the recessed space provided in the engaging female portion to hold the female engaging member, it becomes possible to attach the snap fastener to the sheet using a snap fastener attaching machine.

[0020] In the snap fastener of the invention according to claim 4, the retaining member used can be used for both male and female, so that a snap fastener can be provided that can reduce the number of parts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating components of a snap fastener including male and female snap buttons according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 3A is a plan view of a holding member for both male and female types used in the above embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 4] 1(A) and 1(B) are perspective views of a female engaging member used in the above embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating components of a conventional snap fastener. [Figure 6]1A is a vertical cross-sectional end view of the conventional snap fastener in use, and FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional end view of a hypothetical modified version of the conventional snap fastener. [Figure 7] 6 is a longitudinal sectional end view showing a method of attaching the conventional male snap button shown in FIG. 5 using a snap fastener attaching machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0023] The snap fastener shown in Figures 1 and 2 is made of synthetic resin (in this example, it is made of polyester, but it is not limited to this and may be made of polybutylene terephthalate, polyacetal, etc.), and has a female snap button 10 and a male snap button 11 that can be freely engaged and disengaged with each other.

[0024] The female snap button 10 has a female engaging member 22 and a female-side holding member 13 that holds the female engaging member.

[0025] The female holding member 13 (see FIG. 3) has the same structure as the male holding member 13. That is, a holding member with the same structure is used for both the female snap button 10 and the male snap button 11. The female holding member 13 is also provided with an annular outer edge portion 17a that forms a recessed space P from the outer edge of a substantially disk-shaped base plate 17 to one end side.

[0026] The female engaging member 22 (see Figure 4) has an engaging female portion 23 at one end and a crimping protrusion 24 at the other end, and the engaging female portion 23 is cylindrical and has a recessed space 26 that is open from the outer edge of the disk-shaped base plate 25 to one end so that it can detachably engage with the engaging male portion 14 (described later).

[0027] The female holding member 13 and the female engaging member 22 each have a plurality of protrusions F and a plurality of protrusions f on the side that abuts against the sheet S1 to which the female snap button 10 can be attached with the sheet S1 sandwiched therebetween.

[0028] The female snap button 10 configured in this manner is attached to the sheet S1 by inserting the crimping protrusion 24, which has been pierced through the sheet S1, such as fabric for clothing or small items, into the central opening H provided in the center of the base plate 17, and then striking the tip of the crimping protrusion 24 to expand and deform it, thereby crimping the crimping protrusion 24 to the base plate 17 (holding member 13).

[0029] In this case, the crimping projection 24 can be inserted into the central opening H so that the expanded and deformed tip of the crimping projection 24 is exposed to the outside of the sheet S1.

[0030] On the other hand, the male snap button 11 has a male engaging member 12 and a male-side holding member 13 that holds it.

[0031] The male engaging member 12 has a generally cylindrical engaging male portion 14 on one end and a crimping projection 15 on the other end. Specifically, the engaging male portion 14 protrudes from the periphery of a generally disk-shaped base plate 16 on one side thereof, and the crimping projection 15 protrudes from the center of the other side of the base plate 16. In the male engaging member 12 configured in this manner, the engaging male portion 14 has a recessed space 14a that is open toward one end.

[0032] The male snap button 11 configured in this manner is attached to the sheet S2 by inserting the crimping protrusion 15, which has been pierced through the sheet S2, such as fabric for clothing or small items, into the central opening 17a provided in the center of the base plate 17, and then striking the tip of the crimping protrusion 15 to expand and deform it, thereby crimping the crimping protrusion 15 to the base plate 17 (holding member 13).

[0033] 2, by inserting the engaging male portion 14 of the male snap button 11 attached to the sheet S2 into the engaging female portion 23 of the female snap button 10 attached to the sheet S1, the engaging female portion 23 releasably engages with the engaging male portion 14. Various structures for this engagement are possible, including, for example, a portion on the inner peripheral surface of the engaging female portion 23 that becomes smaller in diameter toward its open end, and a portion on the outer peripheral surface of the engaging male portion 14 that becomes larger in diameter toward its tip (away from the substrate 16), or a bulging portion on the inner peripheral surface of the engaging female portion 23 that bulges outward, and an bulging portion on the outer peripheral surface of the engaging male portion 14 that bulges outward may engage.

[0034] The male snap button 11 (male engaging member 12) of this example configured as described above can eliminate the flange portion 54b (see Figures 5 and 6(A)) that the conventional male engaging member 52 has, thereby making it possible to reduce the distance D (see Figure 6(A)) between the sheets S1 and S2.

[0035] 6(B), when the female and male snap buttons 1, 51 are engaged, the crimping protrusion 57 faces the crimping protrusion 9 between the sheets S1, S2, and this crimping protrusion 57 can be a factor in preventing the reduction of the distance D, but in this example, as shown in Fig. 2, when the female and male snap buttons 10, 11 are engaged, the expanded and deformed tip ends of the crimping protrusions 24, 15 do not fit between the sheets S1, S2 but are exposed outside thereof, which has the advantage that the crimping protrusions 24, 15 are less likely to prevent the reduction of the distance D. In addition, when the sheets S1, S2 are thin, even if the crimping protrusions 24, 15 protrude significantly, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the crimping protrusions 24, 15 come into contact with each other when the female and male snap buttons 10, 11 are engaged, making it difficult to engage them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 10 female snap buttons 11 Male snap button 12 Male engagement member 14 Engagement male part 22 female engaging member 23 Engagement female part 24 Crimping protrusion 25 Disc-shaped substrate 26 Recessed space

Claims

1. A female engaging member constituting a female snap button has an engaging female portion that detachably engages with an engaging male portion of a male engaging member of a male snap button, A female engaging member having the engaging female portion on one end side and a crimping protrusion on the other end side, and further, the engaging female portion is cylindrical and has an open recessed space from the outer edge of a disk-shaped substrate to one end side so as to be able to detachably engage with the engaging male portion.

2. 2. A female snap button comprising: a female engaging member according to claim 1; and a female holding member to which the crimping projection of the female engaging member is crimped.

3. 3. A female snap button according to claim 2, wherein the female holding member and the female engaging member each have a convex portion on the side that contacts a sheet onto which the female snap button can be attached.

4. 4. A snap fastener comprising a female snap button and a male snap button according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the female retaining member has the same structure as the male retaining member to which the crimping projection of the male engaging member is crimped.

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