Pulls and sliders

Abstract

To provide a pull tab and a slider with excellent operability. [Solution] A pull tab 20 for a slide fastener comprises a pull tab body 40 and a connecting portion 30 that connects the base end of the pull tab body 40 to the pull tab attachment portion 15 of a slider body 10. The pull tab body 40 has an annular ring portion 50, a gripping portion 60 formed inside the ring portion 50 that can be gripped from the front and back directions, and a through-hole 70 formed inside the ring portion 50 that penetrates in the front and back directions. The gripping portion 60 becomes thicker in the front and back directions from the base end side of the pull tab 20 toward the tip end side.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to pull tabs and sliders. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, the slider of a slide fastener has a pull tab (see, for example, Patent Document 1). A user opens and closes a slide fastener by gripping the slider pull tab and moving it up and down. The pull tab in Patent Document 1 has an opening (reference numeral 8) at the end. Examples of purposes for providing such an opening include making it easier for the user to grip, reducing weight, and allowing a string to be passed through for improved operability. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-112274 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even if an opening is provided in the pull tab of Patent Document 1, it may be difficult to operate the pull tab for people with weak muscles, people with limited fine motor function in the fingertips, people with difficulty in coordinated movements, etc. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the pull tab of Patent Document 1 to improve operability.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a pull tab and slider that are easy to operate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is achieved by the following configuration. [1] A pull tab (20) for a slide fastener, comprising a pull tab body (40) and a connecting portion (30) that connects the base end of the pull tab body (40) to the pull tab attachment portion (15) of the slider body (10), The pull tab body (40) is an annular ring portion (50); a gripping portion (60) formed inside the ring portion (50) and capable of being gripped from the front and back directions; a through-hole (70) formed inside the ring portion (50) and penetrating in the front-to-back direction; and The grip portion (60) becomes thicker in the front-to-back direction from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab (20). A pull handle (20) characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this invention, a pull tab and slider with excellent operability can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a slider according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the front side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pull tab as seen from the front side. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pull tab as seen from the front side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a side view of the pull tab as seen from the left and right direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A slide fastener according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this specification, the "longitudinal direction" of a pull tab refers to the direction in which the pull tab extends. The side of the "longitudinal direction" where the pull tab is attached to the slider body is the "base end side (root side)," and the opposite side of the base end side is the "tip side." The "left-right direction" of a pull tab refers to the width direction of the pull tab, which generally coincides with the width direction of the slider or slide fastener. The "front-rear direction" of a pull tab refers to the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction or width direction. In the drawings, the base end side (root side) is indicated by arrow P, the tip side is indicated by arrow D, the left side is indicated by arrow L, the right side is indicated by arrow R, the front side is indicated by arrow F, and the back side is indicated by arrow B.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a slider according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the front side. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a pull tab, seen from the front side. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pull tab, seen from the front side. Fig. 4 is a side view of the pull tab, seen from the left and right.

[0011] The slider 1 in the illustrated example has a pull tab 20 and a slider body 10 to which the pull tab 20 is attached. When a user operates the pull tab 20 to slide the slider 1, the pair of left and right fastener element rows are interlocked to close the pair of left and right fastener stringers, or the pair of left and right fastener element rows are disengaged to open the pair of left and right fastener stringers.

[0012] The slider body 10 has a front blade 11 disposed on the front side, a rear blade 13 disposed on the rear side, a connecting post (not shown) that connects the front end of the front blade 11 to the front end of the rear blade 13 in the front-to-rear direction, and a pull tab attachment portion 15 provided on the surface of the front blade 11. The slider body 10 is made of metal, for example, manufactured by die casting. A pair of front flange portions 11a extending rearward is provided on the left and right edges of the front blade 11, and a pair of rear flange portions 13a extending frontward is provided on the left and right edges of the rear blade 13.

[0013] The pull tab 20 has a pull tab body 40 and a connecting portion 30 that connects the base end side (the side of arrow P) of the pull tab body 40 to the pull tab attachment portion 15 of the slider body 10. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the pull tab 20 of this embodiment is formed symmetrically on the left and right and the front and back, but it does not necessarily have to be symmetrical on the left and right and the front and back.

[0014] The connecting part 30 is annular, and the annular connecting part 30 is passed through and fixed to the pull tab attachment part 15. A pull tab main body 40 is fixed to the end of the connecting part 30 on the opposite side from the pull tab attachment part 15 (the tip side indicated by arrow D).

[0015] There are no particular limitations on the materials for the connecting part 30 and the pull tab body 40, but it is preferable that the connecting part 30 be made of a hard material and the pull tab body 40 be made of a soft material in order to achieve both durability and operability of the pull tab 20. In this embodiment, the connecting part 30 is made of metal and the pull tab body 40 is made of rubber, and the pull tab body 40 is fixed by injection molding rubber onto the tip of the metal connecting part 30.

[0016] The pull tab body 40 has an annular ring portion 50, a grip portion 60 formed inside the ring portion 50 that can be gripped from the front and back, and a through-hole 70 formed inside the ring portion 50 that penetrates from the front to the back. Note that, although this embodiment shows an example in which the grip portion 60 and the through-hole 70 are provided inside the annular interior of the ring portion 50, parts other than the grip portion 60 and the through-hole 70 may be provided inside the ring portion 50.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 4, the base end of the ring portion 50 covers the tip end of the connecting portion 30 from the front and back directions. In this embodiment, the dimension a of the ring portion 50 in the front and back directions is the same at any point. The dimension a of the ring portion 50 in the front and back directions is larger than the dimension b of the connecting portion 30 in the front and back directions. Note that the dimension a of the ring portion 50 in the front and back directions does not have to be the same at any point, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the desired strength, operability, etc.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ring portion 50 has a generally elliptical shape that is longer in the longitudinal direction than in the left-right direction when viewed from the front to back. The ring portion 50 is formed such that the left-right dimension M increases from the base end (in the direction of arrow P) toward the tip end (in the direction of arrow D). Since the left-right dimension of the ring portion 50 increases toward the tip end (in the direction of arrow D), the left-right dimension N of the grip portion 60 formed inside the ring portion 50 also increases toward the tip end (in the direction of arrow D), as will be described later. The left-right dimension M of the ring portion 50 is greatest near the longitudinal center of the through-hole 70, making it easy to insert a finger into the through-hole 70. Note that in FIG. 3, the left-right dimension M of the ring portion 50 and the left-right dimension N of the grip portion 60 are shown as their maximum dimensions.

[0019] The relative positions of the grip portion 60 and the through-hole 70 are not limited as long as they are provided inside the ring portion 50, but in this embodiment, the grip portion 60 and the through-hole 70 are provided adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction inside the ring portion 50. The grip portion 60 is arranged on the base end side that is closer to the connecting portion 30, and the through-hole 70 is arranged on the tip side that is farther from the connecting portion 30. Conversely, a configuration may be employed in which the grip portion 60 is arranged on the tip side that is farther from the connecting portion 30, and the through-hole 70 is arranged on the base end side that is closer to the connecting portion 30.

[0020] The grip portion 60 occupies approximately half of the inside of the ring portion 50 on the base end side. A user can grasp the grip portion 60 from the front and back using the tips of their fingers or the bases of their fingers. The grip portion 60 has a base portion 61 which is a plate-like portion that extends so as to connect the inner peripheries of the base end side (arrow P side), left side (arrow L side), and right side (arrow R side) of the ring portion 50 without any gaps, and a plurality of protrusions 63 that protrude from the front and back surfaces of the base portion 61.

[0021] The base portion 61 of the grip portion 60 becomes thicker in the front-to-back direction from the base end side of the pull tab 20 toward the tip end side. FIG. 4 shows how the dimension c in the front-to-back direction of the base portion 61 of the grip portion 60 becomes larger from the base end side toward the tip end side. In the illustrated example, the base portion 61 includes a first base 61a located on the base end side and a second base 61b located on the tip end side and connected to the tip end of the first base 61a. In the longitudinal direction, the first base 61a is longer than the second base 61b. In the illustrated example, the first base 61a occupies approximately 80% of the base portion 61 in the longitudinal direction.

[0022] The front and back surfaces of the first base 61a are curved surfaces that bend away from each other in the front-to-back direction from the base end to the tip end. The front and back surfaces of the second base 61b are inclined surfaces that bend away from each other in the front-to-back direction from the base end to the tip end. By forming the first base 61a and the second base 61b in this manner, the base portion 61 as a whole becomes thicker in the front-to-back direction from the base end to the tip end.

[0023] 3, the grip portion 60 increases in width from the base end toward the tip end of the pull tab 20. That is, the left-right dimension N of the grip portion 60 is smallest at the base end closest to the connecting portion 30 and increases with increasing distance from the connecting portion 30. The left-right dimension N is largest at the tip end of the second base 61b.

[0024] At least one protrusion 63 protruding from the front or back side is provided on the grip portion 60. In this embodiment, three protrusions 63 are provided on each of the front and back sides of the first base 61a of the grip portion 60. As a result, an uneven shape is formed on the front and back sides of the first base 61a, making it easier for the user to grip.

[0025] The three protrusions 63 are adjacent to each other at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the pull tab 20 (the directions of arrows P and D). Each of the three protrusions 63 is elongated in the left-right direction. The left-right dimensions of these protrusions 63 are set so that the protrusion 63 located on the tip side (arrow D side) is larger in accordance with the left-right dimension of the base portion 61. In the illustrated example, the left-right dimensions of all of the protrusions 63 are larger than the left-right dimension of the connecting portion 30. The number, shape, extension direction, etc. of the protrusions 63 are not particularly limited and may be changed as appropriate.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 4, the entire grip portion 60 is preferably thicker in the front-to-back direction than the ring portion 50. In other words, the dimension c of the grip portion 60 in the front-to-back direction at any point is preferably larger than the dimension a of the ring portion 50 in the front-to-back direction. With this configuration, the grip portion 60 protrudes in the front-to-back direction beyond the ring portion 50 at any point, and a step is formed between the outer peripheral edge of the grip portion 60 and the inner peripheral edge of the ring portion 50. This makes it easier for the user to recognize and grasp the grip portion 60.

[0027] As a modified example, the dimension a of the ring portion 50 in the front-to-back direction may be increased from the base end toward the tip end, so that the dimension a of the ring portion 50 and the dimension c of the grip portion 60 in the front-to-back direction are the same at the same longitudinal position. In this way, the ring portion 50 and the grip portion 60 are connected without any steps, making it easier for the user to grip the pull tab 20.

[0028] As another modification, the grip portion 60 may have a portion that is thinner than the ring portion 50 in the front-to-back direction.

[0029] The tip side surface of the grip portion 60, i.e., the tip side surface 61c of the second base 61b, is the boundary surface with the through-hole 70 and constitutes part of the outer shape of the through-hole 70. The tip side surface 61c of the second base 61b has a curved shape in which both left and right ends are convex toward the tip and the central portion in the left-right direction is concave toward the base end, thereby increasing the space for inserting a finger into the through-hole 70 and improving the feel.

[0030] The through-hole 70 occupies approximately half of the interior of the ring portion 50 on the tip side. The through-hole 70 is defined by the tip side surface 61c of the second base 61b and the inner peripheral edge of approximately the tip half of the ring portion 50. Therefore, the general shape of the through-hole 70 widens in the left-right and longitudinal directions of the pull tab 20.

[0031] Here, the through-hole 70 is set to a size that allows the user to insert at least one finger. If a finger can be inserted, it is possible to insert a finger into the through-hole 70 and pull the ring portion 50, which provides excellent operability. Specifically, the through-hole 70 preferably has a longitudinal dimension of 1.1 cm or more and a left-right dimension of 1.9 cm or more.

[0032] As described above, the pull tab 20 of this embodiment comprises the pull tab body 40 and the connecting portion 30 that connects the base end of the pull tab body 40 to the pull tab attachment portion 15 of the slider body 10. The pull tab body 40 has an annular ring portion 50, a gripping portion 60 formed inside the ring portion 50 that can be gripped from the front and back directions, and a through-hole 70 formed inside the ring portion 50 that penetrates in the front and back directions, and the gripping portion 60 becomes thicker in the front and back directions from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab 20.

[0033] Therefore, the user can grasp and pull the grip portion 60 or hook their finger into the through-hole 70 and pull, resulting in a pull tab 20 with excellent operability. Furthermore, the grip portion 60 becomes thicker from the base end to the tip end of the pull tab 20, making it easy for the user to grasp and pull the grip portion. As described above, the pull tab 20 of this embodiment is intuitive and easy to use, making it suitable for people who have difficulty using regular pull tabs. Furthermore, the pull tab 20 of this embodiment allows users to use either the grip portion 60 or the through-hole 70 depending on the level of cognitive function, making it particularly suitable for people with cognitive challenges.

[0034] Furthermore, the grip portion 60 becomes wider from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab 20, making it easier for the user to grasp the grip portion 60.

[0035] In addition, the gripping portion 60 is provided with at least one protrusion 63 that protrudes from the front or back side, so that the front or back side of the gripping portion 60 has an uneven shape and has an anti-slip function, making it easier for the user to grasp the gripping portion 60.

[0036] Furthermore, the entire grip portion 60 is thicker than the ring portion 50 in the front-to-back direction, so that any point of the grip portion 60 protrudes further in the front and back directions than the ring portion 50. This makes it easier for the user to recognize and grasp the grip portion 60.

[0037] As a result of intensive research by the inventors, it became clear that when people with dementia open and close a zipper, those who can move their fingers tend to insert their fingers into the through-hole 70 and pull the ring portion 50, whereas those who cannot move their fingers tend to open and close the zipper by grasping the base side of the pull tab 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the grip portion 60 and the through-hole 70 are provided adjacent to each other inside the ring portion 50, with the grip portion 60 located on the base end side and the through-hole 70 located on the tip end side. In this way, by locating the grip portion 60 on the base end side (base end side) of the pull tab 20, a pull tab 20 that is easier to grasp is realized. Furthermore, by locating the through-hole 70 on the tip end side of the pull tab 20, it is easier to hook a finger into the through-hole 70 and operate it than when the through-hole 70 is located on the base end side (base end side) of the pull tab 20.

[0038] Furthermore, the through-hole 70 is large enough for the user to insert a finger, so that the user can insert a finger into the through-hole 70 and pull the ring portion 50, providing excellent operability.

[0039] The slider 1 equipped with the pull tab 20 as described above is extremely easy to operate and is particularly suitable for people who have difficulty operating a normal pull tab.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

[0041] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: [1] A pull tab (20) for a slide fastener, comprising a pull tab body (40) and a connecting portion (30) that connects the base end of the pull tab body (40) to the pull tab attachment portion (15) of the slider body (10), The pull tab body (40) is an annular ring portion (50); a gripping portion (60) formed inside the ring portion (50) and capable of being gripped from the front and back directions; a through-hole (70) formed inside the ring portion (50) and penetrating in the front-to-back direction; and The grip portion (60) becomes thicker in the front-to-back direction from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab (20). A pull handle (20) characterized by: [2] The grip portion (60) increases in width from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab (20). The pull tab (20) described in [1]. [3] The grip portion (60) is provided with at least one protrusion (63) protruding from the front side or the back side. The pull handle (20) according to [1] or [2]. [4] The entire grip portion (60) is thicker than the ring portion (50) in the front-to-back direction. A pull tab (20) according to any one of [1] to [3]. [5] The grip portion (60) and the through hole (70) are provided adjacent to each other inside the ring portion (50), The grip portion (60) is disposed on the base end side, The through hole (70) is disposed on the tip side. A pull tab (20) according to any one of [1] to [4]. [6] The through-hole (70) is large enough for a user to insert a finger. A pull tab (20) according to any one of [1] to [5]. [7] Equipped with a pull tab (20) according to any one of [1] to [6]. Slider (1). [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Slider 10 Slider body 11 Front wing plate 11a Front flange 13 Back wing plate 13a Back flange 15 Pull attachment part 20 Pull handle 30 Connecting part 40 Handle body 50 Ring section 60 Gripping part 61 Base 61a 1st Base 61b 2nd base 61c Tip side 63 Protrusion 70 through holes a) Ring section dimensions b Dimensions of the connecting part in the front and back directions c Dimensions of the base of the gripper in the front-to-back direction M Ring section left and right dimension N Left and right dimension of gripping part

Claims

1. A pull tab (20) for a slide fastener, comprising: a pull tab body (40); and a connecting portion (30) that connects the base end of the pull tab body (40) to a pull tab attachment portion (15) of a slider body (10), The pull tab body (40) is An annular ring portion (50); a gripping portion (60) formed inside the ring portion (50) and capable of being gripped from the front and back directions; A through hole (70) formed inside the ring portion (50) and penetrating in the front-to-back direction; and The grip portion (60) becomes thicker in the front-to-back direction from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab (20). A pull handle (20) characterized by:

2. The grip portion (60) increases in width from the base end side to the tip end side of the pull tab (20). The pull tab (20) of claim 1.

3. The grip portion (60) is provided with at least one protrusion (63) protruding from the front side or the back side. The pull tab (20) of claim 1.

4. The entire grip portion (60) is thicker than the ring portion (50) in the front-to-back direction. The pull tab (20) of claim 1.

5. The grip portion (60) and the through hole (70) are provided adjacent to each other inside the ring portion (50), The grip portion (60) is disposed on the base end side, The through hole (70) is disposed on the tip side. The pull tab (20) of claim 1.

6. The through-hole (70) is large enough for a user to insert a finger. The pull tab (20) of claim 1.

7. A pull tab (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Slider (1).

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