Slide fastener

Abstract

An opening implement (60) of a slide fastener (10) is provided with a box body (61), a box pin (62), and an insertion pin (90). The box body (61) includes: an attachment section (67) which is provided on one side in the width direction and to which one fastener tape (20A) is attached; and an insertion section (80) which is provided on the other side in the width direction and in which is formed an insertion space section (81) into which the insertion pin (90) is inserted. A spacer part (S1) disposed on the tape-side edge section in a state in which fastener element rows (30A, 30B) are not provided and a core string (32) is exposed forms, between the insertion pin (90) and an end fastener element (31E) located at the tip of one end of the other fastener element row (30B), at least one pitch (P) of adjacent fastener elements (31).

Description

Slide fastener

[0001] The present invention relates to a slide fastener having an opening device.

[0002] Generally, slide fasteners are roughly divided into two representative types: a normal type slide fastener in which the interlocking left and right element rows are arranged and exposed on the tape surface side of the fastener tape, and a hidden type slide fastener (so-called hidden slide fastener) in which the interlocking left and right element rows can be concealed so that they cannot be seen from the outside. Taking advantage of their concealment property, hidden slide fasteners do not interfere with the design of the product, and are therefore suitably used in products such as various types of clothing and shoes, and in recent years have also been used in seat covers for automobiles and trains (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] A hidden slide fastener is constructed by folding the opposing side edges of a pair of left and right fastener tapes along their length into a U-shaped cross section, and providing a number of fastener elements at a predetermined pitch along the outer surface of the U-shaped folded portion. The slider of the hidden slide fastener has left and right flanges with an L-shaped cross section that rise from the left and right side edges of the lower blade toward the surface and bend at right angles toward each other, and further has a column that rises from the center of one end of the lower blade toward the surface and has a pull tab attachment portion at its tip. The Y-shaped space formed between the lower blade and the L-shaped cross section flange serves as an element guide passage (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[0004] In addition, in a hidden slide fastener, an opening device is provided at one end of each of the left and right fastener stringers (see, for example, Patent Document 3). For this reason, when connecting the opening device, it is necessary to insert the insert pin attached to the end of one fastener stringer into the Y-shaped space in the slider, and then insert it into the insert pin insertion space in the box body attached to the end of the other fastener stringer.

[0005] Japanese Patent No. 5269103 Japanese Patent No. 5474073 Japanese Patent No. 4651634

[0006] In the concealed slide fastener for automobile use described in Patent Document 1, the automobile seat covering to which the fastener tape is sewn is hard and thick, so that the concealed slide fastener described in Patent Document 1 has a hard restricting member provided in the tape portion folded back in a U-shape so that the element will not be exposed even when tension is applied in a state in which the left and right fastener tapes are pulled.

[0007] In such a concealed slide fastener, which has a stiff, thick sheet sewn thereto and a stiff fastener tape folded back into a U-shape, a large force is required to pull up the slider when closing the concealed slide fastener while winding up the fastener tape. For this reason, in order to close the fastener normally, a large slider with an L-shaped cross-section flange in which the parallel portion on the rear opening side is formed long has been used.

[0008] However, when inserting the insert pin of the opening device into such a large slider with a long parallel section, the insert pin may interfere with the flange with an L-shaped cross section, and the insert pin may lift up when the slider is pulled up, so improvements in operability when inserting the insert pin and pulling up the slider are required.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a slide fastener that can prevent interference between the slider and insert pin even when a large slider is used, and can improve operability when connecting the opening device or pulling up the slider.

[0010] The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration: (1) A slide fastener comprising: a pair of fastener stringers each having a pair of fastener tapes and a pair of fastener element rows sewn to tape side edge portions of the pair of fastener tapes; and an opening device provided at one end of the pair of fastener stringers in the length direction of the fastener tapes and capable of separating or connecting one end of the pair of fastener stringers, wherein the fastener element rows have a core cord inserted between upper and lower leg portions of the fastener element rows, and the opening device comprises: a box body arranged at one end in the length direction of the fastener tape of one of the pair of fastener element rows and having a front surface, a back surface and a pair of side surfaces, a box pin fixed to the box body and provided so as to protrude forward from one side in the width direction of the box body, and an insert pin provided at one end in the length direction of the fastener tape of the other of the pair of fastener element rows, wherein the box body has an attachment portion provided on one side in the width direction to which one of the fastener tapes is attached, and an insertion portion provided on the other side in the width direction to form an insertion space into which the insert pin is inserted, a spacer portion disposed on the tape side edge portion and spaced apart by at least one pitch of adjacent fastener elements between the insert pin and an end fastener element located at a tip of one end of the other fastener element row, with the fastener element row not being provided and the core cord being exposed; (2) A slide fastener according to (1), wherein a locking piece extending in the width direction and locked to the rear surface of the box body is provided at the tip of the insert pin, a side surface on one width direction of the box pin and a side surface on one width direction of the insertion space portion of the box body form a stepped shape together with a front surface of the box body provided therebetween, and a side surface on one width direction of the insert pin is formed in a stepped shape so as to come into contact with the side surface on one width direction of the box pin and the front surface of the box body when the locking piece is locked to the underside of the box body.(3) The slide fastener according to (1) or (2), wherein the insertion portion has a side surface on the other width direction that forms the insertion space portion inclined toward the one width direction side from the front to the rear in the length direction of the fastener tape. (4) The slide fastener according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the slide fastener is a hidden slide fastener in which opposing tape side edge portions of the pair of fastener tapes are bent into a U shape, and the pair of fastener element rows are sewn to the bent back piece portions of the tape side edge portions of the pair of fastener tapes, and the insert pin is injection molded on a core string that passes through the other fastener element and on a tape folding portion of the other fastener tape. (5) The slide fastener according to (4), wherein the insert pin has a main body portion in which a tape folded portion of the fastener tape of the other fastener element row is accommodated, and a thin portion provided on a side from which the fastener tape is led out in the width direction from the main body portion and which is thinner than the main body portion by cutting out a surface on the side from which the fastener tape is led out. (6) The slide fastener according to any of (1) to (5), wherein the mounting portion of the box body is formed, on a surface of the box body, with a front-side upright wall extending forward from the front surface of the box body and a side upright wall extending forward from the front surface of the box body so as to connect a front-side side surface of the box pin and the front-side upright wall, and the front-side upright wall, the side upright wall, and the box pin surround a widthwise inward portion of a first flange having an L-shaped cross section formed on the slider when a rear opening of the slider abuts against the front surface of the box body. (7) A slide fastener according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the length of the spacer portion is set so that when the rear opening of the slider abuts against the front surface of the box body and the insert pin is held in the insertion space of the box body, the end fastener element is positioned closer to the shoulder opening than the parallel portions extending parallel to each other from the rear openings of first flanges erected on the left and right side edges of the slider.

[0011] According to the present invention, by providing a spacer portion, even when a large slider is used, the insert pin can pass smoothly through the slider and be inserted into the insertion space of the box body, thereby improving operability when connecting the opening device or pulling up the slider.

[0012] 1 is a perspective view showing an automobile seat in which a hidden slide fastener according to this embodiment is used. It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which a fastener stringer is sewn to an upholstery material of the automobile seat. (a) is a plan view of the slider, and (b) is a side view of the slider as seen from the rear opening side. (a) is a front view of the hidden slide fastener showing the slider, opening device, and fastener stringer in a state in which the slider is in a lifting start position where it is lifted from the opening device, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in (a). It is a perspective view of one end of a pair of fastener stringers having opening devices in a connected state, as seen from the back side. (a) is a front view of one end of a pair of fastener stringers having opening devices in a connected state, and (b) is a rear view thereof. It is a perspective view of one end of a pair of fastener stringers having opening devices in a separated state. (a) is a front view of the opening device in a state in which the insert pin is engaged with the box body, (b) is a rear view thereof, and (c) is a top view thereof. 8(a) is a front view of the box body and the box pin, and (b) is a rear view thereof. (a) is a front view of the insert pin, and (b) is a rear view thereof. (a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 8(c), and (b) is a cross-sectional view corresponding to (a), showing the process of inserting the insert pin into the insertion space of the box body.

[0013] An embodiment of the concealed slide fastener according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the front side refers to the upper side of the paper in Fig. 2 and the front side of the paper in Fig. 4(a), and the back side refers to the lower side of the paper in Fig. 2 and the rear side of the paper in Fig. 4(a). The front side refers to the upper side of the paper in Fig. 4(a), the rear side refers to the lower side of the paper in Fig. 4(a), the left side refers to the left side of the paper in Figs. 2 and 4(a), and the right side refers to the right side of the paper in Figs. 2 and 4(a). Therefore, the left-right direction of the concealed slide fastener is the width direction of a pair of fastener element rows, which will be described later, and is also the width direction of the box body, which will be described later. The front-rear direction of the concealed slide fastener is also the longitudinal direction of the box pin, and the direction in which the element rows close as the slider moves is the front side, and the direction in which the element rows open is the rear side.

[0014] Fig. 1 shows an automobile seat in which the concealed slide fastener according to this embodiment is used, Fig. 2 shows a cross section of the concealed slide fastener, Fig. 3 shows a slider of the concealed slide fastener, and Figs. 4 to 11 show one end of a pair of fastener stringers having opening devices, which are applied to the concealed slide fastener.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, in an automobile seat, fastener stringers 11A, 11B attached to the edges of two seat covers 1 are closed by sliding of a slider 40 to cover the cushion body of the seat. In this case, the hidden slide fastener 10 of this embodiment conceals the interlocking left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B (see Figure 2) that make up the fastener stringers 11A, 11B so that they cannot be seen from the outside.

[0016] 1 and 2, the hidden slide fastener 10 includes a pair of left and right fastener stringers 11A, 11B having fastener element rows 30A, 30B sewn to left and right fastener tapes 20A, 20B, respectively, a slider 40 that can slide along the fastener element rows 30A, 30B formed on each fastener stringer 11A, 11B, and an opening device 60 that is provided at one end of the pair of fastener stringers 11A, 11B in the length direction of the fastener tape (hereinafter also referred to as the "tape length direction") and can separate or connect one end of the pair of fastener stringers 11A, 11B. Note that the other end of the pair of fastener element rows 30A, 30B may each be provided with a stop portion (not shown).

[0017] The pair of fastener stringers 11A, 11B comprises a pair of fastener tapes 20A, 20B in which opposing tape side edge portions 24 are bent into a U-shape along the tape length direction, a pair of continuous fastener element rows 30A, 30B sewn to the outer surfaces of the folded-back pieces 22 of the tape side edge portions 24 of the pair of fastener tapes 20A, 20B using sewing thread 12, and a regulating member 13 sewn to the inner surfaces of the folded-back pieces 22 together with the fastener element rows 30A, 30B using sewing thread 12.

[0018] In addition, the left and right fastener tapes 20A, 20B each have a tape main body 21 arranged on the exposed surface side of the hidden slide fastener 10, a tape folding portion 23 arranged continuously from the tape main body 21 and folded into a U-shape, and a folded piece portion 22 extending in the tape width direction from the side edge of the tape folding portion 23.

[0019] The fastener element rows 30A and 30B are formed of coil-shaped fastener elements 31 molded from monofilaments made of synthetic resin such as polyamide or polyester. Each fastener element 31 constituting the fastener element rows 30A and 30B has an interlocking head 31a, upper and lower leg portions 31b and 31c extending from the interlocking head 31a, and a leg connecting portion 31d that connects the end of the upper leg portion 31b or the lower leg portion 31c to the lower leg portion 31c or the upper leg portion 31b of the adjacent fastener element 31.

[0020] Furthermore, the fastener element rows 30A, 30B are sewn to the fastener tapes 20A, 20B so that the core cord 32 is inserted between the upper and lower leg portions 31b, 31c of the fastener element rows 30A, 30B, and the interlocking head portion 31a protrudes outward in the tape width direction (left and right direction) from the tape folding portion 23.

[0021] The regulating member 13 has a plurality of regulating main bodies 14 formed in the shape of thin small pieces and rectangular in front view, and connecting portions 15 that connect the regulating main bodies 14 in the tape length direction. The connecting portions 15 are formed in the shape of a film with a constant width, and the small piece-like regulating main bodies 14 are integrally molded with the connecting portions 15 at predetermined intervals in the tape length direction, so that the regulating main bodies 14 are connected together via the connecting portions 15.

[0022] In this case, the small piece-like regulating body 14 and the film-like connecting portion 15 are formed by two-color molding. The regulating body 14 is molded using a hard synthetic resin such as polyamide, polyacetal, polypropylene, or polybutylene terephthalate, while the connecting portion 15 is molded using a synthetic resin that is softer than the regulating body 14, such as polyurethane, silicone rubber, or thermoplastic elastomer. In the present invention, the material of the regulating member 13 is not limited and can be changed as desired.

[0023] The regulating member 13 (particularly, the regulating main body portion 14) sewn to the folded piece portion 22 of the fastener tapes 20A, 20B is disposed on the surface of the folded piece portion 22 opposite to the surface to which the fastener elements 31 are sewn, at a position where one side edge of the regulating member 13 abuts against the inner surface of the tape folding portion 23 of the fastener tapes 20A, 20B when the fastener element rows 30A, 30B are interlocked. Note that in the present invention, the shape and dimensions of each regulating member 13 are not particularly limited, but it is preferable to set the shape and dimensions of the regulating member 13 so that, for example, when the regulating member 13 is sewn so that the other side edge of the regulating member 13 and the side edge of the folded piece portion 22 side of the fastener tapes 20A, 20B are aligned in the tape width direction, one side edge of the regulating member 13 abuts against the inner surface of the tape folding portion 23 of the fastener tapes 20A, 20B.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3 , a slider 40 for a concealed slide fastener comprises a slider body 41 and a pull tab (not shown) attached to the top surface of the slider body 41. The slider 40 may be opened and closed by hooking a jig onto a ring portion attached to the front end of the slider body 41 without providing the pull tab. The slider body 41 has a lower blade 42 having first flanges 43 with an inverted L-shaped cross section erected on the left and right side edges, a guide post 44 erected at the front end of the lower blade 42, a second flange 45 extending from the upper peripheral edge of the guide post 44, and a gate-shaped pull tab mounting post 46 extending in the sliding direction of the slider 40 on the upper surface of the second flange 45 to which the pull tab is rotatably attached. An element guide path 47 is formed so as to be surrounded by the lower blade 42 and the first flange 43. Although the pull tab is not shown, the slider 40 may be attached with a pull tab, or the slider 40 may be operated using a jig.

[0025] The first flange 43 has a parallel portion 48 extending from the rear opening and parallel to each other, an inclined portion 49 inclined away from each other from the parallel portion 48 toward the shoulder opening, and a straight portion 50 extending further in the front-rear direction from the inclined portion 49 toward the shoulder opening. In this embodiment, the front-rear directions lengths L1, L2, L3 of the parallel portion 48, the inclined portion 49, and the straight portion 50 are designed to satisfy the relationship L1 > L2 > L3. Note that L1 is the length of the outer shape of the parallel portion 48, but the length inside the parallel portion 48 is the length over which the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B mesh within the slider 40, and in the illustrated example, corresponds to the length of about five elements on one side.

[0026] Then, by moving the slider 40 toward the stopper portion, the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B mesh together, and by moving the slider 40 toward the opening tool 60, the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B separate.

[0027] According to the concealed slide fastener 10 obtained in this manner, when the slider 4 is slid to engage the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B, the left and right tape folding portions 23 are brought into abutment with each other, and the regulating member 13 abuts against the inner surfaces of the tape folding portions 23 to press the tape folding portions 23, thereby stably maintaining the abutted state of the left and right tape folding portions 23. As a result, the abutted left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B can be concealed from view from the tape exposed surface sides of the fastener tapes 20A, 20B by the abutted left and right tape folding portions 23.

[0028] In particular, when the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B are interlocked, even if the left and right fastener tapes 20A, 20B are subjected to a lateral pulling force and pulled outward along the tape width direction, the regulating main body portion 14 made of hard resin regulates the left and right tape folding portions 23 from moving away from each other, preventing the positions of the left and right tape folding portions 23 from fluctuating, thereby enabling the left and right tape folding portions 23 to be stably maintained in a butted state.

[0029] As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the opening device 60 includes a box body 61 and a box pin 62 arranged at one end of the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B, i.e., at one end of the fastener element row 30A in the tape length direction, and an insert pin 90 arranged at the other end of the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B, i.e., at one end of the fastener element row 30B in the tape length direction.

[0030] In Figures 4 to 6, for convenience, the tape folding portions 23 of the left and right fastener tapes 20A, 20B when the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B are engaged are shown spaced apart in the width direction.

[0031] As also shown in Figures 8 and 9, the box body 61 has a front surface 63, a back surface 64, and a pair of side surfaces 65, 66, and is formed in an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the box pin 62 is fixed to the box body 61 and protrudes forward from one side of the box body 61 in the width direction.

[0032] The box body 61 has an attachment portion 67 provided on one side in the width direction to which one fastener tape 20A is attached, and an insertion portion 80 provided on the other side in the width direction to form an insertion space portion 81 into which the insert pin 90 is inserted.

[0033] As shown in Figures 4(b) and 7, the mounting portion 67 of the box body 61 is formed with a front upright wall 70 extending forward from the front surface 68 of the box body 61 on the surface 63 of the box body 61, and a lateral upright wall 71 extending forward from the front surface 68 of the box body 61 so as to connect the front upright wall 70 to the front surface side surface on the other side of the width direction of the box pin 62.

[0034] On the other hand, an insertion space 81 is formed in the insertion portion 80 of the box body 61, penetrating from the front surface 68 to the rear surface 69 of the box body 61 in the tape length direction. As shown in Figures 7 and 9(a), the insertion space 81 has a front cutout 84 formed by cutting out a portion of the surface 63 of the insertion space 81 from the front surface 68 of the box body 61 so as to open to the front side of the box body 61. This front cutout 84 cutting out the surface 63 extends to the side surface 66 on the other side in the width direction. In addition, as shown in Figures 5 and 9(b), the insertion space 81 has a back cutout 85 formed by cutting out a portion of the back surface 64 of the insertion space 81 from the rear surface 69 of the box body 61 so as to open to the rear side of the box body 61.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the side surface 62a on the other widthwise side of the box pin 62 and the inner side surface 81a on one widthwise side of the insertion space 81 of the box body 61, together with the front surface 68 of the box body 61, form a stepped shape, and the side surface 62a on the other widthwise side of the box pin 62 guides the insertion of the insert pin 90 into the insertion space 81.

[0036] The inserting portion 80 has an inner surface 81b on the other side in the width direction that forms the inserting space portion 81 inclined toward one side in the width direction from the front to the rear in the tape length direction.

[0037] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the box body 61 and the box pin 62 are injection molded onto the core string 32 of one fastener element row 30A and one end of one fastener tape 20A, and the insert pin 90 is injection molded onto the core string 32 of the other fastener element row 30B and one end of the other fastener tape 20B.

[0038] That is, the end of the core cord 32 of one fastener element row 30A is inserted into the inside of the box pin 62, and with respect to one end of the fastener tape 20A, the tape main body 21 is accommodated in the front upright wall 70 on one side of the width direction of the box body 61, the tape folding portion 23 is accommodated in the side upright wall 71, and the folded piece portion 22 is accommodated inside the box pin 62 (see Figure 4 (b)).

[0039] Further, an end of the core cord 32 of the other fastener element row 30B is inserted into the insert pin 90, and the folded piece portion 22 at one end of the fastener tape 20B is housed inside the insert pin 90. Then, the tape main body portion 21 and the tape folded portion 23 of the other fastener element row 30B are led out from the side surface of the insert pin 90, and the tape main body portion 21 is located on the exposed surface side so as to be flush with the tape main body portion 21 of one fastener tape 20A.

[0040] As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the insert pin 90 has a rod-shaped main body 91 in which the tape folding portion 23 of the fastener tape 20B of the other fastener element row 30B is accommodated, a thin-walled portion 92 of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape that is provided on the side where the fastener tape 20B is led out from the main body 91 and is thinner than the main body 91 by cutting out the side where the fastener tape 20B is led out, and a locking piece 93 that is provided at the tip of the main body 91 and protrudes on the side opposite to the side where the thin-walled portion 92 is formed.

[0041] The length L4 (see FIG. 10) of the insert pin 90 is shorter than the first flange 43 of the slider 40 in the tape length direction, and in this embodiment, is shorter than the total length (L1 + L2) of the parallel portion 48 and the inclined portion 49 of the first flange 43. Furthermore, the thickness T (see FIG. 4(b)) of the insert pin 90 in the front-back direction is formed to be within the front-back height range of the element guide path 47 of the slider 40. In this way, the insert pin 90 of this embodiment is miniaturized in length and height.

[0042] The locking piece 93 protrudes rearward from the insertion space 81 that penetrates in the tape length direction, extends to the other side in the width direction, and is locked to the rear surface 69 of the box body 61. As a result, the insert pin 90 is held in the insertion space 81 of the box body 61, and the opening device 60 is connected.

[0043] In addition, the insert pin 90 has an inclined surface 94 on the side of the main body 91 on which the thin-walled portion 92 is formed, which tapers toward the tip, so that the insert pin 90 having the locking piece 93 can be easily inserted into the insertion space 81.

[0044] When the insert pin 90 configured in this manner is inserted into the insertion space 81 of the box body 61 and the slider 40 is pulled up, the tape folding portion 23 of the fastener tape 20B protrudes due to the thin-walled portion 92 toward the attachment portion 67 of the box body 61. As a result, the tape folding portions 23 of the pair of fastener tapes 20B come into contact with each other, and one end of the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B in an interlocked state can be concealed from the tape exposed surface side.

[0045] Furthermore, the side surface on one width direction of the insert pin 90 is formed in a stepped shape so that, with the locking piece 93 locked to the rear surface 69 of the box body 61 by the main body portion 91 and the thin-walled portion 92, it comes into contact with the side surface 62a on the other width direction of the box pin 62 and the front surface 68 of the box body 61. In this way, the stepped side surface on one width direction of the insert pin 90 comes into contact with the side surface 62a on the other width direction of the box pin 62 and the front surface 68 of the box body 61, so that when the insert pin 90 is held by the box body 61, the position of the insert pin 90 relative to the box body 61 can be more stabilized.

[0046] Furthermore, the front upright wall 70, the side upright wall 71, and the box pin 62 are formed to surround the widthwise inward portion of the first flange 43, which has an L-shaped cross section and is formed on the slider 40, when the rear opening of the slider 40 abuts against the front surface 68 of the box body 61.

[0047] In this embodiment, a spacer portion S1 of at least one pitch P (see FIG. 6B) of adjacent fastener elements 31 is provided between the insert pin 90 and the end fastener element 31E located at the tip of one end of the other fastener element row 30B. That is, the insert pin 90 and the end fastener element 31E constituting the spacer portion S1 are attached to the folded piece 22 in a state where no fastener element 31 is provided and the core string 32 is exposed. However, since the folded piece 22 applied to the concealed slide fastener 10 for automobiles has high rigidity due to the provision of the regulating member 13, for example, when inserting the insert pin 90 into the box body 61, the insert pin 90 can be operated via the core string 32 and the folded piece 22 by operating the fastener stringer 11B.

[0048] Furthermore, the length of the spacer portion S1 is preferably such that, when the insert pin 90 is held in the insertion space 81 of the box body 61 with the slider 40 in a slider lift-up start position described below, the end fastener element 31E is positioned within the element guide path 47 of the slider 40. This prevents the step formed by the end fastener element 31E and the core cord 32 from interfering with the shoulder of the slider 40 when the slider 40 is lifted up, improving the sliding performance of the slider 40. Furthermore, it is more preferable that, with the insert pin 90 held in the insertion space 81 of the box body 61, the front end of the spacer portion S1 composed of the core cord 32 and the folded-back piece portion 22 is positioned on the inclined portion 49 or the straight portion 50 beyond the parallel portion 48 of the first flange 43 of the slider 40. This is the position where the parallel portion 48 begins to interlock with the left and right fastener elements 31, and by having spacer portions S1, S2 on at least one of the left and right stringers 11A, 11B at this position, one stringer 11B can be easily inserted into the slider 40 without interfering with the other fastener element 31, and an inappropriate clicking sensation when inserted into the slider 40 is prevented.

[0049] It should be noted that, with respect to one fastener element row 30A, it is not necessarily necessary to have a spacer portion between the box pin 62 and the end fastener element 31E located at the tip of one end of one fastener element row 30A, but similar to the other fastener stringer 11B, it may have a spacer portion S2 of at least one pitch P of adjacent fastener elements 31. In particular, from the viewpoint of workability, it is preferable to simultaneously cut the fastener elements 31 of both the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B, and it is preferable to position the end fastener elements 31E of the left and right fastener element rows 30A, 30B at approximately the same position.

[0050] In the concealed slide fastener 10 configured in this manner, when the pair of fastener element rows 30A, 30B are engaged to close the concealed slide fastener 10, first the rear opening of the slider 40 is pulled down until it abuts against the front surface 68 of the box body 61. At this time, as shown in Figure 4 (b), the box pin 62 is positioned within the element guide path 47, and the widthwise inward portion of the first flange 43 on one side of the slider 40 is surrounded between the box pin 62 and the front-side upright wall 70 on one widthwise side, thereby positioning the slider 40 in the front-to-back direction relative to the box body 61. This state in which the rear opening of the slider 40 abuts against the front surface 68 of the box body 61 is the slider pull-up start position for pulling up the slider 40 when closing the concealed slide fastener 10.

[0051] When the slider 40 is in the slider lift start position, the insert pin 90 at one end of the other fastener element row 30B is inserted into the other element guide path 47 of the slider 40 and then accommodated in the insertion space 81 of the box body 61.

[0052] At this time, the locking piece 93 of the insert pin 90 comes into contact with the inner surface 81b on the other inclined widthwise side of the insertion space 81, the thin-walled portion 92 of the insert pin 90 comes into contact with the side surface 62a on the other widthwise side of the box pin 62, and the insert pin 90 is inserted into the insertion space 81 while elastically deforming while the locking piece 93 of the insert pin 90 comes into contact with the inclined side surface 81b on the other widthwise side of the insertion space 81 (see FIG. 11(b)). This provides the operator with a pleasant clicking sensation when the locking piece 93 passes over the insertion space 81 and locks onto the rear surface 69.

[0053] Here, the insert pin 90 at one end of the other fastener element row 30B is smaller than conventional insert pins (for example, Patent Document 3) in that resin is not injected into the tape folding portion 23, and the end fastener element 31E is positioned away from the insert pin 90 by the spacer portion S1, so that the insert pin 90 can easily pass through the element guide path 47 even if the parallel portion 48 of the first flange 43 is long.

[0054] Therefore, when work is performed in a factory, completion of insertion of the insert pin can be detected by a click, and the opening device 60 can be configured not to lift up when the slider 40 is operated. Furthermore, the insertion portion 80 of the box body 61 has the surface 63 and the side surface 66 on the other widthwise side partially cut out by the front cutout portion 84 so as to open the insertion space portion 81 to the front side, making manufacturing easier.

[0055] As described above, the concealed slide fastener 10 of this embodiment is preferably used in a location where the opening device 60 is not frequently separated, such as when it is applied to fitting a seat cover for an automobile seat. However, the opening device 60 can be separated by elastically deforming the insert pin 90 to release the engagement between the locking piece 93 of the insert pin 90 and the rear surface 69 of the box body 61.

[0056] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is described using a hidden slide fastener, but the present invention can also be applied to slide fasteners other than hidden slide fasteners.

[0057] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: (1) A slide fastener comprising: a pair of fastener stringers each having a pair of fastener tapes and a pair of fastener element rows sewn to tape-side edge portions of the pair of fastener tapes; and an opening device provided at one end of the pair of fastener stringers in the length direction of the fastener tapes and capable of separating or connecting one end of the pair of fastener stringers, wherein the fastener element rows have a core cord inserted between upper and lower leg portions of the fastener element rows, and the opening device comprises: a box body arranged at one end in the length direction of the fastener tape of one of the pair of fastener element rows and having a front surface, a back surface, and a pair of side surfaces; a box pin fixed to the box body and provided so as to protrude forward from one side in the width direction of the box body; and an insert pin provided at one end in the length direction of the fastener tape of the other of the pair of fastener element rows, wherein the box body has an attachment portion provided on one side in the width direction to which one of the fastener tapes is attached, and an insertion portion provided on the other side in the width direction to form an insertion space portion into which the insert pin is inserted, a slide fastener, wherein a spacer portion is formed at the tape side edge portion between the insert pin and the end fastener element located at the tip of one end of the other fastener element row, the spacer portion being arranged for at least one pitch of adjacent fastener elements in a state where the fastener element row is not provided and the core cord is exposed. According to this configuration, by providing the spacer portion, even when a large slider is used, the insert pin can smoothly pass through the slider and be inserted into and held in the insertion space portion of the box body, thereby improving operability when connecting the opening device or pulling up the slider.

[0058] (2) The slide fastener according to (1), wherein a locking piece extending in the width direction and locking to the rear surface of the box body is provided at the tip of the insert pin, a side surface on one side in the width direction of the box pin and a side surface on one side in the width direction of the insertion space of the box body form a stepped shape together with the front surface of the box body provided therebetween, and the side surface on one side in the width direction of the insert pin is formed in a stepped shape so that the side surface on one side in the width direction of the box pin comes into contact with the front surface of the box body when the locking piece is locked to the underside of the box body. With this configuration, the orientation of the insert pin with respect to the box body can be more stabilized when the locking piece of the insert pin locks to the rear surface of the box body.

[0059] (3) The slide fastener according to (1) or (2), wherein the inserting portion has a side surface on the other widthwise side that forms the insertion space portion inclined toward the one widthwise side from the front to the rear in the length direction of the fastener tape. According to this configuration, when the insert pin is inserted, the elastic deformation of the locking piece increases from the front to the rear in the length direction of the fastener tape, thereby increasing the clicking sensation when the locking piece locks with the rear surface of the box body.

[0060] (4) The slide fastener according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the slide fastener is a concealed slide fastener in which opposing tape side edge portions of the pair of fastener tapes are bent into a U-shape and the pair of fastener element rows are sewn to the bent folded pieces of the tape side edge portions of the pair of fastener tapes, and the insert pin is injection molded on a core cord that passes through the other fastener element and on a tape folding portion of the other fastener tape. According to this configuration, the core cord and the tape folding portion can be integrated during injection molding of the insert pin, the rigidity around the insert pin and the spacer portion can be ensured, and the insert pin can be easily inserted into the slider and the box.

[0061] (5) The slide fastener according to (4), wherein the insert pin has a main body portion in which the tape folded portion of the fastener tape of the other fastener element row is housed, and a thin portion provided on the side from which the fastener tape is led out in the width direction from the main body portion and formed by cutting out the surface on the side from which the fastener tape is led out, so that the insert pin has a thinner wall than the main body portion. According to this configuration, the contact area between the other fastener tape and resin is increased, and the fixing strength of the insert pin is increased. Furthermore, the cutout can reduce interference with the slider.

[0062] (6) A slide fastener according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the mounting portion of the box body is formed with a front upright wall extending forward from the front surface of the box body on the surface of the box body, and a side upright wall extending forward from the front surface of the box body so as to connect a front side surface of the box pin to the front upright wall, and the front upright wall, the side upright wall, and the box pin surround a widthwise inward portion of a first flange having an L-shaped cross section formed on the slider when a rear opening of the slider abuts against the front surface of the box body. With this configuration, the slider can be positioned relative to the box body in the front-rear direction when the slider is pulled down, and the ease of inserting the insert pin can also be improved.

[0063] (7) A slide fastener according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the length of the spacer portion is set so that, when the rear opening of the slider abuts against the front surface of the box body and the insert pin is held in the insertion space portion of the box body, the end fastener element is positioned closer to the shoulder opening than the parallel portions extending from the rear openings of first flanges provided on the left and right side edges of the slider. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent deviation of the meshing start positions of the elements, and by reducing the non-meshing portion, it is possible to prevent the chain from cracking from the closed rear spacer portion.

[0064] 10 Concealed slide fastener 11A, 11B Fastener stringer 20A, 20B Fastener tape 21 Tape main body 22 Folded piece 23 Tape folded portion 24 Tape side edge 30A, 30B Fastener element row 31 Fastener element 31E End fastener element 32 Core cord 40 Slider 41 Slider body 42 Lower wing 43 First flange 44 Guide post 45 Second flange 60 Opening tool 61 Box body 62 Box pin 63 Surface 64 Back surface 65, 66 Side surface 67 Mounting portion 68 Front surface 70 Front side standing wall 71 Side standing wall 80 Insertion portion 81 Insertion space portion 90 Insert pin 91 Main body 92 Thin portion 93 Locking piece P Pitch S1 Spacer portion

Claims

1. A pair of fastener tapes (20A, 20B), and a pair of fastener stringers (11A, 11B) having a pair of rows of fastener elements (30A, 30B) sewn to the tape side edges of the pair of fastener tapes, In the longitudinal direction of the fastener tape, an opening device (60) is provided at one end of the pair of fastener stringers, which can separate or connect one end of the pair of fastener stringers, A slide fastener (10) comprising, The aforementioned rows of fastener elements (30A, 30B) have a core cord (32) inserted between the upper and lower legs (31b, 31c) of the rows of fastener elements (30A, 30B), The aforementioned opening device is A box-shaped body (61) is positioned at one end in the longitudinal direction of the fastener tape of one of the pair of fastener element rows (30A), and has a front surface (63), a back surface (64), and a pair of side surfaces (65, 66). A box bar (62) is fixed to the box body and is provided projecting forward from one side in the width direction of the box body, Of the pair of fastener element rows, the other fastener element row (30B) has a butterfly pin (90) provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the fastener tape, Equipped with, The box body has an attachment portion (67) provided on one side in the width direction to which one of the fastener tapes (20A) is attached, and an insertion portion (80) provided on the other side in the width direction to which an insertion space portion (81) is formed into which the butterfly rod is inserted. Between the butterfly bar and the end fastener element (31E) located at the tip of one end of the other fastener element row, a spacer portion (S1) is formed on the side edge of the tape, where the core cord (32) is exposed without the fastener element row (30A, 30B), for at least one pitch (P) of adjacent fastener elements (31). Slide fastener.

2. The tip of the aforementioned butterfly bar is provided with a locking piece (93) that extends in the width direction and engages with the rear surface of the box body. The side surface (62a) on one side in the width direction of the box bar and the side surface (81a) on one side in the width direction of the insertion space portion of the box body, together with the front surface (68) of the box body provided between them, form a stepped shape. The side surface on one side in the width direction of the hinge bar is formed in a stepped shape so that, with the locking piece locked to the lower surface of the box body, it contacts the side surface on one side in the width direction of the box bar and the front surface of the box body. The slide fastener according to claim 1.

3. The insertion portion has a side surface (81b) on the other side in the width direction that forms the insertion space portion, which is inclined so that it moves toward the one side in the width direction as it moves from front to rear in the length direction of the fastener tape. A slide fastener according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The slide fastener is a concealed slide fastener in which the opposing tape side edges of the pair of fastener tapes are bent into a U shape, and the pair of fastener element rows are sewn to the bent folded portion (22) of the tape side edges of the pair of fastener tapes. The butterfly bar is injection molded into the core cord (32) that passes through the fastener elements of the other row of fastener elements, and into the tape bend portion of the other fastener tape (20B). The slide fastener according to claim 1.

5. The butterfly bar has a main body portion (91) that accommodates the folded portion of the other fastener tape, and a thin-walled portion (92) provided on the side from which the fastener tape is led out in the width direction from the main body portion, and which is thinner than the main body portion by cutting out the surface on the side from which the fastener tape is led out. The slide fastener according to claim 4.

6. The mounting portion of the box body is formed on the surface of the box body, with a front upright wall (70) extending forward from the front of the box body, and a lateral upright wall (71) extending forward from the front of the box body so as to connect the front side surface of the box rod with the front upright wall. The front upright wall, the side upright wall, and the box bar surround the widthwise inward portion of the L-shaped cross-section of the first flange formed on the slider when the rear opening of the slider (40) abuts against the front surface of the box body. The slide fastener according to claim 1.

7. The length of the spacer portion is set such that when the rear opening of the slider (40) abuts against the front surface of the box body and the hinge (90) is held in the insertion space (81) of the box body (61), the end fastener element is positioned closer to the shoulder than the parallel portions (48) that extend from the rear openings of the first flanges (43) erected on the left and right side edges of the slider (40). The slide fastener according to claim 1.