Snap button and snap button equipped with tape

Abstract

In the present invention, in a state where a female snap button and a male snap button are engaged, a gap is formed between the outer circumferential part of an engagement protrusion of the female snap button and the outer circumferential part of an engagement-receiving part of the female snap button. When the outer circumferential part of the male snap button is pressed, the part of engagement between a fitting hole and the engagement protrusion serves as a fulcrum and the male snap button is tilted at a prescribed angle with respect to the female snap button, thereby releasing the engagement between the female snap button and the male snap button.

Description

Snap buttons and tape-attached snap buttons

[0001] The present invention relates to snap buttons and snap buttons with tape used on clothing, bags, and other articles with opening and closing parts, and particularly to those that can be opened and closed with one hand.

[0002] Conventionally, snap buttons have been known that consist of a female snap button with a concave fitting hole and a male snap button with a convex engaging protrusion that fits into the fitting hole. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a snap button that can be easily operated with one hand for people with disabilities.

[0003] Patent No. 6169349

[0004] The snap button described in Patent Document 1 has a structure in which an opening operation part is provided on one of the female and male snap buttons, and an expansion support part is provided on the other of the female and male snap buttons at a part facing the opening operation part, in order to enable opening operation with one hand. This raises concerns that the structure of the female and male snap buttons may become complicated or that the size of the female and male snap buttons may become large.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has as its object to provide a snap button and a snap button with tape that have a simple structure yet can be opened with one hand.

[0006] The present invention provides a means for solving the above-mentioned problems as follows: Namely, the snap button of the present invention is a snap button comprising a female snap button having a concave fitting hole in the center in a plan view, and a male snap button having a convex engaging protrusion that fits into the fitting hole, wherein when the female snap button and the male snap button are engaged, a gap is provided between the outer periphery of the female snap button and the outer periphery of the male snap button, and when the outer periphery of the male snap button is pressed, the male snap button tilts at a predetermined angle relative to the female snap button, with the engaging portion between the fitting hole and the engaging protrusion as a fulcrum, thereby releasing the engagement between the female snap button and the male snap button.

[0007] According to the above configuration, even though the female and male snap buttons are engaged, a simple structure in which a gap is provided between the outer periphery of the female snap button and the outer periphery of the male snap button allows the snap button to be easily opened with one hand. Specifically, when the peripheral edge of the male snap button is pressed down in an engaged state, the male snap button tilts relative to the female snap button, using the principle of leverage as a fulcrum, with the engagement portion between the male snap button's engagement protrusion and the female snap button's fitting hole as a fulcrum, causing the male snap button's engagement protrusion to disengage from the female snap button's fitting hole. Because there is a gap between the outer periphery of the male snap button and the outer periphery of the female snap button, the engagement of the male and male snap buttons can be easily released, allowing the snap buttons to be easily separated (opened). Moreover, unlike conventional snap buttons, the absence of an opening operation unit or an expansion support unit allows the female and male snap buttons to have a simple structure and reduce their size.

[0008] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the engaging protrusion of the male snap button and the surrounding area of ​​the fitting hole of the female snap button do not come into contact with each other when the male snap button is tilted relative to the female snap button. This prevents contact between the engaging protrusion of the male snap button and the surrounding area of ​​the fitting hole of the female snap button from interfering with the opening of the snap button, allowing for a smooth opening operation of the snap button.

[0009] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the area surrounding the fitting hole of the female snap button is formed in a cone shape. This allows the engaging protrusion of the male snap button to be guided along the inclined surface of the cone toward the fitting hole of the female snap button, making it easy to engage the male and female snap buttons. Furthermore, when the snap buttons are engaged, the engaging protrusion of the male snap button can be accommodated inside the cone-shaped space, thereby making it possible to make the snap button thinner.

[0010] In the above configuration, it is preferable that the engaging portions of the female snap button and the male snap button are each made of metal, and the outer peripheries of the engaging portions are each made of synthetic resin. By assembling the outer periphery made of synthetic resin to an existing metal snap button, it becomes possible to perform the opening operation with one hand using the above-mentioned principle of leverage.

[0011] The snap button with tape of the present invention is characterized by including the snap button having the above-described configuration, and has the same effects as the snap button having the above-described configuration.

[0012] According to the present invention, even with a simple configuration in which a gap is provided between the outer periphery of the female snap button and the outer periphery of the male snap button, the snap button can be easily opened with one hand.

[0013] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an engaged state of a snap button according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a female snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a female snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a front view of a male snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a male snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male snap button is inclined relative to the female snap button when the snap button of FIG. 1 is separated. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male snap button is further inclined relative to the female snap button when the snap button of FIG. 1 is separated. FIG. 1 is a front view of the female fabric tape and the male fabric tape of a tape-attached snap button using the snap button of FIG. 1, viewed from the engagement surface side. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an engaged state of a snap button according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a front view of a female snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a female snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a front view of a male snap button constituting the snap button of FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male snap button is inclined relative to the female snap button when the snap button of FIG. 9 is separated. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the male snap button is further tilted relative to the female snap button when separating the snap button of FIG. 9. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing an engaged state of a snap button according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 18 is a front view of a female snap button that constitutes the snap button of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a female snap button that constitutes the snap button of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is a front view of a male snap button that constitutes the snap button of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional ... showing a state in which the male snap button is tilted relative to the female snap button when separating the snap button of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a female side outer peripheral member of a female snap button according to a modified example of the present invention. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a male side outer peripheral member of a male snap button according to a modified example of the present invention.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (First Embodiment) Figures 1 to 7 show a snap button 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The snap button 10 is used on clothing, bags, and other articles with an opening and closing portion. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the engaged state of the snap button 10. Figure 2 is a front view showing the engaging surface side of the female snap button 20, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the female snap button 20. Figure 4 is a front view showing the engaging surface side of the male snap button 30, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the male snap button 30. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the male snap button 30 is tilted relative to the female snap button 20 when the engaged snap button 10 is separated (opened), and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the male snap button 30 is further tilted relative to the female snap button 20. The engaging surface side of each of the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 is referred to as the front side (surface side), and the side opposite the front side is referred to as the back side (rear side). In addition, the female fabric 2 is not shown in FIG. 2, and the male fabric 3 is not shown in FIG.

[0016] As shown in Figure 3, the female snap button 20 is formed on the female fabric 2. Specifically, the female snap button 20 is formed by injection molding using a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as polyacetal or 66 nylon, without drilling any attachment holes in the female fabric 2. The female fabric 2 must be a fabric through which the molten resin can pass and penetrate under molding pressure. Such female fabric 2 may be any fabric that will not melt during molding of the female snap button 20, and may be woven or knitted, and may be made of cotton, blended fabric, mesh fabric, or the like.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the female snap button 20 is composed of a female base portion 21 and an engagement receiving portion 22. The engagement receiving portion 22 is formed on the front side of the female fabric 2, and the female base portion 21 is formed on the back side. The female base portion 21 and the engagement receiving portion 22 are formed, for example, in the shape of a disk having approximately the same outer shape. The back side of the female base portion 21 is formed flat.

[0018] A recessed fitting hole 23 for engaging the male snap button 30 is formed in the approximate center of the engagement receiving portion 22. An engagement groove 24 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole 23 to engage with the large diameter portion 35 of the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30. The inner diameter of the engagement groove 24 is larger than the inner diameter of the remaining portion, for example, larger than the inner diameter of the open end side of the fitting hole 23. Around the outer periphery of the fitting hole 23, there is a recess 25 formed in a curved, cone-shaped shape.

[0019] The female fabric 2 is exposed inside the fitting hole 23 of the engagement receiving portion 22. An opening 26 is also formed in the center of the female base portion 21, exposing the female fabric 2. The female fabric 2 is positioned with the exposed portion curved toward the back surface, and the remaining portion is positioned horizontally when fixed to the female snap button 20. The back surface side of the opening 26 extends from the center of the female base portion 21 toward the outer diameter, forming an injection port 27 for synthetic resin. The injection port 27 is located at a position offset from the center of the female base portion 21. Except for the injection port 27, the female snap button 20 has a substantially rotationally symmetrical shape.

[0020] To form the female snap button 20, the female fabric 2 is placed between upper and lower molds (not shown), and the female fabric 2 located in the fitting hole 23 is sandwiched and fixed between the upper and lower molds. Then, synthetic resin is injected through the injection port 27 to integrally form the female base portion 21 and the engagement receiving portion 22. At this time, since the injection port 27 is located at a position offset from the center of the female base portion 21, the female fabric 2 can be firmly sandwiched and fixed between the upper and lower molds, and the female fabric 2 does not become distorted or wavy due to the injection pressure during molding.

[0021] As shown in Figure 5, the male snap button 30 is formed on the male fabric 3. Specifically, like the female snap button 20 described above, the male snap button 30 is formed by injection molding using a thermoplastic synthetic resin such as polyacetal or 66 nylon, without drilling any attachment holes in the male fabric 3. The male fabric 3 must be a fabric through which the molten resin can pass and penetrate under molding pressure. Such a male fabric 3 may be any material that will not melt during molding of the male snap button 30, and may be woven or knitted, and may be made of cotton, blended fabric, mesh fabric, etc.

[0022] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the male snap button 30 is composed of a male base portion 31 and an engaging protrusion 32. The engaging protrusion 32 is formed on the front side of the male fabric 3, and the male base portion 31 is formed on the back side. The male base portion 31 and the engaging protrusion 32 are formed, for example, in the shape of a disk with approximately the same outer shape. The back side of the male base portion 31 is formed flat. The outer diameters of the male base portion 31 and the engaging protrusion 32 are approximately the same as the outer diameters of the female base portion 21 and the engaging receiver portion 22.

[0023] The engaging protrusion 32 has a substantially truncated cone-shaped base 33 and a substantially cylindrical protrusion 34 formed on the surface side of the base 33. The protrusion 34 is formed with a large diameter portion 35 that engages with the engaging groove 24 of the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20. The outer diameter of the large diameter portion 35 is larger than the outer diameter of the remaining portion, for example, larger than the outer diameter of the connecting portion of the protrusion 34 to the base 33. A recess 36 is formed in the approximate center of the engaging protrusion 32. The recess 36 is an insertion mark of a mold that is placed to prevent distortion of the male fabric 3 during molding. The male snap button 30 has a substantially rotationally symmetrical shape.

[0024] Unlike the female fabric 2 described above, the male fabric 3 is arranged horizontally without any curved portions and is fixed to the male snap button 30. The male base portion 31 is formed on a plane parallel to the male fabric 3. An injection port 37 for synthetic resin is formed in the approximate center of the male base portion 31. The injection port 37 is located in a position facing the recess 36 of the engagement projection 32.

[0025] The male snap button 30 is molded using upper and lower molds in the same manner as the female snap button 20 described above. At that time, part of the mold is inserted into the position of the recess 36 of the engaging projection 32 and injection molding is performed. This allows molding to be performed without distorting the male fabric 3.

[0026] The female and male snap buttons 20, 30 configured as described above are engaged as shown in Figure 1. To engage the female and male snap buttons 20, 30, the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 is simply pressed into the engagement receptacle 22 of the female snap button 20. In the engaged state of the snap button 10 shown in Figure 1, the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30 is inserted into the mating hole 23 of the female snap button 20, and the large diameter portion 35 of the protrusion 34 fits into the mating groove 24 of the mating hole 23. This causes the large diameter portion 35 of the protrusion 34 to engage with the mating groove 24 of the mating hole 23. At this time, the protrusion 34 can be easily engaged with the mating hole 23 by moving the protrusion 34 along the inclined surface of the funnel-shaped recess 25.

[0027] When the snap button 10 is in the engaged state, the surface side of the base portion 33 of the engaging projection 32 of the male snap button 30 contacts the surface side of the peripheral edge of the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20. Meanwhile, the outer periphery of the base portion 33 of the engaging projection 32 of the male snap button 30 does not contact the outer periphery of the engagement receiving portion 22 of the female snap button 20, and a gap C1 is provided between them. As will be described later, the gap C1 is set within a range that allows the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 to be disengaged. The lower limit of the gap C1 is determined based on the radius and depth of the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20, the radius and height of the projection 34 of the male snap button 30, and the radii of the male and female snap buttons 20, 30. For example, in this embodiment, the radius of the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20 is 2.47 mm and the depth is 1.35 mm, the radius of the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30 is 2.5 mm and the height is 1.25 mm, and the radius of the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 is 7.5 mm, and in this case, the gap C1 is 1.32 mm.

[0028] To release the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 from the engaged state of the snap button 10 shown in Figure 1 and open the snap button 10, simply press down with your finger the periphery of the backside of the male base portion 31 of the male snap button 30 in the direction of arrow Y1, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. A gap C1 is provided between the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the outer periphery of the engagement receptacle 22 of the female snap button 20, causing the male snap button 30 to tilt relative to the female snap button 20. Specifically, when the periphery of the male base portion 31 is pressed down, due to the principle of leverage, the male snap button 30 gradually tilts relative to the female snap button 20, with the engagement portion between the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20 as a fulcrum. As a result, the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30 gradually disengages from the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20. When a certain point (for example, the state shown in FIG. 6) is reached, the engagement between the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 is released, and the snap button 10 is separated (released).

[0029] In Figure 6, the inclination angle α1 of the male snap button 30 relative to the female snap button 20 is shown to be approximately 12°, and the gap C1 is maintained so that the male snap button 30 can be inclined relative to the female snap button 20 up to this state. In Figure 7, the inclination angle α1 of the male snap button 30 relative to the female snap button 20 is shown to be approximately 15°, and in this state, the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30 disengages from the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20, and the engagement between the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 is released. Note that the value of the inclination angle α1 is just an example, and can be changed depending on the radius and depth of the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20, the radius and height of the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30, and the radii of the male and female snap buttons 20, 30.

[0030] In this embodiment, as described above, when the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 are engaged, a gap C1 is provided between the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the outer periphery of the engagement receiving portion 22 of the female snap button 20, and when the outer periphery of the male snap button 30 is pressed, the male snap button 30 tilts at a predetermined angle relative to the female snap button 20, with the engagement portion between the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20 as a fulcrum, thereby disengaging the female and male snap buttons 20, 30.

[0031] According to this embodiment, the snap button 10 can be easily opened with one hand, despite the simple configuration of providing a gap C1 between the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the outer periphery of the engagement receiver 22 of the female snap button 20. In detail, when the peripheral edge on the back side of the male base portion 31 of the male snap button 30 of the engaged snap button 10 is pressed down in the direction of arrow Y1, due to the principle of leverage, the male snap button 30 tilts relative to the female snap button 20, with the engagement portion between the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20 as a fulcrum, causing the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30 to disengage from the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20. In this way, because there is a gap C1 between the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 and the outer periphery of the engagement receiver 22 of the female snap button 20, the engagement between the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 can be easily released, and the snap button 10 can be easily separated (opened). The snap button 10 can be easily opened with one hand, even by people with hand disabilities. Furthermore, the snap button 10 can be easily opened while wearing gloves. Moreover, unlike conventional snap buttons, the snap button 10 does not require an opening operation part or an expansion support part, allowing the male and female snap buttons 20, 30 to have a simple structure and be smaller in size.

[0032] In this embodiment, the engaging projections 32 of the male snap button 30 and the engaging receiver 22 around the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20 are formed so as not to come into contact with each other when the male snap button 30 is tilted relative to the female snap button 20. This prevents contact between the engaging projections 32 of the male snap button 30 and the engaging receiver 22 of the female snap button 20 from interfering with the opening operation of the snap button 10, allowing for a smooth opening operation of the snap button 10.

[0033] In this embodiment, the engaging portion 22 around the fitting hole 23 of the female snap button 20 is formed in a cone shape. As described above, the protrusion 34 of the male snap button 30 is guided toward the fitting hole 23 along the inclined surface of the cone-shaped recess 25, allowing the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 to easily engage with each other. Furthermore, when the snap buttons 10 are engaged, the engaging protrusion 32 of the male snap button 30 can be accommodated within the space of the cone-shaped recess 25, allowing the snap button 10 to be made thinner.

[0034] Figure 8 shows a tape-attached snap button 100 using the snap button 10 of the above configuration. Figure 8 shows a front view of the female fabric 2 and male fabric 3 in the separated state of the tape-attached snap button 100, viewed from the engagement surface side (front side). The female fabric 2 and male fabric 3 are formed in the shape of a long tape. A plurality of female snap buttons 20 are arranged at predetermined intervals on the female fabric 2. A plurality of male snap buttons 30 are arranged on the male fabric 3 at the same intervals as the spacing between the female snap buttons 20. The female and male snap buttons 20, 30 are formed on the tape-shaped female fabric 2 and male fabric 3 by injection molding as described above.

[0035] The tape-attached snap button 100 is used on clothing, bags, and other articles with opening and closing parts by engaging and separating (opening) the female snap button 20 on the female fabric 2 and the male snap button 30 on the male fabric 3. The tape-attached snap button 100 equipped with such a snap button 10 also provides the same effects as those of the snap button 10 described above. In other words, it is possible to provide a tape-attached snap button 100 that has a simple structure but can be opened with one hand.

[0036] Second Embodiment Figures 9 to 15 show a snap button 10A according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the engaged state of the snap button 10A. Figure 10 is a front view showing the engaging surface of the female snap button 20A, and Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the female snap button 20A. Figure 12 is a front view showing the engaging surface of the male snap button 30A, and Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the male snap button 30A. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the male snap button 30A is tilted relative to the female snap button 20A when the snap button 10A is separated, and Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the male snap button 30A is further tilted relative to the female snap button 20A. Note that parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment have been assigned the letter "A" in addition to the reference numerals of the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions will be omitted. Also, the female fabric 2A is not shown in Figure 10, and the male fabric 3A is not shown in Figure 12.

[0037] In the second embodiment, the shape of the female snap button 20A is different from the shape of the female snap button 20 of the first embodiment, but other configurations are substantially the same. Specifically, while the female snap button 20 of the first embodiment had a cone-shaped recess 25 in the engagement receiving portion 22 (see Figures 2 and 3), the female snap button 20A does not have such a recess in the engagement receiving portion 22A, as shown in Figures 9 and 10. The surface side of the engagement receiving portion 22A of the female snap button 20A is formed flat, and a fitting hole 23A is formed in approximately the center of the engagement receiving portion 22A.

[0038] The female and male snap buttons 20A, 30A configured as described above are engaged as shown in Figure 9. To engage the female and male snap buttons 20A, 30A, the engagement protrusion 32A of the male snap button 30A is simply pressed into the engagement receptacle 22A of the female snap button 20A. In the engaged state of the snap button 10A shown in Figure 9, the protrusion 34A of the male snap button 30A is inserted into the mating hole 23A of the female snap button 20A, and the large diameter portion 35A of the protrusion 34A fits into the mating groove 24A of the mating hole 23A. This causes the large diameter portion 35A of the protrusion 34A to engage with the mating groove 24A of the mating hole 23A. In this case, because the surface side of the engagement receiving portion 22A of the female snap button 20A is formed flat, when the snap button 10A is in the engaged state, the gap C2 between the outer periphery of the engagement protrusion 32A of the male snap button 30A and the outer periphery of the engagement receiving portion 22A of the female snap button 20A is larger than in the first embodiment (C2>C1). As with the above-mentioned gap C1, the lower limit of the gap C2 at which the engagement between the female and male snap buttons 20A, 30A can be released is determined by the radius and depth of the fitting hole 23A of the female snap button 20A, the radius and height of the protrusion 34A of the male snap button 30A, and the radii of the female and male snap buttons 20A, 30A.

[0039] In Figure 14, the inclination angle α2 of the male snap button 30A relative to the female snap button 20A is shown to be approximately 12°, and the gap C2 is maintained so that the male snap button 30A can be inclined relative to the female snap button 20A up to this state. In Figure 15, the inclination angle α2 of the male snap button 30A relative to the female snap button 20A is shown to be approximately 15°, and in this state, the protrusion 34A of the male snap button 30A disengages from the mating hole 23A of the female snap button 20A, and the engagement between the male and female snap buttons 20A, 30A is released. Note that the value of the inclination angle α2 is an example, and can be changed depending on the radius and depth of the mating hole 23A of the female snap button 20A, the radius and height of the protrusion 34A of the male snap button 30A, and the radii of the male and female snap buttons 20A, 30A.

[0040] The snap button 10A of the second embodiment also provides the same operational effects as the snap button 10 of the first embodiment described above. That is, despite the simple configuration of providing a gap C2 between the outer periphery of the engagement projection 32A of the male snap button 30A and the outer periphery of the engagement receiving portion 22A of the female snap button 20A, the snap button 10A can be easily opened with one hand.

[0041] (Third Embodiment) Figures 16 to 21 show a snap button 10B according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view showing the engaged state of the snap button 10B. Figure 17 is a front view showing the engaging surface side of the female snap button 20B, and Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of the female snap button 20B. Figure 19 is a front view showing the engaging surface side of the male snap button 30B, and Figure 20 is a cross-sectional view of the male snap button 30B. Figure 21 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the male snap button 30B is tilted relative to the female snap button 20B when the snap button 10B is separated. Note that parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment have been assigned the letter "B" in addition to the reference numerals of the first embodiment, and detailed explanations will be omitted. Also, the female fabric 2B is not shown in Figure 17, and the male fabric 3B is not shown in Figure 19.

[0042] In the third embodiment, the shape of the male snap button 30B differs from that of the male snap button 30 of the first embodiment, but other configurations are substantially the same. Specifically, in the male snap button 30 of the first embodiment, the engaging protrusion 32B is provided with a substantially truncated cone-shaped base portion 33 (see Figures 4 and 5), but as shown in Figures 19 and 20, the male snap button 20B does not have such a base portion on the engaging protrusion 32B. The engaging protrusion 32B of the male snap button 20B is provided only with a substantially cylindrical protrusion portion 34 formed on the front side of the male fabric 3B. In Figure 19, the outer periphery of the male base portion 31B formed on the back side of the male fabric 3B is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0043] The female and male snap buttons 20B, 30B configured as described above are engaged as shown in Figure 16. To engage the female and male snap buttons 20B, 30B, the engagement protrusion 32B of the male snap button 30B is simply pressed into the engagement receptacle 22B of the female snap button 20B. In the engaged state of the snap button 10B shown in Figure 16, the protrusion 34B of the male snap button 30B is inserted into the mating hole 23B of the female snap button 20B, and the large diameter portion 35B of the protrusion 34B fits into the mating groove 24B of the mating hole 23B. This causes the large diameter portion 35B of the protrusion 34B to engage with the mating groove 24B of the mating hole 23B. At this time, because the engaging protrusion 32B of the male snap button 20B does not have a base portion formed thereon, when the snap button 10B is in the engaged state, the gap C3 between the male fabric 3B on the outer periphery of the engaging protrusion 32B of the male snap button 30B and the outer periphery of the engaging receiving portion 22B of the female snap button 20B is larger than in the first embodiment (C3>C1). As with the gap C1 described above, the lower limit of the gap C3 at which the engagement between the female and male snap buttons 20B, 30B can be released is determined by the radius and depth of the fitting hole 23B of the female snap button 20B, the radius and height of the protrusion 34B of the male snap button 30B, and the radii of the female and male snap buttons 20B, 30B.

[0044] In Figure 21, the inclination angle α3 of the male snap button 30B relative to the female snap button 20B is shown to be approximately 5°, and the above-mentioned gap C3 is secured so that the male snap button 30B can be inclined relative to the female snap button 20B up to this state. If the male snap button 30B is inclined further relative to the female snap button 20B than in the state shown in Figure 21, the protrusion 34B of the male snap button 30B will disengage from the fitting hole 23B of the female snap button 20B, and the engagement between the male and female snap buttons 20B, 30B will be released. Note that the value of the above-mentioned inclination angle α3 is just an example, and can be changed depending on the radius and depth of the fitting hole 23B of the female snap button 20B, the radius and height of the protrusion 34B of the male snap button 30B, and the radii of the male and female snap buttons 20B, 30B.

[0045] The snap button 10B of the third embodiment also provides the same effects as the snap button 10 of the first embodiment described above. That is, despite the simple configuration of providing a gap C3 between the outer periphery of the male snap button 30B and the outer periphery of the engagement receiving portion 22B of the female snap button 20B, the snap button 10B can be easily opened with one hand.

[0046] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and are not intended to be limiting. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be interpreted solely by the above-described embodiments, but should be defined by the scope of the claims. Furthermore, all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims are included.

[0047] In the above, the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 are made of synthetic resin, but they may also be made of metal, for example. Furthermore, while the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 are fixed to the fabric by injection molding, they may also be fixed to the fabric by other methods (e.g., riveting, sewing, etc.). For example, the engaging portions (inner peripheral portions) of the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 may each be made of metal, and the outer peripheral portions of the metal engaging portions may each be made of synthetic resin. In this case, the inner peripheral metal portion may be fixed to the fabric by riveting, etc. Then, the outer peripheral synthetic resin portion may be formed so that a gap is formed between the outer peripheral portions of the female snap button 20 and the male snap button 30 when the female and male snap buttons 20, 30 are engaged.

[0048] The present invention can also be applied to existing metal snap buttons by using synthetic resin outer peripheral members 41, 51 as shown in Figures 22 and 23. Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view showing the female outer peripheral member 41 of a female snap button 20C according to a modified example of the present invention, and Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view showing the male outer peripheral member 51 of a male snap button 30C according to a modified example of the present invention.

[0049] As shown in Figure 22, the female snap button 20C is configured such that a female outer peripheral member 41 is integrally assembled to the outer peripheral side of a female snap button part (spring) 40. The female outer peripheral member 41 has an opening 42 in the center to accommodate the female snap button part 40, and an inclined surface 43 is formed around the outer periphery of the front side (engagement surface side) of the opening 42. The outer periphery of the back side of the opening 42 is flat. A protrusion 44 that protrudes inward is formed on the inner peripheral edge of the back side of the opening 42, and this protrusion 44 is sandwiched between the female snap button part 40 and a crimping part 45 to fix (assemble) them.

[0050] When assembling the female peripheral member 41 to the female snap button component 40, the female snap button component 40 is inserted into the opening 42 of the female peripheral member 41, and the female peripheral member 41 is placed in a predetermined position on the female fabric 2. The crimping component (top part) 45 is inserted into the female snap button component 40 from the back side of the female fabric 2, and the crimping component 45 and the female snap button component 40 are joined by crimping. As a result, the female snap button component 41 and the female fabric 2 are sandwiched between the female snap button component 40 and the crimping component 45, the female peripheral member 41 is fixed to the female fabric 2, and the female snap button component 40 and the female peripheral member 41 are assembled together. Note that although the inclined surface 43 is formed in a tapered shape, it may also be curved, for example, like a mortar.

[0051] As shown in Figure 23, male snap button 30C is configured by assembling male outer peripheral member 51 integrally to the outer periphery of male snap button part (genko) 50. A hollow cylindrical protrusion 52 is formed on the front surface (engagement surface) of male outer peripheral member 51. The back surface of male outer peripheral member 51 is flat.

[0052] When assembling the male outer peripheral component 51 to the male snap button component 50, the male snap button component 50 is placed on the upper end of the protrusion 52 of the male outer peripheral component 51, and the male outer peripheral component 51 is placed in a predetermined position on the male fabric 3. The crimping component (narrow) 53 is inserted into the protrusion 52 from the back side of the male fabric 3, and the crimping component 53 and the male snap button component 50 at the upper end of the protrusion 52 are joined by crimping. As a result, the male snap button component 51 and the male fabric 3 are sandwiched between the male snap button component 50 and the crimping component 53, the male outer peripheral component 51 is fixed to the male fabric 3, and the male snap button component 50 and the male outer peripheral component 51 are assembled together.

[0053] When the female snap button 20C having the female peripheral member 41 of the above-described configuration assembled is engaged with the male snap button 30C having the male peripheral member 51 assembled thereto, a gap is formed between the outer periphery of the female peripheral member 41 of the female snap button 20C and the outer periphery of the male peripheral member 51 of the male snap button 30C. This provides the same operational effect as the snap button 10 of the first embodiment described above. That is, despite the simple configuration of providing a gap between the outer periphery of the male peripheral member 51 of the male snap button 30C and the outer periphery of the female peripheral member 41 of the female snap button 20C, the snap button can be easily opened with one hand. Furthermore, by assembling the synthetic resin female and male peripheral members 41, 51 to existing metal female and male snap button components 40, 50, the opening operation with one hand based on the above-described principle of leverage becomes possible.

[0054] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-152142, filed in Japan on September 4, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0055] 2 Female side fabric 3 Male side fabric 10 Snap button 20 Female snap button 22 Engagement receiving portion 23 Fitting hole 30 Male snap button 32 Engagement protrusion 100 Tape-attached snap button C1 Gap α1 Inclination angle

Claims

1. A snap button consisting of a female snap button having a concave fitting hole in the center when viewed from above, and a male snap button having a convex engagement protrusion that fits into said fitting hole, wherein when said female snap button and said male snap button are engaged, a gap is provided between the outer periphery of said female snap button and the outer periphery of said male snap button, and when said outer periphery of said male snap button is pressed, said male snap button tilts at a predetermined angle relative to said female snap button, with the engagement part between said fitting hole and engagement protrusion as a fulcrum, thereby releasing the engagement between said female snap button and said male snap button.

2. A snap button as described in claim 1, characterized in that the engaging projection of the male snap button and the area surrounding the fitting hole of the female snap button are formed so as not to come into contact with each other when the male snap button is tilted relative to the female snap button.

3. A snap button according to claim 2, characterized in that the portion of the female snap button surrounding the fitting hole is formed in a mortar shape.

4. A snap button according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the engaging portions of the female snap button and the male snap button are each made of metal, and the outer peripheries of the engaging portions are each made of synthetic resin.

5. A snap button with tape, comprising the snap button according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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