Slider

Abstract

This slider (1) has a slider body (10) that comprises an upper wing plate (20) and a lower wing plate (30). A pair of grooves (50, 60) are provided in an inside surface of the upper wing plate (20) and / or the lower wing plate (30), and in a cross-section of the slider body (10), when the outermost positions in the slider width direction at an outer peripheral edge of a connection column (40) are outermost positions (41), inside groove side edge parts (52a) of the grooves (50, 60) are further to the inside in the slider width direction than the outermost positions (41), and outside groove side edge parts (52b) of the grooves (50, 60) are further to the outside in the slider width direction than the outermost positions (41). As a result, it is harder for a fastener element to be shaved away by an inside surface of the slider body (10), even after repeated sliding.

Description

Slider

[0001] The present invention relates to a slider used for a slide fastener.

[0002] As one type of slide fastener, for example, as described in International Publication No. 2009 / 128136 (Patent Document 1), a slide fastener in which a plurality of fastener elements attached to a fastener tape are formed of metal is known. Such a slide fastener is sometimes called a metal fastener.

[0003] International Publication No. 2009 / 128136

[0004] In a conventional metal fastener, generally, when the slider slides, the slider body comes into contact with and rubs against the metal fastener element. For example, when the slider is slid while being pulled in the front-back direction of the fastener tape, the slider and the fastener element are likely to rub strongly against each other.

[0005] Therefore, when the sliding operation of the slider is repeated, the outer surface of the metal fastener element may be partially scraped, and the inner metal portion of the fastener element may be exposed. As a result, a difference may occur in the color and texture (metal finish) of the fastener element between the portion originally formed on the outer surface of the fastener element and the inner portion where the outer surface is scraped and exposed, which may deteriorate the appearance of the fastener element or reduce the appearance quality of the metal fastener.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a slider that can make it difficult for the fastener element to be scraped by the slider body even when the sliding operation is repeated.

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the slider provided by the present invention is a slider for a slide fastener having a slider body, wherein the slider body has an upper wing plate, a lower wing plate disposed away from the upper wing plate, and a connecting column connecting the front end of the upper wing plate and the front end of the lower wing plate, wherein a pair of recessed grooves are provided on the inner surface of the upper wing plate and / or the inner surface of the lower wing plate, and each of the recessed grooves is located on the inside in the slider width direction. The slider has an inner groove side edge and an outer groove side edge positioned on the outside in the slider width direction, and when viewing a cross-section of the slider body perpendicular to the slider height direction, the outermost position on the outer peripheral edge of the connecting column in the slider width direction is defined as the outermost position, in which case the inner groove side edge of each groove is positioned inward in the slider width direction from the outermost position, and the outer groove side edge of each groove is positioned outward in the slider width direction from the outermost position.

[0008] In the slider of the present invention, it is preferable that the pair of recessed grooves are provided on the inner surface of the upper wing plate and on the inner surface of the lower wing plate. Furthermore, it is preferable that each of the recessed grooves is provided in a straight line along the length direction of the slider. In this case, the slider body has a pair of upper flange portions extending from the side edge of the upper wing plate toward the lower wing plate and a pair of lower flange portions extending from the side edge of the lower wing plate toward the upper wing plate, and it is preferable that each of the recessed grooves is arranged away from the upper flange portion or the lower flange portion in the width direction of the slider.

[0009] In the present invention, it is preferable that the inner surface of the upper wing plate and / or the inner surface of the lower wing plate includes a parting line of the mold used to form the slider fuselage, and that at least a portion of the parting line is included in each of the recessed grooves.

[0010] In this case, the slider body has a pair of upper flange portions extending from the side edge of the upper wing plate toward the lower wing plate, a pair of lower flange portions extending from the side edge of the lower wing plate toward the upper wing plate, a pair of shoulders opening on both sides of the connecting column, and a rear opening opening at the rear end of the slider body. The parting line has a first parting line extending from the connecting column to one side in the slider width direction, and a second parting line extending from the connecting column to the other side in the slider width direction. The first parting line and the second parting line each have a first transverse line extending from the connecting column toward the shoulder, a vertical line extending from the tip of the first transverse line toward the rear opening via a bend, and a second transverse line extending from the tip of the vertical line toward the upper flange portion or the lower flange portion via a bend. Preferably, each groove portion contains at least the entirety of the first transverse line and the entirety of the vertical line.

[0011] According to the slider of the present invention, even if sliding operations are performed repeatedly, it is possible to prevent wear on the fastener element by the inner surface of the slider body.

[0012] This is a side view of a slider according to an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the side. This is a front view of the slider shown in Figure 1, viewed from the front. This is a cross-sectional view of the upper wing plate of the slider shown in Figure 1, viewed from below. This is a cross-sectional view of the lower wing plate of the slider shown in Figure 1, viewed from above. This is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the trimming process performed on the slider fuselage. This is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the cutter body of the trimming device is inserted into the slider fuselage.

[0013] The inventors investigated and examined the wear on fastener elements caused by the sliding of a slider. As a result, they found that during the molding of the slider body, burrs (residues) protruding from the element guide surface are formed along the parting line of the mold due to dimensional errors and positional misalignments of the mold used for molding, and that one of the causes of wear on fastener elements by the slider is that, during the sliding of the slider, the fastener elements moving within the element guide path come into contact with the aforementioned burrs.

[0014] Furthermore, due to the unique shape of the slider fuselage, it was found that the parting lines of the mold are formed continuously from the inner surfaces of the upper and lower wing plates of the slider fuselage to the outer surface of the connecting column, and that depending on the position and orientation of the fastener element as it moves within the element guide path of the slider fuselage, burrs formed in the parts of the upper and lower wing plates that are close to the connecting column, as well as burrs formed on the outer surface of the connecting column, may come into contact with the fastener element.

[0015] Therefore, based on the above, the inventors conducted further research and found that in order to prevent the fastener element from being scraped by the slider body when the slider slides, it is sufficient to provide a groove capable of accommodating burrs at an appropriate position and range on the slider body relative to the parting line (dividing surface) of the mold set on the slider body. Furthermore, they found that by appropriately providing the groove, it is also possible to prevent the occurrence of the problem of the upper and lower wing plates being damaged when trimming is performed to remove burrs formed on the outer surface of the connecting column, as described later, and thus completed the present invention.

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a side view of the slider of this embodiment, viewed from the side. Figure 2 is a front view of the slider of this embodiment, viewed from the front. Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing the upper and lower wings of the slider of this embodiment, respectively.

[0017] In the following description of slider 1 and slide fastener, the front-rear direction is the longitudinal direction of slider 1, and also the direction along the sliding direction when slider 1 is attached to the element row of the slide fastener and slides (see Figure 1). In this case, the direction in which slider 1 moves to engage the element row of the slide fastener is defined as the front (shoulder side direction), and the direction in which it moves to separate the element row is defined as the rear (rear opening side direction).

[0018] The vertical direction refers to the height direction of the slider 1, and for example, the direction perpendicular to the upper wing plate 20 and lower wing plate 30 of the slider fuselage 10, which will be described later (see Figures 1 and 2). In this case, the direction in which the pull handle (not shown) is attached to the slider fuselage 10 of the slider 1 is considered upward, and the opposite direction is considered downward.

[0019] The left-right direction is the width direction of the slider 1 and is perpendicular to the length direction and height direction of the slider 1 (see Figure 2). The inside of the left-right direction is the direction toward the left-right center line or center plane of the slider body 10, and the outside of the left-right direction is the direction toward the center line or center plane.

[0020] The slider 1 of this embodiment is used in a slide fastener (not shown) having a pair of left and right fastener stringers to which a plurality of fastener elements are attached to a fastener tape. In this case, the slide fastener (not shown) has a pair of left and right fastener stringers, a slider 1 attached to the element rows of the fastener stringers, a first stopper member provided adjacent to the front end of each left and right element row, and a second stopper member provided adjacent to the rear end of the left and right element rows.

[0021] Each left and right fastener stringer has a woven, narrow strip of fastener tape and a plurality of metal fastener elements attached to the opposing side edges of the fastener tape. Each fastener element has an element head with an interlocking projection and an interlocking recess, and a pair of element legs that branch off from the element head and extend in the left and right directions. The plurality of fastener elements attached to the fastener tape form a row of elements that is continuously formed along the length of the fastener tape. The first and second stopper members are provided adjacent to the front and rear ends of the row of elements, respectively, to prevent the slider 1 from falling off the row of elements.

[0022] The fastener stringer in this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as the fastener elements are made of metal. The shape and size of the first and second fasteners are also not limited. The slide fastener may be formed without at least one of the first and second fasteners, or it may be formed with a release insert instead of the second fastener.

[0023] The slider 1 of this embodiment is attached to the element rows of the left and right fastener stringers. The slider 1 is slidable along the element row in a direction that engages the fastener elements (forward) and in a direction that separates the fastener elements (rearward).

[0024] The slider 1 is formed from two parts: a slider body 10 and a pull handle (not shown). The slider body 10 is manufactured by die-casting a metal such as an aluminum alloy or a zinc alloy. In this invention, the material and manufacturing method of the slider body are not particularly limited.

[0025] The pull handle (not shown) has, for example, a pull handle body that serves as a knob, a pair of left and right arms extending from one end of the pull handle body, and a mounting shaft connecting the tips of the arms, and can be the same as conventionally used pull handles. In this invention, the shape, structure, size, material, etc. of the pull handle are not particularly limited, as long as it is formed so that it can be attached to the pull handle mounting part of the slider body described later.

[0026] The slider body 10 of this embodiment has a shape that is symmetrical left to right with respect to the left-right center line of the slider body 10. The slider body 10 has an upper wing plate 20, a lower wing plate 30 disposed away from the upper wing plate 20, a connecting column 40 connecting the front ends of the upper wing plate 20 and the lower wing plate 30, left and right upper flange portions 11 disposed on the left and right side edges of the upper wing plate 20 and extending toward the lower wing plate 30, left and right lower flange portions 12 disposed on the left and right side edges of the lower wing plate 30 and extending toward the upper wing plate 20, and a pull handle mounting portion 17 rising from the upper surface of the upper wing plate 20 and extending along the front-rear direction. A pull handle (not shown) is attached to the pull handle mounting portion 17.

[0027] Here, in the slider body 10 of this embodiment, when viewing a cross-section that passes through the vertical center of the connecting column 40 and is perpendicular to the vertical direction (see, for example, Figures 3 and 4), the outermost position in the slider width direction on the outer edge of the connecting column 40 is defined as the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40.

[0028] The upper flange portion 11 of the slider body 10 has a flange parallel portion 13 that extends along the front-rear direction so that the distance between the left and right upper flange portions 11 is constant, and a flange curved portion 14 that extends forward from the front end of the flange parallel portion 13 and in which the distance between the left and right upper flange portions 11 gradually increases toward the front (see Figure 3).

[0029] The lower flange portion 12, like the upper flange portion 11, has a flange parallel portion 13 that extends along the front-rear direction so that the distance between the left and right lower flange portions 12 is constant, and a flange curved portion 14 that extends forward from the front end of the flange parallel portion 13, and the distance between the left and right lower flange portions 12 gradually increases towards the front (see Figure 4). Note that the distance between the left and right upper flange portions 11 and the distance between the left and right lower flange portions 12 refer to the distance along the left-right direction between the inner surfaces of the flanges of the left and right upper flange portions 11 or the left and right lower flange portions 12.

[0030] Here, for the upper flange portion 11 and the lower flange portion 12, the position between the flange parallel portion 13 and the flange curved portion 14 in the front-rear direction is defined as the boundary position 15. In the slider body 10 of this embodiment, the boundary position 15 of the upper flange portion 11 and the boundary position 15 of the lower flange portion 12 are located at the same position relative to the front-rear direction of the slider body 10.

[0031] The front end of the slider body 10 has a pair of left and right shoulder openings 18 that open on both the left and right sides of the connecting column 40. The rear end of the slider body 10 has a rear opening 19 that opens towards the rear. The rear opening 19 is surrounded by the upper wing plate 20, the lower wing plate 30, the left and right upper flange portions 11, and the left and right lower flange portions 12. Between the upper wing plate 20 and the lower wing plate 30, there is a Y-shaped element guide path that connects the left and right shoulder openings 18 and the rear opening 19. On the left and right side edges of the slider body 10, there is a tape insertion gap between the upper flange portion 11 and the lower flange portion 12 through which the fastener tape (not shown) of the slide fastener is inserted. The tape insertion gap is in communication with the element guide path.

[0032] The inner surface of the slider body 10 has an element guide surface facing the element guide path. This element guide surface guides the movement of the fastener element within the slider body 10. The element guide surface includes the inner surface of the upper wing plate 20 (upper element guide surface) 21, the inner surface of the lower wing plate 30 (lower element guide surface) 31, the inner surfaces of the flanges of the left and right upper flange portions 11, and the inner surfaces of the flanges of the left and right lower flange portions 12.

[0033] The upper wing plate 20 is provided with an upper wing plate outer surface (upper wing plate upper surface) 22 located on the opposite side of the upper wing plate inner surface 21 and facing upward, and an upper wing plate outer peripheral surface 23 located along the outer circumference of the upper wing plate 20 and continuous with the upper wing plate outer surface 22 and the upper wing plate inner surface 21. The lower wing plate 30 is provided with a lower wing plate outer surface (lower wing plate lower surface) 32 located on the opposite side of the lower wing plate inner surface 31 and facing downward, and an lower wing plate outer peripheral surface 33 located along the outer circumference of the lower wing plate 30 and continuous with the lower wing plate outer surface 32 and the lower wing plate inner surface 31. The upper wing plate outer peripheral surface 23 and the lower wing plate outer peripheral surface 33 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction.

[0034] The inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate has, for example, as shown in Figure 3, an upper main plane 24 formed parallel to the front-rear direction, a pair of left and right upper front inclined portions 25 provided at the left and right shoulder ends 18-side, upper reference inclined portions 26 provided on both sides of each upper front inclined portion 25, and an upper accommodating step portion 27 positioned adjacent to the inside of the element guide path relative to the upper front inclined portion 25. The inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate also has an upper rear inclined portion 28 provided at the rear end 19-side (rear end), and a pair of left and right upper recessed groove portions 50 recessed relative to the upper main plane 24.

[0035] In this invention, the shoulder-side ends (sometimes called shoulder-side ends) of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate are the portions of the upper wing plate 20 or lower wing plate 30 that extend from the shoulder 18 of the slider fuselage 10 toward the inside of the element guide path. The shoulder-side ends can also be described as the portions of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate or the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate adjacent to the shoulder 18 and the surrounding area. The rear-end ends (sometimes called rear-end ends) of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate are the portions of the upper wing plate 20 or lower wing plate 30 that extend from the rear-end 19 toward the inside of the element guide path. The rear-end ends can also be described as the portions of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate adjacent to the rear-end 19 and the surrounding area.

[0036] The upper main plane 24 of the upper wing plate 20 is formed by flat surfaces arranged perpendicular to each other in the vertical direction. When the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate is viewed from below (see Figure 4), the upper main plane 24 is provided in the range between the front end positions of the left and right upper flange portions 11 and the upper rear inclined portion 28 in the front-rear direction, and in the left-right direction, it is provided between the left and right upper flange portions 11.

[0037] The upper main plane 24 has a central plane 24a positioned between a pair of upper recessed grooves 50, and a pair of side planes 24b positioned to the left and right of the upper recessed grooves 50. Because the upper main plane 24 has both a central plane 24a and side planes 24b, even though the upper recessed grooves 50 are provided on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate, the interlocking left and right fastener elements within the element guide path of the slider fuselage 10 can be stably supported from above and below, together with the lower main plane 34 of the lower wing plate 30 (described later).

[0038] The upper front inclined portions 25 are located at the left and right shoulder-side ends of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate. The upper front inclined portions 25 are formed to prevent at least a portion of the fastener element from contacting the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate with respect to the fastener element that enters the element guide path from the shoulder 18 of the slider fuselage 10, and with respect to the fastener element that moves toward the shoulder 18. The left and right upper front inclined portions 25 have a symmetrical shape. Each upper front inclined portion 25 has an inclined surface that slopes toward the shoulder 18 to reduce the thickness dimension of the upper wing plate 20. Here, the thickness dimension of the upper wing plate 20 refers to the dimension in the vertical direction between the inner surface 21 and the outer surface 22 of the upper wing plate.

[0039] When the upper wing plate 20 is viewed from below (see Figure 3), upper reference inclined portions 26 are provided on both sides of the upper front inclined portion 25, which are inclined to reduce the thickness dimension of the upper wing plate 20 toward the shoulder 18. The upper reference inclined portion 26 has a first upper reference inclined portion 26a provided between the upper front inclined portion 25 and the connecting column 40, and a second upper reference inclined portion 26b provided between the upper front inclined portion 25 and the upper flange portion 11. Due to the installation of the first upper reference inclined portion 26a and the second upper reference inclined portion 26b, the upper front inclined portion 25 is provided at a distance from the connecting column 40 and the upper flange portion 11, respectively.

[0040] The upper reference inclined portion 26 is formed to bulge or protrude downward, closer to the lower wing plate 30 than the upper front inclined portion 25. Therefore, the inclined surface of the upper front inclined portion 25 is formed to be recessed relative to the inclined surfaces of the two adjacent upper reference inclined portions 26.

[0041] Because the upper reference inclined portion 26 has the shape described above, for example, when the fastener element moves within the element guide path of the slider fuselage 10 while in contact with the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate, the element head and / or element leg of the fastener element can be stably brought into contact with at least one of the upper reference inclined portion 26. In addition, at least a portion of the fastener element can be separated from the upper front inclined portion 25, forming a non-contact portion on at least a portion of the fastener element that does not come into contact with the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate.

[0042] As a result, when the slider 1 slides, the fastener element can be moved forward or backward while being held in an appropriate position by the upper reference inclined portion 26 within the element guide path of the slider body 10. At the same time, at least a portion of the fastener element can be kept in a non-contact state with the upper front inclined portion 25 of the upper wing plate 20, so that even if the fastener element comes into contact with the shoulder-side end of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate when the slider 1 slides, the fastener element is less likely to be scraped by the upper wing plate 20.

[0043] The upper side accommodation step portions 27 on the left and right of the upper wing plate 20 are provided for inserting and accommodating the first locking member when the slider 1 is brought into contact with and stopped against the above-described first locking member of the slide fastener. The upper side accommodation step portions 27 on the left and right each have a flat upper side step surface 27a and an upper side connecting surface 27b.

[0044] The upper side step surface 27a of the upper side accommodation step portion 27 is formed by a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. The upper side step surface 27a is arranged inside the element entry direction with respect to the upper front inclined portion 25 and is formed adjacent to the upper front inclined portion 25. Here, the element entry direction is the direction from the shoulder opening 18 toward the inside of the element guide path, for example, the direction advancing from the shoulder opening 18 toward the intermediate point between the connecting column 40 and the upper flange portion 11.

[0045] The upper side step surface 27a of the upper side accommodation step portion 27 is formed smoothly and continuously with the upper front inclined portion 25 and is formed to be recessed with respect to the upper main plane 24. The upper side connecting surface 27b of the upper side accommodation step portion 27 is arranged between the upper side step surface 27a and the upper main plane 24. The upper side connecting surface 27b is formed by an inclined surface that is inclined with respect to the upper side step surface 27a and the upper main plane 24 and is smoothly continuous.

[0046] The upper rear inclined portion 28 of the upper wing plate 20 is provided at the end portion on the rear opening 19 side of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate. The upper rear inclined portion 28 has an inclined surface that is inclined so as to reduce the thickness dimension of the upper wing plate 20 toward the rear opening 19 when, for example, a cross section (not shown) orthogonal to the left-right direction of the upper wing plate 20 is viewed. Further, the inclined surface of the upper rear inclined portion 28 has a curved surface that curves so as to bulge convexly toward the lower wing plate 30 (or toward the element guide path). In the case of the present embodiment, the inclined surface of the upper rear inclined portion 28 is formed as a convex curved surface over the entire front-rear direction of the upper rear inclined portion 28.

[0047] By providing such an upper rear inclined portion 28, even when the fastener element contacts the rear end portion on the rear opening side of the inner surface of the upper wing plate 21 during the sliding of the slider 1, it is possible to prevent or suppress the fastener element from being strongly rubbed against the upper rear inclined portion 28, and it is possible to make it difficult for the fastener element to be shaved by the upper wing plate 20.

[0048] The pair of upper concave groove portions 50 each have a shape recessed with respect to the upper main plane 24. Each upper concave groove portion 50 is linearly provided along the front-rear direction so as to include a part of the connecting column 40 inside the upper concave groove portion 50. In other words, the upper concave groove portion 50 is provided so as to overlap a part of the connecting column 40 in the left-right direction.

[0049] The pair of upper concave groove portions 50 are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each upper concave groove portion 50 is arranged apart from the inside in the left-right direction of the upper flange portion 11. By arranging the left and right upper concave groove portions 50 in this way, the above-described central plane 24a and side plane 24b of the upper main plane 24 can be stably provided.

[0050] Each upper concave groove portion 50 has a groove bottom portion 51 having a plane, and a pair of groove side edge portions 52 provided on both the left and right sides of the groove bottom portion 51. The groove side edge portion 52 has an inner groove side edge portion 52a arranged on the inner side in the left-right direction than the groove bottom portion 51, and an outer groove side edge portion 52b arranged on the outer side in the left-right direction than the groove bottom portion 51.

[0051] The groove bottom portion 51 of the upper concave groove portion 50 is arranged at a position (that is, above the upper main plane 24) away from the position of the lower main plane 34, which will be described later, of the lower wing plate 30 than the upper main plane 24 of the upper wing plate 20 in the up-down direction. The dimension (width dimension) in the left-right direction at the groove bottom portion 51 is set to a constant size over the entire front-rear direction of the groove bottom portion 51 except for the range (portion) where the connecting column 40 is formed.

[0052] Each upper groove 50 has a substantially rectangular shape that extends from the shoulder 18 side to the rear opening 19 side of the upper wing plate 20, in a cross-sectional view of the upper wing plate 20 seen from below, excluding the area (part) where the connecting column 40 is formed. Specifically, in this embodiment, each upper groove 50 is formed continuously from a position in front of the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to a position behind the boundary between the upper main plane 24 and the upper rear inclined portion 28. The groove bottom 51 of the upper wing plate 20 has a substantially rectangular shape that is elongated in the front-rear direction, in a cross-sectional view of the upper wing plate 20 seen from below.

[0053] The groove bottom 51 of the upper recessed groove 50 is formed to be smoothly continuous with respect to the first upper reference inclined portion 26a provided in front of the groove bottom 51. The groove bottom 51 has a first bottom surface 53 formed by planes perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a second bottom surface 54 that extends rearward from the first bottom surface 53 and curves convexly with respect to the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the groove depth of the upper recessed groove 50 is set to 0.01 mm or more and 0.1 mm or less. Here, the groove depth of the upper recessed groove 50 is the vertical dimension between the upper main plane 24 and the first bottom surface 53 of the groove bottom 51.

[0054] If the groove depth of the upper recessed groove 50 is 0.01 mm or more, even if burrs are formed along the upper parting line 70 of the upper wing plate 20 (described later) when the slider fuselage 10 is molded, these burrs can be contained within the upper recessed groove 50, preventing or suppressing the burrs from protruding beyond the position of the upper main plane 24. If the groove depth is 0.1 mm or less, even if the upper recessed groove 50 is provided on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate, the upper recessed groove 50 can be made less noticeable, preventing a deterioration in the appearance quality of the slider fuselage 10. In addition, the strength of the upper wing plate 20 can be stably ensured.

[0055] The groove bottom 51 of each upper recessed groove 50 has a size of 10% to 40% of the distance between the flange parallel portions 13 of the left and right upper flange portions 11 in the left-right direction. By having a groove bottom 51 that is 10% or more of the distance between the flange parallel portions 13, it is possible to easily set the upper parting line 70 of the mold within the upper recessed groove 50. By having a groove bottom 51 that is 40% or less of the distance between the flange parallel portions 13, a wide upper main plane 24 can be formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate, so that the fastener element passing through the element guide path of the slider fuselage 10 can be stably guided by the upper wing plate 20.

[0056] The first bottom surface 53 of the groove bottom 51 is formed continuously in the front-rear direction from a position in front of the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to a position behind the boundary position between the upper main plane 24 and the upper rear inclined portion 28. In other words, the first bottom surface 53 of the groove bottom 51 is formed to be longer in the front-rear direction than the range in the front-rear direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to the boundary position between the upper main plane 24 and the upper rear inclined portion 28. This makes it easier to set the upper parting line 70 of the mold for forming the slider body 10 to be longer within the upper recessed groove 50 (especially the first bottom surface 53 of the groove bottom 51), as will be described later.

[0057] The second bottom surface 54 of the groove bottom 51 has an inclined surface that slopes to gradually decrease the thickness dimension of the upper wing plate 20 toward the rear. In other words, the inclined surface of the second bottom surface 54 is inclined to gradually increase the vertical dimension of the distance from the position of the lower main plane 34 of the lower wing plate 30 to the second bottom surface 54 of the upper wing plate 20 toward the rear. It is preferable that this inclined surface has a curved surface that curves convexly toward the upper side. In this embodiment, the entire front-rear direction of the second bottom surface 54 is formed by a convex curved surface.

[0058] Because the groove bottom 51 of the upper recessed groove 50 has a second bottom surface 54, the groove bottom 51 of the upper recessed groove 50 can be smoothly continuous in the front-rear direction with respect to the inclined surface of the upper rear inclined portion 28 without forming a step or uneven shape between the groove bottom 51 of the upper recessed groove 50 and the upper rear inclined portion 28 located behind the groove bottom 51. As a result, even if the upper recessed groove 50 is provided, the upper recessed groove 50 can be made less conspicuous, preventing or suppressing a decrease in the appearance quality of the slider 1. In addition, the thickness of the upper wing plate 20 can be appropriately secured at the rear end of the upper wing plate 20, thus preventing a decrease in strength due to the installation of the upper recessed groove 50.

[0059] The inner groove edge 52a of each upper groove 50 is positioned inward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40. The outer groove edge 52b of each upper groove 50 is positioned outward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40. In other words, the left-right region in which each upper groove 50 is formed is arranged such that at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40 (specifically, at least a portion of the side wall surface facing left-right on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40) is positioned between the inner groove edge 52a and the outer groove edge 52b. In particular, each upper groove 50 is arranged such that the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 is positioned between the inner groove edge 52a and the outer groove edge 52b.

[0060] As shown in Figure 3, the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate 20 includes the upper parting line 70 of the mold (sliding core) used to form the slider fuselage 10. The upper parting line 70 has an upper first parting line 71 extending from the connecting column 40 to the left side (one side) in the slider width direction, and an upper second parting line 72 extending from the connecting column 40 to the right side (the other side) in the slider width direction.

[0061] The upper first parting line 71 and the upper second parting line 72 each have an upper first horizontal line 73 extending from the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40 toward the shoulder 18, an upper vertical line 74 extending from the tip of the upper first horizontal line 73 toward the rear opening 19 via a bend, and an upper second horizontal line 75 extending from the tip of the upper vertical line 74 toward the upper flange portion 11 via a bend.

[0062] The upper first horizontal line 73 extends linearly outward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40. The upper vertical line 74 extends linearly backward from the tip of the upper first horizontal line 73. Specifically, the upper vertical line 74 extends in the front-rear direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to the boundary position 15 between the flange parallel portion 13 and the flange curved portion 14 of the upper flange portion 11. The upper vertical line 74 is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction such that the rear end of the upper vertical line 74 is positioned further outward in the left-right direction than the front end of the upper vertical line 74.

[0063] The upper second horizontal line 75 extends outward in the left-right direction from the rear end of the upper vertical line 74 (boundary position 15 between the flange parallel portion 13 and the flange curved portion 14), and is connected to the inner wall surface of the upper flange portion 11. In the upper first parting line 71 and upper second parting line 72 of this embodiment, the entire upper first horizontal line 73, the entire upper vertical line 74, and a part of the upper second horizontal line 75 are set within the upper recessed groove portion 50, respectively.

[0064] The inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate has, for example, as shown in Figure 4, a lower main plane 34 formed parallel to the front-rear direction, a pair of left and right lower front inclined portions 35 provided at the left and right shoulder ends 18-side, lower reference inclined portions 36 provided on both sides of each lower front inclined portion 35, and a lower accommodating step portion 37 positioned adjacent to the lower front inclined portion 35 on the inside of the element guide path. The inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate also has a lower rear inclined portion 38 provided at the rear end 19-side (rear end), and a pair of left and right lower recessed groove portions 60 recessed relative to the lower main plane 34.

[0065] The lower main plane 34 of the lower wing plate 30 is formed by flat surfaces arranged perpendicular to each other in the vertical direction. Similar to the upper main plane 24, the lower main plane 34 has a central plane 34a positioned between a pair of lower recessed grooves 60 and a pair of side planes 34b positioned outside the lower recessed grooves 60 in the left-right direction. As a result of the provision of the upper main plane 24 and the lower main plane 34 described above, although upper recessed grooves 50 and lower recessed grooves 60 are provided on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate, respectively, the upper main plane 24 and the lower main plane 34 allow the element head and element leg of each fastener element to be stably supported from above and below by their respective central planes 24a, 34a and side planes 24b, 34b. Therefore, the left and right fastener elements can be moved in the appropriate posture within the element guide path of the slider body 10.

[0066] The lower front inclined portions 35 are located at the left and right shoulder-side ends of the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate. The lower front inclined portions 35 are formed to prevent at least a portion of the fastener element from contacting the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate with respect to the fastener element that enters the element guide path from the shoulder 18 of the slider fuselage 10, and with respect to the fastener element that moves toward the shoulder 18. The left and right lower front inclined portions 35 have a symmetrical shape. Each lower front inclined portion 35 has an inclined surface that slopes toward the shoulder 18 to reduce the thickness dimension of the lower wing plate 30. Here, the thickness dimension of the lower wing plate 30 refers to the dimension in the vertical direction between the inner surface 31 and the outer surface 32 of the lower wing plate.

[0067] When the lower wing plate 30 is viewed from above (see Figure 4), lower reference inclined portions 36 are provided on both sides of the lower front inclined portion 35, which are inclined to reduce the thickness dimension of the lower wing plate 30 toward the shoulder 18. The lower reference inclined portion 36 has a first lower reference inclined portion 36a provided between the lower front inclined portion 35 and the connecting column 40, and a second lower reference inclined portion 36b provided between the lower front inclined portion 35 and the upper flange portion 11. Due to the installation of the first lower reference inclined portion 36a and the second lower reference inclined portion 36b, the lower front inclined portion 35 is provided at a distance from the connecting column 40 and the upper flange portion 11, respectively.

[0068] The lower reference inclined portion 36 is formed to bulge upward or protrude upward, closer to the upper wing plate 20 than the lower front inclined portion 35. Therefore, the inclined surface of the lower front inclined portion 35 is formed to be recessed relative to the inclined surfaces of the two adjacent lower reference inclined portions 36.

[0069] Because the lower reference inclined portion 36 has the shape described above, for example, when the fastener element moves within the element guide path of the slider fuselage 10 while in contact with the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate, a non-contact portion can be formed on at least a part of the fastener element that does not come into contact with the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate, similar to the case of the upper wing plate 20. Therefore, even if the fastener element comes into contact with the shoulder-side end of the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate when the slider 1 slides, the fastener element is less likely to be worn down.

[0070] The left and right lower receiving step portions 37 and the lower rear inclined portion 38 of the lower wing plate 30 are formed substantially similarly to the left and right upper receiving step portions 27 and the upper rear inclined portion 28 of the upper wing plate 20 described above. Specifically, each lower receiving step portion 37 of the lower wing plate 30 has a flat lower step surface 37a perpendicular to the vertical direction and a lower connecting surface 37b positioned between the lower step surface 37a and the lower main plane 34 and inclined with respect to the lower step surface 37a and the lower main plane 34.

[0071] The lower rear inclined portion 38 of the lower wing plate 30 is provided at the end of the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate on the rear end 19 side. The inclined surface of the lower rear inclined portion 38 has a convex curved surface that curves outward in a convex shape toward the upper wing plate 20 over the entire length of the lower rear inclined portion 38 in the front-rear direction.

[0072] Each of the pair of lower recessed grooves 60 has a shape that is recessed relative to the lower main plane 34. Each lower recessed groove 60 is provided in a straight line along the front-rear direction, such that a portion of the connecting column 40 is included inside the lower recessed groove 60. In other words, the lower recessed grooves 60 are provided so as to overlap a portion of the connecting column 40 in the left-right direction. The pair of lower recessed grooves 60 are arranged apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each lower recessed groove 60 is arranged apart in the left-right direction from the upper flange portion 11.

[0073] Each lower groove 60 has a substantially rectangular shape that extends from the shoulder 18 side to the rear opening 19 side of the lower wing plate 30, in a cross-sectional view of the lower wing plate 30 viewed from above, excluding the area (part) where the connecting column 40 is formed. Specifically, in this embodiment, each lower groove 60 is formed continuously from a position in front of the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to a position behind the boundary between the lower main plane 34 and the lower rear inclined portion 38. In this embodiment, the pair of lower grooves 60 on the lower wing plate 30 are provided in the same positions as the pair of upper grooves 50 on the upper wing plate 20 in the left-right direction.

[0074] Each upper groove 50 of the upper wing plate 20 and each lower groove 60 of the lower wing plate 30 are formed by the front and rear sliding cores of the mold when molding the slider fuselage 10 using a mold, as will be described later. Since the upper groove 50 and the lower groove 60 have a substantially rectangular shape that is continuous along the front-rear direction as described above, by using the front and rear sliding cores, a pair of upper grooves 50 and a pair of lower grooves 60 can be formed stably and smoothly without forming undercuts on both the left and right sides of the connecting column 40 in the slider fuselage 10.

[0075] Each lower groove 60 has a groove bottom 61 with a flat surface and a pair of groove side edges 62 provided on both the left and right sides of the groove bottom 61. The groove side edges 62 have an inner groove side edge 62a that is positioned inward in the left-right direction from the groove bottom 61 and an outer groove side edge 62b that is positioned outward in the left-right direction from the groove bottom 61.

[0076] The groove bottom 61 of the lower recessed groove 60 is positioned in the vertical direction at a greater distance from the upper main plane 24 of the upper wing plate 20 than the lower main plane 34 of the lower wing plate 30 (i.e., below the lower main plane 34). In a cross-sectional view of the lower wing plate 30 viewed from above, the groove bottom 61 of the lower wing plate 30 has a roughly rectangular shape that is long in the front-rear direction, except for the area (part) where the connecting column 40 is formed. The left-right dimension (width dimension) of the groove bottom 61 is set to a constant size throughout the entire front-rear direction of the groove bottom 61. The groove bottom 61 is formed to be smoothly continuous with respect to the first lower reference inclined portion 36a provided in front of the groove bottom 61.

[0077] The groove bottom 61 of the lower recessed groove 60 has a first bottom surface 63 formed by planes perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a second bottom surface 64 that extends rearward from the first bottom surface 63 and curves convexly with respect to the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the groove depth of the lower recessed groove 60 is set to 0.01 mm or more and 0.1 mm or less, the same as the groove depth of the upper recessed groove 50. Here, the groove depth of the lower recessed groove 60 is the vertical dimension between the lower main plane 34 and the first bottom surface 63 of the groove bottom 61. Furthermore, it is preferable that the groove depth of the lower recessed groove 60 is the same as the groove depth of the upper recessed groove 50.

[0078] The bottom portion 61 of each lower recessed groove 60 has a size of 10% to 40% of the distance between the flange parallel portions 13 of the left and right upper flange portions 11 in the left-right direction. This makes it easier to set the parting line of the mold within the lower recessed groove 60. In addition, since a wide lower main plane 34 can be formed on the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate, the fastener element passing through the element guide path of the slider fuselage 10 can be stably guided by the lower wing plate 30.

[0079] The first bottom surface 63 of the groove bottom 61 in the lower recessed groove 60 is formed continuously in the front-rear direction from a position in front of the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to a position behind the boundary position between the lower main plane 34 and the lower rear inclined portion 38. In other words, the first bottom surface 63 of the groove bottom 61 is formed to be longer in the front-rear direction than the range in the front-rear direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 to the boundary position between the lower main plane 34 and the lower rear inclined portion 38.

[0080] The second bottom surface 64 of the groove bottom 61 is formed by an inclined surface that slopes to gradually decrease the thickness dimension of the lower wing plate 30 toward the rear. In other words, the inclined surface of the second bottom surface 64 slopes to gradually increase the vertical dimension toward the rear in the distance from the position of the upper main plane 24 of the upper wing plate 20 to the second bottom surface 64 of the lower wing plate 30. Preferably, this inclined surface has a curved surface that curves upward in a convex shape. In this embodiment, the entire front-rear direction of the second bottom surface 64 is formed by a convex curved surface. By providing such a second bottom surface 64 at the groove bottom 61 of the lower wing plate 30, the lower recessed groove 60 can be made less conspicuous, similar to the case of the upper recessed groove 50. In addition, a reduction in strength due to the installation of the lower recessed groove 60 at the rear end of the lower wing plate 30 can be prevented.

[0081] The inner groove edge 62a of each lower groove 60 is positioned inward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40. The outer groove edge 62b of each lower groove 60 is positioned outward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40. The left-right region in which each lower groove 60 is formed is arranged such that at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40 (specifically, at least a portion of the left-right oriented side wall surface on the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40) is positioned between the inner groove edge 62a and the outer groove edge 62b. In particular, each lower groove 60 is arranged such that the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 is positioned between the inner groove edge 62a and the outer groove edge 62b.

[0082] As shown in Figure 4, the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate 30 includes the lower parting line 80 of the mold (sliding core) used to form the slider fuselage 10. The lower parting line 80 is set substantially the same as the upper parting line 70 set on the upper wing plate 20 described above. That is, the lower parting line 80 has a lower first parting line 81 extending from the connecting column 40 to the left side (one side) in the slider width direction, and a lower second parting line 82 extending from the connecting column 40 to the right side (the other side) in the slider width direction.

[0083] The lower first parting line 81 and the lower second parting line 82 each have a lower first horizontal line 83 extending from the outer circumferential surface of the connecting column 40 toward the shoulder 18, a lower vertical line 84 extending from the tip of the lower first horizontal line 83 toward the rear opening 19 via a bend, and a lower second horizontal line 85 extending from the tip of the lower vertical line 84 toward the upper flange portion 11 via a bend. In the lower first parting line 81 and the lower second parting line 82, the entirety of the lower first horizontal line 83, the entirety of the lower vertical line 84, and a part of the lower second horizontal line 85 are set within the lower recessed groove portion 60.

[0084] The connecting column 40 of the slider body 10, in a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the connecting column 40 perpendicular to the vertical direction at the vertical center position of the connecting column 40 (see, for example, Figures 3 and 4), has a front end portion 42 facing forward, an arc-shaped rear end surface 43 facing the rear opening 19, and a pair of left and right side wall surfaces 44 positioned between the front end portion 42 and the rear end surface 43.

[0085] The connecting column 40 has, in the cross-sectional view, a front increasing section 45 that gradually increases the distance between the left and right column side wall surfaces 44 toward the rear, and a rear decreasing section 46 that gradually decreases the distance between the left and right column side wall surfaces 44 toward the rear. The front increasing section 45 is located in front of the rear decreasing section 46. The outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40 is set between the front increasing section 45 and the rear decreasing section 46 on the column side wall surface 44 of the connecting column 40. The outermost position 41 may be provided over a predetermined range formed along the front-rear direction.

[0086] Next, a method for manufacturing the slider 1 of this embodiment will be described. First, the slider body 10 and the pull handle (not shown) of the slider 1 are manufactured and prepared. In this invention, the method for manufacturing the pull handle is not particularly limited.

[0087] The slider body 10 is manufactured by die-casting metal using a mold (not shown) for the slider body 10. In this case, the mold has a mold body and front and rear sliding cores that are inserted into and removed from the mold body. The front and rear sliding cores of the mold form the element guide paths, a pair of upper recessed grooves 50, and a pair of lower recessed grooves 60 of the slider body 10.

[0088] The parting lines in the mold that indicate the division position of the front and rear sliding cores include an upper parting line 70 set on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate 20 and a lower parting line 80 set on the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate 30 (see Figures 3 and 4). In this invention, the position and length of the parting lines of the mold other than the upper parting line 70 and the lower parting line 80 are not particularly limited.

[0089] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, die-cast molding is performed using a mold with an upper parting line 70 and a lower parting line 80, thereby forming a slider body 10 in which the pull handle attachment portion 17 has the shape before the pull handle is attached. At this time, burrs may be formed on the molded slider body 10 along the parting lines of the mold due to dimensional errors or misalignment of the mold.

[0090] Therefore, in this embodiment, after the die-casting process of the slider fuselage 10, a trimming process (trimming) is performed on the molded slider fuselage 10 using a trimming device having a trimming cutter 90 (sometimes called a trimming jaw) as shown in Figures 5 and 6, to remove burrs formed inside the slider fuselage 10 (inside the element guide path), such as the upper main surface 24 of the upper wing plate 20, the lower main surface 34 of the lower wing plate 30, and the outer surface of the connecting column 40.

[0091] The trimming cutter 90 shown in Figures 5 and 6 is provided so as to be movable in the front-rear direction relative to the slider body 10, and a part of the trimming cutter 90 is formed so as to be insertable from the rear opening 19 of the slider body 10 into the element guide path and tape insertion gap of the slider body 10.

[0092] The trimming cutter 90 has a cutter body portion 91 that is inserted into the element guide path of the slider body 10, and an opening 92 formed from the front end of the cutter body portion 91 toward the rear. When the cutter body portion 91 is inserted into the slider body 10, the connecting column 40 of the slider body 10 is inserted into the opening 92 of the trimming cutter 90.

[0093] The thickness dimension between the upper and lower surfaces of the cutter body 91 is set to be the same as the distance between the upper main plane 24 of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the lower main plane 34 of the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate in the slider fuselage 10. The maximum left-right dimension of the opening 92 of the cutter body 91 is set to be the same as the maximum left-right dimension of the connecting column 40 of the slider fuselage 10 (i.e., the left-right dimension at the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40).

[0094] In the trimming process, first, the slider body 10 to be processed is set and fixed in the slider fixing part (not shown) of the trimming device. Next, the trimming cutter 90 is inserted into the element guide path from the rear opening 19 of the slider body 10, which is fixed in the slider fixing part.

[0095] As a result, even if burrs are formed during the molding of the slider fuselage 10, for example, on the outer surface of the connecting column 40, the upper main plane 24 of the upper wing plate 20, the lower main plane 34 of the lower wing plate 30, the inner wall surface of the flange parallel portion 13 of the upper flange portion 11, and the inner wall surface of the flange parallel portion 13 of the lower flange portion 12, the formed burrs can be removed by the cutter body 91 of the trimming cutter 90.

[0096] For example, when the cutter body 91 is viewed from the front, it has four corners 93 adjacent to the opening 92, and the portion of the cutter body 91 including the four corners 93 can remove burrs formed along the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40. Also, when the cutter body 91 of the trimming cutter 90 is inserted into the slider body 10, and the slider body 10 and the cutter body 91 are viewed from the front, gaps formed by the upper recessed groove 50 and the lower recessed groove 60 can be seen on the upper and lower outer sides of each corner 93 of the cutter body 91 (see Figure 6).

[0097] On the other hand, in the trimming process of the slider body 10, for example, when fixing the slider body 10 to the slider fixing part of the trimming device, the posture of the slider body 10 may be slightly tilted from the posture appropriate for trimming, or dimensional errors may occur between the slider body 10 and the cutter body 91 of the trimming cutter 90.

[0098] Here, we will describe a case where, for example, the upper recessed groove 50 and the lower recessed groove 60, as in this embodiment, are not formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate of the slider fuselage 10. In this case, for example, when the cutter body 91 is inserted into the slider fuselage 10 which is fixed in a slightly tilted position, or when the cutter body 91 is inserted into the slider fuselage 10 while there is a dimensional error between the slider fuselage 10 and the cutter body 91, at least one of the four corners 93 of the cutter body 91 described above will scrape and damage the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and / or the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate of the slider fuselage 10.

[0099] In contrast, the slider fuselage 10 of this embodiment, as described above, has a pair of upper recessed grooves 50 formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate, and a pair of lower recessed grooves 60 formed on the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate. Furthermore, the inner groove edge 52a of each upper recessed groove 50 and the inner groove edge 52a of each lower recessed groove 60 are positioned inward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40. Moreover, the outer groove edge 52b of each upper recessed groove 50 and the outer groove edge 52b of each lower recessed groove 60 are positioned outward in the left-right direction from the outermost position 41 of the connecting column 40.

[0100] As a result, even if the trimming cutter is fixed in a slightly tilted position in the slider fixing part of the trimming device, and even if there is a dimensional error between the slider body 10 and the cutter body 91, when the cutter body 91 of the trimming cutter 90 is inserted into the slider body 10, the corner portion 93 of the cutter body 91 can be passed within the range in which the upper recessed groove portion 50 and the lower recessed groove portion 60 are formed in the left-right direction of the slider body 10.

[0101] As a result, the corner portion 93 of the cutter body 91 can move along the front-rear direction so that the inner surfaces 21 of the upper wing plate and 31 of the lower wing plate of the slider fuselage 10 move away from (away from) the corner portion 93 of the cutter body 91. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the corner portion 93 from directly contacting and damaging the inner surfaces 21 of the upper wing plate and 31 of the lower wing plate of the slider fuselage 10.

[0102] The trimmed slider body 10 is then combined with a separately prepared pull tab (not shown) and held in place by the pull tab mounting portion 17 of the slider body 10. Furthermore, the pull tab mounting portion 17 is plastically deformed in a direction that brings it closer to the upper wing plate 20 to prevent the pull tab from falling off. This manufactures the slider 1 of this embodiment with the pull tab attached to the slider body 10. The manufactured slider 1 is then slidably attached to the element rows of the left and right fastener stringers to form a slide fastener.

[0103] In the slider 1 of this embodiment as described above, a pair of upper recessed grooves 50 are formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate 20, oriented in the front-rear direction, and a pair of lower recessed grooves 60 are formed on the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate 30, oriented in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, an upper parting line 70 is set within the upper recessed grooves 50 of the upper wing plate 20, and a lower parting line 80 is set within the lower recessed grooves 60 of the lower wing plate 30.

[0104] As a result, even if burrs are formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate along the parting line of the mold during the molding of the slider 1, the burrs can be contained within the upper recessed groove 50 and the lower recessed groove 60, preventing or suppressing them from protruding into the element guide path beyond the positions of the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate. Therefore, even if the slider 1 of this embodiment is used in a slide fastener and the sliding operation of the slider 1 is repeated, it is possible to make it difficult for the burrs formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate to come into contact with the fastener element.

[0105] Therefore, it is possible to make it less likely for the fastener elements to be worn down due to burrs formed on the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate of the slider fuselage 10. As a result, even if the sliding operation of the slider 1 is repeated, it is possible to make it less likely for the appearance quality of the slide fastener to deteriorate due to the exposure of the metal part on the inside of the fastener element. Therefore, it is possible to make it easier to maintain the appearance of the slide fastener over a long period of time.

[0106] Furthermore, according to the slider 1 of this embodiment, when trimming is performed to remove burrs from the obtained slider fuselage 10 after die-casting, even if the slider fuselage 10 is fixed to the trimming device in a slightly tilted position as described above, it is possible to prevent or suppress damage to the inner surface 21 of the upper wing plate and the inner surface 31 of the lower wing plate of the slider fuselage 10 by the trimming cutter 90 of the trimming device. Therefore, the yield of the slider 1 can be improved.

[0107] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible as long as they have substantially the same configuration as the present invention and produce similar effects.

[0108] For example, in the embodiment described above, the upper wing plate 20 and the lower wing plate 30 of the slider fuselage 10 are provided with upper recessed grooves 50 and lower recessed grooves 60, respectively. However, in the present invention, the slider fuselage may be formed by providing recessed grooves on only one of the upper wing plate or the lower wing plate.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the upper recessed groove 50 provided on the upper wing plate 20 and the lower recessed groove 60 provided on the lower wing plate 30 are each formed in a straight line extending straight along the front-rear direction. However, in the present invention, at least a part of the upper recessed groove and / or at least a part of the lower recessed groove may be formed in a straight line along a direction inclined with respect to the front-rear direction, for example, or may be formed to curve inward or outward in the left-right direction. Moreover, at least a part of the upper recessed groove and / or at least a part of the lower recessed groove may be formed such that the groove width of the upper recessed groove and / or the groove width of the lower recessed groove gradually increase or decrease towards the rear.

[0110] Furthermore, in the present invention, the position of the parting lines of the mold (upper parting line and lower parting line) set on the slider fuselage is not particularly limited, as long as a part of the parting line is included in at least a part of the upper recessed groove of the upper wing plate and the lower recessed groove of the lower wing plate.

[0111] The embodiments described above describe the case in which the slider 1 is used in a slide fastener (metal fastener) having a plurality of metal fastener elements. However, the slider of the present invention may also be used in a slide fastener in which a plurality of fastener elements other than metal fastener elements are attached to the fastener tape (i.e., a slide fastener other than a metal fastener).

[0112] 1 Slider 10 Slider fuselage 11 Upper flange section 12 Lower flange section 13 Flange parallel section 14 Flange curved section 15 Boundary position 17 Handle attachment section 18 Shoulder section 19 Rear opening 20 Upper wing plate 21 Inner surface of upper wing plate (upper element guide surface) 22 Outer surface of upper wing plate (upper surface of upper wing plate) 23 Outer surface of upper wing plate 24 Upper main plane 24a Central plane 24b Side plane 25 Upper front inclined section 26 Upper reference inclined section 26a First upper reference inclined section 26b Second upper reference inclined section 27 Upper storage step section 27a Upper step surface 27b Upper connecting surface 28 Upper rear inclined section 30 Lower wing plate 31 Inner surface of lower wing plate (lower element guide surface) 32 Lower wing plate outer surface (lower wing plate lower surface) 33 Lower wing plate outer circumferential surface 34 Lower main plane 34a Central plane 34b Side plane 35 Lower front inclined part 36 Lower reference inclined part 36a First lower reference inclined part 36b Second lower reference inclined part 37 Lower storage step part 37a Lower step surface 37b Lower connecting surface 38 Lower rear inclined portion 40 Connecting column 41 Outermost position 42 Front end of the column 43 Rear end surface of the column 44 Pillar side wall surface 45 Front gradually increasing portion 46 Rear gradually decreasing portion 50 Upper groove portion 51 Groove bottom 52 Groove side edge 52a Inner groove side edge 52b Outer groove side edge 53 First bottom surface 54 Second bottom surface 60 Lower groove portion 61 Groove bottom 62 Groove side edge 62a Inner groove side edge 62b Outer groove side edge 63 First bottom surface 64 Second bottom surface 70 Upper parting line 71 Upper first parting line 72 Upper second parting line 73 Upper first transverse line74 Upper vertical line 75 Upper second horizontal line 80 Lower parting line 81 Lower first parting line 82 Lower second parting line 83 Lower first horizontal line 84 Lower vertical line 85 Lower second horizontal line 90 Trimming cutter 91 Cutter body 92 Opening 93 Corner

Claims

1. A slider for a slide fastener having a slider body (10), wherein the slider body (10) has an upper wing plate (20), a lower wing plate (30) disposed away from the upper wing plate (20), and a connecting column (40) connecting the front end of the upper wing plate (20) and the front end of the lower wing plate (30), wherein a pair of recessed grooves (50, 60) are provided on the inner surface of the upper wing plate (20) and / or the inner surface of the lower wing plate (30) and are disposed apart from each other in the slider width direction, and each of the recessed grooves (50, 60) has an inner groove side edge (52a) disposed on the inside in the slider width direction and an outer groove side edge (52b) disposed on the outside in the slider width direction. A slider characterized in that, when viewing a cross-section of the slider body (10) perpendicular to the slider height direction, the outermost position in the slider width direction on the outer peripheral edge of the connecting column (40) is defined as the outermost position (41), the inner groove side edge (52a) of each groove (50, 60) is positioned inward in the slider width direction from the outermost position (41), and the outer groove side edge (52b) of each groove (50, 60) is positioned outward in the slider width direction from the outermost position (41).

2. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the pair of recessed grooves (50) are provided on the inner surface of the upper wing plate (20), and the pair of recessed grooves (60) are provided on the inner surface of the lower wing plate (30).

3. The slider according to claim 1, wherein each of the grooves (50, 60) is provided in a straight line along the length direction of the slider.

4. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the slider body (10) has a pair of upper flange portions (11) extending from the side edge of the upper wing plate (20) toward the lower wing plate (30), and a pair of lower flange portions (12) extending from the side edge of the lower wing plate (30) toward the upper wing plate (20), and each of the groove portions (50, 60) is arranged to be spaced inward in the slider width direction from the upper flange portion (11) or the lower flange portion (12).

5. The slider according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the upper wing plate (20) and / or the inner surface of the lower wing plate (30) includes parting lines (70, 80) of the mold used to form the slider fuselage (10), and at least a portion of the parting lines (70, 80) is included in each of the recessed grooves (50, 60).

6. The slider body (10) has a pair of upper flange portions (11) extending from the side edge of the upper wing plate (20) toward the lower wing plate (30), a pair of lower flange portions (12) extending from the side edge of the lower wing plate (30) toward the upper wing plate (20), a pair of shoulder openings (18) opening on both sides of the connecting column (40), and a rear opening (19) opening at the rear end of the slider body (10), and the parting lines (70, 80) have a first parting line (71, 81) extending from the connecting column (40) toward one side in the slider width direction, and a second parting line (72, 82) extending from the connecting column (40) toward the other side in the slider width direction, The slider according to claim 5, wherein the first parting line (71, 81) and the second parting line (72, 82) each have a first transverse line (73, 83) extending from the connecting column (40) toward the shoulder (18), a vertical line (74, 84) extending from the tip of the first transverse line (73, 83) toward the rear opening (19) via a bend, and a second transverse line (75, 85) extending from the tip of the vertical line (74, 84) toward the upper flange portion (11) or the lower flange portion (12) via a bend, and each of the recessed grooves (50, 60) contains at least the entirety of the first transverse line (73, 83) and the entirety of the vertical line (74, 84).

Images