Resin Spring Fixing in Snap Fastener Female Member

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional resin springs in snap fasteners face issues such as noise production due to movement, difficulty in fixing without detaching, limited design flexibility, and challenges in inscription and material selection, especially when separate from the main body, and integration with metal components increases costs and reduces resilience.

Innovation Solution

A female snap fastener with a metal main body featuring a cylindrical tube and dish-shaped portion, housing a resin spring with a slot, and a crimped surface covering member to securely fix the resin spring, allowing for a 'double-spring' type configuration that prevents movement and detachment, enabling flexible resin selection and easy inscription.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a resin spring is made separate from the main body to prevent corrosion and enable weight reduction, then the spring is free from corrosion and weight is reduced, but the spring moves and produces noise

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecorrosion resistanceVSAvoidnoise
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The resin spring is nested within the main body structure, with the cylindrical tube portion housing the spring and the surface covering member enclosing both. This nesting arrangement prevents the spring from moving relative to the main body, eliminating noise while maintaining the corrosion resistance benefits of the separate resin spring construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Ease of manufacture

If a resin spring is made separate from the main body to enable easy attachment, then attachment is simplified, but the spring can detach from the main body

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattachment easeVSAvoidfixing reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The surface covering member acts as a flexible shell that crimped onto the cylindrical tube portion, creating a secure enclosure that prevents the resin spring from detaching while maintaining the ease of assembly through the crimping process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Reliability

If a metal cap is directly coupled to the main body to integrate the resin spring, then the spring is fixed securely, but processing difficulty increases and molding cost rises

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefixing reliabilityVSAvoidprocessing ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The structure is segmented into distinct components: the main body with cylindrical tube portion and the separate surface covering member. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using suitable processes, then assembled together, avoiding the processing difficulties and high costs associated with directly coupling metal caps to integrated resin springs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If the outer rim is crimped after resin spring insertion to prevent detachment, then the spring is secured, but inscription space is reduced and inscribing operation may damage the spring

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefixing reliabilityVSAvoidinscription ease
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The inscription on the outer rim is performed as a preliminary action before the crimping operation that secures the resin spring. This sequence allows the inscription to be completed on the outer rim surface without risk of damage from subsequent crimping, while still achieving secure fixation of the spring through the crimping process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution effectively prevents noise and detachment of the resin spring, allows for various click sensations and chemical resistance, and enhances design flexibility by securely fixing the resin spring, enabling easy inscription and improved fashionability.

Implementation Method 1

a surface covering member crimped onto the cylindrical tube portion, wherein the cylindrical tube portion has a support portion for the resin spring, and the resin spring is fixed in position by the support portion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrimping: Compression

Implementation Method 2

the female member and a male member are connected to each other by the spring resiliently supporting a head portion of the male member

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3527100B1Female member of snap fastener, and resin spring used in female member
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 MORITO CO LTD
  • EP3527100B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3527100B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)~2(e)
  • EP3527100B1 patent drawingFigure 3(a)~3(b)

AI summary

A female member (1) of a snap fastener includes a main body (2) made of a metal and having a cylindrical tube portion (23) and a dish-shaped portion (22), a resin spring (3) housed in the main body (2), and a surface covering member (4) crimped onto the cylindrical tube portion (23). The resin spring (3) is a resin plate that can be housed in the main body (2), and the resin plate has a slot (35, 35A, 35B, 35C) at a central portion thereof. The cylindrical tube portion (23) has a support portion for the resin spring (3), and the resin spring (3, 3A, 3B, 3C) is fixed in position by the support portion.