SLIDER HOLDING APPARATUS

Abstract: A slider holding apparatus includes a slider holder (l) for holding thereon a slider, and orientating means (33, 36; 39) for angularly moving the slider holder (l) on its vertical axis to adjust the orientation of the slider (S) held on the slider holder (l).

Description: The present invention relates to an apparatus for holding a slider in position during the threading of a slide fastener chain through the slider in the manufacture of a slide fastener. It has been customary to hold a slider in position during the threading of a slide fastener chain through the slider in the manufacture of a slide fastener. The direction in which the fastener chain is threaded through the slider is dependent on whether the fastener chain is of the type in which each pair of opposed stringers is engaged, or of the type in which each pair of opposed stringers is disengaged; that is, the fastener chain of the first type is threaded from the rear end of the slider (toward the neck), whereas the fastener chain of the second type is threaded from the front end of the slider. However, because the fastener chain is automatically fed toward the slider in a non-variable direction, the slider as held is required to be properly oriented relative to the fastener chain. A prior art apparatus as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,155, issued September 20, 1977 includes a slider holder having at its upper end a slider support. The slider holder is vertically movable between a lower position in which the slider support receives and holds a slider supplied upside down from a slider chute, and an upper position in which the slider support is disposed remotely from a slider chute for the threading of a slide fastener chain through the slider. However, the slider holderis unable to move angularly on its vertical axis and hence unable to adjust the orientation of the slider held on the slider support. Therefore, in order to deal with either type of the slide fastener chain, it is necessary to arrange two identical apparatus in opposite directions, which occupies too much space and causes an increased cost of manufacture. EP -A -0045876 discloses a slider holder which may rotate reci-procally, so that the slider feeding and the fastener chain threading can be performed in slightly different positions for adjustement toward a chute. The present invention seeks to provide a slider holding apparatus which is inexpensive, compact in size and which is movable about its axis so as to adjust the orientation of the slider thereby permitting the threading of eithe disengaged stringers or engaged stringers of slide fastener chains. As clamed, the apparatus of the present invention for holding a slider during the threading of a slide fastener chain through the slider comprises a slider holder for holding said slider on an axis perpendicular to the direction of feed of the slide fastener chain thereby allowing said slide fastener chain to be threaded through said slider. The apparatus also comprises orientating means for angular orientation by moving said slider holder about said axis from an original orientation into line with the direction of a slider chute, in which orientation the slider is oriented for threading thereon of a fastener chain having a pair of disengaged stringers. According to the invention, said orientating means are capable of moving said slider holder into a second position at substantially 180° from said original orientation, the orientation of the slider in said second position being adjusted for threading thereon a fastener chain having a pair of engaged stringers. According to a further aspect of the invention, the slider holder is rotatable substantially 90° from said original orientation into a third position in which the slider is oriented for threading through its front end a fastener chain having a pair of disengaged stringers and through its rear end a fastener chain having a pair of engaged stringers. Many other objects, advantages and additional features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which two preferred structural embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example. Figure l is a perspective view of an apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of the apparatus, illustrating the manner in which a slider is held on a slider holder; Figure 3 is a front elevational view, with parts broken away, of the apparatus, illustrating the manner in which a slide fastener chain is threaded through the slider held on the slider holder; Figures 4 through 6 are plan views of the apparatus, showing various manners in which different types of slide fastener chains are threaded through the respective sliders; Figure 7 is an enlarged perspective view, with parts broken away, of the slider holder; Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view, with parts in cross section, of a modified apparatus; Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a pair of stringers of a slide fastener chain threaded through two confronting sliders by the apparatus of Figure 8; and Figure l0 is a side elevational view, with parts in cross section, of another modified apparatus. Figures l through 3 and 7 show an apparatus 40 for holding a slider S in position during the threading of a slide fastener chain F through the slider S. The slider S includes a slider body l0, and a pull tab l2 pivotally connected to the slider body l0. The pull tab l2 has an aperture l2a. The slider S is supplied upside down from a slider chute C to the apparatus 40 along a horizontal feed path, with the pull tab l2 hanging from the slider body l0. The apparatus 40 generally comprises a slider holder l including a holder body l5, a supporting arm 20, and a locking lever 26. The holder body l5 has a pair of confronting vertical walls l5a, l5a defining an upwardly opening space l6 that is also opening rearwardly (toward the chute C) for receiving the pull tab l2 as the slider S is supplied to the apparatus 40. The holder body l5 also has a slider support l7 secured at opposite sides to upper inner surfaces of the walls l5a, l5a and extending across the space l6, the slider support l7 having an upper portion projecting upwardly beyond the walls l5a, l5a. At the upper end of the slider support l7, a first slider seat l8 is provided. The slider support l7 also has an elongated vertical bore l7a below the first slider seat l8. The supporting arm 20 is disposed in the space l6 rearwardly of the slider support l7 and is pivotally connected at one end to the vertical walls l5a, l5a by a first pin 2l below the slider support l7. The arm 20 is also connected to an actuator bar 22 by a second pin 23 slightly spaced from the first pin 2l toward the other end of the arm 20. The actuator bar 22 is disposed between the vertical walls l5a, l5a and is operatively connected to a piston rod 24a of an air cylinder 24 for vertical movement along the walls l5a, l5a. The arm 20 is thus angularly movable about the first pin 2l between an inclined position (Figure 7) and an upright position (Figures l through 3). The arm 20 has at one end a cam surface 20a and at the other end a second slider seat 25. The locking lever 26 is disposed in the space l6 forwardly of the slider support l7 and is pivotally connected at a central portion thereof to the vertical walls l5a, l5a by a third pin 27 below the first pin 2l. The cam surface 20a of the supporting arm 20 is slidably engageable with a rear surface of the lever 26 above the third pin 27. The lever 26 has at the upper end a rearwardly directed locking projection 26a. A compression spring 28 acts between the lower end of the lever 26 and the holder body l5 to normally urge the lever 26 in the direction in which the locking projection 26a projects through the bore l7a of the slider support l7 into the space l6. As shown in Figure l, the lower end of the holder body l5 is fixedly connected to one end of a vertical connecting shaft 30 which is rotatably connected at the other end to a piston rod 3la of an air cylinder 3l via a rotary joint 32. The connecting shaft 30 has an intermediate portion extending through a pinion 33 that is supported between a pair of confronting horizontal frame members 34, 34, the intermediate portion having a longitudinal key way 30a. The pinion 33 is connected to the connecting shaft 30 by a key 35 slidably received in the longitudinal key way 30a in the shaft 30. The pinion 33 is operatively engaged by a rack 36 that is horizontally movably connected to a piston rod 37a of an air cylinder 37. With this arrangement, the slider holder l is vertically movable between a lower or slider holding position (Figure 2) in which it receives and holds a slider S supplied from the slider chute C below a work table 33, and an upper or fastener chain threading position (Figure 3) in which it projects upwardly beyond the work table 3 for the threading of a slide fastener chain F through the slider S. Further, the holder body l is angularly movable on its vertical axis (not numbered) so as to adjust the orientation of the slider S relative to the fastener chain F. The operation of the apparatus 40 will now be discribed with reference to Figures l through 7. The slider S is supplied along the feed path to the apparatus 40 until one half portion of the slider body l0 is supported on the first slider seat l8, during which time the pull tab l2 hanging from the slider body l0 is introduced through the space l6 to abut against the slider support l7, with the aperture l2a communicating with the bore l7a. At that time, the supporting arm 20 is in the inclined position in which the second slider seat 25 is positioned remotely from the first slider seat l8, and the cam surface 20a presses the locking lever 26 against the bias of the spring 28, thereby causing the locking projection 26a to retract into the bore l7a. Then, the piston rod 24a of the air cylinder 24 is extended to move the actuator bar 22 upwardly, thereby causing the arm 20 to angularly move about the first pin 2l toward the upright position (Figure l) in which the second slider seat 25 is positioned adjacent to and in horizontal alignment with the first slider seat l8. As a result, the other half portion of the slider body l0 is supported on the second slider seat 25. As the supporting arm 20 is angularly moved from the inclined position to the upright position, the lever 26 is allowed to turn under the bias of the spring 28, thereby causing the locking projection 26a to project through the bore l7a to engage the edge of the aperture l2a of the slider pull tab l2. The slider S is thus firmly held on the slider holder l in the slider holding position. Then, if so required, the air cylinder 37 is actuated to move the rack 36 horizontally which in turn causes the pinion 33 and hence the connecting shaft 30 to rotate, so that the slider holder l is angularly moved on its vertical axis to adjust the orientation of the slider S held thereon. Finally, the piston rod 3la of the air cylinder 3l is extended to move the connecting shaft 30 upwardly, thus causing the slider holder l to move to the fastener chain threading position as shown in Figure 3. The slide fastener chain F is threaded through the slider S in the following manners shown in Figures 4 through 6. As shown in Figure 4, a pair of disengaged stringers of a slide fastener chain F is introduced into the front (adjacent to the neck) portion of the slider S and is then threaded rearwardly of the slider S as indicated by the arrows. In this instance, the slider S is in the original orientation as supplied from the slider chute C. In Figure 5, the slider S has been angularly moved through an angle of 90° from the original orientation shown in Figure 4. A pair of disengaged stringers is introduced into the front portion of the slider S to be threaded rearwardly of the slider S as indicated by the solid-line arrows, while a pair of engaged stringers is introduced into the rear portion of the slider S to be threaded forwardly of the slider S as indicated by the broken-line arrows. Further, Figure 6 shows the manner in which a pair of engaged stringers of the slide fastener chain F is threaded forwardly of the slider S that has been angularly moved through l80° from the original orientation. Figure 8 shows a modified slider holder 45 which is different from the slider holder l of Figures l through 7 in that for holding two sliders S, S at a time, it includes a pair of interconnected slider supports l7, l7 each having at its upper end a first slider seat l8. The slider holder 45 also has a pair of horizontally oppositely directed supporting arms 20, 20 disposed outwardly of the pair of the slider supports l7, l7, each of said arms 20, 20 having at one end a second slider seat 25. Further, a pair of horizontally oppositely directed locking levers 26, 26 is disposed inwardly of the pair of the slider supports l7, l7. Thus, the individual double parts are disposed in a mirror-image relationship. Figure 9 shows a pair of stringers of a slide fastener chain F, to which two sliders S, S are mounted by the slider holder 45 to provide a bidirectionally openable slide fastener that is suitably used such as in a suitcase. Figure l0 shows another modified apparatus 50 which is different from the apparatus 40 of Figure l in that a slider holder l is disposed above a work table 3 and is connected to a piston rod 3la of an air cylinder 3l for horizontal movement above the work table 3 between a slider holding position and a fastener chain threading position. In the latter position, the slider holder l is disposed remotely from a slider chute C, thus preventing the slider chute C from impeding the threading of a slide fastener chain F. Further, the slider holder l is connected to a stepper motor 39 for angular movement on its vertical axis. With the arrangements described above, because the slider holder is angularly movable on its vertical axis so as to adjust the orientation of the slider, the apparatus can be applied to various types of slide fastener chains.

Claims: An apparatus for holding a slider(S) during the threading of a slide fastener chain (F) through the slider, said apparatus comprising a slider holder (1) for holding said slider on an axis perpendicular to the direction of feed of the slide fastener chain thereby allowing said slide fastener chain to be threaded through said slider and orientating means (33, 36, 39) for angular orientation by moving said slider holder (1) about said axis From an original orientation into line with the direction of a slider chute, in which orientation the slider (S) is oriented for threading thereon of a fastener chain (F) having a pair of disengaged stringers, characterized in that Said orientating means are capable of moving said slider holder into a second position at substantially 180° from said original orientation, the orientation of the slider in said second position being adjusted for threading thereon a fastener chain having a pair of engaged stringers. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said slider holder (1) is rotatable substantially 90° from said original orientation into a third position (FIG.5) in which the slider (S) is oriented for threading through its front end a fastener chain (F) having a pair of disengaged stringers and through its rear end a fastener chain (F) having a pair of engaged stringers. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, said orientating means (33, 36, 39) comprising a pinion (33) connected to said slider holder (1) and a rack (36) operatively engaging said pinion (33). An apparatus according to any preceding claim, further including transfer means for moving said slider holder (1) between a first position in which said slider holder (1) receives and holds the slider (S) , and a second position in which the slide fastener chain (F) is threaded through said slider holder (1). An apparatus according to claim 3, said transfer means comprising an air cylinder (31) having a piston rod (31a) connected to said slider holder (1). An apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, further including a connecting shaft (30) operatively connecting said orientating means (33, 36, 39) and said transfer means. An apparatus according to claim 6, said connecting shaft (30) being fixedly connected at one end to said slider holder (1) and rotatably connected at the other end to the piston rod (31a) of an air cylinder (31) , said connecting shaft (30) having an intermediate portion extending through a pinion (33) and defining a longitudinal key way (30a) , said pinion (33) being connected to said connecting shaft (30) by a key (35) slidably received in said longitudinal key way (30a) whereby said slides holder (1) is vertically movable between said first position and said second position. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, said orientating means (33, 36, 39) comprising a stepper motor (39). An apparatus according to any claim 4 to 6, said slider holder (1) being moved by said transfer means horizontally between the first position and the second position.

Inventors: AKIO, YUNOKI
Applicants: YOSHIDA KOGYO K.K.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A44B19
IPC codes: A44B19