Patent Publication Number: US-8523438-B2

Title: Device intended for the closure of bags which includes resources that resist the pulling-off of a slider, and bag that is so equipped

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This present invention concerns the area of bags that include closure devices operated by a slider. 
     Many devices of this type have already been proposed. 
     The bag closure devices generally include two zipper elements of the complementary male/female type or of the complementary hook type, designed to allow multiple successive openings and closures. 
     The slider has as its objective to facilitate the joining and the separation of the zippers respectively. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The attached  FIGS. 1 to 5  show a slider-type closure device according to existing designs. 
     As can be seen in-these figures, the slider  100  generally includes a base  110  which carries two lateral walls  120 ,  130  and a low central ridge  140 . The walls  120 ,  130  and the low ridge  140  combine to form two channels  150 ,  160  which are not parallel at least in part. These channels receive elements that are connected respectively to two zipper mouldings  200 ,  250 . 
     The known sliders have already given great service. They facilitate the opening and the closure of the bags, since it suffices to move the slider, and according to the direction of motion of the latter, to separate or join the zippers because of the non-parallel nature of the channels  150 ,  160 . 
     However the bags thus equipped has a serious drawback, in that the sliders are sometimes observed to pull apart, and in particular there is a risk of ingestion by children. 
     In an attempt to reduce this risk, people have already proposed, as illustrated in the appended figures, the addition to the free edged of the walls  120 ,  130  of the longitudinal ribs  122 ,  132  designed to take up position under the zippers. However this measure proved to be insufficient. In the event of a large force being applied to the slider, the walls  120 ,  130  are separated and the slider pulled off. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  5 , there have also been proposals to place a soleplate  142  on the end of the low central ridge  140 . The soleplate  142  is intended to take up position under the zippers  200 ,  250  as can be seen in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . However here again, this solution does not give total satisfaction. In fact, the soleplate  142  must have a shape which is tapered in the direction of the convergence of the channels  150 ,  160  in order not to interfere with the closure of the bag. In practice therefore, one observes that the risk of pulling-off of the slider still remains, in particular by pivoting and extraction by the tapered end of the soleplate which acts in the manner of a wedge forcing the zippers apart. 
     Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,299 proposed another solution, illustrated in  FIG. 6  attached, which consists of adding to the outer face of the backing-strips  202 ,  252  bearing the complementary closure zippers  200 ,  250 , ribs  204 ,  254  which are designed to press against the longitudinal ribs  122 ,  132  of the slider. However this solution also fails to give total satisfaction. It turns out in fact that if a pulling force is applied to the slider, ribs  204 , and  254  tend to slide on ribs  122  and  132 , and this tends to draw the two closure elements together, and to guide them toward the free passage between ribs  122  and  132 , contrary to the initial objective of locking and retention. 
     Another solution was proposed in document FR-A-2855 153. This solution is illustrated in  FIG. 7 . It consist of providing, on at least one of the closure elements, a structure  210 ,  260  that is concave toward the interior of the bag, forming an end-stop for the soleplate  242  in order to prevent the withdrawal of the slider  100  under the effect of a pulling force. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This present invention has as its objective to perfect the known devices by limiting the risk of slider pull-off. 
     This objective is attained in the context of this present invention by virtue of a closure assembly that includes two complementary elements which are suitable to be successively joined and separated, and a slider that includes a base, two lateral walls, a low central ridge and a soleplate connected to the low central ridge, characterised by the fact that at least one of the two elements has, on its inside surface, a structure that is able to press against the soleplate under the effect of a pulling force so that, under the effect of this force, the said element tends to be flattened against the associated lateral wall of the slider. 
     As will be explained in what follows, in contrast to document U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,299, the structure thus proposed in the context of this present invention leads to a strengthening of the contact, and therefore an increase in the friction, between the lateral walls of the slider and the closure assembly, in the event of applying a pulling force. 
     This present invention also concerns bags that are equipped with such a closure assembly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other characteristics, objectives and advantages of this present invention will appear on reading the detailed description that follows, with reference to the appended drawings, provided by way of non-limiting examples and in which: 
         FIG. 1 , described above, shows a diagrammatic view in perspective, partially exploded, of a known closure assembly according to existing designs, 
         FIG. 2 , described above, is a view in cross-section of the closure assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  described above, shows a view in perspective, partially exploded, of a slider according to existing designs, 
         FIGS. 4 and 5 , described previously, represent two views in cross section of a closure assembly fitted with such a slider in two planes referenced IV-IV and V-V in  FIG. 3 , 
         FIG. 6 , described above, shows a closure assembly according to the text of document U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,299, 
         FIG. 7 , described above, shows a closure assembly according to the text of document FR-A-2 855 153, 
         FIG. 8  is a view in cross-section of a slider and of closure zippers according to this present invention, and 
         FIG. 9  shown a similar view of the same resources when subjected to a pulling force. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This present invention can find its application in all types of bag. For this reason, we will not describe in detail, in what follows, the resources for the creation of the bag itself or its components or its materials. 
     This also applies to the closure zippers  200 ,  250 . They are not limited to the geometry shown in the appended figures. These zippers can be of the complementary male/female type, of the complementary hook type, of the complementary velcro type, or any other equivalent structure. They can be made from any appropriate material. The closure zippers  200 ,  250  can be moulded from material with the ridges of the bag, created by extrusion for example or assembled to and secured on the ridges of the bag by any appropriate means. 
     Likewise, the general structure of the slider  100  and its component material will not be described in detail in what follows. We will concentrate on describing the essential characteristic of the invention. 
     The slider  100  can be made from metal or a plastic material. It includes a base  110 , two lateral walls  120 ,  130  and a low central ridge  140  which carries a soleplate  142 . The lateral walls  120 ,  130  and the low central ridge  140  combine to form two channels  150 ,  160  which are not parallel, at least in part. 
     As indicated previously, according to the invention, at least one of the two complementary elements  200 ,  250  of the closure assembly has a structure  300  which is designed to press against the soleplate  142  when a pulling force is applied to the slider  100 . According to the representation given in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , only element  250  is fitted with such a structure  300 . 
     Preferably, in the context of the invention, this structure  300  is formed from a rib that is adjacent to the soleplate  142  and attached to the internal face  252  of the backing-strip  254  which bears the closure element  250 . 
     The structure  300  is designed so that when it presses onto the soleplate  142 , it tends to flatten element  250  against the associated lateral wall  130  of the slider, as can be seen by examining the comparison in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . 
     Thus a large friction is generated between this closure element  250  and the slider  100 . 
     The professional engineer will therefore understand that, in the event of an attempt to pull off of the slider, the friction created prevents the withdrawal of the slider. 
     More precisely again, in order to achieve the aforementioned effect, preferably:
         the rib  300  is at least slightly tapered in the direction of its free end,
           at rest, the face  302  of the rib  300  facing the soleplate  142  is parallel to the opposite face  1420  of the soleplate  142 , or even turned in relation to this face  1420 , at least slightly in the direction of its free end,   
               

     The height hl of the rib  300  is such that the addition of this height hl and the thickness e 2  of the backing-strip  254  is greater than the interval i 3  which separates the edge of the soleplate  142  and the lateral wall  130 . Thus the rib  300  cannot traverse this passage without pressing against the soleplate  142  and thus forcing element  250  against the lateral lateral wall  130 . 
     Of course this present invention is not limited to the particular methods of implementation that have just been described, but extends to any variant that remains within its spirit.