Patent Publication Number: US-6654988-B1

Title: Stoppable zipper slider capable of being reassembled with pull tab

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a stoppable zipper slider, wherein a pull tab can be re-assembled thereto, and more particularly to a zipper slider providing re-assembly of a pull tab to satisfy the necessity of changing to another non-specific pull tab. 
     (b) Description of the Prior Art 
     Conventional zipper sliders can be classified into two types, stoppable ones and non-stoppable ones. Non-stoppable zipper sliders are in widespread use in the art. Without the function of stopping motions, a zipper slider is likely to run away unexpectedly. Stoppable zipper sliders have a stopping hook piece (so-called a horse hook) embedded within the slider body. Since a post of the stopping hook piece can insert between in the teeth of a zipper while the zipper slider is moving thereabout, the zipper slider is stopped after being positioned at a location, and therefore unexpected runaway of a zipper can be avoided. This type of zipper sliders can be applied to both visible and invisible zippers. The conventional design uses a sustaining leaf spring install inside the covering portion of a zipper slider. By propping up the stopping hook piece by the downward sustaining leaf spring, the post of the stopping hook piece can insert between the teeth of a zipper accordingly so that the zipper slider is in a stabilized state. By pulling the pull tab of a zipper slider, the post of the stopping hook piece is driven to depart from the teeth so that a free control of zipper movement is enabled. 
     The above-mentioned stoppable zipper sliders must be fabricated in one sequence by which a stopping hook piece, sustaining leaf spring(s) and pull tab are simultaneously pre-installed within a covering portion and then sealed. Therefore, the slider body and the pull tab of the conventional stoppable zipper sliders are inseparable. That is, replacing the pull tab in a later fabrication sequence is out of the question. Restricted by fabrication in one sequence, a pull tab&#39;s shape, appearance, brand name, label, color and style cannot be changed subject to different needs, hence it is very inconvenient for both the manufacturers of zipper sliders and the downstream industries. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a design of a braking zipper slider capable of a pull tab being reinstalled. That is, a braking zipper slider can be composed in advance and provides the flexibility of a secondary installation of a pull tab at a later time. Therefore, downstream industries can select an arbitrary pull tab for installation as needed, free from the limitation of fabrication in one sequence. 
     It is an secondary object of the present invention to provide a design of a braking zipper slider capable of a pull tab being reinstalled, wherein a set of sustaining leaf springs, consisting of a single or a pair of pieces, are embedded on the inner surface of the covering portion of the zipper slider; one end of the sustaining leaf spring(s) sustains downward against the upper surface of a stopping hook piece, and the other end sustains between the tail of the hook piece and the slider body. With such a design, a pull tab&#39;s can slide along a gap within the covering portion, prop the bottom end of the second leaf spring open and then enter a braking notch of the stopping hook piece so as to accomplish the action of reinstallation. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an edge view with all components assembled of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an assembled cross sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates a pull tab being inserted in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a diagram that illustrates a replaceable pull tab embedded in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded edge view of a replaceable pull tab embedded in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the pull tab being pulled in the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded edge view of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 9 is an edge view with all components assembled of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 10 is an assembled cross sectional view of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded edge view with all components disassembled of the third embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view with all components assembled of the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 13 illustrates the embodiment of the fixing and integration of the covering portion and the inserting section by two pivoting pins piercing through them. 
     FIG. 14 illustrates the embodiment of applying double riveting to integrate the covering portion and the inserting section. 
     FIG. 15 illustrates the embodiment of adding corresponding inserting pieces to the covering portion and the inserting section. 
     FIG. 16 is an edge view with all components in FIG. 15 assembled. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in FIGS. 1 3 , the present invention is related to a “stoppable zipper slider capable of being reassembled with a pull tab” that includes a slider body  1 , a stopping hooking piece  2 , a set of sustaining leaf springs  31 , 32 , and a covering portion. Working together with a pull tab  5 , they constitute a stoppable zipper slider (as shown in FIG.  6 ). 
     A slider body  1  is slidably mounted to the zipper for movement between a closed position and an open position, having an inserting section  11  formed on the top surface thereof and blocks  12  molded on both sides of the inserting section  11  for embedding a covering portion  4 . On one side of the inserting section an aperture  13  is chiseled for embedding a stopping hook piece  2 . At a corresponding location, a groove  14  is formed for the hook head  21  of the stopping hook piece  12  to insert thereinto and be held in a fixed position. 
     A stopping hook piece  2  having a hook head  21 , a post  22  and a hook tail  23  forms a braking notch  24  between the post  22  and the hook tail  23 . The stopping hook piece  2  is inserted in the aperture  13  of the slider body  1 , with the hook head  21  aligned with the groove  14 , the post  22  settled within the aperture  13 , and the hook tail  23  propping against a sustaining leaf spring  32 . 
     A set of sustaining leaf springs  31 , 32  consists of a first leaf spring and a second leaf spring. The first leaf spring  31 , being V or U shaped and embedded on a inner wall within the covering portion  4 , sustains downward against the top surface  25  of the stopping hook piece  2 . The second leaf spring  32  has one end embedded on the inner wall within the covering portion  4  and the other end sustaining against between the hook tail  23  of the stopping hook piece  2  and the slider body  1 . 
     A covering portion  4 , being a hallow shell, has a recess  41  underneath the middle section thereof. The front section of the covering section is mounted firmly on the inserting section  11  and blocks  12  of the slider body  1  by pivoting or riveting. There is a slot  43  formed at the rear end for the insertion of one end of the second leaf spring  32 . Moreover, there reserves a gap  44  in between the bottom of the rear section  42  and the slider body  1 , as shown in FIG.  3 . 
     A pull tab  5 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, gets into the braking notch  24  by pushing open the second leaf spring  32  along the reserved gap  44  of the covering portion  4 . After the pull tab  5  gets in, the second leaf spring  32  restores its original sustaining status so as to seal the pull tab  5  in the reserved gap  44 , completing the action of reinstallation (as shown in FIG.  6 ). 
     According to the “Braking Zipper Slider Capable of A Pull Tab Being Reassembled” as realized by the present invention, prior to the pull tab being pulled (as shown in FIG.  5 ), the post  22  of the stopping hook piece  2  prop up against the teeth of the zipper, and therefore the slider body  1  is held in a fixed position. When the pull tab  5  is pulled (as shown in FIG.  7 ), the stopping hook piece  2  is lifted up and the post  22  thereof departs from the teeth, and therefore the slider body  1  returns to the sliding state, by which a free control of zipper slider movement is enabled. 
     FIG.  8  and FIG. 10 illustrate another embodiment of this present invention in which the inserting configuration of the second leaf spring  32  in the covering portion  4  is modified slightly. The new configuration contains an end piece  321  added to the end of the second leaf spring  32  and the a slot  43   a  formed in the rear section  42  of the covering portion  4  for embedding the end piece  321  of the second leaf spring  32 . Therefore, the rear end piece  321  can protrude and conceal closely in the corresponding slot  43   a  in the rear section  42  of the covering portion  4  to obtain a better effect of fix-position linkage. 
     Except for the embodiment of the configuration of double sustaining leaf springs, namely, the first sustaining leaf spring  31  and the second sustaining leaf spring  32 , a configuration of single sustaining leaf spring  3   a  can be applied as well if necessary, as shown in FIG.  11  and FIG.  12 . One end of the single leaf spring  3   a  is V or U shaped and sustains downward against the top surface  25  of the stopping hook piece  2 . The other end of the single leaf spring  3   a  extends crookedly to sustain against in between the hook tail  23  of the stopping hook piece  2  and the slider body  1 , so that the pull tab  5  can get into the braking notch  24  through the reserved gap  44  of the covering portion  4  by pushing open the other end  31   a  of the sustaining leaf spring  3   a , and therefore a re-assembly is accomplished. 
     The integration of the covering portion  4  and the slider body  1  mentioned above is for combining the covering portion  4  with the slider body  1  firmly. There is no particular restriction on the means used. As the above-mentioned embodiments had shown, the covering portion  4  and the inserting section  11  can be firmly integrated by a pivoting pin  6  passing through the covering portion  4  and the inserting section  11 . Also, either by using two pivot pins  6  passing through the covering portion  4  and the inserting section  11  simultaneously and have them pivoted at a fixed position as FIG. 13 illustrates, or by applying riveting twice to securely combine them as FIG. 14 illustrates. Moreover, as FIG. 15 illustrates, by establishing inlay chunks  411 , 121  correspondently with blocks  12  at one side of the recess  41  at the lower part of the covering portion  4  and have them pivoted at a fixed position by using a pivoting pin  6  passing through the covering portion  4  and the inserting section  11  (Riveting can be applied as well), they can be equally securely combined. 
     To summarize the above points, it is obvious that, because of the capability of re-assembling a pull tab, the shape or type of the pull tab can be chosen in accordance with the need of downstream manufacturers, and therefore this design of “A Stoppable Zipper Slider Capable of A Pull Tab Being Re-assembled” is provided with novelty and practicality. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details described thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have been suggested in the foregoing description, and others will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.