Patent ID: 8371003

Claim:
A device for assisting a zipper slider in selectively disconnecting and connecting a pair of opposed interlockable zipper tracks as the zipper slider moves in respective opening and closing directions along the zipper tracks, the device comprising: (a) a body having first and second diverging guide channels defining respective guide angles for receiving the respective zipper tracks for sliding, non-interlocking guiding movement of the zipper tracks through the guide channels in advance of the zipper slider for reducing a closure angle of the zipper tracks in advance of the zipper slider to correspond to the respective guide angles of the guide channels; (b) a handle carried by the body for permitting manual pulling movement of the body along at least a portion of the length of the zipper and generally positioned in a coextensive orientation in relation to a pull tab of the zipper slider such that an operator can simultaneously grasp the pull tab of the zipper slider and the handle while sliding the zipper slider in the closing direction; and (c) an alignment plate included on the body and positioned at an interlocking point of the zipper slider on the side of the zipper tracks opposite a zipper handle for providing sliding support to the zipper during pulling movement of the body for assisting and maintaining the device in alignment with the zipper tracks; wherein the first and second diverging guide channels of the body of the device are spaced apart such that the first and second guide channels reduce the closure angle of the zipper tracks but do not bring the zipper tracks close enough together so that mating teeth of the zipper tracks are able to interlock.