ZIPPER

Description

The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/CN2024/087198, filed on Apr. 11, 2024, which claims the priority to the Chinese Patent Application No. 202320916685.9, titled “ZIPPER”, filed on Apr. 19, 2023 with the China National Intellectual Property Administration, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD

The present application relates to the field of zippers, and in particular to a zipper.

BACKGROUND

At present, zippers available on the market do not have an anti-misinsertion function. With reference to FIG. 1, a zipper in the conventional technology includes an insertion box 1, a fixed pin 2, and a movable pin 3. The movable pin 3 is provided with a concave structure 30. When the movable pin 3 is not fully inserted into the insertion box 1 or is not inserted in place, pulling a slider upward with force can easily cause zipper teeth to be stuck in the concave structure 30 of the movable pin. At the same time, the movable pin 3 can easily be misinserted or get stuck between the zipper teeth, resulting in a misaligned engagement of the zipper teeth.

In this case, the zipper may be possibly to split off. In addition, since the movable pin 3 is forcibly squeezed between the zipper teeth, the zipper teeth are deformed for they are susceptible to deformation. Once the misinsertion occurs, the probability of subsequent misinsertions is greatly increased, significantly affecting the user's experience. Therefore, how to avoid the frequent misinsertion in the existing zippers is a problem that needs to be solved in the art.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present application is to provide a zipper with an anti-misinsertion function, to prevent zipper teeth from engaging when a slider is pulled and a movable pin is not properly inserted.

In order to implement the above embodiments, a zipper is provided according to the present application, including:

• • a first zipper tape and a second zipper tape each provided with zipper teeth;
  • a slider for making the zipper teeth on the first zipper tape and the second zipper tape engage or disengage with each other;
  • a fixed pin provided on the first zipper tape;
  • an insertion box provided on the first zipper tape and adaptive to the fixed pin; and
  • a movable pin provided on the second zipper tape for inserting into the insertion box and cooperating with the fixed pin, to achieve engagement of the zipper teeth on the first zipper tape and the second zipper tape when the slider is pulled;
  • a face of the movable pin facing the fixed pin is provided with a teeth stop portion, the teeth stop portion is provided with a teeth stop surface for abutting against the zipper teeth on the first zipper tape when the movable pin is not inserted in place, to prevent the slider from passing over the teeth stop portion, and the teeth stop surface is connected to the movable pin via a transition surface to prevent the zipper teeth on the first zipper tape from getting stuck in the movable pin.

In some embodiments, a face of the fixed pin facing the movable pin is provided with a boss portion, which is configured to overlap with the teeth stop portion.

In some embodiment, the teeth stop portion is a teeth stop protrusion. The face of the fixed pin facing the movable pin is further provided with an abutting surface for abutting against the teeth stop surface of the teeth stop protrusion when the movable pin is inserted in place. The boss portion is provided with a first fitting face, and the movable pin is provided with a second fitting face, the first fitting face and the second fitting face are configured to cooperate and be in contact with each other to improve the smoothness of the movable pin inserting into the insertion box.

In some embodiments, the teeth stop portion is a teeth stop bevel. The movable pin further forms first engagement grooves on both side of the teeth stop bevel, and the fixed pin further forms a second engagement groove between two boss portions. When the movable pin is inserted in place, the teeth stop bevel enters into and is stuck in the second engagement groove, and the two boss portions respectively enter into and are stuck in the two first engagement grooves.

In some embodiments, the face of the movable pin facing the fixed pin further has an arc-shaped surface connected to the teeth stop surface.

In some embodiments, the movable pin has a cutting surface for contacting and cooperating with a side wall of the slider to improve the smoothness of the movable pin inserting into the insertion box.

In some embodiments, a hook portion for hooking the zipper teeth is provided at a top of the teeth stop portion.

In some embodiments, a top of the movable pin forms an accommodating groove for accommodating the zipper teeth.

In some embodiments, the teeth stop portion and the movable pin are integrally formed.

In some embodiments, the insertion box is a block, and the block and the fixed pin are integrally formed, or the insertion box is combined with the slider to form a two way open-ended slider assembly.

Compared to the background described above, the zipper provided by the embodiment of the present application includes zipper tapes on two sides, a slider, an insertion box, a fixed pin, and a movable pin. The zipper tapes on both sides are provided with zipper teeth, and the slider is used to operate the engagement or separation of the zipper teeth on both sides. The fixed pin is provided on the zipper tape on a first side, and the insertion box is located on the zipper tape on first side and fits with the fixed pin. The movable pin is provided on the zipper tape on a second side and is designed to insert into the insertion box and cooperate with the fixed pin to engage the zipper teeth on both sides after the slider is pulled. Furthermore, the side of the movable pin facing the fixed pin is provided with a teeth stop portion, which features a teeth stop surface that prevents the slider from passing over the teeth stop portion by pressing against the zipper teeth on the first zipper tape when the movable pin is not fully inserted. Additionally, the teeth stop surface is connected to the movable pin via a transition surface to prevent the zipper teeth on the first zipper tape from getting stuck in the movable pin. It can be understood that the zipper adopting the aforementioned configuration possesses a misinsertion prevention function. Specifically, when the movable pin is not fully inserted, the slider will not pass over the teeth stop portion, thus preventing the zipper teeth from getting stuck in the movable pin and the teeth stop portion of the movable pin from being mistakenly inserted or stuck between the zipper teeth. Therefore, this design eliminates the possibility of the zipper teeth of the zipper being misaligned when the slider is pulled, prevents zipper bursting due to misinsertion, and enhances the user experience of the zipper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the embodiments of the present application or in the conventional technology more clearly, the drawings for describing the embodiments or the conventional technology are briefly introduced hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is an exploded structural view of a zipper in the conventional technology;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an overall structure of an one-way separating zipper according to a first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the one-way separating zipper shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural view of a movable pin of the one-way separating zipper shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the movable pin shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of the movable pin shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the movable pin shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural view showing assembly of the movable pin and an insertion box in the one-way separating zipper shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing the assembly of the movable pin and the insertion box shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic rear view showing the assembly of the movable pin and the insertion box shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing the assembly of the movable pin and the insertion box shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view of a slider of the one-way separating zipper provided according to the embodiment of the present application being properly pulled;

FIG. 13 is a schematic rear view of a slider of the one-way separating zipper provided according to the embodiment of the present application being properly pulled;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing an insertion process of the movable pin when the slider of the one-way separating zipper provided according to the embodiment of the present application is properly pulled;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the slider being pulled upward when the movable pin of the one-way separating zipper provided according to the embodiment of the present application is not inserted in place;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a movable pin of an one-way separating zipper provided according to a second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 17 is a schematic structural view showing assembly of a fixed pin and an insertion box of the one-way separating zipper provided according to the second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view showing assembly of another movable pin and the fixed pin and the insertion box of the one-way separating zipper provided according to the second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 19 is an external view of a two way open-ended zipper provided according to an embodiment of the present application when a movable pin is not inserted in place;

FIG. 20 is an internal view of a two way open-ended zipper provided according to an embodiment of the present application when a movable pin is not inserted in place.

Reference numerals in the drawings are listed as follows:

• • 1 insertion box;
  • 2 fixed pin, 21 boss portion, 211 first fitting surface, 22 abutting surface, 23 second engagement groove;
  • 3 movable pin, 30 concave structure, 31 teeth stop surface, 311 teeth stop protrusion, 3111 second fitting surface, 312 teeth stop bevel, 3121 first engagement groove, 32 transition surface, 33 arc-shaped surface, 34 cutting surface, 35 hook portion, 36 accommodating groove, 37 step platform;
  • 4 slider;
  • 5 zipper teeth;
  • 6 zipper tape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application and not all of the embodiments.

In order to have a better understanding of embodiments of the present application, the present application is described in further detail hereinafter, in conjunction with the drawings and some embodiments.

It should be noted that directional wordings such as “upper end, lower end, left side, right side” mentioned below are all defined based on the accompanying drawings herein.

With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a zipper provided according to an embodiment of the present application includes an insertion box 1, a fixed pin 2, a movable pin 3, a slider 4, and two zipper tapes 6. Zipper teeth 5 are provided on the two zipper tapes 6. The two zipper tapes 6 include a first zipper tape 6 and a second zipper tape 6. The slider 4 is used to make the zipper teeth 5 on the two zipper tapes 6 engage or disengage. The fixed pin 2 is provided on first zipper tape 6, and the insertion box 1 is provided on the first zipper tape 6 for matching the fixed pin 2. The movable pin 3 is provided on second zipper tape 6, and the movable pin 3 is used to insert into the insertion box 1 and cooperate with the fixed pin 2, thus allowing the zipper teeth 5 on the two zipper tapes 6 to be engaged with each other when the slider 4 is pulled.

Furthermore, a teeth stop portion is provided on a face of the movable pin 3 facing the fixed pin 2, and the teeth stop portion has a teeth stop surface 31. The teeth stop surface 31 is designed to abut against the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 when the movable pin 3 is not fully inserted, to prevent the slider 4 from bypassing the teeth stop portion. In one embodiment, by widening an upper part of the movable pin 3, a lateral width of the teeth stop portion in contact with the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 is greater than the width inside a cavity of the slider 4, and the slider 4 cannot be pulled upwards when the movable pin 3 is not fully inserted, thus preventing misinsertion. At the same time, the teeth stop surface 31 is connected to the movable pin 3 via a transition surface 32, to prevent the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 from getting stuck in the movable pin 3. In one embodiment, the transition surface 32 may be a curved surface with a certain radius or a flat surface that smoothly connects the teeth stop surface 31 with an inner surface of a lower half of the movable pin 3. It should be emphasized that regardless of the transition surface 32 is a curved surface or a flat surface, the transition surface 32 has to be a non-concave surface. Compared to the conventional technology where a concave structure 30 is used in this position, the non-concave transition surface 32 in the present application can prevent the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 from getting stuck in the movable pin 3 under force, to prevent misinsertion and splitting off caused by the zipper teeth 5 getting stuck.

It is understandable that the zipper adopting the aforementioned configuration has the anti-misinsertion function. In one embodiment, when the movable pin 3 is not fully inserted, the slider 4 cannot pass the teeth stop portion. As a result, the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 will not get stuck in the movable pin 3, and the teeth stop portion of the movable pin 3 will not be misinserted or get stuck among the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6. Therefore, it will not cause the misalignment and meshing of the zipper teeth 5 near the bottom stop after pulling the slider 4, preventing the zipper from splitting off due to misinsertion and enhancing the user experience of the zipper.

With reference to FIGS. 4 to 15 together, in order to make the zipper in the engaged state have a certain anti-splitting off function, a boss portion 21 is provided on a face of the fixed pin 2 facing the movable pin 3, and the boss portion 21 is configured to overlaps with the teeth stop portion.

It should be noted that the term “overlap” refers to a condition where, after the movable pin 3 is fully inserted into the insertion box 1, the teeth stop portion of the movable pin 3 at least partially overlaps with the boss portion 21 of the fixed pin 2 and overlapping parts are interlocked, which enables the zipper in the engaged state to have a certain anti-splitting off function.

In some embodiments, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 13, the teeth stop portion is a teeth stop protrusion 311, that is, the teeth stop portion is a protruding structure extending towards the fixed pin 2. The face of the fixed pin 2 facing the movable pin 3 has an abutting surface 22. When the movable pin 3 is inserted in place, the abutting surface 22 abuts against the teeth stop surface 31 of the teeth stop protrusion 311. At the same time, the boss portion 21 has a first fitting surface 211, and the movable pin 3 has a second fitting surface 3111. The first fitting surface 211 can cooperate and be in contact with the second fitting surface 3111, to improve the smoothness of the movable pin 3 inserting into the insertion box 1.

Herein, the first fitting surface 211 and the second fitting surface 3111 include but are not limited to any structures that are conducive to improving the smoothness of inserting the movable pin 3 into the insertion box 1, such as arc-shaped surfaces, inclined surfaces and the like. In one embodiment, the first fitting surface 211 is a protruding arc-shaped surface, and correspondingly, the second fitting surface 3111 may also have a certain curvature. It can be understood that the second fitting surface 3111 may be a fitting surface formed by cutting or trimming on the teeth stop portion. That is, on the movable pin 3, the teeth stop portion can be regarded as an outward protruding structure, and the second fitting surface 3111 can be an inward concave fitting surface with a certain curvature. This allows the pin to be inserted more smoothly through the contact fitting between the second fitting surface 3111 and the first fitting surface 211.

It needs to be emphasized that, in a thickness direction of the movable pin 3, a sum of thickness dimensions of the second fitting surface 3111 and the teeth stop surface 31 is equal to a thickness dimension of the movable pin 3.

In addition, the abutting surface 22 may be formed by cutting or trimming on the boss portion 21, that is, the boss portion 21 can be regarded as an outward protruding structure on the fixed pin 2, and the abutting surface 22 can be an inward concave abutting surface 22. The abutting surface 22 may be a curved surface or an arc-shaped surface, and its structure is adapted to that of the teeth stop surface 31, and the teeth stop surface 31 tightly abuts with the abutting surface 22 when the movable pin 3 is inserted in place.

It needs to be emphasized that, in the thickness direction of the fixed pin 2, the sum of the thickness dimensions of the abutting surface 22 and the boss portion 21 is equal to the thickness dimension of the fixed pin 2.

With reference to FIG. 14 as well, when the slider 4 is pulled in place and the movable pin 3 is being inserted, a front end of the fixed pin 2 (i.e., the first fitting surface 211) engages with the second fitting surface 3111 of the movable pin 3. A combined width of the movable pin 3 and the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 falls within the width range of the inner cavity of the slider 4, allowing for smooth insertion and removal.

With reference to FIG. 15 as well, when the movable pin 3 is not inserted in place and the slider 4 is pulled upwards, the width of the inner cavity of the slider 4 decreases. At this point, the movable pin 3 and the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 are compressed by the action of the slider 4, but their combined width is still greater than the width of the inner cavity of the slider 4 that they are in contact with, preventing the slider 4 from being pulled up. Meanwhile, the teeth stop portion at the top of the movable pin 3 forms a curved integral together with the movable pin 3, so even under compression, the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6 will not get stuck inside the movable pin 3, and the teeth stop portion of the movable pin 3 will not get stuck between the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6. This ensures the slider 4 cannot be pulled up when the movable pin 3 is not inserted in place.

In some embodiments, with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17 as well, the teeth stop portion may also be a teeth stop bevel 312. Additionally, the movable pin 3 forms first engagement grooves 3121 located on both sides of the teeth stop bevel 312, and the fixed pin 2 forms a second engagement groove 23 located between two boss portions 21. When the movable pin 3 is inserted in place, the teeth stop bevel 312 enters into and is stuck in the second engagement groove 23, and the two boss portions 21 enter into and are stuck in the two first engagement grooves 3121, respectively.

That is to say, when the movable pin 3 is not inserted in place, the teeth stop bevel 312 abuts against the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6, to prevent the slider 4 from passing the teeth stop bevel 312, which provides a certain degree of the anti-misinsertion function. At the same time, the fixed pin 2 is provided with two protruding structures (i.e., boss portions 21), and the space between the two boss portions 21 forms the second engagement groove 23. The second engagement groove 23 is designed to cooperate with the teeth stop bevel 312 of the movable pin 3, and correspondingly, the first engagement grooves 3121 are designed to cooperate one-to-one with the boss portions 21.

It should be noted that when the movable pin 3 is not inserted in place and the slider 4 is pulled upwards, the two boss portions 21 on the fixed pin 2 will also abut against a lower part of the movable pin 3. Combined with the abutting effect of the teeth stop bevel 312 against the zipper teeth 5 on the first zipper tape 6, they collectively exert a certain resistance to the slider 4 being pulled upward, preventing the slider 4 from being pulled up and achieving the purpose of anti-misinsertion.

In some embodiments, the face of the movable pin 3 facing the fixed pin 2 further has an arc-shaped surface 33, which is connected to the teeth stop surface 31.

The arc-shaped surface 33 is an inner arcuate edge of the movable pin 3. The entire inner side surface of the movable pin 3 includes an upper inner side surface and a lower inner side surface, with the arc-shaped surface 33 being the lower inner side surface and the teeth stop surface 31 being part of the upper inner side surface (in the first embodiment, the teeth stop surface 31 and the second fitting surface 3111 together form the upper inner side surface, and in the second embodiment, the teeth stop surface 31 is located in the middle of the entire upper inner side surface). Additionally, the purpose of making the arc-shaped surface 33 arcuate is to provide a transitional effect when the movable pin 3 is inserted or removed, allowing it to slide against the fixed pin 2 or the zipper teeth 5, to enhance the smoothness of insertion and removal.

In some embodiments, the movable pin 3 has a cutting surface 34, which is designed to contact and fit with the side wall of the slider 4, to improve the smoothness of the movable pin 3 when it is inserted into the insertion box 1. The cutting surface 34 may be a bevel or a curved surface, and the curvature of the cutting surface 34 is designed to better fit the curvature inside the side wall of the slider 4 when the movable pin 3 is inserted, to enhance the smoothness of insertion and removal of the movable pin 3.

In some embodiments, for nylon zippers, a hook portion 35 is provided at the top of the teeth stop portion, which is used to hook a first zipper tooth 5.

Meanwhile, an accommodating groove 36 for accommodating the zipper teeth 5 forms at a top of the movable pin 3. After the movable pin 3 is fully inserted into the insertion box 1, the first zipper tooth 5 on the same side as the fixed pin 2 can enter into and be right stuck in the accommodating groove 36.

In some embodiments, with reference to FIG. 18 as well, for the metal zipper bottom stop, the first tooth does not need to be hooked but has to be limited at the step of the movable pin 3, therefore, compared to nylon zippers, the hook portion 35 located at the top of the tooth portion of the movable pin 3 is removed, to form a step platform 37 at the top of the movable pin 3 to provide space for placing the first tooth 5.

In some embodiments, the teeth stop portion and the movable pin 3 are integrally formed, and the movable pin 3 can be injection-molded as a single piece.

It can be seen that the teeth stop portion is a structure that blocks the zipper teeth 5 when the movable pin 3 is inserted into the insertion box 1. In the present application, the length of the teeth stop portion is increased and it is connected to the movable pin 3 as a single piece, forming an integral structure. The purpose of this design is to ensure that the zipper teeth 5 cannot be forced into the movable pin 3 by the extrusion force of the slider 4 when the slider 4 is pulled upwards before the movable pin 3 is inserted in place, which blocks the entry of the zipper teeth. At the same time, the combined width of the teeth stop portion and the zipper teeth 5 is greater than the width of the lower internal cavity of the slider 4, making it difficult for the slider 4 to disengage and bite upwards, thus avoiding incorrect insertion.

It should be noted that the insertion box 1 in the embodiments of the present application may be a block structure, that is, the zipper is an one-way separating zipper, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 18. Certainly, the insertion box 1 may also be a slider structure, that is, the zipper is a two way open-ended zipper, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20.

When the insertion box 1 is a block, the fixed pin 2 and the block are integrally formed, such as by injection molding. With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20 as well, when the insertion box 1 is a slider structure, the insertion box 1 and the slider 4 are combined to form a two way open-ended slider assembly. The configuration of the two way open-ended zipper can refer to the content of the conventional technology and will not be elaborated here.

When the insertion box 1 is a block, the length of the block in the present application is also shortened. This reduction shortens the insertion stroke of the movable pin 3 within the block, providing less space for insertion, which in turn shortens the insertion stroke of the movable pin 3. Additionally, with a series of designs aimed at improving smoothness, the probability of the movable pin 3 not being fully inserted into the block is further reduced.

In summary, since the existing structure of the movable pin 3 leaves large gaps and steps in the portion that protrudes and hooks onto the zipper teeth 5, the zipper teeth 5 can easily get stuck in these spaces under force. In one embodiment, the existing teeth stop portion may also get stuck between the zipper teeth 5, causing the combined width of the two to be smaller than the width of the internal cavity of the slider 4, leading to continued engagement after misinsertion and ultimately resulting in zipper splitting off. Based on this, the present application introduces a structural innovation design that endows the zipper with an anti-misinsertion function. That is, when the movable pin 3 is not fully inserted into the insertion box 1 or not inserted properly, the slider 4 is prevented from being lifted upwards even though the slider has been pulled with a large force, thus avoiding the slider 4 from disengaging and causing the teeth 5 to bite upwards when the movable pin 3 is not properly inserted. Furthermore, by making subtle structural improvements to the movable pin 3 and the fixed pin 2 of the zipper, the guiding function for the insertion of the movable pin 3 is enhanced, improving the smoothness of the insertion of the movable pin 3. This ensures that the movable pin 3 can be fully and properly inserted into the insertion box 1, enhancing the user experience of the zipper in multiple aspects.

The zipper provided according to the present application may be an one-way separating zipper or a two way open-ended zipper.

It should be noted that, terms such as first and second in this specification are merely used to distinguish an entity from other entities and do not require or imply that there are any such actual relationships or sequences between these entities herein.

The zipper provided according to the present application is described in detail above. The specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principle and implementation of the present application, but their description above is only given to facilitate understanding of the method and core concept of the present application. It should be pointed out that several improvements and modifications to the present application may be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications shall fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.