Abstract
A fastener stop structure includes a first stop portion and a second stop portion. An inner lateral surface of the first stop portion facing the second stop portion is provided with a protruding portion. A size of a portion of the first stop portion where the protruding portion is disposed in a width direction is greater than a size of an element channel of the slider used in a fastener chain in the width direction, and the protruding portion is disposed at a distance from a front end edge of the first stop portion in a length direction. The fastener includes the fastener chain, the slider, and the fastener stop structure. When the slider slides on a pair of element columns along the length direction, the first stop portion and the second stop portion of the fastener stop structure are able to enter the pair of element channels.
Claims
1. A fastener stop structure (100), suitable for being installed at an end portion in a length direction (L) of a pair of element columns (54) disposed in a fastener chain (50), and comprising: a first stop portion (110), installed at an end portion in the length direction (L) of one of the pair of element columns (54); and a second stop portion (120), installed at an end portion in the length direction (L) of the other of the pair of element columns (54) and is disposed adjacent to the first stop portion (110), wherein an inner lateral surface (S) of the first stop portion (110) facing the second stop portion (120) is provided with a protruding portion (112), a size (W1) of a portion of the first stop portion (110) where the protruding portion (112) is disposed in a width direction (W) is greater than a size (W2) of an element channel (64) of the slider (60) used in the fastener chain (50) in the width direction (W), the first stop portion (110) and the second stop portion (120) each have a front end edge (E11, E21) in a sliding direction in which the slider (60) engages the pair of element columns (54), and a rear end edge (E12, E22) in a sliding direction in which the slider (60) separates the pair of element columns (54), and the protruding portion (112) is disposed at a distance (D1) from the front end edge (E11) of the first stop portion (110) in the length direction (L).
2. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein: the inner lateral surface (S) of the first stop portion (110) facing the second stop portion (120) is provided with a concave portion (114), the concave portion (114) is located between the front end edge (E11) of the first stop portion (110) and the protruding portion (112), and a shape of the concave portion (114) corresponds to a shape of a guiding post (62) disposed on the slider (60) used in the fastener chain (50).
3. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 2, wherein: the concave portion (114) has a first lateral surface (114a) close to the front end edge (E11) and a second lateral surface (114b) close to the protruding portion (112), an obtuse angle () is formed between the first lateral surface (114a) and the second lateral surface (114b).
4. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 3, wherein: the second lateral surface (114b) of the concave portion (114) is inclined toward the rear end edge (E12) of the first stop portion (110) relative to a level baseline (P) extending in the width direction (W).
5. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein: the front end edge (E11) of the first stop portion (110) and the front end edge (E21) of the second stop portion (120) are each configured in a linear shape extending in the width direction (W), and are aligned in the width direction (W).
6. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein: an end portion of the protruding portion (112) closest to the second stop portion (120) in the width direction (W) is a rounded chamfer.
7. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein: the protruding portion (112) is closer to the front end edge (E11) of the first stop portion (110) in the length direction (L) than to a middle portion of the first stop portion (110).
8. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 7, wherein: the distance (D1) between the protruding portion (112) and the front end edge (E11) in the length direction (L) is between 1/10 and of a size of the first stop portion (110) in the length direction (L).
9. The fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 1, wherein: the protruding portion (112) protrudes further toward the second stop portion (120) than a centerline (C) of the pair of element columns (54).
10. A fastener (20), comprising: a fastener chain (50), comprising a pair of fastener tapes (52) and a pair of element columns (54) disposed on inner edges of the pair of fastener tapes (52) and facing each other; a slider (60), installed at the fastener chain (50) and having a guiding post (62) and a pair of element channels (64) located on two opposite sides of the guiding post (62); and a fastener stop structure (100) according to claim 1, installed at the end portion in a length direction (L) of the pair of element columns (54), wherein when the slider (60) slides on the pair of element columns (54) along the length direction (L), the pair of element columns (54) pass through the pair of element channels (64), and the first stop portion (110) and the second stop portion (120) of the fastener stop structure (100) are able to enter the pair of element channels (64).
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a fastener according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the fastener shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of a slider removed to show a fastener stop structure on a fastener chain.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the fastener shown in FIG. 2 in a state where the fastener stop structure is separated by a guiding post of the slider.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a first stop portion of the fastener stop structure used in the fastener shown in FIG. 2.
[0021] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a slider used in the fastener shown in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, and examples of the exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a fastener according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the fastener shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of a slider removed to show a fastener stop structure on a fastener chain. FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the fastener shown in FIG. 2 in a state where the fastener stop structure is separated by a guiding post of the slider. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a first stop portion of the fastener stop structure used in the fastener shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a slider used in the fastener shown in FIG. 2. A specific structure such as a fastener stop structure 100, and a fastener 20 formed by a fastener chain 50 used with the fastener stop structure 100 and a slider 60 installed at the fastener chain 50 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, which may be adjusted according to requirements.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, in this embodiment, the fastener 20 includes the fastener chain 50, the slider 60, and the fastener stop structure 100. The fastener chain 50 includes a pair of fastener tapes 52 and a pair of element columns 54 disposed on inner edges of the pair of fastener tapes 52 and facing each other. The slider 60 is installed at the fastener chain 50 and has a guiding post 62 and a pair of element channels 64 located on two opposite sides of the guiding post 62. The fastener stop structure 100 is installed at an end portion in a length direction L of the pair of element columns 54. That is, the fastener stop structure 100 is suitable for being installed at the end portion in the length direction L of the pair of element columns 54 provided in the fastener chain 50. Here, the fastener stop structure 100 installed at an upper end portion in the length direction L of the pair of element columns 54 as a top stop member is taken as an example for description. However, in other embodiments not shown, the fastener stop structure 100 may also be installed at a lower end portion in the length direction L of the pair of element columns 54 as a bottom stop member. In addition, when the fastener stop structure 100 is installed at two opposite ends in the length direction L of the pair of element columns 54 as the top stop member and the bottom stop member, two sliders 60 disposed opposite to each other may be disposed on the fastener chain 50, so that the fastener 20 is constructed as a two-way separator fastener. In addition, the fastener 20 may further include a tab pull 70 (as shown in FIG. 1) disposed on the slider 60, so as to facilitate sliding of the slider 60 on the fastener chain 50. However, the disclosure does not limit the application of the fastener stop structure 100 and the specific structures of the fastener 20 and the fastener chain 50, which may be adjusted according to the requirements.
[0024] Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fastener stop structure 100 includes a first stop portion 110 and a second stop portion 120. The first stopper portion 110 is installed at an end portion (for example, the upper end portion) in the length direction L of one of the pair of element columns 54 (for example, the element column 54 on the right side of FIG. 2). The second stop portion 120 is installed at an end portion (for example, the upper end portion) in the length direction L of the other of the pair of element columns 54 (for example, the element column 54 on the left side of FIG. 2), and is disposed adjacent to the first stop portion 110. That is, the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are disposed in pairs at the end portions of the pair of element columns 54. In this way, when the slider 60 slides on the pair of element columns 54 along the length direction L, the pair of element columns 54 pass through the pair of element channels 64, and the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 of the fastener stop structure 100 are able to enter the pair of element channels 64. The slider 60 is able to slide along the fastener chain 50 toward the fastener stop structure 100 until it is blocked by the fastener stop structure 100, so that the fastener stop structure 100 may serve as a sliding end point of the slider 60 on the fastener chain 50.
[0025] As an example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the fastener stop structure 100 is installed at the upper end portions of the pair of element columns 54 as the top stop member, when the slider 60 slides along the fastener chain 50 in a direction away from the fastener stop structure 100 (for example, the lower side of FIG. 2), the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 passes between the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 to separate the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 (as shown in a state of FIG. 3), and then passes between the pair of element columns 54 to separate the pair of element columns 54 (that is, the element columns 54 are opened). Correspondingly, when the slider 60 slides along the fastener chain 50 toward a direction approaching the fastener stop structure 100 (for example, the upper side of FIG. 2), a pair of flange portions 66 disposed on an outer side of the element channel 64 of the slider 60 guide the pair of element columns 54 passing through the element channel 64 to engage with each other (i.e., the element column 54 is closed), and then guide the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 entering the element channel 64 to approach and engage with each other (a state shown in FIG. 2). In addition, the slider 60 slides along the fastener chain 50 until it is blocked by the fastener stop structure 100. For example, inner walls of the pair of flange portions 66 of the slider 60 abut against outer walls of the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 entering the element channel 64 and may not slide further, so that the fastener stop structure 100 may serve as the sliding end point of the slider 60 on the fastener chain 50.
[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 each have front end edges E11 and E21 in a sliding direction (for example, the upper side of FIG. 2) in which the slider 60 engages the pair of element columns 54, and rear end edges E12 and E22 in a sliding direction (for example, the lower side of FIG. 2) in which the slider 60 separates the pair of element columns 54. Here, the sliding direction of the slider 60 corresponds to an extending direction of the fastener chain 50, that is, the length direction L, and in this embodiment, also corresponds to an up and down direction in the drawing. In FIG. 2, the fastener stop structure 100 installed at an upper end of the pair of element columns 54 as the top stop member is taken as an example for description. Thus, the front end edges E11 and E21 of the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are equivalent to upper end edges and correspond to the sliding direction in which the slider 60 engages the pair of element columns 54 (i.e., sliding upward to close the element column 54), and the rear end edges E12 and E22 of the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are equivalent to lower end edges and correspond to the sliding direction in which the slider 60 separates the pair of element columns 54 (i.e., sliding downward to open the element column 54). However, when the fastener stop structure 100 is installed at a lower end portion of the pair of element columns 54 as the bottom stop member (not shown), the front end edges E11 and E21 of the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are equivalent to the lower end edges and correspond to the sliding direction in which the slider 60 engages the pair of element columns 54 (i.e., sliding downward to close the element column 54), and the rear end edges E12 and E22 of the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are equivalent to the upper end edges and correspond to the sliding direction in which the slider 60 separates the pair of element columns 54 (i.e., sliding upward to open the element column 54). In addition, a left and right direction of the fastener stop structure 100 and the fastener chain 50 in the drawing corresponds to a width direction W. The pair of fastener tapes 52 and the pair of element columns 54 of the fastener chain 50 and the pair of element channels 64 and the pair of flange portions 66 of the slider 60 are, for example, bilaterally symmetrical with respect to a centerline C of the fastener chain 50 and the slider 60, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.
[0027] In this fastener stop structure 100, in order to know whether the fastener stop structure 100 has completely entered the element channel 64 of the slider 60 during the operation of the slider 60, the fastener stop structure 100 is disposed as follows. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, an inner lateral surface S of the first stop portion 110 facing the second stop portion 120 is provided with a protruding portion 112. A size W1 of a portion of the first stop portion 110 where the protruding portion 112 is disposed in the width direction W (shown in FIG. 4) is greater than a size W2 of the element channel 64 of the slider 60 used in the fastener chain 50 in the width direction W (shown in FIG. 5), and the protruding portion 112 is disposed at a distance D1 from the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 in the length direction L (shown in FIG. 4). That is, the protruding portion 112 is spaced apart from the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 at a distance in the length direction L.
[0028] Through the above configuration, when the slider 60 slides on the pair of element columns 54 along the length direction L, the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 of the fastener stop structure 100 are able to enter the pair of element channels 64. The guiding post 62 of the slider 60 is able to generate an obvious snapping feeling when passing through the protruding portion 112 disposed at the larger portion of the first stop portion 110, and the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 is able to abut against the protruding portion 112 after passing through the protruding portion 112, thereby preventing the slider 60 from generating unexpected displacement. For example, when the fastener stop structure 100 is installed at the upper end portions of the pair of element columns 54 as the top stop member, after the slider 60 slides in a direction approaching the fastener stop structure 100 (i.e., the upper side) until the guiding post 62 passes through the protruding portion 112 of the first stop portion 110, the guiding post 62 is able to abut against a lateral surface of the protruding portion 112 and will not slide in the direction away from the fastener stop structure 100 (i.e., the lower side) due to unexpected movements such as shaking. Accordingly, the fastener stop structure 100 and the fastener 20 is able to sense a relative position during the operation of the slider 60 to avoid unexpected displacement of the slider 60, thereby having good operability.
[0029] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the inner lateral surface S of the first stop portion 110 facing the second stop portion 120 is provided with a concave portion 114. The concave portion 114 is located between the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 and the protruding portion 112, and a shape of the concave portion 114 corresponds to a shape of the guiding post 62 disposed on the slider 60 used in the fastener chain 50 (as shown in FIG. 2). The concave portion 114 has a first lateral surface 114a close to the front end edge E11 and a second lateral surface 114b close to the protruding portion 112, and an obtuse angle is formed between the first lateral surface 114a and the second lateral surface 114b (as shown in FIG. 4).
[0030] In addition, the second lateral surface 114b of the concave portion 114 is inclined toward the rear end edge E12 of the first stop portion 110 relative to a level baseline P extending in the width direction W (as shown in FIG. 4), that is, inclined toward a rear side of the length direction L (the lower side in this embodiment). In this way, the first lateral surface 114a and the second lateral surface 114b of the concave portion 114 form the obtuse angle and at least correspond to a portion of an end portion of the guiding post 62 of the slider 60. Preferably, the protruding portion 112 protrudes further toward the second stop portion 120 than the centerline C of the pair of element columns 54. In this way, the protruding portion 112 is able to support the guiding post 62 at a center position of the slider 60 (equivalent to the centerline C of the pair of element columns 54), thereby preventing the slider 60 from sliding in the direction away from the fastener stop structure 100 (the lower side in this embodiment) due to unexpected movements such as shaking. However, the disclosure does not limit the shape of the concave portion 114 and whether it is disposed or not. As long as the inner lateral surface S of the first stop portion 110 is provided with the protruding portion 112, a shape of a portion between the protruding portion 112 and the front end edge E11 may be adjusted according to the requirements.
[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, an end portion of the protruding portion 112 closest to the second stop portion 120 in the width direction W (i.e., the portion of the first stop portion 110 with the largest size in the width direction W) is a rounded chamfer. Specifically, when the slider 60 slides along the fastener chain 50 in the direction approaching the fastener stop structure 100, the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 passes through the pair of element columns 54 and then passes between the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120. During this process, the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 moves from the rear end edge E12 to the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110, thereby passing through the protruding portion 112 disposed on the inner lateral surface S of the first stop portion 110 (as shown in FIG. 3). In this way, the end portion of the protruding portion 112 closest to the second stop portion 120 in the width direction W (i.e., the portion of the first stop portion 110 with the largest size in the width direction W) is set to be the rounded chamfer, which helps to enable the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 to pass through the protruding portion 112 more smoothly by applying force, and generate the obvious snapping feeling when the guiding post 62 passes through the protruding portion 112. However, the disclosure does not limit a shape of the end portion of the protruding portion 112, which may be adjusted according to the requirements.
[0032] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the size W1 of the portion of the first stop portion 110 where the protruding portion 112 is disposed in the width direction W is greater than the size W2 of the element channel 64 of the slider 60 used in the fastener chain 50 in the width direction W (i.e., a ratio of the size W1 of the first stop portion 110 to the size W2 of the element channel 64 is greater than 100%), so that the slider 60 is required to apply appropriate force to enable the guiding post 62 to pass through the protruding portion 112 and generate the obvious snapping feeling. As an example, when the ratio of the size W1 of the first stop portion 110 to the size W2 of the element channel 64 is 104%, the force required for the guiding post 62 to pass through the protruding portion 112 is approximately 15 to 18 Newtons (N). If the ratio is less than 103%, the required force is too light, and there is no obvious snapping feeling. In contrast, when the ratio of the size W1 of the first stop portion 110 to the size W2 of the element channel 64 is 108%, the force required for the guiding post 62 to pass through the protruding portion 112 is approximately 25 to 30 Newtons. If the ratio is greater than 109%, the required force is too much, and it is difficult to enable the guiding post 62 pass through the protruding portion 112 by the simple operation. Therefore, based on the convenience of operation and the viewpoint of generating the obvious snapping feeling, it is preferred that the ratio of the size W1 of the first stop portion 110 to the size W2 of the element channel 64 is between 104% and 108%, so as to operate the slider 60 within a force range of 15 to 30 Newtons. However, the disclosure does not limit the ratio of the size W1 of the portion of the first stop portion 110 where the protruding portion 112 is disposed to the size W2 of the element channel 64, which may be adjusted according to the requirements.
[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the protruding portion 112 is closer to the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 in the length direction L than to a middle portion of the first stop portion 110. That is, the distance D1 between the protruding portion 112 and the front end edge E11 in the length direction L is less than a distance D2 between the protruding portion 112 and the rear end edge E12 in the length direction L, so that the protruding portion 112 is closer to the front end edge E11 in the length direction L than to the rear end edge E12 of the first stop portion 110. As an example, the distance D1 between the protruding portion 112 and the front end edge E11 in the length direction L is between 1/10 and of a size (i.e., a sum of the distance D1 and the distance D2) of the first stop portion 110 in the length direction L. In this way, the protruding portion 112 may not only be used to generate the obvious snapping feeling when the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 passes through, but may also be used to abut against the end portion of the guiding post 62 after the guiding post 62 passes through (to avoid unexpected displacement). From the viewpoint of generating the obvious snapping feeling, the protruding portion 112 may also be disposed to be closer to the rear end edge E12 of the first stop portion 110 than to the middle portion of the first stop portion 110 in the length direction L (i.e., the distance D1 between the protruding portion 112 and the front end edge E11 is between and 1 of the size of the first stop portion 110). In this example, a purpose of disposing the protruding portion 112 to be closer to the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 is to enable the protruding portion 112 to easily abut against the end portion of the guiding post 62 after the guiding post 62 passes through. However, the disclosure does not limit a specific position of the protruding portion 112 of the first stop portion 110 on the inner lateral surface S, which may be adjusted according to the requirements.
[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 and the front end edge E21 of the second stop portion 120 are each configured in a linear shape extending in the width direction W, and are aligned in the width direction W. In this way, when the slider 60 slides along the fastener chain 50 in the direction away from the fastener stop structure 100 (the lower side in this embodiment), even if the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are exposed outside the slider 60, the fastener stop structure 100 as a whole may still have an aesthetic effect. In addition, when the slider 60 slides along the fastener chain 50 in the direction approaching the fastener stop structure 100 (the upper side in this embodiment), after the guiding post 62 of the slider 60 passes through the protruding portion 112, the first stop portion 110 and the second stop portion 120 are engaged with each other through the guidance of the pair of flange portions 66 of the slider 60, and the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 and the front end edge E21 of the second stop portion 120 are aligned with each other, which may reduce a gap between the fastener stop structure 100 and the slider 60 and avoid intrusion of foreign objects. However, the disclosure does not limit shapes and relative positions of the front end edge E11 of the first stop portion 110 and the front end edge E21 of the second stop portion 120, which may be adjusted according to the requirements.
[0035] Based on the above, in the fastener stop structure and the fastener in the disclosure, the protruding portion is disposed on the inner lateral surface of the first stop portion facing the second stop portion, and the size of the portion of the first stop portion where the protruding portion is disposed in the width direction is greater than the size of the element channel of the slider used in the fastener chain in the width direction. In addition, the protruding portion is disposed at the distance from the front end edge of the first stop portion in the length direction. Preferably, the inner lateral surface of the first stop portion facing the second stop portion is provided with the concave portion, and the concave portion is located between the front end edge of the first stop portion and the protruding portion, so as to abut against the end portion of the guiding post. In this way, when the slider slides on the pair of element columns along the length direction, the first stop portion and the second stop portion of the fastener stop structure are able to enter the pair of element channels. The guiding post of the slider is able to generate an obvious snapping feeling when passing through the protruding portion disposed at the larger portion of the first stop portion, and the guiding post of the slider is able to abut against the protruding portion after passing through the protruding portion, thereby preventing the slider from generating unexpected displacement. Accordingly, the fastener stop structure and the fastener in the disclosure is able to sense the relative position during the operation of the slider to avoid unexpected displacement of the slider, thereby having good operability.
[0036] Lastly, it is to be noted that: the embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the disclosure, and not to limit the disclosure; although the disclosure is described in detail with reference to the embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand: it is still possible to modify the technical solutions recorded in the embodiments, or to equivalently replace some or all of the technical features; the modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments.
