Abstract
“A slide (100) for a zip fastener has a hasp (115) and a pull tab (120). This assembly is being moulded into a single block. The pull tab (120) has an eyelet (121) for connecting to the hasp of the slider. The pull tab (120) has a locking eyelet (122) the opening plane of which is parallel to the opening plane of the connection eyelet (121). The pull tab (120) has a portion (125) for connection between the two eyelets (121, 122), called the pull tab body, the width of the cross-section of the pull tab body in a direction perpendicular to the opening planes of the eyelets is greater than or equal to the height of the cross-section in the plane parallel to the opening planes of said eyelets.”
Claims
1. A slider for a zip fastener comprising: a slide having a hasp; and a pull tab, wherein said slide and hasp, and said pull tab together form an assembly that is molded as a single piece, where the hasp is integrally formed with a table of the slide at two longitudinal ends thereof, for connecting with said table, the pull tab comprising a connection eyelet connected to the hasp of the slide, and wherein: a. the pull tab further comprises a locking eyelet with an opening plane that is parallel to an opening plane of the connection eyelet; b. the pull tab has a pull tab body, between the connection eyelet and the locking eyelet, a width of a cross-section of the pull tab body in a direction perpendicular to the opening planes of the eyelets is greater than or equal to a height of a cross-section in the plane parallel to the opening planes of said connection eyelet and the locking eyelet, wherein the hasp further comprises a hasp locking eyelet, and wherein a height of an open cross-section of the connection eyelet for connecting the pull tab to the hasp is greater than half a length of the hasp, including its hasp locking eyelet.
2. The slider as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking eyelet of the pull tab is radially offset relative to the eyelet for connecting the pull tab to the hasp of the slide.
3. A piece of luggage comprising a closable entry to a compartment, a fastener of which comprises a zip fastener, wherein said zip fastener two sliders as claimed in claim 1, acting in the reverse opening-closing direction on said zip fastener.
4. The piece of luggage as claimed in claim 3, for which the fastener of the entry to the compartment comprises two superposed zippers, one inside the compartment and the other outside said compartment, and wherein each slider comprises two rails each acting on one of the two zippers.
5. The piece of luggage as claimed in claim 3, wherein the relative height of the open surface of the connection eyelets for connecting the pull tabs to the hasps of the sliders, relative to said hasps, is able to allow the passage of a rigid shackle of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) complaint padlock.
6. The piece of luggage as claimed in claim 3, comprising two sliders, wherein the locking eyelet of the pull tab is radially offset relative to the eyelet for connecting the pull tab to the hasp of the slide, and having comprising a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) compliant lock, integrated with said two sliders, said lock forming a fixed anchor point, on a wall of said piece of luggage, that is able to lock the locking eyelets of the pull tabs of the sliders.
7. The piece of luggage as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bodies of the pull tabs of the sliders are longitudinally offset relative to the eyelets when the pull tabs are in a position such that the pull tab body is radially oriented relative to the slide of the slider.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The invention is described hereafter according to the preferred embodiments thereof, which are by no means limiting, and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, in which:
(2) FIG. 1 shows, as a front perspective view, an embodiment of a slider that is the subject matter of the invention, the pull tab being in a vertical position;
(3) FIG. 2 shows, as a front perspective view, an embodiment of a slide of the slider that is the subject matter of the invention, shown without its pull tab;
(4) FIG. 3 shows, as a top view, an example of a position of the pull tab relative to the slide of the slider that is the subject matter of the invention;
(5) FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the body of the pull tab of a slider according to one embodiment of the invention, which cross-section is defined in FIG. 3;
(6) FIG. 5 schematically shows an embodiment, as a top view, of a piece of luggage according to the invention;
(7) FIG. 6 shows, as a perspective view, the set of sliders of the piece of luggage of FIG. 5 in a locked position; and
(8) FIG. 7 shows a top view of two embodiments of the pull tabs of the sliders, intended for the piece of luggage that is the subject matter of the invention, in FIG. 7A with identical pull tabs for the two sliders and in FIG. 7B with pull tabs having a body that is longitudinally offset relative to the eyelet for connecting to the hasp.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(9) In FIG. 1, according to one embodiment, the slider (100) that is the subject matter of the invention is adapted to close and to open two superposed zippers, as disclosed in document EP 2421403. This type of zip fastener actually provides enhanced resistance against attempts to open it by introducing a pointed object into the zippers.
(10) Throughout the entire document the longitudinal direction, denoted x, corresponds to the direction of travel of the slider along the zippers so as to open or close them, the vertical direction, denoted z, is substantially normal to the closure plane of the zippers and to the table (110) of the slider, and the radial direction, denoted y, is perpendicular to these directions.
(11) The pull tab (120) is connected to the hasp (115) of the slider by means of a connection eyelet (121) produced at one of the ends of its body (125), which body (125) of the pull tab comprises, at the other end thereof, a locking eyelet. According to this embodiment, when the pull tab (120) is in a vertical position, which substantially corresponds to its configuration when moving the zip fastener, the locking eyelet (122) of said pull tab (120) is radially offset relative to the body (125) of the pull tab. According to this embodiment, the opening plane of the locking eyelet (122) of the pull tab (120) and the opening plane of the eyelet (121) for connecting to the hasp of said pull tab are parallel, and are substantially parallel to the radial plane (y, z) in this position of the pull tab (120).
(12) In FIG. 2, the hasp (115) of the slider that is the subject matter of the invention forms a shackle, the opening plane (210) of which is substantially normal to the plane of the table (110) of said slider. This shackle is integrally formed with the table of the slider at the two longitudinal ends thereof for connecting with said table. In order to obtain such a result, and particularly to allow the pull tab to be connected to the hasp, the slide (200) of the slider and the pull tab of said slider are molded in the same mold, as a single piece, without an intermediate demolding operation, using a movable mold. This molding technique is known in the prior art and is not explained any further. Thus, at no time during the manufacture or the use of the slide (200) can the slide be separated from the pull tab, as shown in FIG. 2 for the sake of clarity. According to the embodiments, the slide and the pull tab are produced from the same material or from materials that are different but that allow molding to be implemented in the same mold. Thus, the slide (200) and the pull tab are both produced from a plastic material, which may or may not be reinforced, optionally from two different plastic materials, the molding temperatures of which are compatible, or are both produced from a metal alloy or from two different metal alloys, the molding conditions of which are compatible. By way of a non-limiting example, the slide (200) is made up of a material that helps the zippers to slide in the opening and closing rails (211, 212), and the pull tab is made up of a material having improved breakage resistance. According to this embodiment, the hasp (115) comprises a locking eyelet (215), allowing said hasp to be connected to the hasp of another slider acting on the same zipper or to a fixed anchor point. The production of the slide, more specifically of the hasp (115) during the same molding operation as the pull tab, allows said hasp and said pull tab to be produced, more specifically the eyelet for connecting the pull tab to the hasp, with cross-sections not restricted by the need to be able to thread the connection eyelet of the pull tab onto the hasp. Thus, both the connection eyelet of the pull tab and the hasp of the slider are produced with cross-sections that are higher, and therefore more resistant, than in the embodiments of the prior art.
(13) In FIG. 3, according to an advantageous embodiment, the opening of the connection eyelet (121) of the pull tab (120) is sufficient to allow a relative rotation of said pull tab relative to the slide of 180° about the radial axis y. In particular, the opening of the eyelet (121) for connecting to the hasp is at least equal to a half-width of said hasp, including the locking eyelet of the hasp, in the longitudinal direction x. In this position of the pull tab (120), the opening plane of the eyelet (121) for connecting to the hasp and the opening plane of the locking eyelet (122) of the pull tab are substantially parallel to the plane (x, y) of the table of the slider. The embodiment of the slider allowing the cross-section of the connection eyelet to be increased thus allows a taller and wider eyelet to be produced without compromising the mechanical resistance thereof.
(14) In FIG. 4, along a cross-section of the body (125) of the pull tab in a plane perpendicular to the opening planes of the eyelets of the pull tab, the width (401) of the cross-section, in a direction perpendicular to the opening plane of the eyelets of the pull tab (z in the position of the pull tab as shown), is greater than the height (402) of said cross-section. This cross-section is resistant to buckling against a force (490) causing a bending torque in the plane (x, y), and is also resistant against a torsion torque about the axis x, with reference to this position of the pull tab.
(15) In FIG. 5, according to one embodiment of the piece of luggage (500) that is the subject matter of the invention, said piece of luggage comprises a shell (501) that is closed by a lid (502), with the connection between the two being made by a zip fastener (510). Advantageously, said zip fastener comprises two superposed zippers. Two sliders (100a, 100b) that are the subject matter of the invention act in the opposite direction on the zipper, or on the superposed zippers, of the zip fastener (510) of the piece of luggage (500) that is the subject matter of the invention. By way of an example, moving one (100a) of said sliders in the positive x direction causes the two edges of the zipper to come together and the zip fastener to close, whereas moving the other slider (100b) in the positive x direction causes the zip fastener to open by separating the two edges of the zipper. Said piece of luggage (500) comprises a locking anchor point (520), in the form of an integrated TSA lock that is fastened to one of the walls of the piece of luggage. Thus, in order to lock the zip fastener (510), the locking eyelets of the pull tabs of the sliders (100a, 100b) acting on said fastener (510) are inserted into housings of the anchor point (520) that are provided to this end. Locking is obtained by introducing a locking rod into the bore of said eyelets, for which rod the translation movement is controlled by a button (521) placed on the side of the anchor point (520). The radial offset of the locking eyelets of the pull tabs, as well as the shape of the cross-section of said pull tabs, limits the projecting thickness, relative to the wall of the piece of luggage, of the sliders (100a, 100b) in this locked position, so that the risks of said sliders catching with other objects, particularly when handling pieces of luggage during transshipment operations, are reduced.
(16) In FIG. 6, in the locked position of FIG. 5, the locking eyelets (122) of the pull tabs are fastened to the wall of the piece of luggage that is the subject matter of the invention using the integrated TSA lock. Due to the radial offset of said eyelets (122), the pull tab bodies are very close to the outer surface (600) of the piece of luggage and of the fixed anchor point. This proximity of the surface, combined with the round shape of the cross-section of the pull tab bodies, makes it difficult to insert an object under the pull tab body, as is the application, by means of this object, of a torsion torque along the axis of the pull tabs. The locking security is further improved by introducing a padlock into the eyelets (215) for locking the hasps of the sliders, or even by introducing the shackle (615) of a TSA type padlock into the connection eyelets (121) of the pull tabs. The diameter of the shackle of a TSA padlock is currently between 2 mm and 3 mm.
(17) In FIG. 7A, according to a first embodiment, the pull tabs are identical on the two sliders of the piece of luggage that is the subject matter of the invention, and the body (125a) of each pull tab is longitudinally centered on the eyelet for connecting to the hasp of said pull tab.
(18) In FIG. 7B, according to another embodiment, the pull tabs of the two sliders are different. Thus, the body (125b.sub.1, 125b.sub.r) of each pull tab is, in this locked position, longitudinally offset from the connection eyelet towards the other slider. This configuration facilitates the introduction of the locking eyelets of the pull tabs into the housings of the fixed anchor point and also reduces the longitudinal space between the pull tab bodies in the locked position, which makes it more difficult to insert an object between said pull tabs. In this locked position, the pull tabs are substantially parallel, which, combined with the reduced projection of the pull tabs relative to the wall of the piece of luggage, improves the visual appearance of the device.
(19) The above description and the embodiments show that the invention achieves the stated aim. Molding the pull tab and the slide of the slider as a single piece allows the hasp to be fully connected to the slider and allows the pull tab to be produced with a wide opening connection eyelet. The cross-sections of the pull tabs and of the hasp are no longer restricted by the need to thread the pull tab onto the hasp, which allows the resistance to be increased, but also allows a pull tab body to be produced that is thicker rather than wider, unlike the embodiments of the prior art, thus enhancing the resistance of the pull tab to torsion and to buckling. The various geometrical features of the slider and its embodiment combine to produce a zip fastener that is particularly resistant to malicious intrusion attempts, but is also easier to handle, is more aesthetic and is more secure than the embodiments of the prior art.
