Zip Fastener and Slider

Abstract

A plastics zip for clothing has two mutually engagable male ( 203 ) and female ( 204 ) zip profiles of generally uniform cross section along the whole or part of their length and merged or demerged within a special slider ( 115 ). The slider has two guide slots ( 116, 117 ) which join to create a Y-shaped passageway within the body of the slider and side slits ( 118, 119 ) to allow the slider to move along the fixed tapes or flanges ( 108, 109 ) of the zip profiles. One of the guide slots contains an expansion element ( 226 ) which opens the jaws of the female profile allowing it pass over and capture the smaller male profile so that the zip is merged. Movement of the slider in the opposite direction allows the two profiles to be demerged and exit from the slider.

1 . A zip for use on garments, clothing, bags, safety wear and sports equipment, said zip comprising two mutually engagable zip tracks, each track attached to or integral with a tape, and a slider capable of moving along the zip tracks to merge or demerge the tracks, wherein a first of said zip tracks has a female profile defining a cavity with the slot extending along the length of the zip; and a second of said zip tracks has a male profile capable of fitting within and being retained by the female profile; and wherein the slider has guide means within the slider adapted to guide the male and female profiles towards one another for merging to allow the female profile to fit over and capture the male profile so that the two tracks are merged together into a closed state.  
   
   
       2 . A zip as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein guide means includes an expansion element adapted to open the slot of the female profile sufficiently to allow the female profile to fit over and capture the male profile so that the two tracks are merged together into a closed state.  
   
   
       3 . A zip as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the male profile is generally wedge shaped in cross section having an apex and a base, with a tape or flange attached to or forming part of the base thereof, and the female profile is of a complementary wedge shape in cross section having an apex and a base, with a slot along the base of the female wedge shape and a tape or flange attached to or forming part of the apex of the female wedge shape and wherein the guide means within the slider has an entrance end and an exit end and includes a male slot having an entrance aperture at the entrance end of the slider and adapted to allow passage of the male profile therethrough, and a female slot an entrance aperture at the entrance end of the slider and adapted to allow passage of the female profile therethrough, the male and female slots extending from the entrance end of the slider towards one another and towards a merged slot which terminates at an exit aperture in the exit end of the slider and wherein the male profile is adapted to penetrate and open the slot of the female member within the slider to allow the female profile to fit over and capture the male profile so that the two tracks are merged together into a closed state.  
   
   
       4 . A zip as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the male profile is of generally uniform cross section along the whole or a substantial part of its length.  
   
   
       5 . A zip as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the female profile is of generally uniform cross section along the whole or a substantial part of its length.  
   
   
       6 . A zip as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the guide means within the slider has an entrance end and an exit end and includes a male slot having an entrance aperture at the entrance end of the slider and adapted to allow passage of the male profile therethrough, and a female slot an entrance aperture at the entrance end of the slider and adapted to allow passage of the female profile therethrough, the male and female slots extending from the entrance end of the slider towards one another and towards a merged slot which terminates at an exit aperture in the exit end of the slider.  
   
   
       7 . A zip as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the slots within the slider are combined into a generally “Y” shape where the male and female slots combine to form the merged slot.  
   
   
       8 . A zip as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the male and female profiles have tapes extending from opposite edges thereof for connection to a garment or other substrate, and the slots within the slider have side slits to allow the slider to move along the tapes of the zip profiles.  
   
   
       9 . A zip as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the expansion element is located in the female slot and has a tapered portion facing towards the entrance end so that it can be located in the cavity of the female profile.  
   
   
       10 . A zip as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the expansion element in the female slot is of a tapered nature extending from its widest point at or near the merged slot, to a narrow end facing towards the entrance aperture of the female slot.  
   
   
       11 . A slider for a zip of the type claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the slider has guide means within the slider adapted to guide male and female zip profiles towards one another for merging, and an expansion element within said slider adapted to open the slot of the female zip profile sufficiently to allow the female zip profile to fit over and capture the male zip profile so that the two tracks are merged together into a closed state.