Snap button zipper

Abstract

A snap button zipper includes two zipper tapes, a plurality of male and female snap buttons each including a clamping part and an engagement part for interlocking, and a zipper slider movable to force the male snap buttons into engagement with or away from the respective female snap buttons. The clamping part of each of the snap buttons includes two clamping panels, two sliding guide portions respectively defining a respective planar surface for coupling the zipper slider and guiding the zipper slider to move along the zipper tapes, and two mounting panels for fixation to opposing top and bottom walls of the respective zipper tape. The zipper slider includes two sliding guide grooves for receiving the male and female snap buttons, and a plurality of stop blocks respectively for contacting and moving along the planar surfaces of the sliding guide portions of the male and female snap buttons.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A snap button zipper, comprising: two zipper tapes each comprising a longitudinal side rib extending along one respective long side thereof; a row of male snap buttons arranged along the longitudinal side rib of one said zipper tape; 
       a row of female snap buttons arranged along the longitudinal side rib of the other said zipper tape; and a zipper slider slidable in one of two reverse directions to force said male snap buttons into engagement with respective said female snap buttons or to separate said male snap buttons from respective said female snap buttons, wherein: 
       each said male snap button comprises an engagement part and a clamping part clamped on the longitudinal side rib of the respective said zipper tape; 
       each said female snap button comprises an engagement part for interlocking with the engagement part of one respective said male snap button and a clamping part clamped on the longitudinal side rib of the respective said zipper tape; 
       the clamping part of each of said male snap buttons and said female snap buttons comprises two clamping panels for clamping on two opposite sides of the longitudinal side rib of the respective said zipper tape, two sliding guide portions respectively extending from said clamping panels and respectively defining a respective planar surface for coupling said zipper slider and guiding said zipper slider to move along said zipper tapes, and two mounting panels respectively extending from said sliding guide portions for fixation to opposing top and bottom walls of the respective said zipper tape; and 
       said zipper slider comprises two sliding guide grooves that are separated from each other at one end and merged into each other at an opposite end to form a Y-shape passage for receiving said male snap buttons and said female snap buttons, and a plurality of stop blocks respectively located at two opposing lateral sides thereof and respectively abutted against respective outer sides of said sliding guide grooves at different elevations and adapted for contacting and moving along said planar surfaces of said sliding guide portions. 
     
     
         2 . The snap button zipper as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said clamping panels of said male snap buttons and said female snap buttons are arched panels each having one end connected to the respective said sliding guide portion; each said sliding guide portion has one end thereof connected to one respective said arched panel and an opposite end thereof connected to one respective said mounting panel at right angles. 
     
     
         3 . The snap button zipper as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein each said mounting panel comprises a plurality of spikes located at an inner wall thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The snap button zipper as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein the engagement part and clamping part of each of said male snap buttons and said female snap buttons are made of a single piece of metal sheet by stamping; said engagement part has the shape of a curved plate with two opposite ends thereof respectively connected to the two clamping panels of the associated said clamping part. 
     
     
         5 . The snap button zipper as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein each said male snap button comprises a hook portion protruding from the engagement part thereof; each said female snap button comprises a hook hole located in the engagement part thereof and adapted for receiving the hook portion of the respective said male snap button; said zipper slider is movable in one of said two reverse directions to force said hook portions of said male snap buttons into or away from said hook holes of said female snap buttons. 
     
     
         6 . The snap button zipper as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein said engagement part and said clamping part of each of said male snap buttons and said female snap buttons constitute a configuration of two linked hollow triangles.