Slide fastener with sealing function

Abstract

A slide fastener includes: a pair of fastener stringers, each of the pair of fastener stringers including a fastener tape and a fastener element row; and a slider for engagement and disengagement of opposing fastener elements, the slider including an upper blade, a lower blade and a guide column, the upper and lower blades and the guide column defining a boundary of a guide channel for the fastener elements. Each of the pair of fastener stringer includes a seal part being in sealing abutment when the slide fastener is in an engaged state. At least one of the fastener elements includes a protrusion that extends through an aperture of the seal part in an up-down direction to thereby keep the seal part distant from the boundary of the guide channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A slide fastener comprising:
 a pair of fastener stringers, each of the pair of fastener stringers comprising a fastener tape and a fastener element row attached to each of opposing side portions of the pair of fastener stringers; and   a slider provided slidably at the fastener element row for engagement and disengagement of opposing fastener elements, the slider comprising an upper blade, a lower blade and a guide column connecting the upper and lower blades in an up-down direction, the upper and lower blades and the guide column defining a boundary of a guide channel for the fastener elements,   wherein each of the pair of fastener stringer comprises a seal part adhered to a tape surface portion of the fastener tape and extending over an element surface portion of each of the fastener elements of each of the pair of fastener stringers, the seal part being in sealing abutment when the slide fastener is in an engaged state, and   wherein at least one of the fastener elements comprises a protrusion that extends through an aperture of the seal part in the up-down direction to thereby keep the seal part distant from the boundary of the guide channel.   
     
     
         2 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein each of the fastener elements comprises the protrusion that extends through the aperture of the seal part in the up-down direction to thereby keep the seal part distant from the boundary of the guide channel.   
     
     
         3 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the fastener tape comprises a base sheet which is coated with and/or impregnated by a plastic material which is impermeable to fluid.   
     
     
         4 . The slide fastener according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the fastener elements are made from a first resin, the seal part is made from a second resin, and   wherein the first resin is harder than the plastic material and the second resin.   
     
     
         5 . The slide fastener according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the second resin is harder than the plastic material.   
     
     
         6 . The slide fastener according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the first resin comprises a polyamide resin, the plastic material comprises a first polyurethane and the second resin comprises a second polyurethane.   
     
     
         7 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the at least one of the fastener elements comprises an upper end surface facing in an up direction and being distant from an upper tape surface of the fastener tape in the up direction, an opposite lower end surface facing in a down direction and being distant from a lower tape surface of the fastener tape in the down direction, and   wherein the protrusion protrudes from at least one of the upper and lower end surfaces.   
     
     
         8 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the at least one of the fastener elements comprises a side surface portion provided opposite to an edge portion of the fastener tape and configured to be in sliding engagement with the boundary of the guide channel to thereby guide the fastener elements towards each other for the engagement, and   wherein the seal part extends over the fastener elements without extending over the side surface portion.   
     
     
         9 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein each of the fastener elements comprises an upper portion provided on an upper tape surface of the fastener tape, a lower portion provided on a lower tape surface of the fastener tape, and a connecting portion connecting the upper and lower portions in the up-down direction and being provided outside the fastener tape at an edge portion thereof.   
     
     
         10 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein an edge portion of the fastener tape comprises a core thread.   
     
     
         11 . The slide fastener according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the upper portion comprises an upper base portion provided on the upper tape surface of the fastener tape, the lower portion comprises a lower base portion provided on the lower tape surface of the fastener tape, and at least one of the upper and lower portions comprises a coupling portion extending from at least one of the upper and lower base portions towards the opposite fastener tape and configured to engage with an opposite coupling portion of an opposite fastener element provided on the opposite fastener tape.   
     
     
         12 . The slide fastener according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in a plan view on at least one of upper and lower tape surfaces, a distance between the neighboring fastener elements increases from a tape inner portion towards an edge portion of the fastener tape.   
     
     
         13 . The slide fastener according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein the coupling portion is arranged in the up-down direction so as to include a center line of the fastener tape in the up-down direction.