US3028647A - Zipper lock - Google Patents

Description

April 10, 1962 B- B. GREENBERG 3,028,647

ZIPPER LOCK Filed March 31, 1959 INVENTOR. BURLEIGH B. GREENBERG ATTORN EYS 7 3,028,647 Patented Apr. 10, 1962 ice 3,028,647 ZIPPER LOCK Burleigh B. Greenberg, Providence, R.I., assignor to Brier Manufacturing Company, Providence, 11.1., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Mar. 31, 1959, Ser. No. 803,260 3 Claims. (Cl. 24-20514) The present invention relates to a lock for zippers or slide fasteners such as are used in garments and similar articles to secure together the edges of parts thereof and particularly in connection with zippers and locks therefor which are made with plastic instead of metal. Plastic zippers are now used in place of buttons and buttonholes, hooks, and eyes and the like and may be ornamented by the insertion of brilliant stones or otherwise. My invention provides a simple and effective device for locking the slider against accidental or unexpected movement either up or down, i.e., lengthwise along the rows of zipper members. At the present time, and as now constructed, the sliders of plastic zippers can usually be moved when not intended and therefore may release the rows of zipper members unintentionally and unexpectedly. Also it has been found that when the two sides of the garment opening above the slider are pulled strongly sidewise, the zipper slides down releasing more zipper members and allowing the garment to open.

One object of this invention is to provide a simple lock which may be made of plastic and forms part of the slider and is so constructed that any tendency of the sides of the opening above the slide to be pulled apart or of the slider to move downwardly relative to the zipper members locks the slider more firmly against such movement.

Another object is to provide such a lock which can be released only by lifting the finger piece of the lock.

Another object is to provide a lock for plastic zippers which is economical to manufacture and easy to operate.

Other objects relate to the construction and operation and will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings which exemplify one embodiment of my invention chosen for the purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a lock for and a plastic zipper with the lock handle in unlocked position;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken on the lines 22 of FIGURE 1 but with the lock shown in locking position;

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective of the slider and lock in disassembled condition; and

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the lines 4-4 of FIGURE 2 looking in the direction of the arrows but with the lock handle in unlocked position.

In the drawings, at and 11 are two fabric strips to be united by a suitable zipper and suitable to be sewn on the edge of a garment. Each strip is provided along one edge with two parallel cords 12 and 13. The cord 12 forms a convenient rib to which the interlocking zipper members may be secured and the groove 14 between the cords accommodates the flanges 21-22 of the slide 17 during movement thereof as will be described hereafter.

The interlocking zipper members 15 are formed of plastic and each is provided with a projecting ball 16 on the face toward the next zipper member 15, this ball being received within a cooperating socket or hole 40 in the adjacent zipper member. Together the ball 16 and socket 40 form an interlock (see FIG. 2) so that when the zipper is closed, the zipper members form a flexible chain.

For purposes of ornamentation I set brilliants 36 in the interlocking zipper members 15.

At 17, see particularly FIG. 3, is shown the slider which consists of top and bottom plates 18, 19 joined together by a dividing member 2i). The two plates 18 and 19 are each formed with flanges 21 and 22 along their side edges. Together the dividing member 20 and the flanges 21 and 22 form two passages through which the chain of interlocking zipper members 15 can be drawn and thereby pulied close together to interlock with each other or separated according to the direction of the m0vement of the slider 17.

On the top plate 18 of the slider 17 an enclosure is formed by raised walls 23, 24 and 25. This enclosure is open at the end opposite the end Wall 25 and surrounds a passage 32 which opens into the space between the two plates 18 and 19. Within the enclosure a locking lever 26 is mounted on a pin 29. This locking lever 26 is in the shape of a bell-crank, one arm of which 27 forms a locking projection while the other arm forms a finger piece 28. The finger piece 28 of the L-shaped locking member 26 is formed with a shank 39 of a width to nearly fill the space between the two side walls 23 and 24 of the enclosure. The finger piece 28 also has a wide portion 31 which is of a width equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the two Walls 23 and 24 so that shoulders 33 and 34 are formed and when the finger piece 23 is in locking position its side edges are flush with the side walls 23 and 24 of the enclosure. These shoulders may lightly engage the ends of the two side walls 23 and 24 when the finger piece is in the down or locked position.

To make the finger piece in keeping with the rest of the zipper, I insert matching brilliants 36 therein.

In locked position the locking projection 27 of the L-shaped locking member 26 extends down through the hole 32 in the slider 17 into a groove or space 38 between two adjacent interlocked zipper members 15, and its point is of a shape and size so that it can enter the space bteween such adjacent zipper members 15 as shown in FIG. 2. During the locking operation downward pressure on the finger piece 31 of the locking member 26 causes the locking projection 27 to move the slider 17 a small distance downwardly relative to the zipper elements (looking at FIG. 2) thereby to enable the projection 27 to enter an underlying space 38. When the projection 27 is in a space 38, any tendency of the slider to slide down the zipper and unlock it is prevented by the action of the upper face of the zipper unit (looking at FIG. 2) which is in engagement with the lower curved surface of the locking projection 27 (also looking at FIG. 2). This action tends to cause the L-shaped locking member 26 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 29 but rotation in thatdirection is prevented because the bottom surface of the finger piece 28 is in engagement with the upper surface of the upper plate 13 of the slider 17 and thus accidental unlocking is prevented.

To unlock the slider it is merely necessary to rotate the locking lever about the pin 29 in a clockwise direction (looking at FIG. 2) and this causes the projection 27 to leave the space 38 within which it was located.

While I have shown and described one desirable embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts and the substitution of equivalent elements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with interlocking zipper members in two rows and secured alternately on the opposing edges of the material to be secured, a plastic slider composed of top and bottom plates, side flanges and a separator forming a connection between the plates and dividing the enclosed space into two passageways for the passage of said rows of zippers, said top plate being provided with a raised enclosure having two side walls extending upwardly from the upper surface of said top plate and spaced inwardly from the side edges of said top plate with a passage between them extending into an opening through said top plate into said enclosed space, said opening being spaced from the front and rear end edges of said top plate, a plastic L-shaped locking member pivoted between said side walls at the apex of the arms of the L by a fixed pivot connection and comprising a bell crank lever, one of the arms of the L forming a finger piece and the other a locking projection comprising a beak extending from the pivot of said locking member, which beak when the locking member is rotated to locking position extends into a space between two interlocked zipper members, said finger piece having a narrow neck portion between said side walls and a wider rear end portion forming with said narrow neck portion at least one shoulder adjacent the rear end of at least one of said side walls, said raised enclosure comprising a third vertical end wall extending upwardly from the top surface of the top plate and spaced inwardly from the front and rear end edges of the top plate and the inner surface of which is substantially flush with the front end edge of said opening in said plate, the inner surfaces of said side walls being substantially flush with the side edges of said opening in said plate, said side walls extending beyond the other rear end edge of said opening but terminating short of the rear end edge of said top plate corresponding to the rear end edge of said opening, said wider end portion of said finger piece abutting the upper surface of said top plate between the ends of said side walls and said rear end edge of said plate when said locking member is in locking position.

2. In combination with interlocking zipper members in two rows and secured alternately on the opposing edges of the material to be secured, a plastic slider composed of top and bottom plates, side flanges and a separator forming a connection between the plates and dividing the enclosed space into two passageways for the passage of said rows of zippers, said top plate being provided with a raised enclosure having two side walls extending upwardly from the upper surface of said top plate and spaced inwardly from the side edges of said top plate with a passage between them extending into an opening through said top plate into said enclosed space, said opening being spaced from the front and rear end edges of said top plate, a plastic L-shaped locking member pivoted between said side walls at the apex of the arms of the L by a fixed pivot connection and comprising a bell crank lever, one of the arms of the L forming a finger piece and the other a locking projection comprising a beak extending from the pivot of said locking member, which beak when the locking member is rotated to locking position extends into a space between two interlocked zipper members, said finger piece having a narrow neck portion between said side walls and a wider rear end portion forming with said narrow neck portion at least one shoulder adjacent the rear end of at least one of said side walls, said shoulder engaging said end of said side wall when the locking member is in locking position.

3. In combination with interlocking zipper members in two rows and secured alternately on the opposing edges of the material to be secured, a plastic slider composed of top and bottom plates, side flanges and a separator forming a connection between the plates and dividing the enclosed space into two passageways for the passage of said rows of zippers, said top plate being provided with a raised enclosure having two side walls extending upwardly from the upper surface of said top plate and spaced inwardly from the side edges of said top plate with a passage between them extending into an opening through said top plate into said enclosed space, said opening being spaced from the front and rear end edges of said top plate, a plastc L-shaped locking member pivoted between said side walls at the apex of the arms of the L by a fixed pivot connection and comprising a bell crank lever, one of the arms of the L forming a finger piece and the other a locking projection comprising a beak extending from the pivot of said locking member, which beak when the locking member is rotated to locking position extends into a space between two interlocked zipper members, said finger piece having a narrow neck portion between said side walls and a wider rear end portion for ing with said narrow neck portion at least one shoulder adjacent the rear end of at least one of said side walls, the top of said finger piece being substantially flush with the upper edges of said side walls, the side edges of said wider end portion of said finger piece being substantially flush with the outer surfaces of said side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,735,521 Young Nov. 12, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 661,719 Great Britain Nov. 28, 1951 749,420 Great Britain May 23, 1956 769,468 Great Britain Mar. 6, 1957 168,707 Switzerland July 2, 1934 176,907 Switzerland May 15, 1935

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