Slider insertion apparatus and methods
AssigneeReynolds Presto Products Inc.
InventorsNicholas A. DeRue, Gregg Thompson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for operably mounting a slider onto a recloseable plastic zipper closure includes a rotor having at least one slider-engaging shoulder; an insertion wedge adjacent to the rotor and sized to slidably accommodate the slider for mounting onto a zipper closure; and a zipper guide member adjacent to the rotor and adjacent to the insertion wedge for guiding and holding a zipper closure while the slider is mounted thereon. The insertion wedge will have a leading edge and a trailing edge and increase in thickness from the leading edge to the trailing edge. The apparatus can be vertically oriented or horizontally oriented.
Claims24
An apparatus for operably mounting a slider onto a recloseable plastic zipper closure, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a rotor having an outer periphery and at least one slider-engaging shoulder extending from the outer periphery;
- the outer periphery having a slot therealong sized to accommodate a zipper closure therein;
- (b) an insertion wedge adjacent to a portion of the outer periphery of the rotor;
- the insertion wedge having a leading edge and trailing edge and increasing in thickness from the leading edge to the trailing edge;
- the insertion wedge sized to slidably accommodate a slider for mounting onto a zipper closure;
- (c) a zipper guide member adjacent to the outer periphery of the rotor and adjacent to the trailing edge of the insertion wedge constructed and arranged to guide and hold a zipper closure while a slider is mounted thereon;
- and
- (d) a guide finger, adjacent to the trailing edge of the insertion wedge, constructed and arranged to prevent a slider from lifting away from a zipper closure as the rotor rotates.
A method of operably mounting a slider onto a recloseable plastic zipper closure having interlocking tracks, the method comprising:
- (a) providing a recloseable plastic zipper closure with interlocking tracks, the tracks having top edges and bottom shoulders;
- (b) providing a slider having a top member and a pair of spaced legs depending from the top member;
- the legs having opposing hooks;
- the slider being constructed and arranged to release and interlock the interlocking tracks, when operably mounted on the zipper closure, as the slider is moved relative to the zipper closure;
- (c) automatically moving the slider from an initial position toward the zipper closure along a curved path by using a rotating rotor having an outer periphery and at least one slider-engaging shoulder extending from the outer periphery and adjacent to a pocket accommodating the slider to push the slider from the initial position toward the zipper closure;
- (d) while moving the slider, flexing apart the legs of the slider;
- (e) while the legs are flexed apart, mounting the slider onto the zipper closure so that the legs straddle the tracks and the top member is oriented on the top edges of the tracks;
- and
- (f) allowing the legs to return to a pre-flexed position so that the hooks on the legs engage the bottom shoulders of the tracks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.