Separable slide fastener

#1. Field of the Invention:

#The present invention relates to a separable slide fastener having a separable bottom-end-stop assembly.

#2. Prior Art:

#Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments incorporating the principles of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example.

#FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a separable slide fastener embodying the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a separable bottom end stop of the slide fastener of FIG. 1;

#As shown in FIG. 1, a separable slide fastener 10 comprises a pair of fastener stringers each including a stringer tape 11, 12 carrying on and along its inner longitudinal margin 13 a row of continuous coupling elements 14 in the form of a coiled filament made of thermoplastic synthetic resin. Each of the coupling elements 14 has a coupling head 15 and a pair of spaced upper and lower legs 16, 17 (the lower leg is shown in FIG. 3) extending from the coupling head 15 in a common direction. A slider 60 (FIGS. 1 and 4) is mounted on the opposed coupling element rows 14, 14 for movement therealong to close and open the slide fastener 10.

#Each row of coupling elements 14 is secured to the tape 11, 12 by sewing stitches 18 of so-called "double locked stitch", with the lower leg 17 disposed against or in contact with the upper face of the inner tape-margin 13, and with the upper leg 16 disposed apart therefrom. A core thread or stuffer warp 19 is threaded through the coiled coupling element row 14 and extends along the entire length of the tape 11, 12.

#As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the inner tape-margin 13 has a close-and-coarse combined structure composed of a plurality of closely woven and coarsely woven sections 20, 21, 22, 23 extending longitudinally of the tape-margin 13 and disposed alternately thereacross. Specifically, the first and second closely woven section 20, 22 are spaced apart from one another with the first coarsely woven section 21 therebetween, and the first and second coarsely woven sections 21, 23 in turn are speced apart from one another with the second closely woven section 22 therebetween, the first coarsely woven section being spaced apart from the inner tape-edge 11a, 12a by the first closely woven section 20. Two threads 18a, 18b of the sewing stitches 18 extend over and around the upper leg 16 of each coupling element 14, then through the core thread 19 and then through the respective coarsely woven sections 21, 23. As a greater amount of tension is applied to the inner (right) thread 18a than on the outer (left) thread 18b during sewing, one sewing thread 18a lies at substantially a right angle to the tape 11, 12, and the other sewing thread 18b is inclined toward the inner tape-edge. Thus the two sewing threads 18a, 18b with the second closely woven section 22 provide generally a right triangle (FIG. 3). With this right triangular arrangement, the row of coupling elements 14 is attached to the tape 11, 12 stably without being easily displaced when lateral pulling force is exerted on the tape 11, 12.