Female snap part

• US 8,572,821 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2009
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: YKK Corporation
• Original Assignee: YKK Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandy, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): DO, ROWLAND
• Application Number:
  US12/919,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20110113600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 246/62, 246/64, 246/76, 241/08, 241/144, 244/88, 246/81
• US Class Current: 24/662
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 17/0023 Press-button fasteners in which the elastic retaining action is obtained by the own elasticity of the material constituting the fastener
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 17/0041 Press-button fasteners consisting of two parts A44B17/0029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 17/0052 Press-button fasteners consisting of four parts A44B17/0029 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 17/007 Stud-member
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 17/0088 made from sheet metal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/366 Resilient socket
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45257 Snap with cavity
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45524 including resiliently biased projection component or surface segment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45775 having resiliently biased interlocking component or segment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45848 having distinct sections engaging projection at spaced points
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45874 having axially extending expansion slit along side of cavity

Abstract

A metallic male snap part is capable of enhancing coupling strength with a female snap part by giving appropriate and sufficient elastic deformability to the projection of the male snap part which can be coupled to a depression of the female snap part. The projection includes a plurality of relatively highly deformable portions and a plurality of relatively low deformable portions, the highly and low deformable portions being arranged alternately in the circumference direction of the projection. The highly deformable portions are more deformable elastically in the radial direction of the projection than the low deformable portions.

Claims

1. A female snap part made of metal having a projection receiving, cylindrical depression to detachably engage with a cylindrical projection of a male snap part, and a cylindrical portion which defines the depression therein,

wherein the cylindrical portion includes a plurality of relatively highly deformable portions at predetermined angle intervals in a circumference direction of the cylindrical portion, and a plurality of remaining portions, each remaining portion being arranged between adjacent two of the highly deformable portions in the circumference direction, the highly deformable portions being more deformable elastically in the outwardly radial direction of the cylindrical portion than the remaining portions,

wherein the cylindrical portion includes longitudinal slits to partition the cylindrical portion into the highly deformable portions and the remaining portions,

wherein each of the highly deformable portions has a relatively large, inner bulge bulging more inward in the radial direction at an upper part of each of the highly deformable portions than an upper part of each of the remaining portions,

wherein the female snap part includes an outer circumference portion extending from an upper end of the cylindrical portion outward in a radial direction,

wherein the longitudinal slits extend to the outer circumference portion,

wherein the outer circumference portion includes lateral slits, each of the lateral slits connecting the ends of two longitudinal slits which define each highly deformable portion therebetween, and

wherein the female snap part includes a base portion as a bottom of the depression, the base portion having an opening for receiving a part of a button fixing member when the female snap part is fixed to a fabric.

2. The female snap part according to claim 1,

wherein each of the remaining portions has a relatively small, inner bulge bulging less inward in the radial direction at the upper part of each remaining portion than the large inner bulge of each highly deformable portion.