Slider for slide fastener and slide fastener including the same

1 . A slider for slide fastener, the slider comprising:

a slider body including: an upper wing, a lower wing, an interconnection pillar interconnecting the upper wing and the lower wing, a passage for fastener elements defined by the upper wing, the lower wing and the interconnection pillar, and an insertion hole extending toward the lower wing from an insertion entrance on a side of the upper wing so as to form a hollow in the interconnection pillar;

a pull tab mounted onto the slider body so as to be pivotable over the upper wing between a collapsed posture and an upright posture;

a spring member mounted onto the slider body so as to fit in a portion of the pull tab, the spring member including a front leg, a rear leg, and an intermediate portion extending between the front leg and the rear leg, the front leg inserted into the insertion hole via the insertion entrance, and the rear leg including a pawl tip projectable into the passage for the fastener elements via a pawl slot penetrating through the upper wing at a rearward position of the insertion entrance; and

a cover attached to the slider body so as to cover at least the spring member, wherein

the spring member is not mechanically fastened to the slider body and the cover, such that an entirety of the spring member is displaceable in a space between the slider body and the cover in accordance with a force applied from the pull tab when the pull tab is operated,

the front leg is shaped as a flat plate, and

the cover is configured to include a limiting portion, which is formed as a protrusion inside a cover groove of the cover, that limits, at a position over the insertion hole, upward displacement of the front leg of the spring member, thereby the spring member being supported as a cantilever based on corporation of the slider body and the limiting portion of the cover.

2 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion is coupled at least to both of a top plate and a front portion of the cover at a front end of the cover, the limiting portion ranging between an inner surface of the top plate of the cover and a lower end of an outer peripheral portion of the cover.

3 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion includes a slope that is upwardly slanted as extending rearward toward an inner surface of a top plate of the cover from a lower end of an outer peripheral portion of the cover.

4 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the cover is a metal part produced through die-cast molding so as to have the limiting portion, and

the spring member is a leaf spring, a portion of the slider body being retained between the front leg and the intermediate portion of the spring member.

5 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the slider body is shaped such that the insertion hole has a bottom in the slider body, the bottom of the insertion hole being positioned in or lower than a plane including a top surface of the lower wing, and the front leg of the spring member having a lower end positioned in a vicinity of the bottom of the insertion hole.

6 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the passage for the fastener elements has a width in an up-down direction which is defined by a first plane in which a bottom surface of the upper wing is included and a second plane in which a top surface of the lower wing is included, and

the insertion hole and the front leg cross the first plane.

7 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the slider body is shaped such that the insertion hole opens only at the insertion entrance.

8 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate portion having a pushing portion, a sloped portion and a flat portion which are arranged in series between the front leg and the rear leg, the spring member has a curved portion curved between the front leg and the flat portion of the intermediate portion, the limiting portion including a portion positioned directly over the curved portion of the spring member.

9 . The slider of claim 8 , wherein the curved portion of the spring member is brought into contact with a slope of the limiting portion while the pull tab shifts from the collapsed posture to the upright posture or when the pull tab takes the upright posture.

10 . The slider of claim 9 , wherein the slider body has a front wall surface and a rear wall surface by which a width of the insertion hole in a front-rear direction is defined, the rear wall surface including a downward slope that approaches the front wall surface as extending downward in a manner that the insertion entrance has a maximum of the width of the insertion hole in the front-rear direction, the slope of the limiting portion and the downward slope of the rear wall surface being opposed with a distance measured in an up-down direction which is reduced rearward due to the downward slope of the rear wall surface.

11 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion is adapted for press-fitting between the cover and the slider body.

12 . The slider of claim 11 , wherein the cover has a front portion, a rear portion, a left sidewall and a right sidewall, a left interspace formed between the limiting portion and the left sidewall, a right interspace formed between the limiting portion and the right sidewall,

wherein the rear portion has a protrusion at its lower end for positioning of the cover relative to the slider body, and

wherein the upper wing is provided with a left protrusion inserted and/or pressed into the left interspace and a right protrusion inserted and/or pressed into the right interspace.

13 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein when the pull tab is in the collapsed posture, said portion of the pull tab interposed between the intermediate portion of the spring member and the slider body is in a condition of being pushed onto the slider body by the intermediate portion of the spring member due to an elasticity of the spring member.

14 . The slider of claim 13 , wherein the spring member is brought into contact with the limiting portion only when the spring member is elastically displaced in accordance with the force applied from the pull tab when the pull tab is operated.

15 . A slide fastener including the slider of claim 1 , in which the front leg, the intermediate portion and the rear leg are serially coupled between first and second ends of the spring member, the spring member having a first curved portion between the rear leg and the intermediate portion and a second curved portion between the intermediate portion and the front leg.

16 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion is arranged locally at a front end of the cover and is coupled to a top plate and a front portion of the cover at the front end of the cover,

the cover groove of the cover is defined by the top plate and an outer peripheral portion of the cover, and

the limiting portion ranging across an entire depth of the cover groove at the front end of the cover.

17 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion is arranged locally at a front end of the cover and is coupled to a top plate and a front portion of the cover at the front end of the cover,

the cover groove of the cover is defined by the top plate and an outer peripheral portion of the cover, and

the outer peripheral portion of the cover is located over said hollow.

18 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the limiting portion has a lower end positioned directly over the insertion entrance without entering the insertion hole and the limiting portion includes a slope that is upwardly slanted as extending rearward.

19 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the cover has a left sidewall and a right sidewall, a left interspace formed between the limiting portion and the left sidewall, and a right interspace formed between the limiting portion and the right sidewall.

20 . The slider of claim 1 , wherein the spring member is brought into contact with the limiting portion only when the spring member is elastically displaced in accordance with the force applied from the pull tab when the pull tab is operated.