Slide fastener

Claim 1

IN A SLIDE FASTENER ASSEMBLY, A SLIDE MEMBER SLIDEABLE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FOR CLOSING AND OPENING A PAIR OF MUTUALLY ENGAGEABLE PLASTIC STRIPS COMPRISING A FIRST STRIP AND A SECOND STRIP WHEREIN SAID FIRST STRIP HAS A CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL WEB FORMED WITH A FIRST PAIR OF OPPOSITE OUTWARDLY TURNED LONGITUDINAL HOOKING FLANGES ALONG ITS OUTER EDGE AND HAS TWO SHORTER FLANKING LONGITUDINAL WEBS FORMED WITH A SECOND PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL HOOKING FLANGES THEREON, RESPECTIVELY, TURNED INWARDS TOWARD THE CENTRAL WEB AND WHEREIN SAID SECOND STRIP HAS A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED LONGITUDINAL WEBS SHAPED AND DIMENSIONED TO STRADDLE SAID CENTRAL WEB OF THE FIRST STRIP AND TO EXTEND BETWEEN THE CENTRAL WEB AND SAID TWO FLANKING WEBS, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE FIRST STRIP, SAID TWO LATERALLY SPACED LONGITUIDNAL WEBS OF THE SECOND STRIP BEING FORMED WITH A THIRD PAIR OF INWARDLY TURNED LONGITUDINAL HOOKING FLANGES, RESPECTIVELY, TO ENGAGE SAID FIRST PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE FIRST STRIP, SAID TWO LATERALLY SPACED LONGITUDINAL WEBS BEING FURTHER FORMED WITH A FOURTH PAIR OF OUTWARDLY TURNED LONGITUDINAL HOOKING FLANGES, RESPECTIVELY, TO ENGAGE SAID SECOND PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE FIRST STRIP, SAID SLIDE MEMBER HAVING IN COMBINATION: A FIRST LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE OPEN ON ONE OF THE LONGITUDINAL SIDES OF THE SLIDE MEMBER TO SLIDINGLY RECEIVE SAID FIRST STRIP; AND A SECOND LONGITUDINAL PASSAGE OPEN ON THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL SIDE OF THE SLIDE MEMBER TO SLIDINGLY RECEIVE THE SECOND STRIP, SAID TWO PASSAGES CONVERGING FROM ONE END OF THE SLIDE MEMBER TO FORM A SINGLE END PASSAGE AT THE OTHER END OF THE SLIDE MEMBER, SAID FIRST PASSAGE HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL WEDGE ELEMENTS INCREASING IN THICKNESS TOWARDS SAID END PASSAGE TO SPREAD SAID SECOND PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE FIRST STRIP, SAID WEDGE ELEMENTS BEING SPACED APART LATERALLY TO FORM A LONGITUDINAL GROOVE TO RECEIVE SAID CENTRAL WEB OF THE FIRST STRIP AND THE FIRST PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES THEREON, SAID SECOND PASSAGE HAVING A SINGLE LONGITUDINAL WEDGE ELEMENT INCREASING IN THICKNESS TOWARDS SAID END PASSAGE TO SPREAD SAID PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL WEBS OF THE SECOND STRIP, SAID LONGITUDINAL GROOVE OF THE FIRST PASSAGE CONVERGING INTO SAID SINGLE WEDGE ELEMENT OF THE SECOND PASSAGE TO DIRECT SAID FIRST PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE FIRST STRIP INTO POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID THIRD PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE SECOND STRIP, SAID END PASSAGE NARROWING IN DEPTH DIMENSION IN A FIRST PORTION THEREOF ADJACENT THE CONVERGING ENDS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGES IN THE REGION OF THE PATH OF LONGITUDINAL SLIDING MOVEMENT OF THE THIRD PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE SECOND STRIP TO URGE THE THIRD PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FIRST PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE FIRST STRIP IN RESPONSE TO THE CLOSING MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDE MEMBER, SAID END PASSAGE NARROWING IN DEPTH DIMENSION IN A SECOND PORTION FURTHER REMOVED FROM THE CONVERGING ENDS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND PASSAGES IN THE REGION OF THE PATH OF LONGITUDINAL SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID SECOND PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE FIRST STRIP TO URGE THE SECOND PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FOURTH PAIR OF HOOKING FLANGES OF THE SECOND STRIP IN RESPONSE TO THE CLOSING MOVEMENT OF THE SLIDE MEMBER.