BELT BUCKLE WITH EXCHANGABLE FACE PLATE

Abstract

A belt buckle includes a face plate having a front face and an opposing back face with a display opening extending therebetween. An attachment sheet has a front face and an opposing back face, at least a portion of the front face includes or has a connector disposed thereat. A mechanism is provided for securing the attachment sheet to the face plate so that the connector is aligned with the display opening. A display has a front face and an opposing back face. The display is removably secured to the connector so that the display at least partially covers the display opening.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to belt buckles and, more specifically, belt buckles having an exchangeable display.

2. The Relevant Technology

Although belt buckles have long served a functional purpose of retaining a belt, they are increasingly contributing more to the aesthetic appearance and fashion of the wearer. One common configuration of a belt buckle includes a plate having a front face and an opposing back face. An elongated belt strap is hingedly mounted to the back face at one end thereof while a tongue outwardly projects from the back face at an opposing end. The tongue is configured to catch within one of a plurality of punch holes formed along the belt strap so as to form the belt strap into a continuous loop.

The front face of the belt buckle typically has a design formed thereon so as to contribute to the aesthetic appearance of the belt buckle. Some belt buckles are formed so that they can be detached from the belt strap. As a result, two or more different belt buckles can be attached to a single belt strap. This permits a user to select a desired belt buckle to wear with a common belt strap and avoids the need for the user to purchase a belt strap with each belt buckle. Although the above system is functional, it still remains expensive for a user to replace an entire belt buckle when seeking to obtain a desired appearance.

Accordingly, what is needed in the art are belt buckles wherein the appearance can be changed without having to replace the entire belt buckle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed with reference to the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a belt incorporating an inventive belt buckle;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the belt buckle shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the body of the belt buckle shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the body of the belt buckle shown in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Depicted in FIG. 1 is a belt 10 incorporating features of the present invention. Belt 10 comprises an elongated belt strap 12 having a first end 14 and an opposing second end 16. Belt strap 12 can be made of leather, plastic, or any other desired material. A belt buckle 18 is attached to belt strap 12 at first end 14. A plurality of spaced apart punch holes 20 extend through belt strap 12 along second end 16.

As depicted in FIG. 2, belt buckle 18 comprises a body 24, a display 26 that removably attaches to body 24 and a retaining loop 28 that is pivotally mounted to body 24. In general, body 24 comprises a front face 30 and an opposing back face 32. Brackets 34 are mounted on back face 32 and are configured to pivotally secure retaining loop 28. As depicted in FIG. 4, a tongue 36 also outwardly projects from back face 32 and is configured to pass through and engage with a corresponding punch hole 20 (FIG. 1) on belt strap 12.

Centrally formed on front face 30 is a display area 38 on which a fastener 40 is disposed for removably connecting display 26. In one embodiment fastener 40 can comprise a hook and loop material such as is commonly sold under the trademark VELCRO®. In other embodiments, fastener 40 can comprise one half of a snap connection, loop connection, tongue and groove connection, magnet or the like. In the depicted embodiment, fastener 40 is shown as comprising one half of a hook and loop material.

Returning to FIG. 2, display 26 comprises a base 46 having a front face 48 and an opposing back face 50. Mounted on back face 50 is a fastener 52 which is the corresponding other half of fastener 40. Examples of fastener 52 are the same as previously discussed above with regard to fastener 40. In the depicted embodiment, fastener 52 comprises the other half of hook and loop material. Fastener 52 can be secured to base 46 by adhesive, welding, mechanical fastener, or the like. Although not required, in the depicted embodiment indicia 52 is disposed on front face 48. Indicia 52 can comprise lettering, a design, coloring, three dimensional features, combinations of the foregoing, and other features. Indicia 52 can be integrally molded on front face 48 or attached thereto such as by painting, printing, secured by an adhesive, such as in the form of a sticker, or otherwise secured to front face 46. Base 46 is typically in the form of a plate, such as a metal or plastic plate. Other materials can also be used. Base 46 can be flat, curved or have other desired contours.

In one embodiment, display 26 has a configuration complementary to display area 38. For example, display area 38 and display 36 can both be elliptical, circular, square, rectangular, polygonal, irregular or any other desired configuration. In other embodiments, display 26 can be larger than display area 38 and can be a different configuration than display area 38. Thus, display 26 may connect with fastener 40 but extend over a larger area of front face 30 of body 24. In the depicted embodiment, a single fastener is used to secure display 26 to display area 38. In other embodiments, a plurality of spaced apart fasteners can be mounted on front face 48 that couple with corresponding fasteners on display 26.

As depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4, in one embodiment body 24 of belt buckle 18 comprises a face plate 58, a back plate 60, and an attachment sheet 62 that is secured therebetween. Face plate 58 has a front face 64 which in one embodiment can correspond to front face 30 (FIG. 2) and has an opposing back face 66. A display opening 68 extends through face plate 58 from front face 64 to back face 66. A recess 70 is formed on back face 66 and encircles display opening 68. If desired, a plurality of spaced apart mounting openings 72 can also extend through face plate 58 from front face 64 to back face 66.

Back plate 66 also comprises a front face 78 and an opposing back face 80. Mounted on back face 80 are brackets 34 and tongue 36. Back plate 60 is configured to be received within recess 70. A plurality of spaced apart mounting openings 82 can extend through back plate 60 so that mounting openings 82 are aligned with mounting openings 72 when back plate 60 is received within recess 70.

Attachment sheet 62 has a front face 86 and an opposing back face 88. Front face 86 is either comprised of or has mounted thereon fastener 40 as previously discussed. Again, the depicted embodiment shows one half of hook and loop material formed on front face 86. During assembly, attachment sheet 62 is received within recess 70 of face plate 58 following which back plate 60 is received within recess 70 so that attachment sheet 62 is sandwiched between face plate 58 and back plate 60. In this configuration, at least a portion of fastener 40 on attachment sheet 62 is disposed within or aligned with display area 68. By sandwiching attachment sheet 62 between face plate 58 and back plate 60, attachment sheet 62 is securely retained therebetween. If desired, an adhesive can be used to further secure attachment sheet 62 to front face 78 of back plate 60 and/or back face 66 of front plate 58 within recess 70.

In one embodiment of the present invention, means are provided for securing the attachment sheet 62 to face plate 58 so that fastener 40 is aligned with the display opening 68. By way of example and not by limitation, back plate 60 can be secured to face plate 58 by being press fit within recess 70 so as to secure attachment sheet 62. In conjunction with or separate from back plate 60 being press fit onto face plate 58, the plates can be held together by welding, adhesive, or fasteners. For example, a fastener 92 in the form of a screw or bolt can be passed through each mounting hole 72 and threaded into corresponding mounting hole 82 or, alternatively, can be passed through mounting hole 82 and threaded into corresponding mounting hole 72. In other embodiments, fastener 92 can comprise a rivet that is passed through holes 72 and 82 to securely clamp face plate 58 and back plate 60 together. One additional benefit to this embodiment is that fastener 92 can also be passed through a portion of attachment sheet 62 for further retaining attachment sheet 62 between plates 58 and 60. In any embodiment, it is generally desired that attachment sheet 62 be compressed between face plate 58 and back plate 60 so as to help maintain attachment sheet 62 secured. Securing attachment sheet 62 between face plate 58 and back plate 60 has the benefit of ensuring that attachment sheet 62 does not pull away from face plate 58 as different displays 26 are repeatedly attached and removed from attachment sheet 62.

In other embodiments of the means for securing, back plate 60 can be eliminated and attachment sheet 62 can be secured to back face 66 of face plate 58 by adhesive, welding, fasteners or the like.

The present invention thus enables a plurality of displays 26, each having a different indicia 52, to be selectively and securely attached to body 24 of belt buckle 18. Because replacing displays 26 is less expensive than replacing an entire belt buckle, the present invention provides an easy an inexpensive way for a person to change the aesthetic appears of the belt buckle.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

1. A belt buckle comprising: a face plate having a front face and an opposing back face with a display opening extending therebetween;an attachment sheet having a front face and an opposing back face, at least a portion of the front face being comprised of or having a connector disposed thereat;means for securing the attachment sheet to the face plate so that the connector is aligned with the display opening; anda display having a front face and an opposing back face, the display being removably secured to the connector so that the display at least partially covers the display opening.

2. The belt buckle as recited in claim 1, further comprising: the connector comprising a first hook and loop material; anda second hook and loop material being secured to the back face of the display, w the display being removably secured to the attachment sheet by the second hook and loop material engaging the first hook and loop material.

3. The belt buckle as recited in claim 1, wherein the means for securing comprises a back plate secured to the back face of the face plate so that at least a portion of the attachment sheet is captured between the face plate and the back plate.

4. The belt buckle as recited in claim 3, further comprising fasteners securing the back plate to the face plate.

5. The belt buckle as recited in claim 3, wherein the attachment sheet is secured to the back plate by an adhesive.

6. The belt buckle as recited in claim 1, further comprising indicia disposed on the front face of the display.

7. The belt buckle as recited in claim 3, further comprising a tongue outwardly projecting from and a retaining loop pivotably mounted to the back face of the face plate or the back plate.

8. A belt comprising: the belt buckle as recited in claim 7; andan elongated belt strap coupled to the retaining loop.

9. A belt buckle comprising: a face plate having a front face and an opposing back face with a display opening extending therebetween;an attachment sheet having a front face and an opposing back face, at least a portion of the front face being comprised a first hook and loop material or having a first hook and loop material attached thereto;a back plate secured to the back face of the face plate so that at least a portion of the attachment sheet is captured between the face plate and the back plate and the first hook and loop material is aligned with or disposed in the display opening; anda display having a front face and an opposing back face, a second hook and loop material being secured to the back face of the display, the second hook and loop material removably engaging the first hook and loop material so that the display at least partially covers the display opening.

10. The belt buckle as recited in claim 9, further comprising fasteners securing the back plate to the face plate.

11. The belt buckle as recited in claim 9, wherein the attachment sheet is secured to the back plate by an adhesive.

12. The belt buckle as recited in claim 9, further comprising indicia disposed on the front face of the display.

13. The belt buckle as recited in claim 9, further comprising a tongue outwardly projecting from and a retaining loop pivotably mounted to the back face of the face plate or the back plate.

14. A belt comprising: the belt buckle as recited in claim 9; andan elongated belt strap coupled to the retaining loop.

15. The belt as recited in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of secondary displays, each secondary display having a front face and an opposing back face, a second hook and loop material being secured to the back face of the display so that each secondary display can be attached to the first hook and loop material.