Patent Application
20090094809
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to buckles for joining two straps and more particularly, to such a buckle, which has a smoothly arched operating member convenient for operation by the user to unlock the male buckle member from the female buckle member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various buckles have been disclosed for use in backpacks, travel bags, shoulder bags and many other devices to join straps or cord members. These buckles are commonly comprised of a male buckle member and a female buckle member. A different design of buckle provides a different engagement structure between the male buckle member and the female buckle member, and a different operation process to unlock the engagement structure. Different designs of buckles also provide different effects.
When in use, two cord members C are respectively fastened to the mounting portion A3 of the female buckle member A and the mounting portion B11 of the male buckle member B. By means of fastening the male buckle member B to the female buckle member A, the two cord members C are joined together. When the retainer spring B21 is inserted with the plug portion B2 into the receiving hole A1 of the female buckle member A, the retainer spring B21 is stopped against the inside wall of the receiving hole A1, thereby securing the plug portion B2 positively to the receiving hole A1, and therefore the female buckle member A and the male buckle member B are locked. When wishing to release the male buckle member B from the female buckle member A, operate the finger strip A22 to turn the press portion A21 downwards against the retainer spring B21, forcing the retainer spring B21 away from the engagement position. At this time, the user can pull the male buckle member B from the female buckle member A directly.
The aforesaid prior art buckle design is still not satisfactory in function because of the following drawbacks:
1. After installation of the cord members C in the mounting portion A3 of the female buckle member A and the mounting portion B11 of the male buckle member B, the free ends of the cord members C are respectively exposed to the outside of the female buckle member A and the male buckle member B, thus, the female buckle member A and the male buckle member B do not have much space for the operation of the user's fingers, resulting in inconvenience in fastening the male buckle member B to the female buckle member A.
2. The finger strip A22 of the pivoted operating lever A2 is stopped at the top side of the female buckle member A, and the part of the finger strip A22 that protrudes over the rear side of the female buckle member A is short. It is inconvenient to grip the finger strip A22 with the fingers.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a buckle that eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a buckle, which is convenient to lock and to unlock. It is another object of the present invention to provide a buckle, which keeps the fastening member and the cord member from sight, causing a sense of beauty.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the buckle comprises a female buckle member, which has a top-open receiving chamber, a front receiving portion, and a locating groove for the mounting of a fastening member to fasten the female buckle member to a product, a male buckle member, which has a base fitting a front side of the female buckle member, a rear mounting hole in the rear bottom side of the base for the mounting of a cord member, and a plug extending from the front side of the base and insertable through the front receiving portion into the top-open receiving chamber to lock the male buckle member to the female buckle member, and an operating member, which has a middle part pivoted to the female buckle member, a front press portion, and a rear finger strip covered over the locating groove of the female buckle member for lifting by the user to turn the front press portion downwards and to further force the plug of the male buckle member away from the front receiving portion of the female buckle member. After installation of the fastening member in the locating groove of the female buckle member to affix the female buckle member to the product, the operating member is pivoted to the female buckle member to keep the fastening member from sight. After fastening of the male buckle member to the cord member, the base of the male buckle member keeps the cord member from sight.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the operating member comprises two vertical bottom walls and two stop flanges respectively stopped at the top side of the female buckle member to keep the rear finger strip above the top side of the female buckle member at a distance for the grasping of the fingers conveniently.
Referring to
The female buckle member 1 comprises a top-open receiving chamber 11, a bottom opening 111 in the bottom side of the top-open receiving chamber 11, two pivot holes 112 disposed at two opposite lateral sides in communication with the top-open receiving chamber 11, a front receiving portion 12 at the front side of the top-open receiving chamber 11, a locating groove 13 at the rear side of the top-open receiving chamber 11, and a bottom mounting through hole 131 in the bottom side of the locating groove 13. The front receiving portion 12 comprises a receiving hole 121 disposed at the front side of the female buckle member 1 in communication between the top-open receiving chamber 11 and the outside space, and a guide groove 122 in the top side of the receiving hole 121.
The male buckle member 2 comprises a base 21 fitting the front side of the front receiving portion 12, a rear mounting hole 211 in the rear bottom side of the base 21, a plug 22 forwardly extending from the front side of the base 21, an opening 221 formed in the plug 22, a retaining spring plate 222 extending from the front side of the plug 22 and suspending in the top side of the opening 221. The retaining spring plate 222 has a beveled front face 223 sloping obliquely downwardly to the front side of the plug 22, and a stop face 224 at the rear side of the beveled front face 223 above the rear end.
The operating member 3 is smoothly arched, comprising two partially chamfered pivot rods 31 respectively extending from its two opposite lateral sides, a front press portion 32, a rear finger strip 33, two vertical bottom walls 34 symmetrically disposed at its two opposite lateral sides, and two stop flanges 35 respectively protruding from the vertical bottom walls 34 toward the pivot rods 31.
During installation, a fastening member, for example, rivet 4 is mounted in the bottom mounting through hole 131 of the female buckle member 1 and fastened to a product 6 to affix the female buckle member 1 to the product 6, and then the two pivot rods 31 of the operating member 3 are respectively forced into the pivot holes 112 to pivotally secure the operating member 3 to the female buckle member 1. At this time, the front press portion 32 of the operating member 3 is stopped at the top side of the front receiving portion 12 of the female buckle member 1, and the two vertical bottom walls 34 and the two stop flanges 35 of the operating member 3 are stopped at the top side of the two opposite upright sidewalls of the top-open receiving chamber 11 of the female buckle member 1, and therefore the rear finger strip 33 is kept spaced above the top side of the female buckle member 1 at a distance for the grasping of the fingers conveniently. Further, a cord member 5 is fastened to the rear mounting hole 211 of the base 21 of the male buckle member 2.
Referring to
When wishing to release the male buckle member 2 from the female buckle member 1, lift the rear finger strip 33 of the operating member 3 to turn the front press portion 32 downwards toward the inside of the top-open receiving chamber 11 and to further force the stop face 224 of the retaining spring plate 222 downwardly away from the constraint of the back side of the front receiving portion 12 into the receiving hole 121, and therefore the male buckle member 2 is released from the female buckle member 1.
Referring to
In the aforesaid application example, the female buckle member 1 is fastened to the product 6, and the male buckle member 2 is fastened to a cord member 5. In other application examples of the present invention, the female buckle member 1 and the male buckle member 2 can be respectively fastened to two cord members 5 for joining the cord members 5.
Further, because the two vertical bottom walls 34 and the two stop flanges 35 of the operating member 3 are stopped at the top side of the two opposite upright sidewalls of the top-open receiving chamber 11 of the female buckle member 1, the rear finger strip 33 is kept spaced above the top side of the female buckle member 1 at a distance for the grasping of the fingers conveniently. Further, because of the design of the locating groove 13 and the bottom mounting through hole 131 for the mounting of the fastening member (rivet) 4 to fasten the female buckle member 1 to the product 6, the dimension of the female buckle member 1 can be minimized. Further, the locating groove 13 and the rear side of the female buckle member 1 may be configured to provide a relatively greater space between the top wall of the rear side of the female buckle member 1 and the rear finger strip 33 of the operating member 3 for the insertion of the finger or an object to operate the operating member 3 and to further release the male buckle member 2 from the female buckle member 1.
In the aforesaid preferred embodiment, the operating member 3 has two pivot rods 31 respectively pivotally coupled to the respective pivot holes 112 of the female buckle member 1. Alternatively, the operating member 3 can be made having a transversely extending pivot hole for the mounting of a pivot shaft to pivotally secure the operating member 3 to the female buckle member 1.
Referring to
As indicated above, the invention provides a buckle that has the following advantages and features:
1. After installation of the rivet 4 in the locating groove 13 and the bottom mounting through hole 131 of the female buckle member 1 to affix the female buckle member 1 to the product 6, the operating member 3 is pivoted to the female buckle member 1 to keep the rivet 4 from sight. After fastening of the male buckle member 2 to the cord member 5, the base 21 keeps the cord member 5 from sight.
2. Because the two vertical bottom walls 34 and the two stop flanges 35 of the operating member 3 are stopped at the top side of the two opposite upright sidewalls of the top-open receiving chamber 11 of the female buckle member 1, the rear finger strip 33 is kept spaced above the top side of the female buckle member 1 at a distance for the grasping of the fingers conveniently. Therefore, the user can operate the operating member 3 and further release the male buckle member 2 from the female buckle member 1.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
