Patent Application
20250113899
This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0133960 (filed on Oct. 10, 2023), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a buckle, and more particularly, to a buckle which includes a plug member and a socket member that are mounted on ends of a belt or a strap attached to various items such as clothing, bags, backpacks, helmets, and the like, wherein the members are coupled in a detachable manner, thereby allowing for easy manipulation and maintaining a robust and stable coupling state.
A buckle is a fastening device which secures two members together, and is integrally molded of a plastic material so as to allow for elastic coupling, so has been widely used due to lightweight and easy fastening.
A commonly used buckle includes a plug member and a socket member, wherein the socket member has a chamber, and the plug member has a pair of lock arm elastically coupled to the chamber so that the socket member and the plug member are coupled to each other.
However, such a conventional buckle requires considerable technical skill in manufacturing due to a complex configuration of the pair of lock arms, the chamber of the socket member for accommodating and coupling the lock arms, and a coupling structure inside the chamber.
Moreover, the conventional buckle has the structure that the plug member and the socket member are coupled together when a user grasps them with both hands and inserts the plug member into the socket member and are separated from each other when the user grasps them with both hands and presses the lock arms of the plug member. Accordingly, the conventional buckle can be connected only when the user accurately couples the plug member and the socket member with both hands.
In a case in which a user manipulates a belt or a strap mounted on a backpack used for activities such as hiking or trekking, there is a troublousness in that the user has to stop all other actions and put down other carried items since the user has to use both hands to connect the buckle. Accordingly, there has been a demand for a buckle that allows for more convenient operation.
Recently, a magnetic buckle which enables easy fastening has been proposed to solve the above problems.
Patent documents 1 and 2 have been invented by the present inventor to solve the aforementioned problems. The patent documents 1 and 2 provide a technology that includes magnets instead of lock arms such that members can be bound due to strong magnetic force just by bringing the members close to each other, thereby providing convenience in coupling.
The patent documents 1 and 2 provide convenience in coupling, but have a disadvantage in that it is difficult to separate the members with one hand or productivity is not good due to relatively complex configuration.
Furthermore, there is a risk of unintentional separation and accidents since the plug member and the socket member are easily separated from each other when a specific external pressure is applied.
Therefore, there is a demand for a buckle that provides the convenience of easy attachment and detachment while maintaining a robust and stable coupling state.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior arts, and it is an objective of the present invention to provide a buckle of which a plug member and a socket member can be simply attached and detached, and which has a simple structure and enhances productivity.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a buckle of which a plug member and a socket member can be coupled to each other by simply bringing them close to each other, and which allows for convenient separation from each other with one hand.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a buckle which ensures a robust and stable maintenance of the coupled state between the plug member and the socket member.
It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide a buckle which allows for a wide range of utilization by additionally coupling various functional components such as loops, whistles, strap fasteners, rings, etc., to the present buckle.
To accomplish the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a buckle including: a plug member which includes support arms formed at both ends in a forward direction of a base, and a support part formed forward from the base between the two support arms; a socket member that includes support chambers formed at both ends where the support arms are inserted, a central chamber formed between the two support chambers and having an open front, a retained part formed at the rear end of the central chamber, and a first magnet embedded inside the central chamber; and a locking member which is rotatably mounted on the support part, and includes a hook part formed at the front end thereof to be coupled to the retained part when the plug member and the socket member are coupled, and a second magnet embedded in the center to correspond with the first magnet when the plug member and the socket member are coupled.
An inclined guide part is formed on the bottom surface of the central chamber to guide the entry of the locking member.
An inclined protrusion is formed at the rear end of the bottom surface of the central chamber to guide the entry and coupling of the locking member.
Slots are formed on both sides of the central chamber, and coupling protrusions which match the slots are formed on both sides of the locking member.
A narrowed protrusion is further formed on the rear surface of the base to narrow the front end of the socket member when the socket member is coupled.
A groove for connecting a string is further formed at the front end of the locking member.
Hinge grooves are formed on both sides of the support part, a hinge is provided, and connection parts are formed on both sides of the rear end of the locking member to be assembled with the hinge within the hinge grooves.
Partitions which partition the support chambers and the central chamber are inserted into the hinge grooves during coupling with the plug member to be in close contact with the connection parts of the locking member.
A cross bar and a strap bar for connecting a strap are selectively formed on one side of the body of the plug member or the socket member.
A connecting member selected from a ring, a clip, a loop, a binding buckle, and a strap connector is integrally formed on one side of the body of the plug member or the socket member.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buckle for coupling the plug member and the socket member with each other allows the coupling of the plug member and the socket member by magnets without lock arms for coupling, thereby simplifying the structure, enhancing productivity, and reducing manufacturing costs.
Furthermore, the buckle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the plug member and the socket member which respectively have magnets corresponding to each other, so that the plug member and the socket member can be coupled to each other by simply bringing them close to each other, thereby allowing for convenient separation from each other with one hand.
Additionally, the buckle according to an embodiment of the present invention can robustly and stably maintain the coupled state of the plug member and the socket member, so is not easily separated by external contact or pressure.
In addition, the buckle according to an embodiment of the present invention allows for a wide range of utilization by additionally coupling various functional components such as loops, whistles, strap fasteners, rings, etc.
The advantages of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned advantages, and other advantages, which are not specifically mentioned herein, will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below can be realized in various different forms. In order to more clearly describe the features of the embodiments, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or constructions are omitted.
Furthermore, terms described hereinafter are defined in consideration of functions in the present invention and can vary according to the user's and operator's intentions, or practices. Therefore, the definitions of the terms should be made based on the content throughout the specification.
Hereinafter, embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.
Referring to
The plug member 100, the socket member 200, and the locking member 300 are generally molded from synthetic resin and are applied to a backpack, a bag, etc., to be connected to a strap S for use.
The plug member 100 includes a cross bar 102 and a strap hooking bar 103 which are formed transversely across a base 101 of a body of the plug member 100, and to which a free end of a strap S is hooked for connection. The strap S is wrapped around the crossbar 102 and the strap hooking bar 103 in a crossing manner to adjust the length of the strap S.
Support arms 110 are formed at both ends of the base 101 in the forward direction to extend. A support part 120 is formed forward from the base between the support arms 110, and the locking member 300 is mounted on the support part 120.
The support part 120 protrudes forward from the base, such that a hinge groove 121 is formed between each support arm 110 and the support part 120, and hinges 122 for mounting the locking member 300 are protrudingly formed on both sides of the support part 120.
A narrowed protrusion 105 is formed on the rear surface of the base 101 to be spaced apart from the support part 120 to constrict the central front end of the socket member 200 when a socket member 200 is coupled, thereby ensuring a robust coupling state with the socket member 200.
The socket member 200 is coupled facing the plug member 100, has support chambers 210 formed at both ends to accommodate the support arms 110, and a central chamber 220 with an open front is formed between the support chambers 210.
The support chambers 210 and the central chamber 220 are partitioned by a partition wall 211.
When the plug member 100 is coupled with the socket member 200, the support arms 110 of the plug member 100 are inserted into and accommodated in the support chambers 210, and it is preferable that a boundary portion in the coupled state are designed to be closely finished to form a sense of unity as illustrated in the drawings.
A crossbar 203 for connecting a strap S is also formed on the rear of the socket member 200, and like the plug member 100, a strap hooking bar may be further provided to enable adjustment of the strap.
The central chamber 220 of the socket member 200 serves as a space to accommodate and securely couple the locking member 300, wherein the width of the central chamber 220 corresponds to that of the locking member 300.
In the middle of the bottom surface of the central chamber 220, an inclined guide portion 221 is formed to guide the entry of the locking member 300.
At the rear end of the bottom surface of the central chamber 220, an inclined protrusion 222 is formed to guide the entry and coupling of the locking member 300.
Slots 223 are formed on both sides of the central chamber 220 in the longitudinal direction to guide the close contact of the locking member 300, and a retained part 225 is formed at the rear end of the slots 223 in a stepped manner. The retained part 225 is coupled when a hook part 331 of the locking member 300 is caught, and in this instance, for smooth separation, it is preferable that the stepped portion is formed as a curved surface.
A first magnet M1 is embedded and mounted inside the central chamber 220.
The locking member 300 is rotatably mounted on the support part 120 of the plug member 100, and when the plug member 100 and the socket member 200 are coupled, is accommodated in the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200. To this end, hinge holes 312 are formed at rear end of the locking member 300 so that connection parts 310 protrude on both sides can be fit onto the hinges 122, and a recess 311 is formed between the connection parts 310.
Both connection parts 310 of the locking member 300 are coupled to the hinges 122 and positioned on both side surfaces of the support part 120, and rotate around the hinges 122.
That is, when the locking member 300 is mounted on the plug member 100, the connection parts 310 of the locking member 300 are inserted in the hinge grooves 121 of the plug member 100, and the support part 120 is coupled in the state in which is inserted into the recess 311 of the locking member 300.
Here, by setting the contact relationship between the end of the connection part 310 and the base inside the hinge groove 121 as well as the contact relationship between the front end of the support part 120 and the inner wall of the recess 311, the locking member 300 can be mounted to rotate only a predetermined angle, not to rotate completely.
As illustrated in the drawings, a stepped portion 315 is formed at the end of the connection part 310, to control the rotational angle.
Therefore, unnecessary excessive rotation can be controlled to maintain a specific form, while allowing only the necessary amount of rotation.
Additionally, to enable smooth assembly between the hinge 122 of the support part 120 and the hinge hole 312 of the locking member 300, an inclined surface 123 is formed on one side surface of the hinge 122, and an entry groove 313 may be formed on one side of the hinge hole 312 to guide the entry of the hinge 122.
An inclined guide surface can also be formed in the entry groove 313.
Accordingly, the inclined surface 123 of the hinge 122 and the entry groove 313 of the connection part 310 guide the smooth entry of the hinge 122, thereby ultimately resulting in coupling by press-fitting.
The locking member 300 includes coupling protrusions 320 formed at both sides to match the slots 223 of the central chamber 220, and a hook part 331 formed at the front end to be coupled to the retained part 225 of the socket member 200. Like the retained part 225, it is preferable that the edges of the hook part 331 are treated as curved surfaces to facilitate smooth coupling and separation.
As illustrated in the drawings, the hook part 331 is formed only on both sides at the end of the coupling plate 330 which finishes the front end of the locking member 300, but can be formed across the entire end of the coupling plate 330, and the retained part 225 of the socket member 200 can also be formed to correspond to the hook part.
Therefore, due to the configuration of the side plates forming the coupling protrusions 320 and the coupling plate 330 forming the hook part 331, the locking member 300 is formed in a box shape and is coupled to the socket member 200 as if wrapping around the bottom surface of the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200.
The front end of the locking member 300 protrudes further forward from the coupling plate 330 to form a handle 340 for separating the buckle. Therefore, by lifting the handle 340, the plug member 100 and the socket member 200 can be easily separated.
The handle 340 includes a string connection hole 341. When a string 342 is connected to and placed in the string connection hole 341, the buckle can be separated by manipulating the pulling of the string 342 alone.
In the locking member 300, a second magnet M2 corresponding to the first magnet M1 in the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200 is embedded when the locking member 300 is coupled with the central chamber 220.
Therefore, when the plug member 100 and the socket member 200 are brought close together, instantaneous coupling between the plug member 100 and the socket member 200 is achieved by the magnetic force of the first magnet M1 in the socket member 200 and the second magnet M2 in the locking member 300.
When the plug member 100, the socket member 200, and the locking member 300 are integrally coupled, the partition wall 211 which compartmentalizes the central chamber 220 and the support chamber 210 of the socket member 200 is inserted between the support arm 110 of the plug member 100 and the connection portion 310 within the hinge groove 121 of the plug member 100 to be in close contact, thereby forming a tight coupling structure.
The operation of the buckle according to the configuration described above will be described as follows.
First, when the plug member 100 and the socket member 200 are brought close together to be coupled, they are strongly attracted to each other by the magnetic force of the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2 to cause the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2 to instantaneously couple, thereby resulting in the close coupling of the plug member 100 and the socket member 200.
If further advanced in the above state, the locking member 300 enters the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200, and at that moment, due to the magnetic force resulting from the vertical proximity of the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2, the locking member 300 instantaneously moves into the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200, thereby resulting in the close coupling as illustrated in
The plug member 100 is instantaneously moved along with the locking member 300, and when the locking member 300 is coupled to the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200, the support arm 110 of the plug member 100 is inserted and coupled into the support chamber 210 of the socket member 200.
In the coupled state, the coupling protrusion 320 of the locking member 300 is closely coupled to the slot 223 of the socket member 200, and the front end coupling plate 330 of the locking member 300 covers the rear of the central chamber 220, and a fastened state that the hook part 331 is coupled to the retained part 225 of the socket member 200 is maintained.
In the process in which the locking member 300 is strongly inserted into the central chamber 220 by the magnetic force, the coupling plate 330 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the central chamber 220. The coupling plate 330 is naturally guided by the inclined guide portion 221 formed on the bottom surface of the central chamber 220, and is guided upwards at the final position by the inclined protrusion 222 formed at the rear end of the central chamber 220.
Therefore, the locking member 300 which tends to be closely attached by magnetic force is lifted upwards by the inclined protrusion 222, and as soon as a guide section of the central chamber 220 ends, is strongly rotated downwards and is closely attached to the central chamber 220, and the hook part 331 is momentarily coupled to the retained part 225. That is, the inclined protrusion 222 functions to ensure a sufficient rotational distance so that the locking member 300 can be more strongly and closely attached, while generating a strong coupling sound due to the impact at the time of coupling.
The coupling process takes place instantaneously by a strong magnetic force, and in the coupled state of the buckle, the first magnet M1 and the second magnet M2 face each other in an overlapping manner as illustrated in
Moreover, in the coupled state, the narrowed protrusion 105 of the plug member 100 supports the front end of the socket member 200 by narrowing the front end of the socket member 200 down, thereby stabilizing the coupled state even more.
The socket member 200 and the plug member 100 of the buckle in the fastened state are not separated from each other by external pressure in any direction.
Specifically, as the locking member 300 closely attached to the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200, the stable coupling state can be maintained due to the coupling of the hook part 331 and the retained part 225, and not only the coupling of the support arm 110 and the support chamber 210 but also the stable narrowed support of the front end of the socket member 200 by the narrowed protrusion 105 of the plug member 100 can maintain a more robust fastened state.
As illustrated in
The locking member 300 is closely attached to the central chamber 220 of the socket member 200 by magnetic force. When the user lifts the locking member 300 against the magnetic force, the hook part 331 and the retained part 225 are separated, and the locking member 300 rotates around the hinge 122, thereby releasing the coupled state with the socket member 200.
Here, the contact portion between the hook part 331 and the retained part 225 is a curved contact surface, so that the handle 340 can be lifted without any strain.
In the state in which the locking member 300 is lifted and rotated, when the user moves the plug member 100 backward relative to the socket member 200, the buckle is separated.
However, since the action of lifting the front end handle 340 of the locking member 300 is performed while pushing the front end handle 340 backward together with the action of rotating the front end handle 340 from the front end of the locking member 300 in the direction of the hinge 122, the action of lifting the handle 340 includes the action of pushing the plug member 100 backward, thereby allowing for simultaneous separation without the action of separating the plug member 100 backward.
Therefore, the plug member 100 and the socket member 200 can be easily separated by simply manipulating the handle 340 of the locking member 300.
In general, since the plug member or the socket member of the buckle is used in a state mounted on the strap, the buckle can be separated by simply lifting the locking member with a finger without necessarily holding the socket member or the plug member, ultimately allowing for easy and one-handed separation of the buckle.
In addition, when the string 342 is connected to the string connection hole 341 of the locking member 300, the buckle can be separated by simply pulling the string 342.
As described above, the buckle according to the present invention enables instantaneous coupling of the plug member and the socket member via the magnets, thereby allowing for attachment and detachment of a belt or a strap with one hand, and allowing the user to simply manipulate the buckle with one hand.
Accordingly, the buckle according to the present invention can be coupled and separated simply by a simple manipulation, maintain the coupled state stably, and allows users to use in safety.
Additionally, the buckle according to the present invention may be configured to apply means for connecting accessories such as rings, clips, binding buckles, strap connectors, or small items like whistles to one side of the body of the buckle.
The above description is only exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in other concrete forms without changing the technological scope and essential features. Therefore, these embodiments as described above are only proposed for illustrative purposes and do not limit the present invention.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and variations may be made without departing the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Further, such modifications and variations should not be understood independently from the technical idea or perspective of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0133960 | Oct 2023 | KR | national |
