Patent Application
20090064466
This invention relates to a buckle assembly for use in releasably joining loose ends of belts or straps secured to garments, bags, helmets, sports gears and the like.
Buckles of various structures are well known, each of which is comprised of a female member composed of a socket member and a male member composed of a plug member. Speaking of its basic structure, the socket member has engaging faces, while the plug member comprises arm portions which are adapted to be releasably inserted into the socket member, wherein engaging portions on the arm portions engage and disengage from the engaging faces of the socket member. Each socket member and plug member has a base portion at one side end thereof. Each base portion either has an integral slot, or a projection therefrom which when combined with the base portion forms a slot through which a strap or belt may be inserted and/or affixed therein. By engaging/disengaging the plug member from the socket member, the ends of a strap/belt can be connected to or disconnected from each other or to some other common element.
When an external force is applied to the exposed surfaces of the plug member which project out through the walls of the socket member, the forces resiliently deform the arms of the plug members causing them to disengage from the walls of the socket member. Therefore the plug member is easy to slip out of the socket member.
Additionally, there are buckles known in the art which offer a central cavity wherein multiple plug members are mutually inserted, such as the commonly called “five-point” harness of a child's car seat. However these devices are constructed to only work properly when all of the plugs are engaged—they fail, or can fail, in the performance of the design function if any plugs are not engaged.
The invention comprises several general aspects. Each of those can if desired be combined with additional features, including features disclosed and/or not disclosed herein, the resultant combinations representing more detailed optional embodiments of these aspects.
A first aspect of the invention is a buckle comprising a single socket member and at least two plug members. The socket member has a base. The base may have an integral through-slot, or may have at least one projecting member projecting from said base which when combined with the base comprises at least one slot through which at least one strap may be affixed. The socket member may have a separate cavity for each plug member, and each cavities comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, and right and left side walls for connecting said top wall and said bottom wall with a gap therebetween, and openings communicating with said cavity inside the socket member and disposed inside from said side walls.
The plug members have a base and at least one arm portion projecting from said base. The base of the plug member may have an integral through-slot, or may have at least one projecting member projecting from said base which when combined with the base comprises at least one slot through which at least one strap may be affixed.
The arm portion of a plug member may have an engaging portion at a leading end thereof. In use, the plug member is adapted to be resiliently deformed when inserted into/released from a cavity of said socket member so that a hooking face of the engaging portion of said arm portion releasably engages an end face of each an opening in a cavity. The plane of contact between the engaging portion of the arm portion and the end face of the cavity is perpendicular to plane of motion of the insertion/release direction of said arm portion.
A first plug member may be releasably engageable when inserted into a first cavity of said socket member, and at least one other plug member may be releasably engageable when inserted into at least one other cavity of said socket member. Said first and said at least one other plug member are independently operable without interfering with one another.
The operation of one or more plug members does not degrade the performance of any other plug members, nor the functionality of any strap, belt or other assembly connected to said other plug members, nor of any devices connected via said straps or belts.
In certain embodiments a first plug member and at least one other plug member may be the same in either or both form and functionality. In other embodiments a first plug member and at least one other plug member may be differ in either or both form and functionality.
In some embodiments a first cavity the socket member and at least one other cavity may be substantially parallel to one another. In other embodiments a first cavity the socket member and at least one other cavity may be substantially perpendicular to one another.
In yet other embodiments, irrespective of the orientation of the cavities, a first cavity and at least one other cavity may be positioned side-by-side, or may be stacked one above the other.
The following discussion of advantages is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, nor to suggest that every form of the invention will have all of the following advantages. As will be seen from the remainder of this disclosure, the present invention provides a variety of features. These can be used in different combinations. The different combinations are referred to as embodiments. Most embodiments will not include all of the disclosed features. Some simple embodiments can include a very limited selection of these features. Those embodiments may have only one or a few of the advantages described below. Other preferred embodiments will combine more of these features, and will reflect more of the following advantages. Particularly preferred embodiments, that incorporate many of these features, will have most if not all of these advantages. Moreover, additional advantages, not disclosed herein, that are inherent in certain embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to those who practice or carefully consider the invention.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention are achieved by the apparatus described herein which overcome problems inherent in traditional buckles. Those problems include limitations on the number, connection and orientation of plugs which can engage a socket member, and the inability to operate a single plug (and any connected belts or straps, an any devices or assemblies engaged via said belts or straps) without degrading the performance of an overall system, or without interfering with the operation of any other plug.
Thus, when compared to other buckles several new and important advantages. The advantages offered by the various embodiments of this invention include:
6.1
6.2
6.2.1
6.2.2
The following table identifies the objects labeled in the included drawings.
