1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a buckle that is secured in two places, to increase its strength yet maintain a low weight and profile. In particular, the invention relates to a side-release buckle in which the male portion locks into the female portion in two places along the length of the female portion.
2. The Prior Art
Side release buckles are commonly used to attach to straps to one another. In a standard side-release buckle, the male portion has two prongs with locking tabs on the free ends. These locking tabs snap into slots in the female portion of the buckle to secure the two portions together.
In order to create a sufficiently strong buckle that will not release under stress, conventional buckles have had to be made in which the prongs of the male portion are very stiff and heavy. This makes the buckle difficult to release, and cumbersome. However, if the prongs are too flexible, the buckle will not be able to withstand high stresses.
It would be desirable to make a buckle where the buckle can withstand large amounts of stress without releasing, and yet be easy to operate, light in weight and attractive.
The invention comprises a buckle having a male portion and a female portion. The female portion has a hollow body with two sidewalls, an open receiving end and a locking end located opposite the receiving end. There is an opening in the locking end which is surrounded by the side walls of the female portion. These side walls meet to form a V-shaped aperture on each end.
The male portion comprises a base and at least one flexible locking arm connected to the base. The locking arm has a free end and a locking tab located at the free end. The arm is flexible at an end located near the base. Inserting the male portion into the female portion compresses locking arm inward, allowing it to slide into the female portion until the locking tab extends through the slot in the locking end. Insertion of the male portion fully into the female portion causes the locking arm to pass through the aperture in the locking end and be released into a resting position where the locking tab rests against one of the V-shaped narrow ends of the aperture in the locking end, to lock the male portion to the female portion. The locking arm has a V-shaped profile as well, to fit directly into the V-shaped opening created by the side walls of the female portion once the locking tab passes fully through the opening. The tab has a shoulder portion that abuts the edges of the opening to prevent release of the male portion without first forcing the locking arms inward to make the shoulders clear the opening.
Pulling the male portion against the female portion after the male and female portions are locked together causes the tab to lock even more firmly against the side walls of the female portion to prevent inadvertent disengagement of the male portion from the female portion, since the locking tab is wider than the V-shaped end of the opening and cannot pass through the opening without being first moved into the central area of the opening, where the opening is wide enough for the locking tab to pass through.
In one embodiment, there is least one locking slot in at least one of the sidewalls of the female portion, and there is a shoulder portion located remote from the free end of the locking arm of the male portion. The shoulder portion protrudes outwardly from the locking arm. Inserting the male portion into the female portion causes the shoulder portion to extend through the locking slot to abut a top end of the locking slot and further lock the male portion to the female portion. The male portion is released from the female portion by pressing the shoulder portion inward until the shoulder portion clears the locking slot, which also moves the tab inward to the central area of the opening in the locking end, to release the male portion from the female portion. The inward pressure against the locking arm also creates a longitudinal force vector, due to the pivoting motion of the flexible locking arm. This longitudinal force vector forces the male portion out of the female portion after the locking arm has been released from the slot and opening.
In a preferred embodiment, there are two locking slots and two locking arms. Each of the male and female portions may have a strap retaining bar at their remote ends, to allow for a strap to be attached to each of the portions. The buckle is useful for many different applications, such as backpack straps, belt buckles, seat belts, or any other application where it is desirable to releasably connect two straps together.
In another embodiment, the receiving end of the female portion comprises a V-shaped groove and the male portion has a corresponding V-shaped central section extending from the base. Inserting the male portion into the female portion causes the central section to rest in the groove to align the male portion with the female portion, thus making it easier to connect the male and female portions together, especially in low light situations. The V-shaped sections automatically align the male and female portions with each other, even if they are initially not aligned.
The central section may have a mesh portion having a thickness that is less than the thickness of the surrounding area. The mesh portion has a plurality of apertures therethrough, thus decreasing the weight of the buckle and the amount of plastic needed to manufacture the buckle. The mesh area is also aesthetically pleasing.
In another embodiment, the locking end of the female portion extends longitudinally in the central area, to extend beyond the tabs of the male portion when they are locked into the slot of the female portion. This extending area protects the tabs while they are locked in and prevents inadvertent disengagement of the male portion from the female portion by preventing external objects from pressing the tabs inward.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.
In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:
Referring now in detail to the drawings,
Female portion 30 has a hollow main body 31 formed of upper and lower sidewalls separated by a cavity, two locking slots 32, 33, a top receiving end 34 having a V-shaped slot 35, and a locking end 36 having an opening 37. Opening 37 is wider in its central area and narrows toward its ends 39. There is also a strap retaining bar 38.
During insertion of male portion 20 into female portion 30, V-shaped central portion 29 slides into V-shaped groove 35 of female portion 30, to help align male portion 20 with female portion 30. Male portion 20 can be placed into female portion 30 initially off-center, but the V-shaped cooperating surfaces serve to precisely align the two buckle parts for secure locking. This is especially useful in low light situations or when the user is moving and cannot precisely align the two buckle parts before connecting them.
To release male portion 20, the user presses inwardly on shoulder portions 26 until they clear locking slots 32. This also moves tabs 27 back into the central area of opening 37 and allows shoulders 48 of tabs 27 to clear edges 49 and pass back through opening 37 as male portion 20 slides out of female portion 30. The pressing motion against shoulder portions 26 causes locking arms 22, 23 to pivot inward, and also creates a longitudinal force vector that forces male portion 20 out of female portion 30 once shoulder portion 26 and locking tab 27 is released.
On either side of the central area of slot 37, the body of female portion 30 extends outwardly in tabs 42. Tabs 42 protect tabs 27 from being inadvertently pressed inward by outside forces during use, by blocking any access to tabs 27 from the outside.
The buckle according to the invention provides a secure locking action, because the buckle is locked in two places, and longitudinal forces on the buckle only cause the buckle to be locked in more securely. The buckle according to the invention provides an extremely secure lock, and yet is light and flexible, thus making it easy to use.
Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4688337 | Dillner et al. | Aug 1987 | A |
4825515 | Wolterstorff, Jr. | May 1989 | A |
5222279 | Frano et al. | Jun 1993 | A |
5465472 | Matoba | Nov 1995 | A |
5794316 | Anscher | Aug 1998 | A |
6052875 | Fudaki | Apr 2000 | A |
6615460 | Baumgarten | Sep 2003 | B1 |
D496302 | Kaneko et al. | Sep 2004 | S |
D496303 | Anscher | Sep 2004 | S |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20060168783 A1 | Aug 2006 | US |