Duty Belt Buckle

Abstract

A duty belt buckle for securing a duty belt around the waist of a user. A duty belt buckle is fixed to one end of a duty belt and employs a mating element that engages with an attachment member on the distal end of the duty belt. A cover which rotates with respect to the buckle body and has securing extrusions which prevent the mating element from disengaging with the attachment member when the cover is in a closed position.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Belts are commonly used by uniformed professional field personnel (e.g. law enforcement, tire, park department, search and rescue, private security, utilities personnel, military, etc.) to carry equipment. They are known as duty belts in the industry. In the most common configuration, the duty belt and inner belt are used together. The user threads the inner belt (also known as a trouser belt) through the belt loops of the user's pants. Commonly these have one half of a Velcro assembly on the outward facing surface. The duty belt itself is a wider belt positioned over the inner belt, outboard of the pant belt loops (FIG. 1). The duty belt is typically 2 or 2.25 inches wide. The duty belt attaches to the inner belt by means of the other half of the Velcro assembly. Because of the weight of the loaded duty belt and the fact it is critical that the uniformed professional does not become separated from his/her duty belt, supplemental mechanical straps known as “keepers” are used that wrap around both inner and duty belts to ensure that they are firmly attached to one another. Still on other belts, there is no Velcro used at all between the inner and the duty belt. The keepers are the sole retention mechanism between the two belts in that configuration.

Equipment is carried on the duty belt by accessory holders that are threaded on the duty belt. Users commonly carry a large number of accessories and fill up almost all of the available space around the circumference of the duty belt. Because users typically spend a large amount of time traveling in vehicles in a seated position, accessories located between the user and the seat cause discomfort and can lead to long term back issues. It is important that the number of accessories located on the small of the back are minimized. Existing duty belt buckles take up a large portion of space on the front of the belt and have a large area in which the user cannot place accessories, forcing the user to locate accessories near the small of the back.

A typical duty belt Fastex type buckle is shown in FIG. 2a. To open the buckle, the center button must be pressed prior to squeezing the opposing buttons on either edge of the buckle (FIG. 2b). The belt material threads through the Fastex buckle, is folded back onto itself and attaches back to itself by means of a Velcro assembly. This creates a thick area in the belt assembly where belt accessories cannot be placed near the buckle because of interference. The buckle must be separated from the belt in order to thread on belt accessories, which results in loose parts that can be dropped and lost (FIG. 2c). Before accessories are put on, a free slider that is used to retain the folded over portion of the end of the belt must first be removed. This results in more loose parts and is prone to errors for users who do not frequently reconfigure their belts.

Another popular style of buckle for a duty belt, known as a traditional buckle, is shown in FIG. 3a. To assemble the belt, the buckle is slid onto the belt (FIG. 3b) and the buckle prongs are engaged with the belt (FIG. 3c). The end of the belt is threaded through the other half of the buckle (FIG. 3d) and the central bar on the buckle engages with the prongs on the distal end of the belt (FIGS. 3e to 3f). A stud which is integrated on the hook end of the belt is then pressed through a hole on the buckle end of the belt (FIG. 3g). A keeper is then slid over the free end of the belt (FIG. 3h). Disadvantages with the design are similar to the Fastex buckle in that the buckle must be removed in order to put on accessories, resulting in a loose part that can be lost. Additionally, accessories cannot placed near the buckle due to the thickness of the buckle assembly.

Users often need to add or remove layers of clothing, which requires that the duty belt be adjusted in circumference to maintain a correct fit. Both of the duty belts described above have the disadvantage in that the user is required to disassemble the duty belt and separate the buckle from the belt to adjust the circumference.

There exists a need for a duty belt and buckle which allows for accessories to be positioned closer to the front of the belt, makes it easier for accessories to be added or removed, and makes it easier for the circumference of the belt to be adjusted, all of which result in a belt that is more usable and more comfortable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the advantages of one or more aspects of the present invention are:

• • a buckle for a duty belt which has a low profile and narrow width that allows for accessories to be placed very close to the front of the belt;
  • a buckle for a duty belt which has a security feature to prevent it from becoming inadvertently detached;
  • a buckle for a duty belt which requires no disassembly or removal of parts when installing accessories or adjusting circumference.

One embodiment features a duty belt, a buckle body and a cover. The buckle body is fixed to one end of the duty belt and has a mating element on the backside of the buckle body which engages with an attachment member on the distal end of the belt. The cover features interlocking securing protrusions that prevent the mating element from disengaging with the attachment member on the distal end of the belt when in a closed position. The narrow width of the buckle, and engagement with the distal end or the duty belt allows for accessories to be placed near the front of the belt, reducing the number of accessories located near the back of the user and making the belt more comfortable for the user. A plurality of attachment members exist on the distal end of the belt which allow the circumference of the belt to be adjusted without diassembling the buckle from the duty belt.

Other advantages of one or more aspects and a full understanding thereof will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and claims taken together with the accompanying illustrations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, closely related figures have the same number but different alphabetic suffixes. Like parts are given like reference numerals in each of the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a typical duty belt.

FIG. 2 a shows a typical duty belt with a Fastex buckle.

FIGS. 2 b and 2c show the operation of a typical duty belt with a Fastex buckle.

FIG. 3 a shows a typical duty belt with a traditional buckle.

FIGS. 3 b to 3h show the operation of a typical duty belt with a traditional buckle.

FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of the duty belt buckle in accordance with one embodiment.

FIGS. 5 a and 5b show the duty belt buckle with cover in open position in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 a shows a side view of the duty belt buckle with cover in open position in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 6 b shows a side view of the duty belt buckle with cover in closed position in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows another view of the duty belt buckle in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows another view of the duty belt buckle with cover in open position in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows the mating element of the duty belt buckle in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows the operation of the duty belt buckle in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows the engaged duty belt buckle in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 12 a shows a first alternative embodiment of the duty belt buckle with cover open position.

FIG. 12 b shows a first alternative embodiment of the duty belt buckle with cover in closed position.

FIG. 13 a shows a second alternative embodiment of the duty belt buckle with cover in open position.

FIG. 13 b shows a second alternative embodiment of the duty belt buckle with cover in closed position.

DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

10 Duty belt

12 Cover

14 Buckle Body

16 Attachment member

18 Mating element

20 Securing protrusion

22 Attachment point

24 Hinge

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

First Embodiment

One embodiment of a duty belt and buckle is illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6. The duty belt and buckle comprises two primary components: a duty belt 10 and a cover 12. A buckle body 14 comprises an attachment point 22 and a mating element 18. Attachment point 22 fixes buckle body 14 to a first end of duty belt 10. Mating element 18 provides a means for engaging with attachment member 16 on the distal, second end of duty belt 10. Mating element 18 extends from buckle body 14 such that, when engaged with attachment member 16, buckle body 14 is prevented from moving in one direction axially along the belt and in both directions that are perpendicular but in plane with the belt. Attachment member 16 is inserted through the open end of mating element 18 (FIG. 5a). The second end of duty belt 10 features multiple attachment members 16 spaced along the long axis of the duty belt (FIG. 4), enabling the circumference of duty belt 10 to be adjusted. Attachment members 16 do not add any thickness to the second end of duty belt 10 so that accessory holders can be easily added and removed from the belt. Cover 12 is attached to a hinge 24 on buckle body 14 and pivots with respect to buckle body 14. Cover 12 features securing protrusion 20 (FIG. 6a) which interlocks with mating element 18 when cover 12 is closed. When cover 12 is in the closed position, securing protrusion 20 engages with attachment member 16 to prevent buckle body 14 from moving in the other, previously unconstrained direction along the axis of the belt. Cover 12 snaps into a closed position with buckle body 14 such that it cannot open without a predetermined force applied by the user along the arc of rotation. Cover 12 has a lever end that allows the user to apply a force along the arc of rotation with their fingers and rotate cover 12 with respect to buckle body 14. The narrow width of the duty belt buckle allows more accessories to be placed near the front of the belt.

The belt, buckle body, cover and other components can be made of material such as polymers, metals, cellulosic materials, ceramics, glass, biomaterials, nanomaterials, and composites.

Operation

To use the duty belt buckle, the user first places the duty belt around their waist. The user opens cover 12 (FIG. 8) and engages mating element 18 of buckle body 14 (FIG. 9) wt attachment member 16 (FIG. 10). The user chooses the attachment member 16 which creates a duty belt circumference that provides a comfortable fit around their waist. The user then closes cover 12, which snaps into a closed position with buckle body 14 (FIG. 11).

To remove the duty belt, the user first applies a force to the lever end of cover 12 along the arc of rotation, disengaging cover 12 from the snap engagement with buckle body 14. The user rotates cover 12 to disengage securing protrusion 20 from attachment member 16. The user then must move the duty belt buckle in the opposite direction of removal to disengage mating element 18 of buckle body 14 from attachment member 16.

Should the user need to add another or subtract a layer of clothing and change the circumference of the duty belt, the duty belt removal operation is followed as detailed above. The user then makes the circumference of the duty belt smaller or larger by choosing the attachment member 16 which provides a comfortable fit around their waist and follows the duty belt buckle engagement operation as detailed above. No disassembly of the duty belt buckle is required and no loose parts are separated from the duty belt that can be lost.

Alternative Embodiments

There are various possibilities with regard to the configuration of the duty belt buckle. The buckle body can employ a plurality of mating elements 18 for engaging with a plurality of attachment members 16 on the distal end of the duty belt.

The first end of belt 10 can comprise a mating element 18 which provides a means for engaging to attachment member 16 (FIG. 12a). When engaged with attachment member 16, mating element 18 prevents the first end of belt 10 from moving with respect to the second end of belt 10 in one direction axially along the belt and in both directions that are perpendicular but in plane with the belt. Cover 12 is pivotally attached to the first end of belt 10 and comprises a protrusion such that, when closed, it prevents the first end of belt 10 from moving with respect to the second end of belt 10 in the second direction axially along the belt (FIG. 12b).

Alternatively, mating element 18 can prevent the first end of belt 10 from moving with respect to the second end of belt 10 in one direction axially along the belt and in one direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt (FIG. 13a). Cover 12 is pivotally attached to the first end of belt 10 and comprises a protrusion such that, when closed, it prevents the first end of belt 10 from moving with respect to the second end of belt 10 in the second direction axially along the belt and in the second direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt (FIG. 13b).

In another embodiment, cover 12 is pivotally attached to the first end of belt 10 and comprises a protrusion such that, when closed, it prevents the first end of belt 10 from moving with respect to the second end of belt 10 in both directions axially along the belt and in one direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt. The first end of belt 10 is positioned over the second end of belt 10 so as to prevent the first end of belt 10 from moving with respect to the second end of belt 10 in the second direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Accordingly, the reader will see that at least one embodiment of the duty belt buckle provides a lower profile and narrower width, allowing the user to position more accessories on the front of the duty belt, providing better access and more comfort. The duty belt buckle has the additional advantage in that it cannot be inadvertently disengaged from the duty belt. The duty belt buckle employs no loose parts that can be lost. Furthermore, the duty belt buckle can easily adjust the circumference of the duty belt without requiring the removal of parts or disassembly.

Although the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments but as merely providing illustrations of some of several embodiments. Thus the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Claims

1. A belt apparatus, comprising: a belt having a first end and a second end;a cover;

2. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said mating element is a protrusion extending from said first end of belt so as to prevent movement in one direction axially along the length of the belt and in both directions perpendicular but in plane with the belt and said cover further comprises a protrusion extending from the cover so as to prevent movement in the second direction axially along the length of the belt when in at least one of said positions.

3. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said mating element is a protrusion extending from said first end of belt so as to prevent movement in one direction axially along the length of the belt and in one direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt and said cover further comprises a protrusion extending from the cover so as to prevent movement in the second direction axially along the length of the belt and in the second direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt when in at least one of said positions.

4. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cover is pivotally attached to said first end of belt.

5. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said attachment member is the material between two voids in said second end of belt.

6. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said attachment member is a bar perpendicular to and in plane with the long axis of said belt and fixed at both ends to said second end of belt.

7. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of attachment members are spaced along the long axis of belt whereby the circumference of said belt apparatus can exist in a plurality of sizes.

8. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said attachment member does not add thickness to said second end of belt.

9. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cover is detented in at least one position so as to require a predetermined force to translate it to another position.

10. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said belt is made of metal.

11. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said belt is made of composite.

12. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said belt is made of elastomer and metal.

13. A belt apparatus, comprising: a belt having a first end and a second end;a cover:

14. A belt apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said means for engaging said mating element to one or more of said attachment members is a protrusion extending from said cover so as to prevent movement in both directions axially along the length of the belt and in one direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt and said first end of belt is positioned over said attachment member so as to prevent movement in the second direction perpendicular but in plane with the belt.

15. A belt apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said attachment member does not add thickness to said second end of belt.

16. A belt apparatus according to claim 13 wherein said cover is detented in at least one position so as to require a predetermined force to translate it to another position.

17. A belt apparatus, comprising: a belt having a first end and a second end;a cover;a buckle body;

18. A belt apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said mating element is a protrusion extending from said first end of belt so as to prevent movement in one direction axially along the length of the belt and in both directions perpendicular but in plane with the belt and said cover further comprises a protrusion extending from the cover so as to prevent movement in the second direction axially along the length of the belt when in at least one of said positions.

19. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said attachment member does not add thickness to said second end of belt.

20. A belt apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cover is detented in at last one position so as to require a predetermined force to translate it to another position.