Buckle Assembly

Abstract

The buckle assembly (1) is formed by a male buckle portion (20) and a female buckle portion (10). The female buckle portion (10) has a top wall (11), a bottom wall (12), side walls (13, 14), a cavity (15) between the top wall (11) and the bottom wall (12), and locking slots (16, 17) in each of the side walls (13, 14). The male buckle portion (20) has a base (21), two locking legs (24, 25), a central leg (28), and two intermediate legs (31, 32) between the locking legs (24, 25) and the central leg (28). The locking legs (24, 25) extend through the locking slots (16, 17) of the female part (10) and the locking pawls (26, 27) at the ends of the locking legs (24, 25) engage the edges of the locking slots (16, 17) to secure the buckle parts together. Each locking leg (24, 25) is connected to a flexible retaining member (33, 34) that prevents the locking legs (24, 25) from bending outward beyond a predetermined limit. The intermediate legs (31, 32) and / or the retaining members (33, 34) form stop surfaces that prevent the locking legs (24, 25) from bending inward beyond the point of contact with the stop surface.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a two-piece buckle assembly for connecting two straps together, and more particularly to a buckle assembly having a locking element that prevents the legs of one of the buckle parts from bending outward excessively. [Background technology]

[0002] Two-piece side release buckles are usually formed by a male buckle part and a female buckle part. The male buckle part generally has two locking legs that lock into locking slots in the female buckle part. buckle The central leg of the locking legs adds stability to the assembly. To prevent the locking legs from bending outward beyond a certain limit, US Pat. No. 5,399,436 proposes providing a flexible retaining member connecting the locking legs to the central leg, so that the locking legs cannot bend outward beyond the length of the retaining member. Other variations of this type of buckle are shown in US Pat. No. 5,499,436 and US Pat. No. 5,499,436. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,026 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Design Patent No. 401533 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Design Patent No. 425443 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] While these are effective in controlling the movement of the locking legs, it would be desirable to develop a buckle in which the center leg is not affected by the movement of the side locking legs, yet is able to resist excessive inward forces on the locking legs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention therefore relates to a buckle assembly formed by a male buckle part and a female buckle part, the female buckle part having a top wall, a bottom wall connected to the top wall by opposing side walls with a cavity between the top wall and the bottom wall, an insertion opening and a locking slot in each of the side walls. The male buckle part is configured to be locked to the female buckle part by inserting the male buckle part into the insertion opening. The male buckle part has a base, two locking legs, a central leg and two intermediate legs between the locking legs and the central leg. Each of the locking legs is a male buckle Part is female buckle When inserted into the female buckle The locking legs are configured to extend through a corresponding one of the locking slots in the female buckle part, with a locking pawl at the end of each locking leg engaging an edge of the locking slot to secure the male buckle part to the female buckle part. The locking pawls are forced inward until they clear the edge of the locking slot, at which point the male buckle part is released by pushing the locking pawls inward until they clear the edge of the locking slot, at which point the male buckle part is pushed out of the female buckle part.

[0006] Each of the locking legs is secured to the male by a flexible retaining member, which may be formed as a connecting strap. buckleThe retaining member is connected to another portion of the locking leg. This retaining member prevents the locking legs from being bent outward beyond a predetermined limit since the locking legs cannot be bent outward beyond the length of the retaining member. When a normal inward force is applied to the two locking legs to release the male buckle part from the female buckle part, the flexible retaining member deforms to minimize resistance to the inward bending of the locking legs. However, if excessive inward force is applied and the two locking legs are bent and pressed against the middle leg, the middle leg supports the locking legs and shares the force to form a stop surface, thereby preventing the locking legs from bending beyond their limit point. The middle leg preferably has an outer contour that matches the inner contour of the locking leg to minimize friction when the locking legs are pressed inward against the middle leg.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the middle leg is connected to a base portion of the male buckle part and extends substantially parallel to the locking leg. The retaining member is attached to the free end of the locking leg and to the base of the middle leg. However, the retaining member may be attached to the locking leg and middle leg anywhere on the locking leg and middle leg or may be attached to the male buckle part. buckle The retaining members may be attached to other areas of the locking legs. In one embodiment, the retaining members are attached to each middle leg on the side of the middle leg facing the central leg, so that the retaining members extend upward and beyond the top of the middle legs before connecting to the locking legs. In this way, the retaining members do not impede any inward movement of the locking legs during removal of the male buckle part from the female buckle part.

[0008] The retaining member is preferably integrally molded with the locking legs and is formed from the same material as the rest of the buckle assembly. The retaining member is molded thin enough to be flexible. The middle leg is formed to have a higher stiffness than the retaining member so that when the locking legs are bent inwards and outwards, only the retaining member moves, not the middle leg. To do so, the middle leg is made thicker than the retaining member. Connecting the retaining member to the base of the middle leg also helps to keep the middle leg from bending during flexion of the locking legs. The base of the middle leg can be thicker than the rest of the middle leg to help keep the middle leg stable during use of the buckle assembly.

[0009] In one embodiment, the female buckle portion has an opening opposite the insertion opening and the central leg has a foot member at its distal end that extends through the opening when the male and female buckle portions are mated and locked.

[0010] In another embodiment, the retaining members are not connected to the middle legs, but instead extend over and around the middle legs without contacting them. In this embodiment, the middle legs have hooks at their ends and the retaining members are formed by corresponding hooks on the locking legs. When the locking legs are bent outward, the hooks of the locking legs engage with the hooks of the middle legs to prevent the locking legs from bending outward further.

[0011] In a further embodiment, a retaining member in the form of a hook that engages the middle leg is also connected to the central leg of the male buckle to provide further stability and resistance to outward bending.

[0012] In yet another embodiment, the middle leg is connected to the locking leg and extends inwardly therefrom, and the retaining member extends from the locking pawl around the middle leg, makes a U-turn, and connects to the center leg. Bending outward of the locking leg forces the retaining member to press against the underside of the middle leg, preventing the locking leg from bending outward too much.

[0013] The buckle assembly according to the present invention is configured such that a strap can be attached to each buckle section, such that two straps are connected by mating the buckle sections together. To accomplish this, each of the male and female buckle sections has at least one strap retaining bar connected to the buckle section. The strap may be sewn closed around a single strap retaining bar, or it may be adjustably wrapped around a double bar arrangement.

[0014] In short, the two middle legs, together with the flexible retaining member, can effectively prevent the male buckle legs from being damaged by excessive bending in any direction. This new design improves the strength, stability and durability of the buckle.

[0015] Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it being understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

[0016] In the drawings, like reference numbers represent like elements throughout the several views. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled buckle assembly according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the buckle assembly. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the buckle assembly showing the male and female buckle portions in an unassembled state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a top view of a male buckle portion according to the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an end view of a buckle assembly according to the present invention. [Figure 6] 13 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a male buckle portion according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 13 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a male buckle portion according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of a male buckle portion according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Referring now in detail to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show a buckle assembly 1 according to the present invention, comprised of a female buckle portion 10 and a male buckle portion 20. The female buckle portion 10 includes a top wall 11, a bottom wall 12, and opposing side walls 13, 14. A cavity 15 bounded by an opening 115 shown in Figure 3 extends between the top wall 11 and the bottom wall 12. Locking slots 16, 17 are disposed in the side walls 13, 14, respectively. A strap retaining bar 18 is connected to the end of the female buckle portion 10 opposite the opening 115.

[0019] As shown in Figures 3 to 5, buckle The male buckle part 20 is comprised of a base 21 connected on one side to strap retaining bars 22, 23 and to locking legs 24, 25 extending from the other side. The locking legs 24, 25 terminate in locking pawls 26, 27 which engage in locking slots 16, 17 of the female buckle part 10 when the male buckle part 20 is inserted into the female buckle part 10. The male buckle part 20 is released from the female buckle part 10 by pushing the locking pawls 26, 27 inward until they clear the edges of the locking slots 16, 17, thereby pushing the male buckle part 10 out of the cavity 15.

[0020] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the male buckle part 20 has a central leg 28 that terminates in a foot member 29. The foot member extends to the end of the cavity 15 when assembled into the female buckle part 10 and serves to further stabilize the male buckle part 20 inside the female buckle part 10. The foot member 29 extends beyond the female buckle part 20 when the buckle parts are assembled, as shown in Figure 5. buckle The opening 19 in the section 10 can be seen.

[0021] Between the central leg 28 and the locking legs 24, 25, two intermediate legs 31, 32 are arranged. The intermediate legs 31, 32 extend upwards from the base 11 and are smaller than the locking legs 24, 25 both in width and height. The side of the intermediate legs 31, 32 facing the locking legs 24, 25 is slightly curved and follows the inner contour of the locking legs 24, 25, so that when the locking legs are pressed against the intermediate legs 31, 32 under strong force, excessive friction and resistance can be avoided, whereby the intermediate legs 31, 32 form a stop surface that the locking legs 24, 25 cannot pass over.

[0022] Flexible retaining members 33, 34 are connected to the intermediate legs 31, 32. The flexible retaining members 33, 34 are connected to the intermediate legs 31, 32 at the base of the side facing the central leg 28 and to the locking legs 24, 25 at the top of the locking pawls 26, 27 on the side facing the central leg 28. Inward pressure on the locking pawls 26, 27 causes the locking legs 24, 25 to bend inward and contact the intermediate legs 31, 32. The intermediate legs 31, 32 serve to stabilize the locking legs 24, 25 and prevent excessive inward movement that could damage the buckle parts. Outward pressure on the locking legs 24, 25 is countered by the flexible retaining members 33, 34, which, due to the length and stiffness of their material, only allow outward bending up to a certain amount. The retaining members 33, 34 are disposed on the inner surfaces of the locking pawls 26, 27 and the inner surfaces of the middle legs 31, 32 such that they do not impede any inward movement by the locking legs 24, 25. The retaining members 33, 34 are integrally molded with the middle legs 31, 32 and the locking pawls 26, 27 and are molded thin enough to allow the locking legs 24, 25 to flex inwardly and, but to a limited extent, to flex outwardly.

[0023] Alternative embodiments of the male buckle portion can be seen in Figures 6 to 11. In Figures 6 and 7, the male buckle The male buckle part 40 is comprised of a base 41 connected on one side to strap retaining bars 42, 43 and to locking legs 44, 45 extending from the other side. The locking legs 44, 45 terminate in locking tabs 46, 47 which engage in locking slots 16, 17 of the female buckle part 10 when the male buckle part 40 is inserted into the female buckle part 10. buckle As with portion 20, the male buckle portion 40 is released from the female buckle portion 10 by pushing the locking pawls 46, 47 inward until they clear the edges of the locking slots 16, 17, thereby pushing the male buckle portion 10 out of the cavity 15.

[0024] The male buckle portion 40 has a central leg 48 that terminates in a foot member 49. Disposed between the central leg 48 and the locking legs 44, 45 are two intermediate legs 51, 52. The intermediate legs 51, 52 extend upwardly from the base 41 and are smaller than the locking legs 44, 45 in both width and height. The intermediate legs 51, 52 form a stop surface that the locking legs 44, 45 cannot pass when they are pushed inward.

[0025] Flexible retaining members 55, 56 are connected to the locking legs 44, 45. Inward pressure on the locking pawls 46, 47 causes the locking legs 44, 45 to bend inward and contact the middle legs 51, 52. The middle legs 51, 52 serve to stabilize the locking legs 44, 45 and prevent excessive inward movement that may damage the buckle members. The flexible retaining members 55, 56 have free ends that terminate in hooks 57, 58, and the middle legs 51, 52 have corresponding hooks 53, 54 at their free ends. Outward pressure on the locking legs 44, 45 causes the hooks 57, 58 to engage the hooks 53, 54, respectively, preventing the locking legs 44, 45 from moving further outward. The retaining members 55,56 extend around and engage the hooks 53,54 on the side of the intermediate legs 51,52 facing the central leg 48 such that the retaining members 55,56 do not impede the inward movement of the locking legs 44,45. The retaining members 55,56 are integrally molded with the locking pawls 46,47.

[0026] Figures 8 and 9 show another embodiment based on the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7, where like elements are numbered the same. However, in this embodiment, flexible retaining member 55 has an extension 59 extending from hook 57 and attached directly to central leg 48. Similarly, flexible retaining member 56 has an extension 60 extending from hook 58 and attached directly to central leg 48. These extensions provide additional stability to flexible retaining members 55, 56 to prevent inadvertent breakage. As previously described with respect to Figures 6 and 7, outward bending of locking legs 44, 45 causes hooks 57, 58 to engage hooks 53, 54, respectively, preventing further outward movement of locking legs 44, 45.

[0027] 10 and 11 show another alternative embodiment of the buckle assembly according to the present invention. buckle The male buckle part 160 is comprised of a base 61 connected on one side to strap retention bars 62, 63 and to locking legs 64, 65 extending from the other side. The locking legs 64, 65 terminate in locking tabs 66, 67 which engage in locking slots 16, 17 of the female buckle part 10 when the male buckle part 160 is inserted into the female buckle part 10. buckle As with sections 20 and 40, the male buckle section 160 is released from the female buckle section 10 by pushing the locking pawls 66, 67 inward until they clear the edges of the locking slots 16, 17, thereby pushing the male buckle section 160 out of the cavity 15.

[0028] The male buckle portion 160 has a central leg 68 that terminates in a foot member 69. Attached to the locking legs 64,65 are two intermediate legs 71,72 which extend inwardly from the locking legs 64,65.

[0029] Connected to the locking pawls 66, 67 are flexible retaining members 73, 74 which extend in a U-shape and connect to the central leg 68. Retaining member 73 is formed by parallel legs 75, 77 and retaining member 74 is formed by parallel legs 76, 78. Inward pressure on the locking pawls 66, 67 causes the locking legs 64, 65 to bend inward, at which point the retaining members 73, 74 are forced towards and contact the central leg 68, thereby preventing further inward movement which could damage the buckle portion. Outward pressure on the locking legs 64, 65 causes the legs 75, 76 of the retaining members 73, 74 to push upward against the intermediate legs 71, 72, preventing the locking legs 64, 65 from bending further outward, thereby protecting the locking legs 64, 65 from damage. The retaining members 73,74 are integrally formed with the locking pawls 66,67 and the central leg 68.

[0030] Thus, while only certain embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that many changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. a female buckle portion including a top wall, a bottom wall connected to the top wall by opposing side walls with a cavity between the top wall and the bottom wall, an insertion opening and a locking slot in each of the side walls; A buckle assembly comprising: a male buckle part configured to be locked to the female buckle part by insertion of the male buckle part into the insertion opening, the male buckle part comprising a base, two locking legs, and two intermediate legs disposed between the two locking legs; each of the locking legs is configured to extend through a corresponding one of the locking slots of the female buckle portion when the buckle portions are locked together; each of the locking legs is connected to a retaining member that prevents the locking legs from bending outward beyond a predetermined limit; the intermediate legs and the retaining members are arranged such that when inward pressure is applied to the locking legs, the intermediate legs or the retaining members form a stop surface that prevents inward movement of the locking legs when in contact with the stop surface; the buckle assembly further comprises a central leg extending between the two intermediate legs, each one of the intermediate legs being disposed between one of the locking legs and the central leg; A buckle assembly, wherein the female buckle portion has an opening opposite the insertion opening, and the central leg has a foot member at its distal end, the foot member extending through the opening when the male buckle portion and the female buckle portion are mated and locked.

2. The buckle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate leg is connected to the base and extends parallel to the locking leg.

3. The buckle assembly of claim 1 , wherein each intermediate leg is connected to an adjacent one of the locking legs.

4. The buckle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining member is attached to a free end of the locking leg.

5. The buckle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retaining member is attached to the middle leg.

6. The buckle assembly of claim 5 , wherein the retaining member is attached to each intermediate leg on a side of the intermediate leg facing away from an adjacent one of the locking legs.

7. The buckle assembly of claim 5 , wherein the retaining member is integrally molded with the locking leg and the intermediate leg.

8. The buckle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the middle leg has a higher stiffness level than the retaining member such that the middle leg does not move when the locking leg is flexed outward.

9. The buckle assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the male and female buckle parts has at least one strap retaining bar connected to that buckle part.

10. 2. The buckle assembly of claim 1, wherein each one of the retaining members is configured to engage an adjacent one of the middle legs when the locking legs are bent outwardly to prevent the locking legs from bending further outwardly.

11. 11. The buckle assembly of claim 10, wherein each one of the intermediate legs has a hook disposed at an end thereof, and each one of the retaining members has a hook configured to engage the hook of the adjacent intermediate leg when the respective locking leg is bent outwardly.

12. A buckle assembly as described in claim 10, wherein each one of the retaining members is connected to the central leg.

13. A buckle assembly as described in claim 3, wherein each one of the retaining members is connected to the central leg.

14. 13. The buckle assembly of claim 12, wherein each one of the retaining members has a U-shaped design with two parallel legs, and wherein bending of the locking legs outwardly causes one of the parallel legs of each of the retaining members to press against an adjacent one of the middle legs, preventing the locking legs from bending outward further.

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