String-Adjusting Buckle Structure With Recessed Locking Bars
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing buckles with string adjustment portions have issues with size, appearance, operability, and damage prevention, as they require an elongated shaft hole and protruding design, which compromises aesthetics and increases the risk of damage.
Innovation Solution
A buckle design featuring a plug and socket with a tightening string member attachment portion and leg portions that are inserted into a socket with a recessed insertion opening, utilizing a movable shaft for sliding and locking the string member, and a second bar that is recessed to enhance engagement and prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the shaft hole is made elongated to secure movable range of the first cross bar, then the movable range is improved, but the appearance becomes poor due to protruding plug and the size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional configuration by positioning the shaft hole and first cross bar inside the socket rather than outside the plug. This reversal allows the movable components to be contained within the socket's internal space, eliminating the need for an elongated external shaft hole and preventing plug protrusion, thus resolving the contradiction between operational range and appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by placing the shaft hole and first cross bar within the socket structure. The shaft hole is formed inside the socket body, and the first cross bar operates within this internal cavity, effectively nesting the movable components within the stationary housing. This nesting approach consolidates the mechanism within a compact form factor, improving appearance while maintaining functionality.
2Length of moving object
If the shaft hole is downsized to shorten entire length, then the size is reduced, but operability when winding string-shaped body deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the shaft hole from an external elongated feature to an internal three-dimensional cavity within the socket. By utilizing the internal volume of the socket rather than extending the external dimensions, the design reduces the overall length while providing sufficient space for the first cross bar to operate and for string winding operations, thus resolving the contradiction between size and operability.
3Ease of manufacture
If thin connecting bars are provided between leg portions and shaft holes on outer side of socket, then the structure is formed, but risk of damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vulnerable thin connecting bars from the external structure and relocates the shaft hole and supporting structures inside the socket. By removing the exposed thin bars from the outer side, the design eliminates the high-risk elements that were susceptible to damage, while maintaining the necessary structural connections through internal positioning of components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides protective cushioning by enclosing the shaft hole and first cross bar within the socket housing. The socket body acts as a protective casing that shields the internal mechanism from external impacts and damage, preventing the kind of harm that would affect exposed external components. This beforehand protection is built into the design structure itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A buckle with a string adjustment portion includes a plug and a socket. The plug includes: a tightening string member attachment portion configured to slidably lock a string member and adjust a length of the string member; and leg portions which are inserted into and engaged with the socket. The socket includes a fitting portion including an insertion opening. An insertion hole through which the string member is inserted is formed to penetrate the tightening string member attachment portion, and a portion connecting the leg portions side of the insertion hole serves as a second bar. The second bar is located on an insertion direction side of the leg portions with respect to a position where an end portion of the plug and the insertion opening of the socket are abutted against each other, in a state where the leg portions are engaged with the socket.