Threaded-Retainer Belt Buckle for Continuous Waist Sizing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional belt buckles are limited in their ability to adjust to a user's waist size, offering only discrete belt loop sizes, which can be uncomfortable or require manual hole creation, and lack aesthetic appeal when more flexible adjustment systems are used.
Innovation Solution
A belt buckle system with a movable front face, internal chamber, and threaded retainers that allows for a continuum of belt loop sizes, featuring a thin profile and integrated features like a golf ball marker and divot repair tool, secured by threaded screws for stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional spaced holes are used for belt adjustment, then the belt can be secured at discrete sizes, but the adjustment flexibility is limited and manual hole creation is required for intermediate sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static spaced holes with a dynamic continuous adjustment mechanism featuring a threaded retainer that can be rotated to any position along the belt, enabling continuous size adjustment rather than discrete positions. The threaded retainer engages with a threaded hole, allowing the belt loop size to be precisely adjusted to any desired dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the adjustment parameter from discrete hole positions to continuous threaded engagement positions. By using a threaded retainer system, the belt loop size can be adjusted incrementally to any precise measurement, transforming the adjustment mechanism from categorical (discrete holes) to continuous (threaded positions).
2Adaptability or versatility
If flexible adjustment systems are used to increase belt loop size options, then more waist sizes can be accommodated, but the aesthetic appeal and fashionability are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle integrates multiple functions: it serves as both a functional fastening device with continuous adjustment capability and an aesthetic accessory. The threaded retainer system provides flexible waist size accommodation while the buckle's design maintains fashionability, eliminating the need to choose between functionality and aesthetics.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous adjustment mechanism is integrated into the buckle structure in a way that maintains aesthetic appeal. The threaded retainer and adjustment mechanism are positioned and designed to be either concealed or presented as a deliberate design feature, allowing the buckle to maintain its visual appeal while providing flexible adjustment.
3Ease of operation
If a thin profile buckle is used to fit comfortably over pants buttons, then comfort is improved, but structural stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The buckle appears to use materials or construction methods that provide high strength-to-thickness ratio, allowing a thin profile that fits comfortably over pants buttons while maintaining structural stability. The threaded retainer system provides mechanical strength through threaded engagement, ensuring the thin buckle body remains stable and secure.
4Reliability
If threaded retainers are used to secure buckle portions, then security and stability are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces simple mechanical fastening methods (such as pins or rivets) with a threaded engagement system. The threaded retainer engages with a threaded hole, providing enhanced security and stability through threaded mechanical engagement, which offers greater resistance to loosening and superior holding strength compared to simple mechanical fasteners.
Data Source
AI summary
Clothing belt adjustment systems are configured for wearing around a user's body such as around the waist. The belt adjustment system includes a belt and a buckle wherein the belt can be looped and secured to the buckle to secure the belt around a user's waist or other portion of the body. The buckle has a body with a thin side profile that is not overly bulky such that it can comfortably fit over the button region of a wearer's pants. The buckle advantageously includes one or more threaded retainer members, such as threaded screws, that secure one portion of the buckle to another portion of the buckle.