AU662189B2

AU662189B2 - Keeper clip

Info

Publication number: AU662189B2
Application number: AU30247/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter Schaede
Original assignee: WA Deutsher Pty Ltd
Current assignee: WA Deutsher Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1991-12-20
Filing date: 1992-12-18
Publication date: 1995-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2012-12-18
Also published as: AU3024792A

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Application Number: Lodged: Class Int. Class Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: 4 51 *t*S 'ft Ofr APPLICANT'S REF: COMPLETE-ASSOCIATED- WITH-PROVISIONAL PL 0105 Applicant(s): W.A. DEUTSHER PTY. LTD., 600 SOUTH ROAD, MOORABBIN, VICTORIA 3189,

AUSTRALIA

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I I Actual Inventor(s): PETER SCHAEDE Address for Service is: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "KEEPER CLIP" Our Ref: IRN 119403 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): 1

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KEEPER CLIP This invention relates to keeper clips of the kind used to attach an item to a belt or strap. By way of example, such clips are used by members of the armed forces to attach pouches, packs and equipment to webbing belts. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with particular reference to that example, use, but the invention has wider application.

Keeper clips of the foregoing kind are typically made of steel and are in the form of an elongate closed loop having two flat sides which are separated by a distance sufficient to receive at least one thickness of a belt or strap between them. End portions of the section of material which forms the loop overlap at one of the flat sides to provide a gate through which the belt or strap may be moved laterally into and out of the clip.

For the purpose of such attachment or detachment, the overlapping end portions of the clip need to be forced apart to permit passage of the belt or strap.

Furthermore, it is necessary to crumple the belt or strap transversely in order to get the belt or strap completely through the gate during the attachment operation. The same process is necessary in order to get the strap or belt into the gate for a detachment operation. Attachment 4 25 and detachment of such a clip is therefore an inconvenient and time consuming operation.

Another problem with metal keeper clips is that they are quite heavy, and consequently they can add S°significantly to the weight of the equipment carried by a member of the armed forces. They are also relatively expensive to manufacture. In addition, the use of metal keeper clips on equipment worn by members of the armed forces presents a danger because such clips are radar reflective.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a keeper clip which is convenient to use and which is secure in operation. It is a further object of the invention, in a preferred form, to provide such a keeper 39 clip which is of relatively light weight, is relatively 2 inexpensive and is not radar reflective. It is another object of the invention to provide such a keeper clip which requires deliberate manipulation in order to be opened to receive a belt or strap, and which can be thereafter closed to be positively secured against lateral separation from the belt or strap.

According to the invention, there is provided a keeper clip for attachment to a belt or strap including, two arms, means connecting one end portion of each said arm to the corresponding end portion of the other said arm, a gate which is opened or closed by relative movement of the other end portions of said arms, and releasable locking means operable to hold said gate closed, wherein said clip forms a closed loop when said gate is closed, and a section of belt or strap can be moved into or out of the space surrounded by that loop when said gate is open.

It is preferred that the clip has a resilient bias such that the gate opens automatically in response to release of the locking means. It is therefore not necessary to force the belt or strap through the gate as in the case of prior got 'clips.

The clip is ideally made of a material which is of relatively light weight and which is not radar reflective. Preferably, the clip is made of a strong yet flexible plastics material, and it may be moulded or otherwise formed from such a material. It is further preferred to form the clip as a single piece.

In one particular arrangement, the two arms form respective opposite ,flat sides of the clip, and the gate is opened by moving the arms apart in the location of the gate. That is, the separation between the arms is increased at that location. It is a feature of the invention that engagement and release of 25 the locking means also involves relative movement of the two arms, and that such movement is in a direction substantially transverse to the direction of movement which causes the gate to open or close.

According to a preferred arrangement, operation of the locking means involves two stages. During a first A stage the two arms are held against separation so that the gate is effectively closed, but the arms are nevertheless capable of relative movement in the aforementioned transverse direction. During the second stage the locking means operates to secure the two arms against relative movement in that transverse direction. Thus, in the fully engaged condition of the locking means, the gate is held closed and relative movement of the two arms is substantially prevented.

It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention in greater detail by reference to the accompanying drawings which show one particular embodiment of the invention. The particularity of those drawings is not to be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clip according to one embodiment of the invention and which shows the clip in a gate open condition.

Figure 2 is an end view of the clip as shown in Figure i.

o°Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing ~the arms of the clip twisted and moved towards one another at one end so as to effect a gate closed condition.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing 25 the clip in a gate closed condition and the arms being 0. 4 moved towards a gate locked condition.

Figure 5 shows the clip in the gate closed and iked position.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line S 30 VI-VI of Figure Ce,,Figure 7 is an end view of the clip in the condition as shown in Figure Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 4 and showing the clip being moved towards a condition at which the gate can be opened.

The clip as shown in the drawings is formed as a single piece, preferably from a plastics material, and includes two elongate arms 1 and 2 which are connected at 39 one end through a curved bight portion 3. In the 4 c r particular arrangement shown, each of the arms 1 and 2 is in the form of a flat strip or bar of substantially constant thickness, and the bight portion is of slightly reduced thickness so as to have greater flexibility than the arms 1 and 2. It is preferred that the bight portion 3 is stressed as a consequence of moving the arms 1 and 2 from the gate open position of Figure 1 to the gate closed position of Figure 5. The developed stress is such that the bight portion 3 acts in the manner of a spring so as to normally urge the arms 1 and 2 into the gate open position. In the as-moulded condition of the clip, the arms 1 and 2 may have a relative arrangement substantially as shown in Figure 1.

The gate 4 is shown formed between the end portions 5 and 6 of the arms 1 and 2 remote from the bight portion 3, but it could be otherwise located. For example, it could be located part way along the length of either one of the arms 1 and 2.

Any suitable locking means may be adopted for holding the clip in the gate closed position as shown in Figure 5. In that position, the clip forms a closed loop which surrounds a space 7 having dimensions such as to receive a section of a belt or strap of the kind with which the clip is to be used.

In the particular embodiment shown, the locking means includes two interengageable parts 8 and 9 which cooperate to positively hold the arm end portions 5 and 6 against moving apart to adopt the gate open position. It is a feature of the two parts 8 and 9 that they are S 30 relatively arranged so that disengagement requires relative movement of the arm end portions 5 and 6 in a direction transverse to the direction of relative movement Swhich is needed to open the gate 4.

The parts 8 and 9 of the particular locking means shown constitute female and male parts respectively. The male part 9 comprises a slide plate 10 which is connected to the arm 2 through a web 11 extending transverse of the arm 2. The plate 10 and the i tb 11 are relatively 39 arranged so that they coinbine to form a substantially T 5 shape rib, but such a configuration is not essential to performance of the locking means. In the arrangement shown, the rib formed by the plate 10 and the web 11 has its longitudinal axis arranged substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the arm 2. The female part 8 of the embodiment shown comprises a block 12 having a recess in the form of a slot 13 which has a cross-sectional shape substantially complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the rib which forms the male part 9. The arrangement 1 is such that the rib 9 can be slid longitudinally into and out of the slot 13.

Figure 4 shows the rib 9 being moved into the slot 13. In order to reach the Figure 4 condition, it is first necessary to arrange the rib 9 in end to end longitudinal alignment with the slot 1,3. That is achieved by moving the arm end portions 5 and 6 towards one another, and also forcing those end portions 5 and 6 out of alignment as shown in Figure 3 so that the rib 9 can be located over the surface 14 of the block 12. The bight portion 3 S 20 flexibly distorts to permit the mall part 9 to be so located. The internal stress created by that distortion then produces a spring effect which assists movement of the rib 9 along the groove 13 towards the position shown in Figure Stop or blocking means is preferably provided to prevent the rib 9 being moved through the slot 13 beyond the lock engaged position as shown in Figure 3. In the construction shown, that stop means is formed by a wall 3 (Figure 6) which extends across the end of the slot 13 130 remote from its open mouth, which is at the surfae 14.

As shown in Figure 6, the rib 9 engages against the wall "15 to prevent further movement of the rib 9 in the °direction of arrow A relative to the female part 8. In order to release the locking means, the rib 9 needs to be moved relative to the female part 8 in the direction of arrow B (Figure 4).

It is preferred that detent means is provided to positively prevent separation of the male and female parts 39 9 and 8. That detent means may be formed by cooperable 6 L i- 1- I -s ratchet elements 16 and 17 provided on the arms 1 and 2 respectively. In the construction shown, each of the elements 16 and 17 has a sloping ramp surface 18 and an abrupt stop surface 19. The element 17 is preferably provided on an extension 20 of the arm 2 which is able to flex relative to the main body of the arm 2.

The ramp surfaces 18 engage with one another during movement of the arms 1 and 2 into the lock engaged position. Continued relative movement of the arms 1 and 2 into that position is made possible by the extension flexing so that the two elements 16 and 17 can ride over one another. when the element 17 is moved beyond the element 16 in a direction towards the wall 15, the extension 20 springs back towards the unflexed condition and thereby brings the two stop faces 19 into opposed relationship as shown in Figure 7. Longitudinal movement of the rib 9 out of the groove 13 in the direction of arrow B is thereby prevented.

S' Release of the locking means is effected by flexing S 20 the arm extension 20 as shown in Figure 8 so that the element 17 is moved clear of the element 1C. Movement of the rib 9 in the direction of arrow B is then permitted.

The arm extension 20 will automatically return to the unflexed position when the force causing it to flex is removed.

i Flexing of the arm extension 20 may be facilitated by forming a transverse groove 21 at or near the junction between the extension 20 and the main body of the arm 2.

It will be apparent that a suitable line of weakness could be created in other ways to achieve the same effect.

IU With the arrangement desc, ibed, the locking means is operated in two stages. During a first stage, as shown in Figure 4, the rib 9 is partially located within the slot 13. Because of that partial location, the gate 4 cannot be opened, but the lucking means is not finally secured because it remains possible to move the rib 9 out of the slot 13 and thereby permit the gate 4 to be opened.

The second stage is completed when the ratchet 39 elements 16 and 17 ride over one another to adopt the -7-

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condition shown in Figures 5 and 7, and that occurs as the rib 9 is fully contained, or is substantially fully contained, within the slot 13. Progression through the second stage requires resilient deformation of one part of the locking means, which iin the embodiment particularly described involves deflection of the arm extension 20 as shown in Figure 8. The same kind of deflection or resilient deformation is required to release the second stage of the locking means such that the rib 9 can be move5 out of the slot 13.

A clip as described has the advantage of convenient attachment to, and detachment from, a belt or strap.

Furthermore, when in the lock engaged position, the clip is securely fastened around a belt or strap such that inadvertent detachment is unlikely. It is a further advantage of the invention to be able to form the clip as a single piece member from a plastics material.

Various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

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Claims

1. A keeper clip for attachment to a belt or strap including, two elongate arms, means connecting one end portion of each said arm to the corresponding end portion of the other said arm, a gate which is opened or closed by relative movement of the other end portions of said arms in a first direction, and releasable locking means operable to hold said gate closed, and including ;ooperable parts, each of which is provided at the other end portion of a respective one of said arms, said locking means being rendered operable or inoperable by relative movement of said other end portions in a direction which is transverse to said first direction and is also transverse to the longitudinal direction of each said arm, wherein said clip forms a closed loop when said gate is closed, and a section of belt or strap can be moved into 'r out of the space surrounded by that loop when said gate is open.

2. A keeper clip according to claim 1, wherein said clip is formed as a single piece and is formed of a plastics material.

3. A keeper clip according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said parts are engageable to render said locking means operable, and at least one of said o:parts is resiliently deformable to permit release of said locking means and ee c conseal ent adoption of said gate open condition. *o

4. A keeper clip according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said parts resiliently deforms during engagement of said parts.

A keeper clip according to any preceding claim, wherein one of said parts includ-,. recc.ss, the other said part includes a keying element which is receivable in said recess, and detent means is operable to prevent removal of 25 said keying element from said recess. 0 0.

6, A keeper clip according to claim 5, wherein said other part is resiliently deformable to render said detent means inoperable to prevent said removal of the keying element.

7. A keeper clip according to claim 5 or 6, wherein blocking means operates to limit movement of said keying element into said recess to movement in one said transverse direction, and to limit movement of said keying element out of said recess to movement in a direction opposite to said -9- i~I one said transverse dire-tion.

8. A keeper clip according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said keying element is a rib of substantially T shape in transverse cross-section having its longitudinal axis extending substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the arm to which it is connected, said recess is a slot having a transverse cross-sectional shape substantially complimentary to that of said rib, and the arrangement is such that location of said rib in said slot positively resists relative movement of said other end portions of the arms in any direction other than a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rib.

9. A keeper clip according to claim 8, wherein said detent means includes two cooperable ratchet elements each of which is connected to a respective one of said arms and which are arranged to engage when said rib is fully contained or substantially fully contained within said slot.

A keeper clip according to claim 9, wherein said other part includes a longitudinal extension of the said arm to which that part is connected, one of said ratchet elements is provided on said longitudinal extension and said extension is movable about a line of weakness so as to thereby disengage said 1 ratchet elements.

11, A keeper clip according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein said slot is 14 4 open at one end to receive said rib and is at least partially closed at the other k:,4end by an end wall which prevents movement of said rib into or out of said other end.

S12. A keeper clip according to any preceding claim, wherein said locking means is rendered operable in two stages, and opening of said gate is 25 prevented when said locking means is at either a first said stage of operation or at a second said stage of operation.

13. A keeper clip according to claim 12, wherein said two parts engage one another during said first stage, and such engagement is achieved or broken by relative movement of said other end portions in said transverse direction.

14. A keeper clip according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the extent of said engagement between said parts increases as said locking means is moved towards said second stage, and said detent means is rendered operative c I during said second stage.

A keeper clip according to any preceding claim, wherein said connecting means is a curved bight portion.

16. A keeper clip according to claim 15, wherein said bight portion is pre- stressed so as to tend to cause said gate to open when said locking means is released.

17. A single piece keeper clip for attachment to a belt or strap and formed of a plastics material, including two elongate arms, mneans connecting one end portion of each said arm to the corresponding end portion of the other said arm and which is flexible to permit relative movement of the other end portions of said arms, a gate which is opened or closed by said relative movement in a first direction, and releasable locking means operable to hold said gate closed, said locking means including two interengageable parts and at least one of {j said parts is resiliently deformable to permit disengagement of said parts so that said locking means is rendered inoperable, wherein said clip forms a closed loop when said gate is closed and a section of belt or strap can be moved into or out of the space surrounded by that loop when said gate is open, and engagement and disengagement of said parts is effected by moving said other end portions in a direction which is substantially transverse to said first direction and is also substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of each said arm.

18. A keeper clip substantially as herein particularly des.cribed with reference to what is shown in the accompanying drawings. DATED: 11 May, 1995 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: W.A. DEUITSHER PTY, LTD. 11 i ABSTRACT A keeper clip for attachment to a belt or strap which is formed as a single piece from a plastics material. The clip includes a pair of arms which are connected at one end through a flexible bight portion and are connectable at their other end through a releasable locking means. When the locking means is operative, the clip is in the form of a closed loop and a section of belt or strap is receivable in the space surrounded by that loop. When the locking means is released, a gate can be opened so that a section of belt or strap can be moved into or out of the aforementioned space. The locking means is operated or released by relative movement of end portions of the clip aiils in a direction which is substantially transverse to the direction of relative movement of those end portions during opening or closing of the gate. S ai, 39 ,i I