GB2138879A - Buckle - Google Patents

Abstract

A buckle comprising separable co-operating female 40 and male members 2 each of which includes a pair of opposed resilient arms, 70,72:12,14, the arms of each pair being movable towards and away from each other, the arms 12,14 on the male member 2 being engageable with shoulders 88 on the female member 40 to couple the two members together, the arms 70,72 on the female member being movable inwardly relative to each other so as to cause inward movement of the arms 12,14 on the male member to uncouple the male and female members. The arms extend in the same general direction in the coupled condition of the two members. The male member 2 has integral resilient arms 24,26 which in the secured position bear against the end wall of the female member to bias the members apart on release. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Buckle This invention relates to a buckle, and particularly to a buckle for releasably connecting together two ends of webbing as in the form of a belt or any other quick release strapping mechanism.

The buckle of the present invention comprises two members which are releasably coulable together so as to secure the two ends of a single belt, web, strap or ends of two such belts, webs or straps to be connected. A buckle according to the invention may find application for connecting together the straps or belts of a rucksack, life-jacket or other article where it is required to releasably secure the belts or straps, or belt ends or strap ends together.

There have been many proposals for such buckles, and whilst the buckles of the prior art have enjoyed general acceptance, they suffer one or more disadvantages. For example, in the buckle according to United States Patent No. 4,1 50,464, it is necessary to manually push inwardly towards one another a pair of resilient arms on one of the members so as to release a pair of locking tab means on said arms from corresponding through slots in the other of said members, thereby enabling the said other of said members to disengage itself from said one of said members. However, before said other of said members can disengage, it is necessary to release the manual pressure, with the result that it is often found to be awkard to separate the two co-pending members.

The present invention therefore seeks to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art buckle and other buckles, by providing a buckle of improved design which is simple and easy to operate.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides a buckle comprising separable co-operating receptacle and clasp members each of which includes a pair of opposed resilient arms, the arms of each pair of arms being movable towards and away from each other, the arms on said clasp member being receivable in said receptacle member and engageable with means of said receptacle member to couple the two members together, the arms on said receptacle member being movable inwardly relative to each other so as to cause inward movement of the arms on said clasp member to uncouple the clasp member from the receptacle member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a buckle comprising separable co-operating receptacle and clasp members, said receptacle member including a generally flat tubular body having side walls and top and bottom walls, an opening at one end of said receptacle member for receiving said clasp member, a pair of through slots formed in opposed facing relationship in said tubular member, a pair of opposed locking shoulders adjacent said through slots, and a pair of opposed resilient releasement arms extending towards said opening and being movable towards and away from each other, said clasp member including a base member and a pair of guide members extending outwardly therefrom, each of said guide members including a resilient locking arm which extends towards said base member, the dimension between the free ends of said resilient locking arms being greater than the dimension between the opposed through slots in said receptacle member such that the locking arms are moved towards one another during insertion of said guide members into said receptacle member and spring apart such that the said free ends pass through said through slots and engage said opposed locking shoulders to couple the clasp member to the receptacle member, said resilient locking arms being moved inwardly towards one another to disengage said free ends from said locking shoulders so as to uncouple the clasp member from the recepta cle member, by relative inward movement of said resilient releasement arms.

Preferably, said through slots will be formed in the top and bottom walls of the tubular receptacle member, and the dimension of said top and bottom walls will be much less than the dimension of said side walls.

The resilient releasement arms and the resilient locking arms will preferably extend in the same general direction when the two members are coupled together.

Said guide members of said clasp member will preferably carry integral spring portions which will be stressed when the receptacle member and the clasp member are coupled together, the stored energy in said stressed spring portions being dissipated when said free ends of said locking arms disengage said shoulders so as to urger the clasp member away from said receptacle member.

Said receptacle member will preferably include an end wall in opposed relationship to said opening, the spring portions of said guide members engaging said end wall when the clasp member and the receptacle member are coupled together. Said receptacle member will preferably include inwardly extending ribs to act as guide rails for the guide members of said clasp member.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a clasp member forming a part of the buckle according to the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional plan view on line ll-ll in Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of a receptacle member forming the other part of a buckle according to the invention; Figure 4 is a sectional plan view on line IV-IV in Fig. 3; Figure 5 is an end elevation in the direction of Arrow A in Fig. 3; Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly cut away, of the members of Figs. 1 and 3 in coupled relationship; and Figure 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 and illustrating the uncoupling of said members.

Referring to the drawings, and firstly to Figs. 1 and 2, a clasp member, indicated generally by reference numeral 2, comprises a base portion 4 and two outwardly extending guide members 6 and 8 which are formed integrally with the base portion and which are connected by what might generally be termed a web 10. Each guide member 6 and 8 is formed as a hollow structure, and each guide member includes a resilient locking arm 1 2 and 14 respectively, the ends of these arms being notched or recessed at 1 2A and 1 4A respectively. As will be seen from Fig. 1 the arms 1 2 and 14 flare outwardly with respect to the longitudinal centre line of the clasp member.

The locking arans 1 2 and 14 are movable in their planes firstly about points 1 6 and 18, and then about elbows 20 and 22 when said elbows come into contact with their respective guide members after pivotting about points 16 and 18.

The end of each guide member 6 and 8 carries an integral spring portion 24 and 26 respectively, which assist in the release of the clasp member from the receptacle member as will be hereinafter explained.

The base portion 4 of the clasp member includes a first cross-bar 30 which is located off centre and towards one side of the clasp member, and a second, shaped cross-bar 32 which extends inwardly from the extremity of the clasp member 2, the cross-bars 30 and 32 together defining a slot 64 through which an end 34 of a belt 36 may be threaded after being passed around the cross-bar 30 as illustrated in Fig. 2. These cross-bars 30 and 32 act together to lock the belt 36 to the clasp member 4 - whilst enabling adjustment of the belt relative to the clasp member - with the belt 36 and clasp member 4 in the positions shown in Fig. 2, whilst movement of the clasp member in the direction of arrow 38 relative to the belt 36 enables the end 34 of belt 36 to move towards the clasp member and hence slacken the belt.Thus there is provided a quick release arrangement between clasp member and belt.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 5, a receptacle member indicated generally by reference numeral 40 is generally tubular and comprises side walls 42 and 44, top and bottom walls 46 and 48 respectively, an end wall 50, and an opening 52 opposite the end wall 50 and leading to the interior of the tubular member 40. Extending rearwardly of the member 40 are wings 54 and 56 between which extends a cross-bar 58 which is located on the centre line of the member and which, together with the rear surface of the end wall 50, defines a slot 60. Through this slot may be threaded an end 62 of a belt 64, said end being secured, as for example by stitching or other means, to the belt itself in order to secure the member 40 to the said belt.

Extending inwardly of the interior of the receptacle member 40 are opposed pairs 66 and 68 of ribs which serve as guide rails for the guide members 6 and 8 of the clasp member 4.

Extending forwardly from the wings 54 and 56, and towards the opening 52, are opposed resilient releasement arms 70 and 72 which overlie the top and bottom walls respectively and which are movable about points 74 and 76 respectively so that said arms may move towards one another and relative to the remainder of the receptacle member. Each of the releasement arms 70 and 72 has a ribbed or otherwise uneven surface 78.

In the top and bottom walls 46 and 48 there are formed through slots 80 and 82, and the opening 52 is bounded at its top and bottom by flanges 84 and 86 having shoulders 88 and 90 respectively, these shoulders defining one end of each of the through slots 80 and 82.

The clasp member 2 and the receptacle member 40 are composed of a synthetic plastics material such as ACETAL or NYLON 66.

Reference now to Fig. 6 will show that when the clasp member 4 and the receptacle member 40 are in their coupled condition, the guide members 6 and 8 of the clasp member 4 are located in the pockets 92 and 94 (Fig.

5) and bear against the ribs 66 and 68. In addition, the spring portions 24 and 26 on the ends of the guide members 4 and 6 will have moved inwardly towards one another by contact with the end wall 50 of the receptacle member such that the said spring portions are put in a stressed condition.

In this position of the clasp member, the notched or recessed free ends 1 2A and 1 4A of the locking arms 12 and 14 extend through the slots 80 and 82 and are in engagement with the shoulders88 and 90 of the flanges 84 and 86 such that the clasp member 4 will be secured in and coupled to the receptacle member 40.It will be appreciated that during insertion of the guide members 4 and 6 into the receptacle member 40, the locking arms 1 2 and 14 - due to the dimension between the free ends thereof being greater than the dimension between the top and bottom walls of the receptacle member - will have been flexed inwardly then sprung outwardly through the slots 80 and 82 to enable the recessed or notched ends 12A, 1 4A of the locking arms 12 and 14 to engage behind the shoulders 88 and 90.

To release the coupling between the clasp member 2 and the receptacle member 40, inward pressure applied in the direction of arrows 96 and 98(Fig. 7) to the ribbed surfaces 78 of the releasement arms 70 and 72 will cause flexure of the said arms about their respective pivot points 74 and 76 such that the arms make contact with the outer surfaces of the locking arms 1 2 and 14.

Further inward pressure will cause the locking arms 12 and 14 to flex about their pivot points and to move inwardly towards each other and through the slots 80 and 82 such that the notched or recessed ends of the locking arms disengage the shoulders 88 and 90. The clasp member 2 may then be removed from the receptacle member 40, this removal being aided by the dissipation of the energy stored in the stressed spring portions 24 and 26 of the guide members 4 and 6.

It will be appreciated that whilst a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated, modifications may be made and will readily present themselves to those skilled in the art. For example, the quick release mechanism on the clasp member may be applied instead to the receptacle member, or indeed both members may be provided with the quick release mechanism. In addition, although not as convenient, the spring portions on the guide members of the clasp member may be replaced by similar means on the inside surface of the end wall of the receptacle member. If desired, other means may be provided to urge the clasp member and the receptacle member to an uncoupled condition.

Claims (11)

1. A buckle comprising separable co-operating receptacle and clasp members each of which includes a pair of opposed resilient arms, the arms of each pair of arms being movable towards and away from each other, the arms on said clasp member being receivable in said receptacle member and engageable with means of said receptacle member to couple the two members together, the arms on said receptacle member being movable inwardly relative to each other so as to cause inward movement of the arms on said clasp member to uncouple the clasp member from the receptacle member.

2. A buckle comprising separable co-operating receptacle and clasp members, said receptacle member including a generally flat tubular body having side walls and top and bottom walls, an opening at one end of said receptacle member for receiving said clasp member, a pair of through slots formed in opposed facing relationship in said tubular member, a pair of opposed locking shoulders adjacent said through slots, and a pair of opposed resilient releasement arms extending towards said opening and being movable towards and away from each other, said clasp member including a base member and a pair of guide members extending outwardly therefrom, each ofsaid guide members including a resilient locking arm which extends towards said base member, the dimension between the free ends of said resilient locking arms being greater than the dimension between the opposed through slots in said receptacle member such that the locking arms are moved towards one another during insertion of said guide members into said receptacle member and spring apart such that said free ends pass through said through slots and engage said opposed locking shoulders to couple the clasp member to the receptacle member, said resilient locking arms being moved inwardly towards one another to disengage said free ends from said locking shoulders so as to uncouple the clasp member from the receptacle member, by relative inward movement of said resilient releasement arms.

3. A buckle according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said arms extend in the same general direction in the coupled condition of the buckle.

4. A buckle according to Claim 2, wherein said through slots are formed in the top and bottom walls of the receptacle member.

5. A buckle according to Claim 4, wherein the dimension of the top and bottom walls is less than the dimension of the side walls of said receptacle member.

6. A buckle according to Claim 2, wherein the guide members of said clasp member carry integral spring portions which are stressed when the receptacle member and the clasp member are coupled together and which bias the clasp member and the receptacle member towards an uncoupling condition.

7. A buckle according to Claim 6, wherein said receptacle member includes an end wall in opposed relationship to the opening of said receptacle member, the spring portions of said guide means engaging said end wall to stress said spring portions when the clasp member and the receptacle member are coupled together.

8. A buckle according to any of the preceding Claims, wherein the receptacle member includes inwardly extending ribs to act as guide rails for the guide members of the clasp member.

9. A buckle according to any of Claims 1 to 9, wherein said clasp member and said receptacle member each include means to enable a belt, strap or the like to be attached thereto.

10. A buckle according to Claim 9, wherein at least one of said means constitutes a quick release mechanism for said belt, strap or the like.

11. A buckle substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.