GB2213523A

GB2213523A - Strap connector

Info

Publication number: GB2213523A
Application number: GB8828860A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Joe E Connor; Bernard Sams
Original assignee: C Z SCIENT INSTR Ltd
Current assignee: C Z SCIENT INSTR Ltd
Priority date: 1987-12-09
Filing date: 1988-12-09
Publication date: 1989-08-16
Also published as: GB8828860D0; GB8728814D0

Abstract

A camera strap arrangement has a shoulder strap (12) of fixed length engaged between a pair of fittings (14). Further short straps (21) are looped around these fittings (14) in a manner to permit adjustment of the overall length of the combined strap (12, 21). The short straps (21) terminate in connectors (10) which have open hooks (33) for engaging with a camera fitting (47, 46) either directly or via a ring (48). A keep member (34) is pivotably mounted to the connectors (10) to retain the hooks (33) in place or to permit their release. Soft flexible pads (43) can overlap, the hooks (33) to protect the camera. <IMAGE>

Description

STRAP CONNECTOR The present invention relates to a strap arrangement and to a strap connector for use in such an arrangement. The strap connector is particularly useful with a strap for a camera and in particular, for connecting the strap to the camera itself.

Different cameras have different types of connection to a strap; for example, in older type cameras a small ring is used, and in more recent cameras, a bar is used.

Normally, however, a ring or hook on the shoulder strap is connected with the ring or bar on the camera. It is desirable that such a connector should be secure, and it should be clearly visible that the connector is secure.

It is also desirable that the connector should be connectable to different types of connector on the camera.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided connector means for connecting a strap to an article such as a camera; said connector means comprising a pair of body members fixed together to entrap a strap and a hook member, the strap and hook member extending outwards from the body members in different directions, the hook member being detachably engageable with a fitting on the article and a keep member displaceably mounted to one of the body members and movable to positions to close the hook member when engaged with the fitting or to open the hook member to free the hook member and permit its release from the fitting.

Conveniently the body members are made from plastics material and are welded together , e.g. ultrasonically, to permanently fix the strap therebetween. To provide a secure fixture the body members can have projections which engage in slots or openings in the strap.

The keep member is preferably pivotably mounted and extends transversely of the connector means when the hook member is opened.

Where the keep member is pivotal into and out of the position in which it closes the hook member, it will be readily apparent when the hook member is opened because the keep member will be pivoted out of position and this will be visible.

Locking means may be provided to retain the keep member in the position in which it closes the hook member. This locking means may comprise a projection and recess say, a stud and socket. In a preferred arrangement the stud is mounted on one of the body members and the socket on the keep member, although they may be arranged so that the stud is on the keep member and the socket is on one of the body members.

Although the hook member may be separate, in which case it may be of metal whereas the body members may be of plastics material, the hook member may in certain circumstances form part of one of the body members.

The hook member may be of a form so as to directly engage with a bar type connector of a camera, or may alternatively mount a ring so as to interconnect the hook with a ring type connector means on a camera.

According to a further aspect the invention comprises a camera strap arrangement, comprising a plurality of connector means as set out in the above paragraphs. In this case the strap of each connector means is looped around a further fitting and can be adjusted in length.

A further main shoulder strap then extends between the further fittings. The main strap is preferably not adjustable for length.

Each connector means may include protector means in the form of a pad or strip of flexible material. This protector means can be mounted to the pivot of the keep member and, includes a hole through which the connector or fixing of the camera passes, whereby the protector means, in use, protects the camera from the hook member.

A preferred embodiment of the connector means according to the invention and a camera strap arrangement incorporating said connector means will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a connector means according to a preferred aspect of the invention, Figure 2 is a longtitudinal (vertical) section through the connector means of Figure 1, Figure 3 is a diagramatic perspective view of the connector means with a keep member in a first position whereby the connector means may be connected to a bar type connector of a camera, Figure 4 shows a perspective view from the opposite side of the connector means attached to the camera;; Figure 5 shows a view similar to Figure 3 but with an optional protector means attached to the connector means, Figure 6 shows a view similar to Figure 4 of the connector means connected to a ring type connector of a camera.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a front view of a connector means 10 forming one end of a camera strap arrangement 11. The bulk of the length of the camera strap 11 is formed by means of a main shoulder strap 12 such as webbing, the length of which is not adjustable.

The webbing strap 12 is clamped between two body members 13 of a fitting 14. The body members 13 may be of plastics material which are ultrasonically welded together to form the fitting 14. As shown in Figure 2, the fitting 14 includes three bars 16, 17, 18 extending between two fingers 19, 20. A narrow strap 21 is looped around the bars 16, 17, 18 in conventional manner. One free end 22 of the strap 21 is clamped between two body members 23 and 24 of a slider 26, with the other end of the strap 21 passing freely through a slot 27 in one of the body members 23. The other free end of the strap 21 is mounted to the connector means 10.

The connector means 10 comprises two body members 28 and 29 of plastics material which may be ultrasonically welded together, the body members 28, 29 having confronting surfaces 31, 32 between which the other free end 25 of the strap21 is trapped and clamped. A hook member 33 in the formof a bent metal component is also clamped between the body members 28, 29. Thus to manufacture the connector means 10, the free end 25 of the strap 21 and the hook member 33 are placed in position between the two body members 28, 29 and the body members 28, 29 are then ultrasonically welded together to clamp permanently the hook member 33 and the free end 25 of the strap 21 to the connector means 10.As is clear from Figure 2, the end of the strap 21 which is to be clamped between the body members 28 and 29 includes slots through which engaging projections or portions 51, 52 and 53, 54 of the two body members 28, 29 pass to firmly retain the strap 21.

The stud 36 of the keep member 34 also includes a blind bore 41 to which may be mounted by means of a stud 42 a protector means 43 which may be of a soft plastics material. The shape of the protector means 43 can be seen from Figure 5. The protector means extends generally downwards from the stud 42 towards the camera 44.

The camera strap arrangement is used as follows. Assume that the connector means 10 is to be connected to a bar type connector 46 on the camera 44. The keep member 34 is first pivoted, as shown in Figure 3, so that its lower end 35 is away from the hook member 33 and the hook member is therefore, open and is engaged with the bar of the bar type connector 46. The keep member 34 is then swung to its vertical orientation, that is, the lower end of the keep member 34 is at least in near engagement with the open side of the hook member 33 so as to close the hook member 33. The stud 39 is engaged with the blind bore 48 to retain the keep member 34 in this position. The camera is then securely attached to the connector means 10 as can be readily checked by checking the position of the keep member 34. The connector means 10 properly connected with the bar of the bar type connector 46 is shown in Figure 4.

The length of the strap can be adjusted by sliding the slider 26 up or down and passing the relevant parts of the strap 21 over the bars 16-18.

The body member 29 has a cylindrical bore 37, slightly narrower at its outer end than at its inner end. A keep member 34 in the form of a strip of plastics material which is substantially rigid has a hollow stud 36 shaped so as to enter the cylindrical bore 37.The stud 36 and the cylindrical bore 37 provide a pivot joint about which the keep member 34 may pivot. The shape of the keep member 34 is such that when it is in a position generally parallel to the length of the connector means 10, the lower end of the keep member 34 closes the open side of the hook member 33.

Figure 3 shows cameras 44 with different types of bar type fittings. As is clear from Figure 3, the lower end of the keep member 34 includes a closure portion 45, extending out of the plane of the remainder of the keep member 34 inwardly towards the body member 28. The closure member 45 has a cylindrical surface based on the axis of the pivot, and arranged so that when the keep member 34 is in a position to close the hook member 33, the closure member 45 has closely adjacent the open end of the hook member 33 substantially to close the hook member 33. The keep member 34 also includes a further blind bore 38 which, when the keep member 34 is in a position generally parallel to the connector means 10 and closing the hook member 33, engages with a stud 39 extending from the body member 29.

As shown in Figure 6, where it is desired to attach the connector means 10 to a ring type connector 47 of a camera 44, then a triangular (or 'D' shaped) ring 48 is mounted onto the hook member 33. The hook member 33 is closed by the keep member 34 and the triangular ring 48 is connected with the ring type connector 47 in the usual way. The triangular ring is normally a split ring.

To prevent damage to the camera from the connection of the hook member 33 with adjacent parts of the camera, the protector means 43 is mounted by means of a stud 42 in the blind bore 41 (Figures 3 and 5). This protector means 43 is connected to the connector means 10 before the hook member 33 is connected. Such an arrangement is illustrated in Figure 5 which shows the connector means ready to connect to a camera. In this case it can be seen that a suitable slot 50 is cut into the protector means 43 to pass over the ring of the ring type connector 47 of the camera.

Claims

1. Connector means for connecting a strap to an article, such as a camera; said connector means comprising a pair of body members fixed together to entrap a strap and a hook member the strap and hook member extending outwards from the body members in different directions, the hook member being detachably engageable with a fitting on the article and a keep member displaceably mounted to one of the body members and movable to positions to close the hook member when engaged with the fitting or to open the hook member to free the hook member and permit its release from the fitting.

2. Connector means according to claim 1 wherein the body members are made for plastics material and are welded together.

3. Connector means according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the body members have projections on their adjacent faces which engage through one or more openings in the strap.

4. Connection means according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the keep member is pivotably mounted to said one body member and can be pivoted to a position generally aligned with the strap to overlap the hook member to close the latter or to a position generally transverse to the body members and the strap to open the hook member.

5. Connector means according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and further comprising a locking device for releasably retaining the keep member in the position in which the hook member is closed.

6. Connector means according to claim 5, wherein the locking device takes the form of an interengageable projection and recess on the keep member and said one body member.

7. Connector means according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a protector strip is provided which overlaps the hook member to protect the article.

8. Connector means according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the hook member is formed separately and is also entrapped between the body member.

9. A camera strap arrangement employlng several connector means according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. A camera strap arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the strap of each connector means is looped around a further fitting and can be adjusted in length and a further shoulder strap of fixed length is fitted between the further fittings.

11. A camera strap arrangement according to claim 10, wherein each further fitting is composed of further body members fixed together to entrap the further strap there between the further body members having bars around which the straps of the connector means are passed and the free end of the strap of each connector means is fixed to a slider which is clamped to a region of the strap passing between the further fitting and the connector means.

12. Connector means or a camera strap employing same substantially as described with reference to, and as illustrated in any one or more of the Figures of the accompanying drawings.