US3277542A - Strap buckles - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 11, 1966 A* w. GooDRlcH 3,277,542

STRAP BUCKLES Filed April 20, 1964 INVENTOR. AA/ewv uf. 600m/CH Wei@ A T TORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,277,542 STRAP BUCKLES Aaron W. Goodrich, Dewitt Hotel, Lewiston, Maine Filed Apr. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 360,952 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-177) The present invention relates to a novel improved buckle and buckle and strap combination.

In the shoe industry in particular, `but generally applicable to straps and buckles and belts, it has been found that a considerable amount of the oost of manuacture is involved in the Ilabor of assembling the buckle to the strap.

In the manufacture of straps and buckles for womens shoes or for watches, for example, not only is there the problem of the labor in preparing a strap and buckle cor use, but there is the secondary problem of having sumcient variations of size to meet such problems as the instep variety, encountered all within the same shoe size or wrist sizes for Watch straps.

According to Ithe present invention, a buckle and buckle and strap combination are provided which can be assembled without sewing and adjusted for size with a minimum of loose strap overlap and strap holes.

Although such novel feature or features lbelieved to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claim, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be further understood .by reference to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan View of a buckle according to the present invention with the straps cut away.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the buckle of FIG. 1, showing the attached straps.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the buckle of FIG. 1 without any strap.

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the buckle of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cut-away view of the buckle and straps and taken on the line 5 5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the buckle and straps, taken on the line 66 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to the figures in greater detail, where like reference numbers denote like parts in the Various figures.

The buckle 1 of the present invention is provided with a conventional loop 2, crossbar 3 and tongue 4. The tongue 4 is swingably engaged about the crossbar 3 at a declivity 5 in the crossbar 3 so the tongue cannot normally slip out of position. The tongue 4 conventionally rests upon the front portion 6 of the loop 2.

Integral to the buckle is an underloop 7 formed by the crossbar 3, the side frames 8 and a base 9. Integral to the base 9 is a protruding tongue 10 including Wider head portion 11.

Integral to the buckle and extending from the base 9 and opposed to the underloop 7 is a back loop 12 having a three-frame member 13.

The tongue 10 is angulated upward so as to avoid any contact with clothes or flesh and has a head 11 of wider diameter than its shank so that a strap end 14, provided with :openings 15, may be engaged upon the tongue without being likely to become easily disengaged. The head 11 may be sharp enough to penetrate a strap and make its own opening.

In applying the buckle 1 to a strap 16, the strap is threaded through the back loop 12, the underloop 7 and 3,277,542 Patented Oct. 11, 1966 lCe engaged on the tongue 10. The length of the strap may be adjusted by a selection of any of the openings 15.

Normally closure is effected by threading the closure strap 17 in the conventional manner through the loop 2, engaging one of the openings 18. The loose lend 0f the strap 17 -may then be secured within the loop i12 as shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6. The loop 12 being integral to the buckle 1 saves the labor oftentimes require-d to sew an additional loop onto a strap for securing a strap end.

Whether the straps are individual, as shoe straps, or circumferential, as wrist band straps, the strap overhang upon closure can usually be adequately adjusted to prevent a long loose strap not properly held in place by one loop, by shortening the end strap 14, using th'e openings 15 and the tongue 10. A long length of visible openings is avoided by having openings 15, 18 along both straps 16, 17. Strap size adjustment can therefore be made on either or both straps 16, 17 and makes unnecessary the separate leather retaining loop which was prevalent in the prior art.

The underloop is usually formed at a right langle to the front loop 2, and with the base 9'and back loop 12 forms a sort of U, which is preferable. The U may have its legs shortened or Vd somewhat, but must allow enough room for the tongue 10 and the double thickness of straps 16, y17.

The tongue 10 may be set black and protrude from the base 9 or multiple tongues may be used, for instance, one protruding from the base 9, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

As can be seen in FIG. 7, two of tongues 10 may enter from the base 9 for the proper gripping of widler strap 16 without departing from the spirit of the invention. Of course, even more than the two tongues 10 -Would adapt to larger straps.

The terms and expressions which lane employed are used as terms of description; it is recognized, though, that various `modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

A buckle closure and strap combination comprising a rst buckle loop, :a crossbar, a tongue swingably engaged to said crossbar and adapted to rest on the front portion of said loop, an underloop integral to said buckle and having as one of its sides said crossbar, a bfase, la back loop, said underloop and base and back loop being in a substantial U shape, an upwardly angulated tongue protruding from the edge 0f said base including a point and a head portion wider than the shank of said protruding tongue, a first strap end including openings and adapted t-o be adjustably held in said rst loop by said swingab-le tongue, yand a second strap end adapted to be adjustably held by said protruding tongue, the end portion of said first strap end being adapted to lit through said back loop when said strap is engaged in said buckle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. E. SIMONSEN, Assistant Examiner.

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