EP1377186A1

EP1377186A1 - Buckle

Info

Publication number: EP1377186A1
Application number: EP02716965A
Authority: EP
Inventors: O. Niewiadomski Industrial Design NIEWIADOMSKI
Original assignee: Schlatter Patrick; Schlatter Pius
Current assignee: Schlatter Patrick; Schlatter Pius
Priority date: 2001-04-04
Filing date: 2002-03-18
Publication date: 2004-01-07
Also published as: BR8101885U; TW577274U; CN2486001Y; HK1033235A2; KR20030096301A; JP3101501U; WO2002080721A1

Abstract

A buckle including plug and socket members which provides secure coupling while at the same time allows easy decoupling between the plug and socket members as and when desired. The plug member includes a base portion, a pair of longitudinally extending engaging legs cantilevered from the base portion and a substantially transversal linking member interconnecting the pair of legs. The socket member includes a top panel and a bottom panel interconnected at one longitudinal end and has a pair of continuous slots extending longitudinally on the two sides of said panels from the un-connected longitudinal end of the panels. The buckle is characterised by having engaging legs which include a substantially rigid portion and a semi-rigid portion in which the semi-rigid portion includes a spring-blade like member.

Description

BUCKLE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a buckle and, more particularly, to a buckle having a male plug member and a female socket member which are releasably connectable to each other in a longitudinal or bayonet-like manner.

Background of the Invention

A buckle as described in the present specification generally refers to a fastening device having a male plug member and a female socket member which are releasably connectable to each other. The releasable connection is usually by flap fitting in an axial or longitudinal manner. Each of the plug and socket members has a first end for releasably connecting to the other member and a second end for attaching to external parts which are to be connected via the buckle. The parts to be connected can, for example, be the free ends of straps or a flap and the body of a bag. This type of buckle is also known as strap connectors or strap fasteners.

J3dυu XXX XXXUWL xxx x . . _» base portion adapted for receiving the free ends of a strap or other parts of an article to be connected. An elongated slit or slot extending in a transversal manner is usually formed on the base portion for receiving the strap end or the part to be attached. The slit or slot is usually serrated so that the length of or tension in a strap can be adjusted and maintained while the plug and socket members are in engagement. The male plug member typically includes a pair of longitudinally extending engaging legs cantilevering from the base portion. The pair of engaging legs is usually disposed on or near the transversal extremes of the base portion. An engaging means is usually formed on the distal ends of the engaging legs, i.e., the far end of the leg away from the base portion, for engaging with a corresponding part on the socket member to provide interlocking between the plug and socket members. The engaging means can, for example, be a hook-liked member having an angled notch with the enclosed portions of the notch pointing towards the base portion.

The female socket member typically includes a rigid receptor housing having a collar and a neck portion. The collar portion usually includes a rigid enclosure having an elongated aperture the thickness of which is substantially identical to that of the engaging legs of the male plug member but the transversal dimension of the aperture is typically smaller than the natural or unbiased transversal spread of the engaging legs. The neck portion of the socket member abuts the collar portion and is formed intermediate between the collar portion and the base portion of the socket. The neck portion is basically a continuation of the collar portion except that the transversal ends corresponding to that of the collar member have been removed, leaving a through hole extending between the transversal ends of the neck portion.

Operation of the conventional buckle is as follows. To engage the plug and socket members, the plug and socket members are engaged in a longitudinal or bayonet manner by pushing the two members towards each other in a longitudinal manner. In that condition, the free ends of the cantilevered engaging legs are moved towards the hollow receptor housing of the socket member. When the engaging legs encounter the inside edges of the hollow receptor housing, the reduced transversal aperture of the housing urges the engaging legs to deflect towards each other and tension is built up on the pair of engaging legs. When the engaging legs have completely moved into the neck portion of the receptor housing, the legs are no longer restraint by the narrowed aperture. Upon the removal of tension from the legs, the transversal spread of the engaging legs are restored to that of an unbiased state. At this juncture, the notch formed on the engaging legs will become engaged with a corresponding latch formed on the neck portion, thereby forming an interlocking between the plug and socket members and preventing the plug members from accidentally disengaging with the socket members.

When the plug and socket members are to be disengaged, the engaging legs are pressed towards each other by applying a transversal force on the sides of the legs through the exposed and bare neck portion of the socket member, thereby reducing the transversal spread of the engaging legs and disengaging the notches on the legs from the edge of the collar portion.

In general, a good buckle should satisfy the following criteria. Firstly, the plug and socket member should remain in secure interconnection unless they are deliberately released. The interconnection should remain even with a large longitudinal separating force has been applied to the buckle ends. Secondly, the deliberate release should be easy, convenient and requires no excessive force than can comfortably applied by a person using the articles. However, the above seemingly simple requirements in fact pose major design obstacles for buckle designer as they in fact bring contradictory requirements when reduced into actual buckle designs. Stated simply, to provide a secured interconnection, it would be apparent that the engaging legs must be extremely strong, robust and rigid. On the other hand, easy release means that the engaging legs can be easily deflected so that the notches can be disengaged from the engaging parts on the collar member.

It is therefore desirable if an improved buckle which can provide substantially secured interconnection while engaged and easy release when so intended by a user can be provided. It is also desirable that the release can be activated easily with a single hand without the use of excessive force.

Objection of the Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved buckle substantially fulfilling the above requirements. It is also an object of the present invention to at least provide the public with a useful choice or alternative of an improved buckle for general use.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention, there is provided a buckle including a plug and a socket member, wherein said plug member includes a base portion, a pair of longitudinally extending engaging legs cantilevered from said base portion and a substantially transversal linking member interconnecting said pair of legs, wherein said socket member includes a top panel and a bottom panel interconnected at one longitudinal end and has a pair of continuous slots extending longitudinally on the two sides of said panels from the un-connected longitudinal end of the panels, characterised in that each said engaging legs includes a substantially rigid portion and a semi-rigid portion, wherein said semi-rigid portion of a said leg abuts said base portion at one longitudinal end and joins said substantially rigid portion at the other longitudinal end.

Preferably, the semi-rigid portion includes a spring-blade member which has a width that is considerably larger than the thickness.

Preferably, the interconnection link between said pair of engaging legs is semi-rigid.

Preferably, the interconnection link is deformable when said engaging legs are pressed against each other.

Preferably, the engaging legs are integrally formed with the peripheral dimension of said substantially rigid portion of said leg considerably larger than that of said semirigid portion of said leg.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be explained in further detail by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: -

Fig. 1 shows the plug and socket members of the preferred buckle of the present invention in which the dotted lines on the socket correspond to the internal structure of the socket member,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the socket member of Fig. 1 showing the continuous slot as well as the supporting structure between the top and bottom panels of the socket members,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the plug member from one longitudinal end, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the plug and socket members aligned for coupling,

Fig. 5 shows the plug and socket members of Fig. 4 from another angle,

Fig. 6 shows schematically by dotted lines the plug member when received within the socket member, and

Fig. 7 shows schematically the corresponding internal structures of the plug and socket members during engagement.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring to the Figures, there is shown a preferred embodiment of a buckle (1) of the present invention which includes a male plug member (10) and a female socket member (30). The buckle (10) is preferably made of a strong and rigid plastic material such as polypropylene or synthetic resin. Each of the plug and socket member is preferably integrally moulded as a single unit so as to reduce production costs as well as to improve robustness, strength and durability.

The plug member (10) generally includes a base portion (11) and a pair of strong and resiliently deflectable engaging legs (12, 13) which longitudinally extend from the base portion (11). The base portion is provided with a means for securing the plug member to an external object. In the present preferred embodiment, the securing means includes a transversally extending slot (14) having serrated or toothed inside edges for securely receiving a strap end or a flap of a bag. The pair of engaging legs extend longitudinally from the base portion and away from the transversal slot. The pair of engaging legs are resiliently deflectable about the junction at which the legs abut the base portion and preferably only along the plane on which both engaging legs lie. Each of the engaging leg includes a reinforced rigid upper part (15) and a semi- rigid lower part (16). The rigid upper part (15) is adapted to provide a strong, secure and reliable coupling engagement with the socket member (30) and includes a reinforced member having a thickness which is significantly larger than that of the semi-rigid part of the engaging leg. In the present embodiment, the thickness and the width of the rigid part or upper limb of the engaging legs are comparable and the rigid part has a substantially square cross-section which makes it strong and robust. To provide releasable coupling with the socket member, a socket engaging means is provided on the rigid upper part. The engaging means in the present embodiment includes a wedging member (17) which cantilevers from the top or upper end of the engaging legs. The wedging member (17) is joined to the upper rigid part by means of a rigid linking member at an angle so that the wedging member is slightly elevated above the free end of the engaging legs. While such an elevated interlinking of the wedging member to the upper rigid part is preferred, it should be understood that other interlinking between the wedging member and the engaging leg is possible without lost of generality.

The semi-rigid part (16) of the engaging leg provides interconnection between the rigid upper part (15) and the base portion (11). In order to satisfy the stringent demand that the buckle (1) should provide a very strong and secure coupling between the plug (10) and socket (30) members during engagement while to allow for easy release or uncoupling of the plug and socket members as and when required, the lower part of the engagmg leg (the "Lower Limb") has to be adequately rigid and strong enough to satisfy the first requirement. On the other hand, the Lower Limb should be flexible enough to satisfy the desirable second requirement. In the present preferred embodiment, the Lower Limb (16) of the engaging legs is made into the shape of a spring blade, (such as that used for shock absorbing purposes in many industrial applications such as vehicles). Similar to other spring blade devices, the spring blade member of the present prefeπed embodiment is made of a strong resilient material having a width which is considerably larger than the thickness. For example, the engaging legs in the present embodiment has a width of about 8 mm, the thickness of the semi-rigid part is about 2 mm and the thickness of the upper rigid part is about 5 mm. In general, it would be expected that the width of the semi-rigid part should be at least two to three times its thickness. With the afore-mentioned characteristics, the engaging legs are resiliently deflectable about its base and along the plane formed by the intersection between the base portion and the engaging leg. With the semi-rigid part of the engaging legs formed in this manner, the engaging legs are strongly resilient about their respective bases and are deflectable towards each other in a co-planar manner. Of course, it is also possible to arrange the engaging legs so that they are deflectable towards each other but on different planes, depending on the design of the socket member. To further enhance the resiliency of the engaging legs about their respective bases, there is provided a semi-rigid bridge (18) interconnecting the bases of the engaging legs. This interconnecting bridge is substantially transversal and is deflectable in a substantially longi dinal member when the engaging legs are pressed against each other. The presence of such a deformable or deflectable transversal interconnection bridge enhances the resiliency of the engagmg legs about their respective bases while at the same time permitting the engaging legs to remain very rigid and robust to provide the necessary coupling strength. As can be seen from the Figures, a substantially longitudinal guiding member (19) is formed on the interconnection bridge to regulate the movement of the plug along the socket member when the plug is being inserted into the socket member.

Referring now to the socket member, it can be seen that the socket member (30) includes an upper panel (31) and a lower panel (32) which are interconnected at one longitudinal end (the "elbow" (33)). The other longitudinal end of the panels are unconnected, leaving an aperture adapted for receiving the engaging legs of the plug member for coupling. In order to facilitate easy release or uncoupling, a continuous longitudinal slot (34) is formed on the sides separating the upper and the lower panels. With such a continuous slot (34), the engaging legs would not be trapped in the collar member of the socket during release as frequently is the case of conventional buckles. In addition to the interconnection at the longitudinal ends of the panel members, there is further provided a supporting structure (35) extending between the upper and lower panel members which extends longitudinally within the space intermediate between the upper and lower members and near the middle of the panels. This longitudinally supporting structure also acts as a guiding member (35) complementary to the guiding member formed on the plug member to guide or regulate the movement of the plug member while it is moving inside the socket member. In addition, there are provided a pair of wedging members (36) which are disposed on the panels at a position corresponding to that of the wedging members on the plug members for strong and secure interconnection. The wedging members in the present embodiment are connected to a pair of urging tracks which progressively provide increasing bias on the plug member wedging members while the plug is moving inside the socket member for engagement. The biasing force increases as the plug member is moving towards the elbow portion (33) of the socket member and that biasing force is released once the wedging member on the plug member passes the urging track and begins to engage with the wedging member on the socket member. The biasing force built up during movement into the socket member causes the engaging legs to spring into coupling engagement once the biasing force is released.

To uncouple the engagement, a user only needs to push the engaging legs towards each other and the geometry of the wedging member will automatically release the engagement. After disengagement between the wedging members (36, 17) on the plug and socket members, the plug member wedging means (17) will have been moved onto the urging track (37) and the urging force built up at the urging track will tend to urge the plug member to move away from the socket member, thereby achieving easy disengagement between the plug and socket members.

It will be appreciated that, with the above or other similar or equivalent structures, a buckle having very strong and secure engagement during coupling which is easily releasable as and when desired can be provided. While the present invention has been explained with reference to a specific embodiment, it should be appreciated that other geometries or forms of the plug and socket members can be employed to achieve the similar effect without lost of generality.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A buckle including a plug and a socket member, wherein said plug member includes a base portion, a pair of longitudinally extending engaging legs cantilevered from said base portion and a substantially transversal linking member interconnecting said pair of legs, wherein said socket member includes a top panel and a bottom panel interconnected at one longitudinal end and has a pair of continuous slots extending longitudinally on the two sides of said panels from the un-connected longitudinal end of the panels, characterised in that each said engaging legs includes a substantially rigid portion and a semi-rigid portion, wherein said semi-rigid portion of a said leg abuts said base portion at one longitudinal end and joins said substantially rigid portion at the other longitudinal end.

2. A buckle according to Claim 1 characterised in that said semi-rigid portion includes a spring-blade member which has a width that is considerably larger than the thickness.

3. A buckle according to Claim 1 characterised in that said interconnection link between said pair of engaging legs is semi-rigid.

4. A buckle according to Claim 3, wherein said interconnection link is deformable when said engaging legs are pressed against each other.

5. A buckle according to Claim 1, wherein said engaging legs are integrally formed with the peripheral dimension of said substantially rigid portion of said leg considerably larger than that of said semi-rigid portion of said leg.

6. A buckle according to Claim 1, wherein a wedging member is connected to said substantially rigid part of each said engaging legs for coupling with the socket member.

7. A buckle according to Claim 1, wherein an urging track is formed on said socket member such that said urging track causes an engaging leg to biase sideways while the plug member is being moved towards said socket member.

8. A buckle member according to Claim 7, wherein the end of said urging track is connected to a wedging means.

9. A buckle member according to Claim 7, wherein said biased on said engaging legs increases as the plug is moving towards said socket.

10. A buckle member according to Claim 1, wherein coupling between said socket and plug members are by wedging.

11. A buckle member according to Claim 1, wherein the thickness of said substantially rigid part of the engaging leg is considerably larger than that of the semi-rigid part.