GB2433290A

GB2433290A - Buckle requiring the pressing of selected buttons for release

Info

Publication number: GB2433290A
Application number: GB0525584A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Martin David Waller
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-12-14
Filing date: 2005-12-14
Publication date: 2007-06-20
Also published as: GB0525584D0

Abstract

A snap-together buckle with means for preventing the buckle being opened by an unauthorised person. The buckle has a set of buttons which must be pressed in the correct combination to enable the two pads of the buckle to be separated. The buckle can be used for securing for example a bum bag around the waist, or for closing the compartments of a rucksack.

Description

A Buckle

BACKGROUND

a. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to buckles of the type often used for connecting straps. Examples of applications are buckles for fastening bum bags, rucksacks and the like.

b. Related Art Bum bags are prime targets for the opportunist thief because they are often used to hold valuables such as cameras or wallets. Bum bags are worn around the waist and generally consist of a pouch having a strap which is fastened around the waist by a buckle. Bum bags can be worn with the pouch facing backwards, however this leaves the pouch vulnerable to pick-pockets. Bum bags are therefore more commonly worn with the pouch at the front, however this exposes the buckle to thieves who can simply unfasten it from behind and remove the bum bag.

A typical buckle is made from plastic and consists of male and female portions.

The male portion has claws which project through holes in the female portion when the male portion is inserted to latch the two portions together. The buckle is unfastened by simply squeezing the claws together to unlatch the male and female portions. It is easy for a thief to unlatch this type of buckle and steal the bum bag without the owner noticing.

Buckles incorporating rotatable-dial type combination locks are known. Each dial has a series of digits marked on it, and to unfasten the buckle, the buckle must first be unlocked by rotating the dials to display the correct combination of digits.

Such buckles act as a deterrent to the opportunistic thief as they cannot be unfastened quickly without knowing the combination. This type of buckle, although more secure than a standard buckle, is fiddly for the owner of the bum bag to use.

This is because the owner is required to look carefully at the small dials each time he wishes to unfasten the buckle in order to find the correct combination. In addition to this, the owner must always remember to scramble the dials each time the buckle is fastened otherwise it will display the unlocking combination. These procedures can make fastening and unfastening the buckle an onerous task.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a buckle which is difficult for a thief to unfasten but quick and simple for the owner to unfasten.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a buckle comprising: a female portion; and a male portion for engaging with the female portion to fasten the buckle; the female portion including moveable lock means for engaging with retaining means on the male portion to prevent the male and female portions being released; the lock means comprising an array of buttons, with selected ones of the buttons being release buttons which are set to prevent release of the male from the female until the release buttons are pressed.

The selected ones of the array of buttons represent a combination, as some but preferably not all of the buttons must be pressed to unfasten the buckle. The buckle can only be unfastened by pressing the release buttons. The buckle is particularly easy for the owner to operate, as once he is familiar with the correct combination of buttons to press, he can quickly get the feel of the buckle and unfasten it without necessarily having to look at it. However, as a thief would not know the correct combination, he would be required to guess it, which would necessarily involve trial and error. This can take some time and hence would deter an opportunistic thief from attempting to unfasten the buckle.

The array of buttons preferably consists of three or more buttons. More buttons results in more possible combinations, and having three or more buttons should make the buckle sufficiently complex to deter an opportunistic thief. Preferably, however, the buckle consists of five or fewer buttons. Having fewer buttons makes the buckle easier and less fiddly for the user to operate. Most preferably, the buckle has four buttons as this results in the buckle being sufficiently complex to deter a thief but also easy and uncomplicated for the user who knows the correct combination.

Preferably, the array of buttons includes one or more locking buttons which are set to prevent release of the male portion from the female portion only when they are pressed. The inclusion of locking buttons means that a thief cannot simply unfasten the buckle by pressing all of the buttons simultaneously; even if all of the release buttons are pressed, if one or more locking buttons is pressed, the buckle will remain locked. Preferably the locking buttons have the same visual appearance as release buttons so a thief would not be able to tell the difference between the two types of buttons. The buckle may also include dummy buttons which could have the same visual appearance as release buttons and locking buttons, but serve no other function than to confuse a potential thief.

Most preferably, the array of buttons consists entirely of release buttons and locking buttons. This arrangement means that only a single unique combination of buttons will open the buckle; pressing any additional buttons will prevent the male and female portions from being released.

The lock means may be any suitable mechanism on the female portion that can engage with the male portion to prevent the two portions from being released.

Preferably the lock means has a locked position in which it engages with the male portion, and an unlocked position in which it does not engage with the male portion. Preferably the lock means are biased towards the locking position so that the male and female portions are locked together automatically when the male portion is inserted into the female portion.

The lock means may for example be a simple catch located within the female portion which is digitally controlled by a keypad located on an external surface of the buckle. Preferably however the lock means comprises one or more locking pins located inside the female portion, and biasing means for biasing the locking pins towards a locking position where they project through one or more holes in the male portion to prevent the male and female portions from being released.

The locking pins preferably have a chamfered edge on one side and a vertical edge on the other. The chamfered edge allows the male portion to push the pin down and ride over it when the male portion is inserted into the female portion.

The vertical edge prevents the male portion from pushing the pin down if the male and female portions are pulled apart. Preferably the biasing means comprise one or more springs located between an internal surface of the female portion and the one or more locking pins.

Preferably the buttons comprise fingers having downwardly extending plungers at the end for pressing the locking pins downwards to release the male and female portions. The other ends of the fingers are preferably mounted on an external surface of the female member. Preferably the fingers are integrally moulded with the female portion.

The shape of the plunger is different for locking buttons and release buttons.

Preferably release buttons have plungers with a chamfered edge so that they can be pushed back up by the male portion when it is released from the female portion. Preferably locking buttons have plungers having two vertical edges which cannot be pushed up by the male member when the locking button is pressed so that the male and female portions remain locked together when the locking button is pressed.

The locking means can be arranged so that only the release buttons have locking pins associated with them, and the locking buttons do not. This will reduce the number of parts in the buckle and hence reduce costs, but may cause the locking buttons to feel different to the release buttons. Alternatively, a locking button can be associated with its own locking pin. This locking pin preferably has two chamfered edges so that it can be pushed down by the male portion both when it is inserted into, and removed from, the female portion. This locking pin does not lock the male and female portions together, but serves only to give the locking buttons the same feel as release buttons.

The plungers may be integrally moulded with the fingers and female portion.

Alternatively, the plungers may be formed from separate insert members that can slot into a recess in the finger so that the user can program the button to be a locking button or a release button. The buckle may be sold as a kit which could include insert members having chamfered edges as well as insert members having two vertical edges. The kit could also include locking pins having a single chamfered edge and locking pins having two chamfered edges.

Preferably the buckle has removable caps accessible from an external surface of the buckle. The caps can be removed to gain access to the inside of the buckle so that the locking pins can be removed or replaced. The function of each button can be set by the end user by inserting the desired combination of plunger inserts and locking pins. In this way, the user can program which of the buttons are locking buttons and which are release buttons, and hence the user can program the unlocking combination of the buckle.

The lock means may be the only mechanism that retains the male portion within the female portion. This allows the buckle to be opened using only one hand.

Alternatively, the buckle may contain additional latching means. This would provide the buckle with additional strength, but may mean that the buckle requires two hands for opening. The additional latching means may comprise claws on the male member which engage with holes in the female member.

The buckle may be made of any rigid material, for example metal or plastic.

However the buckle is preferably moulded from a plastics material. The female and male portions are preferably single mouldings, and the buttons are preferably integrally moulded as part of the female member.

The buttons may be arranged in any suitable manner on the female portion. For example the buttons may be arranged in a straight line in a transverse direction to the direction of insertion of the male portion in the female portion. Preferably the array of buttons contains buttons which are offset from one another which allows individual buttons to be located easily by the user.

Preferably the buttons comprise a ridge on their external surface so that they can be located and identified without looking at the buckle. The ridge is preferably moulded from plastic and may be adhered to the button or moulded as part of the button.

Preferably the buckle includes suitable strap connecting means so that a strap can be connected to each of the male and the female portions so that the buckle can be used as a fastener for a bum bag or a rucksack.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a bum bag having a buckle as described above. The bum bag includes a pouch and straps for fastening around the waist; the buckle being for fastening the straps together.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a rucksack having a buckle as described above. The buckle can be used in relation to one of the compartments of the rucksack to prevent a thief from being able to open the compartment. Alternatively or additionally, the buckle can be used in relation to the straps of the rucksack to fasten the rucksack around the wearer's body.

Although the buckle is particularly suitable for bum bags, rucksacks and the like, the invention is not limited to these applications, and the buckle can be used in relation to any object that requires a buckle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the following drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a buckle in its unfastened state comprising male and female portions; Figure 2 shows the top surface of a button; Figure 3 is a side view of the female portion; Figure 4 shows the buckle in its fastened state; Figure 5 is a cross section of a buckle showing a release button mechanism.

Figure 6 is a cross section of a buckle showing a first type of locking button mechanism.

Figure 7 is a cross-section through a buckle showing a second type of locking button mechanism.

Figure 8 is a cross-section through a buckle showing a release button which includes an insert member.

Figure 9 is a cross-section through a buckle showing a locking button which includes an insert member.

Figure 10 is a cross section through the buckle showing the male portion inside the female portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 shows a buckle 10 according to the invention in its unfastened state. The buckle 10 comprises a male portion 12 and a female portion 14. The male portion 12 and female portion 14 each include means 16 for attaching to straps 18.

The female portion 14 includes a hole 20 in each side, and four buttons 22. The buttons 22 are arranged in two pairs: an inner pair 24 and an outer pair 26. The inner pair 24 and outer pair 26 are offset from one another. In this example, the inner pair 24 are release buttons, and the outer pair 26 are locking buttons. The buttons 22 each comprise a pad 28 which is accessible from an external surface of the female portion 14 so that it can be pressed easily. The pads 28 are located at the ends of fingers 32. The pads 28 include a ridge portion 34 which can be seen in more detail in Figure 2. The ridge 34 protrudes from the button and assists a user to locate the buttons 22 without having to look at the buckle 10.

The ridge 34 includes a number of concentric circles and a motif 38 which can be different for each button 22 so that the individual buttons 22 can be located without looking.

Figure 3 shows a side view of the buckle 10 and buttons 22. Each finger 32 includes a plunger 40 which extends downwardly from a pressable portion 42.

The fingers 32 are joined at one end to the external surface 30 of the female portion 14, and angled upwards with respect to the external surface 30 to facilitate movement of the plungers 40 through apertures 44 in the female portion 14 (as shown in Figures 5 to 9).

Returning to Figure 1, the male portion 12 has a tongue 13 and a claw 15 on each side of the tongue 13. The tongue 13 contains a series of upwardly protruding ridges 17 on its surface 19, and four oval-shaped holes 21 which extend through the tongue 13. The holes 21 are arranged in two pairs: an inner pair 23 and an outer pair 25. The inner pair 23 and outer pair 25 are offset from one another to correspond with the position of the buttons 22 on the female portion 14.

Figure 3 shows the buckle 10 in its fastened state. The male portion 12 is located inside the female portion 14, and the two claws 15 project through the holes 20 in the sides of the female portion 14 to latch the two portions together. In this position, in addition to being latched, the male and female portions are locked together as described in more detail below.

Figure 5 is a cross section of a buckle showing a release button mechanism 50.

The buckle is in its fastened state, with the male portion 12 inside the female portion 14. The release button mechanism 50 comprises a plunger 40, a locking pin 52, a spring 54 and a pin cap 56. The plunger 40 is located at the end of a finger 32. The plunger 40 and finger 32 are a single moulding and are moulded as part of the female portion 14. On top of the plunger 40 is a pad 28 having a ridge 34 which helps locate fingers on the pad 28. The plunger 40 has a chamfered edge 58 on one side.

The locking pin 52 is located in a recess 60 in the female portion 14. The locking pin 52 has a vertical edge 62 on one side and a chamfered edge 64 on the other side. The locking pin 52 has a locked position as shown by the broken lines 66, and an unlocked position as shown by the solid lines 68. The locking pin 52 is biased towards its locked position by the spring 54. The locking pin 52 has a flange 72 which protrudes outwards from the base 74 of the locking pin 52 into a detent 76 in the female portion 14. The flange 72 abuts the detent 76 when the locking pin 52 is in its locked position, and the flange 72 and detent 76 maintain the locking pin 52 in the correct position within the female portion 14. The spring 54 and the locking pin 52 are locked in place by the pin cap 56. The pin cap 56 has a convex side that sits within a concave recess moulded in the female portion 14 to hold the pin cap 56 in place.

When the male portion 12 is inserted into the female portion 14 to fasten the buckle 10, the tongue 13 rides over the chamfered edge 64 of the locking pin 52 and forces the locking pin 52 downwards. When the hole 21 in the tongue 13 passes over the locking pin 52, the locking pin 52 springs up through the hole 13 and locks the male and female portions together. The male and female portions are prevented from being released by the vertical edge 62 of the locking pin 52 which engages with the male portion 12 and acts as a barrier to the male portion 12 if the male and female portions are pulled apart.

To release the male and female portions, the claws 15 (Figures 1 and 2) on the side of the buckle 10 are squeezed inwards to unlatch the buckle 10, and both release buttons 24 (Figure 1) are pressed simultaneously, which pushes the associated plungers 40 downwards and forces the locking pins 52 into their unlocked position. The chamfered edges 64 of the plungers 40 allows the male portion 12 to slide between the locking pins 52 and the plungers 40 and force the plungers 40 back up to allow the male and female portions to be released.

The holes 21 in the tongue 13 of the male portion 12 are oval and not round because the action of the plungers 40 arc relative to the main body of the buckle 10. If either of the locking buttons 26 is pressed, the male and female portions are prevented from being released as described in more detail below with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

Figure 6 is a cross section of the buckle 10 showing a first type of locking button mechanism 80. The locking button mechanism 80 comprises a plunger 40 and a pin cap 56. The plunger 40 has two vertical edges 82. The locking button mechanism 80 differs from a release button mechanism 50 (Figure 5) in that the locking button mechanism 80 has no locking pin or spring, and the plunger 40 does not have a chamfered edge. The pin cap 56 simply plugs a hole in the female portion 14.

To fasten the buckle 10, the male portion 12 is simply inserted into the female portion 14. As there is no locking pin, the male and female portions can be released simply by pulling them apart when the locking button is unpressed and -11 -the claws 15 (Figure 1) are pushed inwards. However, if the locking button is pressed, the plunger 40 enters the hole 21 in the male portion 12 and the vertical edge 82 of the plunger 40 prevents the male and female portions from being released.

Figure 7 is a cross-section through the buckle showing a second type of locking button mechanism 90. The locking button mechanism 90 includes a locking pin 92 and spring 54. The locking pin 92 and spring 54 operate in a similar way to the locking pin 52 and spring 54 in the release button mechanism 50 (Figure 5), however this locking pin 92 has two chamfered edges 94 to allow the male portion 12 to be inserted or removed easily from the female portion 14 when the locking button is unpressed. When the locking button is pressed, the plunger 40 pushes down the locking pin 92 and so feels the same to the user as a release button.

However, when the locking button is pressed, the plunger 40 enters the hole 21 in the male portion 12 and the vertical edge 82 of the plunger 40 prevents the male and female portions from being released.

Figures 8 and 9 are cross-sections through buckles 10 having a further type of button. These buttons each contain an insert member 100. The insert members 100 are shaped to snap into a recess 102 in the finger 32 to form the plunger 40.

The insert member 100 in Figure 8 has a chamfered edge 104 and results in the plunger 40 having the same shape as a release button plunger shown in Figure 5.

The button also includes a locking pin 52 and spring 54, and functions in exactly the same way as the release button mechanism described with reference to Figure 5.

The insert member 100 in Figure 9 has two vertical edges 106 and results in the plunger 40 having the same shape as the locking button plungers shown in Figures 6 and 7. The locking pin and spring have been removed from the button so that it operates in exactly the same way as the locking button described with reference to Figure 6. Alternatively, this button could have a locking pin identical to that in Figure 7.

Buttons having insert members can be set by the user to operate either as release buttons or as locking buttons. This enables the user to program the combination of buttons that will unlock the buckle.

Figure 10 is a cross section through the buckle showing the male portion 12 inside the female portion 14. The female portion 14 contains a series of grooves 108 on an internal surface 110. The upwardly protruding ridges 17 on the male portion 12 match up with the grooves on the female portion and align the two portions so that the locking pins of the female portion 14 align with the correct holes in the male portion 12.

It should be understood that the invention has been described by way of example only and that modifications in detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set out in the summary of the invention section.

Claims

Claims 1. A buckle comprising: a female portion; and a male portion for

engaging with the female portion to fasten the buckle; the female portion including moveable lock means for engaging with retaining means on the male portion to prevent the male and female portions being released; the lock means comprising an array of buttons, with selected ones of the buttons being release buttons which are set to prevent release of the male from the female until the release buttons are pressed.

2. A buckle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the array of buttons consists of three or more buttons. 15.

S.....

3. A buckle as claimed in Claim I or Claim 2, wherein the array of buttons consists of five or fewer buttons. * S

S..... S...

4. A buckle as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the array of buttons consists of four * buttons. S... * SS*

5. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the array of buttons ** includes one or more locking buttons which are set to prevent release of the male portion from the female portion only when they are pressed.

6. A buckle as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the locking buttons have the same visual appearance as release buttons.

7. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, including dummy buttons having the same visual appearance as release buttons and locking buttons.

8. A buckle as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein the array of buttons consists entirely of release buttons and locking buttons.

9. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lock means comprises a mechanism on the female portion that can engage with the male portion to prevent the two portions from being released.

10. A buckle as claimed in Claim 9, wherein the lock means are biased towards the locking position so that the male and female portions are locked together automatically when the male portion is inserted into the female portion.

11. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lock means is a simple catch located within the female portion which is digitally controlled by a keypad located on an external surface of the buckle.

12. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lock means comprises one or more locking pins located inside the female portion, and biasing means for biasing the locking pins towards a locking position where they project through one or more holes in the male portion to prevent the male and female S...

portions from being released. S.....

13. A buckle as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the locking pins have a chamfered edge on one side and a vertical edge on the other. .. : 14. A buckle as claimed in Claim 12 or Claim 13, wherein the biasing means comprise one or more springs located between an internal surface of the female portion and the one or more locking pins.

15. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the buttons comprise fingers having downwardly extending plungers at the end for pressing the locking pins downwards to release the male and female portions, with the other ends of the fingers mounted on an external surface of the female member and the fingers being integrally moulded with the female portion.

S -15- 16. A buckle as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 15, wherein the release buttons have plungers with a chamfered edge so that they can be pushed back up by the male portion when it is released from the female portion and the locking buttons have plungers having two vertical edges which cannot be pushed up by the male member when the locking button is pressed so that the male and female portions remain locked together when the locking button is pressed.

17. A buckle as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 16, wherein the release buttons have locking pins associated with them, and the locking buttons do not.

18. A buckle as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 15, wherein, a locking button is associated with its own locking pin which has two chamfered edges so that it can be pushed down by the male portion both when it is inserted into, and removed from, the female portion. : ...:. * S * S S

19. A buckle as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the plungers are integrally moulded with the fingers and female portion. :...:. S.. * S Si..

20. A buckle as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the plungers are formed from S...

separate insert members that can slot into a recess in the finger so that the user can program the button to be a locking button or a release button. .. : 21. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, with removable caps accessible from an external surface of the buckle which can be removed to gain access to the inside of the buckle so that the locking pins can be removed or replaced.

22. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the lock means is the only mechanism that retains the male portion within the female portion.

23. A buckle as claimed in any one of Claims I to 21, including additional latching means in addition to the lock means.

24. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the array of contains buttons which are offset from one another which allows individual buttons to be located easily by the user.

25. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the buttons have a ridge on their external surface so that they can be located and identified without looking at the buckle.

26. A buckle as claimed in any preceding claim, including suitable strap connecting means so that a strap can be connected to each of the male and the female portions.

27. A bum bag having a buckle as claimed in any preceding claim. :...:. * * * I *

28. A rucksack having a buckle as claimed in any preceding claim for closing any one or more compartments of the rucksack to prevent a thief from being able **** I. IS to open the compartment. S...

29. A rucksack as claimed in Claim 28, wherein the buckle is used in relation to the straps of the rucksack to fasten the rucksack around the wearer's body.

30. A buckle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.