IL46360A

IL46360A - Strap and buckle assembly

Info

Publication number: IL46360A
Application number: IL46360A
Authority: IL
Original assignee: Schnurmacher G
Priority date: 1974-01-10
Filing date: 1974-12-30
Publication date: 1977-07-31
Also published as: HK40079A; HK40179A; GB1500000A; US3860998A; GB1502091A; IL46360A0; JPS50117553A; JPS5529868B2

Description

STRAP AM) BUCKLE ASSEMBLY This invention pertains ; generally to straps tying and. securing objects in place and more particularly to an assembly comprising a strap with a buckle which serves to tighten and hold the strap in its tightened .·-,..;.;, .condition. : ..."'.·.■'. .·, ■".■· Heretofore, straps have beer utilized. for securing objects, tightly, together as well as for. tying them down as , for example ,.■ on the bed of a truck, on the . deck of a ship, on the roof of a car, or in the baggage compartment of an aircraft. . When two or more articles are . to be secured together, a strap having a . buckle ; affixed to one end thereof is generally passed around the articles, and the free end of the strap attached to the buckle. Certain buckles can then be used to draw the ends of the strap together to secure the strap in a /. tightened condition. When articles are to be secured to a base, two straps are generally utilized. One end of. each strap is attached to. the base by suitable fasteners, such as hooks, and the other end of one strap is permanently affixed to a buckle. When the straps have been passed over the articles to be secured, the free end of the second strap is attached to the buckle, and the buckle is utilized to draw the ends, of the straps together and then to secure them.

One type of buckle heretofore provided for tightening and securing a strap is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. This buckle is formed of a resilient rod or wire stock and has a transverse cross arm 11 formed at one end and about which the free end 12 of a strap is looped. The buckle also has a pair of transverse arms 13 and.14 about which the other end 16 of the strap is looped and permanently secured, as by stitching. Sub-, ends ! of the . transverse arms . ' Hooks 21, 22 at the' free ends of arms 18, 19, respectively serve to retain the buckle flat to the strap . The buckle is pivoted back and forth about cross arm 11, as indicated by arrow 20, to · tighten, the strap, and then the buckl" is secured in the position illustrated, i.e. , with the buckle adjacent to free end 12 of the strap and with hooks 21 and 22 engaging •the two thicknesses of the strap at. this end.., .The: buckle can be released from its secured position b spreading the free ends of arms 18 and 19 laterally apart to disengage hooks 21, 22 from the strap. - It has been observed that the foregoing buckle tends to uncontrollably release itself from its clamped position under certain circumstances. Thus, the pull of strap end 16 on transverse arms 13 and 14 tends to draw the "free" ends of these transverse arms 13, 14 backwardiy as illustrated by arrows 23 and 24 thereby drawing hooks 21 and 22 laterally apart, as indicated by arrows 26 and 27.

It will be readily evident that if the tension in the strap increases suddenly, as it can, for example, if a truck on which the strap is utilized hits a bump or has to stop abruptly, the hooks can separate sufficiently whereby they can lose their grasp on the strap, in which case the buckle springs loose and rotates clockwise (as shown in Figure 1) 180° about cross arm 11, releasing the strap... Similarly, the tendency of the hooks to be drawn apart by increased tension limits the extent to which the strap can be tightened and its ultimate utility.

The invention provides a strap and buckle assembly in which the ability of the buckle to hold the strap is positively maintained notwithstanding substantial buckle is fabricated of a resilient rod, such as spring' steel,, and provided with crossed arms which draw :retaining hooks together . as tension- in the strap is increased. In another embodiment, the buckle comprises a rigid plate -with a removable pin for positively locking the buckle in its secured position. ■ "'■· ; ■.■'·..■:'·.;'.■·■ ,:\ O ■ ·"'. It' is, in; general, an object ;of t e invention, : to provide a new and improved strap and buckle assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a strap and buckle assembly of the above character in which the buckle holds the strap in its tightened condition and. is positively locked or clamped to the strap yet is readily releasable therefrom.

Additional objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description in. which the preferred embodiments are set forth in detail in , conjunction with the accompanying drawings. · Brief Description of the Drawings ": Figures 1 and 2 show perspective views of a prior art strap and buckle assembly and are so labeled.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a strap and buckle assembly according to the invention. ' Figure 4A - 4C show fragmentary views , illus- .: trating the operation of the buckle and strap assembly of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows a fragmentary sectional view of another embodiment, of a strap and buckle assembly according to. the invention.

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a strap and buckle assembly according to the invention. formed at the free ends of arms 43, 44>. respectively. These-; jaws include upper loops 46a, 47a and lower retaining arms 46b, 47b. The loops and arms of jaws 46, 47 ar spaced apart by a distance somewhat greater than two thicknesses of strap 31, and smooth protective tips 48 are carried on the confronting ends of arms 46b, 47b. ·..'.' The fixed end 33 of strap 31 is permanently affixed to the buckle by. passing an end of belt 31 around both transverse arms 41 , 42 and then stitching or otherwise securing it to itself to form a closed loop 49. encircling arms 41, 42. The stub end 33a is preferably disposed on the underside of the loop to maximize the fractional force between adjacent layers of the strap when the strap is tightened in the manner described below. ' Operation and use of the assembly of Figure 3 can be described with reference to Figures 4A-4C. Strap 31 is placed around the articles to be secured, and.- free end 34 threaded through the opening between cross arm 36 and transverse arms 41 and 42, then folded back to overli itself to form an open loop 51. The strap is tightened by grasping and'exerting tension on free end 34a of. open loop 51 with one hand and, while maintaining tension on free end 34a, pivoting the buckle in the direction of arrow 32 about cross arm 36 from a position adjacent to the fixed strap end. to a position adjacent to the free end. This rocking or pivoting movement draws loops 49 and 51 past each other (Figure 4B) , tightening the strap to an extent determined by the effective length of the short lever arms 37, 38. As buckle 32 is rocked toward the free end of strap 31, the outer run. of loop 51 is., clamped against the inner run to prevent slippage of the '...··'-:-.:,,,.:■ · If -further; tightening- of the strap, is desired, · , : the buckle is rpcked back toward the fixed end of the . ,·..· . .'··.·. strap, as, indicated by arrow 53. During the return . '. : '.. " movement, slack produced by the preceding tightening '..· movement is taken up simply by pulling free end 34a of loop 51 in the direction indicated by arrow 54. The : buckle is then rocked back toward the free end of the ' ■■ * · ..· strap, drawing the strap yet more tightly about the . articles. The process is repeated until the desired . 10 degree of tightening has been effected. Note the advance of arm 36 relative to point A in Figure 4A through 4C.

Once the strap has been tightened to the extent '. desired, the buckle is secured in position, adjacent to ;J the. free end of the strap by placing arms 46b and 47b under the two runs of loop 51, with loops 46a and 47a on top of the two runs. With the jaws so positioned, the free end of the belt is securely constrained between loops 46a and 47a and hook; arms 46b and 47b.

As in the prior art, the tension in the strap 20 tends to pull the ends 37, 38 of transverse arms 41 and 42 away from hooks 46, 47 as illustrated by arrows 61 and 62. However, unlike the prior art, this pull tends to draw jaws 46, 47 more tightly together, as indicated by arrows 63, 64.

The confronting portions of loops 46a and 47a hook arms 46b and 47b are disposed to abut against each other to limit the inward movement.

Thus, buckle 32 serves to enhance its gripping characteristic under increased tension in the strap so as 30 to preclude release of the grip of buckle 32 on strap 31 under the adverse circumstances which, in the past, , tended to dislodge the grip of the buckle in Figure 1. . raw ng t e ree: en s o arms; , n an outwar - rec tion. to: disengage the jaws from the strap ,: then allowing, the, end of the buckle with the hooks to pivot, away from ; strap: end 34. With the buckle so. positioned, the. free end of strap 31 is readily withdrawn rom buckle 32. '■'.."·.> Figure 5 illustrates another embodiment which is similar to that described above, except that the ,·, buckle is formed of a rod having a generally square cross section. This square cross section has been found to provide a better grip on the strap in some1 applications .' Primed reference numerals are used in Figure 5 to designate elements which correspond to similar elements in Figures 3 and 4.

The embodiment of Figure 6 includes an elongate strap 66 and a buckle 67. Strap 66 is generally similar to strap 31, and it includes a fixed end 68. and a free end 69. Buckle 67 comprises a generally rectangular rigid plate 7l having a pair of transversely extending longitudinally spaced apart, adjacent openings 72 , 73.. defining parallel cross arms 74 and 76 toward one end of plate 71. Strap end 68 is formed in a closed loop 77 which passes through openings 72 and 73 and around inner cross arm 74. The free end 69 of the strap is formed, in an open loop 78 which passes around outer cross arm 76.

Flanges 81 and 82 extend from the sides of plate 71 to provide strength to buckle 67. Flanges 81, 82 include aligned openings 83 and 84 toward the end of plate 71 remote from cross arms 74, 76.. A retaining pin 86 removably mounted in flange openings 83, 84 is spaced from plate 71 by a distance corresponding substantially to two thicknesses of the strap to provide means for securing buckle 67 in position adjacent to the free end ;.'... Operation and: use of the strap and: buckle . assembly of Figure 6 are generally- similar to that of the embodiments previously described . The strap is tightened '-· by rocking the buckle about cross arm 76 from a position adjacent to the fixed end .68 of the strap toward a posi-'. tion adjacent to the free end 69. The belt is secured in its tightened condition by inserting pin 86 in openings.' 83 and 84 with the two thicknesses of strap at the. free end 69 disposed between plate 71 and pin 86. The buckle is released simply by. removing pin 86 and rotating the-buckle toward the fixed end 68 of the strap. : From the foregoing it will be readily evident that an improved strap and buckle assembly has been provided.

Claims

•v · 46360/3 CLAIMS:

1. A buckle comprising a transversly extending cross-arm at one end of the buckle about which a free, end portion of a strap can be looped, a pair of short lever arms extending from the ends of the cross-arm in a common direction, at least one transverse arm about which a second end portion of the strap can be looped and secured, said transverse arm being spaced from said cross-arm and extending between the short lever arms in a direction generally parallel to the cross-arm, means defining a pair of elongate operating arms extending from opposite ends of the transverse arm toward that "end of the buckle remote from the cross-arm, said operating arms being substantially longer than the short lever arms to provide a substantial mechanical advantage for tightening the strap when the buckle is pivoted about the cross-arm in a direction carrying the second end portion of the strap toward the first end portion of the strap looped about the cross-arm, characterized by means serving to preclude lateral spreading of said operating arms in response to movement of said second end portion away from said first end portion, and means carried by the elongate operating arms for engaging that end of the strap which is looped about the cross-arm to retain the operating arms in position adja-cent the last named end for securing the strap in its tightened condition.

2. A buckle according to Claim 1 in which said means serving to preclude lateral spreading of said operating arms and said means defining the pair of elongate operating arms are characterized respectively by a rigid plate arid flanges carried along the side edges of said plate. 46360/3

3. A buckle according to claim 1 in which said means defining a pair of elongate operating arms and said means serving to preclude lateral spreading of said operating arms comprises respectively .elongate rod elements in which rod elements have been disposed to extend diagonally from opposite ends of the transverse arm toward that end of the buckle remote from the cross-arm and disposed in crossing relation to each other intermediate the ends of the buckle.

4., In combination, an elongate strap and a buckle according to claim 1 for tightening and securing same, said buckle comprising a rigid plate having a pair of transversely extending spaced apart openings at one end of the plate defined by a pair of parallel cross arms, one end portion of the strap being fixed in a closed loop passing through the openings and around the inner cross arm, the end cross arm having the other end portion of the strap looped about it, means extending from the sides of the plate and having aligned openings formed therein toward that end of the plate remote from the cross arms adapted to receive a transversely extending retaining pin removably mounted in the aligned openings and spaced from the plate sufficiently to accommodate two thicknesses of the strap to be interposed between the pin and the plate whereby the buckle can be secured in a position adjacent to the end portion of the strap looped about the outer cross arm. . . · ' 46360/3 . :* Ί , ' ' /

5. In combination, an elongate strap and a buckle for tightening and securing the strap, said buckle comprising a transversely extending cross arm at one end of the buckle, the strap having a free adjustable end portion1 adapted to be looped around the cross arm, a pair of short : lever arms^xtending .from the ends of the cross arm, trans-1 verse arms extending from the short lever arms in a direction generally parallel to the cross arm, another end portion of the strap being formed with a closed loop fixed around the transverse arms, a pair of elongate operating arms extending diagonally from opposite ends of the transverse arms toward that end of the buckle remote from the cross arm and crossing each other intermediate the ends of the buckle, said operating arms being significantly longer than the short lever arms to provide a substantial mechanical advantage for tightening the strap when the buckle is pivoted about the cross arm in a direction extending from a position adjacent that end of the strap looped about the transverse arms toward the adjustable end portion of the strap looped abou the cross arm, and a portion of each of the elongate operating arms extending at least partially across the width of said strap for retaining the end portion of the stra looped about the cross arm to hold the buckle in position adjacent the adjustable end portion and thereby secure the strap in its tightened condition. ,

6. A combination as defined in Claim 5 wherein the buckle is formed from a rod of resilient material. 46360/3 *

7. Λ buckle comprising, a transversely extending cross arm at one end of the buckle about which a free end portion of a strap can be looped, a pair of short lever arms extending from the ends of the cross arm, at least one transverse arm about which a second end portion of the strap can be looped and secured, said transverse arm being spaced from said cross arm and extending between the short lever arms in a direction generally parallel to the cross arm, a pair of elongate operating arms extending diagonally from opposite ends of the transverse arm toward that end of the buckle remote from the cross arm and crossing each other intermediate the ends of the buck'le, said operating arms being substantially longer than the short lever arms to provide a substantial mechanical advantage for tightening the strap when the buckle is pivoted about the cross arm in. a direction carrying the second end portion of the strap toward the first end portion of the strap looped about the cross arm, and means carried by each of the elongate operating arms for engaging that end of the strap which is looped about the cross arm to retain the buckle in position adjacent the : last named end for securing the strap in its tightened condition.