JP2000166616A - Buckle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a buckle in which the respective engage parts of a male member are easily pressed (operated) and there is no danger of breakage of an elastic piece. SOLUTION: This buckle is composed of a female member 1 in the shape of hollow cylinder equipped with an inserting hole 3 and a lock part 5 and a male member 11 where, at both end parts of a front face 12f of a flange part 12, elastic pieces 16A to be inserted into the inserting hole 3 provided at the tip, to which an engage part 15 to be engaged with the lack part 5 is to be inserted, are arranged facing each other. In this case, one end side of each engage part 15 is connected to a front face 12f of a flange part 12 by a first elastic piece 16, the other end sides of respective engage parts 15 are mutually connected by second elastic pieces 18, and the first elastic piece 16 is made thinner than the second elastic piece 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a buckle composed of a separable female member and a male member for connecting both ends of a belt or a strapper to each other.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The above-mentioned conventional buckle has a hollow cylindrical female member provided with an insertion hole and a locking portion, and a pair of engaging members which are engaged with the locking portion of the female member at both ends on the front surface of a flange portion. The joint portion is constituted by a male member provided with opposed elastic pieces to be inserted into the insertion holes of the female member provided at the distal end. The flat hollow cylinder constituting the above-mentioned female member is provided with an insertion hole by opening the front surface, an opening is formed in the upper and lower walls, a locking portion is provided, and a rear end, for example, an end of a belt is provided. An attachment mechanism for attaching or fixing is provided. Also, an attachment mechanism for attaching or fixing the end of the belt is provided on the flange of the male member. The elastic piece is provided upright on the front surface of the flange.

Next, attachment and detachment of the buckle will be described.
First, using a mounting mechanism, both ends of the belt are attached to the female member and the male member, and the engaging portion of the male member is inserted into the hollow cylinder of the female member, that is, inserted into the insertion hole. By abutting against the insides of the upper and lower walls, each elastic piece bends inward around the base end portion on the flange side, so that the engaging portion and the elastic piece can be inserted into the hollow cylinder.

When the engaging portion and the elastic piece are inserted into the hollow cylinder until the flange abuts on the hollow cylinder, each engaging portion is opposed to the opening. The portion protrudes into each opening, and faces the locking portion, which is the front side edge forming the opening, and the female member and the male member are joined. Further, when the female member and the male member were separated, each elastic portion was deflected by pressing each engaging portion by directing a finger to each opening portion, and the opposition of each engaging portion to the locking portion was released. Later, by moving the female member and the male member relatively in the direction as they are,
The female member and the male member can be separated. Such a buckle is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-59-82803.

[0005]

In the conventional male member of the buckle, an elastic piece stands upright from the front surface of the flange. Therefore, when the female member and the male member are separated, each elastic piece is bent inward along an arc-shaped locus around the base end portion on the flange portion side by pressing each engaging portion. Because the pressing direction of the joint is not the direction orthogonal to the length direction of the male member,
Each engaging portion was difficult to press (operate). In addition, since the gap between the engaging portions is open, a string or the like enters between the engaging portions and is caught by the engaging portion. If an excessive stress is applied, the elastic piece may be damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned inconvenience, and provides a buckle in which each engaging portion of a male member is easily pressed (operated) and the elastic piece is not likely to be damaged. It is.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a hollow cylindrical female member provided with an insertion hole and a locking portion, and an engaging portion which is engaged with the locking portion at both ends on the front surface of the flange portion. In a buckle composed of a male member provided with an elastic piece inserted into an insertion hole provided at a tip thereof, the one end side of each engaging portion is connected to a front surface of a flange portion by a first elastic piece, The other end side of each engaging portion is connected by a second elastic piece, and one of the first elastic pieces or the second elastic pieces is thinner than the other.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a front view of a female member constituting a buckle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the female member shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. Figure 1
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a female member formed of plastic, which is composed of a flat hollow cylinder 2 and a flat plate portion 8 vertically connected to the rear end of the hollow cylinder 2 so as to be connected thereto. .

The above-mentioned hollow cylinder 2 is provided with an insertion hole 3 which is open from the front to the rear end, an opening 4 is provided in the upper and lower walls, and a front edge of the opening 4 is a locking portion 5. And
Two guide ribs 6 are provided continuously inside the front wall of the hollow cylinder 2, and two guide ribs 7 are provided continuously corresponding to the guide ribs 6 inside the rear wall of the hollow cylinder 2. The rear end is connected to form a stopper. In addition, a hole 9 for inserting a belt is formed between the hollow cylinder 2 and the flat plate portion 8, and the flat plate portion 8 and the hole 9 constitute an attachment mechanism for mounting the belt. The female member 1 is vertically symmetric.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a male member constituting a buckle according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the male member shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional front view of the upper half of the female member in a state where the male member is coupled to the female member. 5 to 8, 1
Reference numeral 1 denotes a male member formed of plastic,
And two engaging portions 15 whose outer rear ends are engaged with the locking portions 5 of the hollow cylinder 2. One end (rear side) of each of the engaging portions 15 is attached to both ends of the front surface 12 f of the flange portion 12. Two first elastic pieces 16 to be connected and the other end side (front side or front end side) of the engaging portion 15
A second elastic piece 18 for connecting the two, and a front face 12 of the flange 12
and a guided portion 19 extending forward from the center of f and connected to the center of the second elastic piece 18.

A hole 1 penetrating back and forth is provided in the flange 12 described above.
3 are provided, and a shaft 14 is provided so as to divide the hole 13 into right and left. The hole 13 and the shaft 14 constitute an attachment mechanism for attaching and fixing the belt. Each of the first elastic pieces 16 is provided outside a concave portion 17 provided at both ends of the front surface 12f of the flange portion 12 and overlaps the flange portion 12 in the length direction. The guided portion 19 is provided with the guide ribs 6 and 7 of the hollow cylinder 2.
And move back and forth.

In the first elastic piece 16 and the second elastic piece 18, the first elastic piece 16 is thinner. The two engaging portions 15 and the second elastic pieces 18 form an arc surface. Further, the engaging portion 15, the first and second elastic pieces 16, 18 and the guided portion 19 become a portion to be inserted into the insertion hole 3 of the hollow cylinder 2, and the engaging portion 15, the first and second
Portions surrounded by the elastic pieces 16 and 18 and the guided portion 19 are holes. The male member 11 is vertically symmetric.

Next, attachment and detachment of the buckle will be described.
First, using the attachment mechanism, both ends of the belt are attached to the female member 1 and the male member 11, and the engaging portion 15 of the male member 11 is inserted into the hollow cylinder 2 of the female member 1, that is, into the insertion hole 3. When each engaging portion 15 abuts on the inner side of the upper and lower walls of the hollow cylinder 2, each elastic piece 16, 18 is bent, and each engaging portion 15
Will move.

When the engaging portions 15 abut against the inside of the upper and lower walls of the hollow cylinder 2 as described above, the first elastic piece 16 is formed to be thin and the second elastic piece 18 is formed to be thick. Each engaging portion 15 rotates around the thin portion 18a of the second elastic piece 18 and deforms the first elastic piece 16 so as to be inclined inward. In order to move inward in the direction orthogonal to the length direction, the engaging portion 15,
The first and second elastic pieces 16 and 18 and the guided portion 19 can be inserted into the hollow cylinder 2.

Then, the engaging portion 15, the first and second elastic pieces 16, 18 and the guided portion 19 are moved into the hollow cylinder 2 until the flange 12 abuts against the hollow cylinder 2, that is, the state shown in FIG. 8, each engaging portion 15 is opposed to the opening 4 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8, and as shown by a solid line in FIG. The female member 1 is inserted into each of the corresponding openings 4 and faces the locking portion 5 so that the male member 11 does not come off the female member 1.
And the male member 11 are connected.

When the female member 1 and the male member 11 are to be separated from each other, each of the elastic pieces 16 and 18 is bent by pressing each of the engaging portions 15 with a finger directed to each of the openings 4 and pressing each of the engaging portions 15. 15 is moved inward in the direction orthogonal to the length direction of the male member 11 to release the engagement of each engaging portion 15 with the corresponding locking portion 5, and then the female member 1 and the male member are kept as they are. The female member 1 and the male member 11 can be separated by moving the female member 11 and the male member 11 relatively.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for comparing the length of the male member of the first embodiment of the present invention with the length of the male member of the conventional example. The lower side is a male member of the first embodiment of the present invention, and the upper side is a conventional male member. Also, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts as those of the male member in the first embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 9, reference numeral 16A denotes an elastic piece. a
Are the first elastic pieces 1 necessary for retracting the engagement portion 15.
6, the length of the elastic piece 16A, b is the flange 12 and the first elastic piece 1
6 indicates an overlap length that overlaps in the length direction.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the first elastic piece 16,
Since the engaging portion 15, the second elastic piece 18, the engaging portion 15, and the first elastic piece 16 are annularly connected in this order, and the first elastic piece 16 is made thinner than the second elastic piece 18, each of the engaging portions 15 When pressed, the portion 15 rotates about a part of the second elastic piece 18 and
In order to deform the elastic piece 16 so as to be inclined inward, the elastic piece 16 moves inward in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the male member 11.

Accordingly, since the pressing direction and the moving direction of each engaging portion 15 coincide with each other, each engaging portion 15 is pressed (operated).
Easier to do. In addition, the first elastic piece 16, the engaging portion 15, the second
Since the elastic piece 18 is annularly connected to the front surface 12f of the flange portion 12, it can be smoothly inserted into the female member 1, and the first elastic piece 16 and the like are not caught by a string or the like. There is no risk of damage.

By providing recesses 17 at both ends of the front surface 12f of the flange 12 sandwiched by the first elastic pieces 16, as shown in FIG. 9, the flange 12 and the first elastic pieces 16 are elongated. The flange 12 and the first
Overlap length b where the elastic piece 16 overlaps
Only the length of the male member 11 can be reduced, and the length of the buckle in the coupled state can be reduced.

Therefore, when the width of the belt is reduced, the length of the first elastic piece 16 and the allowance for bending are reduced while the overall length of the male member 11 is shortened, so that the female member 1 and the male member 11 are connected. The length of the buckle can be kept from becoming horizontal, and the balance between the width (length) of the buckle and the overall length (width) can be maintained. In addition, as the depth of the concave portion 17 is increased, the overlap length b can be increased, and the overall length of the male member 11 and the buckle can be reduced.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a male member constituting a buckle according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The male member 11 in the second embodiment is the male member 1 in the first embodiment.
1 is that the second elastic piece 18 is different from the first elastic piece 16.
And a point that the guided portion 19 is not provided. The female member in the second embodiment may have the same configuration as the female member 1 in the first embodiment.

Even when the male member 11 is configured in this manner, each engaging portion 15 moves in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the male member 11 similarly to each engaging portion 15 in the first embodiment. The same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

In the embodiment described above, the first elastic piece 16 is made thinner than the second elastic piece 18. However, the second elastic piece 18 is made thinner than the first elastic piece 16, and the base of the first elastic piece 16 is formed. By rotating the engaging portion 15 about the end side (the flange portion 12 side),
By securing the deformable length of the second elastic piece 18,
Since each engaging portion 15 moves in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the male member 11, a similar effect can be obtained. Also,
Although the thin portion 18 a is provided on the second elastic piece 18, each first elastic piece 16 rotates around a part of the second elastic piece 18 without providing the thin portion 18 a.

Further, in consideration of the insertability (operability) of the male member 11 into the female member 1, it is necessary to increase the amount of movement of the engaging portion 15, but the first elastic piece 16 is made thinner. As a result, the amount of movement of the engagement portion 15 can be increased.
1 becomes easier to insert.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first elastic piece, the engaging part, the second elastic piece, the engaging part, and the first elastic piece are sequentially provided on the front surface of the flange in the order of ring. , Each first elastic piece or second
Since any one of the elastic pieces is made thinner than the other, each of the engaging portions, when pressed, rotates about a part of the thicker, for example, the second elastic piece, and the first In order to deform the elastic piece so as to be inclined inward, the elastic member moves inward in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the male member.

Therefore, since the pressing direction and the moving direction of each engaging portion coincide with each other, each engaging portion is easily pressed (operated). In addition, since the first elastic piece, the engaging portion, and the second elastic piece are annularly connected to the front surface of the flange, the insertion into the female member can be performed smoothly, and the string or the like does not get caught. Therefore, there is no possibility that the first elastic piece or the like is damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a female member constituting a buckle according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the female member shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a front view of a male member constituting the buckle according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the male member shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a cross section of the upper half of the female member in a state where the male member is coupled to the female member.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for comparing the length of the male member of the first embodiment of the present invention with the length of the male member of the conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a male member constituting a buckle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Female member 2 Hollow cylinder 3 Insertion hole 4 Opening 5 Locking part 6, 7 Guide rib 8 Flat plate part 9 Hole 11 Male member 12 Flange part 12f Front surface 13 Hole 14 Shaft 15 Engaging part 16 First elastic piece 16A Elastic piece 17 Recess 18 Second elastic piece 18a Thin portion 19 Guided portion a Length b Overlap length

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A hollow cylindrical female member provided with an insertion hole and a locking portion, and an engaging portion for engaging with the locking portion is provided at both ends of a front surface of a flange portion at an end thereof. In a buckle comprising a male member provided with elastic pieces inserted into an insertion hole facing each other, one end of each of the engaging portions is connected to a front surface of the flange portion by a first elastic piece, and A buckle, wherein the other end sides of the portions are connected by a second elastic piece, and one of the first elastic pieces or the second elastic pieces is thinner than the other.