KR20030096301A - buckle - Google Patents

Abstract

The buckle includes a plug and a socket member, the plug and socket member being easily separated while at the same time providing a secure connection between the plug and the socket member as desired. The plug member has a base portion, a pair of longitudinally extending engaging legs that cantilevered from the base portion, and substantially transversely interconnected with the pair of legs. It includes a link member. The socket member includes an upper panel and a lower panel interconnected at one longitudinal end and a pair of consecutive slots extending longitudinally at both sides of the panel from the unconnected longitudinal end of the panel. The buckle is characterized in that it has a locking leg comprising a semi-rigid portion comprising a substantial rigid portion and a spring-blade-like member.

Description

Buckle {buckle}

The buckle described in the detailed description of the invention is directed to a fastening device having a male plug member and a female socket member releasably connected to each other. The releasable connection is generally by flap fitting in an axial or longitudinal manner. Each said plug and socket member has a first end for releasably connecting with another member and a second end for attaching to external parts connected through said buckle. The portion to be connected may be, for example, the free end of a strap or flap and may be the body of a bag. Buckles of this kind are also known as strap connectors or strap fasteners.

Each male plug member and female socket member typically include a base portion adapted to be received at the free end of the strap or other portion of the article to which it is connected. An elongated slit or slot extending from the transverse member is usually formed in the base portion for receiving the strap end or the portion to which it is attached. The slit or slot is usually serrated, so that the tension or length in the strap can be adjusted and maintained while the plug and socket member are engaged.

The male plug member typically includes a pair of longitudinally extending legs that cantilevering from the base portion. The pair of hanging legs is usually arranged on or adjacent the transverse extremes of the base portion. A locking means is usually formed on the end of the locking leg, ie on the far ends of the leg away from the base portion, so as to engage with a corresponding portion on the socket member to provide an engagement between the plug and the socket member. . The locking means can be, for example, a hook-like member having an inclined notch and an enclosed portion of the notch facing the base.

The female socket member typically includes a rigid receptor housing having a collar and a neck portion. The collar portion usually comprises a rigid enclosure with an extended aperture, wherein the thickness of the gap is substantially the same as the thickness of the locking leg of the male plug member but the transverse dimension of the aperture is Smaller than the natural or unbiased transverse width of the limb. The neck portion of the socket member is formed of an intermediate between the collar portion and the base portion of the socket. The neck portion is essentially a continuation of the collar portion, except that the corresponding transverse end of the collar member passing through a through hole extending between the transverse ends of the neck portion is removed.

The operation of a typical buckle is as follows. To engage the plug and socket member, the plug and socket member are joined in a longitudinal or bayonet manner by pushing the two members towards each other in the longitudinal manner. Under this condition, the free end of the locking leg protruding into the cantilever is moved toward the hollow receptor housing of the socket member. When the catching legs come into contact with the inner edge of the cavity-shaped receiving housing, a reduced transverse gap of the housing acts to retract the catching legs from each other, and tension is formed on the pair of catching legs. When the locking leg moves completely into the neck of the receptacle housing, the leg is no longer tightened by the narrowed gap. The removal of the tension from the leg causes the cross width of the locking leg to return to the cross width of the unbiased state. In this connection, the notch formed in the engaging leg is engaged with a corresponding latch formed in the neck portion, thereby forming an interlocking between the plug and the socket member, and the plug member accidentally being This prevents the connection from being released from the socket member.

When the plug and socket member are disengaged, the locking legs are compressed to each other by providing a transversal force to the side of the leg through the exposed and bare neck of the socket member, thereby The transverse width of the locking leg is reduced and the notch of the leg is released from the edge of the collar portion.

In general, a good buckle should meet the following criteria: First, the plug and socket members must remain securely interconnected unless they are intentionally released. The interconnection must be maintained even under significant longitudinal separating forces applied to the ends of the buckle. Second, the intended release should be easy, convenient, and should not require excessive force beyond what is applied for people to use the article comfortably. However, the seemingly simple requirements described above are in fact plaguing the buckle designer as a major design barrier because they actually create conflicting conditions when they are reduced in the actual buckle design. In other words, it will be evident that in order to provide a secure interconnect the hooks must be extremely strong, robust and rigid. On the other hand, for easy release means, the locking leg must be able to be easily deflected, since the notch can be released from the locking portion of the collar member.

Therefore, it is desirable to be able to provide an improved buckle that can provide secure interconnection and ease of intentional release by the user while being substantially connected. It is also desirable that the release can be easily made with one hand without using excessive force.

The present invention relates to a buckle, and more particularly to a male plug member and a female socket member that are releasably connected to one another in a longitudinal or bayonet-like manner. and a buckle having a member).

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows.

1 illustrates a plug and socket member of a preferred buckle of the present invention, wherein the dotted line on the socket corresponds to the internal structure of the socket member.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the socket member of FIG. 1, showing the supporting structure as well as the contiguous slots between the upper and lower panels of the socket member.

3 is a perspective view of the plug member from one longitudinal end.

4 is a perspective view of the plug and socket member aligned for engagement;

5 shows the plug and socket member of FIG. 4 at different angles.

6 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the plug member in broken line when received in the socket member;

7 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a corresponding internal structure of the plug and socket member during engagement.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved buckle which substantially meets the above mentioned conditions. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a useful choice or alternative of an improved buckle that is generally available to at least the general public.

According to the present invention, there is provided a buckle comprising a plug and a socket member, the plug member having a base portion, a pair of longitudinally extending locking legs that cantilevered from the base portion ( engaging legs) and a substantially transverse linking member interconnected with said pair of legs, said socket member having an upper panel and a lower panel interconnected at one longitudinal end and an unconnected longitudinal direction of said panel. A pair of contiguous slots extending longitudinally from both ends to the sides of the panel, each engaging leg substantially comprising a rigid portion and a semi-rigid portion; The semi-fixed part of the leg is adjacent to the base part of one longitudinal end and the substantially fixed part is connected to the other longitudinal end. do.

The semi-fixed part preferably comprises a spring-blade member having a width considerably greater than its thickness.

The interconnect link between the pair of hanging legs is preferably semi-fixed.

Preferably, the interconnect link can be deformed when the hanging legs are compressed relative to each other.

Preferably, the legs are integrally formed in the peripheral dimension of the substantial fixing of the leg, which is considerably larger than that of the semi-fixing part of the leg.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the buckle 1 of the present invention comprising a male plug member 10 and a female socket member 30 is shown. The buckle 1 is preferably made of a strong rigid plastic material such as polypropylene or synthetic resin. The plug and socket members are preferably molded integrally as one unit each in order to not only improve robustness, strength and durability, but also reduce manufacturing costs.

The plug member 10 generally includes a base portion 11 and a pair of strong and elastically bendable legs 12 and 13 extending longitudinally from the base portion 11. The base portion is provided with means for fixing the plug member to an external object. In this preferred embodiment the means for securing comprises a transversely extending slot 14 having a serrated or toothed inner edge for securely receiving the strap end or flap of the bag. do. The pair of engaging legs extend longitudinally from the base portion and are spaced apart from the transverse slots. The pair of engaging legs can be flexibly bent relative to adjacent junctions only along a plane adjacent to the base and preferably transverse to both engaging legs. Each locking leg includes a reinforced fixed top 15 and a semi-fixed bottom 16. The fixed top 15 is adapted to provide a strong, safe and reliable connection engagement with the socket member 30, and has a reinforced thickness having a thickness considerably greater than the thickness of the semi-fixed portion of the locking leg. member). In this embodiment the thickness and width of the fastening portion or upper limb of the locking leg is significant and the fastening portion has a substantially square cross-section which makes it strong and robust. In order to provide a releasable connection with the socket member, a socket locking means is provided on the fixed top. In this embodiment, the locking means includes a wedging member 17 protruding from the top or upper end of the locking leg into the cantilever. The wedge member 17 is coupled to the upper fixing portion by means of a fixed link member at an angle, as a result of which the wedge member is lifted slightly above the free end of the locking leg. It is desirable to interlink the wedge member as such by lifting it to the upper fixing part, and it is to be understood that other crosslinks between the wedge member and the catching leg are possible without loss of generality.

The semi-fixed part 16 of the locking leg provides the interconnection between the stationary top 15 and the base 11. While the buckle 1 allows for easy release or loosening of the plug and socket member when needed, the stringent requirement is to provide a very strong and secure connection between the plug 10 and the socket member 30 during engagement. In order to satisfy, the lower part of the locking leg (hereinafter the "lower rim") must be adequately rigid and strong enough to satisfy the first requirement. On the other hand, the lower rim should be flexible enough to meet the second preferred requirement. In the presently preferred embodiment, the lower rim 16 of the locking leg is manufactured in the form of a spring blade (such as used for shock absorbing purposes in many industries, such as vehicles). Similar to other spring blade arrangements, the spring blades of this preferred embodiment are made of a strong and resilient material having a width significantly greater than the thickness. For example, in the present embodiment, the locking leg has a width of about 8 mm, the thickness of the semi-fixed part is about 2 mm, and the thickness of the upper fixing part is about 5 mm. It is generally known that the width of the semi-fixed part should be at least two to three times its thickness. According to the above feature, the locking leg can flexibly bend with respect to its base and along a plane formed by an intersection between the base portion and the locking leg. According to the semi-fixing part of the locking leg formed in this way, the locking leg is strong with respect to each base and can be bent with respect to each other in a co-planar manner. It is of course also possible to adjust the locking legs so that the locking legs can be bent on each other but on different planes, depending on the design of the socket member. A semi-rigid bridge 18 is provided that interconnects the bases of the locking legs to further enhance the resilience of the locking legs for each base. Such interconnecting legs may be substantially transverse and bend in the longitudinal member substantially when the hooks are compressed against each other. The presence of such deformable or bendable cross interconnecting legs enhances the resilience of the locking legs to each base while at the same time allowing the locking legs to remain very tight and strong to provide the necessary connection. As can be seen from the figure, a substantially longitudinal guiding member 19 is provided on the interconnect leg to control movement of the plug along the socket member when the plug is inserted into the socket member. Is formed. Referring to the socket member, the socket member 30 includes an upper panel 31 and a lower panel 32 interconnected to one longitudinal end (hereinafter “elbow”) 33. The other longitudinal end of the panel is not connected, but an aperture is adopted which is adapted to receive the locking leg of the plug member for connection. In order to facilitate easy release or loosening, a continuous longitudinal slot 34 is formed on the side separating the upper and lower panels. With such a contiguous slot 34, the catching leg is often not trapped in the collar member of the socket during release in the case of a conventional buckle. In addition to being interconnected to the longitudinal ends of the panel members, extending between the upper and lower panel members longitudinally extending in a space intermediate between the upper and lower members and near the center of the panel. A supporting structure 35 is further provided. The longitudinal support structure also acts as a guide member 35 that complements the guide member formed in the plug member for guiding or adjusting the movement of the plug member moved within the socket member. Also provided is a pair of wedge members 36 disposed on the panel at a position corresponding to the position of the wedge member on the plug member for strong and safe interconnection. In this embodiment the wedge member is connected to a pair of urging tracks which rapidly provide increasing bias on the wedge member of the plug member while the plug is moved into the socket member for engagement. do. The biasing force increases as the plug member moves toward the elbow portion 33 of the socket member, and the biasing force is once the wedge member on the plug member passes the tightening track past the tightening track. Releases when engaged with The deflection force generated during the movement to the socket member causes the locking leg to be forced into engagement with the engagement leg once the deflection force is released.

To disengage the engagement, the user only needs to push the engaging legs facing each other, and the geometry of the wedge member automatically releases the engagement. After disengagement between the wedge members 36, 17 on the plug and socket member, the plug member wedge means 17 is moved to the tightening track 37 and a urging force created on the tightening track. ) Tends to force the plug member to move away from the socket member, thereby allowing for easy separation between the plug and the socket member.

According to the above or other similar or equivalent structure, it will be expected that a very strong and stable engagement during connection and a buckle that can be easily released as desired and desired can be provided. Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood that other structures or shapes of the plug and socket members may be employed to achieve similar effects without loss of universality.

Claims (11)

In a buckle comprising a plug and a socket member, the plug member has a base portion, a pair of longitudinally extending locking legs that cantilevered from the base portion. (engaging legs) and a substantially transverse link member interconnected with the pair of legs, the socket member having a top panel and a bottom panel interconnected at one longitudinal end; panel and a pair of contiguous slots extending longitudinally on both sides of the panel from an unconnected longitudinal end of the panel, each of the engaging legs being a rigid portion and semi-rigid. A semi-rigid portion, wherein the semi-rigid portion of the leg is adjacent the base portion at one longitudinal end and the substantially fixed at the other longitudinal end Buckles, characterized in that connected to. 2. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein the semi-fixed part comprises a spring-blade having a width considerably greater than its thickness. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein the interconnect link between the pair of engaging legs is semi-fixed. 4. A buckle as recited in claim 3, wherein said interconnect link is deformable when said engaging legs are compressed relative to each other. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein the locking leg is integrally formed with the peripheral dimension of the substantially fixing part of the leg which is considerably larger than that of the half fixing part of the leg. 2. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein a wedge member is connected to a substantially fixed portion of each said locking leg for connecting with said socket member. . 2. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein a urging track is formed on the socket member to deflect laterally the catch leg due to the tightening track while the plug member is moved toward the socket member. . 8. A buckle according to claim 7, wherein an end of the tightening track is connected to the wedge means. 8. The buckle according to claim 7, wherein the deflection of the locking leg increases as the plug is moved toward the socket. 2. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein the connection between the socket and the plug member is by wedging. The buckle according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the substantially fixing portion of the locking leg is considerably larger than the thickness of the semi-fixed portion.