US20090013510A1

US20090013510A1 - Buckle device

Info

Publication number: US20090013510A1
Application number: US11/827,587
Authority: US
Inventors: Feng Chia Liang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-07-11
Filing date: 2007-07-11
Publication date: 2009-01-15

Abstract

A buckle device includes a female buckle member having a chamber for pivotally attaching two pawls with pivot pins, the pawls each has a depression and a projection formed in an inner surface, a male buckle member includes a tong for engaging into the chamber of the female buckle member and for engaging with the pawls, the tong includes two side surfaces each having a protrusion and a void for engaging into the depressions and the projections of the pawls and for increasing the contact area between the tong and the pawls and for solidly anchoring the tong to the female buckle member, and for sustaining a great pulling or towing force and for attaching to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle device, and more particularly to a buckle device including an improved structure for sustaining an increased pulling or towing force and for attaching to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical buckle devices comprise a female part and a male part including two tabs for engaging into the female part and for detachably anchoring or latching the female part and the male part together and for releasably attaching onto various portions of the wearers.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,826 to Gould discloses one of the typical safety side-release belt buckles comprising a male part with a resilient member, and a female part with a cavity for releasably securing the resilient member, and for allowing the female part and the male part to be selectively separated from each other by depressing the tabs.
However, the tabs may be depressed or actuated inadvertently and the female part and the male part may also be separated from each other inadvertently such that the typical safety side-release belt buckles may not be attached to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like and that require a great safety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,590 to Lan discloses another typical safety buckle also comprising a male buckle member and a female buckle member detachably fastened together, and the male buckle member includes two side blocks for engaging with side grooves of the female buckle member and for releasably or detachably securing or coupling the male buckle member and the female buckle member together.
However, the typical safety buckle may not be easily operated by the users due to the shielded tabs, and the typical safety buckle may not sustain a great pulling or towing force and also may not be attached to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like and that require a great safety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,830 to Chi discloses a further typical safety buckle or fastening device comprising a male fastener with engaging sections and a female fastener with resilient legs for releasably securing the male fastener and the female fastener together.
However, similarly, the engaging sections of the typical safety buckle may be depressed or actuated inadvertently and the female part and the male part may also be separated from each other inadvertently such that the typical safety side-release belt buckles may not be attached to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like and that require a great safety.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,219,406 to Chui discloses a still further typical safety buckle comprising a male plug and a female receptacle detachably fastened together, and the male plug includes two flexible arms for engaging with side arcuate openings of the female receptacle and for releasably securing the male plug and the female receptacle together.
However, similarly, the flexible arms of the typical safety buckle may also be depressed or actuated inadvertently and the female receptacle and the male plug may also be separated from each other inadvertently such that the typical safety buckles also may not be attached to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like and that require a great safety.
The typical buckle devices may not sustain a pulling or towing force for more than 700 kgf.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional latches for buckle devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a buckle device including an improved structure for sustaining an increased pulling or towing force and for attaching to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a buckle device comprising a female buckle member including a chamber formed therein, two pawls engaged into the chamber of the female buckle member and pivotally attached to the female buckle member with pivot pins respectively, the pawls each including an inner surface having a depression and a projection formed therein, a male buckle member including a tong extended therefrom for engaging into the chamber of the female buckle member and for engaging with the pawls respectively, the tong including two side surfaces each having a protrusion extended therefrom for selectively engaging into the depressions of the pawls, and including a void formed in each of the side surfaces for selectively engaging with the projections of the pawls and for anchoring the tong of the male buckle member to the female buckle member, and a biasing device for biasing the depressions and the projections of the pawls to engage with the projections and the voids of the tong and to solidly fasten the tong of the male buckle member to the female buckle member, and to allow the buckle device to have an improved structure for sustaining an increased pulling or towing force and for attaching to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like.
The tong includes two catches formed in the side surfaces respectively for selectively engaging with the projections of the pawls and for solidly fastening the tong of the male buckle member to the female buckle member, and for preventing the tong of the male buckle member from being disengaged from the female buckle member inadvertently.
The pawls each include a recess formed therein, and the biasing device includes two spring members engaged with the recesses of the pawls and engaged with the female buckle member for biasing the pawls to engage with the tong.
The female buckle member includes two side legs for forming the chamber of the female buckle member, and includes a cavity formed in each of the side legs for engaging with the spring members and for solidly retaining the spring members between the female buckle member and the pawls.
The female buckle member includes an intermediate plate disposed between two outer plates, and the side legs and the chamber of the female buckle member are formed in the intermediate plate. The intermediate plate and the outer plates each include a groove formed therein and aligned with each other for engaging with a strap member.
The male buckle member includes an intermediate panel disposed between two outer panels, and the tong is extended from the intermediate panel. The intermediate panel and the outer panels each include a groove formed therein and aligned with each other for engaging with a strap member.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a buckle device in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan schematic view of the buckle device in which a portion of the female buckle member has been cut off or removed for showing an inner structure of the buckle device, and for illustrating the operation of the buckle device; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan schematic view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the operation of the buckle device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a buckle device 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises a female buckle member 20 and a male buckle member 50 to be detachably or releasably fastened together, and arranged for allowing the male buckle member 50 and the female buckle member 20 to be solidly and stably fastened or coupled or secured together and to sustain a great pulling or towing force and for allowing the male buckle member 50 and the female buckle member 20 to be attached to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like and that require a great safety.
The female buckle member 20 includes a middle or intermediate plate 21 disposed or sandwiched between two outer plates 22, 23 and to be secured together with such as fasteners 80, and the plates 21, 22, 23 each include a groove 24 formed therein and aligned with each other for engaging with a belt or strap member (not shown), the intermediate plate 21 includes a notch or chamber 25 formed therein and formed between two side legs 26, and an outer inclined surface 27 and a cavity 28 formed in each of the side legs 26, in which the cavities 28 of the side legs 26 are facing toward and communicating with the chamber 25 of the intermediate plate 21.
Two pawls 30 are partially engaged into the chamber 25 of the intermediate plate 21 or of the female buckle member 20 and rotatably or pivotally attached or coupled or secured to the female buckle member 20 and between the outer plates 22, 23 with pivot pins 31 respectively for allowing the pawls 30 to be rotated or pivoted relative to the female buckle member 20, the pawls 30 each include a depression 32 formed in an inner surface 33 thereof for forming a projection 34 in an inner portion 35 thereof, and each include a recess 36 formed therein and located distal to or opposite to the depression 32 and/or the projection 34 thereof for receiving or engaging with spring biasing means or spring members 29 which may bias or force the depressions 32 and/or the projections 34 and/or the inner surfaces 33 of the pawls 30 toward each other, and each include a hand grip or knob 37 formed in the outer portion 38 thereof for being actuated or operated or depressed by the users against the spring members 29.
The male buckle member 50 may also include a middle or intermediate panel 51 disposed or sandwiched between two outer panels 52 and to be secured together with such as fasteners 53, and the panels 21, 22, 23 each include a groove 54 formed therein and aligned with each other for engaging with a belt or strap member (not shown), and a rod 88 engaged or straddled in the groove 54 of the male buckle member 50 for further engaging with the belt or strap member. The male buckle member 50 includes a tong 55 extended outwardly therefrom, such as extended outwardly from the intermediate panel 21 for engaging into the chamber 25 of the female buckle member 20 and for engaging with the pawls 30 respectively.
The tong 55 includes two outer and inclined side surfaces 56 for engaging with or for mating with the inner surfaces 33 of the pawls 30 respectively (FIG. 2), and includes a protrusion 57 extended outwardly from each of the side surfaces 56 for selectively engaging into the depressions 32 of the pawls 30, and includes a void 58 and/or a catch 59 formed in each of the side surfaces 56 for selectively engaging with the projections 34 of the pawls 30, and thus for solidly and stably fasten or couple or secure the tong 55 of the male buckle member 50 to the female buckle member 20, and the projections 34 and/or the inner surfaces 33 of the pawls 30 may be selectively disengaged from the tong 55 of the male buckle member 50 by actuating or operating or depressing the knobs 37 of the pawls 30 toward each other and/or against the spring members 29 (FIG. 3).
It is to be noted that, as shown in FIG. 2, the formation and the provision or the engagement of the projections 34 of the pawls 30 with the voids 58 of the tong 55, and the formation and the provision or the engagement of the protrusions 57 of the tong 55 with the depressions 32 of the pawls 30 may increase the contact area between the tong 55 and the pawls 30, for allowing the buckle device 1 to sustain a pulling or towing force for more than 1000 kgf, and thus for allowing the buckle device 1 to be attached or mounted to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like.
In addition, as also shown in FIG. 2, the catches 59 of the tong 55 may also be solidly engaged with the projections 34 and/or the inner portion 35 of the pawls 30 for solidly and stably fastening or anchoring or securing the tong 55 of the male buckle member 50 to the female buckle member 20, and for preventing the tong 55 of the male buckle member 50 from being disengaged from the female buckle member 20 inadvertently. The outer inclined surfaces 27 of the side legs 26 of the female buckle member 20 may be selectively engaged with the pawls 30 for limiting the pawls 30 to rotate relative to the female buckle member 20.
Accordingly, the buckle device in accordance with the present invention includes an improved structure for sustaining an increased pulling or towing force and for attaching to the facilities that require to sustain a great pulling or towing force, such as parachutes or the like.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A buckle device comprising:

a female buckle member including a chamber formed therein,

two pawls engaged into said chamber of said female buckle member and pivotally attached to said female buckle member with pivot pins respectively, said pawls each including an inner surface having a depression and a projection formed therein,

a male buckle member including a tong extended therefrom for engaging into said chamber of said female buckle member and for engaging with said pawls respectively,

said tong including two side surfaces each having a protrusion extended therefrom for selectively engaging into said depressions of said pawls, and including a void formed in each of said side surfaces for selectively engaging with said projections of said pawls and for anchoring said tong of said male buckle member to said female buckle member, and

means for biasing said depressions and said projections of said pawls to engage with said projections and said voids of said tong and to fasten said tong of said male buckle member to said female buckle member.

2. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tong includes two catches formed in said side surfaces respectively for selectively engaging with said projections of said pawls and for solidly fastening said tong of said male buckle member to said female buckle member.

3. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pawls each include a recess formed therein, and said biasing means includes two spring members engaged with said recesses of said pawls and engaged with said female buckle member for biasing said pawls to engage with said tong.

4. The buckle device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said female buckle member includes two side legs for forming said chamber of said female buckle member, and includes a cavity formed in each of said side legs for engaging with said spring members.

5. The buckle device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said female buckle member includes an intermediate plate disposed between two outer plates, and said side legs and said chamber of said female buckle member are formed in said intermediate plate.

6. The buckle device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said intermediate plate and said outer plates each include a groove formed therein and aligned with each other.

7. The buckle device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said male buckle member includes an intermediate panel disposed between two outer panels, and said tong is extended from said intermediate panel.

8. The buckle device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said intermediate panel and said outer panels each include a groove formed therein and aligned with each other.