US20130000088A1

US20130000088A1 - Smart sliding buckle

Info

Publication number: US20130000088A1
Application number: US13/538,582
Authority: US
Inventors: Pik Ho Liza CHENG
Original assignee: Embry China Garments Ltd
Current assignee: Embry China Garments Ltd
Priority date: 2011-07-01
Filing date: 2012-06-29
Publication date: 2013-01-03
Also published as: EP2540177A1; TW201302112A; JP2013013719A; CN102204725A

Abstract

Embodiments of smart sliding buckles are provided. The embodiments relate to garment accessories, particularly bra buckles. It includes a hooking-prong and a loop-frame. The hooking-prong is a flattened hook. The loop-frame is V-shaped. The V-shaped loop-frame includes two bars. Lower ends of the bars of the V-shaped loop-frame are curvedly connected, forming an arc. Two upper ends of the V-shaped loop-frame connect to fixing rings that can be used to fix the loop-frame on a piece of garment, such as a bra. This V-shaped loop-frame decreases the precision requirement to secure a tie. It allows certain degree of position variation between the hooking-prong and the V-shaped loop-frame to form a tie. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein provide the same functions as traditional buckles, yet they provide additional ease of use.

Description

FIELD

The embodiment describes herein a smart sliding buckle that relates to garment accessories, particularly bra buckles.

BACKGROUND

Current designs of loop-frames of bra buckles are generally rectangular-shaped, of which a bottom is transitionally connected to form a U-shape loop. There is generally a hooking-prong on one end of a piece of garment that matches with a loop-frame on the other end. While using, a user uses his hands to hook up the hooking-prong and the loop-frame to form a tie. The secured tie is often stable and can be easily unhooked. The hooking-prong and the loop-frame have to spatially match to each other to form a tie. A bra usually has multiple pairs of hooking-prongs and loop-frames. Because the spatial positions of the hooking-prongs have to match with the corresponding loop-frames in a somewhat accurate manner to form a tie, it requires a relatively high level of precision for a user to successfully secure a tie between the hooking-prongs and loop-frames. This requirement of high level of precision incurs high level of difficulty for users. The difficulty is even greater if the hooking-prongs and the loop-frames on a bra locate in a position where a user cannot see. Therefore, current designs of bra buckles cannot provide sufficient convenience for users; instead, they incur great inconvenience.

SUMMARY

Embodiments herein describe a novel buckle design, a smart sliding buckle, that is relatively easy to use. While forming a tie, a smart sliding buckle can easily form a tie even if the spatial positions of the hooking-prongs and the loop-frames do not match to each other exactly.
Embodiments may be implemented as follows.
A smart sliding buckle may include a hooking-prong and a loop-frame. The hooking-prong may be a flattened hook. The loop-frame may be a V-shaped loop-frame. Lower ends of two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame may be curvedly connected, forming an arc. Upper ends of the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame may connect to fixing rings that can be used to fix the loop-frame on a piece of garment, such as a bra.
An angle between the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame may range from 30 to 150 degrees.
Embodiments decrease the precision requirement to form a tie. While forming a tie, an embodiment allows certain degrees of variations of spatial mis-match between the hooking-prongs and loop-frames. Within the allowed variation of spatial mis-match, users can easily form a tie that has the same effects provided by a traditional bra buckle. The embodiments described herein can increase the ease of use.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of the hooking-prong.

FIG. 2 illustrates a structure of the loop-frame.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a pair of mis-matched hooking-prong and loop-frame of a smart sliding buckle.

FIG. 4 illustrates a force diagram of a pair of mis-matched hooking-prong and loop-frame of a smart sliding buckle while in the process of forming a tie.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of a secured tie of a smart sliding buckle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5 further disclose the embodiments:
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the embodiment includes two major elements: a hooking-prong 1 and a V-shaped loop-frame 2. The hooking-prong 1 is installed at one end of a bra being connected. The V-shaped loop-frame 2 is installed at the other end of the bra being connected. The hooking-prong 1 in this embodiment is a flattened hook. The V-shaped loop-frame 2 in this embodiment includes two bars 21, forming a V-shape. Lower ends of the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame are curvedly connected, forming an arc 22. Two upper ends of the bars 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame 2 connect to fixing rings 4 that can be used to fix the loop-frame on a piece of garment, such as a bra. An angle between the two bars 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame 2 ranges from 30 to 150 degrees. This angle can vary from one clothing style to another.
With a traditional bra buckle, if the physical positions of a hooking-prong and a loop-frame do not match to each other in a relatively accurate manner, a tie can be difficult to form. However, with the embodiment described herein, if the hooking-prong 1 and the V-shaped loop-frame 2 do not match to each other precisely, as shown in FIG. 3, a tie can still be formed. While in the process of forming a tie, if a certain degree of position mis-match exists between the hooking-prong 1 and the V-shaped loop-frame 2, as in FIG. 4, a force F is formed on the V-shaped loop-frame 2. The force F can be broken down to sub-force F₁and sub-force F₂. Sub-force F₂is orthogonal to a contacting bar 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame. Sub-force F₁is parallel to the contacting bar 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame. Sub-force F₁drags the hooking-prong along the direction of the contacting bar of a V-shaped loop-frame 21 towards the lower arced end of the V-shaped loop-frame 22. FIG. 5 shows a secured tie between the hooking-prong and the V-shaped loop-frame. In FIG. 5, force F₀on the hooking-prong is balanced with two counteracting forces provided by the two fixing rings. Each fixing ring provides 0.5F₀. Thus, a tie is secured. This embodiment illustrates a mechanism that can easily secure a tie without matching the physical positions exactly. This embodiment provides a V-shaped loop-frame 2 structure that guides a mis-matched hooking-prong 1 to a lower arced end 22 of the V-shaped loop-frame 2, securing a tie.
The open end of the V-shaped loop-frame 2 is generally bigger than a loop-frame of a traditional bra buckle. This may provide additional ease of use to secure a tie between the hooking-prong 1 and the V-shaped loop-frame 2.

Claims

1. A smart sliding buckle, comprising:

a hooking-prong; and

a loop-frame;

wherein, the hooking-prong is a flattened hook; the loop-frame is V-shaped; the V-shaped loop-frame therein includes two bars; lower ends of the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame are curvedly connected, forming an arc; upper ends of the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame connect to fixing rings that are used to fix the loop-frame on a piece of garment.

2. The smart sliding buckle of claim 1 wherein an angle between the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame ranges from 30 to 150 degrees.