US20230157395A1 - Adjustable belt accessory system - Google Patents
Adjustable belt accessory system Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20230157395A1 US20230157395A1 US17/991,597 US202217991597A US2023157395A1 US 20230157395 A1 US20230157395 A1 US 20230157395A1 US 202217991597 A US202217991597 A US 202217991597A US 2023157395 A1 US2023157395 A1 US 2023157395A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- accessory
- belt
- coupler
- main body
- latch
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
Links
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 230000007704 transition Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- 210000001624 hip Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000007792 addition Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004075 alteration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003780 insertion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006467 substitution reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A41—WEARING APPAREL
- A41F—GARMENT FASTENINGS; SUSPENDERS
- A41F9/00—Belts, girdles, or waistbands for trousers or skirts
- A41F9/02—Expansible or adjustable belts or girdles ; Adjustable fasteners comprising a track and a slide member
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
- A45F—TRAVELLING OR CAMP EQUIPMENT: SACKS OR PACKS CARRIED ON THE BODY
- A45F5/00—Holders or carriers for hand articles; Holders or carriers for use while travelling or camping
- A45F5/02—Fastening articles to the garment
- A45F5/021—Fastening articles to the garment to the belt
Abstract
An accessory coupler for a belt includes a main body having a pawl configured to transition between a locked position and an unlocked position and a coupling system positioned about the main body and configured to couple the main body to an accessory. The accessory coupler further includes wherein when the pawl is in the locked position, the main body is configured to be fixed along a length of a belt and when the pawl is in the unlocked position, the main body is configured to be moved along the length of the belt.
Description
- This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/281,897, filed on Nov. 22, 2021, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
- Conventional belt accessory holders tend to rely on pressure between a user's waist and the belt to keep the accessory in place. Many conventional accessory holders will have a portion that will loop over a belt and secure back onto the accessory to create a hole that the belt will fit through, wherein the hole acts as the only securing means for the accessory. Such configurations lead to undesirable results as user's must set their belts to be tight about their waists or accept that accessory's hung on their belts will have a general tendency to slide along the length of their belts. Thus, a need exits to attach accessories to a belt in a manner as to prevent the accessory from inadvertently sliding along the length of the belt.
- According to a first aspect, there is provided an accessory coupler for a belt. The accessory coupler includes a main body having a pawl operable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The accessory coupler further includes a coupling system positioned about the main body and configured to couple the main body to an accessory base member that supports or otherwise includes an accessory for support on the belt. In operation, when the pawl is in the locked position, the main body is securely fastened to the belt to prevent movement along a length of a belt and when the pawl is in the unlocked position, the main body is movable along the length of the belt.
- According to a second aspect, there is provided a belt accessory coupling system. The system includes a belt having a length and a coupling portion disposed along at least a portion of a surface of the belt. An accessory coupler positioned about and movable along the coupling portion of the belt. The accessory coupler includes a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. The system further includes an accessory base member positioned about an opposed surface of the belt from the accessory coupler and coupled to the accessory coupler such that when the latch is in the locked position, the latch engages with the coupling portion to prevent movement of the accessory base member relative to the belt, and when the latch is in the unlocked position, the latch does not engage with the coupling portion enabling the accessory base member to move relative to the belt.
- The disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, in which:
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FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an adjustable belt accessory coupling system in a locked state. -
FIG. 2 illustrates a user-side plan view of the system ofFIG. 1 in the unlocked state. -
FIG. 3 illustrates a side plan view of the system ofFIGS. 1 and 2 in the unlocked state. -
FIG. 4 illustrates a user-side plan view of thesystem 100 in the locked state. -
FIG. 4A illustrates a section view of thesystem 100 taken along theline 4A-4A inFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 5 illustrates a side plan view of thesystem 100 in the locked state. - The drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a beltaccessory coupling system 100 that includes abelt 105 that may be worn around a user's waist, including for example, with a pair of pants, shorts, trousers, skirts or any other article of clothing. The beltaccessory coupling system 100 includes anaccessory coupler 102 that, as explained in greater detail below, is movably coupled to thebelt 105 for supporting an accessory device (e.g., a holster, etc.) thereon. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1 , thebelt 105 includes a coupling portion/latching surface 110 formed having a series ofteeth 115. Eachtooth 115 is configured to engage a latch orpawl 108 that extends from theaccessory coupler 102, as shown for example, inFIG. 3 . According to some embodiments, thelatching surface 110 extends along the entire length of thebelt 105. In other embodiments, thelatching surface 110 extends only along a portion of the length of thebelt 105. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, thelatching surface 110, by being formed as part of thebelt 105, substantially increases the stiffness of thebelt 105 along the areas where theteeth 115 are located. The increased stiffness reduces or otherwise minimizes the bending or deflection of thebelt 105 when the user attaches anaccessory base member 200 in order to, as explained in greater detail below, secure the accessory to thebelt 105 via theaccessory coupler 102. - In the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 1-3 , theaccessory coupler 102 is formed having amain body 250 that includes a coupling system formed having one or moreaccessory mounting points 101 for securing theaccessory base member 200 thereto. Theaccessory coupler 102 further includes anactuator 106 that is accessible throughlock openings actuator 106 being movable relative to themain body 250 so as to, as explained in greater detail below, lock theaccessory coupler 102, and thus theaccessory base member 200, relative to thebelt 105. With continued reference toFIGS. 1-3 , themain body 250 of theaccessory coupler 102 includes a top extendedsection 112 and a bottom extendedsection 113, each extending and/or otherwise cantilevering from themain body 250 forming a gap or receivingarea 252 to receive at least a portion of thebelt 105 therebetween. In the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1-3 , the at least oneaccessory mounting point 101 is positioned on each extendedsection accessory mounting points 101 may be otherwise positioned and may include a greater or lesser number ofmounting points 101. - In the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 1-3 , theaccessory mounting points 101 are illustrated as through holes configured to accept a screw, bolt, or any other suitable fastener to couple theaccessory base member 200 via theaccessory mounting points 101 to theaccessory coupler 102. It should be understood thatmounting points 101 may be otherwise configured. For example and not by way of limitation, in some embodiments, themounting points 101 may include magnets for magnetically and removably coupling to theaccessory base member 200. In other embodiments, hook and loop fasteners can be used for coupling to theaccessory base member 200. In still other embodiments, the mounting points may be any other frictional type of engagement including, for example, using buttons, snaps or the like. - As illustrated in
FIG. 1 by way of example, when theaccessory base member 200 is coupled to theaccessory coupler 102 via theaccessory mounting points 101, a gap/cavity 254 is formed between theaccessory base member 200 and theaccessory coupler 102. Thegap 254 is sized to receive thebelt 105 therein and facilitate sliding movement of theaccessory coupler 102 relative to thebelt 102. In use, a user couples theaccessory base member 200 to theaccessory coupler 102 via the accessory mounting points 101 (via screws or other fasteners) and then inserts thebelt 105 through the cavity formed between theextended sections accessory coupler 102 and theaccessory base member 200. According to embodiments disclosed herein, theaccessory base member 200 can support or otherwise be formed integral with any number of articles to be secured to a user's belt. For example, theaccessory base member 200 can support or otherwise include a holster for a firearm or taser, a pouch, a bag, a walkie-talkie, mobile phone holder, or any other accessory that a user may desire to attach or couple to thebelt 105. - In the embodiment illustrated in
FIGS. 1-3 , theactuator 106 includes alock member 107 extending in a direction away from thebelt 105 and a pawl 108 (FIGS. 2 and 3 ) extending in a direction toward thebelt 105 and opposite thelock member 107 so as to engage theteeth 115 of thebelt 105. Thelock member 107 andpawl 108 are joined together as a single unit (i.e., integrally molded or otherwise) and movable relative to themain body 250. In use, movement and/or actuation of thelock member 107 in a direction toward thebelt 105 removes thelock member 107 from the opening 109 b. Once removed from the opening 109 b, theactuator 106 is movable in the direction ofarrow 111 a to position thepawl 108 from a locked position, whereby the accessory coupler 102 (and the accessory base member 200) are securely fastened to thebelt 105 to prevent relative movement therebetween, and an unlocked position, whereby the accessory coupler 102 (and the accessory base member 200) are freely movable relative to thebelt 105. In particular, when the accessory coupler is in the locked position, thepawl 108 is disposed between and otherwise engaging theteeth 115 of thebelt 105. When in the unlocked position, thepawl 108 is separated from and no longer disposed between and engaging theteeth 115. - Referring specifically to
FIGS. 4 and 4A , further details of theactuator 106 are illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 4A , To transition theaccessory coupler 102 from the locked state to the unlocked state, the user must first press thelock 107 in the direction of arrow 260 towards thebelt side 104 such that thelock 107 is removed from the opening 109B. Theactuator 106, via thegrip portion 262, can then be moved in the direction ofarrow 111 a, which causes thepawl 108 to similarly move in the direction ofarrow 111 a and disengage from and otherwise be no longer positioned between theteeth 115. Once thepawl 108 has been disengaged from theteeth 115, theaccessory coupler 102 can be repositioned along the length of thebelt 105. It should be understood that while theactuator 106 and thepawl 108 are depicted as moving along the same direction, alternate configurations may be used. For example, in some embodiments moving theactuator 106 in the direction ofarrow 111 a causes thepawl 108 to move in the opposite direction, or vice versa. - With continued reference to
FIG. 4A , thelock 107 contains asloped surface 266 to slidably engage the upper wall 268 of the opening 109A so as to deflect thelock 107 in the direction of arrow 260 to enable theactuator 106 to travel in the direction of arrow 111 b for eventual re-insertion into opening 109 b when it is desired to return to the locked position. As previously stated, when theaccessory coupler 102 is in the locked state, thepawl 108 is positioned such that it engages with theteeth 115 and prevents theaccessory coupler 102 from sliding along the length of thebelt 105. Thepawl 108 and theteeth 115 have relative shapes such that, when theaccessory coupler 102 is in the locked state, the relative shapes engage one another and prevent theaccessory coupler 102 from moving along the length of thebelt 105. - According to some embodiments, the
belt 105 is be attached to a belt buckle, which can be a conventional buckle that has a pin that inserts into a hole in thebelt 105 to fix the buckle andbelt 105 in a looped state. In other embodiments, thebelt 105 is attached to a pinless buckle that is configured to engage with the series ofteeth 115 to fix the pinless buckle andbelt 105 in a looped state, such as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/151,360 filed Jan. 18, 2021 and entitled “Belt Buckle System”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. - Although embodiments of a belt
accessory coupling system 100, apparatus, and method of use have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will also recognize that various substitutions and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. - In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as “left” and right”, “front” and “rear”, “above” and “below” and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
- In this specification, the word “comprising” is to be understood in its “open” sense, that is, in the sense of “including”, and thus not limited to its “closed” sense, that is the sense of “consisting only of”. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words “comprise”, “comprised” and “comprises” where they appear.
- In addition, the foregoing describes some embodiments of the disclosure, and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.
- Furthermore, the disclosure is not to be limited to the illustrated implementations, but to the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment.
Claims (14)
1. An accessory coupler for a belt, the accessory coupler comprising:
a main body having a pawl operable between a locked position and an unlocked position;
a coupling system positioned about the main body and configured to couple the main body to an accessory base member; and
wherein when the pawl is in the locked position, the main body is securely fastened to the belt to prevent movement along a length of a belt and when the pawl is in the unlocked position, the main body is movable along the length of the belt.
2. The accessory coupler of claim 1 , wherein the coupling system is configured to couple the main body to an accessory base member in a manner such that a gap is formed between the main body and the accessory base member.
3. The accessory coupler of claim 2 , wherein the gap is sized to receive a belt therethrough.
4. The accessory coupler of claim 1 , further comprising a release actuator coupled to the pawl.
5. The accessory coupler of claim 4 , wherein the release actuator is configured to secure the pawl in a locked position until the release actuator is actuated.
6. The accessory coupler of claim 1 , further comprising an accessory base member coupled to the coupling system.
7. The accessory coupler of claim 6 , further comprising a belt received between the accessory base member and the main body.
8. A belt accessory coupling system, the system comprising:
a belt having a length and a coupling portion disposed along at least a portion of a surface of the belt;
an accessory coupler positioned about the coupling portion of the belt, the accessory coupler including a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position;
an accessory base member positioned about an opposed surface of the belt from the accessory coupler and coupled to the accessory coupler; and
wherein when the latch is in the locked position, the latch engages with the coupling portion, and when the latch is in the unlocked position, the latch does not engage with the coupling portion.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein when the latch is in the unlocked position, the accessory coupler is free to move along the length of the belt and when the latch is in the locked position, the accessory coupler is prevented from moving along the length of the belt.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the accessory coupler includes a release actuator coupled to the latch that is configured to secure the latch in the locked position until the release actuator is actuated.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the accessory coupler further includes a coupling system and the accessory is coupled to the coupling system.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the coupling system is a through hole configured to receive a fastener.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the coupling portion is a series of teeth.
14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the accessory base member includes a holster.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US17/991,597 US20230157395A1 (en) | 2021-11-22 | 2022-11-21 | Adjustable belt accessory system |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US202163281897P | 2021-11-22 | 2021-11-22 | |
US17/991,597 US20230157395A1 (en) | 2021-11-22 | 2022-11-21 | Adjustable belt accessory system |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20230157395A1 true US20230157395A1 (en) | 2023-05-25 |
Family
ID=86384694
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US17/991,597 Pending US20230157395A1 (en) | 2021-11-22 | 2022-11-21 | Adjustable belt accessory system |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20230157395A1 (en) |
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2022
- 2022-11-21 US US17/991,597 patent/US20230157395A1/en active Pending
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Owner name: TEAM NEXBELT OPERATING, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ROWLAND, EDWARD;SEBER, BRETT;SIGNING DATES FROM 20221119 TO 20221121;REEL/FRAME:061845/0408 |
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STPP | Information on status: patent application and granting procedure in general |
Free format text: DOCKETED NEW CASE - READY FOR EXAMINATION |