US2067811A

US2067811A - Initialed buckle, plate, and the like

Info

Publication number: US2067811A
Application number: US51783A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lawrence E Baer
Original assignee: SWANK PRODUCTS Inc
Current assignee: SWANK PRODUCTS Inc
Priority date: 1935-11-27
Filing date: 1935-11-27
Publication date: 1937-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 1954-01-12

Description

Jan. 12, 1937. L. E. BAER 2,067,811

INITIALED BUCKLE, PLATE AND THE; LIKE Filed Nov. 27, 1935 I N VEN TOR. Jaw/fave Z'Ba'e/ ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. '12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,067,811 mrrn man BUCKLE, PLATE, AND 'rrm LIKE Lawrence E. Baer, Attleboro, Mass, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Swank Products, Inc., Attleboro, Mass., a corporation of Delaware This invention relates to a belt buckle, and has for one of its objects the provision of means whereby initials or characters having some personal relation to the wearer may be easily and quickly mounted in the belt buckle at the time of purchase of the same.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a construction by which letters or other char acters may be inserted in the belt buckle, the arrangement being such that no solder need be used in the entire assembly and yet a firm construction of highly ornamental and attractive appearance may be inexpensively formed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a frame which may be mounted upon the base plate of the buckle, this frame being formed entirely of sheet stock, cut and bent in a unique manner for mounting the same in a quick and simple manner upon the face of the buckle, and whereby after the initials are inserted they may be easily and quickly locked against removal.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, as will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a belt buckle with certain initials inserted therein;

Fig. 2 is a back view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the face plate of the buckle with the character frame removed;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the character frame looking at the front thereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the character frame looking at the rear thereof;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the characters;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of three of the characters shown in contiguous relation;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. l with the clamping member of the buckle omitted;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3 with the clamping member of the buckle omitted;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 9 with the characters removed from the frame;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the blank for the initial frame as cut out from sheet stock before bending.

In the use of mens belt buckles, it is frequently desirable to have some sort of an individualistic embellishment on the buckle which is appropriate to the wearer. The wearers initials form one means for such individualistic ornamental buckle,

detailed description of the present embodiment of this invention illustrating the preferred means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished.

With reference to the drawing, l2 designates the face plate of the buckle, which has rearwardly extending flanges i3 with inwardly extending guide lips M. A belt gripper or clamp designated I5 is pivotally mounted in rolled eyes of the guide lips 14 with its belt engaging bail or loop l6 extending into a position by which it may be used to swing the gripper to and from clamping engagement with the belt which is guided between the lips l4 and the back of the face plate 12. This structure of the buckle forms no part of my invention, it being old in the art.

The face plate of the buckle is provided with a main, central opening I! and the marginal edge about this opening is deflected to provide a depression or recess it in the face plate extending around the periphery of the opening l1. Additional openings H) are pierced through the face plate at the recessed corners, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. As the marginal edge of the opening I8 is deflected a rib or raised portion 20 is formed on the back along the margin of the opening, although I iron out the stock at the corners as by a striking operation in order to cause a flow of the stock to the parts desired; this raised portion does not extend out to the corners where the piercing i9 occurs, thus allowing a space for the folding over of the fingers of the frame, as will be more fully explained.

A sheet metal frame is cut out into the shape shown in Fig. 11 and is then bent as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The frame, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, includes locking fingers 26 which are folded rearwardly from the sheet stock of the frame and are so located as to extend through the openings In in the face plate and are bent over the rear surface of the face plate and are located on the thinned portion of stock about the opening, as more particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 8 to hold the frame in position on the front of the face plate, and in the depression or recess I8 provided therefor.

The body portion of the frame 22 has forwardly-extending flanges 23 at its upper and lower edges, which flanges are turned toward each other, providing lips 24 and together with the rear face. of the body portion 22 form guideways for insertion of the letters or other characters. The recess or depression I8 is of substantially the thickness of the stock of the frame so as to allow free insertion of the initials such as 21, Fig. 6, into the guide formed by the flanges 23 and lips which initials or. characters are guided along the face or'surface of the face plate into their respective opposite guideways in the frame so that it is a very simple matter ,to place one of the letters on the surface of the buckle and then by sliding it along the surface of the buckle to cause it to enter the guideways in the frame. This structure is particularly apparent in Fig. 10,

in which the finger 25 at the left hand end is raised allowing free access to the guideways for the insertion of the initials 21 which are provided with spacing members 28 at their upper and lower ends so as to space the initials evenly in the frame such as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 7.

In this manner I provide an initial belt buckle in which thestructure may be assembled without any soldering operation. The initials may be inserted by the retailer at the time of purchase of the belt buckle by the initials being. placed on the face plate and slid into their respective guide-.- ways and the fingers 25 bent downwardly to hold the same in locked position, all of which operation may be performed from the front of the structure where easy access is afforded, yet there is provided a structure which is very ornamental in appearance and attractive to the user.

I purposely close one end of the guideway by the fingers extending as shown in these figures, as shown in Figs. 4 and 10 leaving the other end of the guideways open for the reception of the initials, and after they have been positioned in the guideways I fold at least one of the fingers 25at the other end of the guideways to block this end and hold the initials firmly in place.

The foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which,

the device is susceptible, the invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an opening therein, a frame mounted on the front of said face plate to surround said opening, characters slidable into said ing, a frame set in said recess, means to hold the the surface of the face plate.

frame in position, removable characters positionable in said frame, and means to hold said characters against accidental removal from said frame.

3. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an opening therein, a recess in the face plate about the marginal edge of said! opening; a frame set in said recess, fingers on the frame bent over the back surface of said plate to hold the frame in position, removable characters positionable in said frame, and means to hold said characters against accidental removal from said frame.

4. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an opening therein, a recess in the face plate about the marginal edge of said opening provided with additional openings spaced from the main opening, a frame set in said recess, fingers on the frame extending through said additional openings and bent over the back surface of said plate to hold the frame in position, removable characters positionablein said frame, and means to hold said characters against accidental. removal from said frame.

5. In a buckle and the like having a face plate with a main opening and also spaced openings therein, a character frame comprising a sheet stock body portion surrounding said main opening and with integral fingers extending rearwardly therefrom through said spaced openings and bent over the .rear of said face plate, integral channel guides formed on the front of said frame for the reception of characters or the like, and a finger on said frame bendableto block the. removal of characters from said channels.

6. In a buckle and the like having a face plate with a main opening and also spaced openings therein, a character frame comprising a sheet stock bodyportion surrounding said main opening and with integral fingers extending rearwardly therefrom through said spaced openings and bent over the rear of said face plate, the stock of said frame along the upper and lower edges thereof extending forwardly and then inwardly toward each other to provide guides-for inserted characters, and fingers provided on said frame foldable across at least one of said character guides to block the removal of characters therefrom.

7. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an opening'therein, the stock of the face plate being deflected about the opening to provide a recess with thinned portions along said recess, a frame in said recess with fingers ex tending through the face plate and folded to contact the rear of the face plate at said thinned portions.

8. In a buckle and the like having a face plate provided with an opening therein, the stock of the face plate being deflected about the opening to provide a recess, a. frame positioned in said recess flush with the surface of said face plate and provided with forwardly extending channel guides for the reception of characters slid along LAWRENCE E. BAER.