US2567314A - Stirrup buckle and strap - Google Patents

Description

Sept 11. `1951 if J. H. AKER STIRRUPBUCKLE AND STRAP v. l

Filed May 6, 1949 lll' ` /A/VENro/Q dof/MH. B/)Kgg A A TTORNEYS Patented Sept. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE STI'RRUP BUCKLE AND STRAP John H. Baker, Salida, Colo.

Application May 6, 1949, Serial No. 91,830

(Cl. 2li-176) 2 Claims.

inventionv relates to special fasteners and buckles for belts and-straps and the like, and particularly to a quick-change fastening for a stir-run strap.

The vmain object -of kmy invention is to provide reliable self-locking .means for lengthening or shortening a stirrup strap quickly at will.

Another object is to provide a stirrup buckle which vis simple in construction and so vcompact that the stirrup strap members when in position are substantially fiat and free from bulges that -might tend to irritate a horse or chafe the leg of the rider..

A further object is to have a buckle of the character indicatedwhich is readily inserted in an initial engaging position and then turned down into electve holding position to retain a strap engaged therewith in such fashion that the strap and buckle cannot become disengaged until the buckle is again deliberately raised into the initial engaging position and disengaged.

' It is also an object to have such a stirrup buckle which `virtually consists of Iasingle unitary member having two locking portions projecting rigidly therefrom and adapted to engage in a series of pairs of apertures in a, stirrup strap.

Other 'objects and advantages of the invention will appear in further detail as the specication proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension ofV this .invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a, fragmentary front elevation of a portion of a stirrup strap together with a fender stra-p with the buckle of the invention applied thereto in effective position to hold the portions of the strap properly engaged;

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken-on line 2--2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of a modification.

In the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

In buckles of certain types it is a very desirable feature that the same can be readily disengaged from a strap held thereby, as .for example, when a stirrup strap is involved. Due to the fact that horses differ somewhat in size and girth, and particularly that men whose duty it is to ride horses, as for example, on the Western plains, have legs of different lengths, it is obviously desirable that the stirrups depending from the saddle should be capable of being quickly raised or lowered to suit the particular man who is irlof the first-mentioned day. The result is that the vstirrups should therefore be adjustable rvery readily because they are virtually interchangeable in actual practice.

Although stirrups should thus be readily changed in position with respect to a, saddle, the means heretofore used do not offer great convenience in this respect, and a further'difliculty is introduced when newv stiff leather is used for the straps, because such straps are rather difficult to handle, and 'adiusting the stirrup up or down is a task amounting to a problem. In fact, the whole situation amounts to a, problem which has apparently not been solved heretofore, but which I have found it necessary to consider very carefully. As a result of such consideration, l', have succeeded in producing a special quickchange buckle for a stirrup strap which will now be more fully described. y

Hence, in the practice'of my invention, and referring again vto the drawing, a stirrup strap 5 extends upwardly and over or about the tree on a saddle in the form of aA loop (not shown), and

has a flight 6 extending downwardly from the mentioned loop and bent upwardly to define another flight 6,`the flights 6 and 6 together forming the depending loop 'I-which extends under and upwardly on opposite sides of a cross-piece or stud 8 of a stirruppartly shown at 8. The strap 5 hangs downwardly along the outer side of the flight 6 and terminates in alower end I0, while beyond the stirrup cross-piecev 8 the flight 6' exv tends along the outer sidel ofv the Vstrap 5 to a greater or less extent according to the adustment. The upper end I I of the night 6 is thereby spaced above the lower end I0 of the strap 5. .Exteriorly upon the strap flights 6 and 6 is secured a fender strap orleather `I2 by means of rivets I3 (one shown) this fender strap extending down to form a loop I3 about the previously-described loop 'I and extending Iupwardly therefrom to terminate in an end I4.

Between the upper ends II and I4 of tioned strap members an anchoring plate I5 is secured by means of a plurality ofl rivets I6, I6, etc., with the plate I5 disposed-between the men!- tioned Yends and the rivets I6 extending through the menboth strap members and the plate therebetween` From the upper portion of the mentioned plate extend two laterally spaced similar Shanks I1 and I8 which are inclined inwardly toward strap 5 and a distance above the ends II and I4 of the straps to which plate I5 is secured. Both shanks are bent substantially at a right angle to forni laterally inwardly-extending necks |9 and 20. Upon the inner ends the inwardly-extending neck portions I9 and 20 are provided with integral and vertically-elongated anchoring members 2| and 22 extending a short distance below the level of the neck portions to form the depending lower ends 23 and 24 and the relatively longer upper ends 25 and 26 which are biased slightly outwardly in such fashion as to tend to lock or toe into the inner side 21 of strap member 5, as indicated at 28. In order to accommodate the mentioned anchoring members 2| and 22 and allow the neck portions I9 and 20 to extend through and engage with strap 5, the latter is provided with pairs of vertically-elongated apertures spaced apart in pairs 29 and 30 forming a series along a certain length of strap 5 toward the lower end I thereof. of the Shanks I1 and I8 adjacent the outer ends of the necks I9 and 20 are deected slightly toward the plane of the plate I in order to make a true right angle with the necks I9 and 20, the portions 3| and 32 being spaced from the lower ends 23 and 24 of the anchoring members 2| and 22 and engaging the adjacent side of the strap 5, while the upper outwardly- inclined ends 25 and 26 of the anchoring members engage in the locking recesses 28. It is evident that when a downward strain is exerted on the stirrup 9 so that cross-piece or stud 8 exerts a downward pull on loop 1, as well as loop I3, shanks I1 and I8 will exert a downward pull upon the inwardlyextending neck portions I9 and 20 so that the latter will rest with considerable weight upon the lower ends of elongated apertures 29 and 30 into which the neck portions extend` When the weight is released, the length of the anchoring members 2| and 22 is still sufficient to prevent any accidental displacement thereof through apertures 29 and 30 in strap 5, even when the loops are swung `from side to side or twisted, especially in view of the engagement of the upper ends 25 and 26 in the recesses 28 immediately above the apertures through which the neck portions extend.

The arrangement is such that when the buckle formed by plate I5 and shanks I1 and I8 with the neck portions I9 and 28 and the inner anchoring members 2| and 22 is to be disengaged from strap 5 and introduced into another pair of apertures 29 and 30 above or below these in which for the moment the anchoring members may be engaged, the strap portions II and I4 are swung a short distance out from strap 5 and the upper ends 25 and 26 of the anchoring members thereby released from the recesses 28 upon the inner side 21 of strap 5 when the buckle assembly including straps II and I4 and plate I5 therebetween is lifted sufciently to cause the neck portions I9 and 20 to approach the upper ends of apertures 29 and 30. Then the lower ends 23 and 24 of the anchoring members will clear the lower ends of the apertures and allow these lower ends 23 and 24 to be swung out and released from the mentioned apertures by swinging out the buckle assembly'substantially toward a right angle with respect to strap 5 when the entire anchoring members 2| and 22 may readily be withdrawn The portions 3| and 32 4 from the apertures in said strap 5. The upper ends 25 and 26 of the anchoring members may then be introduced into another pair of apertures 29 and 30 above or below those from which they have been released, and then extended upwardly inside the inner surface 21 of strap 5 until the neck portions I9 and 20 strike the upper ends of the apertures involved when the lower ends 23 and 24 of the anchoring members may be swung into the space between straps 5 and 6 and the buckle assembly then allowed to drop straight down to seat the neck portions I9 and 20 upon the lower ends of the mentioned apertures. The buckle assembly will then again be engaged with a portion of strap 5 and the upper ends 25 and 26 of the anchoring members engaged in the upper inner recesses 28 upon the inner side 21 of depending strap 5 above the lower end I0 thereof.

While anchoring plate I5 has been described as having two shanks I1 and I8 extending upwardly therefrom, this is obviously a plural form which may not upon all occasions be used, for as shown in Figure 3, the strap 35 may be relatively narrower than strap 5 of Figures 1 and 2, and have a relatively narrower plate 36 secured thereto by rivets 31, 31, one above the other, and the plate above the upper end 38 of strap 35 narrowing at 39 to form a single shank 40 having the inwardly-extending neck portion 4| disposed at right angles with the upper end of said shank and provided with a single vertically-elongated anchoring member 42 having a relatively short lower end 43 and a relatively longer upper end 44 adapted to engage in a recess 28 in a strap or belt forming part of the mentioned strap 35 or another strap to which anchoring member 42 may be attached through an aperture similar to the previously-described apertures 29 and 38, yonly one aperture, however, being required for this anchoring member.

For example, the anchoring plate I5 with its shanks I1 and I8 and neck portions I9 and 29 and anchoring members 2| and 22, as well as plate 36, shank 49, neck 4| and anchoring member 42, maybe made of bronze, brass, steel, especially stainless steel, or in fact of any metal or alloy, and even of strong plastic if so desired, and in various sizes to suit the straps involved.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may be modied or used without others within the scope of the appended claims. l

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination, a pair ofcoextensive and overlapping strap members, one of said strap members having a free end and the other being formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings, said openings being longitudinally elongated, a plate secured to said one strap member near its free end, a longitudinally extending shank projecting from said plate and reaching beyond the free end of said one strap member, said shank being relatively long and vbeing angularly deflected out of the plane of said plate and toward the adjacent side of said other strap member, a relatively short neck on the outer end of said shank extending toward said other strap member at right angles to said plate, said neck projecting removably through a selected one of the openings in said other strap member, and an anchoring element on the inner end 'of said neck, said anchoring element being longitudinally elongated with respect to the length of said other strap member and being substantially greater in length than the opening, said anchoring element being secured at a point intermediate its ends to the inner end of the neck so as to dene end portions of substantial length engaging the side of said other strap member beyond opposite ends of the opening, the portion of said shank adjacent the outer end of said neck being deflected toward the plane of said plate and engaging the opposite side of said other strap member, whereby a pull on said one strap member in one direction produces tilting.

yformed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings, said openings being longitudinally elongated, a plate secured to said one strap member near its free end, a longitudinally extending shank projecting from said plate and reaching beyond the free end of said one strap member, said shank being relatively long and being angularly deflected out of the plane of said Vplate and toward the adjacent side of said other strap member, a relatively short neck on the outer end of said shank extending toward said other strap member at right angles to said plate, said neck projecting removably through a selected one of the openings in said other strap member, and an anchoring element on the inner end of said neck, said anchoring element being longitudinally elongated with respect to the length of said other strap member and being substantially greater in length than the opening, said anchoring element being secured at a point intermediate its ends to the inner end of the neck so as to define end portions of substantial length engaging the side of said other strap member beyond opposite ends of the opening, the portion of said shank adjacent the outer end of said neck being deiiected toward the plane of said plate and engaging the opposite side of said other strap member whereby a pull on said one strap member in one direction produces tilting of said anchoring element toward the side of said other strap member causing one of said end portions to dig into the side of said other strap member and said deected shank portion to press against the opposite side of said other strap member, said neck being no longer than the thickness of said other strap member whereby said anchoring element is in constant engagement with the side of said other strap member.

JOHN H. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 237,314 Owen Feb. 1, 1881 '774,853 Smallman Nov. 15, 1904 1,055,045 Hunter Mar. 4, 1913 1,164,227 Seabury Dec. 14, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Name Date 494,367 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1938

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