US3197834A

US3197834A - Buckle having sliding member and roller

Info

Publication number: US3197834A
Application number: US255552A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sussman Adalberto Steinberg
Original assignee: ACFA Accessori Calzature Fibbie Affini SAS
Current assignee: ACFA Accessori Calzature Fibbie Affini SAS
Filing date: 1963-02-01
Publication date: 1965-08-03
Anticipated expiration: 1982-08-03

Description

Aug. 3, 1965 A. s. SUSSMAN BUCKLE HAVING SLIDING MEMBER AND ROLLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1, 1965 INVENTOR, Fidel [amid Sleinbe Aug. 3, 1965 A. s. SUSSMAN 3,197,834

BUCKLE HAVING SLIDING MEMBER AND ROLLER Filed Feb. 1, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VENTOR. l olol [eerie steinlv g sussmarl M flgeyft United States Patent 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a buckle structure of the type that comprises a slidable and a stationary frame or rim member, and a roller fitted at least on one end of said stationary frame to facilitate the gliding of a belt slipped through the buckle.

. An object of this invention is to provide a sliding frame buckle which will be simple in structure, economical of' manufacture, durable, highly efficient in use and simple in operation. r

The objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a few, preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of not restrictive examples. In the drawings: i

FiGl is a perspective view of an embodiment of the buckle according to the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are a plan view and a side view respectively of the buckle slider or movable frame member as shown in the FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a buckle according to a modification of the buckle shown in FIG. 1.

FIGS. '5, 6 and 7 are perspective views of component parts of a buckle according to the invention, in an intermediate manufacturing stage.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the component parts, as shown in the FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, and assembled.

F1629 is a perspective view of the finished buckle, component parts of which are shown in the FIGS. 5,. 6, 7, and 8.

FIG. 10 perspective views of disassembled component parts of another embodiment of the buckle according to the invention, arranged for completing the manufactnre of the buckle.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the finished buckle the component parts of which are shown in the FIG. 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the buckle consist of a base rim member or constrained frame member 18, with a gliding roller supported on the end portions 19 thereof, whilst the rod portion 21, opposite to said end portions 19, serves for the fastening of the buckle to the shoe or to an article of clothing in general, a portion of which is shown as 21' in dotted lines in FIG. 1.

A second rim member or movable frame member 24 is slidably coupled with sides 22 and 23- of said base rim 1%. Said rim member 24 is provided with a plate or cross-bar 29, located crosswise thereto, and arranged at the

curls

25 and 25, respectively, formed on the

side bars

27 and 28 and providing relative guide way portions of said rim member 24, thereby to have said second rim 24 slidably supportedon said base rim 18. Windows or

passages

36 and 31, having sizes suitable to accommodate the belt, are defined by said plate 29 of the rim member 24 (the belt is not shown in the drawing). Moreover said plate 29 is formed with an upwardly bent edge or lip 32, acting also as a stop means with respect to the rim member 18. Finally, the rim member 24 has a depressed end bar 33, near the window 349, and an elevated end bar 54, near the window 31, the depression and elevation of said

end bars

33 and 34 being considered in respect 3,197,834 Patented Aug, 3, 1965 "Ice to the plane wherein the base rim member 18 lies (see FIG. 1).

The operation of the above described buckle embodiment is very simple. After having fastened the buckle to the shoe, or to the clothing article by means of a suitable fastener secured to the rod portion 21 of base rim member 18, it will be sufficient, when the buckle is to be operated, to slide the rim member 24', to the right along said base rim member 18, until the lip 32 is wholly cleared from the roller 29. Then the belt or strap is passed firstly through said window 39, and then through the portion of window 31 over the end rod portion 21 of base rim member 18.

The pull exerted in both directions by the belt on the buckle, is such as to constrain the rim member 24 to slide in a direction opposite to that of its previous movement, whereby through the reaction caused by the roller 2% the belt is pressed against the upwardly bent edge 32 of plate 22, and a positive clamping of the belt is obtained.

It has been ascertained that good efiiciency and durability features are ensured by the peculiar shape of the slider or movable frame, that comprises the belt clamping plate and the loop portion 34 which are integral parts of a single piece.

Moreover, said slider represents an efficient and practical stiffener for said base rim member 18, by positively counter-acting possible spreading forces which may act on the base rim at its open end, where the gliding roller 26 is fitted. Said stiffening action could be improved by hardening the sides 22 and-23 of said base rim 18, so that even any additional stiffening member may be eliminated.

A variant of the buckle represented in the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 is shown in the FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 4, where all components that have been already described when dealing with the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, are marked with the same reference numbers, the roller 2 is shaped in a particular manner, according to the cross-section of belt 35. In fact, in the present example, the belt 35 has a substantially hexagonal and slightly flattened cross-section 36 and accordingly the roller 29a has a substantially trapezoidal, or spool like profile 3'7, complemental to that of belt 35. Similarly, the upwardly bent edge 32a of plate 29, also has a trapezoidal profile, complemental to the profile of roller 26a.

In practice, ithas been ascertained that the particular shape of roller 243a, that can be advantageously obtained by turning a solid blank, as well as the particular outline of edge 32a, complemental to the longitudinal sectional form of roller 20a, results in a highly etficient clamping of belt in the buckle.

Obviously, the roller 20a and the edge 32a must always be suitably shaped according to the cross-sectional profile of the belt, whatever the shape of said cross-section may be. t

A process for manufacturing a belt according to the invention, will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 11 inclusive. Such process consists in providing a base rim member, preferably fitted with means for the gliding of the belt, slipping said base rim member between the upwardly bent sides, acting as guides, of a second rim member that is provided with at least one cross member, until said two rims are at least partly superposed, and bending upwardly at least a tongue provided on the middle section of said cross member.

With full particulars, and referring to FIGS. 5, 6,v 7, 8, and 9, accordin to the invention a wire is bent into an open rectangular shape, thereby forming the base rim member 33, and a barrel or otherwise shaped gliding roller 39 is fitted in the open end of said rim member. Then a second rim member 43 is made. Such rim member comprises a front cross member 41, a middle plate 42 provided with the tongue 43, and two

side guides

44 and 45 formed by upwardly bent side wings.

Finally, the buckle comprises a ring-shaped component 46, provided with a bent tongue 47 on one of its ends.

Then, according to the method of the invention, the rim member 38 is slipped between the

guides

44 and 45 of the rim member 40 (FIG. 8) until the two rim members are superposed, whereupon the tongue 43 is bent upwardly to serve as shoulder for the roller'39, thereby defining a stop for the rim 38 in respect to rim 40, and a clamp for the belt.

Finally the ring member 46 is fitted to the buckle, by having its tongue 47 bent around the end 33' of rim 38 (see FIG. 9).

Thus the buckle is finished. The base rim 38 is allowed to make a given sliding stroke, and is prevented from falling out of the buckle by the rear tongue 43, and by the tongue 47 member 46, that is retained by the rim member 38, which lies in the guides 44 and 4-5 of rim 40.

In the variant as shown in the FIGS. 10 and 11, the

process according to the invention may be carried out with a rim 38a, similar to previously described rim 38, and similarly fitted with a gliding roller 3%, whereupon a second rim designated 48, is arranged and comprising upwardly bent side guides 4411-45a (similar to guides 44 and 45), a front cross member 41a, a middle plate 4.2a formed with two

tongues

49 and 50, and a rear cross member 51, which is slightly raised in respect to remain ing portion of said rim 48. i The process according to the above variant is carried into effect by slipping the rim 38a between the

guides

44a and 45a of the rim 48, until it comes to rest over the other (see FIG. 11).

Then, the tongues 49and a are bent upwardly, thereby preventing that the rim 38a may come off from the rim 48. In particular, the tongue 49 serves as stop for the roller 3%, and for the clamping of the belt.

As it can be readily appreciated, the above described process allows to make buckles for belts, straps or the like in a simple and ready manner. Moreover, the possibility to have the sides of the second rim already properly bent, allows the making of buckles with very small sizes.

I claim:

1. A sliding frame buckle, comprising,

a movable frame provided with side bars,

a first end bar and a second end bar connecting said side bars, and a cross bar intermediate said end bars and having a lip portion upwardly projecting therefrom, said side bars having their edges in the form of relative guide ways,

a constrained frame provided with side rods, an end irod near said second end bar and connecting said side rods and adapted to be fastened to a clothing portion supporting means on the ends of said side rods opposite to said end rod, and a roller member near said first end bar and supported by said supporting means and extending transverse to said side rods,

said movable frame having a Width exceeding the width of said constrained frame, said relative guideways having laterally bent wall portions outwardly shielding said side rods and surrounding at least a part of each and slidably receiving said side rods thereby to allow said movable frame to slide with said relative guidew-ays thereof along said side rods from an end position to another end position thereof,

said cross-bar being arranged intermediate said end rod and said roller member to leave a first passage for a strap portion between said cross-bar and said roller member in an intermediate position of said movable frame and to clamp said strap portion between said roller member and said cross-bar with said lip portion thereof in an end position of said movable frame when said strap-portion is pulled in a direction directed from said end rod towards said roller member.

2. A sliding frame buckle according to claim 1, wherein said movable frame has a length exceeding the length of said constrained frame thereby providing a free space between said end rod and said second end bar at least in certain positions of said movable frame to provide a second passage for a portion of said strap.

3. A sliding frame buckle according to claim 1, wherein said 'first end bar is depressed with respect to said constrained frame.

4-. A sliding frame buckle according toclaim 1, wherein said rollermember has a shaped longitudinal section and said lip has a shape complemental to said longitudinal section.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 43,997 8/64 Kelsey 24-178 368,529 8/37 Harris 24-195 987,576 3/11 Kerngood 24-194 1,611,588 12/26 Hyde 24-171 FOREIGN PATENTS 467,052 6/37 Great Britain. 653,832 5/51 Great Britain.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner,

Claims

1. A SLIDING FRAME BUCKLE, COMPRISING, A MOVABLE FRAME PROVIDED WITH SIDE BARS, A FIRST END BAR AND A SECOND END BAR CONNECTING SAID SIDE BARS, AND A CROSS BAR INTERMEDIATE SAID END BARS AND HAVING A LIP PORTION UPWARDLY PROJECTING THEREFROM, SAID SIDE BARS HAVING THEIR EDGES IN THE FORM OF RELATIVE GUIDE WAYS, A CONSTRAINED FRAME PROVIDED WITH SIDE RODS, AND END ROD NEAR SAID SECOND END BAR AND CONNECTING SAID SIDE RODS AND ADAPTED TO BE FASTENED TO A CLOTHING PORTION SUPPORTING MEANS ON THE ENDS OF SAID SIDE RODS OPPOSITE TO SAID END ROD, AND A ROLLER MEMBER NEAR SAID FIRST END BAR AND SUPPORTED BY SAID SUPPORTING MEANS ANDE EXTENDING TRANSVER TO SAID RODS, AND MOVEABLE FRAME HAVING A WIDTH EXCEEDING THE WIDTH OF SAID CONSTRAINED FRAME, SAID RELATIVE GUIDEWAYS HAVING LATERALLY BENT WALL PORTIONS OUTWARDLY SHEILDING SAID SIDE RODS AND SURROUNDING AT LEAST A PART OF EACH AND SIDABLY RECEIVING SAID SIDE RODS THEREBY TO ALLOW SAID MOVABLY FRAME TO SLIDE WITH SAID RELATIVE GUIDEWAYS THEREOF ALONG SAID SIDE RODS FROM AN END POSITION TO ANOTHER END POSITION THEREOF, SAID CROSS-BAR BEING ARRANGED TO LEAVE A FIRST PASSAGE ROD AND SAID ROLLER MEMBER TO LEAVE A FIRST PASSAGE FOR A STRAP PORTION BETWEEN SAID CROSS-BAR AND SAID ROLLER MEMBER IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE FRAME AND TO CLAMP SAID STRAP PORTION BETWEEN SAID ROLLER MEMBER AND SAID CROSS-BAR WITH SAID LIP PORTION THEREOF IN AN END POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE FRAME WHEN SAID STRAP PORTION IS PULLED IN A DIRECTION DIRECTED FROM SAID END ROD TOWARDS SAID ROLLER MEMBER.