WO2004039198A1

WO2004039198A1 - Belt and functional buckle

Info

Publication number: WO2004039198A1
Application number: PCT/KR2003/000654
Authority: WO
Inventors: Moon-Hee Park
Original assignee: Mh Collection Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2002-10-31
Filing date: 2003-04-03
Publication date: 2004-05-13
Also published as: CN1665418A; AU2003225361A1

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a belt which is designed such that a tongue of a buckle is inserted into a punch hole in a direction from the inside of a band to the outside of the band after adjusting a length of the band, thus tightly fastening the belt without damaging the belt, and providing a good appearance. The belt includes a buckle frame (20). A clamp (23) is hinged to a predetermined portion of the buckle frame to clamp a first end of a band (25). A locking unit (24) is mounted to the clamp and provided with a tongue (243), which is elastically biased and projected toward the buckle frame. A plurality of punch holes (251) is longitudinally provided along a second end of the band opposite to the first end clamped by the clamp. The tongue is inserted into and held by one of the punch holes.

Description

BELT AND FUNCTIONAL BUCKLE

Technical Field

The present invention relates, in general, to belts, more particularly, to a belt, which is

designed such that a tongue of a buckle is inserted into a punch hole in a direction from the

inside of a band to the outside of the band after adjusting a length of the band, thus tightly

fastening the belt without damaging the belt, and providing a good appearance.

Background Art

As well known to those skilled in the art, a belt includes a band and a buckle for

adjusting the length of the band. The band is made of synthetic resin or leather. An

automatic buckle has been widely used as the buckle.

When the automatic buckle is used, the length of the band is easily adjusted. There

have been proposed a variety of kinds of automatic buckles.

Such automatic buckles are operated such that a locker thereof engages with a grooved

strip or a toothed strip which is provided at an inner surface of a band. According to a

method of operating the locker, there are many kinds of automatic buckles.

For example, Korean U.M. Registration No. 20-0235276 discloses a conventional automatic buckle, which is designed such that its locker engages with a toothed strip. As

shown in Fig. 1, the buckle includes a buckle frame 1. A rotating shaft 2 is mounted at an

inner surface of the buckle frame 1. A locker 3 of an oval shape is eccentrically mounted to

the rotating shaft 2 in such a way that the locking part faces a direction opposite to a belt inlet

side of the buckle. Locking teeth 4 are provided at a surface of the locking part of the locker

3, and an operating lever 5 is provided at a predetermined portion of the locker 3. A spring is

elastically mounted to the rotating shaft 2 to bias the locker 3 toward the inner surface of the

buckle frame 1. A plurality of projections or a toothed strip 7 is longitudinally formed on an

inner surface of a band 6 to engage with the locking teeth 4 of the locker 3.

When an end of the band 6 is inserted into the buckle frame 1, the locker 3 is pushed

by the toothed strip or projections 7 which are formed at the inner surface of the band 6. To

adjust the length of the band 6 as desired, the band 6 is inserted and fed into the buckle frame 1.

When the feeding is stopped, the locker 3 engages with the toothed strip or projections 7 by an

elastic force of the spring, thus fastening the band 6. The locker 3 may be fabricated in the

form of a locking projection, but in this case it is equal in operation to the locker 3 of Fig. 1.

The conventional automatic buckles may be designed such that their lockers are

operated in a different way from that of the above buckle. That is, the locker has an oval

shape, and is provided at a locking part thereof with locking teeth or a locking projection.

The locker is formed as a hollow tube which is mounted to the buckle. A spiral guide slit is

formed on the sidewall of the hollow tube. A shaft is inserted in the hollow tube in such a way that its lower end is projected outside the hollow tube, and is biased downward at its upper

end by a spring in such a way as to reciprocate in the hollow tube. A guide projection is

provided at the shaft in such a way as to be inserted into the guide slit. When the projected

lower end of the shaft is pressed upward, the guide projection linearly moves upward and the

hollow tubular locker having the guide slit is rotated, so the locker is rotated.

The two automatic buckles are equal in structure and function to each other, except

that the former automatic buckle is designed such that the locker is rotated by operation of a

lever whereas the latter automatic buckle is designed such that the locker is rotated by

operation of a shaft.

The conventional automatic buckles have a problem that the buckles are designed to

engage with the toothed strip or projections which are formed on an inner surface of the band,

so the toothed strip or projections are broken when a belt is used for a lengthy period of time or

is subjected to an excessive force, thus deteriorating the function of the belt.

In order to solve this problem, a reinforcing member made of synthetic resin may be

doubly attached to the inner surface of the band. Alternatively, a strip made of synthetic resin

may be additionally attached to a portion having the teeth. However, the above problem still

occurs. Further, an additional operation for attaching the reinforcing member or the strip

which is made of synthetic resin, that is, a bonding process or a seaming process, is required,

so productivity is poor and manufacturing cost is increased. Furthermore, a stitching line

remains due to the attaching operation and the appearance is poor, so the method can not be applied to a luxury article.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems

occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a belt, which is

designed such that the tongue of a buckle is inserted into a punch hole of a band, so the tongue

is more stably held in the punch hole.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a belt, which is designed such that

a tongue is inserted into a punch hole in a direction from the inside of a band, that is, a user's

body, to the outside of the band, so the tongue is more closely contact with the punch hole

when tightening the belt, thus preventing the tongue from being removed from the punch hole

due to deformation of the punch hole, therefore preventing the belt from being undesirably

unfastened.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a belt, which is manufactured by

a simplified process, and prevents a band from being damaged or having a stitching line, thus

providing a belt of a high quality.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a belt, which is designed such

that a reinforcing member is interposed between an inner strip of a band and an outer strip of

the band, thus preventing punch holes from being deformed even when the belt is used for a lengthy period of time, and allowing the punch holes to be restored to their original shapes by

elasticity of the reinforcing member even though the punch holes are temporarily deformed.

that punch holes are formed on only an inner strip of the band to prevent the punch holes from

being exposed to the outside, thus providing a good appearance.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a belt,

including a band provided along an end thereof with a plurality of punch holes, a buckle frame,

a clamp hinged to a predetermined portion of the buckle frame to clamp the other end of the

band and provided at a predetermined portion thereof with a mounting hole, a locker having a

body rotatably installed in the mounting hole of the clamp, with a tongue formed at a

predetermined portion of the body and having an inclined surface at a belt inlet side and a

locking surface at a side opposite to the belt inlet side, a spring elastically provided between

the mounting hole and the locker to bias the tongue toward the buckle frame so that the tongue

is projected toward the buckle frame, and a lever functioning to rotate the locker using an

external force so that the tongue is removed from one of the punch holes.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention

will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a conventional automatic buckle;

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an automatic buckle of a belt, according to a

primary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the automatic buckle, according to the primary

embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the operation of the automatic buckle, according to

the primary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an automatic buckle of a belt, according to a

second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an automatic buckle of a belt, according to a

third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the automatic buckle, according to the third embodiment

of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the operation of the automatic buckle, according to

the third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the operation of a locker included in the automatic

buckle, according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an automatic buckle of a belt, according to a

fourth embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the automatic buckle, according to the fourth embodiment

of the present invention;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the operation of the automatic buckle, according

to the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing a band of a belt, according to a fifth

embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 14 is a view showing the belt, according to the fifth embodiment of the present

invention;

Fig. 15 is an exploded perspective view showing a band of a belt, according to a sixth

embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the belt, according to the sixth embodiment of the present

invention; and

Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the band, according to the sixth embodiment of the

present invention, where a ring member is provided in each punch hole of the band.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals

are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components.

A better understanding of the present invention may be obtained through the following example which is set forth to illustrate, but is not to be construed as the limit of the present

invention.

primary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the automatic

buckle, according to the primary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a sectional

view showing the operation of the automatic buckle, according to the primary embodiment of

the present invention. As shown in the drawings, according to the primary embodiment of

the present invention, the automatic buckle includes a buckle frame 20. A clamp 23 is hinged

to a rear portion of the buckle frame 20 to clamp a first end of a band 25.

A plurality of punch holes 251 are longitudinally formed along a center of a second

end of the band 25. The punch holes 251 are formed according to a user's size. That is,

when the length of the band 25 is adjusted according to a user's size, the punch holes 251 are

formed to permit the allowance due to the thickness of underwear or the slight variation of the

user's waist before or after a meal. Preferably, the punch holes 251 are formed close together,

thus allowing the length of the band 25 to be finely adjusted. The punch holes 251 each may

have a circular or rectangular shape.

A guide 201 is provided at an inner surface of a front portion of the buckle frame 20 to

guide the second end of the band 25. The clamp 23 is mounted to the rear portion of the

buckle frame 20 to clamp the first end of the band 25.

A gap is defined between the buckle frame 20 and the clamp 23 to receive the band 25. The clamp 23 is hinged to brackets 202 which are provided at upper and lower portions of the

buckle frame 20. Further, a locking unit 24 is mounted to the clamp 23. When the band 25

is continuously fed, the locking unit 24 passes the punch holes 251 of the band 25.

Meanwhile, when the band 25 is retracted, the locking unit 24 engages with one of the punch

holes 251.

The locking unit 24 includes a mounting hole 241, a locker 242, and a hinge shaft 244.

The mounting hole 241 having a pin hole is formed at a predetermined portion of the clamp 23.

The locker 242 having a body is rotatably hinged to the mounting hole 241 by a hinge shaft

244. In this case, the hinge shaft 244 also functions to connect the clamp 23 to the buckle

frame 20. A tongue 243 is formed at a predetermined portion of the body of the locker 242 to

engage with one of the punch holes 251.

A lever 245 is mounted to a portion of the locker 242 to forcibly remove the tongue

243 from the punch hole 251. A spring S 1 is elastically installed between the mounting hole

241 and the locker 242 to bias the locker 242 toward the buckle frame 20.

That is, a spring hole 246 is formed through the body of the locker 242 in such a way

as to be coaxial with the hinge shaft 244. When the spring SI is inserted into the spring hole

246 and the hinge shaft 244 is inserted into the spring SI, the hinge shaft 244 is surrounded

with the spring SI. The spring SI is supported at an end thereof by the clamp 23 or the hinge

shaft 244 while being supported at the other end thereof by the body of the locker 242, thus

allowing the locker 242 to be returned to its original position by an elastic force of the spring SI.

The tongue 243 is designed such that a belt inlet side has an inclined surface and the

other side opposite to the belt inlet side has a locking surface.

When the locking unit 24 is installed in the clamp 23 as such, the thickness of the

buckle is considerably reduced.

As shown in Fig. 5, according to the second embodiment of the present invention,

brackets 203a and 203b are mounted to upper and lower portions of a buckle frame 20. A

support unit 23A, serving as the clamp 23 of the primary embodiment, is mounted to the

brackets 203a and 203b. A locking unit 24 includes a mounting hole 241 A having a pin hole,

a hinge shaft 244, and a locker 242 having a tongue 243. The mounting hole 241 A is formed

at a predetermined portion of the support unit 23 A. A spring hole 246 is formed through a

center of the body of the locker 242 to receive a spring S 1 therein. The hinge shaft 244 is

installed in the spring hole 246. In this case, a predetermined gap is defined between the

buckle frame 20 and the locking unit 24 to allow the band 25 to pass through the gap. Further,

when the locking unit 24 is mounted to a front portion of the buckle frame 20, that is, a

position where the guide 201 is installed, the buckle frame 20 is reduced in size.

The operation of the belt having such a construction is as follows.

When the belt is worn around the user's waist and the inlet end of the band 25 is

inserted into the guide 201 of the buckle frame 20, the inlet end of the band 25 passes through

a space which is defined between the buckle frame 20 and the clamp 23. When the band 25 is continuously fed into the guide 201, the inlet end of the band 25 pushes the inclined surface of

the tongue 243 and the tongue 243 compresses the spring S 1.

Subsequently, when one of the punch holes 251 of the band 25 is positioned at the

tongue 243, the tongue 243 is inserted into the punch hole 251 by an elastic force of the spring

SI.

When the band 25 is further fed in such a state, the inclined surface of the tongue 243

is pushed by a portion around the punch hole 251 of the band 25, so the tongue 243 is rotated

to be removed from the punch hole 251. Whenever the tongue 243 passes the punch holes

251, the tongue 243 is automatically and repeatedly rotated so that the tongue 243 alternately

engages with the punch hole 251 or is removed from the punch hole 251.

When the length of the band 25 is appropriately adjusted according to a user's waist,

the band 25 is subsequently loosened by restoration of the waist to its original size. Thus, in

order to prevent the band 25 from being loosened, the tongue 243 inserted into the punch hole

251 is stopped by the locking surface of the tongue 243, thus fastening the band 25 which is

adjusted in its length.

Meanwhile, when the belt is excessively tightened or the user desires to unfasten the

belt, the lever 245 provided at a portion of the body of the locker 242 is pushed to rotate the

locker 242 so that the tongue 243 is removed from the punch hole 251, thus allowing the band

25 to freely pass through the buckle frame 20.

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an automatic buckle of a belt, according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the automatic

buckle, according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a sectional view

showing the operation of the automatic buckle, according to the third embodiment of the

present invention. Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing the operation of a locker included in the

automatic buckle, according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawings, a locking unit 34 is mounted to the buckle frame 20.

The locking unit 34 includes a support unit 341, a locker 342, a spring S2, and a

release means. The support unit 341 is mounted to the buckle frame 20. In the drawing, the

support unit 341 is divided into two parts, but it actually has a single structure. The locker

342 is rotatably installed in the support unit 341. The spring S2 is elastically provided

between the support unit 341 and the locker 342 to bias the locker 342 toward the buckle frame

20. The release means functions to rotate the locker 342 clockwise as shown by the arrow of

Fig. 8, thus allowing the band 25 to be freely moved.

A tongue 343 is integrally mounted to the body of the locker 342 which is rotatably

hinged to the support unit 341. The tongue 343 is designed such that a belt inlet side has an

inclined surface 343a and the other side opposite to the belt inlet side has a locking surface

343b (see, Fig. 8). The support unit 341 has an opening formed at a center of a surface

thereof, so that the tongue 343 to be inserted into one of the punch holes 251 of the band 25 is

exposed to the outside through the opening in such a way as to face the inner surface of the

clamp 23. The tongue 343 is normally biased to be projected outside the opening 341a by an elastic force of the spring S2 which is provided between the support unit 341 and the locker

342.

Further, the release means for releasing the locker 342 includes an extension piece 344,

a drive unit 345, a spring S3, and a press part 346. The extension piece 344 extends from a

portion of the body of the locker 342. The drive unit 345 presses the extension piece 344 to

forcibly rotate the extension piece 344, and is returned to its original position by the spring S3.

The press part 346 is projected to the outside, thus allowing a user to easily press the press part

346.

The drive unit 345 is positioned in a guide hole 349 of the support unit 341 at a

position opposite to the spring S2 of the locker 342 in such a way as to reciprocate in the guide

hole 349. The drive unit 345 is provided at a center thereof with an inclined surface 347.

The drive unit 345 is provided at an end thereof with a stop projection 348 so that the extension

piece 344 is stopped by the stop projection 348.

The spring S3 is elastically mounted to an end of the drive unit 345 with the stop

projection 348. The press part 346 is mounted to the other end of the drive unit 345 in such a

way as to be exposed to the outside, and functions to press the drive unit 345.

The operation of the automatic buckle constructed in this way is as follows.

When an end of the band 25 is inserted into the guide 201 of the buckle frame 20, the

end of the band 25 passes through a space defined between the buckle frame 20 and the

support unit 341, and is continuously fed while pushing the inclined surface 343a of the tongue 343. Subsequently, when one of the punch holes 251 of the inserted band 25 is positioned at

the tongue 343, the tongue 343 is elastically biased forward by the spring S2 which is

elastically provided in the support unit 341, thus engaging with the punch hole 251.

When the band 25 is further fed in such a state, the inclined surface 343a of the tongue

343 is pushed by a portion around the punch hole 251 of the band 25, so the tongue 343 is

rotated so that the tongue 343 is removed from the punch hole 251. That is, while the punch

holes 251 of the band 25 pass the tongue 343, the tongue 343 is repeatedly rotated clockwise

and counterclockwise.

the band 25 is loosened by restoration of the waist to its original size. Thus, in order to

prevent the band 25 from being loosened, the tongue 243 inserted into the punch hole 251 is

stopped by. the locking surface 343b of the tongue 243, thus fastening the band 25 which is

adjusted in its length.

belt, the press part 346 which is exposed to the outside is pressed to move the drive unit 345

upward. As the drive unit 345 moves upward, the extension piece 344 is rotated by the

inclined surface 347 of the drive unit 345 clockwise as shown by the arrow of Fig. 8. At this

time, the tongue 343 which is integrated with the extension piece 344 is also rotated so that the

tongue 343 is removed from one of the punch holes 251 of the band 25, thus releasing the band

25 from the buckle frame 20. When the press part 346 is released, the drive unit 345 is returned to its original

position by an elastic force of the spring S3, and the tongue 343 is rotated so that the tongue

343 is inserted into the punch hole 251 of the band 25.

fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the automatic

buckle, according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a perspective

view showing the operation of the automatic buckle, according to the fourth embodiment of the

present invention.

As shown in the drawings, a tongue of the fourth embodiment is different in its

operating construction from that of the above-mentioned embodiments.

A locker 442 has a cylindrical body, a tongue 443 and a spiral slit 444. The tongue

443 is mounted to a center portion of the body of the locker 442. The spiral slit 444 is formed

around the body of the locker 442 in a rotating direction of the tongue 443. The locker 442 is

mounted to brackets 27a and 27b, which are provided at upper and lower portions of the buckle

frame 20 or the clamp 23, in such a way as to be rotated by a shaft.

The shaft comprises two parts, that is, a fixed shaft 451 and an operating shaft 452.

In this case, the operating shaft 452 is installed in the body of the locker 442, and is provided at

a portion thereof with an operating pin 453 which is inserted into the spiral slit 444. The

operating shaft 452 also has a press part 454 which is exposed at an end thereof to the outside.

The press part 454 has an oval or polygonal cross-section, and is loosely inserted into an operation hole 271 which has an oval or polygonal shape and is formed at the bracket 27a, thus

allowing the operating shaft 452 to perform only reciprocating movement.

The fixed shaft 451 is installed in the locker 442, and is mounted to the bracket 27b

which is provided at a position opposite to the operating shaft 452, thus allowing the locker

442 to be rotatably supported.

A spring S4 is elastically provided between the fixed shaft 451 and the operating shaft

452 to bias the press part 454 of the operating shaft 452 so that the press part 45 is normally

projected to the outside. In this case, since the elasticity of the spring S4 is applied to the

operating shaft 452 so that the operating shaft 452 is pushed outwards, but the operating pin

453 of the operating shaft 452 is caught in the spiral slit 444 of the locker 442, only the press

part 454 is projected to the outside. When the locker 442 is maximally rotated toward the

buckle frame 20, the operating pin 453 of the operating shaft 452 is positioned at an upper end

of the spiral slit 444.

The operation of the locker having such a construction is as follows. When the band

25 is inserted, the tongue 443 is rotated so that the tongue 443 is removed from the punch hole

251 and the locker 442 integrated with the tongue 443 is also rotated. At this time, the

operating pin 453 is downwardly moved along the guide slit 444, thus compressing the spring

S4.

When one of the punch holes 251 is positioned at the tongue 443 during insertion of

the band 25, the operating shaft 452 is moved upward by a restoring force of the spring S4. At this time, the operating pin 453 is upwardly moved along the spiral slit 444 to rotate the

body of the locker 442 so that the tongue 442 engages with the punch hole 251 of the band 25.

When the band 25 is further fed in such a state, the tongue 443 is pushed and rotated

by a portion around the punch hole 251. Subsequently, when the next punch hole 251 is

positioned at the tongue 443, the tongue 443 is rotated so that the tongue 443 engages with the

punch hole 251.

When the band 25 is released after appropriately adjusting the length of the band 25,

the band 25 is loosened by restoration of a user's waist to its original size. While the band 25

is retracted, the tongue 443 engages with the nearest punch hole 251. At this time, the tongue

443 is stopped by its locking surface so that the tongue 443 is not removed from the punch hole

251, thus fastening the band 25 having the adjusted length.

Meanwhile, when one desires to unfasten the belt, the exposed press part 454 of the

operating shaft 452 is pressed. At this time, the operating shaft 452 is moved downwards to

compress the spring S4. Further, the operating pin 453 integrated with the operating shaft 452

is slidably moved along the spiral slit 444 of the locker 442 to rotate the locker 442 so that the

tongue 443 is removed from one of the punch holes 251. When the tongue 443 is removed

from one of the punch holes 251, the band 25 is freely moved with respect to the buckle frame

20, thus allowing the band 25 to be unfastened.

According to the above mentioned embodiments of the present invention, the locking

unit is mounted to the clamp or the buckle frame. But, the position of the locking unit may be changed without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

When the belt is used for a lengthy period of time, the punch holes may be deformed

due to normal wear. In this case, even when the belt is fastened, the tongue may be

undesirably removed from one of the punch holes. In order to solve the problem, the belt of

the present invention is further provided with a reinforcing member 653. The reinforcing

member 653 is shown in Figs. 13 and 14.

embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 14 is a view showing the belt, according to the

fifth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawings, the belt of the present invention includes a band 65 and an

automatic buckle which is designed such that the tongue 243 is inserted into one of the punch

holes 656 in a direction from the inside of a band 65 to the outside of the band 65.

The band 65 is connected at its first end to the automatic buckle. The punch holes

656 engaging with the tongue 243 are provided along the second end of the band 65. In this

case, the punch holes 656 are formed close together, thus allowing the length of the band 65 to

be finely adjusted.

The belt includes the band 65 having inner and outer strips 651 and 652. The

reinforcing member 653 is interposed between the inner and outer strips 651 and 652 to

reinforce the punch holes 656 provided along the second end of the band 65. In this case, the

reinforcing member 653 is slightly larger in length and surface area than a range formed with the punch holes 656.

The inner and outer strips 651 and 652 each are provided, at a predetermined portion

thereof facing the reinforcing member 653, with a depression 655 to compensate for a

thickness of the reinforcing member 653. That is, the reinforcing member 653 is placed on

the depressions 655 of the inner and outer strips 651 and 652, and then is integrated with the

inner and outer strips 651 and 652 using an adhesive or through a seaming method. Further,

the punch holes 656 are formed close together at regular intervals.

Alternatively, the punch holes 656 may be separately formed at the inner and outer

strips 651 and 652 and the reinforcing member 653. After that, the inner and outer strips 651

and 652 and the reinforcing member 653 are integrated with each other to form the band 65.

As such, the reinforcing member 653 reinforces the punch holes 656, thus preventing

the punch holes 656 from being deformed.

The reinforcing member 653 may be made of an elastic material, such as rubber.

Such a reinforcing member 653 functions to restore the shape of the punch holes 656 which are

deformed by the tongue 243, in addition to providing elasticity to the band 65.

That is, when a user wearing the belt takes a meal or a certain force is applied to the

belt, the band 65 is stretched. At this time, the punch holes 656 are deformed due to an

external force while the reinforcing member 653 is stretched, so the band 65 is slightly

stretched, thus allowing a user to be comfortable without adjusting the length of the band 65.

Meanwhile, when an external force is removed, the reinforcing member 653 is returned to its original shape by its elasticity, thus preventing the shape of the punch holes 656 from being

deformed.

embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the belt, according to the

sixth embodiment of the present invention. Typically, the punch holes are bored through a

band, so they are exposed to the outside when wearing a belt.

The appearance of the belt becomes poor due to the exposed punch holes.

Particularly, when the belt is used for a lengthy period of time, the appearance of the belt is

worse due to the deformation of the punch holes.

In order to solve the problem, punch holes 756 may be designed such that they are not

bored through a band 75 but only to a predetermined thickness of the band 75 without

changing the basic construction of the reinforcing member 653 of the above-mentioned

embodiment.

That is, the band 75 having inner and outer strips 751 and 752 is designed such that the

inner strip 751 and a reinforcing member 753 have the punch holes 756, but the outer strip 752

has no punch holes.

The construction of the belt according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention

will be described in the following in detail. That is, the punch holes 756 are formed along an

end of the inner strip 751 at regular intervals. The reinforcing member 753 is designed such

that it is slightly longer than a region having the punch holes 756. The punch holes 756 are formed along the reinforcing member 753 to have the same size and intervals as those of the

inner strip 751.

Further, the inner and outer strips 751 and 752 each are provided, at a predetermined

portion thereof facing the reinforcing member 753, with a depression 755 to compensate for a

thickness of the reinforcing member 753. An adhesive is coated on the depression 755.

Next, the reinforcing member 753 is glued between the inner and outer strips 751 and 752 in

such a way that the punch holes 756 of the reinforcing member 753 are aligned with the punch

holes 756 of the inner strip 751. Thereafter, the inner and outer strips 751 and 752 are

integrated with each other using an adhesive or through a seaming method.

As described above, when the punch holes 756 are formed on only the inner strip 751

and the reinforcing member 753, the punch holes 756 are not exposed to the outside, thus the

belt having a good appearance.

When the punch holes 756 are formed in this way, the tongue 243 is inserted into only

the inner strip 751 and the reinforcing member 753 via the punch holes 756 thereof. Thus,

even though the punch holes 756 are deformed due to a long-term use of the belt, the punch

holes 756 are restored to their original shape by elasticity of the reinforcing member 753, thus

allowing the punch holes 756 to maintain their original shape. Furthermore, although the

punch holes 756 of the inner strip 751 are deformed beyond a threshold value, the punch holes

756 are not exposed to the outside, so the appearance of the belt is not deteriorated.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the band, according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, where a ring member is provided in each punch hole of the band.

As shown in Fig. 17, a ring member 762 may be provided in each of the punch holes

756 to reinforce the function of the reinforcing member 753 which prevents the punch holes

756 from being deformed.

The ring member 762 is bent outward at an end thereof to have a locking flange 763,

thus having an 'T'-shaped rivet profile. The assembly of the belt having the ring members

762 is as follows. First, the reinforcing member 753 is attached to the inner strip 751. The

ring member 753 is inserted into each punch hole 756 in a direction from the reinforcing

member 753 to the inner strip 751. At this time, the locking flange 763 of each ring member

762 is seated along an edge of the punch hole 756 of the reinforcing member 753. When the

outer strip 752 is integrated with the inner strip 751 having the reinforcing member 753, the

ring members 762 are held in the punch holes 756. Further, each ring member 762 may be

bent outward at the other end thereof to clamp the edge of the punch hole 756 of the inner strip

751, like an "F'-shaped rivet, thus further preventing the punch holes 756 from being deformed.

Thus, even though an external force is applied to the belt whose tongue 243 engages

with one of the punch holes 756, the deformation of the punch holes 756 is effectively

prevented by the ring members 762. Therefore, the ring member 762 provides a good

appearance to the belt, in addition to lengthening the life-span of the belt.

The present invention may be applied to all kinds of belts which are used with bags,

handbags, and packs, without being limited to the belt which is worn around a person's waist. Further, the present invention may be applied to belt having a manual buckle, without being

limited to the belt having an automatic buckle.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention provides a belt having an automatic buckle

which is designed such that a tongue is normally biased and projected outward by an elastic

force of a spring and is inserted into a punch hole of a band in a direction from an inside of the

band to an outside of the band, thus preventing the tongue from being undesirably removed

from the punch hole even when an excessive external force is applied to the belt.

The present invention provides a belt, which is provided with a reinforcing member

between inner and outer strips so that the reinforcing member is not exposed to the outside,

thus having a good appearance. Although the belt is used for a lengthy period of time, the

deformation of the belt is prevented by the reinforcing member. Further, when the belt is

temporarily deformed, the belt is restored to its original shape due to the elasticity of the

reinforcing member, thus maintaining a good appearance.

The present invention provides a belt, which is designed such that the inner strip is

provided along an end thereof with punch holes but the outer strip has no punch holes, so that

the punch holes are not exposed to the outside, thus having a good appearance.

Further, the present invention provides a belt, which is designed such that the band is stretched to some extent by elasticity of the reinforcing member when a user takes a meal or an

external force is applied to the belt without the necessity of adjusting the length of the band

again, differently from a conventional belt, thus being convenient to use and making a user feel

comfortable.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for

illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications,

additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the

invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A belt, comprising:

a buckle frame;

a clamp hinged to a predetermined portion of the buckle frame to clamp a first end of a

band;

a locking unit mounted to the clamp, and provided with a tongue which is elastically

biased and projected toward the buckle frame; and

a plurality of punch holes longitudinally provided along a second end of the band

opposite to the first end clamped by the clamp, said tongue being inserted into and held by one

of the punch holes.

2. The belt according to claim 1, wherein said locking unit comprises:

a mounting hole formed at a predetermined portion of the clamp;

a locker having a body rotatably installed in the mounting hole of the clamp, with the

tongue formed at a predetermined portion of the body, said tongue having an inclined surface

at a belt inlet side thereof and a locking surface at a side opposite to the belt inlet side;

a spring elastically provided between the mounting hole and the locker to bias the

tongue toward the buckle frame so that the tongue is projected toward the buckle frame; and

a lever functioning to rotate the locker using an external force so that the tongue is removed from one of the punch holes.

3. The belt according to claim 2, wherein said body of the locker is rotatably installed

in the mounting hole of the clamp by a hinge pin which also connects the clamp to the buckle

frame.

4. A belt, comprising:

a buckle frame provided at a upper and lower portions of an inner surface thereof with

brackets;

a band clamped at a first end thereof by a clamp which is hinged to the buckle frame,

with a plurality of punch holes being longitudinally provided along a second end thereof

opposite to the end of the band which is clamped by the clamp;

a support unit having a mounting hole, and mounted to the brackets of the buckle

frame;

a locker having a body rotatably installed in the mounting hole of the clamp, with a

5. A belt, comprising:

a band provided along an end thereof with a plurality of punch holes;

a buckle frame provided at upper and lower portions thereof with brackets, and

provided with a clamp holding the other end of the band;

a support unit mounted to the brackets of the buckle frame;

a locker having a body rotatably installed in the support unit and integrally provided

with a tongue, said tongue having an inclined surface at a belt inlet side thereof and a locking

surface at a side thereof opposite to the belt inlet side and being projected through an opening

which is formed at the support unit, in such a way as to face an inner surface of the buckle

frame;

a first spring elastically provided between the support unit and the locker to bias the

tongue toward the buckle frame;

a drive unit positioned in a guide hole of the support unit at a position around the

locker to reciprocate in the guide hole, said drive unit provided with an inclined surface to push

the locker so that the locker is rotated in a direction wherein the tongue is removed from the

opening of the support unit;

a second spring functioning to elastically return the drive unit to an original position

thereof; a press part mounted to an outside end of the drive unit in such a way as to be exposed

to the outside, and pressing the drive unit.

6. A belt, comprising:

a band provided along an end thereof with a plurality of punch holes;

a buckle frame provided at upper and lower portions thereof with brackets, and

provided with a clamp holding the other end of the band;

a locker having a cylindrical body, with a tongue being provided at a center of the body

and a spiral slit of a predetermined length being formed around the body;

an operating shaft inserted into the body of the locker and mounted at a first end

thereof to the upper bracket in such a way as to reciprocate in the body of the locker, said

operating shaft being provided at a predetermined portion thereof with an operating pin which

is inserted into the spiral slit and being provided at the first end thereof with a press part which

is projected to the outside;

a fixed shaft axially set in the body of the locker and mounted to the lower bracket;

a first spring elastically provided between the operating shaft and the fixed shaft to

bias the press part of the operating shaft upward; and

a second spring functioning to return the operating shaft to an original position thereof.

7. A belt, comprising: a band having inner and outer strips, with a plurality of punch holes being provided

along an end of the band; and

a reinforcing member interposed between the inner and outer strips, and having punch

holes of the same shape and size as the punch holes provided at the inner and outer strips.

8. A belt, comprising:

a band including:

an inner strip provided along an end thereof with a plurality of punch holes to

engage with a tongue of a buckle;

an outer strip having no punch hole; and

a reinforcing member having the same punch holes as the punch holes of the

inner strip, said reinforcing member interposed between the inner and outer strips in such a

way that the punch holes of the reinforcing member are aligned with the punch holes of the

inner strip,

wherein said inner and outer strips and reinforcing member are integrated with each

other to form a single structure.

9. The belt according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said inner and outer strips each are

provided, at a predetermined portion thereof facing the reinforcing member, with a depression

to compensate for a thickness of the reinforcing member.

10. The belt according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said reinforcing member has an

elasticity.

11. The belt according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a rivet-shaped ring member is

provided in each of the punch holes which are formed at the reinforcing member and the inner

strip.