Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Separable-fastener or required component thereof – Including member having distinct formations and mating...
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-01
2001-07-24
Brittain, James R. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Separable-fastener or required component thereof
Including member having distinct formations and mating...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06263549
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle of an insert type comprising female and male members, that is, a buckle main body and an insertion body, and particularly to a buckle for fastening a belt, which is generally used for a clothing, a bag, a helmet, a stroller, a sports equipment or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, this kind of buckle is constituted by a buckle main body and an insertion body structured such as that shown in
FIG. 11
, the buckle main body
101
is formed in a flat cylindrical shape comprising an upper plate
103
, a lower plate
104
and side walls
105
, is provided with an insertion port
106
in one end, a belt mounting portion
107
on the other end and opening portions
109
in both side surfaces, and is provided with two guide ribs on inner surfaces of the upper plate
103
and the lower plate
104
, and the insertion body
102
is provided with a belt mounting portion
107
projected from one end thereof, operation rods
125
projected from both sides of the other end thereof and a guide rod projected from a center thereof. In the buckle structured in the manner mentioned above, an expanding operation portion
129
capable of fitting to the opening portion
109
is provided at a front end of each of the operation rods
125
so as to form an engaging portion, a thin elastic piece is provided from a base portion of the belt mounting portion
107
to the operation portion
129
so as to provide flexibility, a rib is provided in an inner side of the operation portion
129
so as to reinforce, and the guide rod is fitted and inserted between the guide ribs of the upper plate
103
and the lower plate
104
. This kind of buckle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.7-250704.
Further, the insertion type buckle shown in
FIG. 12
is constituted by a buckle main body
1
′ which is structured such that an upper plate
4
′ and a lower plate
3
′ are connected by a guide piece provided in a vertical direction at a center thereof, an insertion port
6
′ and a belt mounting portion are respectively provided at one end and the other end thereof, opening portions
9
′ continued to the insertion port
6
′ are formed on both side surfaces, deep recess grooves are provided on inner surfaces of the upper plate
4
′ and the lower plate
3
′ along a guide piece from the insertion port
6
′ and inward hook-shaped portions
10
′ to be engaged are provided in both sides thereof in a vertical symmetrical manner, and an insertion body
2
′ which is structured such that a belt mounting portion
7
′ is provided in one end thereof, flexible insertion leg portions projecting from both sides of a base portion
19
′ of the belt mounting portion
7
′ are provided in the other end thereof, a pair of short vertically protruding portions
30
′ having a great height are projected from a center of the base portion
19
′ so as to form a groove portion
31
′ therebetween, operation portions
25
′ are formed on outer side surfaces of the curved insertion leg portions, the operation portions
25
′ are continuously formed from the base portion
19
′ at a substantially equal thickness and outward hook-shaped engaging portions
29
′ are provided in inner sides of the front ends of the insertion leg portions in a vertically symmetrical manner. In this structure, the insertion leg portion of the insertion body
2
′ is inserted from the insertion port
6
′ of the buckle main body
1
′ so as to engage the engaging portion
29
′ with the portion
10
′ to be engaged. This type of buckle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-289310.
In the buckle shown in
FIG. 11
, in the case of inserting the insertion body
102
to the buckle main body
101
so as to engage the engaging portion with the portion
110
to be engaged for use, when a strong tensile force is applied between the buckle main body
101
and the insertion body
102
, there is a risk that a shearing force is applied between the elastic piece and the operation portion
129
in the operation rod
125
of the insertion body
102
and a crack may generate, and there is also a risk of breaking the thin elastic piece. Further, there is a problem that it is hard to hold the elastic piece of the operation rod
125
against the side walls
105
of the buckle main body
110
in a stable state at a time of engaging.
Further, in the buckle shown in
FIG. 12
, since the buckle main body
1
′ does not have means for positively guiding the insertion leg portion at a time of inserting the insertion body
2
′ into the buckle main body
1
′ and a pair of projections
30
′ inserted to the guide piece have a short length, an inserting operation of the insertion body
2
′ is significantly unstable and troublesome. Still further, since the inner surface of the buckle main body
1
′ and the insertion body
2
′ are formed in an inside and outside symmetrical manner, it is possible to insert the insertion body
2
′ to the buckle main body
1
′ in an opposite direction, so that there is a problem of a risk that the belt mounted to the insertion body
2
′ is twisted in place of a normal condition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made by taking the problems mentioned above into consideration, and a main object of a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a buckle of a type inserting an insertion body formed by operation rods provided with engaging portions in both sides thereof to a buckle main body formed in a flat cylindrical body and provided with portions to be engaged in both sides thereof so as to engage the insertion body with the buckle main body, in which leg portions in the operation rods are reinforced, a crack or a breakage near the engaging portion is previously prevented and side walls of the buckle main body securely hold the leg portions of the operation rods so as to prevent a play in the buckle.
An object of the present invention is to provide a buckle which particularly defines how leg portions of each operation rods are reinforced and how side walls of the buckle main body hold the leg portions of the operation rods, so as to effectively reinforce the leg portions, and the side walls firmly hold the leg portions so as to prevent a play of the buckle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a buckle in which the insertion body is smoothly inserted to the buckle main body, a play of the buckle at a time of engaging is prevented not only in the side walls and the leg portions in both sides but also in a center portion of the buckle main body and the insertion body, and a stable engaging state is maintained.
The present invention has an object to provide a buckle in which the insertion body can be inserted only in a predetermined direction so as to perform a smooth inserting operation and a proper guiding operation by particularly defining a pair of projections arranged at a center of the insertion body and an interlinking structure with the projections in the buckle main body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a buckle in which a further stable fitting state can be maintained by particularly defining the interlinking structure between a pair of projections arranged at a center of the insertion body and the operation rods.
In order to achieve the object mentioned above, there is provided a buckle comprising mainly a flat cylindrical buckle main body which is constituted by an upper plate, a lower plate and both side walls, is provided with an insertion port at one end and a belt mounting portion on the other end of the buckle main body, respectively, and is provided with opening portions notched in an arc shape in both side walls, and an insertion body which is provided with a belt engaging rod at one end of a side frame, is provided with a belt folding rod in
Brittain James R.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
YKK Corporation
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