Locks – Special application – For portable articles
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-16
2003-11-18
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3676)
Locks
Special application
For portable articles
C070S057100, C024S614000, C024S606000, C024S625000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06647750
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle comprising a rectangular female body provided with a belt attaching portion at one end thereof and a flat male body to be inserted in the female body and provided with a belt adjusting portion at one end thereof. The present invention particularly relates to a buckle, which is capable of appropriately adjusting a fastening of the belt without being influenced by a thickness of the belt and is also capable of being provided with a simple locking mechanism. The buckle can be used for a fastening belt used for a package of a commodity by door-to-door parcel delivery or for a travelling bag or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a conventional buckle is shown in
FIG. 37
, in which the attaching and fixing of one end of a belt to a male member
2
′ of the buckle is as follows. In the buckle, a horizontally long hole as a connection adjusting portion
31
′ is defined on a side wall at one end portion of the male member
2
′, and a bar-shaped member
34
′ for winding the belt thereon is supported at its axis so as to be movable back and forth in the long hole. The bar-shaped member
34
′, which faces a fixed bar member
36
′ fixed to the male member
2
′, pulls the belt wound around the bar-shaped member
34
′ toward the fixed bar member side, so that the belt is clipped by the fixed bar member
36
′ and the bar-shaped member
34
′. Further, with the connection adjusting portion
31
′ being kept in this state, the male member
2
′ is inserted in a holding space
6
′ of a tubular female member
1
′. Then, the belt, which is wound around the bar-shaped member
34
′ and disposed on the fixed bar member
36
′ in a superimposed manner, is concealed between the fixed bar member
36
′ and a top plate, i.e. a second plate
7
′, of the tubular female member
1
′ and pressed down, so that the belt is prevented from being slack. Such a buckle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2530126.
According to the buckle shown in
FIG. 37
as mentioned above, however, the belt, which is wound around the bar-shaped member
34
′ of the male member
2
′ and is clipped between the fixed bar member
36
′ and the second plate
7
′ of the tubular female member
1
′, is doubly superimposed on a top surface of the fixed bar member
36
′ to be pressed down by the second plate
7
′ of the female member
1
′ and fixed. Therefore, this buckle is not capable of being used if the belt is thick, and if the belt is thin, the buckle is likely to be slipped out therefrom. As a result, it is difficult to accurately hold the belt without being influenced by the thickness of the belt. Further, since this buckle is not equipped with a locking mechanism, its application range is limited to that of a normal buckle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made taking the foregoing problem into consideration. A main object of the invention is to provide a buckle, which is equipped with a safe and simple locking mechanism and is capable of being used with security. Specifically, the buckle, which comprises a male body and a female body, is provided with a mechanism such that, when an inserting plate of the male body is inserted in a housing of the female body so as to lock the male body and the female body, the male body and female body are not capable of being separated and released from each other unless they are unlocked with a key. Furthermore, since a portion for adjusting a length of a belt is concealed in the housing of the female body, an operation for loosening the belt can never performed in a locking state. However, the belt is capable of being fastened by pulling the belt in a direction for tightening up the belt. Therefore, the buckle has a safe and simple locking mechanism.
In addition to the above object, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which the key for releasing the engagement can be inserted from an opposite side to that of insertion of the male body in the housing of the female body so that the male body can be easily released from the female body.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which the key for releasing the engagement is inserted in a direction orthogonal to the direction of inserting of the male body into the housing of the female body so that the male body can be easily released from the female body.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which an engaging portion is provided in the housing of the female body while an engaged portion is provided on the inserting plate, or an engaged portion is provided in the housing of the female body while an engaging portion is provided on the inserting plate.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which a form of a belt adjusting portion to be provided to the male body is specified, thus giving an excellent function.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type which supports the belt mounted on the belt adjusting portion in a predetermined state.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which a form of the housing of the female body is specified, thus giving an excellent function.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which a shape of an interior of the housing of the female body is specified, thus giving an excellent function.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which a relation between the inserting plate and the key is specified, thus giving an excellent function.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type which is provided with a specific pressing down mechanism in the housing to press down the belt adjusting portion.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a buckle of a male and female type in which a form and a function of the key are specified, thus giving an excellent function.
In addition to the above objects, a further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism that is capable of smoothly guiding the inserting plate into the housing, thus giving an excellent function.
In order to attain the above described objects, according to the present invention, there is provided a buckle including a female body and a male body, in which said female body is formed with a holding space for holding said male body in a housing; an insertion opening for insertion of said male body and a key insertion hole for locking and releasing, both of which communicate with said holding space, are respectively provided in said housing; a belt attaching portion is provided at an end of said housing opposing to said insertion opening; said male body is provided with a belt adjusting portion at a base end of an inserting portion; an engaging portion is provided on either one of said housing and said inserting portion; an engaged portion, which is elastically deformable, is provided on the other one of said housing and said inserting portion; when said inserting portion is inserted in said housing, said engaging portion and said engaged portion are engaged with each other as well as said belt adjusting portion is concealed by said housing without being exposed; and when said inserting portion is pulled out from said housing, said engaged portion is elastically deformed by insertion of a key to release said engagement of the engaging portion and said engaged
Kaneko Hitoshi
Murasaki Ryuichi
Takahashi Yoshinobu
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Knight Anthony
Kyle Michael J.
YKK Corporation
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