Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Cord and rope holders
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-11
2001-12-11
Sakran, Victor N. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Cord and rope holders
C024S003130, C024S13600R, C024S13600R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327751
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a cord holding or stopping buckle formed of a cord holding component and an end stopper as one set for adjusting the pulled-out length and tightness of a belt, string, cord, or rope (all hereafter referred to as a cord in this document) which is used in, for example, clothing, bag, and so on. The cord holding component has an adjustment function, and the end stopper has a function of preventing the cord from being pulled out unexpectedly.
FIGS.
10
(
a
)-
10
(
c
) illustrate an example of the use condition of conventional cord holding or stopping components. The cord holding components
45
in FIG.
10
(
a
) are installed at the neck area and waist area of a clothing
40
, as shown in FIG.
10
(
a
), and attached to both sides of the extending parts
41
a
of the cord
41
extending from holes
40
a.
The cord holding components
45
adjust the tightness of the cord
41
, namely, they adjust the length of the extending parts
41
a
arbitrarily, and stop the cords against the force pulling the extending parts
41
a
toward the clothing again after the adjustment.
As the structure, the cord holding component is composed of, for example, a cylindrical body
46
having a bottom and through-holes
46
a,
and a locking member
47
with a through-hole, a part of which is inserted into the body
46
to be movable in and out of the body, and is urged outwardly by a spring installed separately or integrally. When the locking member
47
is pushed into the body
46
against the spring force and the through holes of both the body
46
and the locking member
47
are aligned, an end of the cord
41
is passed through the through-hole (cord free position). When the pushing force is released, the locking member
47
is in the position of partially protruding out of the body due to the spring force, and the shift in the relative position of the through-hole on the locking member
47
with respect to the through-hole
46
a
on the body
46
stops the cord
41
with the proper tension (cord stop position).
In the aforementioned cord stop component
45
, the stopping force for the extending part
41
a
may be increased in proportion to the spring force pressing the locking member
47
outward. However, if the stopping force is set too strongly by increasing the spring force, it requires a strong force in switching to the cord free position by pushing the locking member
47
, and it would not be easy to use. Conventionally, the extending part
41
a
from the through-hole
46
a
on the cord holding component
45
has a knot
41
c
at its free end side, as shown in FIG.
10
(
b
), or the end stopper
48
at its free end side, as shown in FIG.
10
(
c
), so that the knot
41
c
or the end stopper
48
prevents the extending part
41
a
from slipping out of the cord holding component
45
unexpectedly even though the extending part
41
a
is strongly pulled back through the cord holding component. This end stopper
48
has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, having a hole
48
a
on one end side. The extending part
41
a
is attached to the end stopper by inserting the free end of the extending part into the cylinder through the hole
48
a
and making a larger diameter part on the free end by knotting or a metal fixture.
In the aforementioned conventional structure, without the knot
41
c
or end stopper
48
, the cord holding component
45
would have the problem that it would unexpectedly slip out of the cord
41
, and performance would be unsatisfactory. When the knot
41
c
is made or the end stopper
48
is attached at the free end of the extending part
41
a,
a new problem occurs. That is, the extending part
41
a
extends according to the tightness of the cord
41
, and then the knot
41
c
or end stopper
48
swings like a pendulum from the cord holding component
45
. This makes a user uneasy. This problem not only makes a user uneasy, but also causes the problems such as hitting a face of a user when the length of the extending part
41
a
is longer than about 10 cm at which time the knot
41
c
or stopper
48
swings a lot as the user moves. Although the conventional end stopper
48
is apparently preferable rather than the knot
41
c,
it requires a knot or a larger diameter cord end to prevent the end stopper from falling off after inserting the free end of the extending part
41
a
into the stopper cylinder through the hole
48
a.
Thus, a handling or workability is poor.
The present invention has been made in order to overcome the aforementioned problems when the cord holding component and end stopper are used as a set, and an object of the invention is to provide a cord holding buckle, wherein a cord extending part and an end stopper do not become cumbersome even when the cord extending part is extended largely by pulling out of the cord stop component, and which is easy to use and looks nice.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cord holding buckle as stated above, wherein the structure of the end stopper is improved to have good handling and working ability when it is attached to the free end of the cord extending part.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cord holding buckle as stated above, which make it easier to provide an end stopper flat and of small size.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the objects as described above, the cord holding buckle of the present invention has a cord holding component and an end stopper. The cord holding component has through-holes on its body, through which a cord extends from an entrance opening to an exit opening, and can stop the cord against the pulling force. The end stopper is attached to the free end of the cord extending outside of the exit opening, and can prevent the cord from being unexpectedly pulled out of the through-holes. The cord holding component and the end stopper have a female coupler and a male coupler, respectively, by which both are connected as an attachable/detachable couple.
The cord holding buckle is composed of a set of one cord holding component and one end stopper. When the cord extending part which is pulled out of the cord holding component is long, the end stopper is connected to the cord holding component by joining the female and male couplers. The female and male couplers are usually built in the body of the cord holding component and the corresponding outer side of the end stopper, respectively. The male coupler of the end stopper, for example, is connected to the female coupler of the cord holding component.
In this joined condition, the cord extending part pulled out of the cord holding component makes a loop between the through-hole of the cord holding component and the end stopper connected to the cord holding component, and therefore the length of the loop is only about half of the cord extending part itself, which effectively prevents the cord extending part and the end stopper from swinging. That is, the present invention provides a reasonable resolution of the troubles conventionally caused by the cord extending part and the end stopper which makes a user uneasy, becomes cumbersome, or hits a user's face. Furthermore, the cord extending part is shortened to the half length by making a loop when the end stopper is joined to the cord holding component contributing to an improvement in the external appearance of the cord holding device. The present invention intends to create an attachable/detachable couple of the cord holding component and the end stopper by designing them as one set in contrast to the conventional technique where a cord holding component and an end stopper have been designed separately, and to provide a one-piece-like appearance when they are in use.
It is preferable to form the present invention as follows.
First, the end stopper is formed of a pair of half-snap bodies which are folded at a hinge part, interlocked with each other for receiving and biti
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Nifco Inc.
Sakran Victor N.
LandOfFree
Code holding buckle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Code holding buckle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Code holding buckle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2585880