Buckles – buttons – clasps – etc. – Strap tighteners – Accordion straps
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-20
2001-09-25
Brittain, James R. (Department: 3626)
Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
Strap tighteners
Accordion straps
C024S16300K, C024S2650BC, C024S0690ST
Reexamination Certificate
active
06292983
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an adjustable quick-release buckle, particularly for masks or similar, of the type provided in combination with a strap.
At present, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,607,398, 5,611,644, 5,555,671 and DE 195 20 981, particularly in diving masks, buckles of the type described hereinbefore are used, which allow the strap to be stretched to tighten the mask, by simply exerting a pulling action in that direction on the free ends of the strap, which project out of the buckle, whereas the strap is loosened by manually acting on the release means, which bring the retaining means to temporary disengagement from the strap.
These buckles have a member for returning the strap, which return member brings the strap into cooperation with one retaining tooth. The return member also acts as an abutment member cooperating with the retaining tooth. The tooth has an asymmetrical profile, i.e. is provided with guide slanted surfaces, which help the strap to slide in the tightening direction, preventing it therefrom in the opposite direction, while said tooth is provided at the free end of a wing which is mounted in such a way as to be able to swing about an axis in the middle of and substantially parallel to the projections on the strap. The wing is elastically and stably loaded by a spring in order to press the tooth against the strap, i.e. against the return member.
This construction, though rather effective and convenient as regards strap tightening, always requires a certain effort which, on use, may involve a possible displacement of the mask from its correct wearing position. However, on releasing the strap, for example to take off the mask, the above well-known construction is quite unsuitable, inconvenient and involves the use of both hands. In order to bring the tooth into disengagement from the toothed end of the strap, the wing must be pressed against the force of the elastic means. This wing is generally disposed parallel to the temple or to the nearby zone, so a certain pressure action is to be exerted against the temple. At the same time, it is necessary to act on the strap, to help or assist its sliding movement inside the buckle in the loosening direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,186 discloses a buckle showing the combination of features of the preamble of claim
1
. The belt has a pawl assembly vertically held between the top and bottom walls of the buckle and selectively engaging with a ratchet part. The pawl assembly has a rotatable cylinder, a pawl coupled to the cylinder and adapted for selectively engaging with the ratchet part. A vertically movable push rod is received in the cylinder such that the bottom of the push rod projects out of the bottom wall of the bucket. The cylinder along with the pawl is rotated to make the pawl disengage from the ratchet part when the push rod vertically moves up in the cylinder. In order to rotate the cylinder with the pawl, a radial projection of the push rod is received in an inclined slit formed on a side wall of the cylinder.
The invention has the object to provide a buckle of the type described hereinbefore, in such a way that, by means of simple and cheap arrangements, the tightening and loosening operations are made simpler, quicker and more convenient, while providing that said operations may be accomplished by one hand only, and while ensuring the highest functional reliability of the buckle.
The invention achieves the above purposes by providing a buckle of the type described hereinbefore, sewing the combination of features according to the characterizing part of claim
1
.
The further sub claims disclose further improvements of the general idea of the invention according to claim
1
.
The claimed features clearly show the advantages of the present invention. On one side, the very simple construction and the absence of the difficult-to-operate tooth on the swinging wing, which makes even the free strap-tightening operations troublesome. The sliding movement of the strap is ensured by the rotation of the roller, acting as a toothed crown, therewith, while limiting all sliding frictions which are relatively high, due to the type of materials generally used, such as rubber, or others. On the other hand, by increasing the number of teeth or projections on the strap and on the roller, an adjustment with shorter pitches, and hence better calibrated and accurate, of the tightening tension of the strap may be provided.
Finally, in order to loosen the strap, a little axial movement between the ratchet-like means and the roller is only needed. Such an axial movement is more favorable per se and can be performed more easily by one hand, for obvious anatomic reasons. Since the buckle projects out of the mask body, or of any other object, a grasping movement of the fingers of one hand is possible. Further, the particular embodiment allows the provision of elastic means for holding the roller and the ratchet-like means stably coupled, which do not require considerable forces and hence may be easily opposed by only exerting a little force.
When the roller is released also with respect to the strap-loosening direction of rotation, the resistance to the sliding movement to move them apart is very little, therefore the other hand is not required to exert actions to assist said sliding movement in the strap-loosening direction of the strap, but this movement for moving the mask away from the face involves the strap to simultaneously slide in the loosening direction.
The invention also relates to further characteristics, which form the subject of the dependent claims.
The characteristics of the invention and the advantages derived therefrom will appear more clearly from the following description of an example, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 2537307 (1951-01-01), Griswold
patent: 4607398 (1986-08-01), Faulconer
patent: 5555571 (1996-09-01), McCaffrey
patent: 5588186 (1996-12-01), Ko
patent: 5611644 (1997-03-01), Lutz
patent: 195 20 981-A1 (1996-01-01), None
Giaquinta Ciro
Testa Fabio
Brittain James R.
Creighton Wray James
Narasimhan Meera P.
Rodriquez Ruth C.
Tecnorubber S.r.l.
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