Patent ID: 9451821
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: A45F,F16B

Claim Text:
1. A double-locking clip formed from a resilient material for attaching MOLLE-compatible pouches and accessories to a Load Bearing Equipment (LBE) waist belt having a width W, comprising: a front panel that extends from an upper end to a lower end thereof a distance greater than W; a rear panel that extends from an upper end to a lower end thereof a distance greater than W; and a bight portion that joins the upper end of the front panel to the upper end of the rear panel, said bight portion being dimensioned to permit the clip to be mounted upon and straddle said Load Bearing Equipment waist belt; and wherein whereby, to lock the clip, the lower end portion of the front panel is pressed rearwardly against the lower end portion of the rear panel, which causes the third bight to resiliently deform sufficiently to permit the second bight to enter into and be captured by the third bight, whereas, to unlock the clip, the third bight is pressed down to resiliently deform it while simultaneously pulling the front panel forward, whereupon the second bight is released from the third bight; a keep mounted to a front surface of the front panel for sliding motion thereon between an upper, retracted position and a lower, extended position, said keep including a fourth bight, wherein said fourth bight is rearwardly-directed, contiguous with said lower end of said tongue portion, and shaped and dimensioned to receive in surrounding engagement the third bight when the keep is moved from said extended, open position to said retracted, closed position; a hub attached to the front plate, which hub protrudes through the slot; a guide plate, said guide plate including a parallel pair of laterally spaced-apart, parallel arms disposed on opposite sides of the tongue and attached to a front surface of the front plate; and a disk-shaped retainer attached to said hub, said tongue being slidably disposed and retained between said retainer and the front surface of the front panel; whereby, when the second bight is within the third bight and the keep is in an open, extended position, sliding the keep upward to a retracted, closed position doubly locks the clip, whereas, sliding the keep down from the retracted, closed position returns the clip back to a singly-locked condition.