Abstract:
Buckle for connecting a wrist strap to the handgrip of a pole for sporting activities such as skiing, trekking and the like. Said buckle comprises a body consisting of an outer jaw and an inner jaw between which it is possible to identify locking means suited to cooperate with a tape forming part of the strap and arranged in different positions between the outer jaw and the inner jaw in order to retain the strap at different distances from the handgrip.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a buckle for the adjustable connection of a wrist strap to the handgrip of a pole for use in sporting activities, e.g. skiing, trekking and the like.  
         [0002]     There are known types of pole used in the above-mentioned sporting activities that comprise a handgrip for the user to hold, complete with a wrist strap that can be adjusted to suit the athlete&#39;s hand and the conditions in which the pole is used.  
         [0003]     The wrist strap is preferably composed of a flexible material and associated with a buckle by means of a tape. Said buckle is suitably shaped so that it can be inserted inside a recess provided on the top end of the handgrip of the pole.  
         [0004]     Before grasping the handgrip, the athlete places his/her hand through the loop created by the wrist strap and adjusts the length of said strap so that it is retained in the most suitable position for using the pole.  
         [0005]     As for the connection between the wrist strap and the buckle, this is provided, as mentioned earlier, by means of a tape that extends from the wrist strap and is contained inside the buckle.  
         [0006]     All the buckles carried out according to the known state of the art have several acknowledged drawbacks.  
         [0007]     The first of these drawbacks is represented by the fact that the tape is permanently associated with the inside of the buckle, so that it is impossible to vary the mutual distance between the wrist strap and the handgrip.  
         [0008]     This may be a nuisance to the user because it may oblige him/her to hold his/her wrist and hand in an unsuitable position with respect to the handgrip. Moreover, an unsuitable distance between the user&#39;s hand and the handgrip may prevent the user from rapidly regaining his/her hold after losing control of the pole.  
         [0009]     The object of the present invention is to overcome all the above-mentioned drawbacks.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     In particular, a first object of the present invention is to produce a buckle for connecting a wrist strap to the handgrip of a pole used for sporting activities that enables the user to adjust the distance between the wrist strap and the handgrip so as to ensure the most suitable posture for the user&#39;s wrist and hand.  
         [0011]     Another object of the present invention is to produce a buckle that facilitates the user in regaining control of said handgrip as rapidly as possible in the event of losing hold of the pole.  
         [0012]     The aforesaid objects have been achieved through the construction of a buckle for connecting a wrist strap to the handgrip of a pole used for sporting activities, e.g. skiing, trekking and the like, that, according to the contents of the main claim, is characterised in that it has a body consisting of an outer jaw and an inner jaw with locking means between them that are suitable for co-operating with a tape forming part of said wrist strap and arranged in different positions between said jaws, thereby attaching said wrist strap at different distances from said handgrip.  
         [0013]     The aforesaid objects have also been achieved through the construction of a wrist strap for the handgrip of a pole used for sporting activities, e.g. skiing, trekking and the like, of the type comprising a tape associated with a buckle for connecting the wrist strap to said handgrip, wherein said buckle consists of a body comprising at least two opposing elements with locking means suitable for fixing in different positions a tape forming part of said strap and arranged in different positions between said jaws in order to retain said strap at different distances from said handgrip.  
         [0014]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the buckle has fixing means that retain it inside a recess provided in the handgrip.  
         [0015]     The presence of locking means that make it possible to modify the mutual position of the tape and the buckle advantageously enables the user to adjust the distance between the wrist strap and the handgrip.  
         [0016]     Another advantage lies in that the insertion of the buckle inside the recess provided in the handgrip prevents any accidental changes in said adjustment while the user is making use of the pole. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The aforesaid advantages and others that will be described in greater detail below will become more evident from the description of preferred embodiments of the invention provided herein as non-restrictive examples with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  shows an example of the application of the buckle carried out according to the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows an axonometric view of the buckle of the invention when open;  
         [0020]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show two different axonometric views of the buckle of the invention when closed;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  shows the buckle of the invention in a half-open position during its connection to the tape;  
         [0022]      FIGS. 6 and 7  show some design variants of the buckle that is the subject of the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     The buckle that is the subject of the invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , where it is indicated as a whole by the numeral  1  and where it is evident that it connects a wrist strap P to the handgrip M of a pole B for use in sporting activities.  
         [0024]     According to the invention, the buckle  1  consists of a body  2 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , comprising an outer jaw  3  and an inner jaw  4  between which it is possible to identify locking means  5  that co-operate with a tape F, attached to the wrist strap P and arranged in different positions between the jaws  3  and  4  in order to lock the wrist strap P at different distances from the handgrip M of the pole B.  
         [0025]     According to the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein, the jaws  3  and  4  are connected together at their respective ends  3 a,  4 a by hinge means  6 , which enable a pivotal movement between the two jaws  3  and  4 . To be more precise, the hinge means  6  consist of a flexible sheet element. The outer jaw  3  and inner jaw  4  are complete, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , with hooking means  7  that connect the two jaws together when they are juxtaposed.  
         [0026]     In said condition, they define a cavity  8  with an opening  9  for the tape F, which is retained inside the cavity by the locking means  5  contained therein.  
         [0027]     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , these locking means  5  comprise a plurality of pins  10 , projecting from the outer jaw  3  and aligned one after the other, which come to bear on a corresponding plurality of through holes  11  in the inner jaw  4 .  
         [0028]     In accordance with this embodiment, the tape F has a stretch of its length with a plurality of through holes  12  suitable for engaging with the pins  10 .  
         [0029]     According to another embodiment of the invention, illustrated in  FIG. 6  and indicated by the numeral  100 , the locking means  105  may consist of a plurality of pointed tips  110 , projecting from the outer jaw  103  and aligned one after the other, whereon the inner jaw  104  rests.  
         [0030]     In this case, a stretch of the length of the tape F consists of a plurality of woven thread-shaped elements  112  such that the resulting section of mesh comes to rest on the plurality of projecting tips  110 .  
         [0031]     According to a further embodiment of the invention, illustrated in  FIG. 7  and indicated by the numeral  200 , the locking means may consist of a corrugated profile  210  in the outer jaw  203  with a corresponding corrugated profile  211  in the inner jaw  204 , which lock the tape F between them by friction.  
         [0032]     The hooking means  7  are snap fastenings consisting, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , of hooks  15  projecting from the inner jaw  4  that fit into corresponding seats  16  provided in the outer jaw  3 .  
         [0033]     The body  2  of the buckle  1  that is the subject of the invention is substantially in the shape of a box, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0034]     Moreover, it comprises fixing means  20  for retaining it inside a recess  21  in the handgrip M.  
         [0035]     The connection between the wrist strap P and the handgrip M is thus advantageously achieved by means of the buckle I that, being adjustable, enables the displacement of the tape F inside the cavity  8 , thereby permitting different distances to be obtained between the wrist strap P and the handgrip M.  
         [0036]     In practice, the user opens the buckle  1  by rotating the inner jaw  4  away from the outer jaw  3  and then inserts the tape F between the two jaws so that the through holes  12  on the tape F engage on the pins  10  projecting from the outer jaw  3 .  
         [0037]     The user then closes the inner jaw  4  against the outer jaw  3 , thereby engaging the hooking means  7 , i.e. sliding the hooks  15  into the outer jaw  3  until they snap into the corresponding seats  16  provided in said outer jaw  3 .  
         [0038]     The user subsequently inserts the buckle  1  in the handgrip M, thereby effectively achieving the connection between the wrist strap P and the handgrip M.  
         [0039]     If the distance between the wrist strap P and the handgrip M is not right for the user&#39;s wrist, the user withdraws the buckle  1  from the handgrip M by pressing on the fixing means  20  provided on the buckle  1 , then opens the buckle  1  once again in order to be able to detach the tape F from its current position and move it to a different position.  
         [0040]     Finally, the user snaps the inner jaw  4  into the outer jaw  3  once again and re-inserts the buckle  1  in the recess  21  in the handgrip M.  
         [0041]     In the light of the above, the buckle carried out according to the invention achieves all the previously-stated objects.  
         [0042]     In particular, the buckle of the invention achieves the object of connecting a wrist strap to the handgrip of a pole for use in sporting activities, enabling the user to adjust the distance between the wrist strap and the handgrip so as to ensure the most suitable posture for the wrist and hand.  
         [0043]     Moreover, the invention achieves the object of producing a buckle for connecting a wrist strap to the handgrip of a pole for sporting activities that enables the user to regain control of said handgrip as rapidly as possible after losing his/her grip.  
         [0044]     In the construction stage, further variants of the wrist strap of the buckle of the invention may be carried out, and they shall all be deemed as protected by the present patent, even though they have not been illustrated or described herein, provided that they come within the scope of the following claims.