Abstract:
A slipping-free one-way buckle includes a main body composed of a seat and a housing and containing therein two rollers, a turntable, a wheel, and a switching device. The switching device is arranged to project sideways from sidewalls of the seat and the housing and includes a tongue, a stop block, and a switching arm. By being connected with a spring, the stop block can be automatically returned after being displaced for switching so as to position the tongue against one-way ratcheting teeth formed on the turntable. With a rope extending around the turntable and the wheel, a slipping-free one-way buckle is formed. As such, when the switching device is switched by a user&#39;s finger, unlocking of buckle is realized.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to a slipping-free buckle that allows a rope to move or slide in a single given direction to tighten an object and prevents the rope from slipping in a specific direction, so as to make buckle unlocking easy and allows single hand operation for applications where undesired loosening must be prevented for an object tightened with a rope. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0002]    The present inventor has previously developed slipping free one-way buckles, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,572, which discloses a hook seat tightening structure for ship covers, as shown in  FIG. 9  of the attached drawings. The conventional slipping-free rope buckle  1  shown in  FIG. 9  is constructed to comprise a body constituted by a seat  10  and a housing  20  and the buckle body contains therein two rollers  13 , a turntable  30 , a wheel  35 , a lock bolt  40 , and a lock member  50 . A depressing piece  41  and a tenon  42  are provided at opposite sides of the lock bolt  40 . The tenon  42  is connected with a spring  43  to automatic return the lock bolt after rotation. The depressing piece  41  abuts against one-way ratchets  37  formed on the turntable  35 . The lock member  50  is operated with an external key  60  for rotation. 
         [0003]    Alternatively, the lock member  50  is omitted to avoid the locking and unlocking operation preformed with the key. Another example is shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/480,962, which discloses a latch-type tightening device structure as shown in  FIG. 10  of the attached drawings. The rope tightening device  1  shown in  FIG. 10  comprises a tenon  27  or latching slot  28  formed in the front edge of a main body to allow buckles on opposite sides to quickly buckle together. A rope  80  reeves around a turntable  30  and a wheel  35  to form the buckle that allows the rope to move in a single direction. When a lock bolt  40  is switched to disengage a depressing piece  41  from one-way ratchets  37 , the rope  80  is allowed to move in a clockwise direction to release the rope. 
         [0004]    In the conventional buckles shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the unlocking operation is performed by a lock bolt  40  that is controlled for rotation by a knob  55  set outside the main body and is combined together with a screw  56  extending through the knob  55  and engages a threaded bore  45  defined in the lock bolt  40 . The lock bolt  40  forms a latching plane  44  in a top thereof for latching into a corresponding non-circular hole defined in a bottom surface of the knob  55  so that when the knob  55  is rotated, the lock bolt  40  rotates simultaneously. This arrangement sets the knob  55  for releasing the rope on the housing  20  and thus it needs to be operated with two fingers of one hand and another hand applying a force to pull the rope  80 . The operation of releasing rope cannot be performed with a single hand. Improvement is thus needed. 
         [0005]    In view of this problem, the invention aims to provide a slipping-free one-way rope tightening buckle that has a simple structure and can be easily operated with a single hand in order to facilitate tightening of an object. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    An objective of the present invention is to provide a slipping-free one-way buckle, which can be operated with one hand to realize a continuous operation mode for unlocking the buckle and releasing a rope secured with the buckle so as to make the operation simple and easy. 
         [0007]    To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a buckle, which comprises generally a main body composed of a seat and a housing and containing therein two rollers, a turntable, a wheel, and a switching device. The switching device comprises a tongue, a stop block, and a switching arm. The stop block is subjected to spring biasing for resilient returning of the switching device after the device has been switched so as to control the timing of positioning the tongue against one-way ratcheting teeth formed on the turntable. The buckle provides an effect of preventing slipping of a rope in a single given direction and when the switching arm is displaced for switching, loosening of the rope and unlocking the buckle can be achieved. 
         [0008]    The foregoing objective and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. 
         [0009]    Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of the structure of the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of a housing of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a slipping-free one-way buckle of the present invention in an assembled form. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view illustrating a rope extending around the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view illustrating that the rope is allowed to move when pulled counterclockwise and is slipping-free and secured when pulled clockwise. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view illustrating that when a switching device is switched for unlocking to allow the rope to move clockwise. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  shows an embodiment where a metal ring plate is attached to a front end of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  shows an embodiment where tenon projections and locking slots are provided at front end of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of a known buckle disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,572. 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a known buckle disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/480,962. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a slipping-free one-way buckle constructed in accordance with the present invention, generally designated at  1 , comprises a seat  10 , a housing  20 , a turntable  30 , a wheel  35 , and a switching device  70 . The seat  10  forms a rope access opening  11  at a rear end thereof and two screw holes  18  are respectively formed at opposite sides of the opening  11 . Two rollers  13  are respectively set above the screw holes  18  and two screws  19  are respectively inserted upward from the lower side through the screw holes  18  and further extend through the rollers  13  to engage and fix to the housing  20  so as to rotatably retain the rollers  13  on the opposite sides of the opening  11  for the purposes of protecting a rope  80  (see  FIG. 4 ) from damage caused by abrading within the opening  11  in the course of being pulled. The seat  10  forms at a center thereof a cavity  12  of which a side wall forms a cutoff. In the center of the cavity, a bore  16  is formed. A central pin  17  is coupled in the bore  16 . The seat  10  has a front end from which a flange  15  projects. The projecting flange  15  forms a through hole  14  at a central portion thereof. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the housing  20  forms a positioning hole  21 , a positioning pin  22 , and a bore  23  and has a front end from which a flange  25  projects. The projecting flange  25  forms a through hole  24  at a central portion thereof. The housing  20  defines a cavity that is delimited by a side wall that forms a cutoff  26 . The wheel  35  forms a central through hole  31 . The wheel  35  has a top surface forming a recess  32 . The recess  32  is delimited by an inner circumferential wall forming one-way ratcheting teeth  33 . The wheel  35  has a bottom constituted by a board having a thick central portion and a thinned circumferential portion and forming a plurality of ribs  34  extending radially from a center defined by the through hole  31  and defining, at a center thereof, a polygonal pillar  38  that corresponds to a bore  36 . The ribs  34  are arranged to correspond to ribs  39  formed on the turntable  30  to collectively engage and be thus driven by the rope  80  (see  FIG. 4 ). The turntable  30  is constituted by a board having a thick central portion and a thinned circumferential portion. The turntable  30  defines, in a center thereof, the bore  36  (which is an octagonal hole in the drawings) having a circumference from which the ribs  39  extend radially. The bore  36  is fit over and coupled to the pillar  38 . In the embodiment illustrated, synchronized rotation is realized through fitting of the pillar  38  on the bottom of the wheel  35  to the bore  36  of the turntable  30 , or alternatively, the turntable  30  and the wheel  35  can be integrally formed together, for example the pillar  38  on the bottom of the wheel  35  and the bore  36  defined in the top of the turntable  30  are integrally formed together to provide an equivalent substitute structure. 
         [0022]    The switching device  70  comprises a top post  71 . A switching arm  73  is formed on one side of the top post  71  and a tongue  76  is formed on an opposite side of the post  71 . The tongue  76  defines a through hole  74 . A stop block  72  is mounted to an underside of the switching arm  73 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , to assemble, the through hole  14  formed in the projecting flange  15  of the seat  10  receives a hook  61  positioned thereon and a fastener or rivet  62  is inserted through the through hole  24  of the housing  20  and extending through the hook and the through hole  14  and then fixed. The turntable  30  and the wheel  35  are put together and fit over the central pin  17 . The switching device  70  is set between the recess  32  and the positioning hole  21 . A spring  75  has opposite ends that are respectively attached to the through hole  74  of the switching device  70  and the positioning pin  22  on the underside of the housing  20  in such a way that the stop block  72  is resiliently biased to position against the one-way ratcheting teeth  33  (see  FIG. 5 ). Finally, the two screws  19  are inserted upward from the lower side through the screw holes  18  and further through the rollers  13  to engage and fix to the housing  20  to thereby form the slipping-free buckle. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the rope  80  is inserted through the right side of the opening  11  and passes between the ribs  34 ,  39  of the turntable  30  and the wheel  35  to curve in the counterclockwise direction and then exits through the left side of the opening  11 , whereby the rope  80  is allowed to be pulled out in the counterclockwise direction, but is locked in a slipping free manner when retracted in a clockwise direction. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , with the rope  80  fed in through the right side of the access opening of the buckle  1 , extending counterclockwise around the turntable  30  and the wheel  35 , and then exiting through the left side of the access opening, pulling the rope  80  counterclockwise causes the turntable  30  and the wheel  35  to rotate due to surface friction thereof with the rope  80 . When the rope  80  is pulled clockwise, the one-way ratcheting teeth  33  of the wheel  35  engages and stops the stop block  72  so as to prevent rotation and thus achieving the effect of securing and resistance of slipping. 
         [0026]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , when the buckle  1  is operated with one hand (taking the right hand as an example), the thumb moves the switching arm  73  of the switching device  70  to disengage the stop block  72  from the one-way ratcheting teeth  33  so as to allow the shell to move and allow the rope  80  to slide for releasing the securing. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , an embodiment where slipping-free buckles  1   a ,  1   b  of the present invention are coupled to metal ring plates  63  at front ends thereof is shown. When the slipping-free buckles  1   a ,  1   b  are coupled with metal ring plates  63  at the front ends thereof, two slipping-free one-way buckles  1   a ,  1   b , a length of rope  80 , a band  64 , and a locking buckle  65  are used, wherein an end of the band  64  is attached to the locking buckle  65  and an extension end is put through a slot  66  defined in the metal ring plate  63  of the slipping-free one-way buckle  1  at one side. The band  64  then extends through a slot  66  of the metal ring plate  63  of the slipping-free one-way buckle  1   a  at the other side. Finally, the end of the band  64  is fed through the lock buckle  65  so that the band  64  connects between the two slipping-free one-way buckles  1   a ,  1   b . The rope  80  coupled to the two slipping-free one-way buckles  1   a ,  1   b  is thus provided with the advantages of easy tightening and releasing. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 8 , an embodiment where slipping-free buckles  1   c ,  1   d  of the present invention are provided, at front ends thereof, with tenon projections  27  and locking slots  28  is shown. With this arrangement, the slipping-free buckles  1   c ,  1   d  can be efficiently buckled together to ease the operation of stretching the rope  80  for tightening. To release, the tenon projections  27  are depressed for releasing in a springing manner thereby ensuring efficient releasing of rope. 
         [0029]    While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.