BUCKLE WITH WHISTLE

A buckle with a whistle includes: a plug member having lock arms extending forward from both sides of a base and a guide rod extending forward from the base in such a way as to be located between the lock arms; and a socket member having a chamber open on the front end thereof by means of an upper plate and a lower plate located to face each other so that the socket member is coupled to the plug member. The chamber is allowed to accommodate the guide rod therein. The guide rod is configured as the whistle. When the plug member is coupled to the socket member, the whistle is accommodated in the chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0158940 (Nov. 24, 2022), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a buckle, more specifically to a buckle with a whistle that is capable of allowing the whistle to be built therein, so that the buckle used to connect or fix belts or straps connected thereto has the inbuilt whistle to allow the whistle to be quickly and simply used when an emergency occurs, and that is capable of preventing foreign substances from entering the whistle to allow the whistle to be sanitarily used.

Generally, a buckle has been widely used to fasten belts or straps attached to a climbing backpack, a school bag, or the like, and goods using buckles are used mainly in the case where a user has outdoor activities.

That is, goods using buckles are widely found in various places during people's daily lives, and in the case of users enjoying hiking, boating, camping, climbing, and the like outdoors, they use goods to which a plurality of buckles are attached to fasten the straps or belts for various purposes.

On the other hand, various emergency situations, such as a situation in which an urgent rescue is requested, a situation in which a sound may not be transmitted far enough, a situation in which a person's voice many not be heard because of ambient noise, and the like, may occur during outdoor activities. Accordingly, it is desirable that the user participating in such outdoor activities carry a whistle for safety.

If a user breathes out into a whistle, air passes through an air passage (flue) of the whistle so that air vibrations are generated to produce a high sound. Therefore, the whistle is chiefly used as a tool that makes a sound signal to notify others of emergencies.

Such emergencies may occur to everybody, but most users do not expect that the emergencies happen to themselves. Accordingly, the user taking outdoor activities does not carry the whistle always. Therefore, because the user does not carry the whistle when the emergency occurs, he or she fails to notify others of his or her emergency situation so that he or she gets in an accident.

Patent literature 1 relates to a buckle having a whistle mounted thereon that is capable of being carried so that when an emergency occurs, the whistle can be easily used, and the buckle includes: a body fastened to the end of a belt; and a whistle detachably mounted on a sliding portion formed on one side of the body.

According to Patent literature 1, however, the whistle is fixedly coupled to an outer one end of the body in such a way as to protrude outward from the body, thereby undesirably increasing the entire volume of the buckle, and further, the protruding portion may be obstructed or even damaged when it touches other objects, thereby requiring the careful use for the buckle.

Patent literature 2 relates to a buckle with a whistle that is capable of allowing a guide rod located at the center of a plug member to be configured as the whistle, so that the plug member is coupled integrally to a socket member, without any change in the entire volume thereof. In this case, a whistle cap is disposed on the base of the plug member, and the whistle configured as the guide rod is separately made and then coupled to the plug member, thereby being complicated in manufacturing process and raising a manufacturing cost.

According to Patent literature 1 and Patent literature 2, further, if the whistle is mounted on the buckle and carried on a user's article, since the main portions of the whistle are exposed to the outside, they may be easily brought into contact with external objects, so that various dust and foreign substances may easily enter the whistle, thereby making the whistle unsanitary.

Therefore, there is a need for developing a new buckle capable of allowing a whistle to be simply built therein and ensuring the sanitary use of the whistle.

PRIOR ART

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems occurring in the related art, and it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a buckle with a whistle that is capable of allowing the whistle to be formed integrally therewith, being easily manufactured, and achieving the reduction of the manufacturing cost thereof.

It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a buckle with a whistle that is capable of allowing the whistle to be accommodated in a chamber of a socket member when a plug member is coupled to the socket member, so that the exposure of the main portions of the whistle to the outside is minimized to ensure the sanitary carrying and use of the whistle.

To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a buckle with a whistle that may include: a plug member having lock arms extending forward from both sides of a base and a guide rod extending forward from the base in such a way as to be located between the lock arms; and a socket member having a chamber open on the front end thereof by means of an upper plate and a lower plate located to face each other so that the socket member is coupled to the plug member, the chamber is allowed to accommodate the guide rod therein, wherein the guide rod may be configured as the whistle, and when the plug member may be coupled to the socket member, the whistle may be accommodated in the chamber.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the chamber of the socket member may be divided into a central chamber for accommodating the guide rod therein and coupling chambers formed on both sides of the central chamber to insert the lock arms of the plug member thereinto.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the central chamber and the coupling chambers of the socket member may be divided by means of partitions, and the inner top and bottom of the central chamber may face each other to form a guide groove therebetween so that the guide rod may be smoothly inserted into the central chamber through the guide groove.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the whistle may include: the guide rod extending integrally from the base of the plug member, having a space portion formed therein, open on the front end portion thereof, and having air ventilation holes formed close to the front end portion thereof to allow the space portion to communicate with the outside; and a whistle cap fitted to the front end portion of the guide rod to allow a passage to be formed on a portion of the open front end portion of the guide rod.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the guide rod may have slant inner surfaces formed on the inner surfaces of the front end portion thereof in such a way as to become enlarged outward therefrom and a locking projection protruding from the inner sides of the slant inner surfaces, and the whistle cap may have locking portions formed thereon correspondingly to the locking projections, so that the locking portions of the whistle cap may be pressurized against the locking projections of the guide rod to allow the whistle cap to come into close contact with the front end portion of the guide rod and be thus coupled to the guide rod.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the plug member or the socket member may have a cross bar and a strap hooking bar selectively located on one side of a body thereof to connect a strap or belt thereto.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the plug member or the socket member may have a rail holder located on one side of the body thereof.

According to the present disclosure, desirably, the plug member or the socket member may have a connection member, such as a ring, a clip, a loop, a fastening buckle, a strap connector, and the like, provided integrally with one side of the body thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is disclosed with reference to the attached drawings, and in the description, the thicknesses of the lines or the sizes of the components shown in the drawing may be magnified for the clarity and convenience of the description.

Further, the terms as will be discussed later are defined in accordance with the functions of the present disclosure, but may be varied under the intention or regulation of a user or operator. Therefore, they should be defined on the basis of the whole scope of the present disclosure.

The example embodiments may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein but may be modified and variously implemented by those skilled in the art. If it is determined that the detailed explanation on the well known technology related to the present disclosure makes the scope of the present disclosure not clear, the explanation will be avoided for the brevity of the description.

A buckle applied to the present disclosure is mounted onto belts or straps attached to an article, such as a climbing backpack, a school bag, a helmet, and the like to connect or separate the belts or straps to or from each other, and to do this, the buckle consists of a plug member and a socket member detachable from each other.

The belts or straps are attached to the climbing backpack, the school bag, the helmet, and the like, and in the case of the climbing backpack, they are used as various purposes of shoulder straps, breast straps, and waist straps. Accordingly, the buckle according to the present disclosure may include all types of belts and straps connected to and separated from each other therethrough.

FIG.1is a perspective view showing a buckle with a whistle according to the present disclosure,FIG.2is an exploded perspective view showing the buckle with a whistle according to the present disclosure,FIG.3is an exploded perspective view showing the buckle with a whistle according to the present disclosure in a different direction from the direction ofFIG.2,FIG.4is a perspective view showing a socket member of the buckle with a whistle according to the present disclosure,FIG.5is a front view showing a state where the buckle with a whistle is in a separated state,FIGS.6A and6Bare side sectional views taken along the line A-A ofFIG.5, whereinFIG.6Ashows a state where the buckle with a whistle is in a separated state andFIG.6Bshows a state where the buckle with a whistle is in a coupled state, andFIGS.7A and7Bare front sectional views taken along the line B-B ofFIG.6, whereinFIG.7Ashows a state where the buckle with a whistle is in a separated state andFIG.7Bshows a state where the buckle with a whistle is in a coupled state.

Referring toFIGS.1to7B, a buckle with a whistle according to the present disclosure is largely divided into a plug member100and a socket member200.

The plug member100has a cross bar102and a strap hooking bar103formed transversely behind a base101in such a way as to lockedly wind the free end portion of a strap, and accordingly, the strap is crossingly wound on the cross bar102and the strap hooking bar103to adjust the length of the strap. Otherwise, only the cross bar102is provided to wind the free end portion of the strap thereon in such a way as to allow the free end portion to be fixed thereto by means of sewing.

Further, the plug member100has lock arms104extending forward from both sides of the base101in the same direction as each other, and the lock arms104are symmetrically shaped to each other with respect to the central portion of the plug member100and extend from the base101, while having a thin thickness, in such a way as to be elastically bent around the base101. Further, each lock arm104has a coupling protrusion105formed on the front end portion thereof in such a way as to be coupled to the socket member200, and the outer surfaces of both lock arms104serve as pressurized portions for separating the plug member100from the socket member200.

The coupling protrusions105may be formed on the middle portions of the lock arms104according to the mutual configuration to the socket member200.

Further, the plug member100has a guide rod110extending forward from the center of the base101between the lock arms104in the same direction as the lock arms104.

The guide rod110has an empty space portion111formed therein to provide an air passage and is open at the front end portion thereof in such a way as to be coupled to a whistle cap120, so that the guide rod110is configured as a whistle W.

The guide rod110is desirably formed integrally with the base101, and otherwise, the guide rod110may be separately made from the base101and then coupled to the base101.

The guide rod110is desirably formed longer than both side lock arms104so that it can be used as the whistle W.

The socket member200is open on the front end thereof by means of an upper plate201and a lower plate202located to face each other to form a chamber adapted to guide and accommodate the plug member100therein, and further, the socket member200has a socket member cross bar203formed transversely on the rear portion thereof to fix the free end portion of the other strap thereto.

Further, the socket member200has a strap hooking bar, in the same manner as the plug member100, to adjust the length of the other strap.

The chamber of the socket member200is divided into a central chamber210formed on the center thereof and coupling chambers220formed on both sides thereof.

The central chamber210and the coupling chambers220are spaces in which the guide rod110and the lock arms104are insertedly accommodated when the socket member200is coupled to the plug member100.

The central chamber210and the coupling chambers220are divided by means of partitions211, and the partitions211serve as frames for maintaining the entire strength inside the socket member200.

The central chamber210, which is a space in which the guide rod110of the plug member100is insertedly accommodated, induces the guide rod110to be smoothly inserted thereinto. To do this, the central chamber210desirably has the sectional shape corresponding to the sectional shape of the guide rod110.

Further, the inner top and bottom of the central chamber210face each other to form a guide groove212therebetween so that the guide rod110is more smoothly inserted into the central chamber210along the guide groove212. In this case, the corners of the guide groove212are curvedly formed, and the corners of the guide rod110are curvedly formed, so that the smooth contact between the guide groove212and the guide rod110can be made.

The coupling chambers220are the spaces in which the lock arms104of the plug member100are insertedly coupled and have concave coupling portions221formed therein in such a way as to be coupled to the coupling protrusions105of the lock arms104.

The lock arms104are inserted into the coupling chambers220and thus coupled to the coupling chambers220by means of elastic motions, and in this case, the coupling chambers220are open on the outer surfaces thereof to allow the lock arms104to be smoothly inserted and operated thereinto.

Further, the guide rod110itself of the plug member100is configured as the whistle W, and to form the whistle W, the guide rod110is open on the front end portion thereof in such a way to allow the whistle cap120to be coupled to the front end portion thereof.

As shown inFIGS.8and9, the whistle cap120as a separate part is coupled to the guide rod110.

The guide rod110has slant inner surfaces112formed on the inner surfaces of the front end portion thereof in such a way as to become enlarged outward therefrom and locking projections113protruding from the inner sides of the slant inner surfaces112, and further, the whistle cap120has locking portions121formed thereon correspondingly to the locking projections113, so that when the locking portions121are pressurized against the locking projections113, the whistle cap120comes into close contact with the front end portion of the guide rod110and is thus coupled to the guide rod110.

The outer surfaces of the whistle cap120have slant outer surfaces coming into contact with the slant inner surfaces112, and when the whistle cap120is coupled to the front end portion of the guide rod110, a passage114as a gap for a wind passage is formed along one end of the whistle cap120and the inner surface of the guide rod110.

The passage114becomes narrow toward the inside of the guide rod110, and at a portion where the end of the passage114is formed, air ventilation holes115are formed on the guide rod110.

The air ventilation holes115are formed on both facing ends of the guide rod110and have various sectional shapes for forming the wind passage.

As a result, the whistle W is formed on the front end portion of the guide rod110, and accordingly, if air blows through the front end portion of the guide rod110, that is, the passage114on the portion where the whistle cap120is coupled, a high sound is generated by a strong flow of air through the passage114, the inner space portion111of the guide rod110, and the air ventilation holes115.

If the plug member100is initially fitted to the socket member200, the lock arms104of the plug member100are inserted into both side coupling chambers220divided by the partitions211, and the guide rod110constituting the whistle W is guided by the guide groove212and inserted into the central chamber210.

Next, the coupling protrusions105of the lock arms104are elastically coupled to the concave coupling portions221in the coupling chambers220so that the plug member100is completely coupled to the socket member200.

In such a coupled state, the base101of the plug member100is located at the entrance of the chamber, and in this case, the guide rod110is completely accommodated in the central chamber210.

When the plug member100is coupled to the socket member200, accordingly, the guide rod110constituting the whistle W is accommodated in the socket member200so that while the plug member100is coupled integrally to the socket member200, irrespective of the existence of the whistle W, the whistle W is protected sanitary from external dust and foreign substances.

In this case, the central chamber210is desirably open on the rear end portion thereof, so that the foreign substances introduced into the central chamber210are easily discharged to the outside.

For example, the buckle with the whistle according to the present disclosure is applied to a backpack as shown inFIG.10, and if an emergency situation occurs during outdoor activities, the plug member100is separated from the socket member200to allow the whistle W to be immediately used.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, For example, the whistle is coupled integrally with the plug member so that a sense of unit is obtained between the buckle and the whistle, without having any addition or interference in the shape of a general buckle. As a result, the buckle with the whistle according to the present disclosure is applicable to different types of buckles used in the conventional practices.

Further, the whistle serves to generate a sound therefrom, and accordingly, unless the whistle interferes with the coupling between the plug member and the socket member, the whistle may have various shapes.

As described above, the buckle with the whistle according to the present disclosure is configured to allow the whistle to be perfectly integral therewith to provide a good outer appearance, without having any different qualities, and to achieve the simplification in manufacturing process and the reduction of the manufacturing cost.

In addition, the buckle with the whistle according to the present disclosure is configured to allow the whistle to be accommodated in the chamber of the socket member so that external dust and foreign substances are prevented from entering the whistle, so that the exposure of the main portions of the whistle to the outside is minimized to ensure the sanitary use of the whistle.