Buckle for safety strap for skis

A buckle device for a safety strap for use with skis. The buckle device is comprised of a housing having a cavity therein and a slotlike opening providing communication to the cavity. The upper wall of the cavity is defined by a resilient tab having a push button or the like thereon to facilitate a flexing of the tab downwardly into the cavity. A catch part having generally the thickness corresponding to the width of the slotlike opening in the housing is adapted to be slid through the slotlike opening in the housing so that the free end of the catch part becomes positioned within the cavity in the housing. The catch part has a flexible tab thereon forming a barb or hook which, upon entry into the cavity, will engage a projection in the cavity to prevent a removal of the catch part from the cavity. A depressing of the push button will effect an engagement between the upper wall of the cavity and the barb or hook to locate the barb or hook in alignment with the slotlike opening. Once this alignment has occurred, the catch part can be pulled from the cavity.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a buckle for a safety strap for skis having a 
straplike part which is secured at one end to the ski or an element which 
is fixedly connected to the ski, for example on a ski binding part, and at 
the other end placed around the ski boot or around the foot of the skier 
and releasably closed by means of the buckle. The two parts of the buckle 
are each connected to one of the free ends of the straplike part. The 
buckle has a housing into which a resiliently supported tongue can be 
moved and engages the housing under spring action and a button, key or the 
like is arranged on the housing by which the engaged position of the 
tongue can be cancelled by pressing down on the button or the like. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Buckles for safety straps of this type are known but in different 
constructions. A buckle of the described type is published in German 
Gebrauchsmuster No. 1,974,922. This known construction relates to a belt 
buckle, in which the resiliently supported tongue is formed on a 
backwardly bent sheet metal part so that approximately in the center part 
of the housing a downwardly extending locking nose is constructed and 
forms the locking connection with the tongue which projects upwardly in 
the engaged condition. To effect a disengagement, a button which projects 
centrally above the housing is pressed down, which button holds down with 
bent webs the upright part of the tongue so that it can be pulled out of 
the housing and thus the connection of the two parts can be cancelled. 
Such a buckle is difficult to use for safety straps because in safety 
straps for skis, the two buckle parts preferably must have a curved 
configuration, in order to better adjust to the boot surface or the foot 
of the skier. For this purpose, the arrangement of a relatively large push 
button with webs which are arranged spaced from one another at a 
considerable distance would therefore be disadvantageous. Also, the 
construction of the centrally arranged catch nose cannot be considered to 
be purposeful because only half the length of the tonque is used. Thus the 
entire buckle must have a relatively long length which is also 
disadvantageous in the case of safety straps. A movement of the push 
button toward the area of the housing, which area is in front in the 
opening direction, is not possible in the known solution because in this 
manner the front part of the tongue (also viewed in opening direction) 
could no longer be pressed down in a sufficient manner or -- which is also 
disadvantageous -- the material would have to be stressed too much, which 
would cause a premature wear of the buckle. 
According to British Patent No. 818,988, the push button is mounted on a 
springy designed part of the housing, on which is provided an upwardly 
projecting catch nose which cooperates with a recess of the nonspringy 
tongue. In the inserted position of the tongue, the recess comes into 
engagement with the catch nose, which engagement can be cancelled by 
pressing down the push button so that the tongue can be pulled out of the 
housing. The push button can thereby be operated through an opening of the 
housing. To limit the path of operation of the push button, a web having 
bent portions is provided inside of the housing. 
The housing consists of relatively many parts, so that the manufacture of 
the buckle requires much work and is expensive. In this structure, the 
design is a reversal of the first-discussed design in that here the 
springy part is mounted inside of the housing. 
In a further known construction according to German Patent No. 271,782, the 
spring is also provided inside of the housing and the part to be 
introduced into the housing is formed as a button which is I-shaped in 
cross-section. The lower head plate of the button is loaded by the spring 
after engagement is brought about with the downwardly projecting 
projections of the housing. To cancel the lock, a pressure is exerted onto 
the upper head plate of the button which causes the lower head plate to 
press the spring down to cancel the engagement of the lower head plate 
with the projections and the closing part can be moved out of the housing. 
A disadvantage of this known construction consists in the slightly 
complicated arrangement of the spring within the housing, furthermore in 
the stem of the button and the head plate having to be adjusted very 
exactly to the associated areas of the inside of the housing, to exclude 
fautly engaging conditions. If now, as already discussed above, in the 
case of a safety strap buckle the two parts require a curvature in 
addition, then a secure lock could be achieved only yet in a more 
complicated manner. 
Finally in the case of a safety element according to German OS No. 
2,217,378 (FIG. 11) a construction is known in which the tongue, which is 
introduced through an opening in the housing, can be brought into 
engagement with a catch hook pivotal about an axis which lies transversely 
with respect to the direction of introduction and engages with its nose a 
corresponding recess of the safety element. In this known construction, 
the spring hook is resilient. 
A disadvantage of this construction lies in an additional catch hook and a 
pivot axis being needed aside from the housing and the tonque. 
The object of the invention is to provide for a safety strap of the 
abovementioned type a buckle which does not have the mentioned 
disadvantages but wherein the security of the buckle is assured. 
The purpose of the invention is attained by providing a housing, as is 
actually known, which has a resiliently supported part which, in the 
closed condition of the buckle, is loaded by an inserted, resiliently 
supported tongue. 
Due to the fact that the resiliently supported tongue cooperates with a 
resiliently supported part of the housing, a secured lock is offered 
because the resiliently supported closing part has to adjust to a flexible 
part and thus practically the entire spring power is used to increase the 
depth of engagement or to maintain the closing position. 
An advantageous form of the inventive buckle device lies in the resiliently 
supported part of the housing being formed in the housing lid. In this 
manner the housing is designed in a particularly simple way. 
In order to design the buckle yet simpler, according to a further 
characteristic of the invention the button, the key or the like can be 
mounted on the resiliently supported part of the housing, preferably can 
be constructed in one piece with same. 
A further thought of the invention lies in the fact that in the closed 
position of the buckle the tongue rests on the front inner edge of the 
housing viewed in opening direction. This construction has the advantage 
that the entire tongue length acts as a springy element and it is brought 
into the engagement position and carries out the largest path positioning 
movement between the pressed-down position and the engaging position. 
A still further thought of the invention lies in the button, the key or the 
like being mounted on the area of the resiliently supported part of the 
housing, which lies above the free end of the resiliently supported 
tongue. This assures that the pressing down of the resiliently supported 
part of the housing occurs in an area which has to carry out the largest 
path to disengage the tongue. 
An erroneously reversed or upside down insertion of the catch part is not 
possible. If this were not the case, the skier comes to expect a 
functional connection of the two parts of the buckle on the safety strap 
because during attaching of the safety strap, a practically unloaded 
condition exists and the springy action of the tongue is sufficient to 
falsely indicate the closing of the two parts. However, if a safety 
release occurs and a true load is created, then the buckle which is held 
together merely by friction opens up which causes not only the ski to be 
lost, but also an accident can be caused. This can take place particularly 
in those devices in which the housing is closed from below. The projection 
which exists in the case of an open bottom in the lower area of the 
housing can in turn lead to an unintended engagement between the tongue 
and the projection. A closing condition is created in this case, however, 
an opening of the buckle engaging the foot is very complicated. 
This will be overcome according to a further characteristic of the 
invention by constructing inside of the housing a step which extends 
alongside of the housing, and by the body of the catch part having a step 
corresponding with said step, at least the sum of the heights of the two 
steps is larger than the free space between the opening of the housing and 
the height dimension of the area of the catch part which is to be 
introduced into the housing. 
By using a step both in the housing and also on the catch part, it is 
assured that the catch part can only be introduced into the housing in the 
correct position, namely when the tongue lies in direction of the 
resiliently supported part of the housing. Since upon an intended 
introduction of a catch part in a position twisted at 180.degree. , namely 
upside down, both the step of the housing and also the catch part are 
active and it is sufficient if the sum of the two steps is larger than the 
clearance existing in elevational direction between catch part and housing 
opening. 
The step could basically also exist in the lid part of the inlet opening of 
the housing and at the front end of the catch part. The longitudinal 
dimensions of these parts are, however, small, so that it is advantageous, 
to design the step construction as discussed above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The buckle which forms the actual subject matter of the invention is 
identified as a whole by the reference numeral 1. The buckle 1 consists of 
a housing 2 and a catch part 3. Each of these parts is secured to one of 
the free ends 5,6 of a conventional safety strap 4 by means of rivets 7,8. 
The housing 2 has a cavity therein and has a slotlike opening 9 therein 
through which the catch part 3 is introduced into the cavity of the 
housing 2. A flexible springlike tongue or tab 10 is constructed in the 
front or free end area of the catch part 3 and, in the present exemplary 
embodiment, is made of the same material as the catch part 3. In the 
closed condition of the buckle 1, the free end 11 of the tongue 10 engages 
a projection or lip 12 on the housing 2. As can be recognized in FIG. 1, 
the upper surface 10a of the tongue 10 simultaneously engages the lower 
surface 13a of a resilient or springlike tab 13 on the housing 2. The tab 
13 forms a lid over the cavity. The construction of the resilient 
springlike tab 13 of the housing 2 is shown in FIGS. 1 or 2 and FIG. 3. 
From these figures, one will also note the arrangement of a button, a key 
14 or the like on the resilient tab 13 on the housing 2. A spacing 15 is 
provided between the free end 11 of the tongue 10 and the body of the 
catch part 3 in order to safely prevent a jamming of the free end of the 
tongue 10 against the body of the catch part. In a similar manner, a 
spacing 16 is also provided between the button, the key 14 or the like and 
the projection 12 of the housing 2. It is to be understood that the side 
edges of the tongue 10 or of the resilient part 13 are sufficiently spaced 
from the side parts of the housing 2 so that they are freely movable 
therebetween. The ends of the housing 2 or of the catch part 3 which, in 
the closed condition of the buckle 1, face away from one another, have 
stepped surfaces 17,18, in which the free ends 5,6 of the safety strap 4 
are riveted in a conventional manner. 
To close the buckle 1, the catch part 3 with its upwardly projecting 
resilient tongue 10 is introduced through the slotlike opening 9 of the 
housing 2 until the free end of the catch part 3 engages the front wall 2a 
of the housing 2. In this position, which is shown in FIG. 1, the tongue 
10 springs freely upwardly within the housing 2, whereby the upper surface 
10a engages the lower surface 13a of the resilient part 13 of the housing 
2 and loads this part from below. Since the part 13 itself is also 
resiliently supported, the tongue 10 is not particularly stressed for 
cooperation with the housing part 13 and the entire spring force serves 
practically to maintain the closed position. This is achieved by the free 
end 11 of the tongue 10 engaging the projection 12 of the housing 2. The 
just now discussed loaded closing position differs from the position 
illustrated in FIG. 1, in that a spacing is created between the housing 
wall 2a and the front free end of the catch part 3. Such a position should 
be understood by a man skilled in the art without any further discussions. 
FIG. 2 illustrates the position, where the button, the key 14 or the like 
is pressed down by an outside force, which is schematically indicated by 
an arrow 19. This occurs mostly by a pressure of the finger of the skier. 
The lower surface 13a of the resiliently supported part 13 exerts a 
corresponding force onto the tongue 10 of the catch part 3 so that the 
free end of the tongue 10 becomes aligned with the opening 9 and the catch 
part 3 can be pulled out of the housing. The pulling function is done 
automatically in many safety straps, because the part of the safety strap 
gripping around the ski boot or the foot of the skier is equipped in a 
conventional manner with a rubber cord (not illustrated) and the 
retractive force of the rubber cord will pull the tongue 10 from the 
housing 2. 
FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of FIG. 1, which shows in greater detail the 
construction of the resiliently supported part 13 of the housing 2 or of 
the button, the key 14 or the like. A lower projection 12' is provided on 
the housing 2 which is offset inwardly compared to the upper projection 12 
in order to prevent a use of the catch part 3 contrary to instructions and 
which would make an opening of the buckle very difficult. If namely the 
catch part 3 is introduced into the housing 2 and rotated 180.degree. or 
upside down from that shown in FIG. 1, the tongue 10 will not reach 
engagement with, that is project beyond, the lower projection 12' and the 
buckle 1 will not close. In constructions, where a rubber cord is 
provided, the housing 2 and the catch part 3 will move automatically apart 
immediately informing the user of the error in alignment. 
As can particularly be recognized from FIGS. 4 and 5, a step 21 is provided 
in the floor 20 of the housing 2, which step extends in the longitudinal 
direction of the housing 2. The floor 22 of the catch part 3 has a step 23 
which corresponds and cooperates with the step 21 of the housing 2. Thus 
the floor part 20a of the floor 20 is in FIG. 5 higher on the right-side 
than on the left-side floor part 20b and the right-side bottom surface 22a 
of the bottom 22 of the catch part 3 is higher than the left-side bottom 
surface 22b. FIGS. 4 and 5 show the catch part 3 in the correct position 
in and relative to the housing 2. 
Should now an attempt be made to introduce the catch part 3 in a position 
rotated 180.degree. or upside down into the opening 9 of the housing 2, 
this would not be possible as this will be recognized even without 
illustration because the inwardly elevated floor part 20a of the housing 2 
and the bottom surface 22b of the catch part 3, which bottom surface 22b 
faces upwardly in this position, prevent an engagement between the two 
parts. 
The invention is not limited to the illustrated exemplary embodiment. 
Variations are possible without departing from the scope of the subject 
matter of the invention. For example, the button, the key or the like does 
not need to be made of the same material of the housing, but can be 
inserted into and screwed or glued to the housing 2 or it can be secured 
in a different desired manner. Preferably, the housing and the catch part 
may be made of a plastic material; it is also conceivable to use other 
materials and to also make one of the parts of a different material than 
the other part. 
As already mentioned, the steps can be provided also on the lid part of the 
inlet opening of the housing or on the upper area of the catch part 
framing. However, it is also conceivable to design the step in the form of 
a wedge with a counterpiece having a corresponding groove. It is 
unimportant whether the groove is constructed on the catch part and the 
wedge in the housing or vice versa, however, it is considered to be 
advantageous to provide the groove on the catch part to avoid damage to 
the catch part. 
It is, however, also conceivable to provide a symmetric design, by 
providing wedges or ribs on the edge areas of the guide part and by 
constructing the steps on the frame of the catch part. As already 
mentioned, a reversal of the wedge and groove can also be utilized. 
It is, however, also not absolutely necessary, to provide the two guide 
parts at the bottom or on the lid, a lateral guideway may also be provided 
instead. The height of the wedge must then be dimensioned such that same 
is greater than the lateral clearance between catch part and housing 
opening. 
Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been 
disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that 
variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the 
rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.