STRAP FASTENER

Abstract: A strap fastener (10) for releasably connecting a belt (B) to the body (C) of a bag, comprises a base plate (11) adapted to be mounted on the body (C) of the bag, and a cover plate (12) pivotably connected to the base plate (11) and releasably lockable on the base plate (11). The cover plate (12) has at least one slot (21) for the passage therethrough of the belt (B) and receptive of a presser projection (15) of the base plate (12). When the cover plate (12) is locked on the base plate (11), the presser projection (15) is received in the slot (21) and urges the belt (B) against a portion of the cover plate (12) defining the slot (21) to retain the belt (B) on the strap fastener (10).

Description: The present invention relates to a strap fastener for use on shoulder bags, rucksacks, school knapsacks or other bags for connecting the end of a belt or strap to the body of a bag. In the manufacture of bags such as shoulder bags, it is customary to connect a belt or strap B by sewing to the body of a bag 1 together with a tab 2 of leather or thick fabric overlying an end of the belt B, as shown in Figure 8. According to another conventional practice, the belt end is rivetted to or looped on the bag body. These conventional connections are substantially permanent and hence the belt thus connected cannot easily be detached from the bag body. Such substantially permanent connections are disadvantageous in that once a belt is broken, the replacement of the broken belt involves a tedious and time-consuming operation and hence incurs great expense. Owing to this difficulty, the bag is sometimes left aside without repair. With the foregoing problems in view, the present invention seeks to provide a strap fastener for releasably connecting the end of a belt or strap to the body of a bag in firmly gripped condition. The present invention further seeks to provide a strap fastener having structural features which enable easy adjustment of the effective length of a belt or strap on a bag. GB-A-1 269 858, which forms the basis for the pre-characterising part of claim 1, discloses a strap buckle for connecting a strap to the body of an article such as a shoe, the buckle comprising: (a) a first member in the form of a base adapted to be mounted on the body of the article; and (b) a second member in the form of a cover or locking part pivotally connected at a first end thereof to a first end of the base; one of said members including two resiliently displaceable portions to lockingly engage corresponding portions of the other member , for locking the cover or locking part to the base; one of said members including a projection adapted to engage the strap and to occupy an aperture in the other member, for at least assisting in securing the strap to the buckle. The said resiliently displaceable portions are at the sides of the cover or locking part. The said projection is a stud which is adapted to engage any selected one of some preformed holes in the strap. GB-A-2 168 104 discloses a buckle for a belt, the buckle comprising a buckle body and a movable member pivoted to the buckle body. The movable member includes a retaining projection with a ridge which engages another ridge in an opening in the buckle body, this being the only means of fastening the movable member to the buckle body. The belt is not gripped between the two ridges. The present invention provides a strap fastener according to the claims, to which reference is directed. Many features and advantages 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. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a strap fastener embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the strap fastener shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a right side view of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a rear view of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a front elevational view of a retainer plate used for the attachment of the strap fastener to a bag; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI - VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the manner in which the end of a strap or belt is released from the strap fastener; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of a shoulder bag, illustrative of a conventional mode of attachment of a belt to the bag body. As shown in Figures 1 through 4, a strap fastener 10 embodying the present invention generally comprises a base plate 11 adapted to be mounted on the body C of a bag, and a cover plate 12 pivotably connected to a lower end of the base plate 11. The base plate 11 and the cover plate 12 are injection-molded of synthetic resin in assembled condition. The base plate 11 is of a generally rectangular shape and includes a hook-shaped locking projection or nose 13 extending along an upper edge of the base plate 11 and facing downwardly in Figure 1, and a pair of coaxial shafts 14 projecting laterally outwardly from the lower end of the base plate 11. The locking nose 13 is recessed as at 13 a to define therein a retaining recess opening downwardly for releasably receiving therein a portion of the cover plate 12. The base plate 11 further includes a presser projection 15 disposed centrally between the locking nose 13 and the shafts 14 and extending parallel to the shafts 14. The presser projection 15 cooperates with a portion of the cover plate 12 in firmly holding a belt B therebetween against displacement, as described later on. The presser projection 15 has a locking protuberance 15 a swelled or protruding toward the locking nose 13. The base plate 11 also includes four attachment posts or columns 16 projecting perpendicularly from the underside of the base plate 11 for attaching the strap fastener 10 to the body C of a bag. The attachment posts 16 have a substantially square cross-sectional shape (Figure 4) and are located near four corners of the rectangular base plate 11, respectively. Each of the attachment posts 16 has a series of saw-teeth or serrations 17 on two adjacent side walls thereof and a guide ridge 18 on one of the remaining side walls. Though not designated, each saw tooth 17 includes a vertical surface facing toward the base plate 11 and a sloping surface facing away from the base plate 11. The attachment posts 16 are driven through corresponding openings formed in the bag body C and then are held on a retainer plate 30, thereby mounting the strap fastener 10 on the bag. As an alternative, the attachment posts 16 may be fused to the retainer plate 30. The base plate 11 further has an elongate opening 11 a extending along the locking nose 13, and a pair of grooves 11 b , 11 b disposed on opposite sides of the locking nose 13 and opening at one end to the elongate opening 11 a . With the opening 11 a and the grooves 11 b thus provided, the upper end portion of the base plate 11 posesses a certain degree of resiliency so that the locking nose 13 is tiltable about its distal end upwardly away from the presser projection 15. To cause this tilting movement, a suitable tool such as a screwdriver D is angularly moved or tilted in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Figure 7 while a tip of the screwdriver D is received in a groove 19 defined in a flap 19 a which projects upwardly outwardly from the locking nose 13, away from the presser projection 15. The grooves 11 b may be omitted in which instance the locking nose 13 is tiltable about the upper edge of the base plate 11 and hence the screw driver D is tilted in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A. The cover plate 12 is of a generally rectangular shape and has three parallel spaced transverse slots 20, 21, 22 for the passage therethrough of the belt B. The intermediate slot 21 has a width large enough to concurrently receive the presser projection 15 and the portion of the belt B. The lower end of the cover plate 12 is centrally recessed as at 23 so as to leaving a pair of parallel spaced support flanges 24, 24 on opposite sides of the recess 23. The support flanges 24, 24 have a pair of coaxial holes 25, 25, respectively, in which the shafts 14 of the base plate 11 are rotatably received. The shafts 14 and the support flanges 24 constitute a hinge joint by means of which the cover plate 12 is pivotably movable with respect to the base plate 11. The intermediate slot 21 and the upper slot 22 are separated by a cross bar 26. The cross bar 26 has a longitudinal locking ridge 26a extending along its rear edge and projecting into the intermediate slot 21. With this construction, when the cover plate 12 is locked on the base plate 11, the locking protuberance 15 a is snapped with the locking ridge 26 a with the presser projection 15 lying close to the cross bar 26. Thus, a portion of the belt B extending around the cross bar 26 is gripped by and between the cross bar 26 and the presser projection 15. In this instance, the locking protuberance 15 a and the locking ridge 26 a bite into the belt B to firmly retain the same against displacement. The cover plate 12 further has an L-shaped locking projection 27 extending transversely along the upper edge of the cover plate 12. The locking projection 27 is receivable in the retaining recess 13 a and lockingly engageable with the locking nose 13 to lock the cover plate 12 on the base plate 11. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the retainer plate 30 is molded of synthetic resin and has four openings or holes 31 for receiving therein the corresponding attachment posts 16 on the base plate 11, each of the openings 31 having four adjoining axial grooves. The retainer palte 30 further includes three locking pawls 32 projecting into each of the holes 31 and lockingly engageable with the saw-teeth 17 on one attachment post 16 to couple the base plate 11 with the retainer plate 30. The locking pawls 32 are disposed adjacent to one end of the hole 31 and inclined toward the other end. One of the axial grooves is flat throughout the lengtg thereof and is free of the locking pawl 32. This axial groove 33 serves as a guideway for guidingly receiving therein the guide ridge 18 on each attachment post 16. To attach the strap fastener 10 of the foregoing construction to the body C of a bag, the attachment posts 16 are driven through the fabric of the bag body C (Figure 1) and then through the holes 31 in the retainer plate 30 (Figure 7). In this instance, the guide ridges 18 on the attachment posts 16 are guidedly received in the guide grooves 33 in the respective boles 31. Insertion of the attachment posts 16 into the holes 31 is effected stepwise but smoothly because the saw-teeth 17 on the attachment posts 16 slope in the direction of movement of the attachment posts 16 which is the same of the direction of inclination of the locking pawls 32. When the attachment posts 16 are inserted into the holes 31 until the fabric of the bag body C is sandwiched between the base plate 11 and the retainer plate 30, the saw-teeth 17 catch and hold the locking pawls 32, which prevent backward movement. Now the base plate 11 of the strap fastener 10 is fixedly mounted on the bag body C. Then one end of a belt B is looped on the cover plate in such a manner that the belt end passes successively through the transverse slots 20 - 21 in a meandering or zig-zag formation while looping around the interior side of the cross bar 26, as shown in Figure 1. Thereafter, the cover plate 12 is turned about the shafts 14 toward the base plate 11. This angular movement of the cover plate 12 causes the locking projection 27 to engage and then slide down the locking nose 13. In response to sliding movement of the locking projection 27, the upper end portion of the base plate 11 is resiliently deformed to allow the locking nose 13 to tilt outwardly. A further angular movement of the cover plate 12 causes the locking projection 27 to move past the locking nose 13 whereupon the locking projection 27 is snapped into the retaining recess 13 a where the locking projection 27 is held in interlocking engagement with the locking nose 13. Substantially at the same time, the locking protuberance 15 a is snapped over the belt portion extending around the locking ridge 26 a . Now the cover plate 12 is locked on the base plate, as shown in Figure 7. In this instance, the presser projection 15 is received in the transverse slot 21 and presses the belt end against the cross bar 26. The locking protuberance 15 a and the locking ridge 26 a bite into the belt B, thereby retaining the belt end against removal. To open the strap fastener 10, the tip of a screwdriver D is received in the slot 19 in the flap 19 a and then the screwdriver D is tilted in the direction of the arrow A (Figure 7). In response thereto, the locking nose 13 is tilted upwardly and outwardly, due to the resilient deformation of the upper end portion of the base plate 11, until the locking projection 27 is released from the locking engagement with the locking nose 13. Thus the cover plate 12 is unlocked from the base plate 11. As the belt end is looped around the interior side of the cross bar 26, it is possible to adjust the effective length of the belt B when the cover plate 12 is kept in unlocked condition. If the belt-length adjustment is not necessary, the upper and lower transverse slots 20, 22 may be omitted, in which instance, the balt B is frictionally gripped by and between the presser projection 15 and a side wall of the cover plate 12 defining a single transverse slot through which the belt end is inserted in the strap fastener.

Claims: 1. A strap fastener (10) for connecting a belt (B) to the body (C) of an article such as a bag, the fastener (10) comprising: (a) a first member in the form of a base plate (11) adapted to be mounted on the body (C) of the article; and (b) a second member in the form of a cover plate (12) pivotally connected at a first end thereof to a first end of the base plate (11); one of said members (11) including a resiliently displaceable portion (13) to lockingly engage a corresponding portion (27) of the other member (12), for locking the cover plate (12) to the base plate (11); one of said members (11) including a projection (15) adapted to engage the belt (B) and to occupy an aperture (21) in the other member (12), for at least assisting in securing the belt (B) to the fastener (10); characterised in that said resiliently dispaceable portion (13) is a locking nose (13) on the base plate (11) at a second end thereof, opposite said first end thereof, said second end of said base plate being resiliently deformable to allow said locking nose (13) to tilt resiliently towards and away from said projection (15), which is a presser projection (15) on said base plate (11), said presser projection (15) being adapted to press the belt (B) against a portion (26, 26a) of the cover plate (12), said portion (26, 26a) of the cover plate (12) partly defining said aperture (21), which is in the form of a slot (21) through which, in use, the belt (B) extends, whereby the belt (B) is gripped between the presser projection (15) and said portion (26, 26a); said base plate (11) including a flap or wing (19a) having an aperture (19) for reception of a tool such as a screwdriver (D) to displace the locking nose (13) for releasing the cover plate (12) and hence the belt (B), and said base plate (11) including an opening (11a) extending alongside said locking nose (13). 2. A strap fastener (10) according to claim 1, wherein said locking nose (13) has a retaining recess (13a) opening toward said presser projection (15) for receiving a locking projection (27) forming said corresponding portion (27) of said other member (12). 3. A strap fastener (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said presser projection (15) includes a protruberance (15a) protruding towards said locking nose (13), said aperture-defining portion (26, 26a) of the cover plate (12) including a locking ridge (26a) which is engageable with said belt (B) and which, in use, projects into said slot (21) and which is snappingly engageable with said protruberance (15a). 4. A strap fastener (10) according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said base plate (11) further has a pair of grooves (11b, 11b) disposed on opposite sides of said locking nose (13) and each opening at one end thereof to said opening (11a) extending alongside said locking nose (13). 5. A strap fastener (10) according to any preceding claim, said cover plate (12) including a further slot (22) extending parallel to the first-mentioned slot (21) for the passage of the belt (B), and a cross bar (26) extending between said two slots (21, 22) and forming said slot-defining portion (26), said portion against which the belt (B) is urged by said presser projection (15) being defined on said cross bar (26). 6. A strap fastener (10) according to any preceding claim, said base plate (11) having a pair of coaxial shafts (14) projecting laterally from said other end of said base plate (11), said cover plate (12) having a pair of parallel spaced flanges (24) and a pair of holes (25) defined respectively in said flanges (24), said shafts (14) being rotatably received in said holes (25). 7. A strap fastener (10) according to any preceding claim, said base plate (11) and said cover plate (12) being injection-molded of synthetic resin in assembled condition. 8. A strap fastener (10) according to any preceding claim, further including a retainer plate (30) adapted to be disposed on the bag body (C) behind said base plate (11) to sandwich the fabric of the bag body (C) therebetween, said retainer plate (30) having a plurality of holes (31) defined therein, said base plate (11) having a plurality of attachment posts (16) extending perpendicularly from an underside of said base plate (11) for being driven through the fabric of the bag body (C), said attachment posts (16) being lockingly receivable in said holes (31) in said retainer plate (30). 9. A strap fastener (10) according to claim 8, each said attachment post (16) having a series of saw-teeth (17), each said hole (31) having a locking pawl (32) lockingly engageable with said saw-teeth (17). 10. A strap fastener (10) according to claim 8 or 9, each said attachment post (16) including a guide ridge (18), each said hole (31) having a guide groove (33) for guidingly receiving therein said suide ridge (18).

Inventors: KASAI, KAZUMI
Applicants: YOSHIDA KOGYO K.K.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A44B11
IPC codes: A45C13, A44B11