Abstract:
The disclosure concerns accessories configured to engage with a ratchet belt system for display and storage thereof. A hanging accessory includes a planar body portion, a tongue extending from the planar body portion, and one or more notch strips disposed on the tongue and configured to engage a buckle of the ratchet belt system.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation (CON) of U.S. Ser. No. 14/218,887, titled “RATCHET BELT SYSTEM AND RELATED ACCESSORIES”; which claims benefit of priority with U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 61/896,605, filed Oct. 28, 2013; the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This application relates to the field of belts and belt buckles; and more particularly, to a ratcheting belt system and related accessories. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Belts and associated belt buckles, collectively “belt systems”, have been long used for the purpose of maintaining fitment of pants against ones waistline. 
         [0006]    More recently, ratchet belts have been disclosed which do not contain traditional holes and a penetrating retainer pin, but instead are configured to slide the belt portion through the buckle and engage with a ratcheting buckle to a fitted position. Although these advancements are improved in view of the more traditional hole and pin belts, there are a number of limitations with current ratcheting belt systems. 
         [0007]    For example, the release tab lever on conventional ratcheting belts is oriented such that a user is required to pull the lever away from the user&#39;s body. These levers have proven cumbersome and difficult to operate. There is a need for an improved lever system for releasing the belt from a ratcheting tab of the buckle. 
         [0008]    Moreover, conventional ratchet belts are limited with only one “track” of ratcheting teeth or notches. There has yet to be described in the art a reversible ratchet belt. 
         [0009]    These and other limitations in the art are addressed in the enclosed detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0010]    A ratchet belt is described, the ratchet belt includes: a belt extending from a first terminal end to a second terminal end along a length thereof, the belt having a first surface and a second surface opposite of the first surface; and a buckle having a receptacle portion thereof being configured to attach with the belt at the first terminal end, and a slot portion configured to slideably receive at least the second terminal end of the belt therethrough. The ratchet belt is further characterized in that the belt comprises: a first notch strip at least partially extending along the first surface of the belt and positioned adjacent to the second terminal end thereof; the first notch strip comprising a plurality of notches being aligned in series one adjacent to another along the notch strip, wherein each of the notches individually comprises a vertical wall extending upwardly from a recessed base toward the first surface of the belt and a tapered wall extending from the recessed base to the first surface, the tapered wall forming an angle with the vertical wall, wherein the angle is less than ninety degrees; and the buckle comprises: a ratcheting tab configured to engage the vertical wall of one or more of the notches of the first notch strip; and a release lever coupled to the ratcheting tab, the release lever being configured to rotationally disengage the ratcheting tab from the notch strip for releasing the belt; wherein the release lever extends outwardly from the ratcheting tab and oriented toward said slot portion of the buckle. 
         [0011]    In certain embodiments, the ratchet belt is configured to engage with a supplemental accessory through the ratcheting mechanism of the buckle. The supplemental accessory may include a closet hanger, a retail rack hanger, or other device comprising a notch strip. 
         [0012]    Other features and advantages are described in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The enclosed detailed description will be understood by those having skill in the art upon a thorough review hereof in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a ratchet belt system in accordance with an embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  shows a ratchet belt system with dual sided notch strip tracks for reversible use; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3A  shows a portion of a belt with a single-side notch strip in accordance with an embodiment; 
           [0017]      FIG. 3B  shows a portion of a belt with a dual-sided notch strip in accordance with another embodiment; the notch strip consists of a monolithic piece with notches on opposing sides and is configured for embedding within a portion of a belt; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4  shows a rear side of a buckle of the ratchet belt system; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5  shows a front side of the buckle; 
           [0020]      FIG. 6  shows a cross section of the buckle at the ratcheting mechanism thereof; 
           [0021]      FIG. 7  shows a supplemental accessory for use with the ratcheting belt system including a retail rack hanger; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 8  shows a supplemental accessory for use with the ratcheting belt system including a two-belt closet hanger. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]    In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, details and descriptions are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these details and descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Certain embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings wherein illustrative features are denoted by reference numerals. 
         [0024]    Although the term “notch” is used herein to describe a well or etched portion of a track for which a tab of the buckle is configured to engage, the term “notch” as used herein is not intended to include the conventional type hole that penetrates the belt through both surfaces thereof. Instead, none of the notches of the belts described herein penetrates the belt through both surfaces. Each notch as defined herein includes a recessed well extending into a volume of the belt and from a recessed base to a belt surface and positioned between a vertical wall and a tapered wall of adjacent notches as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 (A-B). Alternatively, a notch can include a vertical wall and a tapered wall extending from a terminus of the vertical wall toward a surface of a planar volume, thereby forming a ratchet groove or bump for engaging a ratchet mechanism as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0025]    Now turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows a ratchet belt system in accordance with an embodiment. The ratchet belt comprises a belt  100  and a buckle  200 . The belt extends along a length thereof from a first terminal end to a second terminal end opposite of the first terminal end, however only a portion of the belt is shown for simplicity. The belt comprises a first surface extending along the length of the belt, and a second surface opposite of the first surface. The buckle comprises a receptacle portion configured to receive a portion of the belt at the first terminal end thereof, and further comprises a slot portion configured to receive a portion of the belt therethrough. The belt comprises a notch strip extending along a portion of the belt length adjacent to the second terminal end. The second terminal end of the belt is inserted through the slot portion and a ratcheting mechanism  250  of the buckle is configured to engage the slot portion of the belt for secure and incremental fitting. The second terminal end of the belt is configured for slideably ratcheting through the slot portion of the buckle in a first tightening direction. The ratcheting mechanism further comprises a release tab  251  coupled to the ratcheting mechanism for releasing the belt. A vertical wall of each notch of the belt is individually configured to engage said ratcheting tab for preventing translation of the belt in a release direction opposite of the tightening direction. 
         [0026]    In another embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , a ratchet belt system with dual sided notch strip tracks for reversible use is provided. In this embodiment, the belt comprises a first surface with a first ornamentation thereof and a first notch strip  110 , and further comprises a second surface with a second ornamentation thereof and a second notch strip  120 . Each of the first and second notch strips are configured to engage with the ratcheting mechanism of the buckle for secure and incremental fitting. 
         [0027]    In a preferred embodiment, the notch strip is fabricated from a monolithic piece. Several tests have indicate that when two opposing notch strips are embedded within a belt, each of the notch strips and the belt portions thereabout tend to bunch together and cause damage to the belt. To overcome this, it is proposed that a monolithic insert be fabricated, the monolithic insert comprising a first notch strip on a first side thereof and a second notch strip on a second opposing side. Tests have confirmed that use of a monolithic piece having opposing notch strips can be inserted into a belt and used with the ratcheting buckle without the limitations described above. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3A  shows a portion of a belt with a single-side notch strip in accordance with an embodiment. In this embodiment, a monolithic insert comprises a notch strip  110  having a plurality of notches  115  extending along a track length L t  in series orientation one adjacent to another. Each notch  115  of the notch strip  110  comprises a vertical wall  111  extending upwardly from a recessed base toward a first surface of the belt, and a tapered wall  112  extending from the recessed base toward the first surface, with the tapered wall of a first notch forming an angle with the vertical wall of an adjacent notch that is less than ninety degrees, or an acute angle. The vertical wall of each respective notch of the notch strip is generally oriented to face the first terminal end of the belt such that the wall is configured for engagement with the ratcheting tab of the buckle. The monolithic insert can be embedded or otherwise attached with a belt. In the illustrated embodiment, a second belt layer  102  is positioned beneath the monolithic insert and a first belt layer  101  is overlaid above the second belt layer, the first layer having an etched area for exposing the monolithic notch strip insert. Those having skill in the art will recognize multiple variations for attaching a monolithic insert with a belt, and this example is for illustrative purposes of one embodiment only. 
         [0029]    In another embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 3B , a portion of a belt with a dual-sided notch strip is provided. The notch strip consists of a monolithic piece with strips and notches thereof on opposing sides, and is configured for embedding within a portion of a belt. In this embodiment, a monolithic insert  110  comprises a first notch strip having a plurality of notches  115  extending along a track length L t  in series orientation one adjacent to another is disposed on a first side, and a second notch strip having a plurality of notches  115  extending along a track length L t  in series orientation one adjacent to another is disposed on a second side opposite of the first side. Each notch  115  of the monolithic notch strip insert  110  comprises a vertical wall  111  extending upwardly from a recessed base toward a first surface of the belt, and a tapered wall  112  extending from the recessed base toward the first surface, with the tapered wall of a first notch forming an angle with the vertical wall of an adjacent notch that is less than ninety degrees, or an acute angle. The monolithic insert can be embedded or otherwise attached with a belt. In the illustrated embodiment, a second belt layer  102  is positioned beneath the monolithic insert and a first belt layer  101  is overlaid above the second belt layer, the first and second layers each having an etched area for exposing the monolithic notch strip insert at either opposing side or surface of the belt. Those having skill in the art will recognize multiple variations for attaching a monolithic insert with a belt, and this example is for illustrative purposes of one embodiment only. 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  shows a rear side of a buckle of the ratchet belt system. The buckle  200  comprises a buckle body  201 , a ratcheting mechanism  250  disposed at a first side  225  and a receptacle portion  260  disposed at a second side  275  of the buckle opposite of the first side. The ratcheting mechanism  250  comprises a tubular body  252  extending along a rotational tab axis A t , a tab  253  and a release lever  251 , each of the tab and release lever extending outwardly from the tubular body toward the second side  275  of the buckle  200 . The ratcheting tab  253  is configured to engage with a vertical wall of a notch of the plurality of notches within the notch strip inserted through the buckle. The release lever  251  is configured to rotationally disengage the ratcheting tab from the notch strip for releasing the belt from the buckle. 
         [0031]    The ratcheting mechanism further comprises a torsion spring  258  (See  FIG. 6 ) configured to provide a spring bias with the tab in a closed position abutting an inner surface of the buckle, or an inserted belt. Although a torsion spring is shown, those with skill in the art will recognize that other springs and similar mechanisms can be provided. A key feature of the illustrated embodiment includes the release lever being positioned on an underside of the buckle and oriented to extend outwardly from the tubular body toward the second side  275  of the buckle such that a release of the belt is effectuated only by pushing the release lever toward the body. In this regard, the belt is never unintentionally released by the body when a user sits or bends down. 
         [0032]    The ratcheting mechanism further comprises a plurality of mechanical stops for preventing over-rotation of the ratcheting mechanism. A first mechanical stop is formed of a first mechanical stop tab  254  and a first groove  255 . As the ratcheting mechanism is spring-biased the first mechanical stop prevents over-rotation of the system in a first rotational direction (locking) about the rotational tab axis. A second mechanical stop is formed of a second mechanical stop tab  256  and a second groove  257 . As the ratcheting mechanism is actuated in a second rotational direction (releasing) about the rotational tab axis by depressing the release lever, the second mechanical stop is configured to abut the second groove for preventing over-rotation of the ratcheting mechanism. Additional details regarding the illustrated ratcheting mechanism are further described in  FIG. 6  and the associated description below. 
         [0033]    The receptacle portion  260  disposed at the second side  275  of the buckle  200  comprises a cam-style hinge  262  for attaching with the first terminal end of the belt. The hinge further comprises a thumb tab  261  for releasing the belt from the hinge. An exit slot  285  guides the belt to exit after entering through the first side. The hinged clamp extends to allow a user to disengage the buckle from the belt using his or her fingers, and does not require additional tools for applying leverage to open the hinged clamp. 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  shows a front side of the buckle. The buckle comprises an outer surface  205  having ornamentation thereof (not shown). The buckle further comprises a first side  225  configured to receive at least a portion of the belt entering the buckle therethrough, and a second side  275  opposite of the first side, with an exit slot  285  configured to guide the portion of the belt to exit the buckle at the second side. The release lever  251 , first mechanical stop tab  254 , and receptacle portion  260  are shown form the front view of  FIG. 5 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  shows a cross section of the buckle at the ratcheting mechanism thereof. The buckle comprises a body portion  201  coupled to and supporting the ratcheting mechanism. The ratcheting mechanism further comprises a torsion spring  258  housed within the tubular body  252  and configured to engage with the tubular body at a first spring terminus, and the body portion at a second spring terminus opposite of the first terminus. In this regard, as the tubular body is rotated, the torsion spring is compressed such that upon release of the release lever  251  the tubular body is spring-biased toward a closed position (locking) such that the tab extending from the tubular body is engaged with a notch of an inserted notch strip of the belt. 
         [0036]    In an embodiment (not shown) the belt comprises a plurality of size markings disposed adjacent to said first terminal end, wherein each of the plurality of size markings is configured for identifying a belt length at which a user can make a cut prior to inserting and attaching with the receptacle portion of the buckle for user-performed belt sizing. 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  shows a supplemental accessory for use with the ratcheting belt system including a retail rack hanger  300 , such as a conventional slat wall hook. The retail hanger comprises at least one tongue  303  having a notch strip  110  extending from a hanger clip  305  and planar body portion  301  thereof. The notch strip comprises a plurality of notches  115  disposed adjacent to one another, along a longitudinal axis, and in series, similar to the notch strip of the belt described above. The track  305  can be formed from a rigid plastic, metal, wood, or a pliable material such as leather, or any similar material. The buckle of the ratcheting belt system is engaged with the track  305  for hanging the ratcheting belt system. The hanger clip  305  is defined by a hanger slot  302  extending from a side edge of the planar body portion toward a center thereof. The tongue comprises a tongue width associated with the tongue. The planar body portion of the accessory includes a body width associated with the widest section of the planar body portion. The body width is greater than the tongue width for abutting an attached ratchet belt buckle and stopping the buckle at the junction of the tongue and the planar body portion. Each of the tongue and the planar body portion are shown to be configured within a common longitudinal plane. 
         [0038]    Those having skill in the art are familiar with hanging fixtures such as slat wall hooks and closet dowels. 
         [0039]      FIG. 8  shows a supplemental accessory for use with the ratcheting belt system including a two-belt closet hanger, such as a closet dowel. The closet hanger  400  comprises a pair of adjacent tracks  410  each having a notch strip  110  extending from a hanger clip  405  and body portion thereof. Each notch strip comprises a plurality of notches  115  disposed adjacent to one another in series similar to the notch strip of the belt described above. The tracks  410  can each be formed from a rigid plastic, metal, wood, or a pliable material such as leather, or any similar material. The buckles of two distinct ratcheting belts are separately engaged with the dual tracks  410  for hanging the ratcheting belts in a standard closed dowel. 
         [0040]    Although the illustrated embodiments and the above descriptions are directed toward an embodiment of a waist belt for maintaining a secure fitting of a user&#39;s pants about the user&#39;s waistline, it will be understood by those having skill in the art that the ratcheting mechanism, including the buckle, ratcheting mechanism, and notch strip, can be incorporated various products, including but not limited to: a waist belt, luggage, bag, carrying case, adjustable strap product, or other article of manufacture which benefits from an adjustable strap and buckle. 
       REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       [0000]    
       
         ( 100 ) belt 
         ( 101 ) first belt layer 
         ( 102 ) second belt layer 
         ( 110 ) notch strip 
         ( 111 ) vertical wall 
         ( 112 ) tapered wall 
         ( 115 ) notches 
         ( 200 ) buckle 
         ( 201 ) buckle body 
         ( 205 ) outer surface 
         ( 225 ) first side 
         ( 250 ) ratcheting mechanism 
         ( 251 ) release lever 
         ( 252 ) tubular body 
         ( 253 ) tab 
         ( 254 ) first mechanical stop tab 
         ( 255 ) first groove 
         ( 256 ) second mechanical stop tab 
         ( 257 ) second groove 
         ( 258 ) torsion spring 
         ( 260 ) receptacle portion 
         ( 261 ) thumb tab 
         ( 262 ) cam-style hinge 
         ( 275 ) second side 
         ( 285 ) exit slot 
         ( 300 ) retail hanger 
         ( 301 ) planar body portion 
         ( 302 ) hanger slot 
         ( 303 ) tongue 
         ( 305 ;  405 ) hanger clip 
         ( 310 ;  410 ) track 
         ( 400 ) closet hanger