Patent Publication Number: US-2012030852-A1

Title: Multiple buckle release system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a system for releasing several buckles simultaneously, using a single pull mechanism. The invention releases several buckles that are each connected to a cable by using a lever that causes each of the cables to be pulled at the same time. The lever decreases the force required to release the buckles, as compared to a direct pull on each of the cables. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,761 to Van Tassel describes a buckle system where the buckle is released by pulling a cable that is attached to the male part of the buckle. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/456,069 to Anscher, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, shows a tactical vest having several buckles attached, which are also connected to cables. A single pull on a central handle pulls all of the cables simultaneously to release all of the buckles at once. This is highly advantageous when used on these types of vests, because the vest must often be removed very quickly, such as in situations where the user is submerged in water. 
     One disadvantage of the systems shown in these two patents, however, is that a significant amount of force is required to release the buckles. It would be desirable to provide a system that reduces the amount of force required but avoids inadvertent release of the buckles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system that reduces the amount of force required to release a cable-mounted buckle system having multiple buckles. It is another object to provide a system that does not affect the structure or manufacture of the buckles themselves, and which can be adapted for use with one or several buckles. It is another object of the invention to provide a system that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     These and other objects are accomplished by a buckle release system comprising a base plate, a fulcrum mounted on the base plate, a lever pivotably mounted on the fulcrum, a handle connected to the lever, at least one cable mounted to the lever at a location remote from the handle, a buckle portion connected to each cable, and a mating buckle portion releasably connected each buckle portion. Pulling the handle pivots the lever and pulls the cables, causing the buckle portions to release from each other. A cover plate is also preferably mounted over the entire assembly to prevent interference with the lever during use. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the cables are connected to male buckle portions, which are configured to release from the female buckle portions upon pulling of the cable. Examples of suitable buckle portions are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,487,761 to Van Tassel, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/456,069 to Anscher, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/661,308 to Anscher, all of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
     In practical use, there are at least two cables connected to the lever, and a buckle portion connected to each cable. This way, pivoting the lever by pulling the handle releases multiple buckles simultaneously. The use of the lever reduces the force required to release the buckles, as a greater distance from the fulcrum on the applied force size reduces the amount of force required to move the lever. In one embodiment, there are four cables with buckles connected to the lever. This embodiment allows the front and rear sections of a tactical vest to be instantly separated from each other if the system is mounted to either the front or rear of the vest and the shoulder and waist sections of the vest are held together with the buckles. Pulling on the handle causes all four buckles to release simultaneously and cause the vest to separate, thus instantly freeing the wearer. 
     There are many possible configurations of levers and cables that are within the scope of this invention. In one embodiment, the lever is a straight bar and the fulcrum is located between the cable or cables and the handle. Thus, the cables are at one end, the handle is at the other end, and the fulcrum is in the middle. Pulling up on the handle causes the end of the lever with the cables to move downward, thus pulling down on the cables and releasing the buckles attached thereto. Thus, in this embodiment, the cables and handle move in opposite directions. 
     In another embodiment, the fulcrum is disposed at one end of the lever, the handle is disposed on an opposite end of the lever, and the cables are disposed between the fulcrum and the lever. Pulling up on the lever causes the cables to be pulled upward also. This embodiment is useful if the cables need to be moved the same direction as the direction of pulling on the handle. 
     The cables can be directly attached to the lever, or can be indirectly connected via an attachment mechanism. The attachment mechanism can be configured to receive one or several cables, and is then pivotally mounted to the lever at the desired location. The cables can be mounted in channels in the attachment mechanism. The channels prevent the cables from crossing each other close to the lever and interfering with the lever operation. The pivoting of the attachment mechanism decreases the force applied to the system due to cables coming in from different directions, and decreases the risk of breakage. 
     In another embodiment, there can be two or more attachment mechanisms connected to the lever. This way, the attachment mechanisms can be mounted on opposite sides of the fulcrum, so that pulling the handle pulls some of the cables in the same direction, and pulls the other set of cables in the opposite direction. This is useful when the device according to the invention is mounted in between several buckles, some above and some below the attachment mechanism. If the handle is configured to pull upward to move the lever, the buckles above the attachment mechanism can be mounted on the opposite side of the fulcrum from the handle and the buckles below the attachment mechanism can be mounted on the same side as the handle. This way, pulling the handle upward pulls the cables for the top buckles downward, and pulls the cables for the bottom buckles upward, to release all of the buckles at once with a single movement. Alternatively, the cables can be directly mounted to the lever in this way, without using the attachment mechanisms. 
     In another embodiment, the lever is L-shaped, and the fulcrum is located at an elbow of the lever. This allows the cables to be pulled in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of pull on the handle. Thus, if the buckles are mounted horizontally, one can pull up or down on the handle to release the buckles in this configuration. The angle of bend of the lever dictates the angle at which the cables are pulled. 
     In yet another embodiment, there is an additional lever connected to the fulcrum and the handle, and at least one cable and buckle portion connected to the additional lever. Pulling the handle pivots both levers and pulls all of the cables connected to the levers. The two levers can be mounted so that the single fulcrum is located between the connections of the handle to each of the levers, so that pulling the handle causes the levers to rotate in opposite directions. This useful if the some of the cables need to be pulled up while other cables need to be pulled down in order to release all of the buckles. 
     The levers in this embodiment can be simple straight levers, triangular shaped, or can be L-shaped and mounted facing away from each other. With the L-shaped levers, the fulcrum is located at an elbow of each of the levers. This allows the cables that are connected to the other arm of the L to be pulled perpendicular to the direction of pulling of the handle. In this embodiment, the handle is connected to each of the free ends of the levers that face away from each other, and the cables are connected to the other ends of the levers. This works well in a four-buckle system, so that each lever is connected to two cables, and the system releases four buckles simultaneously. 
     In this system, the fulcrum can be disposed between the handle and the two cables on each lever, so that both cables on an individual lever are on the same side of the lever and are moved in the same direction. Alternatively, the cables can be disposed on opposite sides of the fulcrum on each lever, so that the individual cables on each lever move in opposite directions when the handle is pulled. In this embodiment, two cables are pulled downward, while the other two are pulled inward, coming from opposite directions. 
     In yet another embodiment, there are two levers as described above, but each lever has its own fulcrum. Both levers are connected to a single handle, so that pulling the handle moves both levers simultaneously around their own fulcrums. In this embodiment, the levers can be straight or L-shaped. With the L-shaped lever, the fulcrum is located at an elbow of each lever. 
     Again, the cables can be mounted on the same side of the lever from the fulcrum or can be disposed on opposite sides from each other on each lever, depending on the desired direction of movement of the cables. 
     An important use for the system according to the invention is on a tactical cut-away vest such as used by the military or law enforcement. Thus, the invention also encompasses a cut-away vest, comprising: 
     (a) a front vest piece having two shoulder sections and two waist sections; 
     (b) a rear vest piece having two shoulder sections and two waist sections; 
     (c) at least two buckle assemblies, each buckle assembly having a male portion and a female portion, each of the male portions being attached to one of the front and rear vest pieces at the shoulder sections and waist sections, and each of the female portions being attached to the other of the front and rear vest pieces at the shoulder and waist sections respectively, so that the front vest piece is connected to the rear vest piece by inserting each of the male portions into a corresponding female portion; 
     (d) a plurality of cables, each cable connected at one end to one of the male portions; and 
     (e) a buckle release system comprising:
         (i) a base plate connected to the vest piece containing the male buckle portions;   (ii) a fulcrum mounted on the base plate;   (iii) at least one lever pivotably mounted on the fulcrum, wherein said cables are connected to the lever at a location remote from the fulcrum; and   (iv) a handle connected to the lever;   wherein pulling the handle pivots the lever and pulls the cables, causing the male buckle portions to release from the female buckle portions.       

     The cut-away vest can be used with any of the variations of the release systems described above. There can be a single lever, or two levers, one or two attachment systems, various ways of mounting the cables and handles, and any number of desired cables. The system can be configured in any desired orientation to best accommodate the number and location of buckles on the vest. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed as an illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention. 
       In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views: 
         FIG. 1  shows a front view of a cut-away vest showing one embodiment of the system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  shows a cut-away vest with the system released; 
         FIG. 3  shows a view of the system used on the vest of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows a cut-away vest using another embodiment of the buckle-release system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 5  shows a front view of the system used in the vest of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows a cut-away vest using a further embodiment of the system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 7  shows the release system used in the vest according to  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  shows a cut-away vest using another embodiment of the system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 9  shows the buckle release system used in the vest according to  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  shows yet another embodiment of the system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 11  shows a cross-sectional view along lines  11 - 11  from  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  shows the system of  FIG. 10  with a cover plate;  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 13  shows a cut-away vest using yet another embodiment of the system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 14  shows the buckle release system used in the vest according to  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 15  shows a cut-away vest using another embodiment of the system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 16  shows the buckle release system used in the vest according to  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 17  shows a cut-away vest using yet another embodiment of the system according to the invention; and 
         FIG. 18  shows the buckle release system used in the vest of  FIG. 17 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now in detail to the drawings and, in particular,  FIGS. 1 and 2  show a cut-away vest  10  having a front section  11  and a rear section  12 . Front section  11  is connected to rear section  12  by a plurality of male buckle portions  13  on front section  11  which are snapped into a corresponding number of female buckle portions  14  mounted on straps  15  on rear section  12 . Each male buckle portion  13  is connected to a cable  26  slidably disposed within a cable sheath  16 . (Cable  26  is shown in  FIG. 3 ). Underneath patch  17  on front section  11  is a release system  20 , which is connected to all of the cables. Release system  20  is connected to a cable  24  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) surrounded by a cable sheath  22 . Cable  24  is connected to a handle  23 . Pulling handle  23  pulls cables  26  and consequently pulls male buckle portions  13 . Male buckle portions  13  are configured such that a sharp pull on male buckle portions  13  causes the side locking legs of male buckle portions  13  to release from female buckle portions  14 , in the manner taught in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/456,609. Thus, pulling on handle  23  releases male buckle portions  13  from female buckle portions  14  to separate front section  11  from rear section  12 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Alternatively, the entire arrangement could be reversed, with the male buckle portions  13  and the release system  20  mounted on rear section  12 . The user would then reach behind himself/herself to pull up on handle  23  to free themselves from the vest. 
     A first embodiment of release system  20  is shown in  FIG. 3 . Release system  20  consists of a base plate  20  onto which a lever  25  is mounted via fulcrum  27 . Fulcrum  27  is mounted on one end of lever  25 , and cable  24  is connected to the other end of lever  25 . An attachment assembly  30  is pivotably mounted to lever  25  in between cable  24  and fulcrum  27 . Each of cables  26  are mounted to attachment assembly  30 , and are slidably disposed within cable sheaths  16 . Cable sheaths  16  are disposed within channels  29  on base plate  21 . Pulling upward on handle  23  in the direction of the arrow causes lever  25  to pivot and pulls all of cables  26  upward as well. This pulling motion, as explained above, pulls male buckle portions  13  out of female buckle portions  14 . 
     An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 .  FIG. 4  shows a tactical vest that is similar to the vest shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , except that the handle is pulled downward instead of upward to release buckle portions  13 .  FIG. 5  shows release assembly  201  that is mounted to the vest  10  in  FIG. 4 . This release system is similar to the release system shown in  FIG. 3 , except that, fulcrum  27  is mounted in the center of lever  25  with handle  23  on one side and attachment assembly  30  on the opposite side of fulcrum  27 . Pulling handle  23  downward forces cables  26  upward to release buckle portions  13 . 
     Another embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . Here, the vest  10  of  FIG. 6  is only separated at two places, and only two buckle assemblies are required. Release system  202  thus is only connected to two cables  26 , but could also be configured to be connected to several more. Here, release system  202  has a lever  35 , which is configured L-shaped, with lever arm  36  connected to cable  24 , lever arm  37  connected to attachment assembly  30 , and fulcrum  27  mounted at the elbow of lever  35 . While the first embodiment (shown in  FIG. 3 ) showed the force being transferred in the same direction of pull on the handle and the second embodiment (shown in  FIG. 5 ) showed the force in the opposite direction, this embodiment shows the cables being pulled perpendicular to the direction of pull on handle  23 . Pulling upward on handle  23  causes lever  36  to pivot around fulcrum  27  and moves cables  26  to the left, in the direction of the arrow shown. This embodiment is useful if all of the buckles are located on one side of the object to be released, such as in the vest of  FIG. 6 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , handle  23  can be mounted up near the shoulder of the vest, which is often a convenient place for the wear to reach with an opposite hand. The angle of lever  35  dictates the direction that the pulling force will be exerted on cables  26 . Thus, the lever could be manufactured to accommodate a pulling force on the cables at any desired angle to the direction of pull on the handle. 
     A further embodiment of the release system according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . Here, cable  24  with handle  23  is mounted to one end of lever  25 , and there are two attachment assemblies  30 ,  30 ′. One attachment assembly  30  is mounted to the opposite end of lever  35 , so that fulcrum  27  is in between handle  23  and attachment assembly  30 , and the other attachment assembly  30 ′ is mounted on the same side of lever  25  as handle  23 . This way, pulling up on handle  23  pivots lever  25  and pulls the cables on attachment assembly  30  downward, and pulls the cables on attachment assembly  30 ′ upward at the same time. Thus, this embodiment is a combination of the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 . This embodiment is useful if the placement of the buckles requires that the cables be pulled in opposite directions at the same time in order to release all of the buckles at once. The vest of  FIG. 8  shows the location of cables  16 , with some extending from the top of patch  17 , while others extend from the bottom of patch  17 . Pulling on handle  23  releases all four buckle assemblies at once. This embodiment could also be used with more or fewer buckle assemblies, depending on the needs of the user. 
     Yet another embodiment of the system is shown in  FIGS. 10-12 . This embodiment can be used on the same vest arrangement that is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . Here, release system  204  has two levers  45 ,  45 ′ that are triangular in shape, but could also take other shapes. Each lever  45 ,  45 ′ is mounted on single fulcrum  27 , which is disposed at one of the corners of each of the triangular levers. Connected to handle  23  are two cables  24 ,  24 ′, both disposed within cable sheath  22 . Each of cables  24 ,  24 ′ are connected to another corner of lever  45 ,  45 ′. Near the third corner of each of levers  45 ,  45 ′ are disposed two cables  26 , for a total of four cables, and thus four buckles. Fewer or more cables and buckles could also be used. Pulling upward on handle  23  causes levers  45 ,  45 ′ to rotate in opposite directions (as shown by the arrows), thus pulling all of cables  26  upward as well, and releasing all of the buckle assemblies connected to cables  26 . As shown in  FIG. 11 , levers  45 ,  45 ′ are mounted on fulcrum  27  in a way that a portion of lever  45 ′ overlaps a portion of lever  45 , with these portions having a combined height that is equal to the height of the levers, so that they rest flush in the base plate. 
     For all embodiments discussed in this invention, the system can be equipped with a cover plate  50  that can be mounted on base plate  20 , as shown in  FIG. 12 . Cover plate  50  can protect release system  50  against dirt and interference from surrounding objects. 
     Yet another embodiment of the release system according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 . In this system  205 , there are two L-shaped levers  35 ,  35 ′, each with their own fulcrum  27 ,  27 ′, respectively. This arrangement is a double version of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . Fulcrums  27 ,  27 ′ are mounted at the elbow of each of the levers. Cables  24 ,  24 ′ are connected to a single handle  23  at one end and are connected to legs  36 ,  36 ′, respectively of levers  35 ,  35 ′. Cables  26 , which are connected to male buckle portions  14  (not shown in this Figure) are then mounted to arms  37 ,  37 ′ of levers  35 ,  35 ′. Pulling downward on handle  23  rotates levers  35 ,  35 ′ in opposite directions from each other, i.e., lever  35  rotates counter-clockwise, and lever  35 ′ rotates clockwise. This pulling motion causes cables  26  on arm  37 ′ to be pulled to the left, and cables  26  on arm  37  to be pulled to the right. This is a convenient arrangement when there are cables mounted on opposite sides of the release system, which need to be pulled in opposite directions in order to be released. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the buckles on the right of the vest are released by the cables being pulled to the left and the buckles on the left of the vest are released by the cables being pulled to the right, all with a single downward pull of the handle. Of course, the entire arrangement could be turned upside down if the user desires an upward pull on the handle instead. 
     Another embodiment of the release system according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 . This system  206  is similar to the system shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , except that levers  35 ,  35 ′ are L-shaped rather than triangular. In this embodiment, both levers  35 ,  35 ′ are mounted on a single fulcrum  27 , which is located at the elbow of each of the levers. Two cables  24 ,  24 ′ are connected to the ends of each of lever arms  36 ,  36 ′, which extend in opposite directions from each other. Cables  26  are then attached to the ends of each of lever arms  37 ,  37 ′. Here, there are two cables  26  connected to each lever arm  37 ,  37 ′. Larger or smaller numbers of cables and buckles could also be used. Pulling downward on handle  23  pivots levers  35 ,  35 ′ so that lever  35  rotates counter clockwise and lever  35 ′ rotates clockwise. This causes cables  26  on lever  35 ′ to be pulled to the right, and cables  26  on lever  35  to be pulled to the left. Thus, as shown in the vest  10  of  FIG. 15 , the cables on the right side of the vest are pulled to the left, and the cables on the left side of the vest are pulled to the right, all with a single pull of handle  23 . 
     Yet another embodiment of the release system according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 . Here, release system  207  is almost identical to release system  206 , except that one cable  26  is connected to lever arm  37 ,  37 ′ and another cable  26  is connected to lever arm  36 ,  36 ′ of each lever  35 ,  35 ′. The cables connected to lever arms  36 ,  36 ′ are mounted between cables  24 ,  24 ′ for handle  23 , and fulcrum  27 . Thus, pulling handle  23  downward causes the cables on lever arms  36 ,  36 ′ to be pulled downward as well, while the cable on lever arm  37  is pulled to the left, and the cable on lever arm  37 ′ is pulled to the right. This is an ideal arrangement for the vest shown in  FIG. 17 , where two of the buckles are to be pulled downward, and one buckle is to be pulled to the left, and one to the right. The system of  FIG. 18  makes the angle of the cable pull coincide with the direction of the buckle release. Thus, this embodiment eliminates the need for any excess force to release the buckles when the angle of cable pull does not exactly coincide with the release direction of the buckles. 
     While the embodiments shown in the drawings indicate the cable being pulled in a direction that is either up or down, any of the embodiments could be turned upside down to have the handle pull in the opposite direction. These systems could be used with any number of buckle assemblies, depending on the needs of the user. 
     Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.