Patent Publication Number: US-11375778-B1

Title: Buckle with secondary latch

Description:
This non-provisional patent application claims all benefits under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/103,862 filed 31 Aug. 2020, entitled “UNIVERSAL BUCKLE”, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. Additionally, any and all other provisional patent applications filed by the instant inventor, regardless as to whether they are pending or not, are similarly incorporated by reference in their respective entireties herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention herein pertains to a buckle, and more particularly pertains to a buckle having a keeper that is engaged with a mating member in a transverse orientation in addition to a secondary latching mechanism. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
     A buckle as generally thought of is a type of fastener used to releasably engage two (or more) lengths of material together, or two (or more) ends of a single length of material. Buckles are widely used on a diverse group of items such as, but not limited to, handbags, belts, shoes, luggage, straps, backpacks, briefcases, animal collars, watch bands and numerous other items. 
     Despite the numerous different buckle designs in the art, they generally fall into one of two basic categories: buckles that have only one functional component and buckles that have two functional components that mate together. Examples of the former include a typical belt buckle, for example, which might consist of a closed frame (typically in the shape of a rectangle, square or D-shape) with a centrally located tang or prong that is pivotally attached to the frame. The frame is fixed to one end of a web of material and the other end of material is passed through the frame and secured with the tang or prong, typically by inserting the tang into a predetermined opening in the web. A variation, often seen in western wear, has a large plate with a fixed prong on the back. The web of material is passed through a loop at the back of the plate and secured by placing the fixed prong into an opening in the web. Traditional military style belt buckles have a frame with a pin that moves in slots in the frame. The web of belting is passed between the pin and the frame. When tension is applied to the web, the web is captured between the pin and the frame. In each of these designs, only one end of the web has a functional component used to secure the web in place. 
     By contrast, two-component buckles are used in applications such as seat belts, safety harnesses, packs, messenger bags, tactical gear, etc. Two-component buckles have two mating components, one attached to each end of webbing. The mating components lock in place when brought together in mating engagement. A device such as a button, latch or spring detent is activated to release the buckle components from each other. In most of the two-component buckle designs, tension applied to the strap or webbing is transmitted directly to the latching mechanism keeping the parts connected together. These parts of the latch mechanism are often moving parts and the stress placed on them weakens the latch components. Moreover, many of the mechanisms used to unlatch the buckle are subject to inadvertent activation, which can cause unintentional release of the buckle components. 
     Thus, there is a need for a two-component buckle design that, when tension is applied to the web, transmits the force to more robust or structurally robust portions of the buckle. There is also a need for a two-component buckle design that helps to eliminate inadvertent opening of buckle components. 
     Thus, in view of the problems and disadvantages associated with prior art devices, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a two component buckle having a more robust connection means for the reduction of stress on the latching components. 
     It is another objective of the present invention to provide a two component buckle having a more robust connection means to prevent inadvertent activation. 
     It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a two component buckle having first and second latching mechanisms for stronger securement. 
     Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing, a two-component buckle having a male component and a female component adapted for mating engagement with one another. The female component has a longitudinal axis and a channel opening oriented transverse to the longitudinal axis. The male component has a keeper protrusion that fits within the channel in the female component as a primary mechanism to secure the male and female components together. Contained within the female component is a latching mechanism that has a latch pawl and a latching leg. The latch mechanism is biased toward the channel opening by a spring and the latching leg partially covers the channel opening to prevent the keeper protrusion from falling out during use. The latching mechanism also has an actuator that removes the latching leg from the channel opening upon urging of the actuator. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the two-component buckle according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a sectioned view of a preferred embodiment of the two-component buckle of the invention, shown in a latched condition. 
         FIGS. 3A through 3H  depict alternative embodiments of one or more portions of the two-component buckle according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND OPERATION OF THE INVENTION 
     For a better understanding of the invention and its operation, turning now to the drawings,  FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a preferred embodiment of the two-component buckle of the invention. The buckle  10  comprises a female component  12  and a male component  14 . As will be explained in more detail below, the female component  12  and the male component  14  can engage and release to fasten and unfasten the buckle  10 . 
     The female component  12  has a housing  16 . The housing  16  has a longitudinal axis  18  and a lateral axis  20  oriented generally perpendicular to one another. A yoke  22  is provided at one end of the housing  16 . The yoke  22  has a frame  24  attached to the housing and a keeper bar  26 . The keeper bar  26  is oriented parallel to the lateral axis  20  of the housing  16  and is spaced from the housing  16  to create an opening  28  between the keeper bar  26  and the housing  16 . The yoke  22  provides a point of attachment for the housing to be affixed to a web of material. In particular, a web of material (not shown) may be looped through the opening  28  and around the keeper bar  26  and secured, thus attaching the housing to the web. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the yoke  22  is connected to the housing  16  by a bridge section  30 , which has smaller exterior dimensions compared to either the yoke  22  or the housing  16  and provides a distinctive visual design element. However, the use of such a bridge  30  is not a necessary element of the invention. 
     A closed end bore  32  is provided at the mating end  44  of the housing  16  remote from the yoke  22 . The term “closed end bore” means that the bore is not a through bore, but rather has an open end  34  and a closed end  36  (see  FIG. 2 ). The bore  32 , in the embodiment shown, has a generally cylindrical configuration with a generally circular cross-section configuration. The longitudinal axis of the cylindrical bore  32  is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis  20  of the housing  16 . It should be noted that alternative embodiments of end bore  32  are contemplated within the scope of the instant invention, and while the closed end bore  32  described above is preferred, embodiments such as those depicted in  FIGS. 3D, 3E, and 3F  (or others) may be desirable as well. 
     Closed end bore  32  is in fluid communication with two separate channels—a parallel channel  38  and a transverse channel  40 . The parallel channel  38  is oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore  32  and lateral axis  20 . The parallel channel  38  defines a slotted opening on the mating end  44  of the housing  16 . A pair of protrusions  42 ,  42  are disposed on mating end  44  of housing  16 , with one protrusion  42  disposed on either side of the slotted opening defined by parallel channel  38 . 
     The transverse channel  40  is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the closed end bore  32  and parallel to the longitudinal axis  18  of the housing  16 . Transverse channel  40  is in fluid communication with the top  46  of housing  16 . A latch mechanism  48  is disposed within the transverse channel  40 . The latch mechanism  48  has a latch pawl  50 , which is an irregular shaped member with a latching leg  52  extending therefrom. The latch pawl  50  has a boss  54  extending from a rear surface thereof. A coil spring  56  fits over the boss  54  to bias the pawl  50  toward the mating end  44  of housing  16 . 
     Latching mechanism  48  is disposed within the transverse channel  40  for sliding movement between locked and unlocked positions, the locked position being shown in  FIG. 2 . A pair of pins  58 ,  58  fit within corresponding slots  60 ,  60  in the pawl  50  to secure the pawl  50  within the transverse channel  40 , yet still permit sliding movement of the pawl  50  within the transverse channel  40 . 
     Transverse channel  40 , as seen in  FIG. 2 , has a series of shoulders, providing transverse channel  40  with a step-like configuration. The first shoulder  80 , is located at the upper end of transverse channel  40  and adjacent to the top  46  of housing  16 . First shoulder  80  limits the rearward movement of pawl  50 . The second shoulder  82  is located just below first shoulder  80  and engages with the coil spring  56  to bias the pawl  50  and latching leg  52  toward the parallel channel  38  in mating end  44 . The third shoulder  84  is located just below second shoulder  82  and also limits the rearward movement of the pawl  50 . A forward wall  86 , located opposite the third shoulder  84 , limits the forward movement of the pawl  50 . Pins  58  riding in slots  60  further define the forward and rearward sliding movement of pawl  50  within the transverse channel  40 . 
     Additionally, or in the alternative, a modification to latching leg  52  may be made such that an alternative embodiment of the protrusion is configured (i.e. sized and shaped) to be received within a corresponding notch (by way of example, but not intended as a limitation, in embodiments of keeper element  72 ), such that the horizontal displacement of pawl  50  is limited as described above, but the vertical displacement is similarly limited, particularly in an instance where pins  58  may be insufficient to otherwise restrict said vertical displacement (not shown). 
     The male component  14  of buckle  10  has a yoke  62  having a U-shaped frame  64  and a transverse keeper bar  66 . The keeper bar  66  is spaced from and parallel to the vertical leg  68  of the yoke  62 , defining an opening  70  between the transverse keeper bar  66  and the vertical leg  68 . The yoke  62  provides a point of attachment for the male component  12  to be affixed to a web of material. In particular, a web of material (not shown) may be looped through the opening  70  and around the transverse keeper bar  66  and secured, thus attaching the male component  14  to the web. 
     Attached to the vertical leg  68  of frame  64  and remote from the keeper bar  66  is a keeper element  72 . The keeper element  72  is attached to the yoke  62  by way of a bridge element  74  formed between the keeper element  72  and the vertical leg  68  of the frame  64 . The bridge element  74  is narrower and shorter in dimensions than the vertical leg  68  and the keeper element  72 . In the embodiment shown, the keeper element  72  is a generally cylindrical member oriented parallel to the vertical leg  68  of the frame  64 . The cross-sectional size and shape of the keeper element  72  is selected to match the cross-sectional size and shape of the closed end bore  32  in the housing  16  of female component  12 . To facilitate insertion and removal of keeper element  72  into closed end bore  32 , the bottom end  76  of keeper element  72  may be provided with an angled face  78 . 
     To mate the female component  12  of the latch  10  with the male component  14 , the bottom end  76  of keeper element  72  is placed at the opening of the closed end bore  32  and the keeper element  72  is inserted into the bore  32 . To facilitate the insertion of the keeper element  72 , the pawl  50  may be moved rearward to move latching leg  52  away from the opening of the bore  32  by applying pressure against actuator knob  88 . This is particularly necessary if the latching leg  52  covers substantially the entire opening of closed-end bore  32  at the top  46  of housing  16 . However, if the latching leg  52  only partially covers the opening of the bore  32 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the act of inserting the keeper element  72  will cause the angled face  78  to contact with the latching leg  52  and force the latching leg  52  and pawl  50  to move against the bias of coil spring  56  and permit the keeper element  72  to be inserted into the bore  32 . Latching leg  52  may be provided with a rounded upper surface  90  as shown in  FIG. 2  to facilitate the rearward movement of latching pawl  50 . 
     When the keeper element  72  is being inserted into the bore  32 , the bridge element  74  will be located within the parallel channel  38  and sandwiched between the protrusions  42  located on either side of parallel channel  38 . Once the keeper element  72  is fully inserted into the closed end bore  32 , the coil spring  56  will bias the pawl  50  and latching leg  52  forward, placing the latching leg  52  over the opening of bore  32  and preventing keeper element  72  from being inadvertently disengaged from the bore  32 . To release the buckle, one must apply pressure to the actuator knob  88  to move the pawl against the bias of spring  56  to move the latching leg  52  away from the opening of the bore  32 . Once the latching leg  52  no longer obstructs the opening of bore  32 , the keeper element  72  can be removed from the bore and buckle is unlatched. 
     One or more alternative embodiments of mating end  44  or bore  32  and keeper element  72  are illustrated in  FIGS. 3A-3H . Although not exhaustively illustrated herein, it is intended that the structure and geometry of the respective keeper element  72  would substantially and cooperatively correspond with the associated mating end  44  of said bore  32 . Additionally, or in the alternative, it should be noted that bore  32 , previously described above as “closed” bore  32 , may in fact define a structure and geometry not only varied in shape, but also varied in terms of openness—which is to say that that open or through bore embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the instant invention as desirable. 
     The male and female components of the buckle may be formed from any suitable material, including synthetic polymers such as nylon, polycarbonate, ABS, etc. or from metals such as steel, aluminum, brass, bronze, etc. Techniques to form the components from such materials are well known to those skilled in the art, including injection molding, machining, casting, etc. The construction of the buckle permits to introduction of numerous design and ornamental features, such as graphics, colors, shapes, glow in the dark features, etc. 
     The embodiments shown in the preceding description are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. For example, in the embodiments, the housing of the female component is shown with a slight curvature. If the intended use of the buckle is on a belt, having a slight curvature of the components to correspond to the curvature of the abdomen may enhance comfort of the user. However, if the application of the buckle is for a bag or pack, the curvature of the components is generally not considered advantageous. Similarly, the keeper element and closed end bore are illustrated as having a generally circular cross-sectional shape. It is understood that, as long as the cross-sectional shape of these two features permits mating engagement, the actual cross-sectional shape is irrelevant. Thus, the cross-sectional shape can be circular, polygonal, star shaped, semi-circular or other desired shape. Similarly, while the embodiments shown utilize a closed end bore, it is also possible to use a through bore, with appropriate modifications (for example, an internal pin or stop member) to prevent the keeper element from passing completely through the bore. 
     The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.