Patent Publication Number: US-11019887-B1

Title: Belt buckle

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a belt buckle, and more particularly to an easy-to-use belt buckle. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Currently, the conventional belt buckle structure is composed of a belt and a belt buckle. One end of the belt is fixed the belt buckle, so that the free end of the belt can be passed through the belt buckle and fixed by the belt buckle. A ratchet plate is attached to the inner edge of the end of the belt and corresponding with the locking plate of the belt buckle, and the ratchet plate with different tooth positions can to control the position of the belt. In order to release the belt, the locking plate needs to be pushed to release the ratchet plate from the belt, so that the belt can be smoothly pulled away from the belt buckle. However, it is not difficult to find out that there are still some shortcomings in the conventional structure. The main reason is as follows: When the belt is passed through the belt buckle, the belt buckle is subject to the linkage between the belt and the locking plate and causes the belt buckle to move, and the movement of the belt buckle cause inconvenience in use. 
     Therefore, it is desirable to provide a belt buckle to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An objective of present invention is to a belt buckle, which is capable of improving the above-mention problems. 
     In order to achieve the above mentioned objective, belt buckle has: 
     a main body having a front piece and two side pieces paired and connected with each other, an end of each side piece having a front opening, another end of each side piece having a rear opening, the two side pieces respectively having a shaft hole adjacent to the rear opening and accepting a shaft rod, each side piece further having a stopping portion and an arced edge around the shaft hole; 
     a rotatable shaft assembly having an upper rotating member and a lower rotating member, ends of the upper rotating member both the respectively having a first pivoting end pivoted with the shaft rod, the upper rotating member further having a toothed portion facing the front piece and a first stopping portion disposed opposite the toothed portion; ends of the lower rotating member respectively having a second pivoting end pivoted with the shaft rod to combine the upper rotating member with the lower rotating member; one side of the lower rotating member further having a second stopping portion, another side of the lower rotating member further having an engaging bar configured to slide along the stopping portion and the arced edge; 
     an elastic member disposed between the upper rotating member and the lower rotating member, the elastic member having a first elastic arm and a second elastic arm, the first elastic arm pushing against the first stopping portion of the upper rotating member to cause the toothed portion to face the front piece, the second elastic arm pushing against the second stopping portion of the lower rotating member to cause the engaging bar to face the stopping portion; and 
     a controlling member surrounding the front piece of the main body and having two controlling ends corresponding to the shaft holes of the side pieces, the two controlling ends pivoted onto the shaft rod adjacent to the side pieces, the controlling end configured to push the engaging bar to rotate the rotatable shaft assembly to turn the toothed portion. 
     Other objects, advantages, and novel features of invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a three-dimensional exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is another three-dimensional exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the use state of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is another sectional view of the state of use of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is another cross-sectional view of the state of use of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     First, please refer to  FIGS. 1-3 . A belt buckle comprises: a main body  10 , a rotatable shaft assembly  20 , an elastic member  30  and a controlling member  40 . The main body  10  has a front piece  11  and two side pieces  12  paired and connected with each other. The front piece  11  is provided with patterns, drawings, letters or designs, as shown in  FIG. 8 , and also a tongue  111 . The main body  10  is presented as a faux tongue style. An end of each side piece  12  has a front opening  13 , and another end of each side piece  12  has a rear opening  14 . The two side pieces  12  respectively have a shaft hole  121  adjacent to the rear opening  14  and accepting a shaft rod  15 . Each side piece  12  further has a stopping portion  122  and an arced edge  123  around the shaft hole  121 . The rotatable shaft assembly  20  has an upper rotating member  21  and a lower rotating member  22 . Ends of the upper rotating member  21  both respectively having a first pivoting end  211  pivoted with the shaft rod  15 . The upper rotating member  21  further has a toothed portion  212  facing the front piece  11 , and a first stopping portion  213  is disposed opposite the toothed portion  212 . Ends of the lower rotating member  22  both respectively has a second pivoting end  221  pivoted with the shaft rod  15  to combine the upper rotating member  21  with the lower rotating member  22 . One side of the lower rotating member  22  has a second stopping portion  222 , and member further having an engaging bar configured to slide along the stopping portion and the arced edge lower rotating member  22  further have an engaging bar  223  configured to slide along the stopping portion  122  and the arced edge  123 . An elastic member  30  is disposed between the upper rotating member  21  and the lower rotating member  22 . The elastic member  30  has a first elastic arm  311  and a second elastic arm  321 .   the first elastic arm  311  pushes against the first stopping portion  213  of the upper rotating member  21  to cause the toothed portion  212  to face the front piece  11 . The second elastic arm  321  pushes against the second stopping portion  222  of the lower rotating member  22  to cause the engaging bar  223  to face the stopping portion  122 . The elastic member  30  further has a first spring  31 , a second spring  32  and a separating member  33 . The separating member  33  is sandwiched between the first spring  31  and the second spring  32 , the first elastic arm  311  is disposed on the first spring  31  away from an end of the separating member  33 , and the second elastic arm  321  is disposed on the second spring  32  away from another end the separating member  33 . The first spring  31  stronger or stiffer than the second spring  32 . The controlling member  40  surrounds the front piece  11  of the main body  10  and has two controlling ends  41  corresponding to the shaft hole  121  of the side piece  12 . The two controlling ends  41  are pivoted onto the shaft rod  15  adjacent to the side piece  12 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the controlling member  40  is provided with a tongue  42  such that the main body  10  has a faux tongue style. The controlling end  41  is configured to push the engaging bar  223  to rotate the rotatable shaft assembly  20  to turn the toothed portion  212 . The main body  10  further comprises a connecting portion  16  at the rear opening  14 , the connecting portion  16  is attached with a belt  17 , and an end of the belt  17  passes through the front opening  13  and the rear opening  14  such that the toothed portion  212  of the upper rotating member  21  locks the belt  17 . 
     For the structure assembly, please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 . The separating member  33  of the elastic member  30  is sandwiched between the first spring  31  and the second spring  32 . The elastic member  30  is installed in the upper rotating member  21  and the lower rotating member  22  of the rotatable shaft assembly  20 , such that the first elastic arm  311  of the first spring  31  elastically presses the first stopping portion  213  of the upper rotating member  21 , and the second elastic arm  321  of the second spring  32  presses the second stopping portion  222  of the lower rotating member  22 . The relative compressions applied on the separating member  33  by the first spring  31  and the second spring  32  allows the rotatable shaft assembly  20  to have suitable and controllable elasticity, then the combination of the elastic member  30  and the rotatable shaft assembly  20  is disposed between the two side piece  12  of the main body  10 , and the shaft rod  15  is passed through the shaft hole  121  of the side piece  12 , the first pivoting end  211  of the upper rotating member  21 , the second pivoting end  221  of the lower rotating member  22 , the first spring  31 , the separating member  33  and the second spring  32 . Therefore, the rotatable shaft assembly  20  and the elastic member  30  are passed through the main body  10 , the toothed portion  212  the upper rotating member  21  is turned toward to the front piece  11  of the belt buckle  10 , and the engaging bar  223  of the lower rotating member  22  pushes against the stopping portion  122  of the side piece  12 . Finally, the controlling member  40  is placed on the front piece  11  of the belt buckle  10 , the shaft rod  15  is passed through the two controlling ends  41  of the controlling member  40 , and the connecting portion  16  of the main body  10  is connected to the belt  17 . 
     For the effect of actual use, please refer to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 7 . Before been used, the first elastic arm  311  of the first spring  31  elastically pushes against the first stopping portion  213  of the upper rotating member  21 , and the second elastic arm  321  of the second spring  32  elastically pushes against the second stopping portion  222  of the lower rotating member  22 . The first spring  31  and the second spring  32  are squeezed in the middle of the separating member  33  together, to form the relative elastic force for the first elastic arm  311  and the second elastic arm  321 , the toothed portion  212  of the upper rotating member  21  is swung toward the front piece  11  of the main body  10 , and the engaging bar  223  of the lower rotating member  22  is pressed against the stopping portion  122  of the side piece  12 . Meanwhile, the upper rotating member  21  is blocked by the lower rotating member  22  to limit the upper edge of the toothed portion  212 . Furthermore, when the belt  17  is passed through the front opening  13  of the main body  10  and pushes the toothed portion  212  to rotate towards to the rear opening  14  against the spring force of the first spring  31  and push away the toothed portion  212  to rotate the lower rotating member  22  synchronously, so that the engaging bar  223  slides the arced edge  123  of the side piece  12  and the belt  17  can be smoothly passed out of the rear opening  14 , and then the belt  17  is locked by the toothed portion  212  to form a reverse bite. Moreover, when the belt  17  is passed through the main body  10 , the toothed portion  212  is pushed to rotate the upper rotating member  21 , the engaging bar  223  slides along the arced edge  123  of the side piece  12 , while the rotatable shaft assembly  20  and the elastic member  30  are rotating, the controlling end  401  of the controlling member  40  is not affected by the engaging bar  223 . Therefore, the controlling member  40  holds still when the belt  17  is passed, which allows the belt  17  to be passed easily. Alternatively, when the belt  17  needs to be removed, the controlling member  40  is pushed to rotate around the shaft rod  15  and the controlling end  41  pushes the engaging bar  223  of the rotatable shaft assembly  20 , thereby simultaneously the toothed portion  212  of the upper rotating member  21  is pushed open to releases the toothed portion  212  from the belt  17 , and the belt  17  can be easily pulled away from the main body  10 . 
     With the structure of the above specific embodiment, the following benefits can also be obtained: the first elastic arm  311  of the first spring  31  elastically pushes on the first stopping portion  213  of the upper rotating member  21 , the second elastic arm  321  of the second spring  32  elastically pushes against the second stopping portion  222  of the lower rotating member  22 , and the first spring  31  and the second spring  32  sandwich the separating member  33  in-between to provide elastic force to the first elastic arm  311  and the second elastic arm  321 . Since the first spring  31  is stronger than the second spring  32 , the first elastic arm  311  provides a stronger thrust on the upper rotating member  21 , the elastic member  30  assembled in the rotatable shaft assembly  20  is capable of generating sufficient thrust force. Therefore, the overall structure is simplified, and the elastic member  30  is effectively protected for more stable movement which improves its durability. 
     Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of invention as hereinafter claimed.