Patent Publication Number: US-2011072560-A1

Title: Low profile belt buckle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 61/122,588, filed on Dec. 15, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to belts, and more particularly to a low-profile belt buckle. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     Waist belts have been around for centuries, and are typically used to secure a pair of pants or shorts around a wearer&#39;s waist. Conventional belts are comprised of a belt strap, a multi-part buckle, and frequently ornamentation on the belt strap itself. Most conventional belts are design to be a fashionable accompaniment to the wearer&#39;s outfit, and as such are designed to be visible when worn. However, some people prefer a more discrete look, and would rather the belt and belt buckle to be as thin and discrete as possible. Few belts offer this type of accommodation. 
     On such prior art device, taught in US Pat. No. D286,581 to Panth on Nov. 11, 1986, includes a belt buckle fixed at one end to one end of a belt strap, and selectively at another end to a selected aperture in the other end of the belt strap. While the buckle and belt strap of such a device may each be made relatively thin to provide a discrete appearance when worn, the other end of the belt strap may rotate with respect to the buckle and as a result become dislodged inadvertently. 
     A similar drawback exists in the buckle disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,923 to Mackey on Jun. 11, 1985. The distal end of the belt strap is not rotationally fixed by the buckle with respect to the opposing buckle end of the belt strap. As a result, the distal end of the belt strap may easily become dislodged from the securing pin of the belt buckle of such a device. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 1,566,104 to Knothe on May 9, 1924, teaches another prior art belt device that includes in its FIG. 4 a buckle member that appears to show a buckle portion having a pin proximate one end and a belt retaining means proximate the other end. However, this type of device is comprised of multiple parts, and the distal end of the belt is directed by the buckle over the opposing buckle end of the belt in an indiscrete manner. Further, such a device is necessarily relatively thick and bulky. 
     Therefore, there is a need for a belt device that can be made from just two parts, making it relatively inexpensive. Further, such a needed belt could be made relatively thin so as to provide a discrete appearance to the wearer. Moreover, such a needed invention would securely be held in place on the wearer, the opposing ends of the belt strap rotationally fixed so as to prevent inadvertent dislodging of the belt from the wearer. The present invention accomplishes these objectives. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present device is a waist belt for a wearer. A belt strap has a first end and a second end. The send end has at least one axially-aligned aperture proximate therewith therethrough. A buckle is fixed with the first end of the belt strap and has an inner face and an outer face. The inner face further includes a pin projecting away therefrom and that is adapted to retain the second end of the belt strap thereon through any one of the at least one apertures. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the buckle further includes a receptor for receiving the second end of the belt strap therethrough and facilitating parallel axial alignment of each end of the belt strap when the second end of the belt strap is engaged with the pin of the buckle. The receptor directs the second end of the belt strap under the first end of the belt strap when the second end of the belt strap is inserted therethrough. 
     As such, with the belt encircling the wearer and with the at least one aperture of the second end of the belt strap engaged with the pin of the buckle, the belt strap lies substantially flat against the wearer. The second end of the belt strap, if extending past the buckle during use, rests between the wearer and the first end of the belt strap, substantially out of sight. 
     The present invention is a belt device that is made from a minimum of two parts, the belt strap and the buckle, making it relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Further, the present invention may be formed relatively thin so as to provide a discrete appearance to the wearer. Moreover, the present device may be securely held in place on the wearer, the opposing ends of the belt strap rotationally fixed so as to prevent inadvertent dislodging of the belt from the wearer. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the invention as worn by a person; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial rear perspective thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view thereof, taken generally along lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an alternate partial rear perspective thereof; and 
         FIG. 5  is yet another alternate rear perspective view thereof. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments. 
     Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below” and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. Any use of the word “means” herein is intended to invoke means-plus-function limitation in accordance with 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, even if the word “means” follows words describing the function. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a waist belt  10  for a wearer  20 . A belt strap  30  has a first end  32  and a second end  38 . The send end  38  has at least one axially-aligned aperture  40  proximate therewith therethrough. The belt strap  30  may be made from leather, plastic, vinyl, textiles, or other suitable relatively inelastic yet flexible materials. 
     A buckle  50  is fixed with the first end  32  of the belt strap  30 . The buckle  50  has an inner face  52  ( FIGS. 3 and 5 ), and an outer face  58  ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ). The inner face  52  is concave and the outer face  38  is convex such that the buckle  50  has a slight curvature that conforms at least partially to the wearer&#39;s body. The buckle  50  may be made of rigid plastic, metal, or other suitable material. In embodiments wherein the buckle  50  is molded form a plastic material, the first end  32  of the belt strap  30  may be stitched with sew threads  80  to the buckle  50  ( FIGS. 1 and 4 ). Alternately, the first end  32  of the belt strap  30  may be adhered with an adhesive  90  ( FIG. 3 ), ultrasonically welded, or otherwise fixed to the belt in a suitable manner to provide durable joining thereof. In such an embodiment, the device  10  is comprised of only two parts, the belt strap  30  and the buckle  50 , making such a device relatively inexpensive to manufacture. 
     The inner face  52  further includes a pin  60  projecting away therefrom and that is adapted to retain the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  thereon through any one of the at least one apertures  40 . 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the buckle  50  further includes a receptor  70  ( FIGS. 2-5 ) for receiving the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  therethrough and facilitating parallel axial alignment of each end  32 , 38  of the belt strap  30  when the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  is engaged with the pin  60  of the buckle  50 . The receptor  70  directs the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  under the first end  32  of the belt strap  30  when the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  is inserted therethrough. The pin  60  is preferably J-shaped and projects away from the inner face  52  of the buckle  50  and the receptor  70  of the buckle  50 . The receptor  70  further facilitates keeping the belt strap  30  fixed to the pin  60 , preventing the belt strap  30  from rotating thereon. As such, removing the belt strap  30  from the pin  60  takes an overt effort of the wearer  20 . 
     As such, with the belt  10  encircling the wearer  20  and with the at least one aperture  40  of the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  engaged with the pin  60  of the buckle  50 , the belt strap  30  lies substantially flat against the wearer  20 . The second end  38  of the belt strap  30 , if extending past the buckle  50  during use, rests between the wearer  20  and the first end  32  of the belt strap  30 , substantially out of sight. In one embodiment, when the second end  38  of the belt strap  30  is engaged with the pin  60  of the buckle  50 , each end  32 , 38  of the belt strap  30  is mutually coaxially aligned (not shown). The buckle  50  is preferably relatively thin, such as 3/16 of an inch. As the belt strap  30  itself may also be made to be relatively thin, such as 1/16 of an inch, the resulting device  10  may be discretely worn under a shirt, for example, without an outline of the buckle  50  evident. 
     While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the shape of the pin  60  may be modified, and more than one pin  60  may be included provided a corresponding number of cooperative belt apertures  40  are likewise included. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims. 
     Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention. 
     The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
     All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention. 
     Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above “Detailed Description.”While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. 
     In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims. 
     While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention.