Abstract:
An improved structure of ring buckle of bicycle saddle bag is provided for easily mounting a saddle bag to a bicycle saddle, including a saddle bag, a mounting strap or a mounting pad, and a fastening strap. The fastening strap is wrapped around to form a ring buckle for coupling with a seat tube of a bicycle saddle. The mounting strap or the mounting pad is mounted to a front side of the saddle bag so as to form an extend-through section on the front side of the saddle bag. The fastening strap is partially received in the extend-through section so that the ring buckle formed by the fastening strap is movable up and down on the front side of the saddle bag to adjust the mounting angle of the ring buckle for protecting stretching and deformation of the saddle bag caused by improper mounting angle.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention generally relates to an improved structure of ring buckle of bicycle saddle bag, and more particularly to a ring buckle that allows of adjustment of mounting angle of a saddle bag mounted to a bicycle seat tube in order to protect the saddle bag from being stretched, deformed, and thus damaged due to an incorrect mounting angle. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0002]    Besides exercise and body building, bicycles also comply with the trend of environmental conservation and energy saving and are thus always favorable to the public. The prevailing of bicycle exercise brings about developments of versatile bicycle accessories, some of which are used to carry and store articles on the bicycles, such as a bag or a basket. Taking the bicycle bag as an example, the bag can be mounted to different portions of a bicycle and is thus known of different names. For example, a bicycle bag that is mounted under a bicycle saddle is known as a “saddle bag”; a bag mounted to a rear rack is referred to as a “pannier” or a “rack bag”, and a bag mounted to a bicycle handlebar is named a “handlebar bag ” or a “handlebar basket”. Mounting a saddle bag to a bicycle has an advantage of providing a storage space when the bicycle is being ridden outdoors, whereby a cyclist can deposit small articles, such as mobile phones, changes, tools, and keys in the saddle bag to improve the convenience of bicycle riding. 
         [0003]    A conventional saddle bag has a structure that comprises a fastening strap having a buckle ring fixed at an end. The fastening strap is wrapped around a bicycle seat tube and an end of the strap is extended through the buckle ring to fix and thus forming a ring buckle system that secures the saddle bag under the bicycle saddle and provides protection against shocks and vibrations occurring in bicycle riding. The strap of the conventionally structured ring buckle system is attached to the saddle bag through sewing so that the strap cannot be moved and adjusted as desired. When a specific saddle bag is mounted under a bicycle saddle of different style, the saddle bag often needs to be stretched and deformed and even damaged due to unmatched mounting angle. 
         [0004]    Apparently, the known mounting structure of the bicycle saddle bags is generally imperfect and the present invention aims to improve the imperfection. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an extend-through structure on a saddle bag in order to adjust the mounting angel of a ring buckle formed by a fastening strap in order to cope with any needs for mounting the saddle bag under a bicycle saddle and protect the saddle bag against undesired stretch and deformation and thus damage. 
         [0006]    To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a structure comprising a saddle bag, a mounting strap, and a fastening strap. The features are that the mounting strap has two ends that are mounted to a front side of a saddle bag to form an extend-through section. The fastening strap is received in the extend-through section. The fastening strap has an end forming a ring and an opposite end that extends through the ring and is subsequently jointed back to the fastening strap. The fastening strap is mounted to a seat tube of bicycle saddle to form a ring buckle, which is movable on the front side of the saddle bag to selectively set an optimum mounting angle between the ring buckle and the seat tube of the bicycle saddle. 
         [0007]    Alternatively, the fastening strap is replaced by a rubber pull tab buckle device. 
         [0008]    The present invention may alternatively provide a structure that comprises a saddle bag, a mounting pad, and a fastening strap. The features are that the mounting pad is mounted to a front side of the saddle bag. The mounting pad forms an extend-through section, in which the fastening strap is received and coupled. The fastening strap is mounted to a seat tube of bicycle saddle to form a ring buckle, which is movable on the front side of the saddle bag to selectively set an optimum mounting angle between the ring buckle and the seat tube of the bicycle saddle in order to cope with any needs for mounting the saddle bag under a bicycle saddle and protect the saddle bag against undesired stretch and deformation and thus damage and also shows a more appealing aesthetic visual perception. 
         [0009]    The mounting pad comprises a sheet made of plastics. The sheet forms a raised section. The raised section has two side walls in which through slots are formed and communicate with each other to form the extend-through section. 
         [0010]    As an alternative, the mounting pad comprises a sheet made of leather, the sheet forming cut slits in two opposite side portions thereof to define the extend-through section. 
         [0011]    The foregoing objectives and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts. 
         [0012]    Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the first embodiment of the present invention in an assembled form. 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating selective movement of a ring buckle formed by a fastening strap on a saddle bag. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view showing a fastening strap of the first embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of  FIG. 4  in an assembled form. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a mounting strap is provided for coupling a rubber pull tab buckle device. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  illustrates the second embodiment of the present invention mounted under a saddle. 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8   a  is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting pad of the third embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of  FIG. 8  in an assembled form. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is an exploded view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of  FIG. 10  in an assembled form. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view illustrating the embodiment of  FIG. 10  secured through sewing. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 
         [0027]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the present invention provides a structure that comprises a saddle bag  10 , a mounting strap  20 , and a fastening strap  30 . The mounting strap  20  is attached to a front side of the saddle bag  10  so that an extend-through section  21  (see  FIG. 2 ) is formed between the saddle bag  10  and the mounting strap  20 . The extend-through section  21  receives the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough and thus allows the fastening strap  30  to do positional adjustment in a vertical direction on the front side of the saddle bag  10  thereby facilitating the mounting of the saddle bag  10  under a saddle of bicycle. 
         [0028]    As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the mounting strap  20  is fixed in a substantially vertical manner by sewing upper and lower ends thereof to the saddle bag  10  or is fixed to the front side of the saddle bag  10  by means of other suitable means, such as hot pressing or adhesives, so as to form an extend-through section  21  between the saddle bag  10  and the mounting strap  20 . 
         [0029]    The fastening strap  30  is received in and extends through the extend-through section  21 . The fastening strap  30  has an end forming a loop section  31  that couples a ring  32  having an inside diameter at least sufficient for the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough. The fastening strap  30  has a surface forming a hook-and-loop fastening material based fastening surface  33 . An opposite end of the fastening strap  30  is provided with an engaging section  34  that is attachable to and thus releasably fixed to the fastening surface  33 . 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , said opposite end of the fastening strap  30  is put through the ring  32  and backward folded and sewn to have the engaging section  34  and the fastening surface  33  tightly engaging each other thereby securing and preventing said opposite end of the fastening strap  30  from slipping of In this way, the fastening strap  30  forms a ring buckle that has an adjustable inside diameter and the size of which can be fixed after the adjustment is done. To use, the ring buckle formed by the fastening strap  30  can be fit over and thus wrapping around a seat tube under the bicycle saddle to securely fix the saddle bag  10 . 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the present invention provides an extend-through section  21 , which besides receiving the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough, allows the fastening strap  30  to selectively move up and down along the mounting strap  20  on the front side of the saddle bag  10  due to the extend-through section  21  having a length that exceeds width of the fastening strap  30  by a predetermined distance so that the mounting angle where fastening is to be done can be adjusted to eliminate the undesired situation of stretching and thus deforming the saddle bag  10  due to improper or unmatched mounting angle. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, in which the fastening strap of the saddle bag  10  is modified in such a way that the fastening strap  30   a  comprises a constraint plate  50  mounted, through sewing, to a surface thereof that is opposite to the surface of the fastening strap that forms the fastening surface and the engaging section, namely the surface of the fastening strap  30   a  that opposes to and in engagement with the mounting strap  20 . The constraint plate  50  is arranged substantially horizontally along the fastening strap and has two ends that are fixed to the surface of the fastening strap  30   a  by means of sewing or other fixing means, such as hot pressing and adhesive. This forms an extend-through section  51   a  between the fastening strap  30   a  and the constraint plate  50  to receive the mounting strap  20  to extend therethrough, so as to limit horizontal displacement of the fastening strap  30   a  and prevent the fastening strap  30   a  from undesired separation when the ring buckle has not yet been formed or not in use. 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in another embodiment of the present invention, the fastening strap is replaced by a rubber pull tab based buckle device  60 . The buckle device  60  comprises a base  61 , which has an end forming a hook  62  and an opposite end forming a rubber pull ring  63 . The base  61  extends through the extend-through section  21  below the mounting strap  20 . Similarly, in fastening the rubber pull tab buckle device  60  to the seat tube  41  under the bicycle saddle  40  (as shown in  FIG. 7 ), the buckle device is allowed of free adjustment in the vertical direction to reach an optimum position where the saddle bag  10  can be securely fixed. 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIGS. 8 ,  8   a , and  9 , a further embodiment of the present invention is shown, which comprises a saddle bag  10 , a mounting pad  20   a,  and a fastening strap  30 . The mounting pad  20   a  is attached to a front side of the saddle bag  10  and the mounting pad  20   a  forms an extend-through section A that receives the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough so as to set the fastening strap  30  on the front side of the saddle bag  10  in an extend-through fashion for free movement up and down for adjustment purposes thereby allowing the saddle bag  10  to be easily mounted under the bicycle saddle. 
         [0035]    The mounting pad  20   a  comprises a thin plate or sheet integrally made of plastics, which is bendable to comply with the curve of the front side of the saddle bag  10 . Alternatively, a plastic injection molding can be made to show a curved configuration corresponding to the curve of the front side of the saddle bag  10 . The mounting pad  20   a  comprises a raised section  21   a,  which has two side walls in which through slots  22  are formed and communicate with each other to collectively define an extend-through section A (see  FIG. 8   a ). Further, the plate or sheet of the mounting pad  20   a  forms through holes  23  in corners thereof to receive rivets  24  extending therethrough to fix to the saddle bag  10 . 
         [0036]    When the fastening strap  30  is extended through the extend-through section A, one end of the fastening strap  30  forms a loop section  31  that couples to a ring  32  having an inside diameter at least sufficient to receive the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough. The fastening strap  30  has a surface forming a hook-and-loop fastening material based fastening surface  33 . An opposite end of the fastening strap  30  is provided with an engaging section  34  that is attachable to and thus releasably fixed to the fastening surface  33 . 
         [0037]    To use, the fastening strap  30  is inserted through the extend-through section A of the mounting pad  20   a  and the inserted end is extended through the ring  32  and backward folded and sewn to have the engaging section  34  and the fastening surface  33  tightly engaging each other thereby securing and preventing the end of the fastening strap  30  from slipping off. In this way, the fastening strap  30  forms a ring buckle that has an adjustable inside diameter. The ring buckle formed by the fastening strap  30  can be fit over and thus wrapping around a seat tube under the bicycle saddle to securely fix the saddle bag  10 . 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , in the instant embodiment, the extend-through section A can receive the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough and allows the fastening strap  30  to selectively move up and down on the front side of the saddle bag  10  due to the extend-through section A having a length that exceeds width of the fastening strap  30  so that the mounting angle where fastening is to be done can be adjusted to eliminate the undesired situation of stretching and thus deforming the saddle bag  10  due to improper or unmatched mounting angle 
         [0039]    As shown in  FIGS. 10-12 , a further embodiment is shown, in which the material that makes the mounting pad is changed. In the instant embodiment, the mounting pad  20   b  comprises a thin plate or sheet made of leather. The sheet forms a cut slit  25  in each of two opposite side portions thereof to define an extend-through section A for receiving the fastening strap  30  to extend therethrough. The cut slits  25  have a length greater than width of the fastening strap  30  so that the fastening strap  30  is retained on the front side of the saddle bag  10  in an extend-through manner and is allowed to move up and down along the mounting pad  20   b  to realize adjustment of mounting angle at the fastening site. 
         [0040]    In the instant embodiment, the mounting pad  20   b  similarly forms through holes  23  in corners thereof to receive rivets  24  to extend therethrough for fixing to the saddle bag  10  (see  FIG. 10 ). Alternatively, sewing can be made along edges of the mounting pad  20   b  to secure the sheet to the saddle bag  10  (see  FIG. 12 ). 
         [0041]    In summary, the present invention provides an extend-through structure on a saddle bag to realize adjustment of the mounting angle of a ring buckle system formed by the fastening strap in order to cope with any needs for mounting the saddle bag under a bicycle saddle and protect the saddle bag against undesired stretch and deformation and thus damage. 
         [0042]    It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. 
         [0043]    While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without