Buckle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9907368-B2
Application number	US-201615297499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2016
Priority date	Nov 5, 2015
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a buckle including a plug member and a socket member, wherein the plug member includes lock arms and a guide rod located at a middle position between the lock arms, and the socket member includes a holder formed in a chamber so as to catch the lock arm. The guide rod is provided on the front end thereof with a holding member, and the socket member is centrally provided with a guide groove for the coupling of the guide rod and is also provided with a holding protrusion for the coupling of the holding member. As such, in addition to the coupling between the lock arm and the holder, another coupling structure is provided so as to prevent the buckle from being easily unfastened by unintentional external contact or pressure while ensuring convenient separation of the buckle with one hand as needed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A buckle comprising a plug member and a socket member separably connected to each other, the plug member including a base, a pair of lock arms protruding from the base so as to be elastically coupled to the socket member, and a guide rod protruding from the base at a middle position between the lock arms, and the socket member including an upper plate, a lower plate, and a sidewall connecting the upper plate and the lower plate to each other so as to define a chamber, a front end of which is open so that the lock arms are accommodated in the chamber, and the socket member further including a holder provided in the chamber so that each lock arm is fastened to the holder,
wherein the plug member is provided on a front end of each lock arm with an upwardly or downwardly protruding holding protrusion so that a push portion, which is pushed when attempting to separate the holding protrusion from the socket member, is located at a rear side of the holding protrusion,
wherein the socket member is provided in a middle portion thereof with an elongated guide groove for guiding the guide rod so that the chamber is divided into opposite chambers by the guide groove, each of the divided chambers being provided with upper and lower expanded holding portions for catching the holding protrusion when the plug member is completely coupled, and also being provided at an entrance side thereof with upper and lower entry slopes for guiding the holding protrusion so as to allow each lock arm to be inwardly constricted and introduced into the chamber, each entry slope being connected to the expanded holding portion, and
wherein the guide groove has rail grooves disposed in respective opposite inner side surfaces thereof, and the guide rod has guide ribs protruding from opposite side surfaces thereof so as to correspond to the rail grooves.

2. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein the chambers in the socket member are formed so as to extend a shorter length than the guide groove from opposite sides of a rear end of the guide groove.

3. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein the holding protrusion and the expanded holding portion have curved contact surfaces so as to come into close contact with each other.

4. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein each lock arm has an outer side surface, a middle portion of which protrudes outward, and the push portion is formed so as to be inclined inward on a rear portion of the outer side surface.

5. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein the guide groove is provided on an upper end or a lower end of each of opposite outer side surfaces thereof with a protruding guide portion for guiding the holding protrusion of the lock arm.

6. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein the plug member or the socket member includes an elevating rail holder provided on a rear end thereof.

7. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein the plug member or the socket member includes a loop provided on a rear end thereof so as to hold and fix a hose connected to a water bottle.

8. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein the plug member or the socket member has a rear end configured to enable connection of a whistle.

9. A buckle comprising a plug member and a socket member separably connected to each other in a coupling direction, the plug member including a base, a pair of lock arms protruding from the base so as to be elastically coupled to the socket member, and a guide rod protruding from the base at a middle position between the lock arms, and the socket member including an upper plate, a lower plate, and a sidewall connecting the upper plate and the lower plate to each other so as to define a chamber, a front end of which is open so that the lock arms are accommodated in the chamber, and the socket member further including a holder provided in the chamber so that each lock arm is fastened to the holder,
wherein the plug member is provided on a front end of each lock arm with a holding protrusion so that a push portion, which is pushed when attempting to separate the holding protrusion from the socket member, is located at a rear side of the holding protrusion, and the guide rod is provided with a first magnet in one end thereof,
wherein the socket member is provided in a middle portion thereof with an elongated guide groove for guiding the guide rod so that the chamber is divided into opposite chambers by the guide groove, each chamber being provided with an expanded holding portion for catching the holding protrusion when the plug member is completely coupled, and also being provided at an entrance side thereof with an entry slope for guiding the holding protrusion so as to allow each lock arm to be inwardly constricted and introduced into the chamber, the entry slope being connected to the expanded holding portion, and the guide groove is provided with a second magnet, which corresponds to the first magnet of the guide rod, so that the guide rod is strongly guided into and attached to the guide groove by magnetic force of the magnets when the plug member and the socket member are brought close to each other, and
wherein the first magnet of the plug member and the second magnet of the socket member are configured to coincide transversely to the coupling direction.

10. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the holding protrusion of each lock arm is not coupled to the expanded holding portion of the socket member in an attached state in which the first magnet of the plug member and the second magnet of the socket member are magnetically attached so as to coincide with each other, and wherein the holding protrusion of the lock arm is completely coupled to the expanded holding portion of the socket member when the plug member is further pushed in the coupling direction from the attached state such that the magnets do not coincide with each other.

11. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the chambers in the socket member are formed so as to extend a shorter length than the guide groove from opposite sides of a rear end of the guide groove.

12. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the holding protrusion and the expanded holding portion have curved contact surfaces so as to come into close contact with each other.

13. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein each lock arm has an outer side surface, a middle portion of which protrudes outward, and the push portion is formed so as to be inclined inward on a rear portion of the outer side surface.

14. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the guide groove has rail grooves formed in respective opposite inner side surfaces thereof, and the guide rod has guide ribs protruding from opposite side surfaces thereof so as to correspond to the rail grooves.

15. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the guide groove is provided on an upper end or a lower end of each of opposite outer side surfaces thereof with a protruding guide portion for guiding the holding protrusion of the lock arm.

16. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the plug member or the socket member includes an elevating rail holder provided on a rear end thereof.

17. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the plug member or the socket member includes a loop provided on a rear end thereof so as to hold and fix a hose connected to a water bottle.

18. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the plug member or the socket member has a rear end configured to enable connection of a whistle.

19. The buckle according to claim 9 , wherein the plug member or the socket member includes a strap connect

Assignees

• Woojin Plastic Co Ltd

Inventors

• Paik Jisook
• Paik Nan Hee
• Paik Ji Hye
• Son Ji Won

Classifications

• A44B11/266 Primary

  with at least one push-button acting parallel to the main plane of the buckle and perpendicularly to the direction of the fastening action · CPC title

• A41F1/002

  Magnetic fastening devices · CPC title

• A44D2201/00

  Fastening by snap action · CPC title

• A44B11/005

  Buckles combined with other articles, e.g. with receptacles · CPC title

• A44D2201/30

  Socket member · CPC title