U.S. patent application number 10/704202 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-15 for throat height adjustment in a belt loop or belt clip.
Invention is credited to Gregory, Thomas M., Kincaid, Robert.
Application Number | 20040134945 10/704202 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32312828 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040134945 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kincaid, Robert ; et
al. |
July 15, 2004 |
Throat height adjustment in a belt loop or belt clip
Abstract
A belt hanger, such as a belt clip or belt loop, includes a body
having opposing inner and outer walls extending downwardly from a
bridge portion and defining a throat opening for receiving a user's
belt or waistband. A keeper is movably mounted to the body below
the bridge portion to form an adjustable lower boundary of the
throat opening. The body preferably includes a set of vertically
spaced engagement features, such as notches or detents, that are
sized for engagement with corresponding lock features of the keeper
to facilitate adjustment and positioning of the keeper at a
selected one of several possible vertical positions, without the
use of tools.
Inventors: |
Kincaid, Robert; (Bozeman,
MT) ; Gregory, Thomas M.; (Belgrade, MT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
STOEL RIVES LLP
900 SW FIFTH AVENUE
SUITE 2600
PORTLAND
OR
97204
US
|
Family ID: |
32312828 |
Appl. No.: |
10/704202 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60424538 |
Nov 6, 2002 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
224/269 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 5/021 20130101;
A45F 5/02 20130101; A45F 5/102 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/269 |
International
Class: |
A45F 005/00 |
Claims
1. A belt hangar, comprising: a body including opposing inner and
outer walls and a bridge member spanning between the inner and
outer walls; and a keeper movably supported on the body and
extending between the inner and outer walls distal from the bridge
member, the inner wall, the outer wall, and the keeper bordering a
throat opening adapted to receive a belt or a waistband, the keeper
being selectively movable along at least one of the inner and outer
walls to adjust the size of the throat opening.
2. A belt hangar according to claim 1, further comprising: a set of
engagement features spaced apart along the body; and a
corresponding locking member operably associated with the keeper
and adapted to interlock with the engagement features at multiple
discrete positions for adjusting the position of the keeper.
3. A belt hangar according to claim 1, wherein the body is formed
by injection molding.
4. A belt hangar according to claim 1, further comprising a track
for guiding the movement of the keeper.
5. A belt hangar according to claim 4, wherein the track extends
along one of the inner and outer walls.
6. A belt hangar according to claim 5, wherein the keeper includes
a channel that fits the track for slidably supporting the keeper on
the track.
7. A belt hangar according to claim 4, further comprising: a set of
engagement features spaced apart along the track and associated
with one of the body and the keeper; and a corresponding locking
member associated with the other of the body and the keeper, the
locking member adapted to interlock with the engagement features at
multiple discrete positions along the track for adjusting the
position of the keeper.
8. A belt hangar according to claim 1, wherein the body is formed
of unitary one-piece construction.
9. A belt hangar according to claim 1, wherein the inner and outer
walls include free ends opposite the bridge member.
10. A belt hangar according to claim 9, wherein the free ends of
the inner and outer walls are biased toward each other.
11. A belt hangar according to claim 1, wherein the body includes a
belt loop.
12. A belt hangar according to claim 1, wherein the keeper is
selectively adjustable to fit a belt having a width of between
approximately 1.25 inch and approximately 2.25 inches.
13. A belt hangar according to claim 1, wherein the keeper further
comprises a jaw extending between the inner and outer walls.
14. A belt hangar according to claim 1, further comprising an
attachment point supported on the body for removably securing an
object to the body.
15. A belt hangar according to claim 14, wherein the attachment
point includes a dovetail mounting rail.
16. A belt clip comprising: a body including opposing inner and
outer walls and a bridge portion spanning between the inner and
outer walls, the inner wall, the outer wall, and the bridge portion
defining a throat opening of the belt clip adapted to receive a
belt or a waistband; and a keeper supported on the body for
selective movement along at least one of the inner and outer walls,
the keeper extending adjacent the throat opening and opposite the
bridge portion to thereby form an adjustable boundary of the throat
opening.
17. A belt clip according to claim 16, further comprising: a set of
engagement features spaced apart along the body; and a
corresponding locking member operably associated with the keeper
and adapted to interlock with the engagement features at multiple
discrete positions for incrementally adjusting the position of the
keeper.
18. A belt clip according to claim 16, wherein the body is formed
by injection molding.
19. A belt clip according to claim 16, further comprising a track
extending along one of the inner and outer walls.
20. A belt clip according to claim 16, wherein the keeper includes
a channel that fits the track for slidably supporting the keeper on
the track.
21. A belt clip according to claim 19, further comprising: a set of
engagement features spaced apart along the track and associated
with one of the body and the keeper; and a corresponding locking
member associated with the other of the body and the keeper, the
locking member adapted to interlock with the engagement features at
multiple discrete positions along the track for adjusting the
position of the keeper.
22. A belt clip according to claim 16, wherein the inner and outer
walls include free ends opposite the bridge member that are biased
toward each other.
23. A belt clip according to claim 16, wherein the keeper further
comprises a jaw extending between the inner and outer walls.
24. A belt clip according to claim 16, further comprising an
attachment point supported on the body for removably securing an
object to the body.
25. A belt clip according to claim 24, wherein the attachment point
includes a dovetail mounting rail.
26. In a belt clip including opposing inner and outer walls
extending downwardly from a bridge portion, the bridge portion and
the inner and outer walls defining a throat opening therebetween
for fitting the belt clip over a belt or a waistband, the
improvement comprising: a keeper slidably mounted to at least a
supporting one of the inner and outer walls for movement in a
generally vertical direction therealong, the keeper positioned
below the bridge portion and extending from the supporting wall
toward the other of the inner and outer walls to thereby form a
lower boundary of the throat opening, and the keeper further
including means for securing the keeper at a selected position
along the supporting wall.
27. A belt clip according to claim 26, wherein the means for
securing the keeper at a selected position along the body includes:
a set of engagement features spaced apart along the body; and a
corresponding locking member operably associated with the keeper
and adapted to interlock with the engagement features at multiple
discrete positions for incrementally adjusting the position of the
keeper.
28. A belt clip according to claim 26, wherein the keeper is formed
by injection molding.
29. A belt clip according to claim 26, further comprising a track
formed in one of the inner and outer walls, and wherein the keeper
includes a channel that fits the track for slidably supporting the
keeper on the track.
30. A belt clip according to claim 26, wherein the keeper further
comprises a jaw extending between the inner and outer walls.
31. A belt clip according to claim 26, further comprising an
attachment point supported on the body for removably securing an
object to the body.
32. A belt clip according to claim 31, wherein the attachment point
includes a dovetail mounting rail.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/424,538, filed
Nov. 6, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This application relates to belt clips and belt loops for
supporting an object on a wearer's belt or waistband.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Belt clips having an inverted U-shaped profile are known for
grasping a belt or waistband. Such clips are commonly mounted to an
object for supporting the object on a person's belt or waistband
and may include a spring element for grasping the waistband or
belt. Because such clips are not bounded at their lower ends, they
are subject to tilting on the belt or waistband, especially under
the influence of a lateral force or torque applied to the clip or
the object being supported by the clip.
[0004] Similarly, belt loops are known devices for suspending a
pouch or holster from a belt, such as a duty belt of the type
commonly used by law enforcement officers. A belt loop large enough
to fit a 2 inch (5.1 cm) wide duty belt, for example, is subject to
tilting when used with a belt of shorter height, such as a 11/4
inch (3.2 cm) wide dress belt. When such a belt loop is used to
support a handgun holster on the belt of a law enforcement officer,
for example, a loose fit can allow tilting of the loop on the
officer's belt and may adversely affect the officer's ability to
quickly and cleanly draw the handgun from the holster when
needed.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,741 of French, which is owned by the
assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by
reference, describes a belt loop having a pair of flexible
elongated securement members extending downwardly along an inner
wall of the belt loop and coupled, via a pair of threaded
fasteners, to an opposing outer wall of the belt loop. When the
fasteners are tightened, the securement members are drawn toward
the outer wall to clamp a belt between the securement members and
the outer wall. The clamping action of this device helps to prevent
sliding of the belt loop along the belt, but does not change the
height of the belt loop's throat opening.
[0006] The present inventors have, thus, recognized a need for a
belt loop or clip that can be easily adjusted to define a throat
opening of a selected height for fitting belts and waistbands of
different widths and sizes, and to inhibit tilting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In a belt hanger device such as a belt clip or belt loop, a
throat opening is bordered by a pair of opposing inner and outer
walls that extend downwardly from an upper bridge portion. The
inner and outer walls of a belt clip preferably have free ends
distal of the bridge portion that are resiliently biased toward
each other for grasping an item such as a belt or waistband.
Together with the bridge portion, the inner and outer walls
preferably define an inverted generally U-shaped structure for
attachment to a belt or waistband of a wearer's trousers. In a belt
loop embodiment, a lower bridge portion spaced apart from the upper
bridge portion spans between the inner and outer walls, so that a
closed loop is formed by the inner wall, the outer wall, the upper
bridge portion, and the lower bridge portion, collectively, which
define a throat opening of the belt loop for receiving a belt.
[0008] In accordance with the invention, a keeper is adjustably
mounted to one of the inner and outer walls of a belt hanger
(hereinafter the "supporting wall") and is selectively positionable
along the supporting wall to define a height dimension of the
throat opening for receiving belts of different heights. The throat
opening is bounded at its top by the bridge portion, at its front
and back by the respective outer and inner walls, and at its bottom
by a jaw of the keeper, which extends from the supporting wall
toward the opposite wall of the belt loop or belt clip. In a belt
loop embodiment, the keeper is interposed between the upper and
lower bridge portions to define a selectively positionable upper or
lower bound of the throat opening.
[0009] A waistband clip embodiment requires no adjustment of the
keeper prior to attachment to a waistband. The keeper concentrates
the resilient grasping force along a relatively small surface area
of the jaw to thereby increase friction and securely grip the
waistband of a user's trousers between the jaw and the opposing
wall.
[0010] In a preferred embodiment, a track is formed along the
supporting wall of the belt clip or belt loop. A body of the keeper
may define one or more channels that fit with the track for
supporting the keeper on the supporting wall for sliding movement
along the track in the vertical direction. At least one of the
keeper and the track preferably includes a set of vertically spaced
engagement features for engagement with corresponding lock features
of the other of the keeper and the track. The engagement features
and lock features may include detents, stop blocks, notches, tabs,
pawls, spring members, ratcheting devices and combinations thereof
that interlock to releasably secure the keeper at a selected
vertical position along the track. Preferably, the track and
engagement features are incorporated in a first unitary structure
with the belt loop or belt clip, and the lock features are
incorporated in a second unitary structure with the keeper. In
alternative embodiments, the keeper may be adjustably secured to
the supporting wall by a fastener, such as a screw, thereby
allowing the keeper to be precisely positioned at any location
along the supporting wall.
[0011] Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description of preferred
embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a belt clip in
accordance with a preferred embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the belt clip of FIG.
1, shown attached to a belt, which is illustrated in broken
lines;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an auxiliary rear perspective view of the belt
clip of FIG. 1, with a keeper of the belt clip omitted;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom perspective view of the belt
clip of FIG. 1; and
[0016] FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of opposite sides of the
keeper of the belt clip of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] FIGS. 1 and 2 are respective front and rear perspective
views of a belt clip 100 in accordance with a first preferred
embodiment. In FIG. 2, belt clip 100 is shown attached to a
wearer's duty belt 104, which is illustrated in broken lines. With
reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, belt clip 100 includes a body 110
having an inner wall 112 and an opposing outer wall 114 that are
joined by a resilient bridge portion 116. Inner and outer walls 112
and 114 have respective inner and outer free ends 122 and 124
located distal of bridge portion 116, so as to form an inverted,
generally U-shaped structure 126 defining a throat opening 130.
Free ends 122 and 124 are biased toward each other so that they
will tend to grasp an item placed therebetween and are preferably
flared outwardly, as shown, to facilitate sliding installation of
belt clip 100 onto a belt 104 or waistband. A keeper 140 is
slidably mounted to inner wall 112, as described below with
reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, but may also be mounted to outer wall
114 in an alternative embodiment (not shown).
[0018] In a second preferred embodiment, a belt loop is used in the
place of belt clip 100. The belt loop embodiment is similar to the
belt clip in that it includes inner and outer walls and an upper
bridge portion. However, the belt loop also includes a lower bridge
portion spaced apart from the upper bridge portion and spanning
between the inner and outer walls, so that a closed loop is formed
by the inner wall, the outer wall, the upper bridge portion, and
the lower bridge portion, collectively, which define a throat
opening of the belt loop for receiving a belt. For convenience, the
term "belt hanger" is used herein to describe generally belt clips,
belt loops, and any other device adapted to be suspended from or
attached to a wearer's belt or waistband, thereby forming a base
for attachment and/or support of another object, such as a pouch or
holster, for example.
[0019] FIG. 3 is an auxiliary view of belt clip 100 of FIG. 1, with
keeper 140 omitted for clarity. FIG. 4 is an enlarged bottom
perspective view of belt clip 100. With reference to FIGS. 1-4,
body 110 may include an attachment point 148 for securing an object
to body 110. In the embodiment shown, attachment point 148 is
integrally formed in body 110 in the form of a dovetail style
mounting rail 150 that is sized and configured to fit a
battery-powered tactical illuminator (not shown) of the type sold
under the trade name M3.TM. by Insight Technology, Inc. of
Londonderry, N.H., USA See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,854. Body 110
includes a guard shelf 152 for protecting a lens portion of the
tactical illuminator from contact with other objects that might
otherwise cause damage to or inadvertent activation of the tactical
illuminator. Dovetail mounting rail 150 (also called a Picatinny
rail or WEAVER.TM. mount) includes a T-shaped beam 154 extending
vertically along outer wall 114 and multiple rail stops 156 spaced
apart along an outer face 158 (FIG. 1) of T-shaped beam 152 to
define one or more transverse slots 162 therebetween.
[0020] Attachment point 148 is not limited to the dovetail mounting
rail 150 of the preferred embodiment and the term "attachment
point" is defined broadly to encompass any means or mechanism for
connecting an object to body 110 or supporting an object on body
110, either directly or indirectly. Furthermore, belt clip 100 can
be used to carry any of a variety of objects that a user may want
to carry on his or her waistband or belt, such as pouches,
holsters, weapons, cameras, flashlights, radios, handheld mobile
telephones, ammunition magazines, duty gear, stun guns, keys, and
personal digital assistants (PDAs), for example. In alternative
embodiments (not shown), attachment point 148 may include threaded
fasteners, hook-and-loop type fasteners, stitching, webbing, or
another device that can connect mounting body 110 to a holster,
pouch, or other carried object. In yet other embodiments,
attachment point 148 may include a J-shaped hook for hanging an
object from belt clip 100. In still other embodiments, attachment
point 148 is omitted entirely, and belt clip 100 is integrally
formed with the pouch, holster, or other object to be carried on
the user's belt or waistband.
[0021] Body 110 (including inner and outer walls 112 and 114,
bridge portion 116, and attachment point 148) is preferably a
unitary structure that is injection molded of a high-strength
thermoplastic resin, such as KYDEX.TM. brand acrylic/polyvinyl
chloride (acrylic/PVC) alloy sold by Kleerdex Company of Aiken,
S.C., USA. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is designed for moldability to
avoid the need in the mold for slides and other expensive
high-maintenance tooling components that are sometimes required for
molding of parts having more complex configurations. Such a simple
mold design generates a single mold parting line extending
longitudinally along body 110, including both sides of inner and
outer walls 112 and 114. Alternatively, body 110 may be formed
using an extrusion method or by using other manufacturing processes
and/or materials, for example by stamping of metal such as spring
steel. Similarly, keeper 140 is preferably formed as a unitary
structure, for example, by injection molding using a resin such as
KYDEX.TM., by stamping a metal such as steel, or by other
means.
[0022] As noted above, keeper 140 is adjustably mounted to at least
one of the inner and outer walls of belt clip 100, which include at
least one supporting wall. In the preferred embodiment shown, inner
wall 112 is the supporting wall. FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective
views of keeper 140 showing an inner side 172 and an outer side 174
of keeper 140. With reference to FIGS. 1-6 keeper 140 is
selectively positionable along inner wall 112 to define a height
dimension "H" (FIG. 2) of throat opening 130. Throat opening 130 is
bounded at its top by bridge portion 116, at its front and back by
the respective outer and inner walls 114 and 112, and at its bottom
by a jaw 180 of keeper 140, which extends from the supporting inner
wall 112 toward outer wall 114.
[0023] In alternative embodiments, such as a belt loop (not shown),
jaw 180 may interrupt a loop opening that has fixed upper and lower
bounds. In such alternative embodiments, jaw 180 may define a
selectably movable lower bound of a throat opening that is bounded
at its upper end by a top bridge portion of the belt loop; or jaw
180 may define a selectably movable upper bound of a throat opening
that is bounded at its lower end by a bottom bridge portion of the
belt loop. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
keeper 140 may serve a purpose other than a lower bound of throat
opening 130 in a belt clip.
[0024] With particular reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, jaw 180
preferably includes a ramp portion 184 that provides a lead-in to
facilitate sliding of belt clip 100 onto a belt, waistband, or
other support strip. Jaw 180 also preferably includes a shelf
portion 186 extending in a generally horizontal direction,
generally perpendicular to inner and outer walls 112 and 114, to
prevent belt clip 100 from inadvertently sliding off the wearer's
belt 104 or waistband. Shelf portion 186 may also be inclined in
the direction of upper bridge portion 116 to "bite" into the belt
104 or waistband for preventing slippage. Advantageously, when
keeper 140 is adjusted so that the height H of throat opening 130
is closely matched to a width "W" of belt 104 (also referred to as
the belt "height"), jaw 180 may prevent belt clip 100 from rocking
or twisting relative to belt 104. To help prevent rocking, shelf
portion 186 desirably has a width "x" that is wide enough to extend
across a substantial portion of inner wall 112 and a depth "d" that
is sufficient to span between inner and outer walls 112 and 114.
Depth d may also be sized to maintain a parallel relationship
between inner and outer walls 112 and 114. The spacing of inner and
outer walls 112 and 114 may be sufficient to allow belt clip 100 to
slide along belt 104, when desired. If sliding is not desired, a
clamping device of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,741,
at column 3, line 56 through column 4, line 31, for example, can be
added to belt clip 100. Alternatively, sliding can be prevented by
sizing depth d so that inner and outer walls 112 and 114 are
clamped firmly against belt 104. Other means of preventing belt
clip 100 from sliding along belt 104 may also be incorporated in
belt clip 100.
[0025] Belt clip 100 advantageously may require no adjustment of
the vertical position of keeper 140 prior to attachment to a
waistband. To further facilitate use of belt clip 100 with a
waistband, a ridge 188 may be formed on jaw 180 where ramp portion
184 meets shelf portion 186. Ridge 188 may provide a relatively
small surface area where the grasping force of the inner and outer
walls 112 and 114 is concentrated when belt clip 100 is clipped to
a waistband or other oversize support strip, thereby increasing a
frictional resistance to slipping, twisting, rocking, or
disengagement of belt clip 100.
[0026] Turning again to FIGS. 1-4, a track 196 is preferably formed
along inner wall 112 of belt clip 100. Track 196 may comprise a
pair of rails 198a and 198b extending along the edges of inner wall
112, which are thinner than a central beam 200 of inner wall 112.
With reference to FIGS. 4-6, keeper 140 preferably includes a pair
of ears 204a and 204b extending from a main section 206 of keeper
140. Ears 204a, 204b and main section 206 are configured to
collectively define a channel 210 therebetween that fits with and
straddles track 196. Ears 204a and 204b ride on respective rails
198a and 198b to facilitate sliding movement vertically along track
196. The preferred embodiments are desirably simple and inexpensive
to manufacture, requiring two injection molded plastic parts that
can be assembled manually or by machine, merely by inserting keeper
140 onto track 196 at inner free end 122. However, the invention
should not be construed as being limited to devices made of such
simple 2-piece construction. Nor should the invention be limited to
the particular means of assembly and sliding engagement of the
preferred embodiment.
[0027] In alternative embodiments (not shown), other structures may
be used in place of track 196 and channel 210 to facilitate
adjustable movement of keeper 140 along outer wall 114. For
example, track 196 may include of a slot extending along inner wall
112 and, in place of channel 210, one or more pins, standoffs or
dovetail shaped tabs may extend through the slot to slidably join
keeper 140 to inner wall 112. In yet other embodiments (not shown),
keeper 140 is slidably coupled to outer wall 114, while keeper
engages inner wall 112 to effect selective positioning of keeper
140. In still further embodiments (not shown), keeper is guided by
tracks on both inner and outer walls 112 and 114.
[0028] At least one of the keeper and the track preferably includes
a set of vertically spaced engagement features 216 for engagement
with corresponding lock features 230 of the other of the keeper and
the track. The engagement features 216 and lock features 230 may
include detents, stop blocks, notches, tabs, pawls, spring members,
ratcheting devices and other structures, including combinations
thereof, that interlock to releasably secure the keeper at a
selected vertical position along the track. With reference to FIGS.
1-4, track 196 preferably includes a set of engagement features 216
in the form of corresponding sets of left and right notches 220a
and 220b formed in spaced apart relation along respective rails
198a and 198b. Engagement features 216 may be molded into body 110
as a unitary structure with body 110 for simplicity of manufacture
and economy.
[0029] With reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, lock features 230 are
preferably formed as a unitary structure with keeper 140. Lock
features 230 may include first and second outwardly extending
cantilever arms 234a and 234b that extend laterally from main
section 206 of keeper 140. First and second stops 236a and 236b are
formed at the ends of cantilever arms 234a and 234b and sized to
seat in and engage notches 220a and 220b, respectively, to secure
keeper at a selected one of a plurality of discrete vertical
positions along track 196. First and second thumb pads 238a and
238b are provided at distal ends of cantilever arms 234a and 234b,
respectively, to facilitate manual disengagement of stops 236a and
236b simultaneously by flexing of cantilever arms 234a and 234b,
and without the use of tools.
[0030] Preferably, each of the sets of notches 220a and 220b is
spaced apart at 1/4-inch (0.64 cm) intervals to facilitate
adjustment of the position of keeper 140 in 1/4 inch (0.64 cm)
increments ranging from 11/4 inches (3.2 cm) to 21/4 inches (5.7
cm), to accommodate various belt widths. For example, the 1/4-inch
(0.64 cm) intervals of notches 220a and 220b allow belt clip 100 of
the preferred embodiment to fit a 11/4 inch (3.2 cm) dress belt, a
11/2 inch (3.8 cm) pant belt, a 11/2 inch (4.4 cm) garrison belt, a
2 inch (5.1 cm) ULTRA.RTM. belt made by Michaels of Oregon Co.,
Oregon City, Oreg., USA, and a 21/4 inch (5.7 cm) duty belt.
Skilled persons will appreciate that engagement features 216 and
lock features 230 can be spaced more or less closely and can have a
wider or small range of adjustment, if desired. Furthermore,
engagement features 216 and lock features 230 can be reversed so
that engagement features 216 are spaced apart along keeper 140 and
lock features 230 are located on body 110.
[0031] In alternative embodiments (not shown), keeper 140 may be
adjustably secured to the supporting wall by a fastener, such as a
set screw or bolt, thereby allowing keeper 140 to be precisely
positioned at any location along the supporting wall, without
limiting the position of keeper 140 to only the ones corresponding
to the fixed engagement features of the preferred embodiment. In
yet another alternative embodiment (not shown), keeper 140 is
adjustably secured to the supporting wall by way of a friction
jamb, for example a wedge, cam, lever, or other device that can be
interposed between keeper 140 and the supporting wall to increase
frictional forces and thereby prevent vertical movement of keeper
140 along the supporting wall. Such a friction jamb device can also
be formed directly in keeper 140, the supporting wall, and/or
another part of the belt clip 100. Friction jamb devices may also
include a high friction material, such as rubber or a rubber-like
material.
[0032] It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that
many changes may be made to the details of the above-described
embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the
invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be
determined only by the following claims.
* * * * *