U.S. patent application number 11/223635 was filed with the patent office on 2007-03-15 for universal belt and attachments.
Invention is credited to Ivory Keyes.
Application Number | 20070057003 11/223635 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37854045 |
Filed Date | 2007-03-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070057003 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Keyes; Ivory |
March 15, 2007 |
Universal belt and attachments
Abstract
The current invention presents a novel belt that is a more
durable alternative to the traditional belt. The belt comprise a
first face having a loop material and a second face having a hook
material that mates with the loop material. Various holsters,
tools, ornaments and the like by be affixed in an infinite manner
to cause the belt to assume different ornamental or functional
looks. Moreover, the entire outer surface of the belt may be
overlaid with a strip of material of a desired color such that the
belt may be used with an array of outfits.
Inventors: |
Keyes; Ivory; (Norfolk,
VA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BRADLEY D. GOLDIZEN
505 SOUTH INDEPENDENCE BOULEVARD, SUITE 102
VIRGINIA BEACH
VA
23452
US
|
Family ID: |
37854045 |
Appl. No.: |
11/223635 |
Filed: |
September 9, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
224/663 ; 2/321;
2/920; 224/674; 224/901.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 2003/144 20130101;
A45C 1/04 20130101; A45F 5/021 20130101; A41F 9/002 20130101; A45F
5/02 20130101; A45F 2200/0516 20130101; A45F 5/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
224/663 ;
224/674; 224/901.4; 002/321; 002/920 |
International
Class: |
A45F 3/00 20060101
A45F003/00; A41F 9/00 20060101 A41F009/00 |
Claims
1. A buckle-less belt comprising: a first end; a second end; a
first face; and, a second face; wherein the first face is entirely
covered by one of a hook material and a latch material, said second
face being entirely covered by the other of a hook material and a
latch material, the first end of the belt overlapping the second
end of the belt when the belt is secured about a region of a
wearer, each of said ends including an arcuate surface.
2. The buckle-less belt of claim 1 further comprising an ornament
removably affixed onto one of the first and second faces of the
belt.
3. The buckle-less belt of claim 2 wherein said ornament is one of
either a numeral or a letter.
4. The buckle-less belt of claim 1 further comprising a holster
having a strip of one of hook and loop material that is
complementary to the face of the belt that faces outward from the
wearer and secures the holster to said belt.
5. The buckle-less belt of claim 4 wherein said holster comprises
an overlapping member that extends across an upper edge of the belt
and includes one of hook and loop material that mates with an inner
face of the belt nearest the wearer.
6. The buckle-less belt of claim 1 further comprising: a removable
pocket for securing items therein, said removable pocket comprising
a zipper that closes an opening for gaining entry into the pocket
and a strip of complementary hook or loop material affixed to the
pocket for securing it onto the belt.
7. The buckle-less belt of claim 1 further comprising an
identification pocket having a transparent side with four edges,
each edge including a strip of complementary material hook or loop
material for securing an item therein such that said item may be
viewed through said identification pocket.
8. The buckle-less belt of claim 7 wherein the transparent side of
the identification pocket comprises plastic.
9. A buckle-less belt comprising: a first end; a second end; a
first face; a second face, wherein the first face is entirely
covered by one of a hook material and a latch material, said second
face being entirely covered by the other of a hook material and a
latch material, the first end of the belt overlapping the second
end of the belt when the belt is secured about a region of a
wearer, each of said ends including an arcuate surface; and, a
holster having a strip of one of hook and loop material that is
complementary to a face of the belt to secure the holster to said
belt.
10. The buckle-less belt of claim 9 wherein said holster comprises
an overlapping member that extends across an upper edge of the belt
and includes one of hook and loop material that mates with an inner
face of the belt nearest the wearer.
11. The buckle-less belt of claim 9 wherein said holster comprises
material that is complementary to the face of the belt that faces
outward from the wearer and secures the holster to said belt
12. The buckle-less belt of claim 9 further comprising: a removable
pocket for securing items therein, said removable pocket comprising
a zipper that closes an opening for gaining entry into the pocket
and a strip of complementary hook or loop material affixed to the
pocket for securing it onto the belt.
13. The buckle-less belt of claim 9 further comprising an
identification pocket having a transparent side with four edges,
each edge including a strip of complementary material hook or loop
material for securing an item therein such that said item may be
viewed through said identification pocket.
14. The buckle-less belt of claim 13 wherein the transparent side
of the identification pocket comprises plastic.
15. A buckle-less belt comprising: a first end; a second end; a
first face; a second face; wherein the first face is entirely
covered by one of a hook material and a latch material, said second
face being entirely covered by the other of a hook material and a
latch material, the first end of the belt overlapping the second
end of the belt when the belt is secured about a region of a
wearer, each of said ends including an arcuate surface; and, a
removable pocket for securing items therein, said pocket comprising
a strip of complementary hook or loop material affixed to the
pocket for securing it onto the belt.
16. The buckle-less belt of claim 15 wherein said removable pocket
comprises a zipper that closes an opening for gaining entry into
the pocket.
17. The buckle-less belt of claim 15 further comprising an
identification pocket having a transparent side with four edges,
each edge including a strip of complementary material hook or loop
material for securing an item therein such that said item may be
viewed through said identification pocket.
18. The buckle-less belt of claim 17 wherein the transparent side
of the identification pocket comprises plastic.
19. The buckle-less belt of claim 15 further comprising: a holster
having a strip of one of hook and loop material that is
complementary to a face of the belt to secure the holster to said
belt.
20. The buckle-less belt of claim 19 wherein said holster comprises
an overlapping member that extends across an upper edge of the belt
and includes one of hook and loop material that mates with an inner
face of the belt nearest the wearer.
Description
[0001] There are no related patent applications.
[0002] The subject matter of the present invention did not receive
federal government research and development funding.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention generally relates to a buckle-less
belt that can be secured around the waist and aids in securing a
pair of pants or other article of clothing. More particularly, the
invention relates to a belt that comprises complementary strips of
hook and loop material over an entire front and back face of the
belt to create a universal belt that may be used by different
individuals with varying waist sizes. Ornamental patches, tools,
holsters and like items may be fastened along the length of the
belt at different intervals. The items comprise complementary
strips of hook and loop material for securing the items to a face
of the belt and may be worn in various manners and locations on the
belt.
[0004] Belts have traditionally served both utility and fashion
purposes. Belts are useful in securing an article of clothing to
wearer's body. Belts come in a variety of shapes and sizes to
accommodate different sized waists or body parts. Belts are
provided in various sizes, shapes, colors, and patterns. However,
it is believed that none of these belts allow the ornamental design
portrayed upon one face of the belt to be easily modified for
different uses.
[0005] In general, belts are strips of fabric, leather or other
flexible material that conforms to a region of the body such as the
waist. Typically, a belt includes a buckle having a metal fastener
that extends through a hole in the belt. Other known belts, such as
those worn by military personnel include a buckle fastened at one
end to the belt and include an opening through which the opposite
end of the belt passes. A bar in the buckle is forced in a
direction causing the opposite end of the belt to be seized down
against the belt. Other belts have a buckle whereby one end of a
belt is affixed thereto and the other end passes through an opening
in the buckle and is pulled back onto and secured against the belt
via hook and latch material or other cinching means. However, all
of these belts require the use of a buckle and none disclose an
ability to be easily modified for different uses.
[0006] While these belts meet their primary objectives, they also
leave room for improvement. Typically, the fabric, leather or other
material deteriorates and breaks down over time. This leads to rips
and tears both in the belt and around the buckle. Moreover, it may
be difficult for individuals who have arthritic hands or who are
physically challenged to operate a buckle to secure a prior art
belt. Therefore, looking to the prior art, it is clear that a
buckle-less belt made of a more durable material encounters no such
problems and is superior to the prior art belts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention includes a buckle-less belt comprised
of one face entirely covered by a hook material and a second face
entirely covered of a loop material. Ornaments, holsters, tools and
other like items may be fastened along one of the two faces of the
belt by a material that is complementary to the face of the belt
upon which the item is fixed. Thus, a belt of the present invention
can fit multiple waist sizes.
[0008] The invention at hand features all of the aforementioned
desirable criteria. It is an improvement on the prior art for
several reasons. For one, the fastening ability of the
complementary material rivals that of a zipper. Additionally, a
wearer ease of use is enhanced by the fact that the belt is
fastened by simply pressing the opposing sides against each other.
Thus, the present invention provides a belt which is easier to use
by individuals who have arthritic hands or may be physically
handicapped. Moreover, the instant belt may include an
identification pocket comprising a clear plastic material or the
like for securing an identification card to the belt. This
identification pocket may be used for securing pictures also.
[0009] The belt of the present invention is also more durable than
those of the prior art because the instant belt can take more wear
and tear because it does not have a buckle. Oftentimes, buckles
cause belts to deteriorate and break more easily. This belt's
utility is also expansive as it can act as a support for gun
holsters, cell phone or pager clips, pockets, tools, similar
devices. Also, the belt is suitable for any person of any age and
may be provided in a variety of colors while including removable
patterns that overlay a face of the belt. The patterns may be in a
variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Moreover, the patterns may be
in the form of letters or numbers. The above explanations are
provided to illustrate the utility of the invention. And, by no
means necessary were these explanations intended to limit the
application of this invention to other purposes.
[0010] It is an object of the invention to provide a buckle-less
belt that secures one face of the belt against an opposite face of
the belt.
[0011] It is another object of the invention to provide a belt that
easily accommodates a variety of ornaments, holsters, tools or the
like to be quickly modified for different uses.
[0012] It is a further object of the invention to teach a universal
belt that can accommodate an array of accessories which are
temporarily secured to a face of the belt but which may be easily
arranged to reconfigure the belt and accessories.
[0013] These and other objects of the invention and advantages of
the invention will be set forth, appear in part or become apparent
after considering the specification and accompanying drawings. It
is to be realized that the following embodiments of the invention
have been represented in their simplest form for ease in
understanding the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1A shows a face of the belt having a loop material
which acts as a binding medium where hooks from an opposite face of
the belt embed to securely fastening the two overlapping ends of
the belt.
[0015] FIG. 1B depicts the face of the belt comprised of hooks
which are typically stiff nylon pieces that securely attach to the
loops when pressed together.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a cross section view of the belt having an inner
material to which a strip of hook material is affixed onto one face
and a strip of loop material is affixed onto the other face.
[0017] FIG. 3A portrays a backside of a cell phone having hook
material that secures to the latch material shown in FIG. 1. FIG.
3B depicts a first embodiment of a gun holster that may be secured
to the belt of the instant invention. FIG. 3C depicts a second
embodiment of a gun holster that may be secured to the belt of
present invention. FIG. 3D shows the resultant combination of the
belt, cell phone and gun holster.
[0018] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment the invention and includes
ornamental features that may be affixed and arranged to the
belt.
[0019] FIG. 5A shows an identification pocket of the type shown in
FIG. 4. FIG. 5B shows the pocket of the present invention shown in
FIG. 4.
[0020] FIG. 6 shows how the belt would encircle around the user's
waist and attach and also demonstrates how a gun in it holster
could hang from the belt.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The following is the preferred embodiment or best mode for
carrying out the invention. It should be noted that this invention
is not limited by the discussion of the preferred embodiment and
should only be defined by the appended claims.
[0022] FIGS. 1A and 1 B show the front face 3A and the back face 3B
of the belt 1. In this instance, front face 3A comprises hook
material 21; whilst back face 3B comprises loop material 23. It
should be understood that the belt may be flipped over to cause
either the hook or loop material to be displayed on an outer
surface of the belt away from the wearer, as shown in FIG. 6.
[0023] In FIG. 2, a base material 25 forms a belt or strap 1 and
includes hook material 21 affixed on a first side of the belt 1.
Loop material 23 is affixed on an opposite side of the belt.
[0024] FIG. 3A shows a cellular telephone 51 that comprises a strip
of complementary loop material 23 for affixing the telephone 51 to
the belt 1 via a mating action created by the hook 21 and loop 23
material. The cellular telephone 51 may be arranged at any point
along the belt 1.
[0025] FIG. 3B shows a first embodiment of a holster 41 that
includes an overlapping member 31 which overlaps a lip 39 of the
belt shown in FIG. 3D. An inner surface of the overlapping member
31 comprises a complementary hook material 21 that mates with loop
material 23 provided on an inner surface of belt 1. In FIG. 3C, the
holster 41 includes a strip of loop material 23 for mating with the
hook material 21 provided on an exterior surface of the belt that
faces away from the wearer.
[0026] FIG. 3D shows the cellular telephone 51 and holster 41
attached to the exterior surface of the belt. It should be noted
that the angle at which the telephone 51 and holster 41 hang may be
varied by simply detaching each item from the exterior of the belt
and positioning it at a desired angle before reengaging the
complementary hook and loop material.
[0027] FIG. 4 depicts a belt 1 having a plurality of items affixed
thereto. The items may include numerals 52, ornamental shapes 33
and 35, identification pockets 70, or hanging pockets 75. Numerals
52 and ornamental shapes 33, 35 each include a complementary strip
of material, either hook or loop material, that is affixed to a
back edge of the item to secure it to a face of the belt that faces
away from the wearer. A protective pocket 70, as shown in FIG. 5A,
includes a clear plastic pocket material 29 having edges that
comprise complementary strips of material that affixes the material
29 and any identification card or picture to the face of the
belt.
[0028] In FIG. 5B, pocket 75 comprises a zipper 71 for gaining
entry into the pocket 75. Pocket 75 also includes an overlapping
member 31 equipped with hook material 21. Alternatively, pocket 75
may comprise a strip of complementary material affixed to a back
side of the pocket in similar means to the cell phone 51 of FIG.
3A.
[0029] FIG. 6 depicts a belt 1 worn by a wearer who has
individualized the belt by adding ornamental letters 51. The belt 1
is cut is a size small enough to extend within the belt loops 61 of
pants 60. The wearer is also wearing a holster that carries a
pistol 44 and is affixed to outer surface 77 that extends away from
the wearer.
[0030] It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to
the exact construction illustrated and described above. Various
changes and modifications may be made without departing from the
spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following
claims.
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