U.S. patent application number 12/073580 was filed with the patent office on 2009-09-10 for buckle strap adjustment assembly for safety helmets.
Invention is credited to Kenneth Fang.
Application Number | 20090222978 12/073580 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41052065 |
Filed Date | 2009-09-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090222978 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fang; Kenneth |
September 10, 2009 |
Buckle strap adjustment assembly for safety helmets
Abstract
A buckle strap adjustment assembly for safety helmets is adapted
for being installed in a safety helmet with a buckle strap. The
buckle strap adjustment assembly includes two positioning elements
and a fixing element. One end of each positioning element is fixed
in the safety helmet and the fixing element is detachably combined
with the other end of each positioning element. The fixing element
has a body portion which has first through-holes in each of two
sides thereof for the buckle strap passing through. Basing on the
above structure, the present invention can effectively avoid that
the safety helmet slips up and down.
Inventors: |
Fang; Kenneth; (Taipei City,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE
3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101
ELLICOTT CITY
MD
21043
US
|
Family ID: |
41052065 |
Appl. No.: |
12/073580 |
Filed: |
March 7, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
2/421 ;
24/196 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A42B 3/085 20130101;
A42B 3/145 20130101; Y10T 24/4084 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
2/421 ;
24/196 |
International
Class: |
A42B 7/00 20060101
A42B007/00; A44B 11/10 20060101 A44B011/10 |
Claims
1. A buckle strap adjustment assembly for safety helmets which is
installed in a safety helmet with a buckle strap, comprising: two
positioning elements, one end of each positioning element fixed in
the safety helmet; and a fixing element, detachably combined with
the other end of each positioning element, having a body portion
which has two left-to-right adjacent first through-holes in each of
two sides thereof to pass through the buckle strap.
2. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the buckle strap has at least one rear strap which passes
through the first through-holes of the fixing element.
3. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 2,
wherein each positioning element has a sheet portion, an embedded
portion protruding out of an end portion of the sheet portion and a
first fastening portion formed in the other end portion of the
sheet portion, relative to the embedded portion, the embedded
portion being embedded in the safety helmet; and the fixing element
having two second fastening portions engaging with the first
fastening portions of the two positioning elements.
4. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 3,
wherein the fixing element has two protruding pieces extending out
of a lateral edge of the body portion, each of which has one of the
second fastening portions formed thereon.
5. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 3,
wherein each first fastening portion includes a plurality of
fastening holes and each second fastening portion includes a
plurality fastening pins.
6. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 3,
further comprising: an annular strap, mounted in the safety helmet
and having two end portions, each end portion having a slot formed
in an extremity thereof and each slot having a serrated portion on
one of its inner walls; and a lacing and locking mechanism
comprising: a base, having a circular groove, a second through-hole
and two openings connected with the circular groove, wherein a
plurality of locking teeth protrude from a side wall of the
circular groove and a pivot pin protrudes out of a bottom wall of
the circular groove, the second through-hole extends through the
pivot pin and the base, and the two end portions of the annular
strap pass through the two openings of the base, and the pivot pin
passes through each slot of the annular strap; a driven element,
having a main body, a gear protruding out of an end surface of the
main body, a plurality of elastic arms respectively extending from
lateral edges of the main body and a plurality of locking portions
respectively formed on outside edges of the elastic arms, wherein
an end of each elastic arm is bent and extended towards the main
body 421 to form a blocking arm, the driven element further has a
pivot hole extending through the main body and the gear, the pivot
pin of the base pivotally engages with the pivot hole, the gear
engages with the serrated portions of the annular strap, and each
locking portion abuts against a locking tooth of the base; an
adjustment wheel, having a shaft portion and a plurality of guiding
pins which protrude from the adjustment wheel, wherein the shaft
portion has a locking hole and is pivotally inserted in the second
through-hole of the base, and each guiding pin is inserted in a
corresponding space defined by an corresponding elastic arm, a
corresponding blocking arm and the main body; a connecting board,
located on the body portion of the fixing element, having a third
through-hole; and a fixing assembly, passing through the third
through-hole of the connecting board and the second through-hole of
the base, further extending into the locking hole of the adjustment
wheel for locating the adjustment wheel and mounting the base on an
outside edge of the connecting board.
7. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 6,
wherein the connecting board is integrally connected with the body
portion of the fixing element.
8. The buckle strap adjustment assembly as claimed in claim 6,
wherein the connecting board and the fixing element are separate
components, and the connecting board is joint on the body portion
of the fixing element.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a buckle strap adjustment
assembly, especially to a buckle strap adjustment assembly for
safety helmets.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] For safely riding bicycles, users wear special safety
helmets for bicycles. A conventional safety helmet generally
includes a buckle strap for fixing the safety helmet on a user's
head. However, conventional buckle straps cannot effectively fix
safety helmets on users' heads so that the safety helmets easily
moves back and forth or from side to side and always aren't located
in a proper position, which causes that the safety helmets cannot
be worn comfortably and safely.
[0005] Accordingly, there are all kinds of buckle strap lacing and
locking assemblies on the market, which can prevent safety helmets
from moving back and forth or from side to side. Furthermore, some
buckle strap lacing and locking assemblies have an adjustment
function so that users can adjust tightness/looseness of the buckle
strap lacing and locking assemblies to ensure that safety helmets
fit users' heads and provide comfort and safety for users.
[0006] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a conventional buckle
strap lacing and locking assembly 700a for safety helmets includes
a fixing piece 71a, an annular strap 72a and two adjustment
elements 73a. The fixing piece 71a has through-hole portions 771a
arranged in a lower portion and a higher portion of each of left
and right sides thereof, which are shaped like elongated slots, and
a serrated portion 712a protruding from a central thereof.
[0007] The annular strap 72a is mounted in the safety helmet 800a,
and two adjustment elements 73a are disposed on two rear end
portions of the annular strap 72a and engage with the serrated
portion 712a of the fixing piece 71a. Basing on the engagement
between the two adjustment elements 73a and the serrated portion
712a, the buckle strap lacing and locking assembly can be used to
adjust tightness/looseness of the annular strap 72a. A buckle strap
810a of the safety helmet 800a has a rear strap 812a. One end of
the rear strap 812a passes through two of the through-hole portions
771a of the fixing piece 71a to be directly fixed on a rear portion
of the safety helmet 800a, and the other end of the rear strap 812a
passes through the other through-hole portions 771a of the fixing
piece 71a to be fixed. When users need to adjust
tightness/looseness of the annular strap 72a up and down, users can
move the fixing piece 71a up and down along the rear strap 812a to
achieve the adjustment object.
[0008] However, during use, the buckle strap lacing and locking
assembly 700a will become loose after adjusted. Because two rear
straps 812a directly pass through the through-hole portions 711a of
the fixing piece 71a and then are directly fixed on the safety
helmet 800a, the fixing piece 71a easily directly slips up and down
along the two rear straps 812a and cannot be effectively located,
which causes that the safety helmet 800a cannot be firmly attached
to a user's head to protect the user.
[0009] Hence, the inventors of the present invention believe that
the shortcomings described above are able to be improved and
finally suggest the present invention which is of a reasonable
design and is an effective improvement based on deep research and
thought.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An object of the present invention is to provide a buckle
strap adjustment assembly for safety helmets which can effectively
avoid that safety helmets slip up and down.
[0011] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a buckle strap
adjustment assembly for safety helmets in accordance with the
present invention is provided. The buckle strap adjustment assembly
which is installed in a safety helmet with a buckle strap includes
two positioning elements, one end of each positioning element fixed
in the safety helmet; and a fixing element detachably combined with
the other end of each positioning element; wherein the fixing
element has a body portion which has two left-to-right adjacent
first through-holes in each of two sides thereof for the buckle
strap passing through.
[0012] The efficacy of the present invention is as follows: the
fixing element of the present invention has the body portion which
the buckle strap can pass through, so that the present invention
can effectively and directly fix the buckle strap, and comparing
with the prior art, the present invention can effectively avoid
that the safety helmet slips up and down during use to ensure that
the safety helmet can be firmly attached to a user's head.
[0013] To further understand features and technical contents of the
present invention, please refer to the following detailed
description and drawings related the present invention. However,
the drawings are only to be used as references and explanations,
not to limit the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional buckle strap
lacing and locking assembly for safety helmets;
[0015] FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of the conventional
buckle strap lacing and locking assembly and a safety helmet;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a buckle strap
adjustment assembly according to the present invention and a safety
helmet;
[0017] FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view of the buckle strap
adjustment assembly according to the present invention and the
safety helmet;
[0018] FIG. 5 is an assembled perspective view of another
embodiment of the buckle strap adjustment assembly according to the
present invention and the safety helmet; and
[0019] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment
of the buckle strap adjustment assembly according to the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a buckle strap adjustment
assembly 100 for safety helmets according to the present invention
is adapted for being installed in a safety helmet 800 with a buckle
strap 810. The safety helmet 800 is a special helmet for bicycles.
The buckle strap adjustment assembly 100 includes two positioning
elements 10 and a fixing element 20.
[0021] Please refer to FIG. 3, each positioning element 10 is made
of a material with slight elasticity, such as plastic and the like.
Each positioning element 10 includes a sheet portion 11, an
embedded portion 12 protruding out of an end portion (top end
portion) of the sheet portion 11, and a first fastening portion 13
formed in the other end portion (bottom end portion) of the sheet
portion 11, relative to the embedded portion 12, which may consist
of a plurality of fastening holes.
[0022] The fixing element 20 also is made of a material with slight
elasticity, such as plastic and the like. The fixing element 20
includes a body portion 21 and two protruding pieces 22 extending
out of a top lateral edge of the body portion 21. Each protruding
piece 22 has a second fastening portion 23 formed thereon, which
may consist of a plurality of fastening pins. Basing on ergonomics,
the body portion 21 is designed to have a right side and a left
side slightly bent frontward, thereby forming a flat sheetlike body
in curved shape. Two left-to-right adjacent first through-holes
24a, 24b are formed in a lower edge of each of the right and the
left sides of the body portion 21.
[0023] The buckle strap adjustment assembly 100 of the present
invention is mounted in a rear side of the safety helmet 800. One
end of each positioning element 10 is fixed in the rear side of the
safety helmet 800, and the other end may be detachably combined
with the fixing element 20. In the embodiment of the present
invention, the embedded portions 12 of the two positioning elements
10 may be respectively embedded in the safety helmet 800 in advance
so as to fix the two positioning elements 10 in the safety helmet
800, and the fixing element 20 is combined with the two positioning
elements 10 through an engagement between the two second fastening
portions 23 of the protruding pieces 22 and the two first fastening
portions 13 of the positioning elements 10, that is, each fastening
pin may be fastened into a corresponding fastening hole to be
located. The first fastening portions 13 and the second fastening
portions 23 may have different structures from that of the
embodiment to achieve the above object, for example, the first
fastening portions 13 may be designed to be a plurality of
fastening pins, and the second fastening portions 23 may be
designed to be a plurality of fastening holes engaging with the
fastening pins.
[0024] Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the buckle strap 810 has
two front straps 811 and at least one rear strap 812. After passing
through the safety helmet 800, each of the two front straps 811 may
be connected with a locating element (not shown) which may abut
against the safety helmet 800, so that the two front straps may be
fixed on a frond end portion of the safety helmet 800. The rear
strap 812 of the buckle strap 810 passes through the first
through-holes 24a, 24b of the body portion 21 of the fixing element
20 to be firmly combined in the safety helmet 800. Further,
fastening pieces 813, 814 are disposed between the two front straps
811 and the rear strap 812 to fasten each other.
[0025] Accordingly, the fixing element 20 and the two positioning
elements 10 of the present invention may be mounted at a rear
portion inside the safety helmet 800, the two front straps 811 of
the buckle strap 810 may be fixed at a front portion inside the
safety helmet 800, and the rear strap 812 may be mounted on the
fixing element 20 via passing through the first through-holes 24a,
24b, so that the body portion 21 of the fixing element 20 can
elastically abut against a back portion of a user's head when the
user wears the safety helmet 800. Thus, the fixing element 20 and
the two front straps 811 may form a three-site fixation structure
in the safety helmet 800 to prevent the safety helmet 800 from
moving back and forth or from side to side and provide optimum
comfort and safety for the user. Additionally, since the rear strap
812 of the buckle strap 810 directly passes through the first
through-holes 24a, 24b of the fixing element 20, when the user
needs to adjust the buckle strap 810 up and down, he may directly
draw and move the rear strap 812 to adjust the buckle strap 810 in
a proper position. Thereby the safety helmet 800 can be adjusted to
fit the user's head and firmly worn by the user to avoid moving up
and down.
[0026] Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, another embodiment of the
present invention is shown. The difference between this embodiment
and the above embodiment is that this embodiment may further
include an annular strap 30 and a lacing and locking mechanism
40.
[0027] The annular strap 30 is made of a material with slight
elasticity, such as plastic and the like. The annular strap 30
includes two end portions 31a, 31b, and each end portion 31a or 31b
forms a slot 32a or 32b in an extremity thereof. The slot 32a has a
serrated portion 33a on one inner wall thereof, the slot 32b has a
serrated portion 33b on one inner wall thereof, and the two
serrated portions 33a, 33b correspond to each other.
[0028] The lacing and locking mechanism 40 includes a base 41, a
driven element 42, an adjustment wheel 43, a connecting board 44
and a fixing assembly 45, and may further include a pair of panels
46. A circular groove 411 is defined in a center of the base 41,
and a plurality of continuous locking teeth 412 protrude from a
side wall of the circular groove 411 and a pivot pin 413 protrudes
out of a bottom wall of the circular groove 411. The base 41 has a
second through-hole 414 extending through the pivot pin 413 and the
base 41, and two openings 415 connected with the circular groove
411.
[0029] The driven element 42 includes a main body 421, a gear 422
protruding out of an inner end surface of the main body 421, a
plurality of elastic arms 423 respectively extending from lateral
edges of the main body 421, and a plurality of locking portions 424
respectively formed on outside edges of the elastic arms 423.
Furthermore, the driven element 42 further includes a pivot hole
425 which extends through the main body 421 and the gear 422. An
end of each elastic arm 423 is bent and extended towards the main
body 421 to form a blocking arm 426.
[0030] The adjustment wheel 43 is a circular wheel of which an
outer edge has a slip prevention surface 431 with concavities and
convexities in order that the adjustment wheel 43 can be driven to
turn. The adjustment wheel 43 has a shaft portion 432 and a
plurality of guiding pins 433 which protrude from a center of an
inner concave surface of the adjustment wheel 43. A locking hole
434 is defined in a center of the shaft portion 432. The connecting
board 44 has a third through-hole 441. The fixing assembly 45 may
be a screw. The two panels 46 may have particular characters,
patterns or symbols formed thereon.
[0031] The annular strap 30 is mounted in the safety helmet 800,
the two end portions 31a, 31b of the annular strap 30 corresponding
to the fixing element 20. The connecting board 44 is located on the
fixing element 20, and further, the connecting board 44 may be
integrally connected with the body portion 21 of the fixing element
20. Of course, the connecting board 44 and the fixing element 20
also may be separate components, and the connecting board 44 is
mounted on the body portion 21 of the fixing element 20 via joint
etc.
[0032] The two end portions 31a, 31b of the annular strap 30
respectively pass through the two openings 415 of the base 41 and
overlap each other in the base 41, and the pivot pin 413 of the
base 41 passes through the slots 32a, 32b in the two end portions
31a, 31b. The driven element 42 is received in the circular groove
411 of the base 41, and the pivot pin 413 of the base 41 pivotally
engages with the pivot hole 425 of the driven element 42. At the
same time, the locking portion 424 on each elastic arm 423 abuts
against a corresponding locking tooth 412, and the gear 422 extends
into the slots 32a, 32b of the two end portions 31a, 31b and
engages with the two serrated portions 33a, 33b.
[0033] The shaft portion 432 of the adjustment wheel 43 is
pivotally inserted into the second through-hole 414 of the base 41,
so that the adjustment wheel 43 is pivotally mounted on the base
41. Each guiding pin 433 of the adjustment wheel 43 is inserted
into a corresponding space defined by an corresponding elastic arm
423, a corresponding blocking arm 426 and the main body 421 and may
move in the corresponding space, thereby the adjustment wheel 43
drives the driven element 43 to turn. The two panels are detachably
and relatively mounted on both sides of the circular groove 411 of
the base 41 to provide an effect of character display. The fixing
assembly 45 may pass through the third through-hole 441 of the
connecting board 44 and the second through-hole 414 of the base 41,
and further extend into the locking hole 434 of the adjustment
wheel 43, whereby to locate the adjustment wheel 43 and mount the
base 41 on an outside edge of the connecting board 44.
[0034] In this embodiment, the driven element 42 is driven to turn
via turning the adjustment wheel 43, so that the gear 422 drives
the serrated portions 33a, 33b of the two end portions 31a, 31b of
the annular strap 30, which leads the two end portions 31a, 31b of
the annular strap 30 to move towards or away from each other
thereby adjusting the size of the loop formed by the annular strap
30. Accordingly, the user can adjust tightness/looseness of the
annular strap 30 of the safety helmet 800 to ensure that the safety
helmet 800 fits the user's head and is firmly worn.
[0035] When the adjustment wheel 43 is turned clockwise, since each
guiding pin 433 may abut against an inner side of the corresponding
blocking arm 426 of the driven element 42, the adjustment wheel 43
may drive the driven element 42 to turn. At the same time, the
locking teeth 412 in the circular groove 411 may abut against the
locking portion 424, so each elastic arm 423 generates elastic
deformation towards the main body 421, which leads each locking
portion 424 to cross the adjacent locking tooth 412 and enter a
trough of a next locking tooth 412. Under the action of the elastic
force from each elastic arm 423, each locking portion 424 abuts
against the trough to be fixed. However, if the adjustment wheel 43
is continuously turned clockwise, then the locking portions 424 of
the driven element 42 will abut against the locking teeth 412 in
the circular groove 411 in turn, till the adjustment is completed
and the locking portions 424 of the driven element 42 are fixed in
corresponding troughs of the corresponding locking teeth 424. Based
on the above adjustment, the annular strap 30 can move inwards by a
proper distance (the maximum distance is the distance between the
slot 32a and the slot 32b) to be tightened.
[0036] Additionally, when the adjustment wheel 43 is turned
anticlockwise, since each guiding pin 433 abuts against an inner
side between each elastic arm 423 and the main body 421, the driven
element 42 may be driven to turn anticlockwise. At the same time,
each elastic arm 423 undergoes elastic deformation towards the main
body 421, so that each locking portion 424 crosses the adjacent
locking tooth 412 and enters a trough of a next locking tooth 412.
Under the action of the elastic force from each elastic arm 423,
each locking portion 424 will abut against the trough to be fixed.
Also, when the continuously anticlockwise adjustment is completed,
the locking portions 424 of the driven element 42 are fixed in
corresponding troughs of the corresponding locking teeth 424. The
difference is that the annular strap 30 can move outwards for a
proper distance to be loosed.
[0037] Thus, because the end portion of the buckle strap 810 can
pass through the body portion 21 of the fixing element 20 of the
present invention, the present invention can effectively and
directly fix the two rear straps 812 of the buckle strap 810.
Comparing with the prior art, the present invention can effectively
avoid that the safety helmet 800 slips up and down during use so as
to ensure that the safety helmet 800 can be firmly attached to a
user's head. Furthermore, basing on the structural design of the
fixing element 20 and the positioning elements 10, the present
invention can freely replace the fixing element 20.
[0038] Secondly, the present invention may further include the
annular strap 30 and the lacing and locking mechanism 40 to provide
a function of left-to-right adjustment for the safety helmet 800.
Accordingly, the present invention can be adjusted to ensure that
the safety helmet 800 fits the user's head and provide optimum
comfort and safety for users.
[0039] What are disclosed above are only the specification and the
drawings of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and
it is therefore not intended that the present invention be limited
to the particular embodiments disclosed. It will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various equivalent changes may be
made depending on the specification and the drawings of the present
invention without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
* * * * *