U.S. patent application number 12/459398 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-16 for quick release buckle assembly.
Invention is credited to Joseph Anscher.
Application Number | 20100313392 12/459398 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43305098 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100313392 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Anscher; Joseph |
December 16, 2010 |
Quick release buckle assembly
Abstract
A quick release buckle assembly has a male portion and a female
portion. The male portion is inserted into the female portion to
lock the buckle assembly together. The male buckle portion is
connected to a cable. Pulling the cable with sufficient force
causes the male portion to release from the female portion. Several
buckle assemblies can be simultaneously released if the cables are
connected to a single handle. Pulling on the handle then releases
all of the male portions at once.
Inventors: |
Anscher; Joseph;
(Muttontown, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
COLLARD & ROE, P.C.
1077 NORTHERN BOULEVARD
ROSLYN
NY
11576
US
|
Family ID: |
43305098 |
Appl. No.: |
12/459398 |
Filed: |
June 30, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12456069 |
Jun 11, 2009 |
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12459398 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/616 ;
24/664 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41H 1/02 20130101; Y10T
24/45785 20150115; Y10T 24/45534 20150115; A44B 11/266 20130101;
A41D 2400/44 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
24/616 ;
24/664 |
International
Class: |
A44B 11/28 20060101
A44B011/28 |
Claims
1. A quick-release buckle assembly, comprising: a female portion
comprising a hollow body with a front wall, a back wall, a cavity
between the front and back walls, an open top communicating with
the cavity, and at least one locking slot extending through the
hollow body and communicating with the cavity; a male portion
comprising a base, and at least one locking leg, such that
inserting the male portion into the cavity through the open top of
the female portion causes the at least one locking leg to engage
the at least one locking slot to lock the male portion to the
female portion; a cable connected to the male portion; and means
for moving the at least one locking leg out of the at least one
locking slot, said means being actuated by pulling the cable, to
release the male portion from the female portion.
2. The buckle assembly according to claim 1, wherein each male
portion has two locking legs and each female portion has two
locking slots.
3. The buckle assembly according to claim 2, wherein the male
buckle portion has a central leg, and wherein the means for moving
the locking legs out of the locking slots comprises a pulling
assembly slidably mounted within the central leg and connected to
the cable, and two arms connected one to each of the locking legs
and to the pulling assembly, such that pulling on the cable causes
the pulling assembly to slide away from ends of the locking legs
and central leg and pull the locking legs toward the central leg to
release the male portion from the female portion.
4. The buckle assembly according to claim 3, wherein the pulling
assembly is mounted within a channel in the central leg.
5. The buckle assembly according to claim 4, wherein the pulling
assembly is a Y-shaped body, and wherein the arms are integrally
formed with the cable and connected to the locking legs through an
aperture in each of the locking legs.
6. The buckle assembly according to claim 1, wherein there are two
locking legs, said locking legs being connected to each other by an
integrally formed strap, and wherein the means for moving the
locking legs is a pulling assembly that is connected to the strap
and to the cable, such that pulling on the cable moves the pulling
assembly and strap downward, and forces the locking legs to move
toward each other.
7. The buckle assembly according to claim 6, wherein the strap has
a hollow receptacle, and wherein the pulling assembly is disposed
within the hollow receptacle and connected to the cable.
8. The buckle assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a
cable sleeve surrounding the cable, said cable sleeve being
attached to the male buckle portion, wherein the cable is slidable
within the cable sleeve.
9. A buckle system comprising: at least two buckle assemblies, each
buckle assembly comprising: (a) a female portion comprising a
hollow body with a front wall, a back wall, a cavity between the
front and back walls, an open top communicating with the cavity,
and at least one locking slot extending through the hollow body and
communicating with the cavity; (b) a male portion comprising a
base, and at least one locking leg, such that inserting the male
portion into the cavity through the open top of the female portion
causes the at least one locking leg to engage the at least one
locking slot to lock the male portion to the female portion; (c) a
cable connected to the male portion; and (d) means for moving the
at least one locking leg out of the at least one locking slot, said
means being actuated by pulling the cable; and a single handle
connected to ends of all of the cables, wherein pulling the handle
actuates the means for moving the at least one locking leg of all
of the buckle assemblies to simultaneously to release the male
portions from the female portions.
10. The buckle system according to claim 9, wherein each cable is
slidably disposed inside a cable sheath.
11. The buckle system according to claim 9, wherein there are four
buckle assemblies.
12. The buckle system according to claim 9, wherein each male
portion has a central leg, and wherein the means for moving the at
least one locking leg is disposed within the central leg, and moves
the at least one locking leg toward the central leg when the cable
is pulled.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/456,069, filed on Jun. 11, 2009.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention relates to a quick release buckle system. In
particular, the invention relates to a quick-release buckle system
that can be used on articles of clothing such as cut away vest that
need to be quickly and easily removed by the wearer.
[0004] 2. The Prior Art
[0005] Cut away vests are often worn by members of the military and
law enforcement agencies to aid the wearer in carrying gear, as
well as to protect against bullets and other impacts. These vests,
especially when loaded with armor plating, can be very heavy and
cumbersome to wear. Therefore it is a requirement that the vests be
easily removable by the wearer, in case the wearer must be mobile
in an emergency, and especially in case of submersion in water.
[0006] In the past, these vests have been constructed of several
separate pieces that are held together by a cable system. An
example of this system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,376 to
Johnson. A strap is threaded through each piece, with a hole in
each strap. The holes are then lined up, and a cable is threaded
through each hole. A loop on one of the pieces is threaded through
the overlapping holes, and a cable is then fed through the loop,
keeping all of the pieces joined together. In an emergency, the
cable is pulled out, thus releasing all of the pieces
simultaneously. This system works well to free the wearer from the
vest, but it is extremely difficult to re-assemble the vest after
use, so the vests are generally discarded after a single use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
quick-release buckle system that can be used on articles of
clothing that need to be quickly removed, such as a cut away vest,
so that the vest can be re-used for further operations. A version
of this cut-away vest is described in U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 12/456,069, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by
reference.
[0008] This and other objects are achieved by a quick release
buckle assembly having a male portion that is inserted into a
female portion. Each male buckle portion is connected to a cable. A
sharp pull on the cable causes the male portion to release from the
female portion to separate the buckle assembly.
[0009] In one embodiment of the buckle assembly according to the
invention, each female portion comprises a hollow body with a front
wall, a back wall, an open top, a cavity between the front and back
walls and at least one locking slot extending through the hollow
body and communicating with the cavity. Each male portion comprises
a base with at least one locking leg and a central leg, such that
inserting the male part into the open top of the female part causes
the locking leg to engage the locking slot to lock the male portion
to the female portion, as is the case with traditional side-release
buckles. In a preferred embodiment, each male portion has two
locking arms and each female portion has two locking slots. The
male portion also can be released in the traditional manner: by
pinching the locking legs together until they clear the locking
slots in the female portion. However, the buckle used in the
present invention has an additional feature. In this buckle, there
are means for moving the locking leg toward the central leg to
release the male portion--from the female portion when the cable is
pulled.
[0010] The means for moving the locking leg toward the central leg
can comprise a pulling assembly slidably mounted within the central
leg and connected to the cable in the male portion, and arms or a
strap connected one to each of the locking legs and to the pulling
assembly, such that pulling on the cable causes the pulling
assembly to slide away from ends of the locking legs and central
leg and pull the locking legs toward the central leg. When the
locking legs are pulled toward the central leg, they clear the
locking slots of the female buckle portion, and the male and female
portions are thus released from each other.
[0011] In one embodiment, the two locking legs can be connected by
an integrally molded strap. The cable mechanism can be guided
through the center leg channel and connected towards the middle of
the strap. When the cable is pulled, the strap pulls down and
swings the legs inwards. The strap may have different interface
configurations to attach to the cable.
[0012] In another embodiment, there is a molded hollow receptacle
in the middle of the strap, whereby an end piece of the cable will
interface. In yet another embodiment, the cable mechanism can guide
up through the center leg and split to two separate cables, each
one directly connected to each leg.
[0013] The buckle assembly according to the invention has the
advantage that several buckle assemblies can be connected via their
cables, so that a single pull can release all of the connected
buckle assemblies at the same time. For example, the cables of each
of the male portions can be attached to a single handle, so that
pulling the handle releases all of the buckle assemblies
simultaneously. This allows a device that is being held together by
several buckles to be immediately disassembled with a single
motion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Other objects and features of the present invention will
become apparent from the following detailed description considered
in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be
understood however, that the drawings are designed as an
illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the
invention.
[0015] In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote
similar elements throughout the several views:
[0016] FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the buckle assembly according
to the invention in an assembled position;
[0017] FIG. 2 shows the buckle assembly of FIG. 1 after release of
the male portion;
[0018] FIG. 3 shows one example of a male portion of the buckle
assembly according to the invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 shows the male buckle portion of FIG. 3 when the
cable is pulled;
[0020] FIG. 5 shows another example of the male buckle portion
according to the invention;
[0021] FIG. 6 shows the male buckle portion of FIG. 5 when the
cable is pulled;
[0022] FIG. 7 shows another example of the male buckle portion
according to the invention;
[0023] FIG. 8 shows the male buckle portion of FIG. 7 when the
cable is pulled;
[0024] FIG. 9 shows yet another example of the male buckle portion
according to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 10 shows the male buckle portion of FIG. 9 when the
cable is pulled;
[0026] FIG. 11 shows a cut away vest containing several buckle
assemblies according to the invention; and
[0027] FIG. 12 shows the cut away vest according to FIG. 11 in a
disassembled position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show
a buckle assembly 20, which consists of a male buckle portion 30
connected to a female buckle portion 40. Female buckle portion 40
has a hollow main body 41 having a cavity with an open top 42 and
two side slots 43, which accommodate locking legs 34 of male
portion 30 when male portion 30 is inserted into open top 42 of
female portion 40. The inserted section of male portion 30 has an
overall width that is greater than the width of female portion 40
in the area of the locking slots, so that once male portion 30 is
inserted through female portion 40, locking legs 34 snap into slots
43 to lock male portion 30 into female portion 40. Locking legs 34
have a stop 39, which prevents locking legs 34 from exiting slots
43 and inadvertently releasing male portion 30 from female portion
40 under minor tension. Male buckle portion 30 is connected at its
base 33 to a cable 31. Cable 31 can then be attached to a handle
(see FIG. 11).
[0029] Male buckle portion 30 is configured so that a hard pull on
cable 31 causes male buckle portion 30 to disengage from the
corresponding female portion 40.
[0030] FIGS. 3 and 4 show one embodiment of a male buckle portion
30 according to the invention. Male buckle portion 30 comprises a
base 33, two flexible locking legs 34 and a central leg 35 with a
guide channel. Within the guide channel of central leg 35 is a
slidable pulling mechanism 36. Connected to mechanism 36 and to
locking legs 34 are two pulling arms 37. Also connected to
mechanism 36 is cable 31 disposed inside a cable sleeve 32. Cable
sleeve 23 surrounds cable 31 and is attached to male buckle portion
30. Cable 31 is slidably movable within cable sleeve 32, so that
cable sleeve 32 can be fixed in position on an article of clothing
or luggage, and cable 31 is still movable within cable sleeve
32.
[0031] In use, pulling on cable 31 causes pulling mechanism 36 to
slide back away from locking legs 34. This pulls arms 37 downward,
and pulls locking legs 34 inward, as shown in FIG. 4. This inward
motion of locking legs 34 causes locking legs 34 to clear locking
slots 43 on female buckle portion 40 to release male buckle portion
30 from female buckle portion 40 when the two buckle portions are
assembled together.
[0032] FIGS. 5 and 6 show an alternative embodiment of male buckle
portion 30. In this embodiment, cable 31 is connected to a Y-shaped
pulling mechanism 336. This can be a hollow structure through which
cable 31 is threaded and splits into arms 337, which are connected
to locking legs 34 through aperture 339 and knob 338.
Alternatively, cable 31 can be attached to an end of mechanism 336,
with arms 337 attached to the two Y-arms of mechanism 336. As with
the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, pulling on cable 31 causes pulling
mechanism 336 to slide back away from locking legs 34. This causes
arms 337 to pull locking legs 34 inward, as shown in FIG. 6. The
inward motion of locking legs 34 causes locking legs 34 to be
released from locking slots 41 in female buckle portion 40, to
release male buckle portion 30 from female buckle portion 40.
[0033] FIGS. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of male buckle portion
30. In this embodiment, a connecting strap 437 extends between
locking legs 34. A pulling mechanism 436 is slidably disposed in
central leg 35 and is attached to a center of connecting strap 437.
As shown in FIG. 8, when cable 31 is pulled, pulling mechanism 436
pulls strap 437 downward and causes locking legs 34 to be pressed
inward, to release locking legs 34 from female portion 40.
[0034] FIGS. 9 and 10 show yet another embodiment of male buckle
portion 30. In this embodiment, a hollow receptacle 538 is
integrally molded into straps 537, which connect locking legs 34 to
each other. Within hollow receptacle 538 is a pulling mechanism
536, which is connected to cable 31. Pulling on cable 31 pulls
straps 537 downward and causes locking legs 34 to be pressed
inward, as shown in FIG. 10. This allows male buckle portion 30 to
be released from female buckle portion 40.
[0035] The buckle assemblies 20 are configured so that a
significant amount of force, i.e., a hard tug on the cable, is
needed to separate the male portion from the female portion, to
prevent inadvertent disengagement of the buckle assembly during
use.
[0036] Other buckle assemblies could also be envisioned within the
scope of the invention. All that is required is that the male
portion be releasable from the female portion by pulling on the
cable.
[0037] FIGS. 11 and 12 show a cut away vest containing several of
the buckle assemblies according to the invention. One of the
advantages of the buckle assembly according to the invention is
that several buckle assemblies can be released simultaneously with
a single movement, if all of the cables lead to a single
destination. In FIG. 11, vest 10 has a front vest piece 11 and a
rear vest piece 21, which are connected to each other via four
buckle assemblies. Each of male portions 30 are connected to front
vest piece 11, and each of female portions 40 are attached to rear
vest piece 21. Cables 31 for each male portion 30 are run through a
cable sheath 32, which is attached to front vest piece 11. Cables
31 are slidable within cable sheath 32. The ends of cables 31 run
underneath patch 16 and are all connected to a single handle 17.
Pulling on handle 17 thus pulls all four cables 31 and releases all
four male portions 30, as shown in FIG. 12, and as described with
respect to FIGS. 3-10. This causes shoulder sections 12, 13 of
front vest piece 11 to separate from shoulder sections 22, 23 of
rear vest piece 21, and waist sections 14, 15 of front vest piece
11 to separate from waist sections 24, 25 of rear vest piece 21, to
completely disassemble vest 10 in one motion.
[0038] The buckle assembly according to the invention can be used
as a single buckle, or for any application where several buckles
need to be released simultaneously.
[0039] Accordingly, while only a few embodiments of the present
invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many
changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *