US3566454A

US3566454A - Quick release buckle

Info

Publication number: US3566454A
Application number: US783229A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert A Schmidt
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-12-12
Filing date: 1968-12-12
Publication date: 1971-03-02
Anticipated expiration: 1988-03-02

Abstract

A BUCKLE COMPRISING AN OPEN FRAME BENT AT ONE END TO FORM A HOOK FOR SUPPORTING A RING OR OTHER SUCH MEMBER DETACHABLE FROM THE BUCKLE FRAME, AND PROVIDED WITH A TONGUE MEMBER MOVABLE OUTWARDLY TO CONTACT THE HOOKED MEMBER TO THEREBY ENCLOSE THE RING AND MOVABLE INWARDLY TO ALLOW RELEASE OF THE RING. A STRAP IS RECEIVED IN THE FRAME AND A TRANSVERSE RETAINING BAR FOR THE STRAP IS PROVIDED PROXIMATE TO THE HOOKED MEMBER WHEREBY THE TONGUE MEMBER, DISPOSED THROUGH THE RESTRAINED STRAP, IS RESILIENTLY URGED INTO CONTACT WITH THE HOOKED MEMBER.

Description

March '2, 1971 A. A. SCHMIDT QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE Filed Dec. 12, 1968 v W/f/Vfdk atter I. film/I7 United States Patent Oflice 3,566,454 Patented Mar. 2, 1971 3,566,454 QUICK RELEASE BUCKLE Albert A. Schmidt, 4717 Del Paso Court, Los Angeles, Calif. 90032 Filed Dec. 12, 1968, Ser. No. 783,229 Int. Cl. A44b 11/28, 11/24 US. Cl. 24-165 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention The field of art to which the invention pertains includes the field of buckles, particularly harness and halter buckles.

(2) Description of the prior art Present harnesses and halters, particularly the type used on horses, utilize a plurality of rings connected by straps and one or more buckles. Typically, the connecting straps are sewn, riveted, or otherwise permanently secured to the rings, the rings serving to allow fiex-ure of the harness. In order to attach the harness, one is required to thread at least one strap through a buckle and threading is required each time the harness is removed and replaced. The straps utilized in such harnesses are generally of strong construction, from /8 to inch thick and are therefore quite difficult to thread and refit. The removal of such harnesses and halters is very tiring and time consuming. Interesting prior art includes U.'S. Pats. 277,380, 357,685 and 730,256 which utilize direct support of the harness ring by the buckle; however, in each of these disclosures threading of the strap is required each time the harness is removed or replaced. A need therefore exists for a means for quickly and easily releasing and refitting a harness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention presents a quick release buckle that can be utilized to allow the quick and easy release and refitting of a harness or halter or other strapping, including ordinary belts. The present invention eliminates the need for rethreading the harness or belt strapping, but allows quick release thereof and quick refitting. Once the buckle of the present invention is fitted to the belting or strapping, no further threading is ever required for its use.

The present invention utilizes a buckle that is modified from its normal form by providing the lower end thereof with a strap retaining portion, by upturning the bottom of the buckle to form a hook to support a harness ring or like member, and by extending and bending the tongue of the buckle so that the resiliency or tension of the strap through which the tongue is disposed urges the tongue against the hooked bottom portion of the buckle. The tip of the tongue is curved outwardly for contact with an inner surface of the hooked portion of the buckle to enclose the harness ring on the hook. Retention of the harness ring is assured by two successive factors in the life of leather: (1) the springiness of a new strap will hold the tongue against the hooked bottom portion of the buckle;

(2) with age and oiling the leather will progressively lose its springiness, allowing the weight of the halter lower portion to hold the tongue against the hooked bottom portion of the buckle by tensioning the strap.

When it is desired to remove the harness ring, one need merely push the tongue in toward the strap and out of contact with the hooked portion of the buckle, whereupon the harness ring can be lifted from the hooked portion for disconnection. Upon release, the tongue springs back into contact with the hooked portion. In order to reconnect the harness ring to the buckle, one need merely place the ring on top of the junction between the tongue tip and hooked buckle portion and pull downwardly. This action shifts the tongue rearwardly to the strap until the ring is well seated within the hooked portion, whereupon the springiness or tension of the strap forces the tongue outwardly to again abut the hooked portion to thereby secure the ring. In such connection, rearward movement of the tongue is obtained by merely sliding the harness ring downwardly. The resultant efiect is that the harness ring can be connected to the buckle with only one hand by downward snap-in movement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a horse harness utilizing a quick release buckle of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a buckle of this invention with a strap threaded therethrough and enclosing a harness ring, prior to release thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the buckle of FIG. 2 during release of the harness ring therefrom.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, a harness 10 is shown attachable to a horses head and having a plurality of harness rings 12, connecting straps 14 and a head strap 16. A buckle 18 of this invention is connected to one of the harness rings 12. The head strap 16 is threaded through the buckle 18 and retained therein with the buckle tongue 20 disposed through one of the holes 22 in the head strap 16 for that purpose. Once the harness 10 is fitted to the hose with the head strap 16 threaded in the buckle 18 and secured by the tongue 20, it can be removed from the horse by merely releasing the harness ring 12 from the buckle as will be described below.

. Referring to FIG. 2, the buckle 18 comprises an open frame member 24 of spaced

side members

26 and 28. The

side members

26 and 28 are connected at one end by a transverse bar 30 and the other ends are curved upwardly and joined to form a hooked member 32, which may be curved inwardly, as shown.

The tongue member 20 is formed with an eye 34 that pivotally engages the transverse bar 30 so that the tongue 20 swings between the

frame side members

26 and 28. The unattached end of the tongue member 20 is curved to be convex outwardly and is provided with an out-turned tip 36 to abut the center of the hooked member 32. An enclosure for the harness ring is thus formed and con stitutes the tongue member 20, hooked member 32 and

frame side members

26 and 28.

A cross-bar or bail 38 is provided at the bottom of the buckle extending rearwardly thereof opposite the hooked member 32. The bail 38 serves as a retaining bar to retain the strip (shown in shadow 16) against pivotal rearward displacement which would occur in the absence of the bail 38. The strap 16 is secured in the frame 24 by disposing the tongue member 20 through one of its holes 22. In this position, the thickness and springiness of the strap 16, typically of leather, or tension from the weight of the halter, urges the tongue tip 36 against the hooked member 32 to effectively secure the harness ring 12 in a locked position.

In order to release the harness ring 12, one need merely push the tongue member 20 in toward the strap 16 (as indicated by the arrow 40) to the configuration shown in FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 3, the harness ring 12 can now be lifted from the buckle 18 by a rolling action of the ring 12 (as shown by the arrow 42 to be completely released therefrom. The springiness or tension of the strap 16 then returns the tongue member 20 with its tip 36 resiliently urged against the hooked member 32.

The hooked member 32 is curved inwardly toward the

side members

26 and 28 to prevent the ring 12 from sliding between the hooked member 32 and the

side members

26 and 28, but to allow the ring 12 to rollingly pass therebetween. In this regard, the ring 12 can be retained on the buckle 18 without the tongue member 20, but some positive, locking action is achieved with the tongue member 20.

In order to reconnect the assembly, one need merely place the harness ring 12 on the juncture between the tongue tip 36 and hooked member 32 and pull downwardly. This action shifts the tongue member 20 rearwardly, against the resiliency of the strap 16, until the harness ring 12 is seated within the hooked member 32. The springiness or tension of the strap 16 will then snap the tongue tip 36 outwardly to again abut the hooked member 32 to thereby secure the harness ring 12. This spring-like action of the tongue tip 36 results in the harness ring 12 being snapped into place on the hooked member 32 by merely sliding the harness ring 12 onto the buckle with a downward motion.

It will thus be seen that a buckle has been described that is quickly released with a minimum of effort. Once the strapping has been inserted into the buckle, it need not be removed or reinserted. To utilize the harness one need merely place it on the horses head and snap the harness ring into place on the buckle, which action can be done with one hand. To remove the harness, one need merely push the tongue in and lift up the harness ring.

What is claimed is:

1. A buckle, comprising:

a frame defining an opening for receiving a strap;

a hooked member on said frame at one end of said frame opening for supporting a member detachable from said buckle;

a tongue member pivotally connected at the opposite end of said frame opening and formed for disposition through a strap threaded through said opening at a point between said hooked member and said pivotal connection, said tongue member being formed with a tip which by means of pivoting of said tongue member about said pivotal connection is movable into contact with said hooked member to a closed buckle position for enclosing said detachable member and movable out of said contact to an open buckle position for allowing the release of said detachable member; and

means for restraining said tongue from moving out Of contact with said hooked member.

2. The buckle of claim 1 wherein said tongue member is disposed to be resiliently urged by said strap into said contact with said hooked member.

3. The buckle of claim 1 in which said restraining means is formed to retain said strap against displacement from said frame.

4. The buckle of claim 1 wherein said tongue member has a tip curved outwardly for contact with an inner surface of said hooked member to thereby prevent outward movement of said tongue but allowing inward movement thereof.

5. The buckle of claim 1 wherein said frame is bent at one end to form said hooked member.

6. The buckle of claim 1 wherein said frame is provided with a transverse connecting bar at said opposite end on which said tongue member is pivotally connected.

7. The buckle of claim 1 wherein said restraining means comprises a retaining bar disposed across said frame at said one end of said frame opening wherein said strap may be disposed between said retaining bar and said hooked member to be thereby restrained from displacement from said hooked member and thereby resiliently urge said tongue member into said contact.

8. The buckle of claim 5 wherein said frame is formed with a transverse retaining bar at said one end of said frame opening and a transverse "connecting bar at said opposite end for said pivotal tongue member connection, said strap being disposable between said retaining bar and said hooked member to be thereby restrained from displacement therefrom.

9. The buckle of claim 1 in which said detachable member is formed with a rounded surface and said hooked member is curved inwardly, toward said frame, to prevent said detachable member from sliding between said frame and hooked member but allowing said detachable member to rollingly pass therebetween.

References Cited