US1792923A - Buckle - Google Patents

Description

R. W. O NEIL Feb. 17, 1931.

BUCKLE Filed March 27. 1929 KL Y R WW 4 m Patented Feb." 17, 1931' UNITE RICHARD W. ONEIL, 0F WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNCR TO THE SHOE HARD- WARE 00., OF WATER-BURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION .OF CONNECTICUT BUCKLE Application filed March 27, 1929. -Serial No. 350,162.

This invention relates to buckles, specially of the type provided with a pivoted tongue having a cam adapted to engage a spring associated with the body of the buckle to hold the tongue in closed or open position.

The tongue of buckles of this type usually has a heel portion disposed at the side of the pivotal axis of the tongue opposite from the cam portion thereof. If the tongue is forced beyond its normal open position, the heel portion exerts a powerful bending action against the spring and permanently bends it away from the body, thereby causing such looseness between the spring and the cam thatthey are thereafter incapable of properly cooperating to hold the tongue in either of its two positions. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for preventing the heel of the tongue from causing such bending.

For a more detailed understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following specification and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a buckle incorporating the invention and in which the tongue is shown in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective illustrating the tongue in open position; and

Fig. 3 is a modified form of buckle embodying the invention.

Referring at first to Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates the body of the buckle which is provided with arms 2 which terminate in loops 3 forming bearings for a tongue 4 having laterally extending pins 5 extending within the loops 3 of the arms 2. The tongue 4 is bent as indicated at 6,to provide a heel portion 7 and a cam 8,.which latter is adapted to cooperate with a flat spring 9 disposed between the arms 20f the body 1, whereby the tongue 4 may be held in either closed or open position.

Buckles of this kind are generally cut from sheet metal and pressed to shape. and the spring portion 9 is usually formed as an ins tegral part of the body 1 and extends substantially in the plane thereof. In ordinary use the spring 9 is usually capable of retain ing suiiicient resiliency to satisfactorily cooperate with the cam 8 in holding the tongue in either of its two positions, but if the tongue is swung open to such an extreme extent that the heel 7 is forced against the spring 9, there is provided preferably on the tongue 4 a pair of stops in the form of lugs 10 which are disposed closely adjacent to the heel 7 so that when thetongue 4 is moved to the'position disclosed in Fig. 2, thelugs 10 contact with the body 1 of the buckle, thereby preventing further opening of the tongue 4, and the heel 7 from pressingthe spring 9 outwardly from the body.

Inthe Fig. 3 embodiment of the'invention the body 1 is provided with lugs 11 which engage the bent portion ,6 of the tongue 4 when the latter is swung to open position, thereby preventing the heel 7 from pressing against the spring 9.

. It is obvious from the foregoing description that various alterations and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention, and it is therefore not intended to limit the invention except as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A buckle member comprising a flat body provided with spaced arms terminating in loops, a flat spring intermediate said arms and extending substantially in the plane of rArsnr 7 easier.

v the body, and a tongue pivotally mounted in said loops and having a cam portion cooperating with said spring to hold said tongue in opened and closed positions, at least one of said arms being provided with a stop extending inwardly towards said spring and adapted to engage said tongue to prevent the same from bending the spring away from said body when the tongue is swung to its extreme open position.

Signed at \Vaterbury, county of New Ven, State of Connecticut, this 22d day of March, 1929.

RICHARD W. ONEIL.

Images