IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,979,966
Granted Patent B2
US 7,979,966 · App. 12/174,691 · Granted Jul 19, 2011

Buckle

Assignee: YKK Corporation
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,979,966
App. No.
12/174,691
Granted
Jul 19, 2011
Kind
B2
Abstract

The male member comprises a base to which a string member can be attached, a pair of legs that project from the base, and an engaging portion that projects from a top surface and a bottom surface of a distal end of each of the pair of legs. The female member comprises: a hollow female member body that comprises an inserting opening into which the male member is inserted and an accommodating space that accommodates the pair of legs of the male member inserted through the inserting opening; an engaged portion provided to an interior of the accommodating space of the female member body with which the engaging portion of the male member is engaged; and a guiding receptacle provided to the interior of the accommodating space to guide the engaging portion to the engaged portion. A guide that abuts to the engaging portion of the male member to guide the engaging portion to the guiding receptacle is provided to the inserting opening of the female member.

Claims (17)

1. A buckle, comprising:

a male member; and

a female member into which the male member is inserted to be engaged therein, wherein:

the male member comprises:

a base to which a string member can be attached,

a pair of legs that project from the base, and

an engaging portion that projects from a top surface and a bottom surface of a distal end of each of the pair of legs,

the female member comprises:

a hollow female member body that comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a pair of lateral walls connecting the top wall and the bottom wall, an inserting opening into which the male member is inserted and an accommodating space that accommodates the pair of legs of the male member inserted through the inserting opening;

an engaged portion provided to the top wall and the bottom in the accommodating space of the female member body with which the engaging portion of the male member is engaged; and

a guiding receptacle provided to the interior of the accommodating space to guide the engaging portion to the engaged portion, the guiding receptacle being provided to an inner surface of each of the top wall and the bottom wall in a manner that a width of the guiding receptacle gradually narrows from the inserting opening toward the engaged portion; and

guides that abut to the engaging portions of the male member to guide the engaging portions to the guiding receptacle when the male member is obliquely inserted into the female member is provided to the inserting opening of the female member, each guide being provided to ends of the top wall and the bottom wall adjacent to the inserting opening on both sides of the inserting opening with the guiding receptacle interposed therebetween, and a distance between the guides provided to the both sides gradually narrows from the ends adjacent to the inserting opening toward the guiding receptacle.

2. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein a relationship of H 2 <H 3 <H 1 is satisfied, where HI is a dimension between a face of the guiding receptacle formed on the inner surface of the top wall and a face of the guiding receptacle formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall, H 2 is a dimension between the guide formed on the top wall at a side adjacent to the inserting opening and the guide formed on the bottom wall at side adjacent to the inserting opening, and H 3 is a dimension between a distal end of a top-side engaging portion projecting from a top side of a distal end of the leg and a distal end of a bottom-side engaging portion projecting from a bottom side of the distal end of the leg.

3. The buckle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the male member and the female member are fitted with each other at butting surfaces of the male member and the female member,

the butting surface of the female member comprises an expanding portion dented from the inserting opening in an inserting direction of the male member in a U-shape or in a V-shape, the guiding receptacle is provided to a center of the expanding portion and the guides are provided to both sides of the expanding portion, and

the butting surface of the male member comprises a projecting portion to be fitted with the expanding portion.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2008
From: YOSHIE, KENICHI
To: YKK CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021250/0596 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2007-230675 · Sep 5, 2007 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20090056089A1 · Mar 5, 2009