# US 4,393,556 A · Plastic buckle

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- Number: US 4,393,556 A
- Document ID: US4393556A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/253,325
- Filed: 1981-04-13
- Granted: 1983-07-19
- Earliest claimed: 1980-04-18
- Assignees: Nifco Inc.
- Inventors: Takuo Yuda; Akira Mizusawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4393556A

## CPC

- A44B 11/2588: {combined with one buckle element rotating or pivoting}
- Y10T 24/45775: having resiliently biased interlocking component or segment
- A44B: BUTTONS, PINS, BUCKLES, SLIDE FASTENERS, OR THE LIKE (fastenings specially adapted for footwear A43C)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A plastic buckle comprises an obverse half buckle member provided with an engaging piece and snap engaging means and a reverse half buckle member provided at the positions corresponding to those of the first half buckle member with surface portions adapted to be caught by the engaging piece and snapping engaging means. These two half buckle members are assembled into one complete buckle by fastening the surface portions to the engaging portion and rotating the two half buckle members toward each other with the point of contact thereof serving as the fulcrum of rotation until they come into fast union.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A plastic buckle comprising two discrete, totally separable half buckle members each having a longitudinal dimension and a lateral dimension, a first half buckle member having a belt-insertion slit along one lateral edge thereof and a second buckle member having another belt-insertion slit along one lateral edge thereof opposite said one lateral edge of said first buckle member, said first buckle member including a first snap engaging means and a fulcrum creating upstanding wall region formed near one lateral edge thereof including a retention ledge located at an uppermost extremity of the fulcrum creating upstanding wall region, said second buckle member including a second snap engaging means adapted for snapping engagement with said first snap engaging means and fulcrum engaging portion formed near a lateral edge wherein said fulcrum engaging porton is adapted to be caught by said retention ledge, whereby the two buckle members are assembled into one complete buckle by positioning the fulcrum engaging portion of the second buckle member adjacent the fulcrum creating upstanding wall region with the first buckle member angularly disposed relative to the second buckle member, then rotating the two buckle members toward each other with the point of contact of the two buckle members serving as the fulcrum of rotation and snapping the two buckle members into fast union by resiliently engaging the first snap engaging means of the first buckle member with the second snap engaging means of the second buckle member.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The plastic buckle according to claim 1, wherein said snap engaging means of said first half buckle member are a pair of roundish protuberances provided on the rear surface of said first half buckle member and said snap engaging means of said second half buckle member are a pair of surface portions constituting notches formed on the sides of said second half buckle member.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The plastic buckle according to claim 1, wherein said first half buckle member has the rear surface thereof formed in a concave structure capable of encasing the portion of said second half buckle member excluding said belt-insertion slit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The plastic buckle according to claim 1, wherein said first half buckle member has the front surface thereof decorated.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The plastic buckle according to claim 1 wherein the retention ledge associated with the fulcrum creating upstanding wall region extends longitudinally outwardly of the first buckle member.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The plastic buckle according to claim 1 wherein the retention ledge associated with the fulcrum creating upstanding wall region extends longitudinally inwardly of the appropriate lateral edge on the first buckle member.