Showshoe with cam lock buckle
AssigneeTubbs Snowshoe Company, LLC
InventorsCharles Bentley Warner, Daniel T. Emerson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A snowshoe having a boot harness assembly includes one or more cam lock type buckles through which webbing straps are tightened. The cam lock buckle allows low friction pulling of the tail end of a strap for tightening, while providing a positive lock against slippage in the opposite direction. A particular configuration of cam lock buckle is disclosed by which friction in tightening the strap is reduced further.
Claims7
In a snowshoe having a harness with webbing straps and with provision for tightening the straps over a user's boot, the improvement comprising:
- at least one buckle on the webbing straps of the harness, the buckle being connected at one end to the harness and having a second end through which passes a webbing strap to be tightened, with the webbing strap being doubled back through the buckle to provide a tail of the strap for gripping and pulling to tighten a tensioned portion of the strap leading to the buckle,
- the buckle being a cam lock buckle of the type having a spring loaded, pivoted lever with engagement teeth on a lower side positioned to engage against the tail end of the webbing strap, the buckle including a cross bar toward which the teeth of the lever are urged such that the tail end of the strap passes between the teeth and the bar, the spring loaded pivoted lever and the teeth being so positioned and oriented that the tail end of the webbing strap can be pulled through the second end of the buckle freely, forcing the lever to pivot in the direction away from the surface of the strap tail end against the spring force while the tensioned portion of the webbing strap is pulled tighter to tighten the harness, and such that when pulling force on the tail end of the strap is discontinued, back-pulling force from the tensioned portion of the strap tends to draw the lever in pivotal rotation more tightly against the strap tail, biting the teeth into the surface of the strap more firmly and thus positively gripping the webbing strap in the buckle and preventing slipping,
- wherein the buckle has a frame supporting the lever, with a pivot pin connecting said lever pivotally on the frame, said cross bar being supported on the frame, and the frame being of molded plastic.
A buckle for use in tightening a webbing strap in a configuration wherein the webbing strap doubles back at the buckle so that a tail end of the webbing strap is pulled through the buckle to tighten the strap, comprising:
- a buckle frame with a first end adapted for connection to an item to be pulled tight and a second end adapted for engagement with a webbing strap to pass through the buckle and double back,
- a webbing strap having a tension portion extending in a direction opposite said one end and passing through the buckle and extending out of the buckle in doubled-back fashion such that a tail of the strap is positioned to be pulled by a user for tightening tension portion of the strap,
- the frame having a direction reversal pin over which the strap is doubled, the pin having a low-friction surface such that the strap slides easily over the pin, and the pin being between said first and second ends of the buckle frame,
- the buckle being a cam lock buckle of the type having a spring loaded, pivoted lever with engagement teeth on a lower side positioned to engage against the tail end of the webbing strap, the pivoted lever being connected to the second end of the buckle frame, the buckle frame including a crossbar at the second end, toward which the teeth of the lever are urged such that the tail end of the strap passes between the teeth and the bar,
- the spring loaded pivoted lever and the teeth being so positioned that the tail end of the webbing strap can be pulled to the second end of the buckle freely, forcing the lever to pivot away from the surface of the strap tail against the spring force while the tension portion of the webbing strap is pulled tighter, and such that when pulling force on the tail of the strap is discontinued, back-pulling force from the tension portion of the strap tends to draw the lever more tightly against the strap tail, biting the teeth into the surface of the strap more firmly and thus positively gripping the webbing strap in the buckle and preventing slipping.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.