Strap buckle and method of securing a strap portion
OwnerGerardo P. Elia, Gary E. Galliers +1inventors
InventorsGerardo P. Elia, Gary E. Galliers, Audrey Karass
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The buckle includes a first and a second clamp member positioned substantially parallel to one another. End members are provided at the opposite ends of the first clamp member. The buckle includes a set of pliable wall directly interconnecting one of the end members to the second clamp member. The pliable walls are subjected to a permanent plastic deformation when the second clamp member is moved closer to the first clamp member.
Claims18
A strap buckle including:
- a first and a second clamp member positioned substantially parallel to one another, each clamp member having an elongated body extending between two opposite ends;
- a first and a second end member, each connected to a corresponding one of the ends of the first clamp member, the first and the second end member each including a side seat formed therein and that is in coinciding alignment with a corresponding body portion of the second clamp member;
- and
- a set of pliable walls directly interconnecting the side seat of the first end member with its coinciding body portion of the second clamp member, the side seat of the second end member and its coinciding body portion of the second clamp member being unconnected directly to one another, the pliable walls being subjected to a permanent plastic deformation when the second clamp member is moved from an initial first position, where the first and the second clamp member are laterally spaced apart from one another and where the body portions of the second clamp member are laterally spaced apart from their coinciding side seats, towards a second position where the first and the second clamp member are in close juxtaposition to one another and where the body portions of the second member are close juxtaposition to their coinciding side seats.
A single-use buckle to be attached to at least one strap portion, the buckle including:
- a double-sided center frame section having two spaced-apart and mutually parallel first clamp members, the first clamp members being connected together at opposite ends by two end members;
- two sets of pliable walls;
- and
- two second clamp members, one for each side of the center frame section, the second clamp members being parallel to and initially spaced-apart from a corresponding one of the first clamp members, each second clamp member being connected to only one of the end members using a corresponding one of the sets of pliable walls.
A method of securing a strap portion using a buckle, the method including:
- inserting a loop of the strap portion over one of two mutually parallel and initially spaced-apart clamp members of the buckle;
- moving the clamp member with the loop closer to one the other clamp member by force;
- while the clamp member is moved closer to the other, causing a permanent plastic deformation of a connector attaching the two clamp members together;
- and
- releasing the force once the loop is in a full retaining engagement between the two clamp members, the permanently deformed connector maintaining at least in part the full retaining engagement after releasing the force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.