US1449189A - Buckle - Google Patents

Description

MamZQ, 1923.- 1,449,189

- c. E. PETERSON BUCKLE Filed. r. 29, .1922

- ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 2%, 1%23.

CARL E. PETERSON, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

BUCKLE.

Application filed April 29, 1922. Serial No. 557,293.

To (6 i071 0m it may concern Be it known that I, CARL E. Prrnnson, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridgeport, county of Fair-field, and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved buckle which consist-s of a main buckle part of any usual type adapted to be fastened to one end of a strap and to adjustably secure the other end of the strap, such as the ends of a belt and the like, and having a face plate, which face plate has no function as to holding the strap, but which forms an ornamental and secure means for covering the front of the buckle to improve its appearance, and furthermore, to prevent parts of the clothing or parts of the hand from being damaged by engagement with the tongue or other protruding parts of the main buckle.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of one form of my improved buckle. Figure 2 is a similar view with the face plate swung to an open position. Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 in Figure 1. Figure 4t is a front view of a modified form of buckle with its face plate swung to open position. Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through Figure 4, taken on the line 5-5, Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a back view of an improved buckle, showing a still further modification.

The main buckle part, which can be of any desired form, is shown in Figures 2 and 3 as being a buckle made of wire, the main portion 10 consisting of the side bars 11, a center bar 12, a front bar 13 and a rear bar 1a, the terms front and rear being simply used to differentiate the opposite ends of the buckle. On the center bar 12 is a tongue 15 which swings on the center bar and is adapted to pass through the holes in a strap to hold it in position. While a buckle using a tongue is illustrated, it will be evident that other forms of buckle can be used for holding the strap.

The face plate 16 is adapted, when closed, to give the buckle the appearance of an ornamental, substantially oblong fastening and completely covers the buckle and is readily removable from at least a part of the main buckle portion so as to permit the adjustment of the strap and its disengagement from the tongue 15.

In Figures 1, 2 and 8 I show the face plate 16 hinged at one end by having the material of the face plate bent back to form a sleeve 17 which embraces the back bar 14 so that the main buckle portion and the face plate are hinged together, and the front end is yieldingly held in closed position by the fingers 18 on the end of the lateral strip 19, these lingers projecting so that when the buckle is closed the fingers are snapped over the side bars 11 adjacent to the front bar 13, as will be clearly seen from Figure 3. The strip 19 can be held in position by soldering or other means, or by folding over the part 20 from. the front end of the face plate, and crimping it down at its edge so that it holds the strip substantially rigid against the back face of the face plate.

To permit the face plate to be tightly pressed against the buckle the end of the tongue 15 does notcontact with the part 20 because the part 20 is provided with a cut away portion 21. Vhen the face plate is swung open, as shown in Figure 2, the belt can be adjusted because the main buckle portion 16 is free to be manipulated for the adjustment of the end 22 of the strap or belt, the other end of which can be secured,

as at 23, to the center bar of the buckle. When the parts are adjusted as desired, all that needs to be done is to swing the face plate to its closed position and it clicks or snaps into holding engagement with the main buckle part by reason of the fingers 1S engaging the main buckle, the main buckle being thus entirely concealed, since the top part of the face plate is provided with rearwardily projecting flanges 24L at the top and 25 at the bottom. The fingers 18 are within the top and bottom flanges and are thus concealed and also prevent any distortion of the flanges when the parts are snapped together. This leaves the flanges smooth and even.

In Figure l I show modified form in which a substantially narrow buckle can be provided for, being not much wider than the strap to which it is secured, this buckle being of the cast type, the main buckle part 26 having the front bar 27, the center bar 28 and the rear bar 29 secured to the side bars 30, the front bar having lingers 31 pro jecting from the front thereof, the face plate 16 being hinged by the sleeve 17 to the rear bar 29, the face plate on the front end having the strip 19 With its spring fingers18, the spring fingers, however, being arranged so as to engageth'e fingers 31 on the front bar 27 of the main buckle portion. The

flanges Qt'and 25 can thus be made slightly Wider than the distance between the outside edges of the side bars 30. In Figure 6 I show a still further modification Which requires no out out portion to compensate for the end of the tongue 15,

with means therein for holding the ends of v a strap, and a face plate hinged at one end to the buckle, said face plate having top and bottomflanges and springears secured to the face plate Within the flanges to engage the other end of the buckle so as to hold the plate on the front of the buckle.

2. A buckle comprising a main buckle with means therein for holding the end of a strap, and a face plate having inwardly extending flanges on its top and bottom edges and being bent into, a sleeve at one end so that it will embrace one bar of the buckle, and having fingers secured to the face plate independent of and Within the flanges, said fingers being adapted to yield and to embrace the front end of the buckle so that the face plate is yieldingly held in position.

3. A buckle comprising a main buckle with means therein for holding the end of a strap, a face plate having inwardly extending flanges on its top and bottom edges and being bent into a sleeve at one end so that it will embrace one bar of the buckle, and a strip of metal on the inner face of the face plate and having its ends bent to form fingers adapted to yieldingly engage the front end of the buckle, the front end of the plate being bent over to hold said strip in position.

4. A buckle comprising a main buckle, a face plate hinged to one end of the buckle and a lateral strip secured to the buckle said strip having spring fingers on its end. and Within the top and bottom edges of the face plate, said fingers being disposed so as to engage the sides of the buckle to hold the face plate shut.

In testimony that I claim the. foregoing,

I have hereto set my hand, this 28th day of April, 1922.

C. E. PETERSON.

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