Buckle and Strap and Method for the Manufacture Thereof, Especially Hand Strap and Buckle for a Ski Stick

The present invention relates to a buckle and a strap one end of which is secured to the frame portion of the buckle, the free end of the strap being attachable at desired point between the frame portion and a locking latch pivotably journaled thereto. A particular object of the invention is to fit such a buckle in connection to the hand strap of a ski stick so that the hand strap can be readily and quickly lengthened and shortened. However, the buckle and strap of the invention have a plurality of other applications, although the invention was made in connection of a ski stick's hand strap.

Another object of the invention is an economical method for the manufacture of the buckles and straps.

In known buckles, the strap end is secured to the frame portion of the buckle by folding the strap end to form a loop around a part of the buckle and by riveting or sewing the strap parts together adjacent to the attachment portion of the buckle. Such attachment requires a lot of time and expenses in the production of buckles and straps.

The object of the invention is to provide such a buckle and strap which are qualitatively better than known buckles and straps and yet substantially less expensive to manufacture.

To accomplish this object, the buckle and strap according to the invention are characterized in that the strap end is securely embedded in the body portion of an injection-moulded buckle.

The method according to the invention for the manufacture of such buckles and straps is characterized in that the strap end is fitted in the mould cavity of the buckle's body portion followed by the injection-moulding step of the body portion.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, one end of the strap made of synthetic fiber cord or web is provided with an anchoring hem formed by heat-cutting the strap.

The buckle of the invention is particularly suitable for use in the hand strap of a ski stick for adjustment of strap length according to the size of hand as well as for proper gripping height. A buckle, fitted in the strap in a conventional manner may, however, press or gall the hand. To overcome this drawback, the present invention proposes a new and special position and attachment for the buckle. Without limiting the invention to the construction and manufacture of the buckle and strap referred to above, the invention suggests that a separate, detachable buckle be fitted inside the cavity space in the upper part of the stick handle. Previously known are also such assemblies, wherein adjustment of the strap length is effected in the upper part or knob of the stick handle. A common constructional feature in these prior art solutions is that the grooves or notches for the hand strap are provided in the frame portion of the stick knob, i.e. in a part connected to the stick rigidly or by screw connection. In the solutions employing screw connection, the adjustment is securely maintained, but the adjustment operation itself is cumbersome and slow and requires a screw driver. A skier very seldom carries one. In the known solutions, in which adjustment is easy to carry out, the strap gradually slips and the adjusted position changes. Additional drawbacks are free hanging strap ends or limited adjustment length.

Other various advantages and features are disclosed in more detail in the following description with reference made to the embodiment illustrated in the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the frame portion of the buckle of the invention with strap ends secured thereto;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the line II--II in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the locking lever for the buckle of the invention, which lever is attachable to the frame portion of FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 5 shows a buckle of the invention adapted to adjusting the hand strap of a ski stick.

The frame portion of the buckle is made of plastics in single piece by injection-moulding. The end 3 of strap 2 made of synthetic cord or web is securely embedded in the frame portion during the injection-moulding step thereof. When straps 2 are cut off a continuous band by means of appropriately designed heating blades, the strap ends provide an anchoring hem for secure attachment. On the other hand, the material of portion 1 is under high pressure forced in between the webs or fabrics and fibers of strap 2, thus providing secure anchoring as well. The end 3 of strap 2 is tightened to the transverse beam 4 of frame portion 1 provided with two flat arms 5 projecting therefrom whose surfaces facing each other are provided with towards each other directed bearing pins 6. When making the portion 1, the dividing plane of half-moulds runs at the strap 2 and bearing pins 6 and, thus, the manufacturing can be effected by means of two half-moulds moving towards and away from each other.

For locking the free end of the strap to the buckle at desired point, as depicted in FIG. 5, the buckle of the invention comprises a locking lever 10 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The side faces of the locking lever 10 are provided with recesses 13 for receiving bearing pins 6. Bevel faces 14 lead to the recesses 13, in addition to which the bevelled end faces of pins 6 as well as resilience of arms 5 facilitate inserting of lever 10 in position. With respect to its bearing axis 13, lever 10 is double-armed so that one arm 11 provides a gripping means for pivoting the lever 10 to closed and open positions, and the other arm 12 functions as a locking cam. Locking cam 12 cooperates with the transverse beam 4 of frame 1 pressing the free end 3 of strap 2 against the beam 4, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The beam 4 is provided with a shoulder 7 so that, after the cam 12 has passed the shoulder 7, the lever 10 sort of snaps in position. When the strap 2 is tightened, its free end 3 pulls the cam 12 towards another recess 8, thus providing secure and non-slipping attachment.

In the present embodiment the buckle is designed for adjusting the length of a ski stick's hand strap as seen in FIG. 5.

According to the invention, the upper part of the ski stick handle 15 is provided with a cavity space 16, inside which the buckle is inserted. The side faces of cavity space 16 comprise guide grooves or faces 17 for the attachment of frame portion 1, the frame portion 1 gripping the grooves by its engagement ribs 18. Naturally, sufficient gripping can be accomplished by tight fitting without any engagement ribs 18. In the present embodiment, the guide face 17 are formed so that the opposite side faces of cavity 16 are provided with recesses for receiving the side faces 5 of frame portion 1. The locking lever 10 acts as a cavity space 16 covering lid, when it is in the closed locking position presented by solid lines in FIG. 5. Thus, there remains sufficient space in the cavity 16 to store the free end 3 of the strap in rolled-up condition below the lever 10. When the lever 10 is pivoted to the position shown by dot-dash lines in FIG. 5, the free end 3 of the strap can be pulled in either direction for shortening or lengthening the strap 2. By turning it further, the lever 10 can be used for prying the buckle up out of the cavity 16 with the cavity's edge acting as a limit surface. Lever 10 can be opened from its closed position e.g. by means of the other stick's point, which is fitted in through a notch 19 in the edge of lever 10.

The hand strap 2 is inserted in through a slit 20 in the lower edge of the cavity space 16. With respect to the slit 20, the free end 3 of the strap is supplied from the opposite side of the beam 4, the winding of the end 3 providing tight and nonslipping attachment.