Combination lock of strap buckle

• US 5,193,368 A
• Filed: 06/10/1992
• Issued: 03/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chong-Kuan Ling
• Original Assignee: Chong-Kuan Ling
• Inventors: Ling, Chong-Kuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Gall, Lloyd A.
• Application Number:
  US07/896,654
• Time in Patent Office: 279 Days
• Field of Search: 70/18, 70/30, 70/57, 70/58, 70/3-5, 70/69-72, 70/74-76, 70/312, 70/316-318, 70/326, 70/328
• US Class Current: 70/30
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/266 with at least one push-button acting parallel to the main plane of the buckle and perpendicularly to the direction of the fastening action
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 37/02 with tumbler discs or rings arranged on a single axis, each disc being adjustable independently of the others
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/5284 in which a movable latch is passed through a staple loop similar fasteners for buckles A44B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/435 Flexible shackle
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/50 Special application
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7305 Manually operable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7384 Mounts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 70/7395 Friction holder

Abstract

A combination lock of strap buckle includes a female lock body secured on a first end portion of a strap or belt; a male buckle secured on a second end portion of the strap engageable with the female lock body for fastening the two end portions of the strap; and a plurality of sleeves coupled with a plurality of dials, having a plurality of numerals annularly formed on each dial, rotatably mounted in the female lock body for operatively locking the male buckle in the female lock body, whereby upon a rotation of the dials from a locking combination to an unlocking combination, the male buckle will be unbuckled from the female lock body for an unlocking operation, thereby providing a combination lock for the strap buckle by omitting a key and a key-actuated safety lock for increasing locking or unlocking convenience of the strap buckle.

Claims

1. A combination lock of strap buckle comprising:

a female lock body secured on a first end portion of a strap;

a male buckle means secured on a second end portion of the strap having a pair of latch members engageable with two latch-member slots formed in said female lock body for fastening said first and said second end portions of said strap, said two latch members being depressible for disengaging from said latch member slots for unbuckling said buckle means from said lock body; and

a pair of dials coupled with a pair of sleeves rotatably mounted in said female lock body;

said pair of sleeves being separated by a partition plate formed in an intermediate block in said lock body, each said sleeve operatively retaining said latch member of said male buckle means in said female lock body for locking said buckle means in said lock body when said dials are rotated to a locking combination thereof, and each said sleeve having a sleeve slot recessed therein for retracting said latch member of said male buckle means therein when depressing said latch members of said buckle means thereby unbuckling and unlocking said male buckle means from said female lock body.

2. A combination lock of strap buckle comprising:

a female lock body secured on a first end portion of a strap;

a male buckle means secured on a second end portion of the strap engageable with said female lock body for fastening said first and said second end portions of said strap; and

a plurality of dials coupled with a plurality of sleeves rotatably mounted in said female lock body;

at least one said sleeve operatively retaining said male buckle means in said female lock body for locking said buckle means in said lock body when said dials are rotated to a locking combination thereof, and said sleeves having means for retracting said male buckle means when depressing said buckle means for disengaging and unlocking said male buckle means from said female lock body;

said female lock body including;

an upper cover, a lock base combined with the upper cover, a pair of pivot-holding portions disposed on two opposite side portions of the lock body for rotatably mounting two outer pivots of a pair of sleeves on the pivot-holding portions, a pair of sleeve-holding portions disposed on two opposite side portions of the lock body, each said sleeve-holding portion adjacent to each said pivot-holding portion and formed with a sleeve recess in the sleeve-holding portion for rotatably mounting one said sleeve on each said sleeve-holding portion, a pair of dial grooves, each dial groove recessed in the lock body positioned inside and adjacent to each said sleeve-holding portion for rotatably mounting one said dial in the dial groove, an intermediate block formed in a central portion of the lock body having two retarding extensions disposed on two opposite sides of the intermediate block for limiting the sleeves, a central socket recessed in a free end portion of the lock body for receiving a central extension of the male buckle means, and a fixed end portion of the lock body opposite to the free end portion secured with said first strap end portion of the strap; and

said male buckle means including;

a pair of latch members disposed on two outer sides of the central extension of the buckle means and operatively insertable in two latch passages formed in two outer side portions of the female lock body, each said latch member positioned at a first end portion of the buckle means having a lug protruding inwardly from the latch member to be operatively retarded by a sleeve for locking the latch member in the lock body and having a hook portion formed on an outer portion of the latch member to be engageably locked by a side wall stopping portion adjacent to the latch passage, with the latch member being lockable in the lock body and positioned in a depression slot cut out in each outer middle side portion of the lock body and a second end portion of said male buckle means opposite to the first end portion of said buckle means secured to a second strap end portion of the strap.

3. A combination lock of strap buckle according to claim 2, wherein each said sleeve coupled with each said dial includes:

the outer pivot protruding outwardly and rotatably mounted on the pivot-holding portion of the female lock body having a needle hole recessed in an outer surface of the pivot and correspondingly communicating the depression slot of the lock body, an elongate cylindrical portion secured to the pivot rotatably engageable with the sleeve recess in the lock body having a lug slot recessed in an outer portion of the elongate cylindrical portion to be operatively engageable with the lug of the latch member allowing an inward depression of the latch member for unlocking the latch member from the stopping portion of the lock body and having a plurality of protrusions annularly formed on the elongate cylindrical portion engageable with a plurality of coupling recesses annularly recessed in each said dial for coupling each said sleeve with each said dial, a short cylindrical portion formed on an inner portion of the sleeve adjacent to the elongate cylindrical portion and rotatably engageable with a central hole formed in the dial, a secant recess portion cut out in a peripheral portion of the short cylindrical portion to be slidably engageable with a retarding extension of the lock body, and a spring socket recessed in an inner surface of the sleeve opposite to the pivot for inserting a tensioning spring in the spring socket to allow the tensioning spring resiliently retained in two neighbouring sleeves for normally urging the two sleeves outwardly for coupling each said sleeve with each said dial.

4. A combination lock of strap buckle according to claim 3, wherein each said dial is rotatably coupled on each said sleeve to protrude a peripheral portion of the dial beyond a dial opening formed in the upper cover of the lock body and includes:

a plurality of numerals annularly formed on the dial, an annular shoulder portion annularly formed on a central hole of the dial with the plurality of coupling recesses annularly recessed in the annular shoulder portion for engaging the protrusions of the sleeve, and a plurality of positioning recesses annularly recessed in an inner surface of the dial to be rotatably resiliently urged by a positioning spring fixed in the intermediate block of the lock body for clickingly rotatably mounting each said dial on the lock body.