Buckle construction having decorative material retention means

The present invention relates to an improved buckle construction having multiple uses and comprised of a decorative outer frame which is clamped on a projection portion of a back member or casted back member. The outer frame may be covered by a material or may be polished to form an ornamental surface.

Numerous buckle constructions for attachment to pant belts shoes, purses, etc., are known.

Buckles heretofore known are constructed with a ring-shaped outer support frame, having specific configuration and secured on a base or back member of like configuration. Other attachment parts are then secured to the support frame of base to form a complete buckle and decorate same. This makes a buckle structure with many parts which are subject to become undone or break. Also, the buckle is expensive to fabricate due to its many parts and labor. The buckle further has limitations when it comes to decoration thereof.

It is customary with the fashion industry to provide buckles covered with a decorative fabric. This is achieved by providing a ring shaped support frame and base of like configuration and U-shape cross-section and engaging the base within the U-shaped support frame to clasp a fabric over the support frame. The construction of such buckles have limited uses and decorative designs.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved buckle of the above-mentioned types and having an improved back member.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide a buckle having a ring-shaped decorative frame and a casted back.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide a buckle having a casted back which may have a variety of configurations and which may provide the connecting parts of the buckle as well as ornamentation.

Another feature of the present invention is to provide an improved buckle construction having a ring-shaped support frame covered with a decorative material and wherein an ornament may be formed or supported centrally of the ring-shaped outer frame and formed integral as a casting with the casted back.

According to the above features, from a broad aspect, the present invention provides a buckle comprising a decorative outer frame having a circumferential top wall and opposed depending side walls extending downwardly of the top wall. A channel is defined between the depending side walls under the top wall. A metal casted back member is also provided and having a projection portion which is configured to be received in the channel. Retention means is provided to retain the outer frame on the projection portion with the projection portion received, at least in part, in the channel. The back member also has an integrally casted decorative metal part spaced from the projection portion and visible from the same side as the decorative outer frame top wall.

It is pointed out that by having a two-piece buckle with a casted back, that a variety of buckle designs and types can be made regardless of the shape of the outer buckle frame. For example only, the casted back may have belt attachments formed integral therewith or any ornament design casted theron. The buckle could be formed as any ornament piece with the casted providing the background and securement means all casted in one mould. This has not heretofore been done in the prior art.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the examples thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Figures 1A and 1 B are side and plan section views respectively of a buckle constructed according to an example of the present invention showing the belt attachments casted integral with the back member;
• Figures 2A and 2B are fragmented transverse section views of a buckle construction in accordance with an example of the present invention;
• Figure 3 is a side cross-section view of another example of a buckle constructed in accordance with the present invention;
• Figures 4A and 4B are a side cross-section view and a plan view respectively of a modification of the buckle of Figure 3 where the back mamber has a casted ornamental center portion;
• Figures 5A, 5B and 5C are two side cross-section views and a plan view of further examples of a buckle construction of the present invention showing various designs of the casted back; and
• Figure 6 is a side section view illustrating a still further example of a buckle constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, there is generally at 10 a buckle constructed in accordance with the present invention. The buckle comprises essentially a ring-shaped decorative outer frame 11 having a circumferential top wall 12 and opposed depending side walls, herein outer side wall 13 and inner side wall 14 which extend rearwardly of the top wall 12 in a common direction. A channel 15 is defined between the depending side walls 13 and 14 under the top wall 12. As shown in Fig. 1 B the outer frame 11 is of an annular or ring-shaped configuration.

A back member 16 is provided as a unitary casting for connection with the outer frame 11 and, as herein shown, is also of annular or ring-shaped configuration. The casted back member 16 is better illustrated in Figure 2A and as shown is shaped with a projection portion 17 which is configured to be received within the channel 15 of the outer frame. The projection portion 17 is provided with an outwardly projecting clamping ridge 18 adjacent a top end 19 thereof. The purpose of the clamping ridge 18 is to permit the outer side wall 13 of the outer frame 11 to be clamped under the ridge. A decorative fabric 19 may also be retained captive and taut over the outer frame 11 overlying both the top wall 12 and side walls 13 and 14 thereof and extending into the cavity 15 under the top wall 12. Thus, the outer side wall 13 of the outer wall constitutes a retention means which retains the outer frame on the back member with the projection portion 17 having at least an uppermost part thereof received and retained within the channel 15. The decorative material 19' is clamped between the depending side walls 13 and 14 and the projection portion with an end portion of the material 19' extending within the cavity 15. In order to ensure that there is ample space within the cavity, the top wall 11 may be sloped outwardly from the outer side wall 13. Further, a channel 21 is formed in the top end of the projection portion 17.

The casted back member 16 is herein shown casted with the usual pant belt attachments 27 and 28 to secure a belt about a wearer's waist in a manner well known in the art.

As shown in Figure 2B, the outer side wall 13 may be constituted by a plurality of closely spaced finger-like wall projections 13' whereby to facilitate bending or clamping the outer side wall under the clamping ridge 18. However, by making this outer frame from thin aluminium sheeting, the outer side wall 13 can be deformed easily to clamp under the ridge. The outer side wall may be a solid side wall with the outer frame being ring-shaped as shown in Figure 1 B, and receiving in its cavity a further ring-shaped back member.

As shown in Figure 3, the back member is provided as a different shaped casting having an ornamental wall portion 22 intermediate the ring-shaped projection portion 17. The ornamental wall is formed to project in the hollow portion circumscribed by the inner side wall 14 of the outer frame 11. As herein shown, the ornamental wall 22 is formed with a cavity 23 at the center thereof and the cavity may have different shapes to simulate various designs. In Figure 4, the ornamental wall 22 is a solid wall 23 and may have a design casted in the top face 24 thereof or may be simply a metal member having a shiny finish on the outer wall 24 or have an ornament, such as a stone glued or otherwise secured thereto. In both examples, the back member is provided as a solid metal casting with a peripheral slot or groove formed inwardly spaced from the outer peripheral edge thereof, with the outer edge portion forming the projection portion 17 of the back member. The inner side wall 14 of the outer frame 11 is received within this peripheral slot 25 with the top wall 12 of the outer frame 11 being aligned substantially in the same plane as the top wall 24 of the ornamental portion of the casted back member 16.

Figures 5 and 6 show other examples of a buckle constructed in accordance with the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the casted back member 16 is for use as a belt buckle and is provided with the usual belt attachment means 28 and 29 whereby to secure a belt (not shown) about a wearer's waist in a manner well known in the art. These attachment means comprise two loop rings 28 and a mating connector 29 formed integral with the castings or back members 16. Figures 5A to 5C show two other examples of a back member 16 having a different ornamental configuration wherein the ornamental wall is provided as an outer side portion 31 casted to both sides of the outer frame.

In summary, the novel buckle construction of the present invention consists of a ring-shaped channel-like outer decorative frame 11 which defines an inner channel to receive therein a projection portion 17 of a casted back member 16. The casted back may have a variety of designs extending out of the outer frame 11 or have belt attachment means, all of which are obtained in a single casting.

The projection portion 17 may have a channel 21 formed in a top wall thereof whereby a decorative material overlying the top wall 12 and depending opposed side walls 13 and 14 of the outer frame 11 turned inwardly of the side walls may be rigidly clamped between the inside faces of the side walls and the projection portion 17 of the casted back 16. As the channel member is pressed over the projection portion 17, the material is made taut about the ring-shaped support frame and free end portions of this decorative material are received within the cavity 15 under the top wall of the outer frame. The projection portion of the back member is provided with a clamping ridge 18 whereby the outer side wall of the support frame may be bent thereunder to constitute retention means to retain the support frame on the back member. Of course, the clamping ridge 18 may face the inside wall 14 and the inside wall may be bent under the projection. Although the outer frame as herein shown has an annular or ring-shaped support frame, it may of course have a different configuration such as square, rectangular, oval, etc. The casted back may also have various configurations regardless of the configuration of the outer frame 11, as illustrated in the drawings.

It is within the ambit of the present invention to cover any other obvious modifications of the examples of the preferred embodiment described and shown herein provided such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.