ARTICLE-STORING BELT BUCKLE
An article-storing belt buckle includes a base having a top to which a cover is fit. A chute is formed in the belt buckle and an article receiving chamber is formed in the chute. An article to be stored is deposited in the chute and is moved along the chute into the article receiving chamber to be retained therein, or the article is forcedly moved out of the article receiving chamber for detaching from the belt buckle.
The present invention relates generally to an article-storing belt buckle, and particularly to a belt buckle forming therein a chute that incorporates an article receiving chamber, for receiving and moving an article along the chute to get into or remove out of the article receiving chamber.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTCircular flat objects, such as coins, are commonly used in daily living in various situations. For example, in a shopping mall, a shopping cart can be separated from a train of interlocked carts by inserting a coin, or a coin may sometimes be used as tool to replace a screwdriver or serve as a mark to identify the location of a golf ball in a green. Taking the shopping cart as an example, some of the shopping malls provide the consumers with coil-like objects for operating the shopping carts or other purposes. However, the consumers must carry such objects themselves. In addition, some shopping malls provide the consumers with a chain that retains the coin-like objects to avoid undesired loss of the objects. However, such a chain, together with the coin-like objects retained thereon, is of a bulky size for consumers to carry, especially carried in a pocket. Apparently, although one problem is solved, yet a new problem occurs. On the other hand, using a coin as ball location identification, the coin is always taken from the pocket of a golf player, or a clip that holds a mark thereon in a releasable manner is attached to for example a visor of a hat of the golf player. To use such a mark, the clip is first removed from the hat, and then the mark is released from the clip to be positioned behind the ball for identifying the location of the ball. After the golf player puts the ball, the mark must be picked up and attached to the clip and then the clip is set on the hat again. This is a tedious process. Further, to clean the hat, the clip must be removed first and then put back on the hat again before the next golf game is played. Apparently, this is inconvenient. In addition, certain memory chips are used for gate access of for example secured buildings and such memory chips are formed as a circular flat object, which must be carried by for example a resident or an authorized person for entering the building.
All these apparently point to a common problem of how to provide a measure for storing a circular flat object in order to realize easy and convenient carrying such an object.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThus, the present invention aims to solve the above discussed problem.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an article-storing belt buckle, in which an article receiving chamber is defined for receiving and retaining, in a removable manner, a circular flat article in such a way to allow easy removal of the article for use.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an article-storing belt buckle comprises a base and a cover. The cover is fit over and coupled to a top of the base. The base and the cover form slots that correspond to each other but have different widths. The slots, after the cover fit to the base, form a chute that, when viewed in a side elevation, has a configuration of reduced top and expanded bottom. The slot of the base forms an expanded article receiving chamber and a side-opening clip is received and fixed in the article receiving chamber, whereby an article is allowed to deposit into and move along the chute to get into the article receiving chamber and retained by the clip or to remove out of the article receiving chamber.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an article-storing belt buckle comprises a base and a cover. The cover is fit over and coupled to a top of the base. The base and the cover form slots that correspond to each other but have different widths. The slots, after the cover fit to the base, form a chute that, when viewed in a side elevation, has a configuration of reduced top and expanded bottom. The slot of the base forms an expanded article receiving chamber. Two resilient clipping plates are received in and fixed to opposite sides of the article receiving chamber. whereby an article is allowed to deposit into and move along the chute to engage the clipping plates. Once engaging the clipping plates, the article expand an opening defined between the clipping plates to allow the article to get into the article receiving chamber and retained by the clipping plates. When the article is subjected to force moving it outward, the article expands the opening of the clipping plates again to disengage from the confinement of the clipping plates, thereby achieving easy deposition and removal of the article.
The foregoing objective and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.
Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.
The following descriptions are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
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The above discussed two embodiments illustrate a belt buckle that features an additional function of receiving and retaining an article and such an article can be a circular flat body that can be for example a memory chip, a coin for operating a shopping cart in a shopping mall, or a mark used in golf green to mark the location of a golf ball. This is of an easy use and eliminates the problem of leaving such an article or tool behind.
While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.
Claims
1. An article-storing belt buckle comprising a base and a cover, wherein the cover is fit over and coupled to a top of the base, the base forming a lower slot in the top thereof, the slower slot forming an opening at an end face of the base and having an inner end section forming an expanded article receiving chamber, a side-opening clip being received and fixed in the article receiving chamber, and wherein the cover forming an upper slot corresponding to and mating the lower slot of the base to form a chute that is adapted to receive and guide an article to be stored along the chute to the article receiving chamber to be secured by the clip or adapted to guide removal of a stored article out of the article receiving chamber.
2. The article-storing belt buckle according to claim 1 further comprising a magnetic element set in the article receiving chamber.
3. An article-storing belt buckle comprising a base and a cover, wherein the cover is fit over and coupled to a top of the base, the base forming a lower slot in the top thereof, the lower slot forming an opening at an end face of the base and forming an article receiving chamber, two resilient clipping plates being received in and fixed to opposite sides of the article receiving chamber, the two clipping plates together forming a configuration having an expanded central portion and two reduced opposite end portions, and wherein the cover forming an upper slot, which has a configuration having expanded opposite ends and converging toward an intermediate portion, the upper slot corresponding to and mating the lower slot of the base to form a chute that is adapted to receive and guide an article to be stored along the chute to the article receiving chamber to be secured by the clipping plates and adapted to guide removal of a stored article out of the article receiving chamber.
4. The article-storing belt buckle according to claim 3 further comprising a magnetic element set in the article receiving chamber.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 3, 2008
Publication Date: Jun 3, 2010
Inventor: YUNG-FA SU (Yen Chao Hsiang)
Application Number: 12/326,895
International Classification: A44B 11/00 (20060101);