LOCKABLE CARRYING BAG STRAP BUCKLE
A carrying bag with a shoulder-strap and a zipper with at least one zipper-rider for closing/opening the bag, the shoulder-strap being provided with a carabiner-type buckle comprising a hook portion, gate-pin, and an enlongated slot located adjacent the gate-pin, the elongated slot being configured to receive a lock tip of a lock which, when inserted inside the elongated slot, prevents actuation of the gate-pin and opening of the hook portion.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/436,616 filed on Jan. 27, 2011; which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to strap buckles or hasps. The invention particularly pertains to carrying bags, such as for portable computers, equipped with a shoulder strap which is connectable/detachable to the bag by buckles of the known type comprising a spring-urged, pivotable gate-pin (also called “Carabiner hook”).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONStraps with carabiner hooks are designed to be easily attached to a bag, suitcase or the like, simply by clicking over side rings provided for that purpose. While, on the one hand, this is considered a virtue, on the other hand, it renders the strap useless as a protective or security component.
In my International Patent Application No. PCT/IL2010/000194 (WO 2010/116350), I have tackled this problem in a certain way. The contents of said PCT/IL2010/000194 are incorporated by reference herein. This invention offers a different, more straightforward solution of converting the carry-strap into means for safeguarding the bag against stealing.
It is thus the prime object of the invention to provide a strap buckle which is lockable against its side harnessing ring.
It is a further object of the invention to use the buckle also to lock a zipper rider thereagainst.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.
The invention is exemplified with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
Referring to
As better seen in
An elongated slot 36 traverses the base portion 30 and is so located that it is flush with the underside of an upper portion of the gate-pin 24. Here is where the present invention comes in, as will be explained below in conjunction with
In
The lock 40 comprises a lock-body 42 housing a key mechanism (not shown). A T-shaped tip 44, mounted to stem 46 is operable by the key 48 to be rotated by 90° and locked in such position (see
Optionally, a stretch of cable 52 connects the lock body 42 to the hasp 32 in order to always keep the lock 40 within reach (in the inoperative stage of the device).
Also recommendable is to reinforce the strap 16, e.g., by one or two steel cables 54.
The operation of the device as so far described is self-evident once reference is made to
In fact, the strap 16 can be wound around an immovable object (such as a table leg—not shown) and thereby to protect the bag 10 against snatching, all as described in my above mentioned PCT application.
According to the modified embodiment depicted in
Obviously, a plain key operated lock can be used in replacement of and the same way as the combination type lock 160.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A carrying bag with a shoulder-strap and a zipper with at least one zipper-rider for closing/opening the bag, the shoulder-strap being provided with a carabiner-type buckle comprising a hook portion, gate-pin, and an enlongated slot located adjacent the gate-pin, the elongated slot being configured to receive a lock tip of a lock which, when inserted inside the elongated slot, prevents actuation of the gate-pin and opening of the hook portion.
2. The carrying bag of claim 1, further including a lock comprising said lock tip.
3. The carrying bag of claim 2, wherein the lock tip comprises a T-shaped tip rotatable between locked and unlocked positions.
4. The carrying bag of claim 3, wherein the lock tip is rotatable by a key.
5. The carrying bag of claim 1, wherein said T-shaped tip is lockable by a combination lock.
6. The carrying bag of claim 1, wherein the shoulder strap is fixed and unopenably secured at one end thereof to a body portion of said carrying bag.
7. The carrying bag of claim 1, wherein the shoulder strap can be wound around an immovable object and locked by means of said lock so that it is tethered to the immovable object.
8. The carrying bag of claim 1, wherein said elongated slot measures about 3×7 mm.
9. The carrying bag of claim 2, including a stretch of cable connected to a body of said lock at one end and to the carrying bag at the other end to always keep the lock within reach.
10. The carrying bag of claim 1, wherein the strap is reinforced by at least one steel cable.
11. The carrying bag of claim 1, wherein said zipper rider is configured to be locked by said buckle in a closed position of said zipper.
12. The carrying bag of claim 2, wherein said bag is configured to enable said zipper to be locked by said buckle and said bag to be securely tethered to an immovable object by said strap.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 25, 2012
Publication Date: Nov 14, 2013
Inventor: Meir Avganim (Gealya)
Application Number: 13/980,237
International Classification: A45F 3/14 (20060101);