Non-Slip Belt Clip

Abstract

A non-slip belt clip comprises a backing, a face plate, and a clip including an internal and an external portion. The internal portion is configured to fit between the backing and the face plate and incorporating at least two cutouts such that connectors joining the backing to the face plate may pin the internal portion of the clip between the face plate and the backing in a fixed position. The two cutouts are configured such that while the connectors pass through the cutouts, the connectors are not surrounded on all sides by the internal portion of the clip.

Description

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show or describe matter that is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION

This patent claims priority from provisional patent application No. 62/364,575 filed Jul. 20, 2016, and entitled “Non-Slip Belt Clip.”

BACKGROUND

Field

This disclosure relates to belt clips and, more particularly, to a non-slip belt clip manufactured in such a way that the clip portion of the belt clip is securely held in place between a face plate and a backing portion.

Description of the Related Art

There are numerous types of belt clips and temporary attachment devices. There exist plastic single-piece molded belt clips, there are steel clips affixed to leather front faces, and there are wrap around leather clips into which belts pass. Various devices are designed to fit within belt clips and similar temporary attachment devices, ranging from hammers held on the belts of contractors to handguns held in holsters of police officers to mobile phones held within holsters affixed to belts or within cases designed to interface with belt clips.

In a design preferred by holster manufacturers to enable strength, ease of manufacture of components, ease of assembly, lifetime durability, and ease of operation by a user; a leather backing somehow affixed to a steel (or similar metal) clip portion is preferred. However, this design is subject to limitations in the ways in which the metal portion may be affixed to the leather portion. Occasionally, another material, such as plastic or metal is introduced to try and add structural rigidity to the combined article. These other materials are affixed using rivets or other connectors, often passing through holes created in the backing and clip.

Typically a single rivet is passed through both the backing and the clip portion. Or, occasionally, two rivets, one near the top of the clip and another near the bottom of the clip. To ease manufacturing, the holes through the backing and the clip are created without significant care for the clearances required for the respective rivets. As a result, the primary aspect of the bond holding the clip and backing together is the strength of the coupling of the two portions of the rivet.

Over time, rivets inevitably loosen their grip and the clip and backing combination are able to move, from side to side, relative to one another, thereby lowering the structural integrity of the clip and backing combination. This is undesirable for at least the reason that the articles held in place by these clips are often valuable or dangerous, such as mobile phones, glasses, or firearms. Therefore, secure retention and maintenance of the articles on a belt and within the control of the clip is extremely desirable.

Other clips may make the clip portion and backing portion, at least in part, of a single piece of metal, plastic, or other material. This solves the problem of relative movement of the clip and backing portion. However, metal must be machined into appropriate shapes to serve as a belt clip. Notably, metal begins as sheet metal and must be thinned, rounded, and shaped. As a result, it is incredibly difficult to machine a single piece of metal into a complex, intermovable belt clip suitable for attachment to a counterpart hook or arm for easy insertion and removal of a device clipped to the belt clip from the belt clip. Plastic molds with drastic bends and shapes are more complex from which to remove the resulting pieces and are more likely to result in poor quality products. As a result, single-piece clips are more expensive to manufacture because they require more complex metal shaping or plastic molds in order to create.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-slip belt clip with an associated attachment pocket interfacing with a counterpart attachment stud.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a clip portion of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a clip portion of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 6 is a back view of a clip portion of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud going into an attachment pocket of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud being turned once inserted into an attachment pocket of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud secured within an attachment pocket of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a counterpart attachment stud secured within an attachment pocket of a non-slip belt clip.

FIG. 11 is an internal cross-sectional view of a clip portion of a non-slip belt clip.

Throughout this description, elements appearing in figures are assigned three-digit reference designators, where the most significant digit is the figure number and the two least significant digits are specific to the element. An element that is not described in conjunction with a figure may be presumed to have the same characteristics and function as a previously-described element having a reference designator with the same least significant digits.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Description of Apparatus

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-slip belt clip 100 with an associated attachment pocket interfacing with a counterpart attachment stud. The non-slip belt clip 100 includes a backing 110, a clip portion 120, a structural plate 130, and a face plate 140. FIG. 1 also shows a mount point including a base plate 160 mounted on an article backing 170.

The backing 110 is designed to abut the pants or pocket of a user of the non-slip belt clip 100. Specifically, the backing 110 may be a smooth material, padded, and may be designed to slip on to a belt, waist area, or within a pocket than the other materials. Example materials for the backing 110 include leather, smooth plastics, cloth, artificial leathers, metals, along with other materials. The backing 110 may be formed in an aesthetically-pleasing shape and may be made of a material that is aesthetically pleasing.

The clip portion 120 is designed to interface with a belt, a pant waist, a pocket or other pouch or circle of material into which the clip portion 120 may be placed. The clip portion 120 is discussed more fully below with respect to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6.

The structural plate 130 may provide structural rigidity to the backing 110 in cases in which the backing is made of material that is not rigid enough to serve as an adequate backing 110 for the non-slip belt clip. In other cases where the backing 110 is sufficiently rigid, the structural plate 130 may be combined with the backing 110 into a single component. The structural plate 130 may include an internal guide channel or a series of projections that operate as an internal guide channel for a counterpart attachment stud (not visible).

The face plate 140 (see FIG. 3) includes an attachment pocket (not visible) suitable for interfacing with a counterpart attachment stud (not visible). The face plate 140 may be made of metal or plastic or any sufficiently rigid and resilient material to be used repeatedly to affix and remove an article to the non-slip belt clip.

The base plate 160 (See FIGS. 1 and 2) is a metal, plastic, or other sufficiently rigid material to maintain its shape when affixed to the article backing 170. Although rivets 162T and 162B are shown affixing the base plate 160 to the article backing 170, adhesives, staples, or other methods of permanently or semi-permanently affixing the base plate 160 to the article backing 170 may be used.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud 166. The counterpart attachment stud 166 is designed in such a way as to interface with the attachment pocket (not shown) of the face plate 140. The counterpart attachment stud 166 includes a flattened edge 168 that is used to enable the counterpart attachment stud 166 to enter an attachment pocket (not shown) and then to be locked within the attachment pocket. The article backing 170 and base plate 160 through which rivets 162T and 162B pass to secure the attachment stud 166 to the article backing 170 are also shown.

FIG. 3, an exploded view of a non-slip belt clip 100, shows the various aspects of each of the backing 110, clip portion 120, structural plate 130, and face plate 140.

The backing 110 has holes 112T and 112B through which rivets 152T and 152B pass. The rivets 152T and 152B secure the backing, clip portion 120, structural plate 130, and face plate 140 together as a single unit. The holes 112T are broader spaced than those of 112B because the associated rivets 152T should be on either side of the clip portion 120 when the non-slip belt clip 100 is assembled. The holes 112B are close together to enable the rivets 152B to abut substantially adjacent to the clip portion 120. This application uses “substantially adjacent” to mean touching or within sufficient closeness that the internal portion (discussed below with respect to FIG. 4) of the clip portion is unable to move more than superficially so long as the rivets 152B are in place.

The structural plate 130 also includes holes 132T and 132B, spaced to correspond with those holes 112T and 112B in the backing 110. The structural plate also includes a guide channel formed by a guide post 134 and a locking post 136. The guide post 134 ensures that a counterpart attachment stud (not shown) is guided straight into the attachment channel 144 when it is inserted for coupling. The locking post 136 enables the counterpart attachment stud to be locked into place, once turned, as will be discussed more fully below with respect to FIGS. 7-9 below. The guide post 134 and locking post 136 may be formed of the same material as the structural plate 130. The guide post 134 and locking post 136 may be partially punched out of the structural plate 130. Alternatively, the guide post 134 and locking post 136 may be affixed to the structural plate by welding, adhesive, or other methods.

The face plate 140 also includes holes 142T and 142B, corresponding to holes 112T, 132T, 112B, and 132B. Also visible in FIG. 3 is attachment channel 144 which is designed so as to enable a counterpart attachment stud (not shown) to enter and be removed from the attachment channel 144.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a clip portion 120 of a non-slip belt clip. The clip portion 120 includes two cutouts 122, a j-shaped terminator 124 for an outer portion 126, a top 128 and an inner portion 129 (FIG. 5). The two cutouts 122 are at the base of the inner portion 129, but they could be elsewhere along the inner portion 129.

The cutouts 122, which are visible in FIG. 4, are designed in such a way that rivets 152B passing through holes 112B, 132B, and 142B abut substantially adjacent to the inner portion 129 (FIG. 5) of the clip portion 120 within the cutouts 122. Thereby, the clip portion 120 may be “pinched” not only from upward movement because of the inner portion 129 material below the cutouts 122, but from side-to-side movement of the inner portion 129. Thus, the clip portion 120 may be secured within the non-slip belt clip 100. FIG. 4 shows only two cutouts, but three or more cutouts may be used.

Prior art embodiments rely upon one or more holes through which rivets pass. As should be understood, the tolerances required for matching holes through multiple component parts making up an article are higher than those required for cutouts alone. Further, the manufacturing of the clip portion 120 as a single piece of metal (or other, sufficiently-rigid material) is much simpler than manufacturing the clip as a single piece. This is discussed above. Accordingly, cutouts are preferable to the use of holes through the clip portion 120.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a clip portion 120 of a non-slip belt clip. The j-shaped terminator 124, the top 128 are more-visible in FIG. 5.

The inner portion 129 is more-visible in FIG. 6, a back view of a clip portion 120 of a non-slip belt clip, than in FIG. 4 or 5. Otherwise the description of these elements will not be repeated here.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud 166 going into an attachment pocket 144 of a non-slip belt clip 100. Here, the counterpart attachment stud 166 may be moved downward into the attachment pocket 144 (shown in dashed lines because it is on the back of the non-slip belt clip 100). The guide post 134 and locking post 136 are also shown in dashed lines because they are internal to the non-slip belt clip 100.

While being inserted, the counterpart attachment stud 166 is rotated such that the flattened edge 168 may slide past the locking post 136 as the counterpart attachment stud 166 is inserted into the attachment pocket 144. When the counterpart attachment stud 166 is rotated in a different orientation, the counterpart attachment stud 166 is unable to pass the locking post 136.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud 166 being turned once inserted into an attachment pocket 144 of a non-slip belt clip 100. Once the counterpart attachment stud 166 is inserted into the attachment pocket 144, it may be rotated, for example by rotating the device to which the counterpart attachment stud is connected about an axis through the center of the counterpart attachment stud 166.

By rotating the counterpart attachment stud 166, the flattened edge 168 turns to a different orientation. Once the counterpart attachment stud 166 is past the locking post 136, the counterpart attachment stud 166 cannot rotate. However, rotating the counterpart attachment stud 166 causes the counterpart attachment stud 166 to abut the locking post 136, and is held in place by the guide post 134, in such a way that the counterpart attachment stud 166 may not be removed from the attachment pocket 144. To remove the counterpart attachment stud 166 from the attachment pocket, the counterpart attachment stud 166 must be rotated again such that the flattened edge 168 may pass the locking post 136.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a counterpart attachment stud 166 secured within an attachment pocket 144 of a non-slip belt clip 100. The rotated counterpart attachment stud 166 may be seen abutting the locking post 136 such that movement out of the attachment pocket 144 is now prevented without re-rotating the counterpart attachment stud 166.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a counterpart attachment stud 166 secured within an attachment pocket 144 of a non-slip belt clip 100. This perspective shows the attachment stud 166 and guide post 134.

FIG. 11 is an internal cross-sectional view of a clip portion 120 of a non-slip belt clip 100. This cross-sectional view shows the rivets 152B within the cutouts 122 of the clip portion 120. As discussed above, the cutouts are not holes within the clip portion 120. The cutouts do not fully-encircle the rivets 152B. In some cases, the cutouts 122 may not be circular, but may appear more like a “J” that stops the clip portion 120 from moving upward when pulled. In other cases, the cutouts 122 may be mere indentions in the sides of the clip portion 120 of sufficient depth that the rivets 152B can hold the clip portion 120 in place within the non-slip belt clip.

Closing Comments

Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and procedures disclosed or claimed. Although many of the examples presented herein involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives. With regard to flowcharts, additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the methods described herein. Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from a similar role in other embodiments.

As used herein, “plurality” means two or more. As used herein, a “set” of items may include one or more of such items. As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of”, respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims. Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used herein, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.

Claims

1. A non-slip belt clip comprising:

a backing;

a face plate; and

a clip including an internal and an external portion, the internal portion configured to fit between the backing and the face plate and incorporating at least two cutouts such that connectors joining the backing to the face plate may pin the internal portion of the clip between the face plate and the backing in a fixed position, the at least two cutouts configured such that while the connectors pass through the cutouts, the connectors are not surrounded on all sides by the internal portion of the clip.

2. The non-slip belt clip of claim 1 wherein the external portion of the clip terminates in an inward- and upward-curving shape such that an exterior end of the clip applies pressure to an exterior wall of the backing.

3. The non-slip belt clip of claim 1 further comprising an attachment pocket for a device such that the device may be held in place when clipped to a belt.

4. The non-slip belt clip of claim 3 wherein the attachment pocket is generally a slot into which a counterpart attachment stud may be inserted when the counterpart attachment stud is held in a particular rotational position during insertion into the attachment pocket.

5. The non-slip belt clip of claim 4 further comprising the counterpart attachment stud that is generally circular including a flattened portion such that the counterpart attachment stud may only be inserted into the attachment pocket when the counterpart attachment stud is in the particular rotational position.

6. The non-slip belt clip of claim 4 wherein the face plate includes an internal guide channel such that when the counterpart attachment stud is within the hole, it must be moved downward within the hole before the counterpart attachment stud can be rotated to a position different from the particular rotational position.

7. A non-slip belt clip comprising:

a backing including at least two backing holes;

a face plate including at least two face plate holes, the at least two face plate holes corresponding to the at least two backing holes; and

a clip including an external portion and an internal portion, the internal portion configured to include at least two cutouts corresponding to the at least two face plate holes and the at least two backing holes, the at least two cutouts configured so as to enable connectors to pass through the at least two face plate holes and exiting through the at least two backing holes thereby pinning the internal portion between the connectors, when passed through the backing and the faceplate.

8. The non-slip belt clip of claim 7 wherein the external portion of the clip terminates in an inward- and upward-curving shape such that an exterior end of the clip applies pressure to an exterior wall of the backing.

9. The non-slip belt clip of claim 1 further comprising an attachment pocket for a device such that the device may be held in place when clipped to a belt.

10. The non-slip belt clip of claim 9 wherein the attachment pocket is generally a slot into which a counterpart attachment stud may be inserted when the counterpart attachment stud is held in a particular rotational position during insertion into the attachment pocket.

11. The non-slip belt clip of claim 10 further comprising the counterpart attachment stud that is generally circular including a flattened edge such that the counterpart attachment stud may only be inserted into the attachment pocket when the counterpart attachment stud is in the particular rotational position.

12. The non-slip belt clip of claim 10 wherein the face plate includes an internal guide channel such that when the counterpart attachment stud is within the hole, it must be moved downward within the hole before the counterpart attachment stud can be rotated to a position different from the particular rotational position.

13. A non-slip belt clip comprising:

a backing;

a face plate; and

a clip including an internal and an external portion, the internal portion including a horizontal narrowing near a lower end of the internal portion such that when the internal portion is placed between the backing and the face plate, two connectors, passing through the backing and the face plate placed adjacent to the narrowing fit against the sides of the internal portion thereby pinning the internal portion of the clip between the backing and the face plate in such a way that the clip is held in place between and relative to the backing and the face plate.

14. The non-slip belt clip of claim 13 wherein the external portion of the clip terminates in an inward- and upward-curving shape such that an exterior end of the clip applies pressure to an exterior wall of the backing.

15. The non-slip belt clip of claim 13 further comprising an attachment pocket for a device such that the device may be held in place when clipped to a belt.

16. The non-slip belt clip of claim 15 wherein the attachment pocket is generally a slot into which a counterpart attachment stud may be inserted when the counterpart attachment stud is held in a particular rotational position during insertion into the attachment pocket.

17. The non-slip belt clip of claim 16 further comprising the counterpart attachment stud that is generally circular including a flattened edge such that the counterpart attachment stud may only be inserted into the attachment pocket when the counterpart attachment stud is in the particular rotational position.

18. The non-slip belt clip of claim 16 wherein the face plate includes an internal guide channel such that when the counterpart attachment stud is within the hole, it must be moved downward within the hole before the counterpart attachment stud can be rotated to a position different from the particular rotational position.