Ancra Corporation

Howard T Knox

Ernest Prete, Jr

James E McAtee

A quick release two piece buckle of economical construction for use in situations where rapid release of a strap is required such as for example a buckle for a strap holding a scuba air tank to a back pack. The buckle has a handle member with a pair of oppositely positioned side arm portions extending therefrom. The arm portions have slots formed on the outer walls thereof, there being a detent at the entry portion of each slot. Detents are further formed on the outer walls of the arms adjacent to the bottoms of each of the slots. One end of the strap is attached to a cross arm extending between the two side arm portions. The other end of the strap is connected to an attachment member which has a pair of opposing arms. Each of the arms has an inwardly extending post member at the end thereof which is adapted to slidably fit into a respective one of the slots of the main body portion. The attachment member is removably connected to the handle member by inserting the post members into the slots, these post members being pushed past the detents at the entrances to the slots. The handle member is then brought down opposite the attachment member, in so doing the arms of the attachment member being snapped past the detents next to the slots of the handle member, the two members thus being joined to each other. The two members can rapidly be released from each other by withdrawing the handle member away from the attachment member to bring the detents on the outer walls of the handle member arm past the attachment member, thereby permitting ready release of the two members from each other.

Quick release strap buckle

A two piece buckle has a frame member and a bale member which is pivotally supported on the frame member. The frame member includes a central elongated substantially flat piece and a pair of arm members extending from the edges of the central piece at an angle of substantially 90 degrees. These arm members have a pair of apertures formed therein which provide sockets into which the opposite ends of the bale fit. A pair of detents which are in the form of protrusions extend outwardly from the frame arm members. The bale member is resilient such that the bale member can be pivotally moved over the detents and thus positioned on either side thereof. The central piece of the frame has a first cross arm with an elongated slot formed on either side thereof and a second cross arm spaced from the first cross arm by one of said slots, a clamp member being slidably mounted on the second cross arm. A first strap is reeved through the slots and runs around the slidable clamp member, a second strap being attached to the bale member. When tension is placed on the first strap, the slidable clamp member is drawn towards the first cross member to clamp the strap against this cross member preventing slippage thereof particularly under repeated load cycling.

Buckle tiedown assembly

A cam buckle assembly has a main body portion fabricated of a suitable resilient material such as a resilient plastic. A cam member is pivotally assembled in the main body portion and is resiliently urged towards the main body portion by a resilient arm member which extends from the main body portion and abuts against the cam member. A strap is wound around a cross arm formed in the main body portion at one end thereof, this strap being adjustable as to its effective length and once so adjusted retained in such position by means of the cam member. Means are provided at the other end of the body portion, for attaching the body portion to securing means which in one embodiment comprises a resilient hook and in another embodiment a cross bar for receiving an attachment strap.

Cam buckle assembly for use in tying down loads

A two piece buckle has a frame member and a bale member which is pivotally supported on the frame member. The frame member includes a central elongated substantially flat piece and a pair of arm members extending from the edges of the central piece at an angle of substantially 90 degrees. These arm members have a pair of apertures formed therein which provide sockets into which the opposite ends of the bale fit. A ramp is formed directly beneath each one of these apertures to facilitate the installation of the bale member in the apertures in a snap fit. A pair of detents which are on the form of projections extending outwardly from the frame arm members are located forward of the apertures in which the bale member is pivotally supported. The bale and arm members are both resilient such that the bale member can be pivotally moved over the detents and thus positioned on either side of the detents. The central piece of the frame has a pair of slots formed therein through which a strap may be reaved in retention on the frame while a second strap is attached to the bale member. The two straps with their extreme ends suitably retained are placed over the member to be tied down with the frame in a 'release' position with the bale on one side of the detents. The strap which is reaved through the slots on the frame member is then adjusted for tiedown and the frame moved to its 'tension' position with the bale on the other side of the detents.

Buckle-strap tiedown assembly

A removable operating lever is provided for a ratchet buckle device for tightening and tensioning straps. The ratchet buckle has a bifurcated frame member with a pair of oppositely positioned parallel arms between which a reel member and ratchet wheels are rotatably mounted and employs a bifurcated handle member having a pair of oppositely positioned parallel arms rotatably mounted on the reel. The handle has a ratchet drive plate which engages the teeth of the ratchet wheels such that when the handle is actuated, the reel is rotatably driven. The buckle has a cross member on the handle member thereof which has mounting means thereon for mounting an elongated lever member which can be employed to actuate the handle member.

Ratchet buckle with a removable operating lever

An anchor fitting for removably securing a load to a slotted track member at preselected positions therealong, such as for example for securing cargo, passenger seats, etc. in various positions along the floor of an aircraft. The fitting has flat surface pads with shoulders extending therefrom and a post portion extending along an axis substantially normal to the flat surfaces of the pads. A latching plunger is slidably mounted on the post portion for motion along the longitudinal axis thereof. The fitting is removably retained in the track which has a plurality of notched portions separated by narrow neck portions with the plunger member seated in one of the notched portions of the track and with the surface pad shoulders of the fitting beneath the flanges. A clamp member having a U-shaped portion which slidably fits over the body of the fitting has flanges which extend outwardly therefrom. Adjustment means in the form of a screw member is used to slidably adjust the position of the clamp member so that it is driven against a pair of the track flanges so as to draw the shoulders of the pads tightly against the track to provide a tight, rattle-proof joinder between the fitting and the track.

Rattle-proof anchor fitting for securing loads to a retainer track

A buckle assembly includes a main frame which is generally U-shaped and has a pair of parallel opposing side plates and a bottom formed by a plurality of cross-bars. Pivotally mounted on the main frame is a strap-tightening handle which is utilized to tighten a strap and to retain it in the tightened position. This handle includes a tightening cross-bar around which the strap is looped, and the two opposite ends of such strap then run under one of the cross-bars of the main frame. A limit stop member is provided in at least one of the side arms of the frame to limit the downward travel of the handle in its strap-tightening position. This assembly is further adapted to be locked in position in conjunction with a security locking device such as a padlock.

Buckle assembly with strap tightening mechanism

An anchor fitting has flat surface pads with shoulders extending therefrom and a post portion extending along an axis substantially normal to the flat surfaces of the pads. A latching plunger is slidably mounted on the post portion for motion along the longitudinal axis thereof. The fitting is removably retained in a selected position along a slotted track having a plurality of notched portions separated by narrow neck portions formed by flanges with the shoulders of the pads in the track slots underneath the flanges and the latching plunger member seated in one of the notched portions of the track. A cam bar member is supported on the anchor fitting in an apertured portion thereof by means of an adjustment screw. This bar member is drawn against the walls of the apertured portion of the anchor fitting such that it drives against the surface of the track drawing the shoulders of the pads tightly against the walls of the track to provide a tight rattle-proof joinder between the fitting and the track.

Growing community of inventors

Simi, CA, United States of America

Howard T Knox