One-way safety locking buckles

Abstract

The present invention provides one-way safety locking buckles. The one-way safety locking buckle has a buckle portion and a snap fastener socket. A strap can be adjustably inserted into the buckle portion. The one-way safety locking buckle can be removably connected to a snap fastener stud by snap-fitting the snap fastener socket onto the snap fastener stud. The snap-fastener socket has an unsnap lock which prevents removal of the snap-fastener socket and the buckle from the snap-fastener stud in certain directions. The unsnap lock allows the one-way safety locking buckle to be removed from the snap-fastener stud in a particular direction.

1 . A snap fastener buckle, comprising: 
 a buckle portion having an adjustable strap connecting portion; and    a snap fastener socket extending from the buckle portion and having an unsnap lock.    
   
   
       2 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , wherein the unsnap lock is in a fixed position relative to the buckle portion such that during use the snap fastener buckle can be unsnapped from a snap fastener stud in substantially only one direction.  
   
   
       3 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable strap connecting portion comprises first and second strap-receiving slots.  
   
   
       4 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 3 , wherein the snap fastener socket extends from the buckle portion between the first and second strap-receiving slots.  
   
   
       5 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , wherein the snap fastener socket extends from the buckle portion in a fixed position such that the unsnap lock remains in a fixed position relative to the buckle portion.  
   
   
       6 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , further comprising a first orientation-defining engagement structure on one of the buckle portion and the snap fastener socket, and a second orientation-defining engagement structure on the other of the buckle portion and the snap fastener socket, the first and second orientation-defining engagement structures engaged with each other such that an unsnap direction of the snap fastener socket is at a desired orientation relative to the buckle portion.  
   
   
       7 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , wherein 
 the snap fastener socket comprises a ring channel;    a split ring is positioned in the ring channel and is substantially exposed toward a socket center; and    the unsnap lock comprises a lip covering a portion of the split ring facing toward the socket center.    
   
   
       8 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 7 , wherein the lip is located at a position relative to the buckle portion such that during use the snap fastener buckle can be unsnapped from a snap fastener stud in substantially only one direction.  
   
   
       9 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , wherein the buckle portion is at least partially made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal materials, plastic materials and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       10 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 9 , wherein the snap fastener socket is at least partially made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal materials, plastic materials and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       11 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 1 , wherein the snap fastener socket and the buckle portion are integrally molded together with plastic material.  
   
   
       12 . The snap fastener buckle of  claim 11 , wherein the snap fastener socket has a cone shape and the unsnap lock is a thickened portion at one side of the snap fastener socket.  
   
   
       13 . A device, comprising: 
 an object;    a snap fastener stud attached to the object;    a strap adjustably connected to a buckle; and    a snap fastener socket extending from the buckle and removably snap-connectable to the snap fastener stud, the snap fastener socket having an unsnap lock which when the snap fastener socket and the snap fastener stud are snap-connected together prevents removal of the snap fastener socket from the snap fastener stud in a lock direction and permits removal of the snap fastener socket from the snap fastener stud in an unlock direction.    
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the unlock direction is substantially only one direction.  
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the object is a helmet.  
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 15 , wherein the strap is a chin strap.  
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the object is sports equipment.  
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the buckle is at least partially made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal materials, plastic materials and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the snap fastener socket is at least partially made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal materials, plastic materials and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       20 . A method of making a snap fastener buckle, comprising: 
 orientating a snap fastener socket having a one-way detachable direction relative to a desired unsnapping direction of a strap-receiving buckle; and    attaching the snap fastener socket to the strap-receiving buckle.    
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising engaging a first orientation-defining structure on one of the snap fastener socket and the strap-receiving buckle with a second orientation-defining structure on the other of the snap fastener socket and the strap-receiving buckle.  
   
   
       22 . A method of making a snap fastener buckle comprising integrally molding a snap fastener socket having a one-way detachable direction with a strap-receiving buckle such that the strap-receiving buckle has a one-way unsnapping direction.