Support Belts and Buckling for Support Belts

Abstract

A support belt (10) includes an elongate belt (12) having a dead end region (14) and a live end region (16) and buckling (18) to releasably connect the dead and live end regions in a relaxed tightness condition of the support belt and secure the dead and live end regions in a tightened closed condition of the support belt in which a free end of the live end region overlies a free end of the dead end region. The buckling (18) has a first anchor portion (24) fixed to the live end region (16), a second anchor portion (26) configured to releasably engage apertures 28 provided in the dead end region and a locking mechanism (30) pivotally connected with the first and second anchor portions and operable to draw the first anchor portion towards the second anchor portion to change the tightness condition of the support belt from the relaxed tightness condition to the tightened closed condition.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A weight lifting support belt comprising:
 an elongate belt having a dead end region and a live end region; and   buckling to releasably connect and secure said dead end region to said live end region,   wherein said buckling comprises a first anchor portion fixed to said live end region, a second anchor portion configured to releasably engage apertures provided in said dead end region in a relaxed tightness condition and a locking mechanism operable to draw said first anchor portion towards said second anchor portion to cause a reduction in spacing between said first anchor portion and said second anchor portion to change a tightness condition of the weight lifting support belt from said relaxed tightness condition to a tightened closed condition,   wherein said apertures provided in said dead end region are configured to provide at least one row of apertures disposed in spaced apart relation along said dead end region to define a plurality of progressively tighter second anchor portion engagement positions, and   wherein said locking mechanism comprises a connecting arm having a first end and a second end and a separate lever arm having a first end and a second end,   wherein said first end of said connecting arm is pivotally connected to said first anchor portion by a first pivot pin, said first end of said lever arm is pivotally connected to said second anchor portion by a second pivot pin and said connecting arm is pivotally connected to said lever arm by a third pivot pin disposed intermediate said first and second arms of said lever arm,   wherein said lever arm is movable from a first position corresponding to said relaxed tightness condition to a second position to generate a pulling force that moves said first anchor portion towards said second anchor portion in a movement that is substantially circumferential with respect to said elongate belt to cause said reduction in spacing between said first and second anchor portions, whereby a wearer can progressively tighten the weight lifting support belt through progressively tighter tightened closed conditions without detaching the first anchor portion from the live end region of the belt by operating said locking mechanism to change the tightness condition of the weightlifting support belt from said tightened closed condition to said relaxed tightness condition, disengaging said second anchor portion from said at least one row of apertures and re-engaging said second anchor portion with said at least one row of apertures in a tighter one of said progressively tighter second anchor engagement positions and operating said locking mechanism to change the tightness condition of the weight lifting support belt from said relaxed tightness condition to said tightened closed condition.   
     
     
         2 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first anchor portion is disposed against an outwardly facing side of said elongate belt and further comprising a fixing plate disposed opposite said first anchor portion against an inwardly facing side of said elongate belt, said fixing plate defining a recess and said second anchor portion comprising a guide member configured to slide in said recess during movement of said first anchor portion towards said second anchor portion. 
     
     
         3 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said second anchor portion comprises as least one pin set by which the second anchor portion releasably engages said apertures and a said pin set comprises a locating pin having a first diameter and a gripping pin that is spaced from said locating pin in a lengthways direction of said belt and has a body portion that has a width that is less than said first diameter and a head portion projecting from said body portion and configured to engage against an inwardly facing side of said elongate belt at said dead end region when said body portion is received in a said aperture. 
     
     
         4 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said locking mechanism comprises a quick release toggle mechanism. 
     
     
         5 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said locking mechanism comprises an over centre locking mechanism. 
     
     
         6 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said connecting arm is pivotally connected to said lever arm by said third pivot pin at said second end of said connecting arm. 
     
     
         7 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said second end of said connecting arm defines a recess configured to receive said first end of said lever arm when said lever arm is in said second position such that said lever arm forms a continuation of said connecting arm with said second end of said lever arm projecting from said second end of said connecting arm. 
     
     
         8 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said first anchor portion defines a recess configured to receive said first end of said connecting arm such that when said lever arm is in said second position said connecting arm forms a continuation of said first anchor portion with said second end of said connecting arm projecting from said first anchor portion and overlying said second anchor portion. 
     
     
         9 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said movement of said first anchor portion towards said second anchor portion is a substantially straight line sliding movement. 
     
     
         10 . A weight lifting support belt comprising:
 an elongate belt having a live end region and a dead end region, a plurality of apertures provided in said dead end region; and   buckling to releasably connect said live and dead end regions in a relaxed tightness condition of the weight lifting support belt and secure said live and dead end regions in a tightened closed condition,   wherein said buckling comprises a first anchor portion fixed to said live end region by rivets or screws, a second anchor portion comprising a plurality of pins configured to releasably engage said apertures provided in said dead end region and a locking mechanism connected to said first and second anchor portions,   wherein said apertures provided in said dead end region are configured to provide at least one row of apertures disposed in spaced apart relation along said dead end region to define a plurality of progressively tighter second anchor portion engagement positions, and   wherein said locking mechanism comprises a connecting arm pivotally connected to said first anchor portion by a first pivot pin and a lever arm pivotally connected to said second anchor portion by a second pivot pin, said connecting arm pivotally connected to said connecting arm by a third pivot pin and said lever arm pivotable between a first position and a second position to generate a pulling force to cause a substantially straight line relative movement of said first and second anchor portions to reduce a spacing between said first and second anchor portions to change the tightness condition of the weight lifting support belt from said relaxed tightness condition to said tightened closed condition, whereby a wearer can progressively tighten the weight lifting support belt without detaching the first anchor portion from the live end region by operating said locking mechanism to change the tightness condition from said tightened closed condition to said relaxed tightness condition, disengaging said plurality of pins from said at least one row of apertures, re-engaging said plurality of pins with said at least one row of apertures in a tighter one of said progressively tighter second anchor portion engagement positions and operating said locking mechanism to change the tightness condition from said relaxed tightness condition to said tightened closed condition.   
     
     
         11 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said locking mechanism is configured such that said pulling force pulls said first anchor portion towards said second anchor portion. 
     
     
         12 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said first anchor portion is disposed against an outwardly facing side of said elongate belt at said live end region and further comprising a fixing plate disposed opposite said first anchor portion against an inwardly facing side of said elongate belt at said live end region, said fixing plate defining a recess and said second anchor portion comprising a guide member configured to slide in said recess during said relative movement of said first and second anchor portions. 
     
     
         13 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 10 , wherein said plurality of pins comprises as least one pin set and a said pin set comprises a locating pin having a first diameter and a gripping pin that is spaced from said locating pin in a lengthways direction of said belt and has a body portion that has a width that is less than said first diameter and a head portion projecting from said body portion and configured to engage against an inwardly facing side of said elongate belt at said region when said body portion is received in a said aperture. 
     
     
         14 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said lever arm has a first and a second end and said pivotal connection with said connecting arm is at a position intermediate said first and second ends of said lever arm. 
     
     
         15 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  14 , wherein said connecting arm has a first end and a second end, said second end of said connecting arm defines a recess configured to receive said first end of said lever arm when said weight lifting support belt is in said tightened closed condition such that said lever arm forms a continuation of said connecting arm with said second end of said lever arm projecting from said second end of said connecting arm. 
     
     
         16 . The weight lifting support belt claimed in  claim 12 , wherein said first end of said connecting arm is received in a recess defined in one of said first and second anchor portions and said recess and connecting arm are configured such that when said weight lifting support belt is in said tightened closed condition said connecting arm forms a continuation of said one of said first and second anchor portions with said second end of said connecting arm projecting from said one of said first and second anchor portions and overlying the other of said first and second anchor portions.