GB2558176A

GB2558176A - Releasable fastener

Info

Publication number: GB2558176A
Application number: GB1611426.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Louise Burton Annabel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-06-30
Filing date: 2016-06-30
Publication date: 2018-07-11
Also published as: GB201611426D0

Abstract

The fastener 2 comprises interlocking first 20 and second 21 portions, the first portion is deformable by the relative movement of the second away from the first and requires a sufficient pulling force to uncouple. The first portion may resume its shape once these portions are uncoupled. The first and second portions may form male 20 and female 21 portions respectively, the male portion 20 may comprise at least one arm 26 and shoulder 23. The male portion may comprise arms that are coupled by a resilient member 27 such as a compression spring. While the female portion 21 may comprise at least one arm 28 and elbow 25 which may form an aperture 24 to receive the male portion. The releasable fastener may in particular be used as part of a surcingle buckle for fastening around a horses girth.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: Releasable fastener Abstract Title: Releasable fastener (57) The fastener 2 comprises interlocking first 20 and second 21 portions, the first portion is deformable by the relative movement of the second away from the first and requires a sufficient pulling force to uncouple. The first portion may resume its shape once these portions are uncoupled. The first and second portions may form male 20 and female 21 portions respectively, the male portion 20 may comprise at least one arm 26 and shoulder 23. The male portion may comprise arms that are coupled by a resilient member 27 such as a compression spring. While the female portion 21 may comprise at least one arm 28 and elbow 25 which may form an aperture 24 to receive the male portion. The releasable fastener may in particular be used as part of a surcingle buckle for fastening around a horse’s girth.

PRIOR ART ia. 1

2/4

Fig. 2

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Fig. 4c

- 1 RELEASABLE FASTENER

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to a quick release fastener. It has been designed to be used, in particular, as a releasable fastener suitable for use as part of a surcingle for fastening around a horse's girth. However, this invention is expected to have a variety of other applications. The invention is described in the context of its use as a releasable fastener as part of a surcingle, however, its properties and uses are not exclusive to this particular application.

A surcingle is a strap that runs under the stomach of a horse, and is often used to keep a horse rug in place. Most rugs have two surcingle straps which cross in an X manner underneath the stomach, and some rugs have two additional straps, which again cross over in an X manner, through the hind legs of the horse to ensure the rug is secure. A surcingle may be attached to a rug or, alternatively, a standalone surcingle may be placed over the rug as well (or instead of) a surcingle attached directly to the rug, to make the rug secure.

Rugs are placed on horses during the majority of the year. In winter the horse must be kept warm and dry. The coats of many horses are clipped during winter months, mainly so that when horses are being shown, they look smarter, but also to allow the horse to cool quickly when eventing or racing. This means that two rugs often are required to keep horses warm during winter. In summer, horses have rugs to keep them clean and/or repel flies. Summer rugs can be very thin, which means that when a horse rolls, conventional surcingle buckles can dig into or even cut the horse.

Horses usually have a wide variety of different rugs. Each rug is purchased according to the size and needs of the horse, meaning it is not possible to share rugs between horses.

-2When fitting rugs onto horses, it is important to make sure that surcingle straps are tightened, however, it must still be possible to leave a hands width of space between the surcingle and the horse's stomach so as to allow the horse sufficient space to breath and move. Even when surcingles are tightened appropriately, they may still hang down beneath the horse’s stomach such that a horse may get its leg caught by the strap.

Horses often get their legs caught in surcingles. This can happen if the horse is scratching its stomach with its leg, or when rolling. It is also possible for horses to become caught in fencing or trees/bushes that are located in the fields in which they are grazing.

Some horses have medical conditions such as Culicoides Hypersensitivity caused by an allergic response to the bites of Culicoides midges. This causes uncontrollable itching in the summer months. Rugs may be used to try to reduce the number of bites experienced but due to the fact that the horse is repeatedly attempting to scratch, torn rugs are very common.

When horses are kept in herds they tend to play together, including by rearing-up. Doing so means that it is common for horses to get their legs caught-up in surcingle straps, or even for another horse to become caught in their surcingle strap. When horses become caught in the surcingles, whether it is their leg, another horse’s leg or on another item/object, the horse tends to pull away, this can result in one of the biggest problems with current surcingle buckle designs, which is that they can tear the fabric to which they are attached and/ or they may be ripped off. If the horse does rip the surcingle strap and/or the rug to free its leg it can result in costly and time consuming repairs. If the rug is completely damaged then it may need to be completely replaced which can be extremely costly to the owner/rider of the horse.

Injuries resulting from a caught leg can lead to expensive veterinary bills. Depending on how bad the injury is, horses may also be unable to be exercised.

-3This can lead to (i) hours of missed training before an event: (ii) hacking or other general riding; or (iii) attending show events. From a rider's perspective this can be incredibly frustrating, expensive and worrying.

When a horse injures its legs it can be a very long and difficult process to heal, and in the worst case may result in the horse having to be put down. When a horse breaks a leg, it quite often shatters the bone. Before the bone breaks ‘plastic deformation occurs’, meaning the bones bend and then shatter, meaning it is not possible to fix. Also if a horse were to try and balance on three legs instead of four, then its weight distribution would be disrupted, which in turn can create a serious burden on the laminitis at the base of those legs. Due to the weight and size of a horse there is no feasible way to support them during the healing process. This means that in the majority of cases if a horse breaks its leg it has to be euthanised.

With conventional surcingles, a steel buckle is used to fasten the surcingle straps. Due to the material choice this buckle has no give. The force required to break this buckle is so great that it is more likely the horse would either damage itself or the rug first. Another issue that can arise, is that the surcingle or surcingle buckle can unfasten so that the buckle hangs down or becomes detached from the rest of the surcingle, following which a horse may stand on the metal fastening and damage its foot. Horses have a V shaped area on the underside of their hooves called a frog. The frog is a highly sensitive area, which is an essential in regulating blood flow throughout the leg. If a horse were to stand on a metal surcingle buckle it could easily damage its frog. This would be likely to render a horse lame and/or cause it pain.

Nursing mares often are not rugged at all as it is very easy for a foal, with delicate growing and developing bones to become caught in the mares surcingle straps which can mean that its legs are easily damaged or even broken. The dangers posed by current surcingle designs mean that nursing mares often cannot be rugged at a time when they otherwise would be.

-4ln an attempt to circumvent some of the above problems elasticated surcingles are available. However, disadvantages of these are that the elasticated surcingles may slip forwards or backwards and may make the horse uncomfortable as they can apply undue pressure on the horse’s bladder.

Other possible solutions to the problems described above include the use of a quick release plastic surcingle loop. With such a design, instead of the surcingle buckle being sewn directly onto the surcingle strap, it is attached to the surcingle via a breakable rubber loop. This is not a sustainable product as it is designed to fail, and as such is not re-usable. It also makes the issue of the surcingle becoming detached and loose more likely to occur.

Velcro has also been used to create a releasable fastener. However, Velcro unfastens easily and in practice, regularly unfastens when it is not supposed to. Furthermore, horses moult, which means that horsehair becomes caught in the Velcro causing the Velcro fastener to become even more unreliable.

It is suggested that it is desirable to have a quick release fastener that helps prevent a horse injuring itself or ripping its rug in the manners described above. Preferably, if the fastener does become undone it will not damage the horse's hoof. Ideally such a fastener will be made from a soft material that will substantially eliminate any discomfort or wounds cause by rolling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a releasable fastener comprising: a first portion; a second portion; in which the first portion and the second portion are interlockably fastenable; and the first portion is deformable by relative movement of the second portion away from the first portion such that a force of sufficient magnitude pulling the fastened portions apart will uncouple the first and second portions from one another.

-5In the preferred embodiment the first portion is a male portion and the second portion is a substantially rigid female portion. The male portion comprises at least one shoulder connected to at least one resilient arm; the female portion comprises at least one arm having an elbow for engaging the shoulder of the male portion and relative movement of the portions away from one another when sufficient force is applied causes the female portion to deform the arm of the male portion such that the elbow and the shoulder disengage from one another to uncouple the portions from one another.

In the preferred embodiment the male portion comprises two shoulders, each shoulder being connected to a resilient arm; the female portion comprises two arms, each arm having an elbow for engaging a shoulder of the male portion; and relative movement of the portions away from one another causes the female portion to squeeze the arms of the male portion together such that the elbows and the shoulders disengage from one another to uncouple the male and female portions from one another.

The arms of the male portion may be coupled by a resilient member which can be a compression spring, and is preferably is manufactured from tempered steel.

The fastener is preferably manufactured from a thermoplastic elastomer.

Ideally the first portion resumes its shape once the portions are uncoupled from one another.

-6BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a known surcingle buckle;

Figure 2a is an illustration of one embodiment of a surcingle buckle according to the present invention;

Figure 2b is an illustration of a second embodiment of a surcingle buckle according to the present invention;

Figures 3a to 3d are a sequence of illustrations showing fastening a surcingle buckle according to the present invention; and

Figure 4a to 4c are a sequence of illustrations of a surcingle buckle of the present invention releasing when a forces are exerted to pull the buckle apart.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 illustrates a conventional interlockably fastenable surcingle buckle 1 comprising a male portion 11 and a female portion 10. The male portion 11 has a T-shaped projection 12 with shoulders 13; the female portion 10 has an aperture with for receiving the projection 12. The female portion has an elbow 15 at one end of the aperture 14.

To fasten the buckle the female portion 10 and the male portion 11 are rotated relative to one another such that the projection 12 can be inserted through the aperture 14. The female portion 11 and the male portion 14 are then rotated relative to one another so that the shoulders 13 of the projection 12 engage elbow of the aperture 14 to prevent the portions 10, 11 from easily coming apart.

-7 To unfasten the buckle the female portion 10 and the male portion 11 are rotated relative to one another such that the projection 12 can be withdrawn through the aperture 14.

The male portion 11 has a further aperture 17 suitable for attaching a belt or surcingle. The female portion 10 has a further aperture 16 suitable for attaching a belt or surcingle.

In general such buckles are manufactured from a metal and usually from steel. Once the buckle is fastened any force exerted such as to urge the portions 10, 11 away from one another substantially in the directions shown by arrows 18 and 19 would have to be very large in order to cause the buckle to fail. In general any belt or fabric to which the buckle 1 is attached will fail well before the buckle 1 itself.

Figure 2a illustrates an interlockably fastenable surcingle buckle 2 according to the present invention. The surcingle buckle 2 has a male portion 20 and a female portion 21. The male portion 20 has a projection 22 comprising shoulders 23 and arms 26 and the female portion 21 has an aperture 24 for receiving the projection 22. The aperture is formed by arms 28 joined at the end by a connecting portion 29. The arms 28 each have an elbow 25 at the end proximate the connecting portion 29.

Figure 3a to 3d illustrate the fastening procedure for the surcingle buckle of the present invention. To fasten the buckle the female portion 21 and the male portion 20 are rotated relative to one another such that the projection 22 can be inserted through the aperture 24. Once the projection 22 is fully inserted into the aperture 24 as shown in Figure 3c, the female portion 21 and the male portion 20 are rotated relative to one another so that the shoulders 23 of the projection 26 engage the elbows 25 of female portion 21 as shown in Figure 3d to prevent the portions 20, 21 from easily coming apart.

-8To unfasten the buckle the female portion 21 and the male portion 20 are rotated relative to one another in a sequence as shown in Figures 3a to 3d in reverse such that the projection 22 can be withdrawn through the aperture 24.

The shoulders 23 of the male portion 22 are connected to resilient arms 26. Arms 26 are coupled via a resilient member 27.

Figures 4a to 4 c illustrate the fastener uncoupling when a force is exerted to pull the portions of the fastener away from one another. When sufficient force is exerted to pull the male and female portions apart, the female portion 21 slides over the shoulders 23 and along the arms 26 of the male portion 20 and deforms the male portion 20 to squeeze the arms 26 together. Squeezing the arms 26 together allows the male portion 20 and female portion 21 to move relative to one another until the female portion 21 reaches the end of the arms 26. Then the male portion 20 is released by the female portion 21 and the portions disengage to uncouple from one another. After the portions are uncoupled the male portion 20 resumes its original shape.

The male portion 20 has a further aperture 30 suitable for attaching a belt or surcingle. The female portion 21 has a further aperture 31 suitable for attaching a belt or surcingle.

Clearly the force required to pull the portions apart will depend upon the properties of the arms of the male portion. Sufficient force must be applied although it is difficult to predict in advance exactly what the threshold might be.

In the preferred embodiment the arms 26 of the male portion 20 are coupled by a resilient member 27 comprising a compression spring. Preferably the compression spring offers a mechanical resistance up to about 1200 MPa as it is estimated that forces less than this will not cause any fabric (and or any associated stitching) attached to the buckle to fail. However, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments where it may be desirable for the fastener to release when less force

-9is applied then it may not be required to couple the arms 26 together. This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 2b.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2 the female portion 21 is substantially rigid and the male portion 20 has flexible resilient arms 26. It will be appreciated that one or both arms 26 may be resilient as the female portion 21 will be able to squeeze the arms 26 together as long as at least one of the arms 26 is flexible.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that it would be possible for a releasable fastener according to the invention to comprise a substantially rigid male portion 20 in which the arms 26 of the male portion are connected together by a substantially rigid connecting portion, together with a female portion 21 having flexible or resilient arms 28. In this embodiment the male portion 20 urges the arms 27 of the female portion apart in order for the male and female portions to move relative to one another when sufficient force is applied to pull the portions apart. In such an embodiment the arms 28 of the female portion 21 would not be connected by a substantially rigid connecting portion 29. In this alternative embodiment the arms 28 could be coupled via a resilient member such as a compression spring in a similar manner to that coupling the arms 22 of the male portion 20 shown in the preferred embodiment.

In another alternative embodiment the arms of both the male and female portion may be resilient and the arms of the male portion are squeezed together at the same time as the arms of the female portion are pushed apart to uncouple the portions from one another when a force is applied.

Although the female portion is described as being substantially rigid in the preferred embodiment, it may be manufactured from the same material as the male portion, the rigidity being provided by the connecting portion 29.

The surcingle buckle needs to be made of a material that is generally rigid but which will be flexible when a force is applied without breaking or substantially

-10degrading and which will return to its original shape once any forces are removed.

Ideally the buckle material is also soft enough to prevent a horse from injuring itself if it rolls or stands on a portion of the buckle.

The compression spring is preferably made from tempered steel.

It would be possible to use a polycarbonate as it is an engineering thermoplastic, meaning it has better mechanical properties than some cheaper polymers. It has good toughness and rigidity. Usually polycarbonate is used for safety hard hats, compact disks and housings for power tools. It is also possible to co-polymerize the molecules with other monomers to enhance its properties.

Another possible material is polyethylene as it is cheap and particularly easy to mould and fabricate, it can be manufactured in a wide range of colours, which means that it can be customisable to the particular rug that it is being used with.

A further option is polypropylene, items such as clothes pegs are made from polypropylene. However polypropylene degrades in the sunlight, and due to the fact that rugs may be worn in the summer in full sunlight, this might result in the product failing.

Thermoplastic elastomers are a mix of polymers usually a plastic and a rubber, which consist of materials with both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties. Thermoplastics are relatively easy to use in manufacturing, for example, by injection moulding. Thermoplastic elastomers show advantages typical of both rubbery materials and plastic materials.

Thermoplastic elastomers have the ability to be moderately stretched or bent and, upon the removal of stress, return to something close to the original shape.

Therefore the preferred material for manufacturing the surcingle of the present

-11 invention is a thermoplastic elastomer, although and material exhibiting the desired properties may be used.

Claims

1. A releasable fastener comprising:

a first portion; a second portion;

in which the first portion and the second portion are interlockably fastenable; and the first portion is deformable by relative movement of the second portion away from the first portion such that sufficient force pulling fastened portions apart will uncouple the first and second portions from one another.

2. A releasable fastener according to claim 1 in which the first portion is a male portion and the second portion is a substantially rigid female portion;

the male portion comprises at least one shoulder connected to at least one resilient arm;

the female portion comprises at least one arm having an elbow for engaging the shoulder of the male portion and relative movement of the portions away from one another causes the female portion to deform the arm of the male portion such that the elbow and the shoulder disengage from one another to uncouple the portions from one another.

3. A releasable fastener according to claim 2 in which the male portion comprises two shoulders, each shoulder being connected to a resilient arm;

the female portion comprises two arms, each arm having an elbow for engaging a shoulder of the male portion; and relative movement of the portions away from one another causes the female portion to squeeze the arms of the male portion together such that the elbows and the shoulders disengage from one another to uncouple the portions from one another.

-134. A releasable fastener according to claim 3, in which the arms of the male portion are coupled by a resilient member.

5. A releasable fastener according to claim 4, in which the resilient member is 5 a compression spring.

6. A releasable fastener according to claim 5, in which the compression spring is manufactured from tempered steel.

10

7. A releasable fastener according to any one of the preceding claims in which the fastener is manufactured from a thermoplastic elastomer.

8. A releasable fastener according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the first portion resumes its shape once the portions are uncoupled from

15 one another.

9. A releasable fastener substantially as herein described with reference to figures 2 to 4.

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