This invention relates to fastening systems, particularly to a fastening suitable for use on a rucksack, backpack, luggage, or belt or the like.

It is well known in the art of rucksacks and backpacks and the like to provide a fastening system for securing entry to a main body of the rucksack or into a pocket, such as a lid pocket or a side pocket. The main compartment of a rucksack or backpack generally needs a large opening to allow bulky items such as clothing or sleeping bags to be stuffed inside the pack. This can be covered by a flap, which can conveniently be formed as a lid for the rucksack. The lid must be secured down onto the compartment of the rucksack when closed to secure the contents of the rucksack. It is also beneficial to be able to pull the lid down tightly beyond the opening to compress the volume of the main body. This stops the contents moving around which can be irritating to the wearer, especially if they are climbing or running when wearing the pack. It also allows the contents to be pulled close to the back of the wearer to increase stability of the load. To do this, the position at which the lid is secured must be adjustable .

A common fastening system for the lid of a rucksack or backpack is shown in Figure 1. This comprises a two part buckle 10, with one part 12 fixed to the lid and the other 14 fixed to a length of webbing, sometimes referred to as a strap, tape or sling. The webbing is secured at a lower end to the main body of pack close to the base, typically stitched to the material of the main body, and passes through bars 16 moulded into the buckle which form apertures through which the webbing runs. The two parts 12, 14 of the buckle 10 can be fixed together securely to link the webbing to the lid, and the webbing can then be pulled down tight to draw the buckle towards the base of the main body, pulling the lid down with it. The bars 16 act as tension locks to prevent the webbing working loose.

The fastening of Figure 1 can be used anywhere in which the buckle is placed under tension to draw two articles together. This can be a lid and main body of a rucksack as described or could be two ends of a belt that is wrapped tightly around an article . This arrangement is convenient, widely used, and robust. The system of Figure 1 , and other similar existing fastening systems based upon buckles may suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages: becoming brittle in extreme cold; possessing moving parts which may be blocked with mud or debris or may be frozen closed or open; possessing moving parts which are easily broken; being difficult to operate with gloved hands; requiring two hands to operate; providing an insecure attachment method.

An object of the present invention is to provide a fastening system which ameliorates one or more of the limitations of the prior art fastening system described above.

According to a first aspect the invention provides a fastening system for an article comprising:

a buckle having a body and a pair of hook arms which extend from the body with the free ends of the hook arms facing each other across a gap, and

a retainer that in use is secured to a part of the article, the retainer comprising an elongate ridge, the ridge having a first width that is less than the width of the gap between the hook arms, the retainer further comprising a transition portion that connects the ridge to a stopper which is orthogonal to the ridge, the width of the stopper in the direction orthogonal to the ridge being greater than the width of the gap between the hook arms,

whereby in use the crest of the ridge may pass into the gap between the hook arms during an initial stage of fastening of the fastening system, the transition portion functioning as a guide during a subsequent stage of fastening to guide the buckle to a position where the hook arms and the body encompass the stopper so as to limit further movement of the buckle in a direction away from the ridge .

When in the closed position, the buckle of the invention is secured to the retainer by the stopper passing through a space defined behind the hooked arms of the buckle such that the buckle can only be released by movement of the buckle back along the transition portion towards the ridge until the gap between the hooked arms embraces the sides of the ridge portion of the retainer, whereupon the buckle can be pulled from the retainer. The stopper may comprise a complete or a partial loop of material at one end of the retainer, which is curved around an axis that is orthogonal to the ridge, the loop defining a space that is accessible from both sides for the hook arms to project into when the fastening is in the closed position. The axis of the loop will, in use, be parallel to the surface of the article to which the retainer is secured, and will be parallel to the two hook arms when the fastening system is in a closed position.

In a most preferred arrangement the retainer may comprise a strap which is curved to form a loop defining the stopper. The width of the strap forming the stopper may be wider than the gap between the hook arms of the buckle at least over a length of the stopper furthest from the ridge. It is this portion that engages with the hook arms to prevent movement of the buckle away from the ridge when the fastening is in the closed position. The skilled person will appreciate that where a flexible material is used to form the loop, the shape of the loop will change when it is placed under a tensile load by the hook arms, flattening out partially or completely.

The retainer may further include a length of strap that extends away from an uppermost surface of the complete or partial loop to form the transition portion. One continuous length of strap may form the stopper, transition portion, and ridge.

The strap in the transition portion may transition from an unfolded state to a fully folded state along its length from the loop to the ridge using a valley fold, the underside of which guides the hook arms of the buckle onto and off the ridge as the buckle moves from and to the closed position. The valley may transition along the length of the transition portion from a maximum depth where it joins the ridge down to nil where the transition portion joins the loop. The underside of the valley formed by the fold may provide the guiding function that helps direct the hook arms of the buckle into the loop formed by the stopper.

The ridge portion of the retainer may be formed from a portion of strap that extends away from the transition portion. The portion of strap may be a continuation of the strap that forms the ridge portion, the strap retaining the valley fold of the transition portion so that the strap forms two halves that overlap and are in contact along the length of the ridge with the fold at the bottom of the ridge.

Where a flexible strap is used to form the retainer as described above, the ridge may be stiffened to allow easy initial engagement with the hooks of the buckle . Stiffness may be provided by one or more of the following methods: bonding, stitching, overlaying, lamination, high frequency welding, pinching, or it may be an inherent property of the material from which the ridge is constructed Where the stopper loop of the retainer is only a partial loop, the end of the material forming the stopper loop that does not join the transition portion may terminate in the same plane as a base part of the ridge . This allows both the base part of the ridge and the end of the loop to both be conveniently secured to an article such as a lid of a rucksack. The article itself may therefore close the partial loop of the retainer to form a fully closed loop.

The retainer may comprise any one or a combination of a variety of different flexible or semi-rigid or rigid materials. A retainer comprising a length of woven webbing, for example a high tenacity nylon of polyester, is preferred as this material has been proven to be robust in an outdoor environment. The strap may have a width across the portion that forms the stopper of between 10mm and 25mm, but other widths outside of this range are possible.

In an alternative to a strap, the retainer may comprise a rigid or semi-rigid component that has the required shape of the stopper, transition portion, and the ridge . This could be a moulded plastics component, or may be stamped or cast component.

The buckle may include at least two bars which form at least two apertures through which webbing/straps/tape/sling (webbing from this point) can be run while the bars act as tension locks.

The buckle may also comprise a large planar surface which forms a buckle release tab, enabling the tension acting on the webbing running through the apertures between bars to be reduced, or allowing the user to grasp the buckle between thumb and forefinger and disengage it from the retainer. This may be located at the opposite end of the body from the hook arms.

The hook arms may be provided at one end of the main body of the buckle and the bars forming the slots at the other end of the main body. The hook arms and the slots may therefore lie in the same plane. This allows the buckle to lie flat against the article to which the retainer is fixed when in use . While the buckle body may be substantially planar, in a preferred embodiment the profile of the buckle is optimised to enable best possible tension and release angles of the tension lock, and to aid prevention of unwanted disengagement of the buckle from the retainer. The buckle may be composed of plastic, metal, or a combination thereof, more preferably aluminium alloy or polyoxymethylene. One preferred embodiment of the buckle comprises a metal injection moulded aluminium alloy buckle .

A method of use of the fastening system of the first aspect may comprise the following steps performed in the order listed to close the fastening system and in reverse order to release the fastening system:

(a) aligning the hook arms of the buckle with the ridge of the retainer and moving the buckle into a position where the ridge is located in the gap between the hook arms; and

(b) moving the buckle axially along the ridge towards the stopper across the transition portion allowing the transition portion to guide the hook arms until further movement is prevented by the hook arms engaging the stopper.

Where the stopper defines a loop of the retainer, the movement will terminate when the hook arms of the buckle and the loop of the retainer are interlinked.

The method may further comprise applying tension to the buckle and retainer prevent accidental release of the fastening system. The step of applying tension may comprise applying tension to a strap that engages the buckle.

According to a third aspect the invention provides an article including a fastening system of the first aspect of the invention, in which the retainer is fixed to a first part of the article, and the buckle is fixed to a second part of the article, whereby, when secured, the fastening system holds the two parts of the article together.

The buckle may be fixed directly to the second part of the article .

Alternatively, it may be fixed indirectly to the second part of the article, for example using a webbing strap, the webbing strap enabling the relative position of the buckle to the second part of the article to be adjusted. Where the buckle includes at least two bars defining apertures the webbing strap may pass through the apertures.

The retainer may be secured to an outer face of the first part of the article . This can be achieved by use of a plurality of stitches. These stitches may also function to retain, at least partially, the shape of the ridge and/or the shape of the stopper. Alternatively, the retainer may be secured to the article by passing a lower part of the ridge through a slot in the first part of the article and fixing the lower part to an underside of the first part of the article.

The first part may comprise a lid of the article and the second part may comprise a main body of the article which is to be closed by the lid.

The article may comprise a rucksack, backpack, belt, or a similar article . This is not to be read as an exhaustive list. Where the article is a rucksack or backpack, the retainer may be fixed to a front or side part of a flap which forms a lid of a body of the article, with the webbing secured at a point on the outer face of the main body. This may be on the front face, at least half way down or at the bottom of the main body. According to a fourth aspect the invention provides a retainer that forms a part of a fastening system and which, in use, is secured to a part of an article, the retainer comprising an elongate ridge which projects orthogonally away from the said part of the article, the retainer further comprising a transition portion that connects the ridge to a stopper which is orthogonal to the ridge, the length of the stopper in the direction orthogonal to the ridge being greater than the width of the ridge .

The retainer may include any of the features of the retainer of the first aspect of the invention.

There will now be described, by way of example only, one embodiment of the present invention with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is a view of a prior art two part buckle assembly;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a fastening system in accordance with an aspect of the invention;

Figure 3(a) and (b) are views in elevation and in plan of the retainer of Figure 2;

Figure 4(a) to (d) show the movement of the buckle from an open position of the fastening system to a closed position; and Figure 5 is an example of the use of the fastening system to secure a lid of a rucksack to a body of the rucksack.

An embodiment of a fastening system 100 according to an aspect of the invention is shown in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawing. The fastening system comprises two main components: buckle 102 and a retainer 104.

The buckle 102, as shown in detail in Figure 2, has a substantially planar body 106 and a pair of opposed hook arms 108 which extend from the body 106 and define a gap 1 10 having a width W l therebetween of about 2-5mm. The gap 1 10 may be permanent such that it is present both when no external loads are applied to the buckle 102 and when loads are applied. Alternatively the buckle 102 may be flexible such that at rest the tips of the hook arms 108 touch each other but can move apart to form the gap 1 10 when a force is applied. When the gap 1 10 is not permanent, the buckle 102 should be configured so that the gap 1 10 cannot open up beyond a predefined width Wl . The hook arms 108 as shown have a similar appearance to the two opposed claws of a lobster. The main body 106 and hook arms 108 are rigid and together the body 106, hook arms 108 and the gap 1 10 between the hook arms 108 form a loop 1 12 at the end of the main body 106, the loop 1 12 lying in the same plane as the main body 106.

The retainer 104, shown in detail in Figures 3a to 3c, which in use is secured to a part of an article 1 14, comprises at one end an elongate ridge 1 16. The ridge 1 16 has a first width W2, of around 2-5mm, which may be constant or vary slightly along the whole of the length of the ridge 1 16. Importantly, the width W2 should be chosen such that it is less than the width Wl of the gap 1 10 between the hook arms 108, which means that the buckle 102 can be offered up to the crest of the ridge 1 16 and the hook arms 108 pressed down so the crest of the ridge 1 16 passes through the gap 1 10 and one arm 108 is located on each side of the ridge 1 16. The retainer 104 further comprises a central transition portion 1 18 that connects the ridge 1 16 to a stopper 120 which is orthogonal to the ridge 1 16. The width of the stopper 120, W3, measured in the direction orthogonal to the ridge 1 16, is greater than the width Wl of the gap 1 10 between the hook arms 108. In this example it is around 25mm but could be wider or narrower. The stopper 120 comprises a partial loop 122 of webbing material at the opposite end of the retainer 104 to the ridge 1 16 which is curved around an axis that is orthogonal to the ridge 1 16. The stopper 120 and ridge 1 16, viewed in plan, form an inverted T- shape. This stopper loop 122 defines an internal space 124 that is accessible from both sides for the hook arms 108 to project into when the fastening system 100 is in the closed position.

The transition portion 1 18 functions as a guide when moving the hook arms 108 along the retainer 104 from the ridge 1 16 towards the stopper 120. As shown, the transition portion 1 18 is wider at a top edge 126 than it is at the bottom edge 128 (the fold line), and this width of the top edge 126 varies from the width of the ridge 1 16 at one end to the width of the stopper 120 at the other end. The hook arms 108 can therefore only move from the ridge 1 16 past the transition portion 1 18 close to the bottom 128 of the transition portion 1 18, being restrained by the wider top 126 of the transition portion 1 18.

In the example shown, the retainer 10 is constructed from a single continuous elongate portion of strap. The strap in the example is a woven webbing material of around 25mm in width. One end of the strap is curved back on itself to form a loop 122 defining the stopper 120. The other end of the strap extends away from the loop 122 and as is folded or curved across its width to form the transition portion 1 18 and the ridge 1 16. Specifically, a single valley fold (when looking down on the ridge) is formed along the length of the strap. In the transition portion 1 18 the underside of the folded strap in use guides the hooks 108 of the buckle 102 onto and off the ridge 1 16. The valley transitions along the length of the transition portion 1 18 from a maximum depth where it joins the ridge 1 16 down to nil where the transition portion 1 18 joins the loop 122.

A method of forming the retainer 104 may be as follows. A strap is cut to the required length, before folding one end along its length with a valley fold. This is then secured in place to form the ridge 1 16, with the valley fold extending from the ridge 1 16 towards the other end of the strap so that it gradually reduces to nil. That free end of the strap is curved around an axis orthogonal to the ridge 1 16 to form the stopper loop 122. Stitches 130, as shown in Figure 3(a) and Figure 3(b) may be used to secure the shape of the ridge 1 16, or an adhesive may be used. In this example a vertical line of stitches 130 extending from the bottom of the ridge 1 16 to the crest define the location where the ridge 1 16 joins the transition portion 1 18.

In a final step, a cover portion 132 of material may be laminated over the ridge of the retainer. The cover portion has flaps 134 that extend away from the opposing sides of the ridge 1 16. These flaps 134 may be conveniently used to fix the retainer 104 to an article 1 14. This cover portion 132 can be seen in Figures 3b and 3c.

Of course, in an alternative to the use of a strap, the retainer 104 could be formed in a different manner. It could be a moulded part for example. Figure 5 is an example showing how the fastening system 100 can be used to secure two parts of an article 1 14. The article 1 14 shown is a rucksack, and the two parts in the example are the body 136 of the rucksack in which items can be stored and a flap which covers the top opening to the main body 136 and forms a lid 138. The retainer 104 as shown is fixed to the front of the lid 138, and the buckle 102 is fixed to a length of webbing 140 that passes through the apertures in the main body 106 of the buckle 102. One end of the webbing 140 is secured to the body 136 of the rucksack near to the base. The retainer 104 is oriented with the crest of the ridge 1 16 facing upwards away from the buckle 102, so that the stopper 120 faces towards the buckle 102. A cover portion 132 is provided, and the flaps 134 of this cover portion 132 pass through die cut apertures in the lid 138 and are laminated to the underside of the lid fabric to affix the retainer 104 to the rucksack lid 138. This both provides a secure attachment between pack lid 138 and fastening 100, and guides the buckle 102 in use - it prevents the hook arms 108 of the buckle 102 slipping under the ridge part 1 16 of the retainer 104 when operating the mechanism which could result in mis-engaging the fastening 100.

Figures 4(a) to (d) show a sequence of fastening of the fastening system 100. Figure 4(a) shows the fastening system 100 fully open, and Figure 4(d) shows it fully closed, with 4(c) and 4(d) showing the required movement of the buckle 102 between the open and closed positions.

Initially, the webbing 140 is loosened and the buckle 102 is presented to the retainer 104 with the hooked arms 108 level with but above the crest of the ridge 1 16, and is then pushed down orthogonal to the ridge 1 16 to cause the crest of ridge 1 16 to move into the gap 1 10 between the hooked arms 108 as shown in Figure 4(b). The buckle 102 is then moved axially along the ridge 1 16 in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 4(b) until the hook arms 108 reach the transition portion 1 18. The hook arms 108 are guided by the underside of the strap in this portion as shown in Figure 4(c) until, with further axial movement in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 4(c), the hook arms 108 enter the space 124 defined by the stopper loop 122. Finally, the hook arms 108 strike the stopper loop 122 and any further axial movement is prevented as shown in Figure 4(d). Further tension may be applied to the strap which will deform the loop slightly, depending on how flexible the retainer material is. Once the hook arms 108 are located so they encompass the stopper loop 122, the webbing 140 secured to the buckle can be cinched tight to pull the lid 138 down onto the body 136 of the rucksack. The lid 138 is now securely fixed in place.

Opening of the fastening system 100 can be performed by reversal of the steps shown in Figures 4(a) to (d). Note that the buckle 102 cannot otherwise be removed until the hook arms 108 are positioned over the ridge portion 1 16 of the retainer 104.

The embodiment of the buckle 102 and retainer 104 described improves upon many of these aspects: possessing no plastic parts that become brittle in extreme cold; possessing no moving parts; being very simple to operate; being operable with a single hand, requiring movement of said hand in only one plane: providing a secure method of attachment. Further advantages include producing a fastening mechanism 100 which is lightweight, secure, and reliable. Further advantages include toughness and strength. Yet further advantages include ease of use when used with gloved or mittened hands, or when manual dexterity is reduced due to tiredness, cold hands, holding other items, etc.