The embodiment describes herein a smart sliding buckle that relates to garment accessories, particularly bra buckles.

Current designs of loop-frames of bra buckles are generally rectangular-shaped, of which a bottom is transitionally connected to form a U-shape loop. There is generally a hooking-prong on one end of a piece of garment that matches with a loop-frame on the other end. While using, a user uses his hands to hook up the hooking-prong and the loop-frame to form a tie. The secured tie is often stable and can be easily unhooked. The hooking-prong and the loop-frame have to spatially match to each other to form a tie. A bra usually has multiple pairs of hooking-prongs and loop-frames. Because the spatial positions of the hooking-prongs have to match with the corresponding loop-frames in a somewhat accurate manner to form a tie, it requires a relatively high level of precision for a user to successfully secure a tie between the hooking-prongs and loop-frames. This requirement of high level of precision incurs high level of difficulty for users. The difficulty is even greater if the hooking-prongs and the loop-frames on a bra locate in a position where a user cannot see. Therefore, current designs of bra buckles cannot provide sufficient convenience for users; instead, they incur great inconvenience.

Embodiments herein describe a novel buckle design, a smart sliding buckle, that is relatively easy to use. While forming a tie, a smart sliding buckle can easily form a tie even if the spatial positions of the hooking-prongs and the loop-frames do not match to each other exactly.

Embodiments may be implemented as follows.

A smart sliding buckle may include a hooking-prong and a loop-frame. The hooking-prong may be a flattened hook. The loop-frame may be a V-shaped loop-frame. Lower ends of two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame may be curvedly connected, forming an arc. Upper ends of the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame may connect to fixing rings that can be used to fix the loop-frame on a piece of garment, such as a bra.

An angle between the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame may range from 30 to 150 degrees.

Embodiments decrease the precision requirement to form a tie. While forming a tie, an embodiment allows certain degrees of variations of spatial mis-match between the hooking-prongs and loop-frames. Within the allowed variation of spatial mis-match, users can easily form a tie that has the same effects provided by a traditional bra buckle. The embodiments described herein can increase the ease of use.

• Figure 1 illustrates a structure of the hooking-prong.
• Figure 2 illustrates a structure of the loop-frame.
• Figure 3 illustrates a schematic view of a pair of mis-matched hooking-prong and loop-frame of a smart sliding buckle.
• Figure 4 illustrates a force diagram of a pair of mis-matched hooking-prong and loop-frame of a smart sliding buckle while in the process of forming a tie.
• Figure 5 illustrates a schematic view of a secured tie of a smart sliding buckle.

Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5 further disclose the embodiments:

As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, the embodiment includes two major elements: a hooking-prong 1 and a V-shaped loop-frame 2. The hooking-prong 1 is installed at one end of a bra being connected. The V-shaped loop-frame 2 is installed at the other end of the bra being connected. The hooking-prong 1 in this embodiment is a flattened hook. The V-shaped loop-frame 2 in this embodiment includes two bars 21, forming a V-shape. Lower ends of the two bars of the V-shaped loop-frame are curvedly connected, forming an arc 22. Two upper ends of the bars 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame 2 connect to fixing rings 4 that can be used to fix the loop-frame on a piece of garment, such as a bra. An angle between the two bars 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame 2 ranges from 30 to 150 degrees. This angle can vary from one clothing style to another.

With a traditional bra buckle, if the physical positions of a hooking-prong and a loop-frame do not match to each other in a relatively accurate manner, a tie can be difficult to form. However, with the embodiment described herein, if the hooking-prong 1 and the V-shaped loop-frame 2 do not match to each other precisely, as shown in Figure 3, a tie can still be formed. While in the process of forming a tie, if a certain degree of position mis-match exists between the hooking-prong 1 and the V-shaped loop-frame 2, as in Figure 4, a force F is formed on the V-shaped loop-frame 2. The force F can be broken down to sub-force F₁ and sub-force F₂. Sub-force F₂ is orthogonal to a contacting bar 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame. Sub-force F₁ is parallel to the contacting bar 21 of the V-shaped loop-frame. Sub-force F₁ drags the hooking-prong along the direction of the contacting bar of a V-shaped loop-frame 21towards the lower arced end of the V-shaped loop-frame 22. Figure 5 shows a secured tie between the hooking-prong and the V-shaped loop-frame. In Figure 5, force F₀ on the hooking-prong is balanced with two counteracting forces provided by the two fixing rings. Each fixing ring provides 0.5F₀. Thus, a tie is secured. This embodiment illustrates a mechanism that can easily secure a tie without matching the physical positions exactly. This embodiment provides a V-shaped loop-frame 2 structure that guides a mis-matched hooking-prong 1 to a lower arced end 22 of the V-shaped loop-frame 2, securing a tie.

The open end of the V-shaped loop-frame 2 is generally bigger than a loop-frame of a traditional bra buckle. This may provide additional ease of use to secure a tie between the hooking-prong 1 and the V-shaped loop-frame 2.