1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates generally to uniform belts and, more particularly, to a military-style belt which resists slippage relative to a clamp type belt buckle.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
A regulation military-style belt is a required part of each uniform worn by members of the United States Armed Forces. The belts are made of an approved fabric and have a metal tab fixed at one end. The belt includes a clamp type buckle having a sliding cinch bar mounted in an inclined cam slot rather than the more common belt buckle which has a pivoted tongue for engaging holes spaced longitudinally along the end of the belt having the tab attached thereto. The tab end of the belt is slipped through a passage in the buckle and is held in place by force exerted by the roughened surface of the sliding cinch bar against the rear surface of the belt. The clamp type buckle is attached to the end of the belt opposite the tab end by a pivoted clamp member connected to the rear of the buckle. The operation of a military clamp type buckle is well known to those skilled in the art.
A common problem with known uniform belts is that the belt tends to flatten quickly and the surfaces become shiny and slick under the force of the cinch bar and loses its resiliency which allows the tab end of the belt to slip out of the belt buckle. This makes it difficult to maintain a snug non-slip fit between the belt and the cinch bar on the buckle which results in a general overall sloppy appearance of the wearer. In the naval service for example, the tab on the tab end of the belt must align with an imaginary vertical line, called the "gig line", formed by the button flap of the wearer's shirt, the end of the tab on the wearer's belt and the zipper flap on the wearer's trousers. This alignment is impossible to maintain if the tab end of the belt continuously slips relative to the buckle. Personal appearance is an important concern for members of the armed services. Not only does personal appearance reflect pride in the service, it is one of the factors considered in recommending promotions.
To facilitate the wearer's ability to properly align the belt with the rest of the wearer's uniform, it is common practice when removing or adjusting existing belts to leave the tab end of the belt fixed in the buckle and to remove or adjust the belt by opening the pivoted clamp member on the back of the buckle and sliding the other end of the belt therethrough. Therefore, it is very important that the tab end of the belt be securely held in place in the buckle at all times.
Further, if the tab end of the belt slips entirely out of the buckle, the tab end and the buckle will hang loosely from the belt loops on the wearer's trousers and may become entangled in operating machinery. This is of particular concern for personnel who live and work close to constantly operating machinery, such as naval personnel stationed onboard ships and submarines.
Belts are known which contain stiffening elements to prevent crimping of the belt during use. U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,329 to Lippmann discloses a belt having a fabric insert of thermoplastic material of an organic derivative of cellulose. The belt with the cellulose insert is heated and pressurized to coalesce the insert to the inner surface of the covering fabric. U.S. Pat. No. 1,531,994 to Starmer discloses a belt which will maintain its shape during use. The belt includes an inner stiffening member and may also include a stiffening wire located at one end to prevent curling of the belt. U.S. Pat. No. 2,663,027 to Posson discloses an elastic belt designed to be worn on the inside of trousers. While these patents discuss the importance of belts which will retain their shape, they do not disclose a belt having a clamp type buckle which avoids slipping relative to the cinch bar of the buckle.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive and easy to manufacture uniform belt which meets the specifications and requirements of the armed services, particularly the naval service. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a belt which is not prone to slipping relative to a clamp type buckle during use.