Hook keeper for belt lacings

摘要

A hook keeper is provided to protect and reinforce belt lacings of the type having a plurality of hooks clenched in opposite ends of a belt, with the loop ends of the hooks meshed together and interconnected by a pin. The hook keeper has a rigid body with at least two side-by-side slots therethrough. The hook keeper is positioned between the connecting pin and an associated end of the belt, and preferably reinforces one of the two outermost hooks in the lacing. The selected outermost lacing hook is closely received in one of the keeper slots, and another one of the lacing hooks is closely received in the second keeper slot. Forces acting on the outermost hook are transmitted to and resisted at least partially by the second hook to improve the strength and longevity of the lacing.