Non-inertial release safety restraint belt buckle system
First Claim
1. A non-inertial release restraint buckle assembly for a vehicle having a restraining belt, the buckle assembly comprising;
- a buckle including a frame and a housing at least partially covering said frame, said housing having a front and rear ends and opposite sides, a latch plate receiving channel defined within said housing, an opening in said front end of said housing communicating with said latch plate receiving channel and of a size to receive a latch plate therein, a latch plate having a pair of spaced locking tongs including hooked end portions, a pair of latching mechanisms slidable mounted within said housing so as to be reciprocally movable in a guide channel defined within said housing and which extends transversely to a central longitudinal axis of said housing which extends from said front to said rear ends, biasing means disposed between said pair of latching mechanisms for urging said latching mechanisms in opposite directions toward a first outer locking position wherein said latching mechanisms are engageable with said locking tongs of said latch plate when said latch plate is inserted in said housing, release means engageable with said latching mechanisms for moving said latching mechanisms simultaneously inwardly towards said central axis of said housing to a second release position wherein said latching mechanisms are disengaged from said locking tongs of said latch plate so that said latch plate may be removed from said buckle housing, and said biasing means constantly urging said latching mechanisms toward said first locking position with oppositely directed forces such that when one of said latching mechanisms is urged toward said second release position by a force, a simultaneous increase in force is applied to retain the other latching mechanism in said first locking position thereof such that said latching mechanisms are only releaseable upon simultaneous application of forces to move said latching mechanisms from said first locking position to said second release position.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Body restraint systems for vehicles that include buckles for latching and retaining latch plates associated with safety belts. The buckle of each system includes a pair of oppositely biased latching mechanisms that are operative in such a manner that a force applied to release one latching mechanism from a latch plate inserted within the buckle creates an opposite and equal force against the opposite latching mechanism to thereby positively retain the latch plate within the buckle in a locked position. Release of a latch plate can only occur upon the simultaneous movement of both of the oppositely biased latching mechanisms toward one another by application of manual force and thus release of the latch plate cannot occur by inertial forces that may be encountered in a vehicular accident.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A non-inertial release restraint buckle assembly for a vehicle having a restraining belt, the buckle assembly comprising;
- a buckle including a frame and a housing at least partially covering said frame, said housing having a front and rear ends and opposite sides, a latch plate receiving channel defined within said housing, an opening in said front end of said housing communicating with said latch plate receiving channel and of a size to receive a latch plate therein, a latch plate having a pair of spaced locking tongs including hooked end portions, a pair of latching mechanisms slidable mounted within said housing so as to be reciprocally movable in a guide channel defined within said housing and which extends transversely to a central longitudinal axis of said housing which extends from said front to said rear ends, biasing means disposed between said pair of latching mechanisms for urging said latching mechanisms in opposite directions toward a first outer locking position wherein said latching mechanisms are engageable with said locking tongs of said latch plate when said latch plate is inserted in said housing, release means engageable with said latching mechanisms for moving said latching mechanisms simultaneously inwardly towards said central axis of said housing to a second release position wherein said latching mechanisms are disengaged from said locking tongs of said latch plate so that said latch plate may be removed from said buckle housing, and said biasing means constantly urging said latching mechanisms toward said first locking position with oppositely directed forces such that when one of said latching mechanisms is urged toward said second release position by a force, a simultaneous increase in force is applied to retain the other latching mechanism in said first locking position thereof such that said latching mechanisms are only releaseable upon simultaneous application of forces to move said latching mechanisms from said first locking position to said second release position.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of providing a non-inertial safety restraint system for vehicles which system includes a latch plate having a pair of spaced locking tongs, a buckle including housing having an interior channel for selectively receiving the latch plate and a pair of oppositely oriented latching mechanisms movable within the housing from a first locking position engaging the locking tongs of the latch plate to retain the latch plate within the housing to a second position to permit insertion and removal of the latch plate relative to the interior channel of the housing, and wherein at least one release push button is provided for simultaneously moving the latching mechanisms to the second release position, the method including;
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a) continuously urging the pair of latching mechanisms to the first locking position thereof by generally equal and opposite resilient force, b) moving the pair of latching mechanisms from the first locking position thereof to the second release position thereof as the latch plate is being inserted within the housing and such that when the latch plate is fully inserted within the housing the pair of latching mechanisms are moved to the first locking position thereof to prevent withdrawal of the latch plate from the buckle housing, and c) releasing the latch plate from the pair of latching mechanisms only upon the simultaneous application of force to each of the latching mechanisms to move them toward one another within the housing to thereby move them to the second release position thereof. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification