EXPANDABLE CRASH-RESTRAINING MEANS

• US 3,865,398 A
• Filed: 02/05/1973
• Issued: 02/11/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toni Woll
• Original Assignee: Toni Woll
• Inventors: Woll, Toni
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Application Number:
  US05/329,602
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB,15SB 9/316-322 244/121B,151R 297/386,389
• US Class Current: 280/733
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/202 the slider comprising spring-actuated locking means B60R22/205 takes precedence

Abstract

Vehicle safety apparatus is disclosed for use to restrain passengers from being displaced from their seats in the vehicle upon the occurrence of severe or unusual pitch or roll of the vehicle. Compactly folded, expandable body-restraining straps, suitably anchored within the vehicle structure, are inflated or expanded by the pressure of released gasses. The straps are arranged to provide protective and restraining pneumatic pillow elements across the lower body between the thighs and the lower torso, and over one or, preferably, both shoulders alongside the head. The inflatable or expandable straps are formed as a gasimpervious-member in the shape of tubes which, when collapsed, are longitudinally folded to compact strap-like configuration for normal use as a simple body-restraining strap means.

Claims

1. Vehicular occupant-passenger apparatus inflatable by the flow of pressurized gas from a gas source as triggered by sensor means responding to a predetermined rate of deceleration of the vehicle, or to pitch and roll forces applied to such vehicle, comprising:

an end-anchored, occupant-restraining strap-like element at each side of a seat in a vehicle to be disposed in front of the body of an occupant seated in a vehicle;

each said element being anchored at one end to the floor adjacent said seat and at the other end to the overhead above the occupant;

buckle means intermediate the ends of said elements to be engaged in front of the body of an occupant to form said occupant-restraining elements into X-shape relative the front of the occupant'"'"''"'"'s body;

at least one end-anchor of each of said elements including locking means longitudinally adjustable in respect to the vehicle permitting selective variance of the tightness of said elements upon the occupant'"'"''"'"'s body; and

each said element being an elongated inflatable tubular member in communication with said gas source, said inflatable tubular member being normally deflated, collapsed and longitudinally folded upon itself.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the end-anchors of both ends of each said occupant-restraining elements is longitudinally shiftable in respect of such vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which there are interengaging retaining means between surfaces of said tubular member juxtaposed to each other when said element is longitudinally folded upon itself.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the interengaging retaining means comprise hook-pile strip on one of said juxtaposed surfaces and a matching strip of loop-pile on the opposite of said juxtaposed surfaces.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the longitudinally adjustable locking means comprises an elongated rod mounted to said vehicle in fore-and-aft alignment and a traveller slides along said rod, said traveller including means to frictionally engage said rod when the associated element is tightened about the occupant'"'"''"'"'s body.