Starter enabling-disabling ignition safety seat belt for moving vehicles

• US 3,934,671 A
• Filed: 10/10/1974
• Issued: 01/27/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert L. Hart
• Original Assignee: Robert L. Hart
• Inventors: Hart, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Friaglia, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pekar, John A.
• Application Number:
  US05/513,476
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 280/82 C, 340/52 E, 307/10 SB, 200/61.58 B
• US Class Current: 180/270
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness

Abstract

A seat belt buckle means which provides a connection for one or more opto-electric circuits (control circuits employing light for control of electrical circuits) as an incident to the establishing of the mechanical supporting connection of the buckle means, the respective portions of the opto-electrical connection being respectively operatively aligned with the buckle member components which establish the mechanical supporting connection, thus providing that the opto-electrical connectors are operatively engageable with one another whenever but only whenever the mechanically-acting buckle member components are operatively engaged, and thus correspondingly assuring that establishment and dis-establishment of the opto-electrical circuitry will be coincident with the establishment and dis-establishment of the mechanical supporting connection of the buckle means, in an arrangement in which the thief-resistant starter switch is provided as a part carried on one of the seat buckle components.

Claims

1.

A seat belt buckle means providing a connection means for establishing one or more circuits as an incident to the establishing of the mechanical supporting connection of the buckle means, and comprising:

first and second co-operating buckle members releasably engageable for establishing the mechanical supporting connection of the buckle means;

co-operating optical conductor means on each of the buckle members, the respective optical conductor means being optically connected to and providing a portion of an associated opto-electrical circuitry, said optical conductor means being respectively operatively aligned with the buckle member components which establish the mechanical supporting connection, and thereby operatively aligned for co-operating with one another whenever and only whenever the said buckle members are co-operatively engaged and are establishing said mechanical supporting connection; and

a key receivable in said first buckle member and including a portion of said optical conductor means therein, and removable from said buckle member to disable said opto-electrical circuitry.

2. The combination of claim 1 and further comprising:

strap means including optical conductor means associated with said optical conductor means in said buckle means.

3. The combination of claim 1 and further comprising:

additional opto-electrical circuitry; and

additional optical conductor means in said key to enable said additional opto-electrical circuitry whenever said key is in said first buckle member, regardless of whether or not said buckle members are engaged, and disable said additional opto-electrical circuitry whenever said key is removed from said first buckle member.

4. The combination of claim 3 and further comprising:

a starter circuit coupled to the first mentioned opto-electrical circuitry; and

an ignition circuit coupled to said additional opto-electrical circuitry.