Continuous loop slip tongue

• US 3,974,546 A
• Filed: 10/02/1975
• Issued: 08/17/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Incorporated (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: Firestone Tire & Rubber Company (Bridgestone Corporation)
• Inventors: Walker, Ronald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Donald A.
• Application Number:
  US05/618,891
• Time in Patent Office: 320 Days
• Field of Search: 297/389, 297/388, 280/150 SB, 24/171, 24/163 R, 24/196
• US Class Current: 24/196
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2557 with strap length adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1812 Connections between seat belt and buckle tongue
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/30 Coupling devices other than buckles, including length-adjusting fittings or anti-slip devices adaptations of manual three-point seat belt systems for use by small passengers using other means than belt anti-slip devices B60R22/024; buckles A44B11/00; releasable fastenings in general F16B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4084 Looped strap

Abstract

A continuous loop slip tongue element having an integral channel housing portion which is provided with a seat belt webbing aperture having a transverse lock buttress edge portion. A round bar element is rollably mounted within the channel housing across the seat belt webbing aperture and has a seat belt webbing slot therethrough. A seat belt webbing is freely positioned through the housing seat belt webbing aperture to slidably pass through the round bar seat belt webbing slot so that the continuous loop slip tongue element is freely movable along the seat belt webbing until the slip tongue element is moved to its operative use position in engagement with a buckle assembly which causes the webbing to reverse itself in direction. This action of the webbing moves and rotates the round bar element to a lockably stressed position within the channel housing so as to lockably retain the seat belt webbing against the lock buttress edge portion defined by the channel housing aperture. In the preferred embodiment, the round bar is formed from two elongate identical elements each having a mating dropped portion so that when the two elements are joined as by Teflon rings and oriented by pins, they form the round and slotted bar.

Claims

1. A slip tongue plate assembly for seat belts and the like comprising:

a tongue plate having an integral channel housing extending therefrom, said channel housing having a raised transversely bent bottom portion and spaced-apart side walls, said bottom portion having a seat belt webbing aperture therethrough, said aperture defined at one end by a transverse lock buttress edge and support track flanges extending from said side walls;

a round bar freely mounted within said channel housing on said support track flanges so as to transversely extend across said seat belt webbing aperture, said round bar provided with an elongate seat belt webbing receiving slot having seat belt webbing freely positioned therethrough, said round bar being freely slidable and rotatable on said support track flanges within said housing along said aperture while permitting free movement of the seat belt webbing through said slot, said round bar being rotatable and lockable upon said lock buttress edge so as to lock said webbing against movement when said webbing is stressed to reverse upon itself.

2. In the slip tongue plate seat belt assembly of claim 1 wherein said round bar is comprised of a joined pair of opposed mating cylindrical halves, each of said cylindrical halves provided with an outer central raised curved portion having a roughened gripping surface and having an inner central recessed flat surface, said inner central recessed flat surface defining an elongate seat belt webbing slot through the round bar formed by said mating cylindrical halves.

3. In the slip tongue plate seat belt assembly of claim 2 wherein said round bar is provided with retainer ring bearing members at each end thereof.

4. A slip tongue plate element for continuous loop seat belts and the like comprising:

a frame housing having an integral extending tongue plate portion, integral side portions provided with support track flanges extending therefrom and a transversely bent bottom portion having an aperture defined therethrough, including a barrier at one end of said aperture;

a slotted round bar provided in said frame housing, said bar journalled on the ends thereof on said support track flanges and slidable and rotatable on said track flanges toward and away from said barrier at one end of said aperture; and

a continuous piece of seat belt webbing extending through said slotted round bar, said webbing freely movable through said bar when said bar moves away from said barrier and locked by said bar against said barrier of said frame upon partial rotation of said bar when said webbing is reversed upon itself.