Child-proof seat belt buckle assembly
First Claim
1. A locking seat belt buckle assembly, comprising:
- a tongue;
a latch;
locking means between said tongue and said latch to lock said tongue to said latch;
latch release means for releasing said locking means to permit disengagement of said tongue from said latch, said latch release means including a release plate pivotably mounted to said chassis to be depressed from outside the seat belt buckle assembly to release said locking means;
stop means operable on said latch release means to prevent operation of said latch release means; and
a chassis for supporting said latch, said locking means, said latch release means and said stop means,wherein said stop means includes a stop block slidably disposed between said chassis and said release plate to move between a first position in which said stop block prevents depression of said release plate and a second position in which said stop block does not prevent depression of said release plate.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A locking seat belt buckle assembly is configured for placement and operation within a standard seat belt buckle and tongue. In one embodiment, the seat belt buckle includes a latch that engages the tongue and a latch release plate to disengage the latch from the tongue upon depression of the release plate. The assembly includes a stop block that is movable by way of an actuator, such as a reversible micro-motor, to a position beneath the release plate to prevent depression of the latch plate. A pair of limit switches disconnect the motor from a power supply when contacted by the stop block at opposite ends of its travel. An indicator light is provided that is illuminated when the stop block is in position beneath the latch release plate. In one aspect, the motor is mounted within a housing with a spring disposed between the motor and the housing to bias the motor toward the release plate. In the event that the motor fails to retract the stop block from beneath the release plate, the stop block and motor can be manually pushed aside to compress the spring, thereby allowing depression of the release plate.
32 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A locking seat belt buckle assembly, comprising:
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a tongue; a latch; locking means between said tongue and said latch to lock said tongue to said latch; latch release means for releasing said locking means to permit disengagement of said tongue from said latch, said latch release means including a release plate pivotably mounted to said chassis to be depressed from outside the seat belt buckle assembly to release said locking means; stop means operable on said latch release means to prevent operation of said latch release means; and a chassis for supporting said latch, said locking means, said latch release means and said stop means, wherein said stop means includes a stop block slidably disposed between said chassis and said release plate to move between a first position in which said stop block prevents depression of said release plate and a second position in which said stop block does not prevent depression of said release plate. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A locking seat belt buckle assembly, comprising:
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a tongue; a latch; locking means between said tongue and said latch to lock said tongue to said latch; latch release means for releasing said locking means to permit disengagement of said tongue from said latch; stop means operable on said latch release means to prevent operation of said latch release means; and a chassis for supporting said latch, said locking means, said latch release means and said stop means, wherein said stop means includes; a stop block slidably disposed between said chassis and said release plate to move between a first position in which said stop block prevents depression of said release plate and a second position in which said stop block does not prevent depression of said release plate; and an electrically controlled actuator operably coupled to said stop block to move said stop block between said first and second positions. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 10, 11)
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7. A locking seat belt buckle assembly, comprising:
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a tongue; a latch; locking means between said tongue and said latch to lock said tongue to said latch; latch release means for releasing said locking means to permit disengagement of said tongue from said latch; stop means operable on said latch release means to prevent operation of said latch release means; a chassis for supporting said latch, said locking means, said latch release means and said stop means; and a switch remote from said stop means, said switch operable to activate said stop means to prevent operation of said latch means.
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8. A locking seat belt buckle assembly, comprising:
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a tongue; a latch; locking means between said tongue and said latch to lock said tongue to said latch; latch release means for releasing said locking means to permit disengagement of said tongue from said latch; stop means operable on said latch release means to prevent operation of said latch release means; and a chassis for supporting said latch, said locking means, said latch release means and said stop means, wherein said stop means includes; a stop block slidably disposed between said chassis and said release plate to move between a first position in which said stop block prevents depression of said release plate and a second position in which said stop block does not prevent depression of said release plate; an electrically controlled actuator operably coupled to said stop block to move said stop block between said first and second positions; and resilient means for biasing said actuator toward said first position of said stop block, said resilient means being compressible to push said actuator in a direction away from said first position of said stop block. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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12. A locking mechanism for use in a buckle assembly having a tongue, a latch engageable with the tongue, a latch release plate operable to release the tongue from the latch, and a chassis supporting the latch and latch release plate, said locking mechanism comprising:
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a stop block slidably disposed on the chassis to move between a first position in which said stop block prevents operation of the release plate and a second position in which said stop block does not prevent operation of the release plate; and an electrically controlled actuator operably coupled to said stop block to move said stop block between said first and second positions. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification