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Inflation mechanism for inflatable seat belt

  • US 6,471,243 B1
  • Filed: 09/07/2000
  • Issued: 10/29/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for helping to protect a vehicle occupant, comprising:

  • a vehicle seat belt system including a buckle, a tongue assembly, and an inflatable seat belt portion connected with said tongue assembly, said buckle and said tongue assembly having a buckled condition and an unbuckled condition;

    an inflation mechanism connected with said buckle, including an actuatable inflator and a first conduit in fluid communication with said inflator;

    a second conduit in fluid communication with said inflatable seat belt portion;

    said first conduit having a rupturable portion blocking fluid flow out of said first conduit toward said second conduit;

    said first conduit, upon actuation of said inflator when said buckle and said tongue assembly are in the buckled condition, moving from a first position in which said first conduit is not in fluid communication with said second conduit to a second position in which said first conduit is in fluid communication with said second conduit and said rupturable portion thereafter is ruptured to enable fluid flow from said first conduit to said second conduit to inflate said inflatable seat belt portion.

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