Airbag tether retainer
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An airbag tether retainer comprising:
- a generally planar body;
a tab that extends generally perpendicularly from one side of the body;
a tab lock that engages the tab to secure an airbag tether between the tab and the body, wherein the tab lock extends generally perpendicularly from an opposite side of the body; and
a release member that severs the tab when the airbag tether transmits tension to the tab engaged in the tab lock.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An airbag tether retainer is disclosed that is of minimal size to accommodate vehicle safety and styling requirements and yields to conform to contours of a vehicle pillar. The tether retainer is interchangeable with left or right vehicle pillars thus reducing fabrication costs. The tether retainer imposes minimal stress on a worker attaching the retainer. In certain embodiments, the tether retainer includes a body and one or more tabs and corresponding tab locks which extend from the body. An airbag tether is positioned on the body and each tab is looped around the tether and secured to the body by a corresponding tab lock. The body may then be secured to a vehicle pillar.
113 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An airbag tether retainer comprising:
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a generally planar body;
a tab that extends generally perpendicularly from one side of the body;
a tab lock that engages the tab to secure an airbag tether between the tab and the body, wherein the tab lock extends generally perpendicularly from an opposite side of the body; and
a release member that severs the tab when the airbag tether transmits tension to the tab engaged in the tab lock. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An airbag tether retainer system comprising:
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an airbag tether connected to a curtain airbag;
a generally planar body extending substantially parallel to the tether;
a plurality of tab locks that extend from the body; and
a plurality of tabs that extend from the body, the tabs being engaged by the tab locks to secure the tether to the body, the tabs being positioned opposite the tab locks. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An airbag tether retainer comprising:
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an elongated generally planar body;
a plurality of tabs extending perpendicularly from one side of the body, each tab having a catch;
a plurality of tab locks extending perpendicularly from an opposite side of the body, each tab lock being capable of engaging the catch of a tab; and
a plurality of release members that sever the plurality of tabs when the airbag tether transmits tension to tabs engaged in the tab locks, each release member being positioned between a tab lock and a corresponding catch. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An airbag tether retainer comprising:
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a strap having a head and a tail;
wherein the head and tail are capable of securely engaging each other to encircle and retain an airbag tether, the strap comprising a release member that readily severs the strap when the airbag tether transmits tension to the strap encircling and retaining the airbag tether, the release member being strategically positioned between the head and the tail. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification