Safety strap buckle, in particular for automotive child safety seats

• US 20070283539A1
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indiana Mills & Manufacturing Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sabelt SpA (Nuova Fourb Srl)
• Inventors: Pezza, Elsa Angelina Caterina
• Granted Patent: US 7,698,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 24/640
• CPC Class Codes: A44B 11/2549 Fastening of other buckle elements to the main buckle buckles with several tongues released by the same mechanism A44B11/2507 - A44B11/2542
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45084 for safety belt buckle, strap, harness, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45602 Receiving member includes either movable connection between interlocking components or variable configuration cavity
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/45623 and operator therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 24/4566 including slidably connected and guided element on receiving member

Abstract

The buckle has a buckle body, and a lock mechanism for releasably locking two tongues insertable inside the buckle body in a longitudinal insertion direction; the lock mechanism includes a retaining rod movable, in a release direction perpendicular to the longitudinal insertion direction, between a lock position engaging retaining seats formed in the two tongues, and a release position disengaging the two tongues to permit expulsion of the tongues from the buckle body; the lock mechanism also includes a release button movable in the release direction to move the retaining rod into the release position; and the retaining rod is movable in the release direction independently of the release button, and is maintained in the lock position by a spring.

Claims

1. ) A safety strap buckle, in particular for automotive child safety seats, as well as for push-chairs or prams, comprising a buckle body, and a lock mechanism for releasably locking at least one tongue insertable inside said buckle body in a longitudinal insertion direction;

the lock mechanism comprising;

a) a retaining rod movable, in a release direction perpendicular to said longitudinal insertion direction, between a lock position engaging said at least one tongue to retain the tongue inside said buckle body, and a release position disengaging said at least one tongue to permit expulsion of the tongue from said buckle body; and

b) a release button movable in said release direction to move said retaining rod into said release position;

said retaining rod being movable in said release direction independently of said release button, and being maintained in said lock position by a spring.

2. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining rod is fixed at the ends to at least one guide member, which slides in said release direction inside a guide seat formed by said buckle body.

3. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining rod is guided inside two guide seats formed by said buckle body.

4. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said retaining rod is guided inside two guide seats formed by said release button.

5. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said spring presses on said at least one guide member of said retaining rod.

6. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said spring presses directly on said retaining rod.

7. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said release button has at least one guide member which slides in said release direction inside said guide seat.

8. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one guide member of said release button comprises a respective stop tooth cooperating with a respective stop surface at one end of said guide seat.

9. ) A buckle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said buckle body is made of plastic material molded onto a metal insert;

the metal insert comprising;

a) an annular end portion embedded in an annular fastening portion of said buckle body; and

b) a load-transfer portion located beneath said retaining rod and terminating with two appendixes aligned with the ends of said retaining rod in said insertion direction.