U.S. patent number 3,760,467 [Application Number 05/151,039] was granted by the patent office on 1973-09-25 for safety belt buckle.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Allied Chemical Corporation. Invention is credited to Thomas E. Lohr.
United States Patent |
3,760,467 |
Lohr |
September 25, 1973 |
SAFETY BELT BUCKLE
Abstract
A seat belt buckle which can be readily assembled by serially
arranging its component parts in an open-faced buckle housing, then
pressing a cover plate into locking engagement with the buckle
housing to complete the assembly. An apertured tongue inserted into
a slot in the buckle housing depresses a biased latching member
having a wedge shaped latch until said latch coincides with the
aperture and is urged into it by the biasing means, thus locking
the tongue in place. Release of the tongue is achieved by means of
a manually actuated member which depresses the latching member
freeing the tongue for withdrawal.
Inventors: |
Lohr; Thomas E. (Warren,
MI) |
Assignee: |
Allied Chemical Corporation
(New York, NY)
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Family
ID: |
22537076 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/151,039 |
Filed: |
June 8, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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113867 |
Feb 8, 1971 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
24/639 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A44B
11/2526 (20130101); Y10T 24/45654 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A44B
11/25 (20060101); A44b 019/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;24/23A,23AV,23AL,23AN,23AM,23AT |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Gilliam; Paul R.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part application of copending
application Ser. No. 133,867, filed Feb. 8, 1971.
Claims
I claim:
1. A seat belt buckle assembly comprising
a. a housing having an opening therein;
b. a cavity extending in said housing from said opening to a wall
of said housing opposite said opening;
c. inlet means in said housing communicating with said cavity for
receiving a tongue;
d. latching means disposed in said cavity and movable into latching
engagement with said tongue;
e. biasing means operatively associated with said latching means to
urge said latching means into latching engagement with said
tongue;
f. manually actuating means operatively associated with said
latching means to move said latching means out of latching
engagement with said tongue; said latching means, biasing means and
manually actuating means comprising a plurality of components
disposed in said cavity, at least portions of all of said
components being positioned in overlapping relationship in the
direction in which said cavity extends into said housing, with the
lowermost component engaging said wall; and
g. ledge means in said housing extending into said cavity in at
least one direction which is towards said inlet means and including
channels integrally formed in the sides of said cavity adjacent to
and opposite said inlet means for guiding and supporting the
leading edge of said tongue as the tongue is inserted into said
housing, said channels furnishing support to the sides and leading
edge of said tongue after it is in latching engagement with said
latching means, whereby motion of said tongue during insertion and
release is limited to a linear motion with respect to said housing
in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said wall of said
housing.
2. The buckle assembly of claim 1 wherein said cavity has surfaces
extending from said wall toward said opening, said cavity being
unobstructed above said surfaces to said opening for receiving said
latching means and other components.
3. The buckle assembly of claim 1 wherein said latching means
comprises a latching member confined to motion substantially
perpendicular to said wall of said housing, said latching member
having legs extending therefrom towards said opening, said legs
having surfaces in contact with said manually actuating means.
4. The buckle assembly of claim 3 wherein said manually actuating
means comprises a push button, said push button including legs each
of which is adjacent to the outermost surface of the corresponding
adjacent leg of said latching member.
5. The buckle assembly of claim 4 wherein the outer surfaces of
said push button legs slope inwardly from the corresponding surface
of said cavity adjacent said legs, whereby uneven pressure applied
to said push button will cause the button to cant to a limited
degree without adversely affecting its operation.
6. The buckle assembly of claim 4 including surfaces within said
cavity extending from said housing wall towards said opening, said
surfaces having portions disposed laterally inwardly from the
periphery of said opening, and guide members disposed between said
surfaces of said housing and said legs of said latching member, and
between said surfaces and said legs of said push button to
facilitate motion of said latching member and said push button in a
direction substantially perpendicular to said wall of said
housing.
7. The buckle assembly of claim 4 wherein said push button is
mounted on a bridge from which said legs of said push button
extend, wherein said inlet means comprises a slot extending into
said cavity to provide a channel for receiving said tongue, said
bridge spanning said channel, wherein said latching member has two
legs extending upwardly toward the opening of the cavity, said legs
being positioned on opposite sides of said channel and wherein said
bridge contacts said surfaces of said legs of said latching
member.
8. The buckle assembly of claim 4 including a cover plate having an
aperture disposed over said cover plate and which provides access
from the exterior of the buckle to said push button, said cover
plate being in locking engagement with said housing and serving to
retain the components of said buckle assembly located within said
cavity and wherein said cover plate has a plurality of fastening
hooks extending downwardly from its lower surface, said hooks
having barbs at their distal end, substantially corresponding bores
within said housing adjacent to said cavity having sufficient
diameter to accommodate said hooks, said bores extending from the
contact surface between the said cover plate and said housing to an
inner surface within said housing, with the distance between the
surfaces substantially equal to the corresponding distance between
said cover plate and the barbs of the corresponding hooks, whereby
the barbs will extend beyond the bore and over said inner surface
when the hooks are inserted into said bores, thereby preventing
withdrawal of said hooks and removal of said cover plate from said
housing.
9. The buckle assembly of claim 3 wherein said manually actuating
member comprises a pivotably movable lift lever, said lift lever
having integral cam means in cooperative engagement with cam means
provided on said surfaces of said legs of said latching member,
whereby said latching member may be moved out of latching
engagement against the urging of said biasing means by pivoting
said lift lever.
10. The buckle assembly of claim 9 including an apertured cover
plate, wherein said cam means of said lift lever extend through
said aperture of said cover plate and are pivotably attached to
lugs on said cover plate and wherein said lift lever includes an
arm, whereby said tongue may be released from said latched position
by manually raising said arm, and wherein the components of said
assembly are successively inserted through said opening and into
said cavity one after the other with the first engaging the wall
and disposed in the cavity with at least portions of the components
positioned in serial overlapping relationship in the direction in
which the cavity extends into said housing, and wherein the last
component inserted into the opening comprises a subassembly
consisting of said apertured cover plate and said lift lever
pivotally connected.
11. The buckle assembly of claim 10 wherein said cover plate has a
plurality of fastening hooks extending downwardly from its lower
surface, said hooks having barbs at their distal end, substantially
corresponding bores within said housing adjacent to said cavity
having sufficient diameter to accommodate said hooks, said bores
extending from the contact surface between the said cover plate and
said housing to an inner surface within said housing, with the
distance between the surfaces substantially equal to the
corresponding distance between said cover plate and the barbs of
the corresponding hooks, whereby the barbs will extend beyond the
bore and over said inner surface when the hooks are inserted into
said bores, thereby preventing withdrawal of said hooks and removal
of said cover plate from said housing.
12. The assembly of claim 3 wherein the latching member comprises a
substantially flat section resting on the biasing means which in
turn is positioned against the wall of the cavity, said latching
means having an upwardly sloping ramp positioned toward the slot so
that the tongue when inserted through the slot into the cavity will
depress the latching member toward the wall, against pressure of
the biasing means.
13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the walls of the bores of the
buckle housing are parallel to the shanks of the corresponding
hooks of the cover plate when the cover plate is positioned, but
with their axes in each case off-set slightly in the direction
opposite to that of the barb of the hook, but not more than by the
distance the barb extends beyond the shank of the hook, whereby
when the hooks are positioned over their respective openings, and
the cover plate is pressed into position, the hooks are forced into
the slightly off-set bores under stress, said stress being largely
relieved as the barbs snap under the inner surface to which the
openings communicate, thus locking the cover plate permanently into
position.
14. The assembly of claim 1 wherein in each case the vertical
distance of the tip of the barb of the hook, from the surface of
the cover plate is slightly greater than the distance of said
surface to the barb at the point where it joins the shank of the
hook, whereby as the barb snaps under the inner surface to which
the corresponding bore communicates, it progressively shortens the
distance between the barb and the cover plate, thus tightening the
connection between the cover plate assembly and the remainder of
the buckle assembly, keeping it tight irrespective of the effects
of expansion, contraction, vibration or rough handling.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seat belt and harness assemblies of the
type utilized in automobiles for retaining an occupant in a seated
position within the automobile. Such seat belt assemblies usually
include at least two straps or belts anchored to the vehicle body
with one of the straps being connected to a tongue and the other to
a buckle, whereby two of the straps may be disposed over an
occupant's lap and the tongue inserted into the buckle so as to be
retained therein until manually released by manipulation of the
buckle mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A large number of such buckle assemblies are found in the prior art
and practically all incorporate some type of latching means which
co-acts with a tongue and is movable between latched and release
positions whereby the tongue is retained within the buckle in the
latched position and may be removed from the buckle in the release
position. The buckles employ various sub-assemblies, devices,
linkages, etc. for attachment or co-action with latching means.
Additionally, the assemblies normally include a support structure
such as a housing. Quite frequently the housing takes the form of a
flat metal plate wrapped into a channel-like member having a
substantially rectangular or similarly enclosed cross-section.
Examples of such prior art assemblies are shown in U.S. Pat. No.
2,995,792 and 3,203,065. One problem encountered with such prior
art assemblies relates to the difficulty experienced in inserting
the various elements and components into the housing and into
proper cooperating relationship, one with the other. The elements
are usually placed into a housing either separately or in
sub-assemblies which must be assembled within the housing. This
presents a difficult and expensive assembly operation and also
increases the possibility of defective assemblies due to the
improper positioning of the components during assembly.
Still another difficulty characteristic of some buckles of the
prior art may be traced to the manner in which the assemblies are
fastened together. With hard useage, they can become loose or they
may even fall apart, thus becoming dangerous or totally
inoperative. A buckle assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,882,581
which does not utilize an enclosed housing. Although it does not
require any substantial assembly of components after they are
inserted into the housing, it does require that the components be
inserted into the housing from two opposite directions. Such a
buckle, therefore, still presents assembly problems.
These limitations, characteristic of many of the buckles of the
prior art, have been largely overcome by the disclosure of U.S.
Pat. No. 3,522,640 which discloses a buckle assembly which may be
easily assembled manually or automatically by merely serially
moving the components of the assembly into the housing from one
direction and without the necessity of assembling or
interconnecting components once they are in the housing.
The tongue of the buckle disclosed is released by pressure on a
push button in the top center of the buckle. Releasing a safety
buckle by the operation of a push button such as that of the last
cited patent generally requires the use of two hands, one to hold
the buckle while the button is pushed. This can become a time
consuming operation, and might be a problem for arthritics or
others who lack the full facility of both hands. Furthermore, the
push button of U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,640, as illustrated, occupies a
small fraction of the total area of the face of the buckle; hence,
in an emergency, the user might have difficulty in quickly locating
the actuating area. In one embodiment the push button in hinged, so
that should the user press at a point near the hinge, he would
actuate the release mechanism at a considerable mechanical
disadvantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The buckle of the present invention is designed for easy assembly
by arranging its component parts in an open-faced buckle housing,
then pressing a cover plate into substantially permanent locking
engagement with the buckle housing to complete the assembly of the
buckle as a functional unit. The design of the buckle permits ready
release of the tongue by either one or two handed operation.
Objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will be
readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by
reference to the following detailed description when considered in
connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which two
elements of one embodiment are themselves assembled into the last
component to be fitted into the housing at the time of
assembly.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a complete assembly, representing one
embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially
along line 4--4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal half section through line 5--5,
FIG. 3, illustrating the locked position of the buckle.
FIG. 6 is the same as FIG. 5 with the exception that it illustrates
the release position of the buckle.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal section through line 7--7, FIG.
3, differing only in that the buckle is shown in the release,
rather than in the locked position.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the partially assembled buckle, all
components being present with the exception of that of FIG. 2,
which serves as a cover for the opening of the housing when the
buckle is completely assembled.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the assembled component of FIG. 2, which
when pressed into place as the cover of the partially assembled
buckle of FIG. 8, completes the assembly.
FIG. 10 is a partial section through line 10--10 of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a partial section through line 11--11 of FIG. 8.
FIG. 12 combines the partial sections of FIG. 10 and 11 to
illustrate how they cooperatively and permanently lock together
when the component of FIG. 9 is pressed into place as the cover of
the partial assembly of FIG. 8 to provide the final complete
assembly.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view of the preferred type of
fastening hooks accompanied by four partial perspective views of
other possible variations. These hooks are common to all
embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the tongue, illustrating the
opening into which the latching member is urged, when the buckle is
in locked position. The two-dimensional taper of the leading edge
is also shown.
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the complete assembly in lock
position with the tongue secured in place, and the seat belting
attached.
FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment
wherein release of the tongue is achieved by actuating a push
button rather than by raising a lever. The tongue illustrated as
FIG. 14 is equally applicable to this embodiment, and the operation
of the moving parts, the latching member (latch bar), biasing
means, and apertured cover plate are sufficiently similar so that
their cooperative action can be readily visualized by reference to
FIGS. 4-8, 10--13 and 15.
Referring now to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like
or corresponding parts throughout the several views, the
embodiments are disclosed:
Referring to the buckle assembly 20 of FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and
15, and particularly to the exploded view of FIG. 1, the buckle
assembly comprises a housing 22, a slideably arranged latch bar 24,
biasing member 26 for urging the latching bar into latching
engagement with a tongue 58, guide members 28 for guiding the
latching bar, a lift lever 30 manually operable and pivotally
arranged with one arm constituting a lifting member outside the
buckle housing and the other comprising two cams 50 and the fulcrum
or pivot points 52, within the buckle housing; a housing
cover-plate 32 having means 34 for essentially permanent attachment
to the housing, lugs 36 extending into the cavity of the housing to
which the lift lever is pivotally attached by pivoting pins 38,
thereby locating the fulcrum of the lift lever, and an aperture 40
through which one arm of the lever extends downwardly into the
housing. Housing 22 further includes a flange 42 and an opening 44
therein, for attaching a seat belt thereto.
More specifically, the housing 22 is recessed on one face 46 (the
front) to accommodate the cover-plate 32 so that it may lie flush
with the front surface of the buckle, when assembled. In addition,
the housing includes surfaces 60 in the cavity 48 which extend from
the wall toward cavity section 57 for receiving the latch bar 24,
and for limiting movement of the latch bar to movements
substantially parallel to the surfaces 60. In other words, there is
formed in or by the cavity 48 a pocket for receiving the elongated
latch bar 24 and for limiting movement of the latch bar to movement
substantially toward or away from cover-plate 32, or the front face
of the buckle.
Extended surfaces 60 also serve to shape the cavity into
essentially three interconnected cavity sections, two small
sections 54, one near each wall of the buckle to accommodate lugs
36 of the cover-plate and cams 50 of the lifting-lever. They are
sufficiently commodious to permit free motion of the cams as well
as of cam followers 56 of the latch bar 24. In addition, there is a
centrally located cavity section 57 to house the biasing means
shown as spring 26, and the latching means, shown as latch bar 24
which includes latch bar guides 28 and ramp latch member 64.
Connecting these three cavity sections are the parallel sided
openings 60.
At the end of the buckle away from flange 42 there is an opening 62
which extends through a thickness of material comprising the wall
of the buckle at this point. It presents at the surface a large,
substantially rectangular, opening taking up most of the end of the
buckle housing, but it funnels down to a long narrow rectangular
opening 66, sized to accommodate tongue 58. This rectangular
opening continues through an appreciable thickness of material to
thus communicate with cavity section 57 within. Rectangular opening
66 has parallel walls and thus serves to guide tongue 58 into the
cavity, limiting the motion to an inward thrust or to its removal
without appreciable side play. The leading edge of tongue 58 has a
two-dimensional taper 90 (FIG. 14) for easy entrance into the
opening, and the funnel-like entrance further facilitates the rapid
introduction of the tongue without need of searching or probing for
the slot.
At a point opposite opening 66 within cavity section 57, there is a
groove 68 parallel to opening 66 shaped to substantially fit the
end of tongue 58, thus limiting the forward motion of the tongue,
and positioning it precisely for latching engagement with latching
member 24.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 10, 11, 12 and 13 there are, as shown, a
plurality of fastening hooks or catches which extend from the under
surface of the cover-plate and preferably constitute an integral
part of said cover-plate. Each of these fastening hooks comprise a
somewhat flexible shank perpendicular to said cover-plate, and a
head or barb at the end of the shank which extends essentially at
right angles to the shank. FIG. 13 presents an enlarged perspective
drawing of the preferred design of an individual hook, with shank
94 and head or barb 96. Sufficient flexibility is required of the
shank, as illustrated by the dotted lines, so that when force,
having a horizontal vector in a direction opposite to that in which
the barb extends, is applied to said barb, the shank will bend
sufficiently to bring the tip of the barb directly over the base of
the shank, and when said force is removed, the barb will spring
back to substantially its original position. These hooks are
preferably positioned on the under surface of the cover-plate, so
that the substantially right angled barb of each of the hooks is
directed approximately toward another hook, either adjacent or
diametrically opposite. Preferably, they should be paired, that is
the barbs of a pair, whether adjacent or diametrically opposite
should be directed approximately toward each other. Alternately,
the barbs of the pairs may be directed away from each other, in
fact the direction of the barbs is not critical as long as they do
not all face in the same direction, linearly or circularly.
There are also a plurality of shafts or bores 70 equal in number to
the fastening hooks, perpendicular to the face of the buckle, which
begin in the recessed surface 46 of the buckle housing, and extend
perpendicularly through to an inner surface, said surface
preferably defining a section of the irregularly shaped cavity 48
of the housing 22. These bores are positioned to essentially
correspond with the position of hooks 34 of cover plate 32, when
said plate is positioned above recess 46 of housing 22, except that
in the case of each hook and its corresponding bore, the side of
the bore adjacent to the barb of the hook is aligned in touching
relationship with the shank of the hook. The bore is of sufficient
diameter to accommodate the barb of the hook, but as positioned,
the barb extends beyond the edge of the bore. The barb is so
shaped, however, that when the hook is pressed downwardly toward
the bore, the wedge shaped forward end of the barb causes the shank
to bend under stress, sufficiently to admit the barb into the
bore.
The depth of the holes, between the surface of the recess area 46,
and the surface of the cavity with which they communicate, is
shorter than the shank of the hooks by an almost imperceptible
amount (no more than a few thousands of an inch).
The attachment means or hooks 34 have limited flexibility, with the
hook ends being tapered or shaped to permit entry into the holes,
so that the cover-plate may be pressed into the recess. The hooks
are thereby caused to bend or "give" sufficiently to enter the
holes. The hooks are then under considerable side stress but as the
barb of each hook reaches the surface of the cavity to which the
opening communicates, it snaps over the edge of the surface of the
cavity, thus relieving most of the stress and permanently locking
the cover-plate in place, see FIGS. 8, 10 and 12.
Alternately, the depth of the bores may exceed the length of the
hooks, and their walls may be threaded or ribbed. With this
alternative, the bore need not enter a cavity. When the hooks are
forced into the bores, and the cover-plate is pressed into the
recess, the barbs snap from thread to thread or rib to rib until
they snap into the last one that each of the hook's full length
will permit. Other means for attaching the cover, rather than hooks
may be substituted, particularly when the holes are threaded or
ribbed. For example, projections, threaded or ribbed to fit the
corresponding bores, but longitudinally split one way or two, and
rounded or pointed so they may be pressed in and permitted to
expand to fill the threads or ribs, may be employed. The hooks,
however, are preferred since they cannot pull free and are
self-tightening.
Referring again to FIG. 13, note that the undersurface 76 of barb
96 of hook 34 is not parallel to cover-plate 32. Rather, the
undersurface 76 of the barb slants slightly away from the surface
of the cover-plate as it leaves shank 94. In other words, the
vertical distance between the barb 96 and cover-plate 32 is
somewhat less, when measured perpendicularly from the point where
the barb joins the shank to the undersurface of the cover-plate 32
(distance A), than when measured from the tip of the barb to the
undersurface of said cover-plate (distance B). This construction of
the barb is preferred, for when the length of the corresponding
bore between the surface with which it communicates is more than
the distance A, but less than distance B, and is preferred, then
when each hook is pressed into its corresponding bore, and the barb
snaps over the inner surface, it will pull the cover-plate tight
into its recess in the housing. The barb will be stopped in its
lateral motion across the inner surface when it reaches the point
where the distance between the undersurface 76 of the barb and the
surface of the cover-plate precisely equals the length of the bore
between the surfaces with which it communicates. Further, the shank
will still have residual stress, so that should there be a tendency
for any space to develop between the cover-plate and the recessed
surface against which it lies, due to expansion, contraction
vibration or rough handling, the shank of the hook would straighten
further, thus preventing any space or looseness to develop.
In our illustration (FIGS. 1, 8 and 16), when tongue 58 is in
position, the two bores nearest the point of entry straddle the
tongue, whereas the two bores to the rear may either straddle the
tongue or be positioned beyond its reach.
The assembly of the buckle is easily achieved (FIGS. 1 and 16),
since the components are essentially added to the housing serially,
and locked into place. First the biasing means, shown as a spiral
spring 26, is placed in cavity 48 of housing 22. Preferably, the
bottom wall of the buckle is recessed or otherwise designed to
prevent horizontal slippage of the biasing means. Next, the two
guide members 28 are placed, one each in the two cavities 54, with
their backs 72 adjacent and parallel to the outer wall 75 of each
cavity 54. The parallel open channels of the guide members 28 face
each other, and their outer surfaces fit snugly within parallel
sided surfaces 60 of cavity 48.
Next, the latching member 24 is placed in the cavity, essentially
centered over the biasing means 26, with cam followers 56 facing
upward, slideably positioned within guides 28, with each cam
follower extending into its corresponding cavity 54. Pressure on
the latching member 24 will now cause it to freely move downward in
a direction parallel to surfaces 60 against the action of the
biasing means, while remaining parallel to the back of the buckle
at all times.
Next, the end of the lift lever 30 having the two cams 50 is
inserted, cams down, into the opening of cover plate 32 so as to
align pivot bearings 52 with the openings in lugs 36, then these
two elements are combined into a hinged assembly by pressing the
two pins 38 into the aligned openings.
Finally, the cover-plate/lift-lever assembly of FIG. 2 is placed
over the cavity of the buckle housing which now contains the
biasing means, the latching member and the two latching member
guides. The cams 50 of the lift-lever 30 in pivotal cooperation
with lugs 36 of cover plate 32 are dropped into their respective
cavities 54 in the buckle housing. The attachment means, shown here
as hooks, four in number, attached to the under surface of the
cover plate, are then placed into their respective bores 70 and the
cover-plate/lift-lever assembly is pressed firmly against the
housing containing the remaining parts as in FIG. 8 until all the
hooks snap into place and the cover plate is flush with the
buckle's surface, thus easily and permanently locking the entire
assembly tightly together without the use of nuts, bolts, rivets or
the like.
Referring now to FIG. 16, which is an exploded view of a second
preferred embodiment wherein the mechanism is actuated by a push
button rather than a lever. Many of the numerals used in the
illustrations of the first preferred embodiment have been retained
where their action is substantially identical. As with the first
preferred embodiment, the buckle assembly comprises housing 22, a
slideably arranged latching member 24, biasing member 26 for urging
the latching member into latching engagement with tongue 58, and
guide members 28 for guiding not only the latching member 24, but
in the case of this second preferred embodiment, the manually
actuating member 100 as well.
The manually actuating member comprises push button 102, positioned
on bridge 104 which spans latching member 24 and therefore the
channel into which the tongue is inserted. As assembled, legs 106
slip down over the upward extending legs 108 of latching member 24,
and surfaces 110 bear on the surfaces 112 of the legs of the
latching member, so that pressure applied manually to push button
102 will be transmitted through surfaces 110 to the latching member
24, thus opposing the upward pressure of biasing means 26.
Guides 28 fit snugly into the pockets formed by surfaces 60 and 75
in the housing, and provide channels for the linear movement of
legs 108 of the latching member and legs 106 of the manually
operable member or push button assembly 100. It can be seen
according to the illustration of FIG. 16, that the outer surfaces
114 and the end surfaces 116 of push button assembly 100 will be in
slideable contact with the back 72 and inner side surfaces 122 of
the guide members and that the side surfaces 120 of the latching
member 24 will also be in slideable contact with the inner side
surfaces 122 of guides 28.
When the component parts are inserted into cavity 57 of housing 22
with biasing means 26 placed against the wall of the housing, with
guides 28 in their corresponding pockets 75, with latching member
24 overlaying the biasing means, with push button assembly 100
bringing the latching member 24 and with the legs of both the
latching member and the push button assembly slideably fitted in
the guide channels, the buckle is ready for the last step in its
assembly. Cover plate 32 is now fitted into recess 46 of the buckle
housing with hooks 34 substantially coinciding with bores or guide
slots 70. Push button 102 either fits up into aperture 40 of cover
plate 32 or is readily accessible through said aperture. The cover
plate is finally pressed firmly into recess 46 until hooks 34 snap
under the inner surface at the end of the bores, locking the
assembly tightly and permanently into a single unit.
In the thus assembled buckle, the biasing means presses the latch
member upwardly from the wall into the latched position and
indirectly, through contact surfaces 112 of the latching member and
110 of the push button assembly, presses push button 102 into
aperture 40 of the cover plate. The dimensions of the push button
are preferably a little less than those of the aperture 40 of the
cover plate but the surface of said push button is kept
substantially flush with the surface of the cover plate by flange
124 below the cover plate. The dimensions of this flange slightly
exceed those of the aperture. Preferably, this flange is an
integral part of the push button. Alternately, shoulder 104 of the
push button assembly or other means may be used to retain the push
button within the housing.
The legs of the push button assembly may be tapered so that
pressure manually applied unevenly to one side of the button can
cause the push button to rock toward the point of pressure without
binding and without adversely affecting its operation. This feature
of the present invention coupled with the large area of the
preferred button relative to the area of the top of the buckle
permits ready release of the tongue with only one-handed
operation.
The manually operable member or push button assembly may comprise
an assembly of components but preferably it is fabricated in one
piece and preferably of polymeric materials, reinforced nylon being
especially preferred. This construction contributes to the ease of
operation as well as to the lightness of the buckle. A smooth
action is obtained, because of the self-lubricating quality common
to certain polymeric substances and particularly to nylon.
In operation, to couple and lock the two ends of the seat belt over
the lap of the user in the case of either embodiment, tongue 58 to
which one section of seat belt is attached, is inserted and thrust
all the way into opening 66 of the seat belt buckle, to which the
other section of seat belt is attached, until it seats in groove
68. During the moment of thrust, the tapered end of tongue 58
encounters sloping latch member 64, and thereby urges the latch bar
downward toward the back of the buckle against the lesser force of
the biasing means 26. When, however, the tongue is positioned at
the end of its thrust, centrally located aperture or recess 72 is
aligned with latch member 64 which is then urged upward by the
biasing means, into said opening. Because of the slope of the
wedge-shaped latch member, it does not restrict the forward
movement of the tongue into the buckle, but since the sloping wedge
ends in an abrupt shoulder, perpendicular to the buckle and the
inserted tongue, no amount of pull on the tongue can release it,
once the latch member has snapped up into place, as shown in FIG.
5.
If, however, in the case of the first embodiment, the fingers are
placed under the raised lip 74 of the lift lever, and the lever is
lifted, cams 50 press the two cam followers 56 attached to latch 24
against the pressure of biasing means 26. Latch member 64 drops
below opening 72, and the tongue is readily removed. Although only
one latch member is shown in the illustrated embodiment, two or
more may be employed, corresponding to two or more apertures or
indentations in the tongue.
Lift lever 30 permits one hand operation of the buckle and provides
a mechanical advantage, so that the buckle may be readily unlatched
with a minimum of force, and without resort to a complicated
intermediate structure. In the case of the second embodiment,
pressure on any portion of the push button 102 is transmitted to
the latching member 24 through surfaces 110 of the former which are
in direct contact with surfaces 112 of the latching member. Release
of the tongue 58 is obtained exactly as in the case of the first
embodiment. The introduction of the tongue 58 and the latching
thereof by the latching member is also identical to the action of
the first embodiment.
In the two embodiments illustrated, the buckle and tongue are
preferably made of metal. The housing may be steel or die cast
aluminum. The latching member may be of steel or sintered iron. The
latching member guides are preferably of stainless steel to insure
smooth operation of the latch bar. It will be understood that the
guides may be made of various metals, alloys, plastics, or other
materials to facilitate the movement of the latching member. As
previously stated, in the case of the second embodiment employing a
push button, a push button assembly fabricated of polymeric
material is preferred with reinforced nylon being especially
preferred.
This invention has been described in an alternative manner. It is
to be understood that the terminology which has been used is
intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of
limitation.
Obviously, many modifications or variations of the present
invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is,
therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended
claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as
specifically described.
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