Patent · US Expired

Safety belt buckle

US4876772A · kind A · utility

25Cited by
31References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 25, 1988
Grant dateOct 31, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 25, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T24/45675
  • WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

Abstract

A seat belt buckle has a plastic outer body of a color and style suitable for the intended environment, with a formed steel inner frame having horizontally-spaced upturned sides having two parallel pairs of inturned flanges serving as crush inhibitors, release slide guides, and tongue receiver guides. An upturned frame front flange cooperates with the sides and flanges as a wrack resistor and tongue retainer. The body front has a trough-shaped entrance to admit a latchable tongue, one margin of the entrance being provided by the sloped front of an end-release operating slide. A removable slide front button is curved to assist finding for release. A pivoting latching pawl is spring-urged into latching position, and released by a cam on the slide, with a shallow ramp for ease of intentional release. A tongue ejector holds the pawl in unlatched position when the tongue is out of the buckle.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.