Patent · US Expired

Safety belt buckle

US4942649A · kind A · utility

29Cited by
30References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 30, 1989
Grant dateJul 24, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 30, 2009

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 in-turned 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 member with a latching pawl thereon is spring-urged into position latching the pawl with the tongue, 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. Ribs on sides of the release slide and on the latching member inhibit dirt fouling.

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