US3203065A - Seat buckle - Google Patents

Description

g- 31, 1965 D. HOPPENSTAND 3,203,065

SEAT BUCKLE Filed Sept. 12, 1963 I'll/IAVIIIAZLIEIIIIIIIII Q INVENTOR.

DAVID HOPPENSTAND BY%IOLA46 his ATTORNEY United States. Patent 3,203,065 SEAT BUCKLE David Hoppenstand, Miami Beach, Fla., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Charles E. Zimmerman, Kenmore, N.Y.

Filed Sept. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 308,478 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-230) This invention relates to a clasp or fastener for belts such as aircraft or automobile safety belts. It is more particularly concerned with a clasp that can be readily released by the person wearing the belt even under unfavorable conditions.

Safety belts have been in use for many years in aircraft and in recent years in automobiles. These belts, which are usually of a woven material, are commonly fastened together by passing one end through or into a clasp which is opened by moving a pivoted lever away from the wearer. This movement disengages the clasp from the end of the webbing which can then be drawn out. It sometimes happens that an accident to a vehicle will leave the wearer of the safety belt uninjured or relatively so, but under the necessity of getting out of his belt quickly. This is especially true where fire breaks out after a crash. If a portion of the vehicle is jammed by the crash against the belt clasp, the wearer may not be able to release it. Or if the wearer is in such a position that he cannot place his hand on the clasp, he may likewise be unable to release it. Under these conditions the conventional safety belt becomes a trap.

It is an object of my invention to provide a quick release clasp for a safety belt or the like which requires no clearance at all for its release. It is another object to provide such a clasp which can be readily released without the use of a hand. It is another object to provide such a clasp which can be released by a movement of the body. Other objects of my invention will appear in the course of the description thereof which follows.

An embodiment of my invention presently preferred by me is illustrated in the attached figures to which reference is now made.

FIGURE 1 is a plan of the ends of a seat belt connected by the clasp of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevation of the article of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a plan of the separated tongue and housing portions of my device, the housing portion being a partly broken horizontal cross section taken on plane 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is an elevation in section of the device of FIGURE 3 taken on the plane 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the housing portion of my clasp showing the opening for the tongue.

Belt end 1 is attached to a stiff fiat tongue 2 which is preferably made of metal. Belt end 3 is attached to a housing 4 which receives and engages housing 2. The unengaged end 5 of tongue 2 is provided with a transverse opening or slot 6. A flat plate 7 also provided with a transverse opening or slot 8 is positioned on end 5 and held there by pin 9 which passes through a slot 10 in tongue 2. Slot 10 is elongated lengthwise of tongue 2 so that plate 7 can slide lengthwise of tongue 2 a limited amount. Belt end 1 is looped up through slot 6 and slot 8, over one leg of plate 7 and down through slot 6 again so as to attach it to tongue 2. This way of adjustably attaching a belt to a fastening element is conventional.

Tongue 2 at its other end is formed with a central longitudinal slot 12 and a pair of holes 1313 positioned one on each side of slot 12. Holes 1313 are D shaped with their flat sides facing end 5 of tongue 2.

Housing 4 has a face or upper surface 15 and a back or lower surface 16 parallel thereto and spaced therefrom 3,203,065 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 'ice 1 by side pieces 1717. The end 18 of housing 4 which receives tongue 2 is open, as is the opposite end to which belt end 3 is attached by transverse pin 19. A ledge 18a is positioned adjacent the inside of each side piece 17 stopping short of face 15 to form a channel 20. The channels 2020 provide a guideway for tongue 2 in housing 4. A pin 21 passes through a clearance hole in the center of face 15 and carries on its outside end a button 22. The inner end of pin 21 is attached to a flat cross piece 23 having projections 2424 at each end which fit into slots 25-25 in each side piece 17. The slots 2525 are elongated crosswise of side pieces 17-17 and act as guides for projections 24--24 so as to permit cross piece 23 to move toward and away from face 15. It is not necessary that slots 2525 extend all the way through side pieces 17--17. Compression springs 2727 are positioned between cross piece 23 and back 16 of housing 4, one on each side of pin 21, and urge cross piece 23 toward face 15. Cross piece 23 is also provided with projections 2828 which project toward face 15, one on each side of pin 21. Projections 2828 are aligned with holes 13-13 in tongue 2 when tongue 2 is in the guideway formed by channels 2020. The upper surface 29 of each projection 28 is inclined toward face 15 and toward pin end 19 of housing 4 as in a conventional spring latch.

The operation of my clasp will be described with reference to the foregoing description and figures, particularly FIGURE 4. The proper length of belt is obtained by pulling end 1 through slot 6 and end 5 and over the leg of plate 7. Movement of tongue 2 to the right in the figures with respect to belt end 1 locks that end in the usual fashion. Belt ends 1 and 3 are fastened together by inserting tongue 2 into the guideway in housing 4 defined by channels 2020. The central slot 12 in the end of tongue 2 clears pin 21 and the outer ends on each side of slot 12 depress projections 2828 and cross piece 23, compressing springs 2727. When holes 13- 13 come into registration with projections 2828, the latter are urged by springs 2727 upwardly into those holes, locking the clasp.

My clasp is released by pressing button 22 toward housing 4. This pressure on pin 21 carries cross piece 23 downwardly, compressing springs 2727 and withdrawing projections 2828 carried by cross piece 23 from holes 13-13. It is not necessary that holes 1313 extend all the way through the thickness of tongue 2. The holes may be replaced by depressions in the underside of 'gcgngtg; 2 of depth suflicient to lock with projections Button 22 can be pressed by the hand of the wearer or by movement of his body against some fixed surface. My clasp can, therefore, be released under conditions which would prevent the release of a conventional safety belt fastener.

I claim:

A quick-release clasp for a belt comprising a stiff tongue and a housing into which the tongue is inserted, the housing comprising a face, a back, and parallel sides, a channel open at one end positioned intermediate the face and the back to receive the tongue, a .pin extending on both sides of the face through a clearance hole therein, a button on the outside end of the pin, a cross piece fixed to the inside end of the pin extending on opposite sides thereof parallel to the face and movable to a position below the channel, means urging the cross piece toward the face, cooperating means carried by the cross piece and the sides maintaining the cross piece parallel to the face, a projection on each side of the cross piece extending toward the face, a central slot in the tongue dimensioned to clear the pin and two depressions in its undersurface References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Purcell 24-181 Toyama 24-2301 Schwerd 24-206 Davis 24-230.1

4 2,803,864 8/57 Bishaf 24-2301 2,896,284 7/59 Bishaf 24-2301 2,954,634 10/60 Peschong 24-2301 2,995,792 8/61 Morton 24-2301 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,760 5/24 France. 218,779 7/24 Great Britain.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

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