AU2005201324A1 - Seat belt buckle guards - Google Patents

Description

26/03/2005 16:32 29/3/00 1632 -'613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 32 PAGE 03/25 o SEAT BELT BUCKLE GUARDS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The inventions described herein relate to devices for preventing Cl release of seat belt buckles by children wearing the seat belts.

BACKGROUND

The safety advantages of restraining passengers travelling in motor vehicles are nowadays well known. Seat belts have accordingly been made o compulsory. in many jurisdictions. Very small children are often Cl accommodated in small modular seats that are themselves strapped to o vehicle seats, and that themselves are fitted with belt restraints.

0 Restraining small children presents a particular safety problem. This is that they may play with buckles of their seat belts and release them, while the vehicle is in motion and Possibly without their carers' knowledge. Various different devices have been proposed to prevent release of seat belt buckles by small children. All have various difficulties. Some are complex and/or comparatively expensive. Some require the use of a tool for releasing a buckle, such as a key or coin. Some cannot be kept captive on a seat belt or buckle and so tend to be lost. The present invention provides devices for preventing release of buckles by small children that are simple and inexpensive, require no separate tool for use and can be captively held on a buckle body.

Belt-type restraints provided on the small modular seats used for very small children often depart from the lap and lap-sash belt designs used by adults and older children. Instead they often use a pair of shoulder straps and a strap that is passed between the child's legs and that is connected to the shoulder sfraps by a special three-way buckle. The invention provides in particular a device for preventing a child from releasing such a buckle. The device is simple, inexpensive and requires no separate tool to operate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS According to the invention there is provided a seat belt buckle guard for preventing a child from releasing a seat belt buckle the guard comprising a COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 26/3/0051632 +613-9699-99%G D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 42 PAGE 04/25 2 o buckle body cover that is securable around at least a portion of a buckle body of a buckle assembly, wherein: Ct the buckle body cover when secured around the said portion of the buckle body covers a buckle release button of the buckle body; the buckle body cover includes a finger channel having an opening adapted for the insertion of a finger whereby to access and operate the release button; and the finger channel is located sized and proportioned so that an adult's finger can reach and release the release button and a child's finger cannot reach and 'release the release button.

tfl This form of buckle guard has the advantage that no separate "tool", o such as a key, is needed to release the buckle.

Preferably, the finger channel is an elongate tubular formation secured to or Integrally formed on the buckle body cover.

Preferably the buckle guard indiudes co-operating parts that when closed around the buckle body and secured to each other define the buckle body cover. These parts may be separate parts.

In one form of the invention, the buckle body cover in use covers a part only of the buckle body leaving uncovered a part of the buckle body into which a male part of the buckle is receivable. In particular, the buckle body cover may be shaped to in use permit two male parts of the buckle to be received in the buckle body. Thus, the problem of protecting a buckle assembly of the type that connects two shoulder straps and a between-legs strap, as used in many child vehicle seat modules, is solved.

For convenience and to aoid l oss, it is preferred that the buckle body cover when secured around the buckle body is captive on the buckle body.

The buckle body cover may include a formation that when the cover is secured around the buckle body extends at least partway into a belt loop part of the buckle body whereby the buckle body cover is captively held on the buckle body.

The said formation may extend through the belt loop part and be restrained from movement relative to the buckle body cover on each side of the belt loop part.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01 179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 25/03/2005 16:32 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 05/25 3 o Preferably, the said formation is integrally formed with a part of the Cbuckle body cover. For example, that part (or each part) of the buckle body Scover may be an injection moulding in plastics, although the use of other Smaterials and manufacturing methods is not precluded.

NO 5 The finger channel may be elongate in a direction that is at least approximately parallel to an allowed direction of movement of the release button.

Conveniently, movement of the co-operating parts relative to each c other for engagement with each other may be in a direction approximately perpendicular to a plane in which belts connected by the buckle assembly lie t when tensioned against each other.

SA tongue on a said co-operating part of the buckle body cover may have at least one formation that when said tongue is moved into engagement with another said co-operating part engages with a co-operating formation of said other co-operating part to resist disengagement of the said co-operating parts. The said co-operating formations may be for example sawtooth-section teeth. Preferably, the said co-operating part and the said other co-operating part are snap-fittingly engageable with each other.

Instead of completely separate or separable parts, the co-operating parts of the buckle body may be hingeably connected to each other.

In another form of the invention, of the co-operating parts a first one substantially encloses a part of the buckle body that includes an opening for movement of a male part of the buckle assembly in a specified direction and a second one when secured to the first one prevents movement of the buckle body out of the first one in a direction opposite to the specified direction, The said first and second co-operating parts may in this form also be snap fittingly engageable with each other.

A tongue may be provided on one the first and second parts having a sawtooth serration that engages with a co-operating serration on the other of the first and second parts whereby to secure the said parts together.

In a preferred embodiment, the first co-operating part has the form of a box with an open end with the finger channel intersection said box, and wherein the second co-operating part partially closes the said open end of the first part.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 26/3/0051632 +613-9699-9986 D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 62 PAGE OG/25 4 Preferably, the said first. and second co-operating parts when engaged Cl with each other define an opening through which a seat belt part attached to ct the buckle body enters the buckle body cover, and wherein the first and second parts are separable without the need to separate the said belt part from the buckle body.

Cl It is to be explicitly understood that not all the concepts described herein and believed to be inventive are set out above. Others are set out in Cl the following detailed description.

Cfl In order that the inventive concepts may be better understood there will now be described, non-limitingly, certain preferred embodiments as shown in the attached Figures. Each is considered an invention in its own right.

o BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS Cl Figure 1 is a. perspective view of a child seat of kncown type for use in vehicles; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a seat belt buckle guard according to the invention, fitted to a buckle assembly; Figure 3 is a further perspective view of the buckle guard and buckle assembly shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a first component of the buckle guard shown in Figure 2; is a side view of the component shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second component of the buckle guard shown in Figure 2; Figure 7 is a section through the buckle guard and buckle assembly shown in Figure 2, the section being taken at station "AK' of that Figure; Figure 8a is a perspective view of a prior art vehicle seat and seat belt arrangement; Figure 8b is a perspective view of a first seat belt buckle; Figure Sc Is a perspectilve view of a second seat belt buckle; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a seat belt buckle guard according to the invention; Figure 10 is an end view of the buckle guard shown in Figure 9; Figure 11 is a side view of the buckle guard shown in Figure 9; Figure 12 is a bottom view of the buckle guard shown in Figure 9; COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by P1 Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 25/3/205 6:3 ±213-9699-9996 D SHANKS 43309PAG /2 PAGE 07/25 Figure 13 is a perspective exploded view of the buckle guard shown in Cl Figure 9 and a buckle assembly, a component of the buckle guard being ct shown partly in phantom lines.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Figure 1 shows a modular child seat 1 fitted with a safety belt harness Cl 2. Child seat 1 is designed to be strapped in position on an ordinary vehicle seat (not shown) and to be used for children of ages less than four years.

Cl Harness 2 has belts 3 and 4 that pass over the child's shoulders, a belt 5 that passes between the child's legs, and a buckle assembly 6 that connects belts 3, 4 and 5. Although it provides effective restraint for a child, harness 2 has V) the problem that the buckle assembly 6 is in use easy for a child wearing the o harness to reach with the possibility of releasing buckle assembly 6.

Cl A buckle guard 10, shown in Figures 2 to 7, accords with the present invention and is intended to ensure that only an adult or older child can release buckle assembly 6.

Buckle guard 10 is shown in position for use on buckle assembly 6 in Figures 2, 3 and 7. Buckle assembly 6 has a body 11 with a formation 12 being integral with body 11 and defining a slot shaped opening 13. A closed loop 14 formed in an end of belt 5 (shown in phantom lines in Figure 3) passes through opening 13 so that belt 5 is secured to body 11. Buckle assembly 6 also includes two male members 15 and 16 that have tongues (not shown) that in use are received within openings (not shown) in body 11 and held theme until a release button 17 on body 11 is pressed. By an internal mechanism not shown but known in the seat belt buckle art, male members 15 and 16 can then be withdrawn from body 11, releasing harness 2.

Buckle guard 10 has two components 20 and 21, each formed by injection moulding in a suitable plastics material. (However, the possible use of other suitable materials or manufacturing methods is not intended to be precluded by this statement).

Component 20 is a guard body and component 21 is a retainer.

Retainer 21 is secured to guard body 20 as follows. Retainer 21 has two upstanding tongues 22 each with sawtooth-section serrations 23 on one face 24 that in the assembled guard 10 faces inwardly. Guard body 20 has two faces 25 with sawtooth-section serrations 26 on each. When guard body COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 25/3/0051632 +13-9599-9906 D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 82 PAGE ee/25 6 o and retainer 21 are assembled to each other as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 7, Cl by being simply pushed into engagement with each other, serrations 26 and Ct 23 interact with each other to hold guard body 20 and retainer 21 in engagement with each other. To release guard body 20 from retainer 21 it is INO 5 thereafter necessary to bend tongues 22 enough to release each pair of Cl serrations 23 and 26 from each other. This is difficult for a small child to do.

In preparation for their use, guard body 20 and retainer 21 are offered Cl up to each other from opposite sides of buckle body 11, Assembled together in this way, guard body 20 and retainer 21 define a cover assembly 27 that covers a part only of buckle body 11 and conforms closely with the shape of V) that part of body 11. That part of buckle body 11 into which male members o and 16 are receivable protrudes from an opening 28 of cover assembly 27.

Cl A tab 29 forms an integral part of guard body 20 arid in cover assembly 27 a free end 30 of tab 29 is received in a recess 31 in retainer 21. Two openings 32 in cover assembly 27 are separated by tab 29 and defined by guard body 20 and retainer 21. When assembly 27 is placed on buckle body 11 as described above, tab 29 is passed through the opening 13 and its free end 30 is received in recess 31 and thereby prevented from movement. The effect of tab 29 passing through opening 13 and being received in recess 31 is that cover assembly 27 is then captively held on buckle body 11. Tab 29 is sufficiently thin to be able to pass through opening 13 despite the presence there of loop 14 of belt Integrally formed as part of guard body 20 is a frusto-conically shaped tubular formation 40 with an opening 41 at its free end 57. The tubular formation 40 is positioned directly over, and gives access to, buckle release button 17 and is of such length and internal diameter that an adult can extend a linger through opening 41 to reach and operate release button 17, but a child cannot. By virtue of being close-fitting around buckle body 11, cover assembly 27 prevents access to button 17 other than through opening 41.

Afurther inventive buckle guard 70 will now be described. Figure Ba shows a conventional lap-sash seat belt arrangement 71 with a buckle 72, on a vehicle seat 73. Two possible forms of buckle 72 are shown in Figures 8b and 8c. Buckle 72 has a male part 77 and a buckle body 74 with a release button 75 that is operated by pushing in the direction of arrow 76. The other COMS IDNo: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 29/3/0051632 +613-9699-9826 D SHANKS ASSOCS PG 92 PAGE 09/25 7 buckle, (labelled 72a) has a male part 77a and a buckle body 74a with a release button 75a that is operated by pushing in a different direction, as Ct shown by arrow 76a. Although the following description of buckle guard 70 is based on the use of buckle 72, it is to be understood that the principle of INO 5 buckle guard 70 is also adaptable to a buckle such as buckle 72a.

Buckle guard 70 has two padts, namely a guard body 78 and a retainer 79. Guard body 78 has a box-like form with a tubular formation 80 extending from one end. Body 78 is open-ended and so shaped and sized that a portion of buckle body 74 can be passed into the interior of body 78 and be snugly surrounded by body 78. A slot 82 is so positioned on body 78 that when buckle body 74 is positioned in body 78, the male part 77 of buckle 72 can be o passed through slot 82 and be received in buckle body 74. In known manner, Cl male part 77 is locked within buckle body 74 until release button 75 is pressed. When male part 77 is thus received In buckle body 74, guard body 78 is held captive between male padt 77 and body 78.

Tubular formation 80 has an opening 83 at its free end 84 and its interior communicates with the interior of the box-like part of guard body 78.

Formation 80 is shaped sized and oriented such that when male part 77 is locked in buckle body 74, an adult can extend a finger through opening 83 to reach and operate release button 75, but such that a child cannot do so. In this way, a child is prevented from releasing buckle 72.

As can best be seen in Figure 13, retainer 79 is provided to ensure that buckle guard 70 remains captive on buckle body 74 even when male part 77 has been removed therefrom. In this way, buckle guard 70 is unlikely to be lost, remaining ready for use on buckle body 74 at all times when not actually in use.

Retainer 79 has two parallel tongues 85 with outwardly-facing sawtooth-section serrations 86 thereon. Guard body 78 has two tongues 87, each with inwardly-facing sawtooth-section serrations (not shown) thereon.

Tongues 87 are defined between slots 88 on side walls 89 of guard body 78.

Retainer 79 can be moved into engagement with guard body 78 with tongues passing between tongues 87 and serrations 86 co-operating with the cooperating serrations on tongues 87 to prevent withdrawal of tongues 85 from between tongues 87. When retainer 79 is pushed far enough into body 78, a COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 26/3/80 1632 -'613-699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOGS PG 02 PAGE 10/25 8 shoulder 91 on retainer 79 abuts an end face 92 of body 78. Once retainer 79 Cl is secured to guard body 78 in this way, it can be removed if necessary by Ct flexing tongues 87 so that serrations 90 lose contact with serrations 86, permitting pulling out of retainer 79. However unless this is done, buckle body 74 is secured within body 78 by retainer 79, so that buckle guard 70 is captive Cl on buckle body 74.

Buckle body 74 of course has a belt 99 extending from it, belt 99 Cl normally being permanently secured to buckle body 74. It is very desirable Mf (and safer) for buckle guard 70 to be able to be placed in position on buckle body 74 without the need to separate belt 99 from buckle body 74. Buckle guard 70 allows for this. Retainer 79 has a base wall 93, side walls 94 extending from and perpendicular to base wall 93, top walls 95 extending inwardly towards each other from respective side walls 94,' and an end wall 96 secured to walls 93, 94 and 95. When retainer 79 is engaged with body 78, end wall 96 prevents buckle body 74 from leaving body 78. End wall 96 is Ushaped with the space 97 inside the and gap 98 between top walls being contiguous, so that when body 78 and retainer 79 are placed in engagement belt 99 passes through gap 98 and lies within space 97. Thus there is no need to separate buckle body 74 from belt 99.

Variations may be made to the buckle guards of the invention without exceeding the scope of the invention. For example, modified forms of components 20 and 21 of buckle guard 10, and of components 78 and 79 of buckle guard 70 could be secured together by suitable fasteners such as screws (not shown) instead of serrated tongues- Wherein this specification the word "comprising" is used in relation to elements, integers or i tems, the intent is not to preclude the possible presence of other elements, integers or items.

COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26

Claims (12)

1. 2. A buckle guard according to claim 1 wherein the finger channel is an elongate tubular formation secured to or integrally formed on the buckle body cover.
2. 3. A buckle guard according to claim 1 or 2 and including co-operating parts that when closed around the buckle body and secured to each other define the buckle body cover.
3. 4. A buckle guard according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the buckle body cover in use covers a part only of the buckle body leaving uncovered a part of the buckle body into which a male part of the buckle is receivable. A buckle guard according to claim 4 wherein the buckle body cover is shaped to in use permit two male parts of the buckle to be received in the buckle body. COMS ID No: SBMI-Q1 179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 12/25 0 0 c- 6. A buckle guard according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the buckle body cover when secured around the buckle body is captive on Sthe buckle body. l 7 A buckle guard according to claim 6 wherein the buckle body cover includes a formation that when the cover is secured around the buckle body extends at least partway into a belt loop part of the buckle body Cf whereby the buckle body cover is captively held on the buckle body. S8 A buckle guard according to claim 7 wherein the said formation Sextends through the belt loop part and is restrained from movement relative to the buckle body cover on each side of the belt loop part.
4. 9. A buckle guard according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the said formation is integrally formed with a part of the buckle body cover. A buckle guard according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the finger channel is elongate in a direction that is at least approximately parallel to an allowed direction of movement of the release button.
5. 11. A buckle guard according to claim 3 wherein movement of the co- operating parts relative to each other for engagement with each other is in a direction approximately perpendicular to a plane in which belts connected by the buckle assembly lie when tensioned against each other.
6. 12. A buckle guard according to claim 3 wherein a tongue on a said co- operating part of the buckle body cover has a formation that when said tongue is moved into engagement with another said co-operating part engages with a co-operating formation of said other co-operating part to resist disengagement of the said co-operating parts. COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 13/25 11 o 13. A buckle guard according to claim 12 wherein the said co-operating Cl formations are sawtooth-section teeth.
7. 14. A buckle guard according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the said co- IND 5 operating part and the said other co-operating part are snap-fittingly engageable with each other. Cl 15. A buckle guard according to claim 3 wherein the co-operating parts of Cfl the buckle body are hingeably connected to each other, o t 16. A buckle guard according to claim 3 wherein of the co-operating parts Sa first one substantially encloses a part of the buckle body that LC' includes an opening for movement of a male part of the buckle assembly in a specified direction and a second one when secured to the first one prevents movement of the buckle body out of the first one in a direction opposite to the specified direction.
8. 17. A buckle guard according to claim 16 wherein the said first and second co-operating parts are snap fittingly engageable with each other.
9. 18. A buckle guard according to claim 17 wherein a tongue on one the first and second parts has a sawtooth serration that engages with a co- operating serration on the other of the first and second parts whereby to secure the said parts together.
10. 19. A buckle guard according to claim 16 wherein the first co-operating part has the form of a box with an open end with the finger channel intersection said box, and wherein the second co-operating part partially closes the said open end of the first part. A buckle guard according to claim 19 wherein the said first and second co-operating parts when engaged with each other define an opening through which a seat belt part attached to the buckle body enters the buckle body cover, and wherein the first and second parts are COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26 26/03/2005 16:32 +613-9699-9886 D SHANKS ASSOCS PAGE 14/25 12 o separable without the need to separate the said belt part from the l buckle body.
11. 21. A buckle guard substantially as described herein by reference to 0 5 attached Figures 2 to 7.
12. 22. A buckle guard substantially as described herein by reference to attached Figures 9 to 13. COMS ID No: SBMI-01179031 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:37 Date 2005-03-26