I BUCKLE GUARD FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to guards for seat belt buckles. More particularly the 5 invention is directed to buckle guards capable of inhibiting the accidental or deliberate unbuckling of a seat belt by a child (or an adult of diminished responsibility) while remaining simple for a supervising adult to release the seat belt. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 10 Seat belts (also known safety belts), have been standard equipment on automobiles for more than a generation. Seat belts are also commonly found in aircraft, buses, boats, amusement rides and the like. Typically, seat belts are fastened and unfastened using a buckle mechanism comprising a first male part which releasably engages with a second female part. Fastening normally occurs automatically when the male component is inserted 15 into the female component, however an active step is required to release the buckle. Release of the seat belt is normally achieved by the user depressing a button on the female component of the seat belt buckle leading to disengagement of the male component. In many countries, seat belts must be worn by every driver and passenger of a vehicle by 20 law, regardless of age. Where the passenger is very young, a special safety seat or capsule may be installed in the vehicle which is in turn secured by the vehicle's seat belt. The rationale for such laws has been repeatedly proven by statistics. It is beyond any doubt that the introduction of safety belts in automobiles and other forms of transport has lead to significant reductions in morbidity and mortality across the globe. However, safety belts are 25 only effective at preventing injury and death so long as they remain fastened. . When travelling, the attentions of many children are drawn to the eye-catching buckle engaged around their waists, or around the safety seats in which they ride. For many safety seat designs, the belt buckle release mechanism is within easy reach of the child and is often 30 of a bright colour. So often, a child's hands naturally rest on or about the safety belt buckle assembly. Such hands will quickly learn how to disengage a seat belt buckle without ever once witnessing another perform the same task.
L Although children as old as one or two have sufficient strength and dexterity to operate the release mechanisms of most safety belts, they are not old enough to appreciate the 35 importance of remaining fastened at all times. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death and crippling injury for young children in many first world countries. For example, in the United States as many as 700 children under five years of age die each year from injuries sustained as motor vehicle passengers. Adults cannot always maintain constant supervision over their young passengers to assure that they remained fastened in 40 appropriate safety restraints. To do so would be a greater distraction to drivers causing even more accidents, injuries and deaths. Hence, there exists a clear need for preventing babies, toddlers and other young children from unfastening or unbuckling themselves from such safety devices. 45 Seat belt disengagement is also a problem with persons of diminished responsibility such as some elderly persons and the mentally incapacitated. Accidental seat belt unfastening by adults, siblings, pets and knocking by inanimate objects is a further problem. Seat belt release buttons are fairly large and it is not uncommon for 50 movement by persons, animals or objects within the cabin of a vehicle to result in the accidental disengagement of the buckle. The prior art discloses a number of devices capable of inhibiting a child from unbuckling a safety belt, with examples being Australian Patent Application No. 199712380 (to SHAW and 55 GRECH), United States Patent Application No 2006/0096069 (to HOFFMAN), and also United States Patent Nos 5442840 (to EWALD), 6769157 (to MEAL), 5307544 (to QUARBERG), 6041480 (to WHITE), and 4731912 (to BORISKIE and EMMER). All have problems, with an important one being that they are difficult or require considerable dexterity to operate. This can cause significant difficulty for persons assisting a child to exit from a vehicle, and 60 even more seriously can inhibit the rapid release of a child after an accident. For example, the cover disclosed in Australian Patent Application No. 199712380 relies on the release of a very small clip to expose the seat belt release button. Release of the clip requires pressure to be applied by the fingers on two members. While this arrangement makes it difficult for a child to release the seat belt, it is also overly difficult to release by a parent. Such difficulty 65 would be compounded where the user has an infirmity of the hand such as arthritis or Parkinson's disease. Another problem is exemplified by the device disclosed in United States Patent Application 2006/009609 which relies on a curved guard disposed over the buckle release mechanism, 70 this being adapted to allow insertion of a finger to facilitate the release. While this is simply to use, there is very little stopping a child from operating the release. Another problem is that many guards of the prior art are only useful for certain types of seat belt buckles. For example, the device described in United States Patent No. 5442840 relies 75 on the frictional fitting of a resilient material over a release button on the broad face of the female part of a seat belt buckle. However, it will be clear that this device is not useful where the release button is located on a different part of the female part such as on the face directed toward the male part of the buckle. 80 The problem of broad applicability is lessened with the device disclosed in United States Patent No 6769157, however this device would be difficult and time consuming to release given the necessity to continuously feed the seat belt webbing into the device in order to expose the release button. 85 Accessibility to adults is also a problem with the device of United States Patent No 5307544 which requires the user to insert a flat object (such as a key) through an aperture in the device in order to depress the release button of the buckle. A child with an ice cream stick could easily activate the release mechanism. Another device disclosed in this patent document incorporates a mechanism similar to that on child-proof medicine bottles in order 90 to open an aperture thereby exposing the release button. Many parents understand that these mechanisms can be difficult for adults to open, and even more difficult for the elderly. Many buckle guard devices of the prior art are of a complex design, and are therefore expensive to construct and often prone to failure. Examples are the bipartite device shown 95 in United States Patent Nos. 6040480 and 4731912 both having a hinged cover that can pivot to expose the release button on the female portion of the buckle. While undoubtedly 4 providing a greater level of security than that afforded by the device of United States Patent Application No 2006/009609, these devices would be expensive and prone to failure in the hinges. 100 Problems inherent in other devices of the prior art include (but are not limited to) general unwieldiness, inconvenience of use, aesthetically unpleasing, cumbersome, excessive size, or that they require special dispensation from an authority for use. 105 It is an aspect of the present invention to overcome or alleviate a problem of the prior art, or to provide an alternative buckle guard to those known at the filing date of this application. The discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this 110 specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any or all of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application. 115 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is predicated at least in part on the finding that a child's access to a release button of a seat belt buckle may be inhibited by the placing of a flexible guard over the buckle release button. Accordingly, in a first aspect the present invention provides a buckle guard comprising (i) a first substantially planar member having a size and/or shape 120 allowing it to be disposed between the male and female components of a seat belt buckle when engaged, and also to cover the release button of the seat belt buckle the guard, and (ii) a second planar member extending substantially perpendicularly from the first planar substantially member, an elongate aperture in the member capable of receiving the tongue portion of the male component of the buckle, and (iii) an elongate aperture in the first 125 substantially planar member capable of receiving the tongue portion of the male component of the buckle. In use, the first planar member is positioned over or on the release button of the seat belt buckle, the second planar member extends along the broad face of the female component of the buckle, the broad face being adjacent to the release button. The second planar member typically faces outwards (i.e. away from the seat) and is 130 typically on the side of the buckle from where a child will attempt to access the release button. A function of this second member is to provide further security. The second member may also assist in locating the guard about the female component of the buckle. By placing the second member flush against the broad face of the female 135 component, the first member properly locates over or on the release button. The present invention is particularly applicable to seat belt buckles of the type having a release button at the distal face of the female component of the buckle, i.e. the face abutting the male component of the buckle when fastened (this type of buckle is used in 140 more modern vehicles and is distinct from those having the release button on the broad, outer face of the female component). When used in these more modern type of buckle, the member is disposed between the engaged male and female components such that it naturally covers the release button. 145 The elongate aperture is positioned within the substantially planar member so as to allow for effective coverage of the release button by the member when the tongue portion is inserted and the buckle engaged. Thus, when the buckle is engaged the member is sandwiched between the male and female components thereby preventing excessive movement of the member. The buckle guard is therefore retained sufficiently proximal to 150 the release button to prevent a child from inserting a finger between the member and the button surface. The present buckle guard is of significantly greater simplicity than the buckle guards of the prior art that rely on various means such as the complete encasing of the entire female part 155 of the buckle, hinged covers over the release button, the strapping of shields over the release button etc. Furthermore, prior art devices are typically composed of rigid materials Furthermore, the present buckle guard does not rely on being closely engaged with the male or female component in some embodiments meaning that it may be used for virtually 160 any type of buckle.
b Advantageously, the buckle guard of the present invention may be simply constructed, and is preferably of a unitary construction. In certain embodiments the buckle guard is devoid of a hinge, a lid, a fastening device, a clip, a lock, a key, means for frictional engagement to 165 set belt webbing, a belt, a strap, or a fabric. BRIEF DECSCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred from of the invention will be described in reference to the accompanying 170 drawings, and wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a buckle guard of the present invention having a first and second substantially planar member, and an elongate aperture. 175 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT. In a preferred embodiment, the buckle guard comprises a first main member 2 having an elongate aperture 4 for accepting the tongue portion of the male component of the buckle (not shown). This embodiment of the buckle guard further comprises a second member 8 180 this third member assisting in correctly locating the buckle guard over the release button (not shown) and also correctly locating the elongate aperture 4 over the portion of the female component of the buckle that accepts the male component. The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other 185 embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents.