US3118208A

US3118208A - Buckle for safety belts

Info

Publication number: US3118208A
Application number: US190056A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wexler Sol
Original assignee: C AND W Manufacturing CORP
Current assignee: C AND W Manufacturing CORP
Priority date: 1962-04-25
Filing date: 1962-04-25
Publication date: 1964-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 1981-01-21

Description

Jan. 21, 1964 s. wExLER BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1962 INVENTOR.

ATTO/@N57 Jan. 21, 1964 s. wExLER 3,118,208

BUCKLE FOR SAFETY BELTS Filed April 25, 1962 2 sheets-sheet 2 d nar.

Uf f INVENTOR.

SOL WEXLER United States Patent Office ll Patented Jan. 21, 1964 York Filed Apr. 25, 1952, Ser. No. 190,056 2 Claims. (Cl. 24-230) This invention relates generally to safety belts and more particularly to a buckle construction for safety belts.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a buckle construction that is relatively free from the possibility of accidental or inertia-operated unlocking.

Another object of the invention is to provide a buckle construction wherein the release lever does not function to maintain the two buckle components in engagement.

Still another obj'ect of the invention is to provide a buckle construction wherein the cam members function to hold the two buckle components together.

specific object of the invention is to provide a single spring construction for biasing the cam members to a position holding the buckle components in engagement.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

ln the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. l is a top plan view of a buckle construction embodying my invention shown disassembled.

FIG. 2 is a part elevational and part sectional view through the longitudinal center of the buckle construction in assembled condition.

FG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but with the release lever moved to release position and the buckle components partially disengaged.

FlG. 5 is a perspective view of the cam assembly.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

lTlG. 7 is a perspective view of the biasing means for the cam assembly.

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of one of the buckle components forming part of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, a buckle construction embodying my invention is shown in FlG. 2 and desi gnated generally by the reference numeral lil. The buckle construction lil comprises broadly a buckle component or coupling member l2 and a buckle component or coupling member i4 for fastening the ends i6 and i5 of a belt 29 to each other.

The buckle component i4 is a flat metal rectangular plate 22 formed along one long edge with an elongated closed slot 24 for receiving the looped end 18 of the belt 2rd. Apair of spaced

openings

26, 26 is formed along the other long edge of the plate to receive parts of the buckle component 12.

With particular reference to FiGS. 2 and 3, the buckle component l2 comprises a frame including a flat rectangular metal base 28 and parallel opstanding side flanges Eil, 3i?. The base 23 is provided with upwardly bulged

portions

32, 32 adapted to fit in

openings

26, 26 of buckle component i4. The positioninf7 of the

openings

26, 26 in the component i4 and the formed

portions

32, 32 on component l2 may be reversed if desired. The surfaces 34, 34- cf the

bulging portions

32, 32 are slanted with respect to a normal to the base 28 at an angle of twenty to twenty-live degrees, if the members are to be left in their original condition established by the forming dies.

The

openings

26, 26 in the buckle component Vi4 are beveled from both sides along the

edges

36, 36 so that these surfaces will conform to the

surfaces

34, 34 regardless of the orientation in which the component i4 is shoved into enga-gement with the component l2.

The flanges Sil, Si? provide for the mounting of a cylindrical shaft 38, the hexagonal head 49 of the shaft at one end being received in the similarly-shaped opening in the adjacent flange 33 to assure nonrotative positioning of the shaft with respect to the frame of the buckle. The shaft is formed with an elongated closed slot 42.

A pair of

camming levers

44, 44 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 33 at its ends, the shaft passing loosely through holes 45, 4S in the levers. The shape and dimensions of the camming levers are selected so that a small amount of clearance is provided for the belt buckle component 14 when itis inserted in the fully engaged positions shown in FIG. 2. The purpose of the camming levers y44, `44 is to maintain the

bulging portions

32, 32 of component d2 in locking position in the

openings

26, 26 in component i4.

ylt will be noted from FIG. 3, that the

flanges

30, 30 of the frame, the camming levers 44, 44 and the bulging

portions

32, 32 of component l2 are positioned in such a manner that the camming levers 44, 44 are as close as possible to the flanges Btl, 3d and the bulging

portions

32, 32 are as close as practical to the

camming levers

44, 44, respectively.

T he buckle `component l2 includes a release lever designated generally at 4E. e release lever consists of a compound curved metal rectangular plate 5G formed with inwardly extending

flanges

52, 52 along its lon-g edges, the flanges at one end terminating in inwardly extending perforated ears 5 4, E4 forming bearings for bushings 55 through which the ends of shaft 38 pass to the flanges 3G, Sil. The other end of the plate Sil is turned outwardly abruptly forming a handle 56 for manipulating the lever. lhe short edge 7@ of the lever at the end bearing the

ears

54, 54 presses against the adjacent long edges of the

camming levers

44, 44. Metal washers oil, d@ are mounted on the shaft 38 between the camming levers and the perforated

ears

54, 54.

The present invention contemplates a single elongated torsion spring device 62 for biasing the

camming levers

44, 44 with respect to the release lever 48 and shaft 3S. The spring construction 62 includes a pair of coiled

spring portions

64, 64 connected by a length of wire 66. The spring device 62 is sleeved around the shaft 38 with its

end portions

64, 64 adjacent the

camming levers

44, 44 and with its connecting Wire 66 inserted through the slot 42 of the shaft and extending along the interior of the shaft. The ends 68 of the spring device are offset from the outermost convolution and are hooked around the

camming levers

44, 44 adjacent the outer ends therof. The net result of this arrangement of the spring device is that the spring device is held in a relationship which is xed with respect to the shaft and to the frame of the buckle as a result of the nonrotative mounting of the shaft 33. lThe camming levers 44, 44 are biased in such a direction that said levers engage the edge itl of the release lever 4S and urge the lever toward closed position.

Referring to IFIG. 4, the release of the buckle involves the movement of the lever 48 in a clockwise direction to the point that the

camming levers

44, 44 are driven in a similar direction a sutlicient distance to permit the coupling member 14 to rise over the bulging

portions

32, 32 and thereby be free to be Withdrawn. The reengagement of the coupling members takes place as shown in lFlG. 2. As the coupling member 14 is pushed to the left, the camming levers 44, 44 are rotated by the force applied by the end of the coupling member 14. The movement of the camming levers a suflicient distance to permit the inser- 3 tion of the buckle component 1.4 taires place without any corresponding movement of the release lever 4S, and the engagement is opposed only by the spring 62.

A knurled pin 76 is slidably mounted in a cutout portion 7S formed in the base 23 and is adapted to receive the end of the belt 20 therearound. When the release lever 43 is in uppermost moved position the belt may be moved with respect to the pin for adjusting the effective length of the belt. When the lever 4S is returned to normal position, the lever clamps the belt between the pin and the edge of the cutout portion.

While l have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to -be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modiiications may be made Within the scope of the invention as deiined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1. A safety belt :buckle comprising a first coupling member, said iirst couplinfr member being in the form of a diat plate and having belt-engaging means and a pair of spaced slots; and a second coupling member, said second coupiing member including a frame having a substantially flat base portion and bulging portions projecting from said base portion and adapted to engage said slots, said frame also including opposite parallel flanges disposed on the same side of said base portion as said bulging portions, a cylindrical shaft extending between said flanges and nonrotatively mounted therein, said shaft having an elongated slot therein, camming levers rotatably -mounted on the ends of said shaft between said iianges, a release lever rotatably mounted on said shaft and having a driving edge disposed to engage and induce rotation of said camming levers on manual rotation of said release lever from a position adjacent said base portion toward a position perpendicular thereto, and common means for biasing said release lever toward a position against said base portion and for urging said camming levers against the driving edge of said release lever, said camming levers being positioned to maintain the engagement of said rst coupling member with said bulging portions with said release lever adjacent said base portion and provide clearance for the escape of said iirst coupling member from said bulging portions on manual rotation of said release lever to a position approaching perpendicularity to said -base portion, said second coupling member mso having a belt-receiving portion, said common biasing means comprising an elongated spring device having coiled end formations around the ends of the shaft with the extremities of the formations hooked around the cam-ming levers, the midportion of the spring device being secured in the slot in the shaft.

2. A safety belt buckle comprising a yfirst coupling member, said first coupling member being in the form of a flat plate and having belt-engaging means and a pair of spaced slots; and a second coupling member, said second coupling member including a 'frame having a substantially iiat base portion and bulging portions projecting from said base portion and adapted to engage said slots, said frame also including opposite parallel iianges disposed on the same side of said base portion as said bulging portions, a cylindricai shaft extending between said flanges and nonrotatively mounted therein, said shaft hraving an elongated slot therein, camming levers rotatably mounted on the ends of said shaft between said flanges, a release lever rotatably mounted on said shaft and having a driving edge dispose to engage and induce rotation of said camming levers on manual rotation of said release lever from a position adjacent said base portion toward a position perpendicular thereto, and common means for biasing said release lever toward a position against said base portion and for urging said camming levers against the driving edge of said release lever, said cam-ming levers being positioned to maintain the engagement of said first coupling member with said bulging portions with said release lever adjacent said base portion and provide clearance for the escape of said iirst coupling member from said bulging portions on manual rotation of said release lever t-o a position approaching perpendieularity to said base portion, said second coupling member also having a belt-receiving portion, said common `biasing means comprising an elongated spring device having coiled end formations around the ends of the shaft with the extremities of the formations hooked around the camming levers, the other transverse edge of the release lever being bent outwardly forming a handle for manipulation of the release lever, and Washers interposed between the sides of the release lever and the camming levers, the midportion of the spring device being secured in the slot in the shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,590,297 Curtis Mar. 25, 1952 2,816,33 Prete Dec. 17, 1957 2,904,866 Carter Sept. 22, 1959 2,965,942 Carter Dec. 27, 1960 3,029,487 Asai Apr. 17, 1962 3,068,784 McDuiiie Dec. 18, 1962 FOREGN PATENTS 769,195 Great Britain lFeb. 27, 1957

Claims

1. A SAFETY BELT BUCKLE COMPRISING A FIRST COUPLING MEMBER, SAID FIRST COUPLING MEMBER BEING IN THE FORM OF A FLAT PLATE AND HAVING BELT-ENGAGING MEANS AND A PAIR OF SPACED SLOTS; AND A SECOND COUPLING MEMBER, SAID SECOND COUPLING MEMBER INCLUDING A FRAME HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT BASE PORTION AND BULDING PORTIONS PROJECTING FROM SAID BASE PORTION AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE SAID SLOTS, SAID FRAME ALSO INCLUDING OPPOSITE PARALLEL FLANGES DISPOSED ON THE SAME SIDE OF SAID BASE PORTION AS SAID BULGING PORTIONS, A CYLINDRICAL SHAFT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID FLANGES AND NONROTATIVELY MOUNTED THEREIN, SAID SHAFT HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT THEREIN, CAMMING LEVERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE ENDS OF SAID SHAFT BETWEEN SAID FLANGES, A RELEASE LEVER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND HAVING A DRIVING EDGE DISPOSED TO ENGAGE AND INDUCE ROTATION OF SAID CAMMING LEVERS ON MANUAL ROTATION OF SAID RELEASE LEVER FROM A POSITION ADJACENT SAID BASE PORTION TOWARD A POSITION PERPENDICULAR THERETO, AND COMMON MEANS FOR BIASING SAID RELEASE LEVER TOWARD A POSITION AGAINST SAID BASE PORTION AND FOR URGING SAID CAMMING LEVERS AGAINST THE DRIVING EDGE OF SAID RELEASE LEVER, SAID CAMMING LEVERS BEING POSITIONED TO MAINTAIN THE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FIRST COUPLING MEMBER WITH SAID BULGING PORTIONS WITH SAID RELEASE LEVER ADJACENT SAID BASE PORTION AND PROVIDE CLEARANCE FOR THE ESCAPE OF SAID FIRST COUPLING MEMBER FROM SAID BULGING PORTIONS ON MANUAL ROTATION OF SAID RELEASE LEVER TO A POSITION APPROACHING PERPENDICULARITY TO SAID BASE PORTION, SAID SECOND COUPLING MEMBER ALSO HAVING A BELT-RECEIVING PORTION, SAID COMMON BIASING MEANS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SPRING DEVICE HAVING COILED END FORMATIONS AROUND THE ENDS OF THE SHAFT WITH THE EXTREMITIES OF THE FORMATIONS HOOKED AROUND THE CAMMING LEVERS, THE MIDPORTION OF THE SPRING DEVICE BEING SECURED IN THE SLOT IN THE SHAFT.