US3203064A - Safety belt buckle - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 31, 1965 M. M. MURPHY, SR

SAFETY BELT BUCKLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 3, 1963 INVENTOR Mar/7W M. Mug 06y, 5/. W

ATTORNEY] Q 1965 M. M. MURPHY, SR 3,203,064

SAFETY BELT BUCKLE Filed Sept. 3, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Mar/7 M Mar 0kg, 5x

United States Patent 3,203,064 SAFETY BELT BUCKLE Merrill M. Murphy, Sr., Cortland, N.Y., assignor to Irving Air Chute Company, Inc., Lexington, Ky., a corporationof Kentucky Filed Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 306,215 1 Claim. (Cl. 24--230) This invention relates to a buckle particularly adapted for use in connection with safety belts having an improved push button controlled dog which will permit of facile operation of the buckle.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a relatively simple type of buckle construction adapted for use in connection with safety belts which is easy to operate and yet safe, and which eliminates complicated dog and lid mechanism conventionally used in safety belt buckle designs.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken through the belt buckle showing a dog latched upon the tongue clip.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the details shown in FIG. 1, but showing the dog out of latching control upon the tongue clip.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view showing the rear end of the buckle at the belt adjusting end.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of :the base casing structure of the buckle.

FIGURE 5 is an inverted perspective view of the dog assembly of the buckle.

FIGURE 6 is an inverted perspective view of the closure or cover construction of the buckle.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing the tongue clip design.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generally designate the improved buckle. It includes a base casing B, cover casing C, dog assemblage D, tongue clip E and belt webbing F attachable to the buckle base case B and tongue clip E.

The base casing B as shown in FIG. 4 generally comprises a bottom wall 10 having relatively spaced upstanding parallel side walls 11 and 12. The rear end of the base B has an opening 14 through the bottom wall adapted to permit the webbing F to extend into the base casing and wrap around a knurled pin or member 15. The latter is of Well known construction and is provided with diametrically reduced ends 16 adapted to slide in inclined slots 17 which are formed through the upstanding walls 11 and 12 at the rear ends thereof. A stop flange 20 is bent upwardly along the opening 14 rearwardly of the knurled pin 15. The adjusting end of the webbing F is doubled upon itself and wrapped around the pin 15. It will thus be seen that when the belt is under tension the ends 16 of the pin 15 will ride downwardly along the slot and bind the webbing against the stop flange 20, as shown in FIG. 1. The adjusting positions are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in which the bar ends 16 ride along the tops of the inclined slots 17 to permit belt loosening or adjusting. The bottom wall 10 at its forward end is provided with an inclined ramp 21 struck from the material thereof. It inclines from the plane of the bottom wall 10 upwardly and to the rear. The ramp 21 is of less width than the space between the walls 11 and 12, as will be noted from FIG. 4.

3,203,064 Patented Aug. 31, 1965 Referring to the dog assemblage D the same is shown in detail in the perspective view FIG. 5. It includes a lever type plate or top wall 30 having right angled depending side flanges 31 and 32 which are parallel to each other. These flanges 31 and 32 are apertured to receive a hinge pin 33 which is sufliciently long to be extended into the bearing openings 34 provided in the flanges 11 and 12 of the base casing portion. The rear end of the lever wall 30 is angled and laterally reduced as shown at 35. It detachably supports a push button 37 thereon, which normally is adapted to extend upwardly through the opening 38 in the top wall 55 of the cover C, to be subsequently described. The flanges 31 and 32 are provided at their forward ends with depending latching legs 34 adapted to cooperate with openings in tongue clip E.

In the assemblage of the parts the dog D is held centered by means of the movable spacer sleeves 40 which are adapted to be located on the pin 33 between the side walls 31 and 32 and the side walls 11 and 12 of the buckle base.

The spacing of the dog legs 34 is of such distance that they will normally engage the bottom wall 10. These legs 34 are actually spaced a distance greater than the width of the ramp 21 and they are never intended to engage the ramp. The relation of spacing is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. A spring structure 47 is provided to normally urge the latching ends of the dog downwardly. The spring 47 includes coils 48 to receive the pin 33 and a U-shaped bight portion 50 which engages the under side of the dog flange 35. Coils 48 at their ends opposite the portion 50 are provided with prong portions 51 which normally engage the wall 10 of the base as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The spring 47 is biased to throw the dog mechanism into the position shown in FIG. 1 when the tongue clip is in inserted position. Normally the spring 47 even forces the leg ends of the dog downwardly to engage the inner surface of the wall 10 at opposite ends of the ramp 21 when the tongue clip E is removed. The flanges 31 and 32 at the latching leg ends thereof are inclined at 53 to permit easy camming insertion of the clip E and lifting of the dog.

The cover structure C includes the top wall 55 and its opening 38 and also a front wall 56 and a rear wall 57. Side walls 58 and 59 are also provided as shown in FIG. 6.

To permit of easy assemblage of the cover C upon the base B the wall 57 at its sides is inwardly flanged at 60. These flanges are adapted to engage in sockets 61 provided therefor in the extreme rear ends of the base walls 11 and 12. At their front ends the walls 11 and 12 are provided with extensions 64 spaced from the wall 10; the materials of these flanges 11 and 12 being inwardly bent to provide guide lugs 65 which overhand the wall 10, as shown in FIG. 4. The wall 56, as will be noted, defines an entrance 68 for the tongue clip E, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The lugs 65 act as guides to permit only proper insertion of the tongue clip into the buckle. The wall 56 of the cover is bent inwardly to provide lugs 70 which are normally adapted to lock beneath the extension 64 as shown in FIG. 1. Thus the cover is held at its rear end and forward end upon the base B.

The tongue clip E shown in FIG. 7 constitutes a metal plate having an elongated opening at its outer end to receive the secured end of the webbing F, as in conventional practice. The reduced forward end 82 of the clip is provided with relatively spaced openings 83 therein, the spacing of which conforms to the spacing of the legs 34 of the dog D and these openings 83 are spaced apart farther for a greater distance than the width of the ramp 21.

Assuming the tongue clip E to be detached from the buckle, it is merely necessary to insert the clip at its tongue end into the opening 68 in the cover and the same will cam against the edges 53 to lift the dog against its 7,

biasing spring until the openings 83 of the tongue clip are inserted sufliciently to permit the legs 34 to drop into said openings, as shown in FIG. 1. The ramp 21 causes the raising of the tongue clip to an inclined position as it is inserted to better secure the tongue clip upon the latching legs of the dog.

When it is desired to detach the tongue clip E all that is necessary to do is to press the button 37. This will lift the dog to the position shown in FIG. 2 permitting ready withdrawal of the tongue clip.

Various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claim.

I claim:

In a safety belt buckle the combination of a base, a tongue clip having means thereon to which belt webbing may be connected having spaced openings, a dog lever pivoted intermediate its ends upon said base and having at one side of the pivot axis a latching leg and at the other side of the pivot axis having push button means by which the lever may be rocked to move the dog latching leg from latching position, spring means engaging said base and lever and normally urging the latter into latching position, a ramp mounted on the base beneath the latching end of the lever having a rearwardly and upwardly inclined ramp surface adapted to direct the tongue clip upwardly as it is inserted into the base to move it into latching engagement with the latching leg, the width of the ramp being less than the Width of the base, the latching lever having a plurality of spaced latching legs complementary to said openings located between the outer sides of said ramp, said latching legs being spaced a greater distance in width than the width of said ramp, so the legs can clear the sides of the ramp and extend through and into the openings of said clip when inserted.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,209,369 12/ 16 Wood.

2,228,060 1/ 41 Lescher.

2,888,724 6/59 Anderson.

2,920,367 1/ Fazenbaker.

3,029,487 4/62 Asai.

3,078,538 2/63 Brown.

3,084,411 4/63 Lindblad.

FOREIGN PATENTS 18 8,031 10/22 Great Britain.

98,138 3/23 Switzerland.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Examiner.

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