WO1997036522A1

WO1997036522A1 - Seat belt adjuster with removable locking arm

Info

Publication number: WO1997036522A1
Application number: PCT/US1997/004951
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paul Joseph Gerstenberger; Marcus Gerstenberger; James Rupp
Original assignee: SMITH, L., Douglas
Priority date: 1996-03-29
Filing date: 1997-03-25
Publication date: 1997-10-09
Also published as: AU2590797A

Abstract

A seat belt adjuster is provided for holding the shoulder belt to the lap belt of an automotive seat belt at a fixed distance to create a compound angle of assent of the shoulder belt to prevent it from crossing the occupant's face or neck. The adjuster is an assembly of three components: a shoulder belt clip (201), lap belt locking buckle (150), and a tether (204). The shoulder belt clip is tethered to the lap belt locking buckle pulling the shoulder belt closer to the lap. The lap belt locking buckle can slide along the lap belt for adjustment and then be locked into position by closing the locking arm of the buckle.

Description

TITLE

Seat Belt Adjuster With Removable Locking Arm

CROSS REFERENCE PATENTS This application is a Continuation In Part (C.I.P.) of co-pending U.S. Application Serial No. 08/557,938 filed 11/14/95 which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,380 on 2/25/97.

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to an automobile seat belt adjuster which provides for the shoulder strap to be adjusted away from a child's face.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional three-point automobile seat belts are normally provided with one continuous strap and a latch plate. When the strap is pulled around the body, it essentially divides into two components, the waist strap and the shoulder strap. The latch plate fastens to a catch secured to a side of the automobile seat. When the latch plate is fastened to the catch, the waist strap is wrapped around the waist to prevent the individual from being dislodged from the seat in the event of a collision. The shoulder scrap is wrapped from the side of the waist across the chest and over the opposite shoulder to prevent the individual's upper torso from being thrown forward.

Conventional automotive seat belts are well designed for use by adults of normal height. However, these seat belts are not well suited for individuals who are very short in height, especially children who have outgrown conventional restraining devices, such as car seats. When a conventional three-point seat belt is fastened in place by a child, the waist strap portion sits properly to securely hold the child's lower body in the seat. However, the shoulder strap portion will typically extend across the child' s neck or face because the position of the rear delivery ring has been designed for individuals with larger torsos. This discomfort often leads to the shoulder belt being placed behind the back or worse yet, the entire belt may not be used leading to serious injury or death in a collision.

Devices which have been made for attaching to the lap belt have a hook to capture and adjust the shoulder belt. One example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,099 to Campbell. The buckle uses a one piece unit with an integral hook that connects a portion of the shoulder strap to the buckle moving the shoulder strap away from the neck and face. This, unfortunately, results in the shoulder strap base being moved from the side of the hip opposite to the supported shoulder to the hip on the same side. The shoulder belt takes a vertical rise from hip to shoulder creating imbalanced support in a collision. FIG. 1 shows how the upper torso could slip past the shoulder belt using the Campbell device.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,367 (1989) to Lisenby discloses a three-point type seat belt and shoulder harness adjuster which adjusts the position of the shoulder harness away from the user's neck. An adult user is depicted in the drawings. Hook and loop fasteners are used to attach a strap between the seat belt and the shoulder harness. Although an anti-sliding means is described as sizing a pair of "C" and "J" shaped clamps around the seat belt, no positive locking device is taught. Also, there is no means^" taught to help keep the shoulder harness flat on the user's chest. The connecting strap will tend to force the shoulder harness to twist which could cause injury to the user in a crash.

The present invention solves this problem of slipping past the shoulder belt by adding a tether upward from an auxiliary lap belt buckle. The tether supports a shoulder belt fastening clip. The shoulder belt fastening clip. pulls the shoulder belt in a compound angle away from the user's face as seen in FIG. 2. The user's upper torso is still well protected by the shoulder belt. Additionally, the shoulder belt is held flat against the user' s upper torso rather than twisted sideways as with the Campbell and Lisenby devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main object of the present invention is to provide a seat belt adjuster that moves the shoulder belt away from the user' s face while still providing adequate protection « to the user's torso.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means to keep the shoulder harness flat against the user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a positive lock for the auxiliary lap belt buckle to enable a parent to set the device at a desired angle for the child.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a removable hinge on the auxiliary lap belt buckle to facilitate the quick attachment to the seat belt.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

The present invention relates to a seat belt adjuster for the manner in which the shoulder belt covers the torso of a child or small adult.

A shoulder belt typically extends from a seat belt retractor through a belt guide (D-ring) mounted on a pillar of the vehicle and downward across the shoulder and abdomen of the vehicle occupant to a catch buckle mounted to the seat. The (most often fixed) location of the D-ring and catch buckle determines the angle at which the shoulder belt extends across the occupant's torso. The D-ring' s location is most often incompatible with small children without some modification. It is the intent of this invention to adjust the crossing pattern without modifying or invading any component of the original manufacturer' s restraint system. The present invention provides a novel seat belt adjuster which controls a compound angle for the overlay of the shoulder strap. The shoulder belt is fastened to the lap belt using this device to pull it away from the face and neck. The shoulder belt is held by a clip which is offset from an auxiliary lap belt buckle fastened to the lap belt. The new composit retraint provides stable support for both the upper and lower torso. Although the shoulder belt holding clip is secured to the auxiliary lap belt buckle by a tether at a fixed distance from the buckle, the buckle can slide along the lap belt creating adjustability. The position of the auxiliary buckle on the lap belt determins the path of the shoulder strap across the torso. The auxiliary buckle can then be locked into place to capture the proper fit. A removable hinge facilitates attaching the auxiliary lap belt buckle to the seat belt.

The embodiment of the seat belt adjuster comprises an assembly of three components; a shoulder belt fastening clip, a lap belt locking buckle, and a tether.

The shoulder belt clip is a solid piece of material which has been slotted to permit fastening to (most common) two inch seat belt fabric and has a half circle slot in the base to create a D-ring for tethering the shoulder belt clip to the lap belt locking buckle. The purpose of the D- ring slot is to allow the shoulder belt clip to self-align (commensurate with the shape required by the seat belt fabric to prevent twisting) to each position set by the lap belt locking buckle.

The tether connects the shoulder belt clip to the lap belt locking buckle which pulls the shoulder belt fabric down and off the face or neck of the vehicle occupant (child) . The tether is a sewn loop made of one inch woven belt webbing.

The lap belt locking buckle is a two-piece assembly comprising a body and locking arm. The preferred embodiment has a removable locking arm to facilitate fastening to the seat belt. The locking arm rotates into a position where it is not easily removed. The locking arm contains a cam shape that compresses the seat-belt fabric against the lap belt locking buckle body. Closing the locking arm prevents any further sliding of the buckle position on the seat belt fabric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (prior art) is a diagrammatic depiction of the degradation of the restraint belt geometry by a conventional lap-belt clip.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic depiction of the compound angle assumed by the restraint belt using the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing how the seat belt adjuster of the present invention may be used by a child in a fastened three-point seat belt.

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of an alternate embodiment . FIG. 5 is a left side plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a back side plan view of zhe embodiment shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 7 is a bottom side plan view of the auxiliary belt buckle shown in FIG. 4 showing the open and closed position of the locking arm fastened to the waist belt.

FIG. 8 is a back plan view of the auxiliary belt buckle. FIG. 9 is the view of FIG. 8 having a lap belt portion of a seat belt partially mounted into the auxiliary belt buckle.

FIG. 10 is the view of FIG. 8 having the lap belt fully mounted into the auxiliary belt buckle. FIG. 11 is a back plan view of the shoulder clip.

FIG. 12 is the view of FIG. 11 with the shoulder strap partially inserted into the shoulder clip.

FIG. 13 is the view of FIG. 11 with the shoulder strap fully inserted into the shoulder clip. FIG. 14 is a front plan view of the shoulder clip mounted on the shoulder strap.

FIG. 15 is a side perspective view of the base of the preferred embodiment of the auxiliary seat buckle being attached to a seat belt. FIG. 16 is the next step of the attachment shown in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is the next step of the attachment shown in FIG. 16 with the removable hinged locking arm installed on the base .

FIG. 18 is the next step of the attachment shown in FIG. 17 with the locking arm shown in the locked position.

FIG. 19 is a back plan view of the preferred embodiment of the auxiliary belt buckle shown in the closed position.

FIG. 20 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment .

FIG. 21 is a front plan view of the preferred embodiment of the auxiliary belt buckle shown in the open position.

FIG. 22 is a front plan view of the preferred embodiment of the auxiliary belt buckle shown in the closed position. FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along line 23-23 of FIG. 20.

FIG. 24 is the same sectional view as shown in FIG. 23 with the locking arm inserted into the base.

FIG. 25 is the same sectional view as shown in FIG. 24 with the locking arm in the closed and locked position.

FIG. 26 (prior art) is a perspective view of how the device curls the shoulder strap.

FIG. 27 (prior art) is a perspective view of how this device also curls the shoulder strap. FIG. 28 shows how the present invention prevents the curling of the shoulder strap.

Before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited m its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown, since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIG. 1 the child 1 is using a conventional one-piece buckle-type adjuster 2. A clip holds the shoulder strap 4 to the one-piece buckle 2 mounted on the waist belt 3. The user's upper torso 5 can easily slip past the shoulder strap 4, thereby losing the full protection of the shoulder belt 4. Even when the one- piece buckle 2 is in the optimal position, the angle is too big to allow the shoulder strap 4 tc lie flat. It tends to curl or twist, thereby losing more of the protection of the original design. See FIG. 26 for a disclosure of the curling action. The conventional latch plate and buckle assembly 6 holds the waist and shoulder straps to the automobile seat.

Referring next to FIG. 2 the same waist and shoulder belts have been equipped with the tethered adjuster 20 (the preferred embodiment) . The shoulder strap 4 is now held in a compound angle as represented by L2 and L3. Each of these angles L2 and L3 are smaller than angle L of FIG. 1. Thus, the shoulder strap 4 is adjusted away from the user's face 22 while providing full protection of the user's torso 5. The shoulder strap 4 lies flat. The user 1 does not have the tendency to move the tethered adjuster 20 too far to his left where it would compromise the safety of the shoulder strap.

Referring next to FIG. 3 the child 30 is clipping the latch plate and buckle assembly 60 shut. The tethered adjuster 33 is comprised of an auxiliary belt buckle 36, a tether 35, and a shoulder clip 34. The auxiliary belt buckle 36 has been locked into the desired position along the waist belt 32 to keep the shoulder strap 31 out of the face 37 of the child 30. Both the upper torso 38 and lower torso 39 are protected by the shoulder strap 31 overlay, and the shoulder strap 31 is lying flat.

Referring next to FIG. 4 the tethered adjuster 20 is comprised of an auxiliary belt buckle 205 which has a locking lever 206 pivotal around hinge pin 207. A tether

204 is permanently fastened to the auxiliary belt buckle

205 and the slot 203 of shoulder clip 201. The shoulder clip 201 has an H cutout 202 for mounting to a shoulder strap. The H cutout 202 keeps the shoulder strap flat against the user's upper torso.

Referring next to Fig. 5 the tethered adjuster 20 has the tether 204 affixed to itself to form a continuous loop threaded through a slot 211 in the auxiliary belt buckle 205. See FIG. 7. Referring next to FIG. 6 it can be seen how slot 203 of shoulder clip 201 provides for rotation about tether 204 further assisting the shoulder strap to lie flat as shown in FIG. 3. An alignment angle A is formed between the tether 204 and the shoulder clip 201 as the user adjusts the device to his liking. The H cutout 210 of the auxiliary belt buckle 205 provides for the mounting of the waist belt as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, 10. Referring next to FIG. 7 the waist belt 3 is shown mounted in the H cutout 210 of the auxiliary belt buckle 205. The locking lever 206 has a locking tongue 208 which fits into groove 209 to lock the auxiliary belt buckle 205 at a desired location along waist belt 3. The arrow R shows the release position and arrow L shows the lock position.

Referring next to FIGS. 8, 9, 10 the waist belt 3 is shown in sequence as it is mounted to the auxiliary belt buckle 205 as seen from behind. Referring next to FIGS. 11, 12, 13 the shoulder belt 4 is shown in sequence as it is mounted to the shoulder clip 202 as seen from behind.

FIG. 14 shows the front side view of the shoulder clip 201 mounted to the shoulder belt 4. Referring next to FIGS. 15-19 the preferred embodiment of the auxiliary belt buckle 150 is comprised of a base 151 and a locking arm 152. The shoulder clip 201 and tether 204 are identical to those shown in FIG. 4. The seat belt 1500 is well known in the art. The auxiliary belt buckle 150 features a means to quickly mount/dismount to the seat belt 1500. The base 151 consists of side walls 153, 154 and a backplate 166 which form a saddle 155 for the seat belt 1500. The saddle 155 is flat as members 156, 158, and 159 lie in the same plane and are part of the backplate 166. Recess 157 allows the tether 204 to lie in the same plane as members 156, 158, 159. This is accomplished by designing the mounting bar 165 of backplate 166 to be flush with the rear of the backplate as shown in FIG. 19, but to lie the width of the tether 204 below the plane of members 156, 158, and 159. The groove 160 lies below the plane of members 156, 158, and 159. FIG. 16 shows the seat belt 1500 lying flat in saddle 155. Grooves 163, 164 provide an entrance ramp for hinge members 167, 168 of the locking arm 152. See FIGS. 20, 23 for detail. Once the locking arm 152 is inserted into the base 151, the holes 161, 162 provide the support for the locking arm 152. When the locking arm 152 is rotated toward the locked position as shown by arrow R of FIG. 17, the hinge members 167, 168 are locked inside holes 161, 162 due to the half round shape of hinge members 167, 168.

In summary, to mount the auxiliary seat buckle 150 to the seat belt 1500, the user places the seat belt 1500 into the saddle 155 of the base 151. Next the user inserts the locking arm 152 into the base 151 using the grooves 163, 164 and hinge members 167, 168. The user moves the base 151 to a desired position along the seat belt 1500 and then locks the locking arm 152 as shown in FIG. 18.

Referring next to FIG. 19 for added user convenience in unbuckling, the locking arm 152 is seen to protrude a distance d₁₀ beyond the base 151. Referring next to FIGS. 20, 21, 22 the locking arm is shown to have a locking tongue 1670 which fits into groove 160 in the locked position which is shown in FIG. 22. FIG. 20 shows the locking arm in the dismounted position. FIG. 21 shows that the hinge members 167, 168 have been inserted into the grooves 163, 164. FIG. 22 shows the auxiliary seat buckle 150 in the closed position.

Referring next to FIGS. 23, 24, 25 the seat belt 1500 is seen to lie flat in plane p of saddle 155 of base 151. In FIG. 23 the flat surface 298 of hinge member 168 is in alignment with flat surface 299 of groove 164. In FIG. 24 the locking arm 152 has been inserted into base 151, and the flat surfaces 298, 199 are still in alignment. In FIG. 25 the locking arm has been closed, and the locking tongue 1670 has forced the seat belt segment 1599 into the groove 160, thereby locking the auxiliary seat buckle 150 to the seat belt 1500 at a desired position. The hinge member 168 is also locked into the base 151 by means of the base housing segment 296. Referring next to FIG. 26 the Lisenby invention is shown to lack a means to adjust the upper loop 2603 to form an alignment angle with the body of the strap 2602. The lower loop 2604 naturally lies flat with the seat belt 2601. The shoulder strap 2600 is pinched at segment 2605 which causes the shoulder strap lower edge 2607 to curl away from the user's body in direction C. Clearly d_x < d₂. Therefore, the user is subject to greater stress forces upon impact with the narrower segment 2605 of the seat belt 2600. Quite possible narrower segment 2605 could lie over the user' s heart which could cause serious bodily harm or death.

Referring next to FIG. 27 the "Adjust-A-Belt" by Gerry Baby Products, Inc. is on the market as shown. The same problem exists as in FIG. 26. The seat belt 2701 and lower loop 2704 naturally lie flat. The upper loop 2703 is a soft material. The snap 2710 fastens the upper loop 2703 to the tether 2702. Friction exists in the snap 2710 to resist the natural alignment of the shoulder strap 2700 in the upper loop 2703. Once again the shoulder strap 2700 at segment 2705 becomes pinched, and the lower edge 2707 curls upward in direction C2 away from the user's upper torso. Once again d₃ < d₄. The tether 2702 attempts to correct alignment problems by curling at segment 2711, but fails at the attempt as shown.

Referring next to FIG. 28 the seat belt adjuster 2899 embodies the present invention. The auxiliary seat buckle 2804 naturally lies flat with the seat belt 2801. The shoulder strap 2800 does form a compound angle as noted above in FIG. 2. The shoulder clip 2803 has an H-shaped slot 2898 which holds the shoulder strap flat in the clip. The tether 2802 connects the shoulder clip 2803 and the auxiliary seat buckle 2804. The U-shaped slot 2897 allows the tether 2802 to provide a natural alignment angle θ between the shoulder clip 2803 and the tether 2802. The result is that d₅ = d₆, and the lower edge 2807 of the shoulder strap 2800 doesn't curl. Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be made and still the result will come within the scope of the invention. No limitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein is intended or should be inferred.

Claims

I CLAIM:

1. A seat belt adjuster for a three-point type seat belt restraint comprising: an auxiliary belt buckle having a means to lock on a desired location of a seat belt; a shoulder clip affixed to a shoulder strap; a tether connecting the shoulder clip to the auxiliary belt buckle, thereby allowing a user to adjust the shoulder strap to form a compound angle across a user' s upper torso while maintaining the shoulder strap away from a user's face; and said shoulder clip further comprising a means to provide an alignment angle between the tether and the shoulder clip and a means to maintain the shoulder strap flat in the shoulder clip functioning to allow the shoulder strap to maintain a flat disposition against the user's upper torso.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means to lock on a desired location of a seat belt further comprises a base having a saddle to provide a planar engagement of the seat belt and said base having a hinged locking arm.

3. The apparatus claim 2, wherein the hinged locking arm further comprises a removable means and said removable means further comprises hinge members which removably engage grooves in the base to enable a removal of the hinged locking arm from the base.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, means to provide an alignment angle between the tether and the shoulder clip further comprise a U-shaped slot for the tether to ride in.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means to maintain the shoulder strap flat in the shoulder clip further comprises an H-shaped slot for holding the shoulder strap.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the tether further comprises a flexible webbing looped through the U-shaped slot.

7. An improvement for a three-point type seat belt restraint having a seat belt formed into a waist strap and a shoulder strap by a latch plate and buckle assembly, the improvement comprising: an auxiliary belt buckle mounted to the waist belt; a tether projecting upward from the auxiliary belt buckle; a shoulder clip mounted on the shoulder strap and affixed to the tether, thereby holding the shoulder strap away from a user' s face and maintaining a compound angle in the shoulder strap across a user's upper torso; and said shoulder clip further comprising a means to provide an alignment angle between the tether and the shoulder clip and a means to maintain the shoulder strap flat in the shoulder clip functioning to allow the shoulder strap to maintain a flat disposition against the user' s upper torso.

8. The improvement of claim 7, wherein the auxiliary belt buckle further comprises a base having a saddle to provide a planar engagement of the seat belt and said base having a hinged locking arm.

9. The improvement of claim 7, wherein the means to provide an alignment angle between the tether and the shoulder clip further comprises a U-shaped slot for the tether to ride in.

10. The improvement of claim 9, wherein the means to maintain the shoulder strap flat in the shoulder clip further comprises an H-shaped slot for holding the shoulder strap.