Safety belt anchorage

Claim 2

A double anchorage for securing a pair of safety straps, the anchorage being rigidly connectible to a vehicle frame or to an equivalent strong support point between a pair of adjacent passenger seats and comprising a housing having a top wall, means defining a pair of spaced, noncoplanar belt tongue entry slots facing upwardly from said housing through said top wall, each said slot having a broad generally planar face with said faces opposing each other, a pair of latch plates pivotally mounted within said housing each adjacent one of two opposite side walls of said housing and movable toward and away therefrom, means biasing the latch plates apart and toward their respective adjacent side wall of the housing, a latch surface on the face of each latch plate facing its adjacent housing side wall, said latching surfaces being provided for engagement with a bElt tongue when the latter is inserted through an entry slot and between a latch plate and the respective side wall of the housing, and manually operable latch plate release means adjacent each slot and said top wall for individually releasing said latch plates.

Claim 3

The double anchorage according to claim 1 wherein said manually operable latch plate release means include two press button release actuators, one for each latch plate adjacent each slot and said top wall.

Claim 4

The double anchorage according to claim 1 including a fixed dividing wall between said latch plate release means to prevent accidental operation of one of said latch plate release means when the other is operated.

Claim 5

The double anchorage according to claim 1 including for each latch plate a pair of abutment shoulders on the side wall of the housing adjacent the respective latch plate for locating the latch plate within the housing, each latch plate having projections for engaging with the respective abutment shoulders, a tail on each latch plate, and said release means including a separate member acting on each tail for pivoting the respective latch plate to move its latching surface away from the respective housing side wall to a belt tongue release position.

Claim 6

The double anchorage according to claim 4 wherein said manually operable latch plate release means includes a release lever associated with each latch plate, each lever having a medial portion extending across its associated latch plate interiorly of said housing, means mounting a free end of each lever for pivoting movement relative to the housing, opposite ends of each lever being exposed for manual operation to move the latch plates to unlatched positions thereof, and each tail being in alignment with an associated lever medial portion whereby upon operation of each lever the respective latch plate will move against said biasing means to a belt tongue releasing position.

Claim 7

The double anchorage according to claim 5 wherein an abutment post is provided on each side wall of said housing to cooperate with one of the pair of abutment shoulders on each side wall to assist in locating the latch plate in position.

Claim 8

The double anchorage according to claim 6 wherein a tongue locating lug is formed integrally with each abutment shoulder, and the two shoulders are stamped out of the respective wall of the housing.

Claim 9

An anchorage for securing thereto a belt tongue comprising a housing having a top wall, means defining a belt tongue entry slot facing upwardly from said housing to said top wall, a latch plate within said housing, means mounting said latch plate for pivotal movement toward and away from a side wall of said housing, means biasing said latch plate in a first direction, means for moving said latch plate in a second direction opposite said first direction with both said first and second directions being transverse to said side wall, said moving means including a lever having opposite end portions and a medial portion therebetween, a first of said lever end portions being pivotally mounted relative to said housing for movement of said other and medial portions toward and away from said top wall, said first and other lever end portions being at opposite ends of said housing, said other lever end portion being manually operable exteriorly of said housing for imparting pivoting movement to said lever, and coacting means between said medial lever portion and said latch plate for pivoting the latter against the force of said biasing means whereby said latch plate is moved to its unlatched position.

Claim 10

An anchorage for securing thereto a belt tongue comprising a housing having a top wall, means defining a belt tongue entry slot facing upwardly from said housing to said top wall, a latch plate within said housing, means mounting said latch plate for pivotal movement toward and away from a side wall of said housing, means biasing said latch plate in a first direction, means for moving said latch plate in a second direction opposite said first direction with both said first and second directions being transverse to said side wall, said moving means including a lever having opposite end portions and a medial portion therebetween, a first of said lever end portions being pivotally mounted relative to said housing for movement of said other and medial portions toward and away from said top wall, said first and other lever end portions being at opposite ends of said housing, said other lever end portion being manually operable exteriorly of said housing for imparting pivoting movement to said lever, and coacting means between said medial lever portion and said latch plate for pivoting the latter against the force of said biasing means whereby said latch plate is moved to its unlatched position.

Claim 11

The anchorage as defined in claim 8 wherein said coacting means is a tail of said latch plate directed downwardly and away from said side wall.

Claim 12

The anchorage as defined in claim 8 wherein said coacting means is a cam surface at said lever medial portion for bearing against said latch plate upon manual pivoting movement of said lever.

Claim 13

The anchorage as defined in claim 8 including means for biasing said lever other end Portion in a direction toward said top wall.

Claim 14

The anchorage as defined in claim 9 wherein said coacting means further includes a cam surface at said lever medial portion for bearing against said latch plate upon manual pivoting movement of said lever.

Claim 15

The anchorage as defined in claim 12 including means for biasing said lever other end portion in a direction toward said top wall.