Body restraining means

Claim 2

A body restraining device comprising a strip of flexible material, the strip having a tongue at one end and a safety buckle adjacent the other end thereof, the safety buckle comprising: a. a base; b. at least one pair of confronting plate members connected to the base in a plane generally normal to the base, the plate members constituting converging roller surfaces terminating in spaced relation to each other, the plate members terminating at their ends opposite the base so as to provide an opening therebetween; c. at least one pair of friction rollers, a said roller associated with each confronting roller surface; and d. resilient means directly connecting each of the rollers of a pair of said rollers to its associated roller surface in opposed parallel relationship to each other, and biasing each roller against its associated roller surface, the resilient means supporting the rollers on the frame, the arrangement further being such that, upon insertion of the tongue the opening into engagement with the rollers the resilient means will bias the rollers simultaneously against both the tongue and the roller surfaces to frictionally engage the tongue whereby forces acting to separate the tongue from between the rollers, in a direction normal to the roller axes and in the direction of convergence of the plate members, will increase the gripping force applied to the tongue by the rollers coacting with the frame.

Claim 3

A body restraining device as defined in claim 1 having a single pair of confronting converging plate members.

Claim 4

A body restraining device as defined in claim 2 wherein each plate member is an angular plate having an acute angle, with both ends of each angular plate terminating in spaced relation to the confronting angular plate.

Claim 5

A body restraining device as defined in claim 1 In combination with a vehicular seat, the strip of flexible material being separated into two sections, with one section having the tongue at its outer end and a second section having the safety buckle at its outer end, both sections being fastened to support means and arranged in combination with the seat to restrain a seat occupant upon insertion of the tongue through the buckle.

Claim 6

A body restraining device as defined in claim 1 wherein a single pair of plate members are provided with each plate member constituting a pair of said converging roller surfaces and first and second pairs of friction rollers, a roller associated with of said confronting roller surfaces.

Claim 7

A body restraining device as defined in claim 1 wherein the plate members, at their ends opposite the base, have a releasable closure means associated therewith to prevent removal of the strip from the buckle, upon movement of the strip in the direction of the axes of the rollers.

Claim 8

A safety buckle usable with a safety belt having a strip of flexible material with a tongue, the buckle arranged to receive the tongue and restrain the user of the belt, the buckle comprising: a. a base; b. at least one pair of confronting plate members connected to the base in a plane generally normal to the base, the plate members constituting converging roller surfaces terminating in spaced relation to each other, the plate members terminating at their ends opposite the base so as to provide an opening therebetween; c. at least one pair of friction rollers, a said roller associated with each confronting roller surface; and d. resilient means directly connecting each of the rollers of a pair of said rollers to its associated roller surface in opposed parallel relationship to each other, and biasing each roller against its associated roller surface, the resilient means supporting the rollers on the frame, the arrangement further being such that, upon insertion of the tongue through the opening into engagement with the rollers, the resilient means will bias the rollers simultaneously against both the tongue and the roller surfaces to frictionally engage the tongue whereby forces acting to separate the tongue from between the rollers, in a direction normal to the roller axes and in the direction of convergence of the plate members, will increase the gripping force applied to the tongue by the rollers co-acting with the frame.

Claim 9

A safety buckle usable with a safety belt having a strip of flexible material with a tongue, the buckle arranged to receive the tongue and restrain the user of the belt, the buckle comprising: a. a base; b. at least one pair of confronting plate members connected to the base in a plane generally normal to the base, the plate members constituting converging roller surfaces terminating in spaced relation to each other, the plate members terminating at their ends opposite the base so as to provide an opening therebetween; c. at least one pair of friction rollers, a said roller associated with each confronting roller surface; and d. resilient means directly connecting each of the rollers of a pair of said rollers to its associated roller surface in opposed parallel relationship to each other, and biasing each roller against its associated roller surface, the resilient means supporting the rollers on the frame, the arrangement further being such that, upon insertion of the tongue through the opening into engagement with the rollers, the resilient means will bias the rollers simultaneously against both the tongue and the roller surfaces to frictionally engage the tongue whereby forces acting to separate the tongue from between the rollers, in a direction normal to the roller axes and in the direction of convergence of the plate members, will increase the gripping force applied to the tongue by the rollers co-acting with the frame.

Claim 10

A safety buckle as defined in claim 7 having a single pair of confronting converging plate members.