Locking device for a winding up safety belt for vehicles

Claim 1

A locking device for vehicle safety belts of the windup type comprising a roller mounted on a horizontal shaft, a safety belt wound on said roller, resilient means tending to retain said roller from rotating under the unwinding of said belt, a brake element connected to said roller for rotation therewith, said brake element having annular teeth concentric with the axis of rotation of said brake element, at least one double armed lever pivotally mounted on a vertical shaft, one arm of said lever being capable of engaging said teeth, the second arm of said lever having an opening, a ball extending through said second arm opening, a fixed support having a slot defined by walls of said support and having said ball positioned between said walls, said vertical shaft extending between said walls, one of said slot walls having a recess with said ball normally extending therein in the inoperative position of said lever whereby during normal use of a vehicle having the present device mounted therein, said ball tends to move away from said position due to its inertia upon rapid changes in the velocity of the vehicle in any direction with said ball moving said first arm of said lever into engagement with said teeth preventing rotation of said brake element and the unwinding of said safety belt.