Buckle for a safety belt

Claim 1

A safety belt buckle assembly having an insertable tongue plate and a tongue lock with a pair of opposed spaced plates forming a guide channel therebetween for forward longitudinal insertion of the tongue plate into and rearward longitudinal withdrawal of the tongue plate from a locking position therein, the pair of opposed plates having laterally spaced pairs of opposed latch member openings on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of insertion and withdrawal of the tongue plate, a pair of swivel members having latching members extending across the guide channel and received within the pairs of opposed latch member openings respectively for engagement by the tongue plate upon longitudinal insertion thereof into the guide channel, the pairs of opposed openings being contoured to provide pairs of aligned generally forwardly facing pivot shoulders for engagement by the latch members for lateral pivotal movement of the swivel members about axes symmetrically located relative to said longitudinal axis, spring means pivotally biasing the swivel members inwardly toward each other to inner pivotal locking positions thereof, the latching members and tongue plate having, with the tongue plate inserted to its locking position and the latching members in their inner pivotal locking positions, pairs of longitudinally opposed locking shoulders for latching the tongue plate against rearward longitudinal withdrawal from the tongue lock, the swivel members having respective lever members, with respective laterally spaced release followers longitudinally forwardly of the locking shoulders of the latching members and means coacting to provide for combined pivotal operation of the swivel members, and a lock release slide longitudinally reciprocable for engaging the release followers and pivot the swivel members outwardly from their inner locking positions to release the tongue plate.