US4404715A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Safety-belt buckle of slide-unlocking type
Assignee: Katsuyama Kinzoku Kogyo KK
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Filing: 1982-06-24
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Granted: 1983-09-20
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Expires: 2002-06-24
Abstract
Abstract When a tongue having a locking hole is inserted into a buckle, the edge of the locking hole is caught and locked by a catch of a rockable latch plate and is unlocked thereby when a slide button of the buckle is manually pressed in sliding movement, in which an inclined surface of the button actuates by wedge action lever-like arms of an actuating plate which, in turn, force a rockable link plate to rotate the latch plate until its catch releases the tongue. A number of springs are provided for return movements including a spring cocked by the inserted tongue for forcibly ejecting the tongue when it is released.
Inventors
- 👤 Mutsumi Sugimoto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 11:16
CPC Classifications
A; A44; A44B; A44B11/00; A44B11/25; A44B11/2503; A44B11/2507; A44B11/2523; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T24/00; Y10T24/45; Y10T24/45225; Y10T24/45602; Y10T24/45623
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
394 words
A safety-belt buckle characterized in that it comprises: a tongue (20) adapted (21) to be secured at a rear part thereof to a free end of one belt strap and having a locking opening (22) at a front part thereof; a base plate (11) adapted (35) to be secured at a rear part thereof to a free end of another belt strap; a latch device (12) mounted on the base plate and having a latch plate (14) formed to have a locking catch (23) capable of positively catching and thereby locking the forward edge of the locking opening of the tongue when the front part of the tongue is slidingly inserted into the latch device between the latch plate and the base plate through an insertion slot (19) at the front end of the base plate; a link plate (13) which is rockably supported on trunnions (31, 31) journaled in side flanges (24a, 24b) of the base plate, and which has engagement slots (33, 33) disposed forward of the trunnions and adapted to engage the rear edge of the latch plate, engagement lugs (34, 34) disposed rearward of the trunnions, and spring parts (29, 29) for pressing the latch plate toward the base plate; an actuating plate (37) elastically and pivotally supported on the side flanges of the base plate and having forwardly projecting arms (38, 38), intermediate parts of which are engaged with the engagement lugs of the link plate; a casing cover (17) mounted on the base plate and functioning cooperatively therewith to protectively cover and accommodate the above enumerated parts; and a slide button (40) which is partly accommodated within the casing cover and so supported thereby as to be slidable in the front-rear directions of the base plate and is continually biased forward by spring force (42), and which has inclined surfaces (41, 41) engageable with the free front ends of the projecting arms of the actuating plate, the tongue in locked state being unlocked by pressing the slide button rearward against the spring force, whereby the inclined surfaces thereof press the actuating plate toward the base plate thereby to cause the link plate to move the rear edge of the latch plate away from the base plate, and the locking catch is thereby disengaged from the front edge of the locking opening of the tongue, which is thereby released.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
394 words
A safety-belt buckle characterized in that it comprises: a tongue (20) adapted (21) to be secured at a rear part thereof to a free end of one belt strap and having a locking opening (22) at a front part thereof; a base plate (11) adapted (35) to be secured at a rear part thereof to a free end of another belt strap; a latch device (12) mounted on the base plate and having a latch plate (14) formed to have a locking catch (23) capable of positively catching and thereby locking the forward edge of the locking opening of the tongue when the front part of the tongue is slidingly inserted into the latch device between the latch plate and the base plate through an insertion slot (19) at the front end of the base plate; a link plate (13) which is rockably supported on trunnions (31, 31) journaled in side flanges (24a, 24b) of the base plate, and which has engagement slots (33, 33) disposed forward of the trunnions and adapted to engage the rear edge of the latch plate, engagement lugs (34, 34) disposed rearward of the trunnions, and spring parts (29, 29) for pressing the latch plate toward the base plate; an actuating plate (37) elastically and pivotally supported on the side flanges of the base plate and having forwardly projecting arms (38, 38), intermediate parts of which are engaged with the engagement lugs of the link plate; a casing cover (17) mounted on the base plate and functioning cooperatively therewith to protectively cover and accommodate the above enumerated parts; and a slide button (40) which is partly accommodated within the casing cover and so supported thereby as to be slidable in the front-rear directions of the base plate and is continually biased forward by spring force (42), and which has inclined surfaces (41, 41) engageable with the free front ends of the projecting arms of the actuating plate, the tongue in locked state being unlocked by pressing the slide button rearward against the spring force, whereby the inclined surfaces thereof press the actuating plate toward the base plate thereby to cause the link plate to move the rear edge of the latch plate away from the base plate, and the locking catch is thereby disengaged from the front edge of the locking opening of the tongue, which is thereby released.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
181 words
A safety-belt buckle according to claim 1 in which the actuating plate (37) is U-shaped, comprising the projecting arms (38, 38) and a transverse base part fixedly joining at its ends the proximal ends of the arms, the transverse base part at its ends being pivotally engaged with engagement hooks (36, 36) formed in the side flanges (24a, 24b) of the base plate (11), and the link plate (13) comprises, as an integral structure, a transversely disposed crosspiece (28), the spring parts (29, 29) respectively fixed at proximal ends thereof to the ends of the crosspiece and extending forward, and side plate parts (30, 30) respectively fixed at front parts to the front distal parts of the spring parts substantially perpendicularly thereto, the engagement slots (33, 33) being respectively formed in the front edge of the side plate parts, the trunnions (31, 31) being respectively fixed to the middle parts of the side parts and coaxially extending laterally outward therefrom, the engagement lugs (34, 34) being respectively formed at the rear parts of the side plate parts and extending inward therefrom.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
69 words
A safety-belt buckle according to claim 2 in which the transverse base part of the actuating plate (37) has spring members (39, 39) joined at a common proximal part thereof to the base part and branching transversely outward in opposite directions therefrom, the spring members continually exerting a spring biasing force urging the projecting arms (38, 38) of the actuating plate to rotate away from the base plate (11).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
A safety-belt buckle according to claim 1 in which each of the inclined surfaces (41, 41) of the slide button (40) is sloped away from the base plate (11) in the direction of sliding insertion of the slide button for unlocking the buckle and is so formed that the slope angle thereof increases in said direction.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
68 words
A safety-belt buckle according to claim 4 in which each of the inclined surfaces (41, 41) of the slide button (40) comprises a first inclined part (41a) at the leading portion thereof in said direction of sliding insertion of the slide button and a succeeding second inclined part (41b), the slope angle (α) of the first inclined part being greater than that (β) of the second inclined part.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A safety-belt buckle according to claim 1 in which the latch device (12) has, in addition to the latch plate (14), a press slider (15) engageable with the insertion end of the tongue (20) and a compression spring (16) for continually exerting a spring bias force to the press slider urging it to move forward toward latch plate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-09-19 | 1987-03-21 | 1987-09-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-09-19 | 1991-03-21 | 1991-09-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-09-19 | 1995-03-21 | 1995-09-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |