Seat belt repositioning device

Claim 2

A shoulder belt repositioning device for use with a three-point vehicular safety belt system, comprising: a pair of substantially planar sidewalls disposed in side by side relationship defining an elongate passageway between them; said passageway extending from a first open end to a second open end spaced from said first open end; said sidewalls being joined to each other along first and second spaced apart edges, said edges extending from said first open end to said second open end, on opposite sides of said passageway; the dimension of said second open end, corresponding to the distance between the second ends of said first and second edges, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first edge, being substantially greater than the dimension of said first open end, wherein the dimension of said first open end corresponds to the distance between the first ends of said first and second edges, and said dimension of said first open end is greater than the perpendicular distance between the first end of said second edge and the longitudinal axis of said first edge.

Claim 3

The shoulder belt positioning device of claim 1, wherein: each sidewall further includes a flap portion attached to said sidewall adjacent to said first open end by means of an integral hinge formed along a line extending between the first ends of said first and second edges; at least one of said flap portions being generally triangular in shape and having a free edge thereof positioned substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said first edge of said sidewall; and said integral hinges resiliently bias said flap portions into generally coplanar alignment with the corresponding sidewall.

Claim 4

The shoulder belt positioning device of claim 1, wherein: each sidewall has an inner surface and an outer surface, and the said inner surfaces lie in substantially abutting, resiliently separable relationship, such that a portion of a seat belt system having a given thickness may be passed through said passageway, entering through said second open end and exiting through said first open end to leave another portion of said system having a thickness less than said given thickness remaining within said passageway and in engagement with said resiliently abutting inner surfaces.

Claim 5

A shoulder belt positioning device for use with a three-point vehicular safety belt system, comprising: a pair of substantially planar sidewalls disposed in side by side relationship defining an elongate passageway between them for receiving a seat belt latching member having a lap belt and a shoulder belt attached thereto; said passageway extending from a first open end to a second open end spaced from said first open end; said sidewalls being joined to each other along a first edge for linearly engaging a portion of one elongate edge of a lap belt received in said passageway and along a second edge for linearly engaging a portion of one elongate edge of a shoulder belt received in said passageway, said edges extending from said first open end to said second open end, on opposite sides of said passageway; the dimension of said second open end, corresponding to the distance between the second ends of said first and second edges, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first edge, being substantially greater than the dimension of said first open end, wherein the dimension of said first open end corresponds to the distance between the first ends of said first and second edges, and said dimension of said first open end is greater than the perpendicular distance between the first end of said second edge and the longitudinal axis of said first edge; wherein the dimension of said first open end is selected relative to said given dimension of seat belt latching member so as to permit passage of said latching member through said first open end, and the perpendicular distance between the first end of said second edge and the longitudinal axis of said first edge is less than said given dimension so as to inhibit withdrawal of said latching member back through said first open end into said passageway in a direction generally parallel to said first edge.

Claim 6

A shoulder belt positioning device for use with a three-point vehicular safety belt system, comprising: a pair of substantially planar sidewalls disposed in side by side relationship defining an elongate passageway between them for receiving a seat belt latching member having a lap belt and a shoulder belt attached thereto; said passageway extending from a first open end to a second open end spaced from said first open end; said sidewalls being joined to each other along a first edge for linearly engaging a portion of one elongate edge of a lap belt received in said passageway and along a second edge for linearly engaging a portion of one elongate edge of a shoulder belt received in said passageway, said edges extending from said first open end to said second open end, on opposite sides of said passageway; the dimension of said second open end, corresponding to the distance between the second ends of said first and second edges, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to said first edge, being substantially greater than the dimension of said first open end, wherein the dimension of said first open end corresponds to the distance between the first ends of said first and second edges, and said dimension of said first open end is greater than the perpendicular distance between the first end of said second edge and the longitudinal axis of said first edge; wherein the dimension of said first open end is selected relative to said given dimension of seat belt latching member so as to permit passage of said latching member through said first open end, and the perpendicular distance between the first end of said second edge and the longitudinal axis of said first edge is less than said given dimension so as to inhibit withdrawal of said latching member back through said first open end into said passageway in a direction generally parallel to said first edge.