Seat belt tongue with handle

Details Seat belt tongue with handle Seat belt tongue with handle

2002-07-15

2003-10-21

Brittain, James R. (Department: 3677)

Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.

Buckles

One-piece

C024S633000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06634064

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a seat belt tongue having a handle. The invention also relates to a seat belt with a tongue having a handle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In automobiles provided with only two passenger doors and four or five seats the front seat belts are positioned in a rearward position, in relation to the effective position of use, to allow easier access to the rear seats. In general the lower attachment point of the shoulder portion of the seat belt is positioned slidably on a rod fixed to the floor of the vehicle, as shown in
FIG. 1
, and translates from the rearward position which is assumed with the seat belt in the rearward position to a forward position when the seat belt is in use. This makes accessibility to the tongue of the seat belt difficult when it is in the rearward position.
The solutions proposed contemplate the use of “seat belt presenter” devices which draw the belt, and the tongue, forward to facilitate gripping by the user. Known seat belt presenter devices are either electrical or mechanical and are composed of numerous assembled parts which, even in the case of mechanical seat belt presenter devices, have high production costs. There is a need to produce a device to facilitate gripping seat belts that is inexpensive, easy to produce and to use, reliable and does not interfere with attachment and release of the tongue from the buckle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is provided in accordance with one aspect of the present invention a seat belt tongue comprising a metal latching portion adjacent a front end of the tongue and a widened rearward part adjacent a rear end of the tongue and that has a webbing receiving slot therethrough, a handle is attached to the seat belt tongue in a rotatable manner to allow rotation of said seat belt tongue in relation to the handle following movement of said seat belt tongue.
There is provided in accordance with another aspect of the present invention a seat belt comprising seat belt webbing having a seat belt tongue attached to an end of the seat belt webbing, the seat belt tongue comprising a metal latching portion adjacent a front end of the tongue and a widened rearward part adjacent a rear end of the tongue and that has a webbing receiving slot therethrough, the seat belt webbing passing through said slot, and a handle is attached to the seat belt tongue in a rotatable manner to allow rotation of said seat belt tongue in relation to the handle following movement of said seat belt tongue.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3542426 (1970-11-01), Radke
patent: 3790209 (1974-02-01), Littmann
patent: 3845524 (1974-11-01), Hull et al.
patent: 3982769 (1976-09-01), Farlind
patent: 4291919 (1981-09-01), Schmid et al.
patent: 4944557 (1990-07-01), Tsubai
patent: 5197176 (1993-03-01), Reese
patent: 5443577 (1995-08-01), Kim
patent: 5954397 (1999-09-01), Czernakowski et al.
patent: 6484369 (2002-11-01), Conaway
patent: 642947 (1995-03-01), None

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