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US 3,941,330 AGranted
Safety belt retractor
AssigneeAmerican Safety Equipment Corporation
InventorCharles J. Ulrich
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAmerican Safety Equipment Corporation
InventorCharles J. Ulrich
Estimating the term…
A safety belt retractor is provided having a frame, a shaft extending transversely of the frame and journalled for rotation thereon, a reel fixed to the shaft and having one end of a strap secured to the shaft and wound about the reel, the other end of the strap extending outwardly of the frame and means for rewinding the strap onto the reel. At least one ratchet tooth gear is mounted on the shaft and rotatable therewith and a lockbar is also mounted on the frame and has at least one locking pawl adapted to engage the teeth of the gear, the lockbar being movable between positions engaging the teeth and out of engagement therewith. Means are provided for moving the lockbar into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet tooth gear and releasing the lockbar from engagement with the teeth of the ratchet tooth gear upon rewinding of the strap back onto the reel. Means are also provided for preventing the reel from rotation in either direction when the lockbar is in locking engagement with the gear and a load is placed on the strap above a predetermined amount. Although the strap cannot now be unwound from or rewound onto the reel, the retractor continues to take the load for which it was designed before complete failure thereof.
In a safety belt retractor having a frame comprising a pair of spaced flanges, a shaft extending transversely of said flanges and journalled for rotation thereon, a reel fixed to said shaft and having one end of a strap secured to said shaft and wound about said reel, the other end of said strap being adapted to extend outwardly of said flanges, a rewind spring operatively connected to both said frame and said shaft, at least one ratchet tooth gear mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, a lockbar mounted on said frame and having at least one locking pawl thereon adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet tooth gear, said lockbar being movable between positions engaging said teeth and out of engagement therewith, the improvement which comprises:
In a safety belt retractor having a frame comprising a pair of spaced flanges and a cross-bar fixedly secured to both said flanges and extending transversely thereof, a shaft extending transversely of said flanges and generally parallel to said cross-bar and jounalled for rotation thereon, a reel fixed for rotation on said shaft and having one end of a strap secured to said shaft and wound about said reel, the other end of said strap being adapted to extend outwardly of said flanges, a rewind spring operatively connected to both said frame and said shaft, at least one ratchet tooth gear mounted on said shaft and rotatable therewith, said ratchet tooth gear being spaced from said cross-bar, a lockbar mounted on said frame and having at least one locking pawl thereon adapted to engage the teeth of said ratchet tooth gear, said lockbar being movable between positions engaging said teeth and out of engagement therewith, the improvement which comprises:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.