Seat belt buckle

Abstract

A seat belt buckle having a laminated or reinforcing plate construction. A main body has a cavity in which a spring is positioned. A latch plate located in the cavity has a pair of outwardly extending arms slidably mounted in pair of mutually opposed upright channels mounted in the cavity. The spring abuts the bottom surface of the latch plate forcing the latch plate upwardly to releasably lock in place a seat belt tongue extending through inlet means into the cavity atop the latch plae. A push button is mounted between the main body and a cover fixedly secured to the main body. The push button has outwardly extending legs slidably received in the channels and abutting the arms on the latch plate whereby the push button may be depressed to move the latch plate and spring downwardly releasing the tongue from the buckle. A plate or block is mounted in a recess on the main body with a second plate mounted thereatop. Lateral force exerted on the latch plate by the tongue is transferred to the channels and then to at least one reinforcing plate and main body.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.