US 4,231,616 AGranted

Combined shoulder harness and lap belt restraint apparatus having single fasten/release point at lap buckle

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorMark C. Painter

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Abstract

A single fasten/release point is provided in a combined shoulder harness/lap belt restraint of the type having a pair of shoulder straps that extend from a behind-the-head anchor point (or points) down over the occupant's shoulders to side anchors located adjacent opposite sides of the seat, and a center-buckled lap belt that passes between the side anchors across the occupant's lap. The ends of the shoulder straps are looped through friction guides provided on corresponding side anchors and joined to an intermediate fastening point on the adjacent portion of the lap belt in a manner that allows for both slackening of the shoulder straps when the lap buckle is released, and adjustability of the lap belt length when the buckle is fastened. Additionally, breast-high shoulder strap adjusters are provided with auxillary connectors to which the separated, complementary parts of the belt buckle can be releasably attached, for stowing such buckle parts and the adjoining portions of the shoulder straps and lap belt in an orderly configuration, ready for quick donning.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In a combined shoulder harness and lap belt restraint apparatus for cooperative arrangement with a seat and associated seat back, and which includes first and second shoulder straps that extend forwardly from a shoulder harness anchor means located behind the seat back so as to pass over opposite shoulders of an occupant and downwardly therefrom along the sides of an occupant's upper torso toward first and second side anchor means respectively located adjacent opposite sides of the seat, and a lap belt that pases across an occupant's lap and includes first and second belt portions releasably connected together at their adjacent ends by lap buckle means and separately and fixedly attached at their remote ends to said first and second side anchor means, respectively, wherein the improvement comprises:

anchor guide means provided on each of said first and second side anchor means, said first and second downwardly extending shoulder straps being separately and respectively looped through said anchor guide means on said first and second anchor means, and the end portions of the thusly looped first and second shoulder straps being drawn respectively inwardly from said first and second side anchor means so as to lie along said first and second belt portions, respectively;
and
first and second attachment means, said first attachment means for fixedly attaching the end portion of said first shoulder strap to said first belt portion at a point thereon intermediate said first side anchor means and said lap buckle means, and said second attachment means for fixedly attaching the end portion of said second shoulder strap to said second belt portion at a point thereon intermediate said second side anchor means and said lap buckle means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.