End release buckle

An end release type buckle for safety belts comprising:

• a metal chassis in the form of an elongate channel having apertured flanges and a longitudinally slotted web, said web including an extending tailpiece;
• a metal latch insertable through and pivotal on said flanges of said chassis and including a bias element urging said latch toward a closure position against said web portion of said chassis, said latch ramped for depression by an inserted tongue and sized to lockably enter an opening through said tongue upon registering therewith;
• a metal blocking bar pivotal on one of said flanges of said chassis and lineally movable in the opposed flange and biased toward blocking said latch in said closure position;
• a plastic tubular case having a tongue entry slot at one end and secured over said chassis by detent means;
• a plastic release slider through said case selectively depressible and reciprocable in respect thereto and said release slider including control surfaces sequentially engaging said latch and said blocking bar whereby said blocking bar is driven out of blocking engagement with said latch and said latch is released, said release slider biased toward engagement with said apertured end of said case;
• a plastic closure plate reciprocal in said longitudinal slot in said web of said chassis and biased to close said end aperture in said case and said closure plate in said biased position in interfering contact with said blocking bar in prevention of blocking movement;
• coil springs arranged in said case one applying said bias to said closure plate and the other applying said bias to said release slider;
• a torsion spring on said case applying said bias to said blocking bar;
• a flat spring applying a pivotal bias to said latch toward said closure position;
• and
• an outer plastic cover pressed over said case and detentably secured thereto.

The process for assembly of an end release buckle for safety belts including the steps of:

• transversely inserting a latch with spring and a latch blocking bar through apertured flanges of a chassis and longitudinally and guidably attaching a closure plate by means of a longitudinal slot in a web of said chassis to form a chassis sub-assembly;
• longitudinally loading an elongate tubular internally tracked case by insertion of a slider indexed through an opening in one end of said case to form a case sub-assembly;
• longitudinally inserting said chassis sub-assembly in said case sub-assembly and against said one end of said case guided by tracks and stops in said case and whereby upon insertion said sub-assemblies detent together;
• applying a torsion spring to said case, one arm acting against said latch blocking bar and the other acting against said case;
• and
• applying cup-like cover longitudinally over said assembled sub-assemblies one end abutting said case and the other end open and through which extends a tailpiece anchor portion of said chassis, said cover detenting to said case sub-assembly upon full insertion.

An end release buckle for receiving and latching a tongue of a safety belt therein, said buckle comprising:

• a channel-shaped chassis having a web portion and flanges,
• a latch mounted in said chassis and biased toward a closure position in which it latches the tongue in the buckle,
• a blocking bar mounted in said chassis and biased toward a position in which it blocks said latch in said closure position,
• a closure plate slidably connected with said chassis, and
• a tubular case detentably receiving said chassis with said latch, said blocking bar and said closure plate mounted therein,
• said chassis including teeth formed on the end surfaces of said flanges and said tubular case including registering slots into which said teeth project upon insertion of said chassis into said tubular case to thereby detentably connect said chassis with said tubular case.

An end release buckle for receiving and latching a tongue of a safety belt therein, said buckle comprising:

• a tubular case,
• a latch located in said tubular case and biased to a closure position in which it latches the tongue in the buckle,
• a blocking bar located in said tubular case and biased into a position in which it blocks said latch in said closure position,
• a release slider received in said tubular case for moving said latch into an open position in which it unlatches said tongue, and
• an outer cover detentably locked over said tubular case against removal,
• said tubular case having flanking external serration for detentably locking said cover thereon.

A buckle assembly for receiving a tongue connected with a safety belt, said buckle assembly comprising an elongated base having first and second side portions extending lengthwise of said base and a web portion extending between said first and second side portions, a latch bar supported by said first and second side portions of said base, said latch bar being movable toward and away from said web portion of said base between a disengaged position and an engaged position in which said latch bar is effective to hold the tongue in said buckle assembly, said latch bar extending across said base in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of said base and having a first end portion projecting outwardly from said first side portion of said base, a blocking bar supported by said first and second side portions of said base, said blocking bar being movable toward and away from said latch bar between a release position and a retaining position in which said blocking bar engages said latch bar at a location disposed between said first and second side portions of said base and is effective to block movement of said latch bar from the engaged position to the disengaged position, said blocking bar extending across said base in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of said base and having a first end portion projecting outwardly from one of said side portions of said base, and actuator means movable longitudinally along said base for moving said blocking bar from the retaining position to the release position and then moving said latch bar from the engaged position to the disengaged position, said actuator means including a first cam surface disposed adjacent to an outer side surface of said one side portion of said base and engageable with said first end portion of said blocking bar to move said blocking bar from the retaining position to the release position and a second cam surface disposed adjacent to the outer side surface of said first side portion of said base and engageable with said first end portion of said latch bar to move said latch bar from the engaged position to the disengaged position.