Lightweight, multiple-point, quick-release, safety buckle for body harnesses
AssigneeAmerican Safety Equipment Corporation
InventorsAkira Tanaka, Hans Unger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lightweight, multiple-point, quick-release, safety buckle for body harnesses is disclosed in two preferred embodiments having a pair of shoulder harnesses, a waist belt and a crotch strap having connector ends meeting to engage within the device which has a housing comprised of a plastic cover rotatable relative to a plastic base which encloses a pair of metal plates to form a retaining space for the harness end-connectors and a plurality of cam-actuated pawls to releasably-retain the strap connector ends for their quick-release upon a rotation of the cover, and further, containing a finger-actuated lever to selectively quick-release only one or more of the straps.
Claims9
A multiple-point, quick-release, safety buckle for a body harness comprising:
- a lightweight, non-load-bearing plastic handle and a lightweight, non-load-bearing plastic base, said handle being rotatable relative to said base;
- a load-bearing, releasably-locking tongue plate subassembly consisting of a pair only of metal plates and means for holding said plates in a spaced, fixed relationship to provide a tongue-plate-receiving space therebetween;
- one or more load-bearing pawls and means for mounting them for pivotal movement on one of said metal plates into, and out of, said tongue-place-receiving space;
- means for mounting said plastic handle and base in non-load-bearing relation to said pair of metal plates;
- and
- means for operating said pawls associated with said pair of metal plates and said plastic handle whereby said pawls transfer the loading of said tongue plates located in said space to only said pair of metal plates and rotation of said handle relative to said base pivots said pawls out of said tongue-plate-receiving space between said metal plates.
A multiple-point, quick-release, safety buckle for body harnesses comprising:
- a plate sub-assembly consisting of a pair of metal plates and means for holding them in a spaced, generally parallel relationship to provide a belt-end connector space therebetween;
- one or more pawls and means for mounting them for pivotal movement into and out of said belt-end connector space;
- a pawl actuator and means for mounting said actuator to said plate sub-assembly for pivoting one or more pawls out of said belt-end connector space when operated in a predetermined manner;
- and
- a handle mounted to said plate sub-assembly and having means for operating said pawl actuator to pivot said one or more pawls out of said belt-end connector space when said handle is manipulated.
A lightweight, multiple-point, safety buckle for releasably-retaining one or more safety belt end-connectors of a safety harness, suitable for retention of aircraft pilots and/or passengers in their seats during emergency conditions, comprising:
- a buckle housing, including a cover shaped to be grasped for manual rotation as a connector-release handle, and a buckle base, to enclose the buckle operative parts, said cover and base being formed of a lightweight plastic material;
- not more than two metal plates, including an upper plate and a lower plate, and means for mounting them in a spaced relation to provide an end-connector receiving space therebetween within said housing, said housing having a plurality of connector-receiving apertures opening into said space between said plates;
- and
- one or more connector-engaging pawls and means for mounting them within said housing and to said lower plate for pivotal movement into and out of said space between said plates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.