Removable seat belt guide ring

In an automotive seat belt system for the seat of a vehicle having a frame including a retractor assembly, webbing emanating from the retractor assembly, and a tongue plate mounted on the webbing and adapted to be releasably joined to a seat belt buckle, a guide ring assembly for routing the webbing over the shoulder of the occupant of the seat, comprising:

• a unitary generally triangular-shaped member comprising a base portion defining a webbing receiving surface and having a length at least as great as the width of said webbing to permit said webbing to freely pass over said surface of said base portion, and said portions integrally joined at their respective first ends to opposite ends of said base portion and defining mounting means at their respective free ends, said free ends being oriented in an overlapping manner and offset with respect to each other so as to define a slot therebetween to permit said webbing to pass therethrough when mounting said member onto said webbing, wherein said base portion is plastically deformed in the region opposite to said webbing receiving surface for enabling said base portion to resist deformation when said webbing portion is under high tension loads;
• and
• fastening means coacting with said mounting means for securing said member to the frame of the vehicle.

In an automobile seat belt system for the seat of a vehicle having a frame including a retractor assembly, webbing emanating from the retractor assembly, and a tongue plate mounted on the webbing and adapted to be releasably joined to a seat belt buckle, a guide ring assembly for routing the webbing over the shoulder of the occupant of the seat, comprising:

• a unitary generally triangular-shaped member comprising a base portion defining a webbing receiving surface and having a length at least as great as the width of said webbing to permit said webbing to freely pass over said base portion, and side portions integrally joined at their respective first ends to opposite ends of said base portion and defining mounting means at their other ends, wherein said base portion is plastically deformed in the region opposite to said webbing receiving surface so as to increase a cross-sectional dimension of said base portion relative to said side portions for enabling said base portion to resist deformation when said webbing portion is under high tension loads;
• and
• fastening means coacting with said mounting means for securing said member to the frame of the vehicle.