Abstract:
A seatbelt access method and system are provided. A seatbelt access system can include a seatbelt and a seatbelt slide, wherein the seatbelt slide substantially encloses a portion of the seatbelt. The seatbelt access system can also include a seatbelt slide positioning system operable to move the seatbelt slide forward. A seatbelt slide positioning system can include a pull cord, and the pull cord can be operably coupled to the seatbelt slide. The pull cord can also be operably coupled to a vehicle frame. Alternatively, the pull cord can be operably coupled to an electronic motor or an electrically powered track. Alternatively, a seatbelt slide positioning system can include a bar. A seatbelt slide positioning system can also include a retractor. Further, a seatbelt slide positioning system can include a motor operable to move the seatbelt slide substantially forward and an activation device operable to activate the motor.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   Seatbelt usage saves lives and is mandated in many jurisdictions. However, for various reasons, some drivers and passengers fail to buckle up. One reason for this life threatening failure is that the seat belt is inconveniently positioned. Typically, seat belts are retracted to a position in line with the post or door jam to the rear of the front door. It can be difficult for some drivers and passengers (e.g., shorter drivers who require the seat to be more forward, the elderly and others with restricted motion) to reach back or twist around to grasp the seat belt after they are seated. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,730, entitled “Seatbelt system” issued to Suzuki, et al., hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a seatbelt system in which part of the seatbelt, the strap that restrains the upper body, is automatically placed in position to restrain the driver. One end of the strap moves along a guide rail generally positioned along the door frame, and the other end is attached to a fixed location between the driver and the passenger. To allow the driver it enter and exit the car, the strap moves forward on the guide rail. When the driver is seated and ready to drive the car, the strap moves rearward on the guide rail to position the strap across the driver&#39;s torso. However, the strap for the driver&#39;s waist must still be manually grasped and buckled. Thus, the problem of reaching back or twisting is not fully addressed. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,448, entitled “Seat belt holder” issued to Apfel, hereby incorporated by reference, disclosed a device for holding the seat belt at a location on the seat such that the belt is still flexible enough to not interfere with entering or exiting the car. Thus, the belt is releasably held more forward than the seatbelt would otherwise be, making the belt less difficult to grasp. However, the belt must be placed in the holder after each use for the holder to be effective. Such a requirement is unlikely to be met each time and is, therefore, undesirable. 
   SUMMARY 
   A seatbelt access method and system are provided. A seatbelt access system can include a seatbelt and a seatbelt slide, wherein the seatbelt slide substantially encloses a portion of the seatbelt. The seatbelt access system can also include a seatbelt slide positioning system operable to move the seatbelt slide forward. A seatbelt slide positioning system can include a pull cord, and the pull cord can be operably coupled to the seatbelt slide. The pull cord can also be operably coupled to a vehicle frame. Alternatively, the pull cord can be operably coupled to an electronic motor or an electrically powered track. 
   Alternatively, a seatbelt slide positioning system can include a bar. The bar can be operably coupled to the seatbelt slide. The bar can also be operably coupled to a vehicle frame. 
   A seatbelt slide positioning system can also include a retractor configured to restore the seatbelt and seatbelt slide to its original position. Further, a seatbelt slide positioning system can include a motor operable to move the seatbelt slide substantially forward and an activation device operable to activate the motor. The activation device can be selected from the group consisting of a button, a switch, a dial, a slide, a voice recognition device, an audio device and a video device. The motor can also be operable to allow the seatbelt slide to move substantially rearward to its original position. 
   Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description of the Invention and the figures. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram of a seatbelt access system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of a seatbelt access system having an electrically powered slide in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram of a seatbelt access system having a rigid bar in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4A  is a diagram of the seatbelt slide of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4B  is a diagram of the seatbelt slide of  FIG. 1  wherein the seatbelt slide has been pulled forward. 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram of a clamping unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a diagram of a seatbelt access system capable of installation after a vehicle is manufactured in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 7  is a diagram of the upper torso and seatbelt guide of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram of a side view of the upper torso and seatbelt guide of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   As illustrated by  FIGS. 1-8 , a method and apparatus for seatbelt access are provided. Embodiments of the present invention make seatbelts more convenient to use by increasing accessibility. Preferably, a pull cord  100  is provided. When the pull cord  100  is activated (e.g., by gripping and pulling the pull cord  100 ), the seat belt is moved to a more easily grasped position. Preferably, the pull cord  100  can be activated automatically or by use of a button or switch; however, the pull cord  100  can be activated by hand or any other suitable mechanism. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  7  and  8 , one end of the pull cord  100  is preferably attached to the frame  102  by a universal joint  126  above the front door  104 ; however, the end can be attached, coupled or otherwise connected to any suitable location and by any suitable device. Further, the pull cord  100  can be attached to an electrically powered reel (e.g., within the frame  102 ) that can activate the pull cord  100  automatically or upon activation of a switch, button, voice recognition device, audio device, video device or any other suitable device. Such a reel can also deactivate the pull cord  100  (e.g., by unreeling the pull cord  100 ) automatically or upon activation or deactivation of a switch, button, voice recognition device, audio device, video device or any other suitable device. 
   The other end of the pull cord  100  is preferably coupled to the seatbelt  106  by a seatbelt slide  108 ; however, the end can be attached, coupled or otherwise connected to the seatbelt  106  directly or by any suitable device. As a result, when the pull cord  100  is activated, a portion of the seatbelt  106 , including the seatbelt slide  108 , is pulled approximately perpendicular to the post  124  and in a plane approximately parallel to the plane of the window  118 . The seatbelt slide  108  traps the seatbelt  106 , so the necessary length of seatbelt  106  is extracted from the seatbelt retractor. 
   Preferably, the forward motion of the seatbelt  106  activates a retractor  110 . The pull cord retractor  110  is preferably fixed to the upper torso anchor  114  and moves with the anchor  114 , pivoting about upper torso anchor pivot  132  as it changes angle to adjust the direction of the seatbelt; however, the retractor  110  can be fixed to any suitable location. The retractor  110  includes a retractor cord  112  that passes through a retractor cord guide  116  fixed to the seatbelt post anchor  114 . Retractor cord stop  130  stops retraction of the retractor cord  112  when retractor cord stop  130 , pivotally attached to seatbelt slide  108 , meets the retractor cord guide  116 . Preferably, the seatbelt post anchor  114  is positioned on the post  124  between the front door  104  and a back door  128 ; however, the seatbelt post anchor  114  can be positioned in any suitable location. The seatbelt post anchor  114  is illustrated as being located substantially near the top of the front door window  118  and/or the rear door window  120 ; however, the seatbelt post anchor can be located at any suitable sight. 
   Preferably, the retractor cord  112  coils within the retractor  110  such that additional retractor cord  112  is fed out of the retractor  110  as the seatbelt slide is pulled forward by the pull cord. 
   Once the driver or passenger grasps the seatbelt  106 , the pull cord  100  can be deactivated (e.g., released), causing the retractor  110  to retract the retractor cord  112 . As a result, the seatbelt slide  108  returns to its resting position adjacent to the seatbelt post anchor  114 . As the seatbelt slide  108  returns to the seatbelt post anchor  114 , slot in the seatbelt slide  108  is aligned with the slot of the seatbelt post anchor  114 , allowing normal operation of the seat belt. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the pull cord  200  is attached to a slide  202  on an electrically powered track  204 . When the electrically powered track  204  is activated (e.g., by a switch or other suitable device on the steering wheel or other suitable location), the slide  202  moves forward. As a result, a portion of the seatbelt  206  trapped in the seatbelt slide  208  moves forward and the driver or passenger can more easily access and operate the seatbelt  206 . Once the seatbelt is grasped, the electrically powered track  204  can move the slide  202  back to its rearward position. The seatbelt  206 , seatbelt slide  208  and retractor  210  operate in substantially the same manner as in the embodiment described in  FIG. 1 . 
   A rigid or semi-rigid bar  300  can replace the pull cord  100 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The bar  300  is preferably bent or curved approximately  90  degrees and pivotally connects to the frame  302  at one end and the seatbelt slide  304  at the other. Preferably, a clip  306  or other suitable securing device is provided to enable the bar  300  to be retained in the position illustrated so that it does not interfere with entering and exiting the vehicle; however, seatbelt access systems are not required to provide such a securing device or can secure the bar  300  in any other suitable manner (e.g., having a high coefficient of friction or other mechanical impediment to pivoting at one or both ends of the bar  300 ). 
   To operate the seatbelt access system of  FIG. 3 , a driver or passenger reaches up to grasp the bar  300 . Preferably, the bar  300  is released from the clip  306 , and the driver pulls the bar  300  such that the bar  300  pivots around the point at which the bar  300  attaches to the frame  302 . As a result, the seatbelt slide  304  is pulled forward, enabling the driver easier access to the seatbelt as described above. Once the driver has accessed the seatbelt, the bar  300  can be returned to its initial position and re-secured by the clip  306 . 
     FIGS. 4A and 4B  show the seatbelt slide  108  of  FIG. 1  in greater detail. In  FIG. 4A , the seatbelt slide  108  is in a resting position, and in  FIG. 4B , the seatbelt slide  108  is pulled to a forward position. The seatbelt slide  108  is preferably made from nylon to reduce friction between the seatbelt and the seatbelt slide  108 ; however, the seatbelt slide  108  can be made from any suitable material or materials and/or can include roller bearings or other friction reducing devices. The seatbelt slide  108  is preferably substantially rectangular shaped; however the seatbelt slide  108  can be any suitable shape. An interior cavity  400  is configured to substantially enclose a seatbelt while allowing the seatbelt to slide through the cavity  400 , and one end of the seatbelt slide  108  preferably includes an access slot  402  through which the seatbelt can be passed during installation. 
   Once the seatbelt  106  is disposed within the cavity  400  through the slot  402 , a sealing connector  404  is positioned to prevent the seatbelt from substantially passing through the slot  402  again. The sealing connector  404  is preferably a bent rod, a ring or link, or a ring or link segment pivotally attached to the seatbelt slide  108  and provides a location for the pull cord  100  to attach to the seatbelt slide  108 ; however, the sealing connector  404  have any suitable form and can be attached to the seatbelt slide  108  in any suitable manner. Further, the pull cord  100  can attach to the seatbelt slide  108  at any suitable location, including locations other than the sealing connector  404 . 
   Preferably, a seatbelt access system is installed during manufacture of a vehicle; however, a seatbelt access system can be installed after manufacture of the vehicle. Such installation can be performed by a professional automotive technician or the seatbelt access system can be provided in a kit for installation by the vehicle owner or any other suitable party.  FIGS. 5-6  show a seatbelt access system that can be installed by any suitable party after a vehicle&#39;s manufacture in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
   The attachment of the pull cord to the care from over the door can be readily accomplished by a metallic terminal on the end of the cord securely held by a sheet metal screw into the internal metal of the door frame; however, the pull cord can be attached in any suitable manner. 
     FIG. 5  shows a side view of a clamping unit  500  that can be attached to the frame of the car when the door is open such that the door can still close while the clamping unit  500  is attached. The clamping unit  500  has a base  502  attached to an exterior protruding member  504  and an interior protruding member  506 . Preferably, the interior protruding member  506  is movable along the base  502  and the exterior protruding member  504  is fixed with respect to the base  502 . As a result, when the exterior protruding member  504  is positioned next to a surface of the vehicle frame, the interior protruding member  506  can be positioned such that the two members pinch or clamp the clamping unit  500  to the frame. Preferably, a locking mechanism  508  is also provided. The locking mechanism  508  can releasably prevent the interior protruding member  504  from moving once the clamping unit  500  is clamped to the frame. The locking mechanism  508  is preferably a nut; however, the locking mechanism can be any suitable device or structure. 
   The clamping unit  500  also includes an activator attachment location  510 , at which an activator  512  (e.g., a pull cord, a rigid or semi-rigid bar, etc.) attaches to the clamping unit  500 . Preferably, a retractor  514  couples the activator  512  to the activator attachment location  510 ; however, the activator  512  can attach to the activator attachment location  510  directly, through a motor or in any other suitable manner. It should be noted that the clamping unit  500  can be any suitable device for affixing the activator  512  to the vehicle frame and that the clamping unit  500  may attach to the vehicle frame in any suitable manner other than, or in addition to, by clamping, including, but not limited to, welding, screwing, nailing, gluing, velcroing, and affixing by one or more magnets. 
   As shown in  FIG. 6 , once the clamping unit  500  is attached to the vehicle frame  520 , the activator  512  is connected to a seatbelt slide  516 . Thus, when the activator  512  is activated (e.g., a pull cord is grasped and pulled in a downward and/or forward direction), a portion of the seatbelt  518  is pulled forward to a more readily accessible location. 
   It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.