Patent GB-1218576-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in safety harnesses
IPC: A44B11/25
Filed: 1968-02-21
Abstract: 1,218,576. Releasable fastenings. AMERICAN SAFETY EQUIPMENT CORP. 21 Feb., 1968 [6 March, 1967], No. 8461/68. Headings E2A and E2B. A safety harness for use by a passenger in a moving vehicle, comprises a lap belt 10 which includes a strap, means 12, for engaging an end portion of the strap and for connection to a floor anchorage 13 of a vehicle, the strap having a first fastening member 30 at the other end, said first fastening member having means 34 for releasably engaging a floor anchorage means 17, and a shoulder strap 11 having means 14 at one end for connection to further anchorage means 16 and provided at the other end with a second fastening member 20, one of said fastening members 20 including a base member 22, and a connector pin 40 extending laterally outwardly of said base member and connector pin receiving and abutment means 50 provided by said other fastening member 30 for receiving said connector pin to assemble said shoulder strap fastening member 20 to said lap belt fastening member 30 and for preventing separation of said assembled fastening members under loading on said belt and shoulder strap, said pin having means 41 for preventing its unintentional withdrawal from said pin receiving and abutment means. In the construction shown the member consists of a body 21 which includes the base member 22 and a pair of upstanding side walls 23 and 24; the side walls have inclined slots 28 in which the flattened end portions 27 of a bar 26 engage so that the bar is slidable and an aperture is provided in the base member underneath the bar, the bar and an edge of an aperture providing means for attaching the strap 11 to the fitting. A cover plate 25 encloses the bar. The means 41 of the connector pin 40 is a head. The member 30 is a buckle which has a base plate 31 which provides a bar 31' around which the lap belt strap is secured. A cover 33 made of plastics material is mounted slidably upon the base plate 31 for operation of the means 34 which is pivoted to the base plate; a wall 37 of the cover upon releasing movement of the cover engages an arm 36 of the means 34 and moves it to releasing position against the bias of a spring 38. The base plate has a portion 32 and in the fastening position the means 34 prevents withdrawal of an eye 18 of the anchorage means 17 from the hook portion. Integral with the base plate 31 and offset therefrom is an extension 51 provided with an aperture 54 into a large portion of which the connector pin 40 is insertable; the aperture includes a second smaller portion which provides a generally semi-circular abutment surface 55 and abutting the surface 55 is a split ring body 61 of a spring 60; the spring has a pair of outwardly extending legs 62 and 63 which extend into slots 56 and 57 of the extension 51 and locate the spring; the spring receives the connector pin and constitutes with the surface 55 the abutment means 50; the body 42 of the pin has to be forced through a mouth of the ring body and is thus retained in the aperture 54 by the spring. A cover 65 extends over the end portion of the extension 51 and retains the spring in place, the cover having a slot to 'guide the movement of the connector pin into the body 61 of the spring