Patent Publication Number: US-2007101558-A1

Title: Protective apparatus for seatbelt buckle and seatbelt restraint system comprising same

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE  
      The disclosures made herein relate generally to automobile seat belt buckles and, more particularly, to apparatuses configured for reducing the potential for a child to unbuckle their seatbelt buckle once fastened.  
     BACKGROUND  
      Automotive seatbelt restraint systems typically consist of two separable restraints, fastenable to one another by means of a releasable buckle assembly. The releasable buckle assembly has a tab portion attached to a first one of the restraints and a seatbelt buckle attached to a second one of the restraints. The tab portion is engagable with the seatbelt buckle and a locking mechanism of the seatbelt buckle is biased such that it automatically engages the tab portion when the tab portion is sufficiently engaged within the seatbelt buckle. The tab portion is separable from the locking mechanism by depressing a release button of the locking mechanism.  
      The release button of the seatbelt buckle is exposed to accommodate the unfastening of the releasable buckle assembly. Recently, it has become commonplace for seatbelt buckles of automotive seatbelt restraint systems to be configured with the release button located and a tab receiving slot located on an exposed end of the seatbelt buckle as opposed to the release button being located on a side face of the seatbelt buckle. This location for the release button provides for easier accessibility, which makes it easier to access and operate the release button. Undesirably, this enhanced accessibility also increases the ability for young children to readily unbuckling their seatbelt.  
      Although experts agree that seat belts are one of the most effective devices for preventing injury in the event of an automobile accident, it is clear that they are only effective if they are worn. Accordingly, most parents insist that their children wear seat belts at all times. However, a parent can only make certain that a child is initially wearing the seat belt at the start of a journey. They often cannot control whether the child chooses to “free” himself or herself from the seat belt at an inappropriate time during the journey.  
      If a child releases the seat belt while the vehicle is in motion, a variety of safety problems arise. First, without the seat belt, the child is clearly vulnerable to injury in the event of an accident. Second, the child is also prone to injury simply by virtue of the fact that they are now roaming within a moving vehicle—subject to jolts from sudden starts, stops, and sharp turns. Third, because the parent is mostly watching the road, the unsupervised and now unrestrained child can cause damage to the automobile and its contents. Most importantly, the realization by the parent/driver that the child is freely roaming in the back seat can be distracting enough to cause an accident or, at least, unsafe driving practices (e.g., attempting to refasten the child&#39;s seatbelt while still driving).  
      Therefore, a protective apparatus that limits the ability of a child to unbuckle their seatbelt and that overcomes limitations associated with known protective apparatuses configured for limiting the ability of a child to unbuckle their seatbelt would be useful and advantageous.  
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
      Embodiments of the present invention limit the ability of a child to unbuckle their seatbelt. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide a protective apparatus that precludes a person&#39;s finger from directly engaging a release button of a seatbelt buckle release button and requires a specially configured release key to be used for depressing the release button. Embodiments of the present invention are specifically configured for use with seatbelt buckles having the release button and a tab receiving slot at an end face of a seatbelt buckle housing. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention advantageously overcome one or more shortcomings associated with known protective apparatuses configured for limiting the ability of a child to unbuckle their seatbelt and/or their use with seatbelt buckles having the release button and the tab receiving slot at the end face of the seatbelt buckle housing.  
      In one embodiment of the present invention, a seatbelt buckle protective apparatus comprises a protective body and a release key. The protective body includes a seatbelt buckle receiving space having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The first end is open and an end wall terminates the second end. A tab receiving slot extends through the end wall and a key receiving opening extends through the end wall. The release key includes a protruding member configured for being inserted through the key receiving opening of the protective body.  
      In another embodiment of the present invention, a seatbelt buckle protective apparatus comprises a protective body and a release key. The protective body includes an end wall and a skirt extending from the end wall to form a seatbelt buckle receiving space suitable for having a tab receiving end of a seatbelt buckle positioned therein, a tab receiving slot extending through the end wall and a key receiving opening extending through the end wall. The release key includes a protruding member configured for being inserted through the key receiving opening of the protective body.  
      In another embodiment of the present invention, an automotive seatbelt restraint system comprises a seatbelt buckle, a protective body and a release key. The seatbelt buckle includes a tab receiving slot in an end face of the seatbelt buckle and a locking mechanism release button in the end face of the seatbelt buckle. The protective body is removably engaged over the end face of the seatbelt buckle. The protective body includes an end wall extending over the end face of the seatbelt buckle, a tab receiving slot extending through the end wall and a key receiving opening extending through the end wall. At least a portion of the tab receiving slot of the seatbelt buckle is positioned directly behind the tab receiving slot of the protective body and at least a portion of the locking mechanism release button of the seatbelt buckle is positioned directly behind the key receiving opening of the protective body. The release key includes a protruding member insertable through the key receiving opening of the protective body for depressing the locking mechanism release button of the seatbelt buckle while the protective body is engaged over the end face of the seatbelt buckle.  
      Turning now to specific aspects of the present invention, in at least one embodiment, the key receiving opening is a key receiving slot.  
      In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the key receiving slot extends generally parallel with and in side-by-side relationship with the tab receiving slot.  
      In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the release key includes a hand gripping portion attached to an end portion of the protruding member and the hand gripping portion includes a ring-shaped member.  
      In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the protective body includes a skirt extending from the end wall and the skirt extends generally parallel to a side wall of the seatbelt buckle.  
      These and other objects, embodiments, advantages and/or distinctions of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification, associated drawings and appended claims.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view depicting an embodiment of a protective body in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the protective body shown in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  depicts functionality of the protective body depicted in  FIGS. 1 and 2  in combination with a release key in accordance with the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       FIGS. 1 and 2  depict an embodiment of a protective body in accordance with the present invention, which is referred to herein as the protective body  10 . The protective body  10  includes an end wall  12  and a skirt  14 . The skirt  14  extends from the end wall  12  to form a seatbelt buckle receiving space  16  suitable for having a tab receiving end  17  of a seatbelt buckle  18  positioned therein. The seatbelt buckle receiving space  16  has a first end  20  and a second end  22  opposite the first end  20 . The first end  20  is open and the end wall  12  terminates the second end  22 .  
      The skirt  14  partially encompasses a perimeter of the end wall  12 . Additionally, the skirt  14  is a first length adjacent a top portion of the end wall  12  and a second length adjacent side portions of the end wall  12 . However, it is disclosed herein that the skirt  14  may fully encompass the end wall  12  and that the skirt  14  may have a substantially uniform length around the entire perimeter of the end wall  12 .  
      A tab receiving slot  24  and a key receiving slot  26  extend through the end wall  12 . The key receiving slot  26  extends generally parallel with and in side-by-side relationship with the tab receiving slot  24 . The key receiving slot  26  is one embodiment of a key receiving opening in accordance with the present invention. Other embodiments of a key receiving opening in accordance with the present invention have shapes other than a slot, such as round, square and the like. The present invention is not limited to a key receiving opening of a particular shape.  
      As depicted in  FIG. 1 , the seatbelt buckle  18  includes a tab receiving slot  28  in an end face  30  of the seatbelt buckle  18  and a locking mechanism release button  32  in the end face  30 . The seatbelt buckle  18  has a common and widely used configuration with respect to known seatbelt buckles used in the automotive industry. Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , with the protective body  10  positioned over the tab receiving end  17  of the seatbelt buckle  18 , at least a portion of the tab receiving slot  28  of the seatbelt buckle  18  is positioned directly behind the tab receiving slot  24  of the protective body  10  and at least a portion of the locking mechanism release button  32  of the seatbelt buckle  18  is positioned directly behind the key receiving slot  26  of the protective body  10 . The skirt  14  of the protective body extends generally parallel to adjacent exterior walls  33  of the seatbelt buckle.  
      With the protective body  10  in place as described herein, a tab portion  34  of a seatbelt retention member  36  is inserted through the tab receiving slot  24  of the protective body  12  into the tab receiving slot  28  of the seatbelt buckle  18 . Sufficient insertion of the tab portion  34  of the seatbelt retention member  36  causes the tab portion  34  of the seatbelt retention member  36  to be releasably yet securely engaged with a locking mechanism within the seatbelt buckle  18 .  
      In accordance with the present invention, a release key  38  ( FIG. 3 ) is provided for releasing the locking mechanism of the seatbelt buckle  18  from the tab portion  34  of the seatbelt retention member  36 . The release key  38  includes a protruding member  40  and a ring-shaped hand gripping portion  42  attached to an end portion  44  of the protruding member  40 . The ring-shaped hand gripping portion  42  enables convenient gripping of the release key  38  and, optionally, attachment of the release key  38  to a desired object (e.g., to a key chain). The protruding member  40  is configured for being inserted through the key receiving slot  24  of the protective body  10  and, accordingly, the protruding member  40  has a cross sectional shape enabling such insertion into the key receiving slot  24  of the protective body  10 . Through such insertion, the release key  38  may be forcibly engaged with the locking mechanism release button  32  of the seatbelt buckle  18  for depressing the locking mechanism release button  32  such that the locking mechanism of the seatbelt buckle  18  releases from the tab portion  34  of the seatbelt retention member  36  and thereby enables the seatbelt retention member  36  to be separated from the seatbelt buckle  18 .  
      The direction of insertion of the tab portion  34  of the seatbelt retention member  36  and the direction of motion of the locking mechanism release button  32  are both generally parallel with a longitudinal reference axis L ( FIG. 1 ) of the seatbelt body  12 . Accordingly, the tab receiving slot  24  and the key receiving slot  26  of the protective body  10  are configured and orientated to enable a direction of insertion of the tab portion  34  of the seatbelt retention member  36  through the tab receiving slot  24  of the protective body  10  and a direction of insertion of the protruding member  40  of the release key  38  through the key receiving slot  26  of the protective body  10  to be generally parallel with the longitudinal reference axis L of the seatbelt body  12 .  
      In one embodiment, an automotive seatbelt restraint system in accordance with the present invention is disclosed herein to include a protective body and a release key in accordance with the present invention (e.g., the protective body  10  and the release key  38 , respectively) in combination with a suitably configured seatbelt buckle (e.g., the seatbelt buckle  18  disclosed herein).  
      In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments, and certain variants thereof, have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, chemical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of such inventive disclosures. To avoid unnecessary detail, the description omits certain information known to those skilled in the art. The preceding detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.