Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Clifford E Heidenreich

Kenneth H Reid

William C Jarski

George W Boymer

A seat belt securing device includes a C-shaped hook member having upper and lower legs spaced apart to define a belt receiving slot having a forwardly facing open end. The lower leg is pivotally mounted on a mounting bracket attached to the vehicle body by a resilient yieldable support for positioning the hook member adjacent the hip of the seated occupant. The upper leg has a curved lower face engaged by the belt upon entry of the belt into the slot and is arranged relative the pivot so that belt force applied against the hook member by a retractor associated with the belt and by restraint of the occupant maintain the hook member in a downwardly directed belt capturing position. A gate member is pivotally mounted on the mounting bracket and is spring biased to a normal position where its one end engages the upper leg to close the open end of the slot and a latch portion at its other end engages a notch in the lower leg to latch the hook member against rearward motion. The spring yields to permit movement of the gate member to a slot opening position when engaged by the belt during engagement of the belt over the upper leg and insertion into the slot. During restraint of the occupant the resilient support yields to permit bodily forward and pivoting movement of the hook member and mounting bracket to maintain capture of the belt without imposing a load on the gate member. The belt is released by pivoting the gate member rearwardly to unlatch the hook member and pivoting the hook member rearwardly to an upwardly directed position to release the belt for windup by the retractor.

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Bloomfield Hills, MI, United States of America

Clifford E Heidenreich