Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Inc.

Indiana Mills & Mfg. Co., Inc.

David D Merrick

James R Anthony

Allan R Lortz

Guy R Dingman

Michael A Wiseman

James R Chinni

James T Anthony

Ronald F Homeier

Aaron J Acton

Jeffrey E Peterson

Harold G Wallen

Chris P Jessup

Gerald W Thompson

Peter E Miller

James C Esler

Lisa A Rose

A restraint system for may include a vehicle seat suspended above a floor of a vehicle and a restraint harness coupled to the vehicle seat and configured to restrain an occupant of the seat. The restraint harness may include at least one shoulder web configured to extend over a shoulder of an occupant of the seat and at least one lap web configured to extend over a lap of the occupant. At least one deformable member may be attached to the vehicle seat and configured to deform and dissipate energy when a force is applied thereto by the at least one shoulder web in response to an upward transient force of sufficient magnitude applied to the vehicle seat. A restraint harness pre-tensioning system may be responsive to a signal produced by a vehicle event sensor to tighten the at least one lap web about the occupant.

Restraint system for a suspendable vehicle safety seat

A load control device comprises a frame defining a first anchor slot configured to receive a first restraint member, and a second anchor slot configured to receive a second restraint member. At least a portion of the frame yields under a load between the first and second anchor slots that is in excess of a predetermined load.

Load control device

A clamp for relieving the tension in a seatbelt. An air operated actuator is activated by the passenger at a location remote from the clamp to lock the clamp to the seatbelt. The clamp is slidable on a track with a first endstop and an opposite second endstop. The clamp can be initially secured to the seatbelt at the first endstop. Subsequent movement by the passenger results in the clamp moving along the track. Upon reseating by the passenger, the clamp will be supported at a support position intermediate of the first and second endstops, resulting in increased slack in the shoulder portion of the seatbelt, reduced tension in the shoulder portion, and increased comfort for the passenger.

Clamp for retractor belt with actuator

A vehicle seat has a back portion deformable forwardly when impacted from the rear by a passenger. A horizontally movable seat platform is slidably mounted to the seat frame and has restraint belts. The seat platform is normally held in an aft position until forward passenger force is applied through the lap belts to the movable platform during a crash.

Vehicle restraint system with slidable seat

A vehicle seat having a back portion bent or deformed forwardly when impacted from the rear by a passenger. A horizontally movable seat platform is slidably mounted to the seat frame and has lap belts secured thereto. The seat platform is normally held in an aft position by fastening devices which break under forward passenger force applied through the lap belts to the movable platform during a crash. The movable platform includes a plurality of sleeves affixed thereto which are slidably mounted to the main frame of the seat.

A retractor and boot for limiting passage of dirt and foreign material on the retractor belt. The boot includes a plastic housing surrounding the retractor and has an outwardly extending portion forming a channel through which the belt is movable. A pair of scraping edges are located offset along the longitudinal channel axis and are spaced apart relative to each other a distance less than the belt thickness allowing dirt and foreign material to be scraped from the belt as the belt is retracted.

Retractor belt boot scraper

A clamp for relieving the tension in a seatbelt. The clamp is moveable along a track between first and second endstops. The clamp includes a movable button which can be pushed by the passenger to lock the clamp to the seatbelt. The clamp can be secured to the seatbelt at the first endstop. Subsequent movement by the passenger results in the clamp moving along the track. Upon reseating by the passenger, the clamp will be supported at a support position intermediate of the first and second endstops, resulting in increased slack in the shoulder portion of the seatbelt, reduced tension in the shoulder portion, and increased comfort for the passenger.

Clamp for retractor belt

A web retractor including a spring biased spool upon which is mounted a web. The distal end of the web includes a connector to releasably engage a watercraft to hold the watercraft atop a boat trailer. A release lever is connected to the retractor pawl allowing the spool to rotate and web to be extended. A crank is attached to the spool axle and when engaged rotates the axle to tighten the web. The crank is normally positioned in an unengaged position allowing the spool to rotate without crank movement.

Web retractor with release lever and tightening handle

A clamp for adjusting the length of a seatbelt. The clamp is moveable along a track between first and second endstops. The clamp includes a slider coupled to the track and a housing that is slidable relative to the slider. Sliding the housing to the locked position results in the clamping of the seatbelt between a groove of the slider and the edge of a pivotal locking bar. The clamp is secured to the seatbelt at the first endstop. Subsequent movement by the passenger results in the clamp moving along the track. Upon reseating by the passenger, the clamp will be supported at a support position intermediate of the first and second endstops, resulting in increased slack in-the shoulder portion of the seatbelt, reduced tension in the shoulder portion, and increased comfort for the passenger.

A quick disconnect connector mountable to a pair of shoulder webs on a child seat. The connectors each include a pair of aligned slots slidably receiving a shoulder web. The first connector has three cantilevered arms extendable into a cavity in the second connector. Two of the arms are contactable against a cantilevered movable web lock on the second connector. The third arm includes a ledge lockable against a stop edge on the second connector. The web lock has a distal end movable downwardly beneath the other two arms locking the second web in place when the connectors are mated and locked together.

Child seat harness clip with web lock

A child restraint system for use in a vehicle. The restraint includes a harness having a pair of webs extending over and adjacent the child's chest and through a pair of soft socks adjustable along the length of each web. The bottom of each sock includes a rigid base having a slot through which the web extends limiting twisting movement of each web. A quick disconnect connector is pivotally connected to each base allowing the webs extending through the socks to conformingly fit against the child while lateral movement of the webs is limited.

Child seat harness clip

A retractor for controlling the withdrawal of a belt therefrom actuated by movement of a locking bar extension. The retractor frame having a spring biased rotatably mounted spool wrappingly receives one end of the belt harness, the opposite end of the belt harness having fixed thereto either a buckle or a buckle tongue. Attached to a seat is a pivoting crotch stalk including either a buckle or a buckle tongue that receives the corresponding mating part of the buckle tongue combination which is attached to the buckle harness. A locking bar with attached extension is engageable with the ratchet shaped end plates of the spool to prevent further withdrawal of the belt harness. The pivoting crotch stalk engages the extension causing movement of the locking bar into contact with the ratchet shaped end placed, thereby preventing the spool from rotating to allow any further withdrawal of the belt harness. In an alternative embodiment, the locking bar extension extends into the slot of the buckle and upon insertion of the tongue causes movement of the locking bar into the ratchet wheel.

Child seat retractor

Contoured harness clip

A dual spool retractor. A pair of belt spools are rotatably mounted to a frame having the same axis of rotation. Springs urge the spools to retract each belt. A single pawl is engageable with teeth of each spool to limit spool rotation and belt extension. The pawl is spaced apart from the teeth by belt followers until both belts are extended from each spool. The retractor is combined with a vehicle child seat.

Growing community of inventors

Cicero, IN, United States of America

David D Merrick