Indiana Mills & Manufacturing, Inc.

Grant Bryant

Chris P Jessup

Guy R Dingman

A locking retractor includes a frame, a spool shaft rotatably mounted thereto, an outer surface of a base of a housing mounted to the frame with one end of the spool shaft extending into an opening defined through the base, one or more locking components arranged on an inner surface of the housing and configured to cooperate with the spool shaft to selectively block rotation of the spool relative to the frame, a sealing member configured to extend about and engage a periphery of the first opening and to extend about and engage a periphery of the spool shaft to form a seal between the base of the housing and the spool shaft to block ingress of moisture and particles, and a cover hermetically attached to the housing with the locking components sealed between the cover and the base of the housing.

Sealed locking retractor

An apparatus and method are provided for sealing locking components of a retractor, wherein the retractor has a spool shaft extending therefrom. A base of a housing defines an opening therethrough, and an outer surface of the base is mounted to the retractor with the spool shaft extending into the opening. The locking components are arranged on an inner surface of the base of the housing. A sealing member engages the base of the housing and extends about a periphery of about the opening, and also extends about and engages a periphery of the spool shaft, to form a seal between the spool shaft and the base of the housing to block ingress of moisture and particles to the locking components. A cover is hermetically attached to the housing about a periphery thereof with the locking components sealed between the cover and the base of the housing.

A method is provided for sealing locking components of a retractor, wherein the locking components cooperate with a spool shaft extending from, and rotatable with, a rotatable spool of the retractor to selectively lock rotation of the spool. The method includes mounting a base of an open-ended housing to the retractor with the spool shaft accessible via an opening in the base when so mounted, positioning a sealing member to extend about and engage a periphery of the opening and to also extend about and engage a periphery of the spool shaft, operatively arranging the locking components within the interior of the housing, and hermetically sealing a cover to the open end of the housing after the housing is mounted to the retractor. The sealing member engages the peripheries of the first opening and the spool shaft and blocks ingress of moisture and particles to the locking components.

Hermetically sealed locking retractor

An apparatus and method are provided for hermetically sealing locking components of a retractor wherein the retractor has a spool shaft extending therefrom. An open-ended housing has a base and defines an opening through the base into an interior of the housing. The base of the housing is mounted to the retractor with the spool shaft accessible via the opening. The locking components are arranged within the housing. A sealing member is positioned about the opening to form a hermetic seal between the spool shaft and the opening. A cover is hermetically attached to the open end of the housing.

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Frankfort, IN, United States of America

Grant Bryant