The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 10, 1976
Filed:
Mar. 20, 1975
Cyril Henderson, Woodland Hills, CA (US);
American Safety Equipment Corporation, Encino, CA (US);
Abstract
A reel on which seat belts are stored about a rotatable shaft. The reel includes spring means for retracting the belt and a ratchet tooth gear fixed for rotation with the shaft. Upon rapid unreeling of the belt off of the shaft, means which may be inertia responsive activates a pair of lockbars to engage the ratchet tooth gear and stop its rotation. Each lockbar includes a pawl tip and when one of the pawl tips is radially aligned with one of the tooth tips on the gear, the other of the pawl tips is aligned midway between a pair of adjacent gear teeth. When the lockbars are moved into engagement with the ratchet tooth gear, the combination of the two pawl tips and their orientation with respect to the teeth of the gear assures that at least one of the tips will be in proper position to engage the tooth gear should the other tip break off or not engage upon contact with the gear. Differential lever means may be provided for moving the pawl tips into engagement with the gear. This latter means thus forces one of the pawl tips into engagement with the gear should a first pawl tip slip or otherwise not engage.