Claims
- 1. A seat belt release mechanism for use in conjunction with a vehicle having a series of seats and adapted for conveying a plurality of occupants, each seat in the vehicle having an individual seat belt for each occupant, with the release mechanism herein capable of providing immediate release of all of the occupants from containment by the seat belt in the event of an accident; said release mechanism including concentric sleeves, one of said sleeves being an outer sleeve, and the second sleeve being an inner concentric sleeve, the outer sleeve having at least one slot provided therethrough, the inner sleeve having at least one integral tab, which is exposed through the slot of the outer sleeve; each seat belt, at one end, having a ring, said ring disposed for inserting through the outer sleeve slot and being contained by the tab of the concentric inner sleeve, when securing the seat belt for usage, and upon pivot of the inner sleeve, releasing the seat belt ring and opening of the seat belt to allow for prompt removal of the seat belt and simultaneous release of all of the occupants from seat belt containment; and a cable operatively associated with each of the inner sleeves to provide for their pivot, when the cable is pulled in one direction, for locking all of the seat belts in place; and upon movement of the cable in the opposite direction, providing for inner sleeve pivot and its release of the seat belt rings to allow for prompt release of all of the seat belts and simultaneous freeing of all of the vehicle occupants.
- 2. The release mechanism of claim 1 including framework supporting each vehicle seat, and the outer sleeve associated with each seat being fixed to said framework.
- 3. The release mechanism of claim 2 and including each inner sleeve at one end having a lever connected thereto, and the lever connecting with the cable to provide for pivot of the inner sleeve relative to its outer sleeve and for securing or releasing the seat belt from its occupant.
- 4. The release mechanism of claim 3 and including said cable having ends, and a crank mechanism operatively associated with one end of the cable to provide for its movement in either direction to furnish an immediate containment or release of the seat belt from the vehicle occupant.
- 5. The release mechanism of claim 3 including said cable having ends, and a winch mechanism operatively associated with one end of the cable, and when actuated, providing for movement of the cable and a containment or release of the vehicle occupant from the seat belt.
- 6. The release mechanism of claim 5 and wherein said winch mechanism is electrically operated.
- 7. The release mechanism of claim 5 and wherein said crank mechanism is located externally of the vehicle.
- 8. The release mechanism of claim 2 and wherein each seat having an outside edge, and the cable and release mechanism being operatively associated with the outside edges of each seat along the length of the vehicle.
- 9. The release mechanism of claim 8 and wherein said vehicle comprises a bus.
- 10. The release mechanism of claim 9 wherein said vehicle comprises a school bus.
- 11. A release mechanism for securing or disconnecting the end of a seat belt from around an occupant; including a first sleeve means affixed to the seat, a second sleeve means maintained internally of the first sleeve means, said second sleeve means disposed for shifting in cooperation with one end of the seat belt for securing it about the occupant, said first sleeve means having a slot therethrough, said second sleeve means having a tab provided thereon and disposed for engagement of one end of the seat belt extending through the first sleeve means slot, when said second sleeve means is pivoted in one direction, and when said second sleeve means is pivoted in an opposite direction, releasing the end of the seat belt and releasing the securement of the seat belt from around its occupant; and means operatively associated with the second sleeve means to provide for its actuation in one direction for securement of the seat belt, and for providing for its actuation in an opposite direction for release of the seat belt from around any occupant.
- 12. The release mechanism of claim 11 wherein said release mechanism operatively associated with each seat of the vehicle to provide for simultaneous release of the seat belt from around each seat occupant in the event of an emergency.
Parent Case Info
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a non-provisional patent application based upon provisional patent application having Ser. No. 60/172,645, filed on Dec. 26, 1999, which is owned by the same inventor.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
405112198 |
Oct 1993 |
JP |
10194085 |
Jul 1998 |
JP |
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60/172645 |
Dec 1999 |
US |