The present invention relates to an assembly of a buckle mechanism and blade, and a method of securing the blade to and releasing the blade from the buckle mechanism. More specifically, the present invention relates to a buckle mechanism having a locking surface, a movable guide, and a unitary biasing member.
Existing buckle mechanisms have a moving lock member that secures a blade. These known buckle mechanisms are very complex devices comprised of a plethora of parts designed to engage and release the moving lock member from the blade to accomplish its relatively simple purpose. As a result of their complexity, known buckle mechanisms with a moving lock mechanism can be relatively expensive to manufacture and may be susceptible to failure.
One of the failures associated with these known buckle mechanisms is that releasing the blade from the buckle mechanism is difficult, if not impossible, after the assembly has withstood particular tensile forces. For example, vehicle passengers, after having been involved in an accident and restrained by a seat belt system employing a buckle mechanism with a moving lock, are unable to release the buckle mechanism. It is believed that the tensile forces applied to the moving lock member prevent the lock member from being moved in these conditions. Thus, a need exists for an assembly of a buckle mechanism and blade that has a minimum number of parts and avoids the difficulties of a moving lock member in a buckle mechanism.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an assembly of a buckle mechanism and blade, having a fastening surface, including a base, having a surface and a projection extending away from the surface, and a guide supported by the base. The projection has a lock surface substantially perpendicular to a plane passing through the surface of the base and contiguous to the surface. The guide engages the fastening surface of the blade with the lock surface of the projection.
In an alternative embodiment, the buckle mechanism and blade assembly includes a base within the housing, a guide supported by the base, and at least one biasing member within the housing. The biasing member locates the guide to a first position in which the blade engages the projection and opposes movement of the guide to a second position in which the blade disengages from the projection. The base has a surface and a projection extending away from the surface, and the guide locates the blade proximate the surface.
In a further embodiment, the invention includes a buckle mechanism having a base with a projection and a guide supported by the base. The guide has at least one wall defining a void and is positionable in a first position so that the projection occupies at least a portion of the void and a second position so that the projection is removed from the void.
The present invention also provides a method of securing a blade to a buckle mechanism. In this method, the buckle mechanism has a base and a guide supported by the base, the base has a projection providing a lock surface and a portion aligned with the lock surface. The guide is configured to support the blade, and the blade has a fastening surface and a support surface adjacent the fastening surface. This method includes: (1) inserting the blade into the guide; and (2) engaging the fastening surface of the blade with the lock surface of the projection and the support surface of the blade with the portion of the base aligned with the lock surface.
An alternative method of the present invention is a method of releasing a blade from a buckle mechanism, where the buckle mechanism has a base and a guide supported by the base. The base has a surface and a projection extending away from the surface. The projection provides a lock surface, and the guide is configured to support the blade. The blade has a fastening surface and a support surface adjacent the fastening surface. This method includes: (1) moving the fastening surface of the blade by the guide in a first direction substantially oblique to a plane passing through the surface of the base to disengage the fastening surface of the blade from the lock surface of the projection; and (2) removing the blade from the guide in a second direction substantially parallel to the surface of the base.
A further method of the present invention is a method of securing a blade to a buckle mechanism and releasing a blade from the buckle mechanism. The buckle mechanism has a base and a guide supported by the base. The base has a surface and a projection extending away from the surface, where the projection provides a lock surface. The guide is configured to support the blade, which has a fastening surface. This method includes: (1) inserting the blade into the guide; (2) engaging the fastening surface of the blade with the lock surface of the projection; (3) moving the fastening surface of the blade by the guide in a first direction substantially oblique to a plane passing through the surface of the base to disengage the fastening surface of the blade from the lock surface of the projection; and (4) removing the blade from the guide in a second direction substantially parallel to the surface of the base.