Abstract: A fishing rod holder for a boat. A plurality of spring biased spools are fixedly mounted to the boat and have retractable belts which may be pulled outwardly. The distal ends of the belts have headed members which are releasably lockable into cavities provided on the boat and spaced apart from the spools. Fishing rods may be secured to the boat by extending the belts from the spools across the fishing rods to the cavities.

Abstract: An emergency locking seatbelt retractor. The retractor includes a pivoting lock plate which can pivot through a limited arc during activation of a webbing sensor or a vehicle sensor. When the lock plate is in its quiescent position, a pin thereon operates to hold a lock bar out of engagement with ratchet teeth on the webbing spool, thereby allowing free rotation of the spool. If either or both of the webbing sensor and vehicle sensor are activated, the lock plate is caused to pivot, drawing the pin away from the lock bar and allowing the lock bar to engage the ratchet teeth, thereby locking the retractor. Additionally, the locking initiation mechanism (the lock plate) and the sensors are isolated from webbing withdrawal forces and may therefore be constructed of lightweight, inexpensive materials. The retractor includes a vehicle sensor which is effective in substantially eliminating any vertical motion of the sensor ball.

Abstract: An end release buckle. A buckle frame has a pivotally mounted pawl for lockingly engaging a buckle tongue. The pawl is urged to a locking position by a pawl spring and is released by an end release button having a ramp surface contacting and pivoting the pawl. A tongue ejector is slidably mounted within the frame and is normally urged over the pawl by an ejector spring holding the pawl in an unlocked position. The ejector moves apart from the pawl upon insertion of the tongue. A separate member slidably mounted within the frame is forced forwardly towards the buckle entrance by the button and the button spring upon insertion of the tongue with the member sliding beneath the locked pawl.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A vehicle bunk and occupant restraint system. A bunk frame is pivotally or fixedly mounted to the back wall of the sleeping compartment of a trailer-cab. A fabric net has a proximal end fixedly mounted to the back wall and a distal end having buckles mounted thereto and positioned at the distal end of the bunk frame. A web support has a proximal end fixedly mounted to the back wall. The distal end of the web support includes a plurality of tongues positioned at the distal end of the bunk frame lockingly engagable with the buckles limiting occupant movement and application of occupant inertial force to the bunk frame during an emergency stop.

Abstract: An anti-cinch automatic locking retractor. A web spool is rotatably mounted between a pair of upstanding walls. The spool includes a pair of flanges each having a plurality of locking teeth with the teeth spaced apart by an included angle. A pawl is pivotally mounted to the walls and is lockingly engagable with the teeth. A cam plate mounted adjacent the spool and rotatable therewith includes a cam surface extending through an angle greater than the teeth included angle to limit cinching of the web spool as the spool rotates to and from the locking position and through the included angle. An additional slack reducing mechanism is mounted to the seat frame opposite from the side of the retractor and includes a pivot member for automatically aligning the attached locking device when not in use.

Abstract: A retractor for controlling the withdrawal of a belt therefrom operated by the locking engagement of a buckle and buckle tongue. A retractor frame having a spring biased rotatably mounted spool wrappingly receives one end of a belt harness, with the opposite end of the belt harness having fixed thereto either a buckle or a buckle tongue. Attached to a seat is either a buckle or a buckle tongue that receives the corresponding mating part of the buckle tongue combination which is attached to the belt harness. A locking bar is engagable with the ratchet shaped end plates of the spool to prevent further withdrawal of the belt harness. The locking engagement of the buckle and tongue causes movement of the locking bar into contact with the ratchet shaped end plates, which prevents the spool from rotating to allow any further withdrawal of the belt harness.

Abstract: An anti-cinch automatic locking retractor. A web spool is rotatably mounted between a pair of upstanding walls. The spool includes a pair of flanges each having a plurality of locking teeth with the teeth spaced apart by an included angle. A pawl is pivotally mounted to the walls and is lockingly engagable with the teeth. A cam plate mounted adjacent the spool and rotatable therewith includes a cam surface extending through an angle greater than the teeth included angle to limit cinching of the web spool as the spool rotates to and from the locking position and through the included angle.

Abstract: A restraint system for moving a vehicle seat and occupant toward the vehicle floor. A fluid cylinder pivotally mounted to the floor has an extendable piston rod connected to a linkage mounted to the vehicle seat. A three point belt assembly mounted to the seat is connected to the cylinder rod. Retraction of the cylinder rod pretensions or tightens the three point buckle assembly and subsequently moves the seat towards the vehicle floor.

Abstract: A seat belt system includes a first mounting bracket and a belt buckle, and a first connecting member connectable with the belt buckle and the first mounting bracket. The first connecting member is coupled with the first mounting bracket and is movable relative the first mounting bracket between retracted and extended positions. A first biasing device is provided for biasing the first connecting member in the retracted position. A corresponding retractor assembly coupled with a second mounting bracket and movably biased relative the second mounting bracket between like retracted and extended positions is also disclosed for use in conjunction with the seat buckle assembly to cause the seat belt to move upwardly rather than laterally relative the occupant, thereby preventing chafing of the occupant by the seat belt and reducing lateral accelerations applied to the upper torso of the occupant by the seat belt system.

Abstract: A retractor having means for controlling the withdrawal of a belt therefrom operated by a push button. A retractor frame has a spring biased rotatably mounted spool wrappingly receiving one end of a belt harness with the belt harness having an opposite end with buckle members fixed thereto to receive a buckle tongue. A locking bar is engageable with ratchet shaped end plates of the spool. The locking bar is pivotable into the ratchet shaped end plates to prevent further withdrawal of the belt harness. A manual push button control causes movement of the locking bar away from the ratchet shaped end plates to allow withdrawal of the belt harness until the push button is released and the locking bar pivots into its normal position in contact with the ratchet shaped end plates.

Abstract: A collapsible occupant restraint system for a vehicle sleeper. A net is fixedly mounted to a web framework. The framework is slidably mounted to a plurality of webs extendable and retractable by retracting devices. The net and webbing is extendable from a stored collapsed position to an in use position over a bed having buckles to lockingly engage a plurality of tongues mounted to the framework securing the occupant restraint system in the in use position. A pair of side belts pull the net upwardly increasing the passenger reclining space.

Abstract: A pre-emergency delayed locking retractor. A pawl is movably mounted to a retractor frame and is lockingly engagable with spool ratchet teeth with a web wound on the spool. A cam wheel mounted to the retractor frame or a web follower mounted to the pawl are operable to keep the pawl apart from the ratchet teeth until a predetermined amount of web is withdrawn. An inertial device engaged with an end of the pawl forces the pawl away from the ratchet teeth until the retractor frame is moved. The inertial device includes a mass mounted in an unstable fashion to the frame with an upstanding finger contactable by an arm fixedly mounted to an end of the pawl.

Abstract: A web adjuster for use with a plastic coated web. An adjuster frame includes a pair of slotted upstanding walls which slidably receive a roller bar extending therebetween. A plastic sleeve is rotatably mounted to the bar and includes a plurality of flexible ribs. The web extends around the sleeve which acts as a bearing relative to the bar. A stop edge is contactable by the web as the bar and sleeve move thereto locking the web to the adjuster.

Abstract: A seat belt assembly includes a tongue, a buckle, a frame mountable to a vehicle seat, linking articles for linking the tongue and buckle to the frame, a retractor assembly operable to pay out and retract linking articles connected with said tongue, the tongue thereby extendable from a retracted position to an extended position lockingly engaged with said buckle. The tongue, buckle, linking articles and retractor assembly are all mounted in operable combination to the frame, the resulting frame means combination being mountable as a unit to a vehicle seat. The seat belt assembly also includes tongue and buckle sleeve assemblies which are mountable to the frame and which cover the linking articles in the retracted position, and which support the tongue and the buckle in a desired user access position.

Abstract: A seat belt system includes a first mounting bracket and a belt buckle, and a first connecting member connectable with the belt buckle and the first mounting bracket. The first connecting member is coupled with the first mounting bracket and is movable relative the first mounting bracket between retracted and extended positions. A first biasing device is provided for biasing the first connecting member in the retracted position. A corresponding retractor assembly coupled with a second mounting bracket and movably biased relative the second mounting bracket between like retracted and extended positions is for use in conjunction with the seat buckle assembly to cause the seat belt to move upwardly rather than laterally relative the occupant, thereby preventing chafing of the occupant by the seat belt and reducing lateral accelerations applied to the upper torso of the occupant by the seat belt system.

Abstract: A web adjuster and lock assembly for a child restraint seat has a buckle lock assembly which is operably coupled to a web adjuster. The child restraint seat includes a harness which includes a buckle tongue on one end which engages with a buckle lock of the buckle lock assembly, and includes adjacent its other end a tightening web which is received through the web adjuster. The buckle lock of the buckle lock assembly is movable between a rest position, a locked position, and a release position. The web adjuster includes a friction surface which engages the tightening web when the web adjuster is in its web engageable position but is movable to a free position wherein the friction surface is disengaged from the tightening web allowing the web to move in both directions with respect to the web adjuster assembly.

Abstract: A pair of interactive tongues are for latching to a dual-tongue belt buckle. The belt buckle includes false latching features that only permits the latching mechanism to trigger when both of the tongues are fully inserted into the buckle. The contact surfaces of the first and second tongues include interactive features that prevent the tongues from sliding past one another in the direction of the tongue bars when the contact surfaces are meshed. The interactive features of the contact surfaces are shaped and configured so that the contact surfaces can be meshed by moving the tongues toward each other in a plurality of different directions that are perpendicular to the direction defined by the tongue bars.