Patents by Inventor William E. Heaney

William E. Heaney has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5299830
    Abstract: The safety belt pre-tension assembly comprises a support 14, a safety belt buckle 10 mounted on the support for axial displacement relative to the support, a housing 40, a winding reel 44 mounted within the housing and a helical power spring 52 associated with the reel to cause rotation of the winding reel. A flexible cable 34 has one end connected to the winding reel, so that the flexible cable will be wound thereon upon operation of the power spring. The other end of the flexible cable 34 is connected to the buckle 10 to move the buckle axially in a first direction effective to tension a safety belt held by the buckle. Actuation means 54-70 are provided to trigger actuation of the spring 52 upon the actuation means being subjected to a deceleration greater than the predetermined value. Locking means 26-32 are provided to allow the buckle to move in the first direction only, but not in the opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 5, 1994
    Assignee: European Components Corporation
    Inventors: Harry Hanna, William E. Heaney
  • Patent number: 5115990
    Abstract: A retainer mechanism for a safety belt includes a retraction reel on which the safety belt web is wound and first and second locking members mounted adjacent the reel and movable relative to the frame to clamp the web itself or allow the web to move. Displacement of the second locking member, and thus of the first locking member, may be caused e.g. by an inertia mechanism on the reel and/or by an acceleration/de-celeration sensitive mechanism and/or by a projection adjacent the end of the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: European Components Corporation
    Inventors: Harry Hanna, William E. Heaney
  • Patent number: 5039025
    Abstract: A retainer mechanism for a safety belt includes a retraction reel on which the safety belt web is wound and first and second locking members mounted adjacent the reel and movable relative to the frame to clamp the web itself or allow the web to move. Displacement of the second locking member, and thus of the first locking member, may be caused e.g. by an inertia mechanism on the reel and/or by an acceleration/de-celeration sensitive mechanism and/or by a projection adjacent the end of the web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1991
    Assignee: European Components Corporation
    Inventors: Harry Hanna, William E. Heaney