Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
[39 OF 1970]
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10, Rule 13]

A BUCKLE OF A SEAT BELT FOR A VEHICLE

BY
MAHINDRA ELECTRIC AUTOMOBILE LTD, HAVING ADDRESS AT PLOT NO.41/1, MAHINDRA WORLD CITY, ANJUR, CHENGALPATTU – 603004, TAMILNADU, INDIA

THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED

A BUCKLE OF A SEAT BELT FOR A VEHICLE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The present disclosure relates to a buckle of a seatbelt for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, a three-point seat belt consists of a buckle, a latch plate, a webbing, a pillar loop, an anchor, and a retractor. In a rear seat of a vehicle, the buckle of the seat belt is enclosed in a seat cushion cut out. This buckle gets pushed further into the seat due to the force exerted while buckling the seatbelt or due to an passenger sitting on the buckle. This leads to poor accessibility of the buckle and makes it difficult to pull out. To remove the buckle from the seat, generally, passengers use their hands, and particularly nails of fingers. The nails of passenger may damage a seat trim and cause wear and tear of fabric around the buckle. The wear and tear of the fabric increases the cost of ownership. The buckle of the seat is not clearly visible in darkness. In low visibility conditions the buckle is difficult to locate.
Therefore, there is a need for a buckle that can be accessed without causing damage to the fabric of the seat, can be easily pulled out when the buckle gets pushed into the seat, and can be located easily when there is low visibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the present invention, a buckle for a seat belt for a vehicle is provided. The buckle includes a body disposed within a seat of the vehicle. The buckle includes at least one protrusion projecting from a surface of the body. The protrusion provides accessibility to a passenger to pull the buckle from an in-position to an out-position within the seat of the vehicle.
According to the present invention, the protrusion is made up of an elastic material.
According to the present invention, the protrusion has a triangular prism shape.
According to the present invention, the protrusion has a finger slot.
According to the present invention, the protrusion has a semi-circular shape.
According to the present invention, the protrusion has at least one hole.
According to the present invention, the protrusion has at least one cut-out.
According to the present invention, the protrusion projects from a top surface of the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of a buckle of a seat belt for a vehicle, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the buckle of the seat belt for the vehicle, according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 illustrates an isometric view of a buckle of a seat belt for a vehicle, according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of the buckle for the seatbelt of the vehicle, according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments are provided to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth relating to specific components to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “consists,” “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
FIGS. 1 and 2, illustrate a first embodiment of a buckle (100) of a seat belt for a vehicle. The seat belt for the vehicle is a three-point seat belt system. The three-point seatbelt system consists of the buckle (100), a latch plate, a webbing, a pillar loop, an anchor, and a retractor. The webbing is attached to the retractor which is a first point of contact of the three-point seat belt system with the vehicle. The webbing passes through the pillar loop which is a second point of contact of the three-point seat belt system with the vehicle. The latch plate is movably disposed on the webbing. The latch plate divides the webbing into a shoulder part and a lap part when the seat is buckled. The anchor is a third point of contact of the three-point seat belt system with the vehicle. The three-point seat belt system is used on a front seat and a rear seat of the vehicle. On the rear seat of the vehicle the buckle (100) is disposed within the rear seat. The buckle (100) is movable between an in-position and an out-position. For buckling the seat belt, the buckle (100) is removed from the in-position to the out-position by a passenger and then the latch plate is placed into the buckle (100). The seat belt is buckled when the latch plate locks in the buckle (100).
The buckle (100) is manufactured using one of two processes. The first process to manufacture the buckle (100) is a 2k injection moulding or a double injection moulding. The 2k injection moulding is a process to produce complicated moulded parts from two materials with different properties, colours, and/or levels of hardness into one product in one injection moulding process. The second method to manufacture the buckle (100) is to hold an elastic part between a core and a cavity of the buckle (100) at the parting line while manufacturing.
The buckle (100) includes a body (102) having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of side surfaces. The body (102) has a cuboid shape with a plurality of round edges. The cuboid shaped body (102) of the buckle (100) slightly tapers from a side surface where the latch plate is inserted to a side surface where the buckle (100) is mounted to the vehicle.
The buckle (100) includes at least one protrusion (104) projecting from the top surface of the body (102) in an upwards direction. It should be noted that the buckle (100) may include any number of protrusions (104) without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The protrusion (104) is a primary touch point for the passenger. The protrusion (104) is made up of an elastic material. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) or Polycarbonate (TPU) are used for manufacturing the protrusion (104). It should be noted that the protrusion (104) can be manufactured using any alternative material with similar mechanical properties and manufacturability without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The protrusion (104) has a triangular prism shape. The protrusion (104) has a finger slot (106). The finger slot (106) has rectangular shape. The passenger may insert a finger in the finger slot (106) to pull the buckle (100) from the in-position to the out-position.
FIGS. 3 and 4, illustrate a second embodiment of a buckle (200) of a seat belt for a vehicle. On a rear seat of the vehicle the buckle (200) is disposed within the rear seat. The buckle (200) is movable between an in-position and an out-position. For buckling the seat belt, the buckle (200) is removed from the in-position to the out-position by the passenger. The seat belt is buckled when a latch plate locks in the buckle (200).
The buckle (200) includes a body (202) having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a plurality of side surfaces. The body (202) has a cuboid shape with a plurality of round edges. The cuboid shaped body (202) of the buckle (200) tapers from a side surface where the latch plate is inserted to a side surface where the buckle is mounted to the vehicle.
The buckle (200) includes at least one protrusion (204) projecting from the top surface of the body (202) in an upwards direction. It should be noted that the buckle (200) may include any number of protrusions (204) without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The protrusion (204) is made up of an elastic material. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) or Polycarbonate (TPU) are used for manufacturing the protrusion (204). It should be noted that the protrusion (204) can be manufactured using any alternative material with similar mechanical properties and manufacturability without limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The protrusion (204) has a semi-circular shape. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, the protrusion (204) has at least one hole (206). In another embodiment, the protrusion (204) includes at least one cut-out (not shown). It should be noted that the protrusion (204) may include any number of holes (206) or cut-outs without limiting the scope of the present disclosure.
The elastic material of the protrusion of the present disclosure enables the protrusion to be folded when the passenger is sitting on the buckle. The elasticity and flexibility of the protrusion ensure that the passenger does not feel discomfort when seated on the buckle. The holes and cut-outs provided in the buckle provide better flexibility to the protrusion.
The present invention solves the problem of accessibility of the buckle, reduces damage to fabric surrounding the buckle, and provides ease of location of the buckle in case of low visibility. The protrusion helps to pull the buckle from the in-position to the out-position without damaging the fabric around the buckle. The protrusion reduces the effort needed to pull the buckle from the in-position to the out-position, thus, provides a good ergonomics. The reduction of wear and tear of the fabric also reduces the cost of ownership.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
Any discussion of devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
, Claims:
1. A buckle (100, 200) of a seat belt for a vehicle, the buckle (100, 200) comprising:
a body (102, 202) disposed within a seat of the vehicle; and
at least one protrusion (104, 204) projecting from a surface of the body (102, 202),
the protrusion (104, 204) provides accessibility for a passenger to pull the buckle (100, 200) from an in-position to an out-position within the seat of the vehicle.
2. The buckle (100, 200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protrusion (104, 204) is made up of an elastic material.
3. The buckle (100) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the protrusion (104) has a triangular prism shape.
4. The buckle (100) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the protrusion (104) has a finger slot (106).
5. The buckle (200) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the protrusion (204) has a semi-circular shape.
6. The buckle (200) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the protrusion (204) has at least one hole (206)
7. The buckle (200) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the protrusion (204) has at least one cut-out.

8. The buckle (200) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protrusion (104, 204) projects from a top surface of the body (102, 202).