Most seat belts used in vehicles, such as automobiles, trucks, etc., have a lap seat belt which extends across the lap of a wearer and also a shoulder belt which extends up from the attachment side of the belt, across the wearer's shoulder, thus providing protection to the wearer from being thrown forward in the event of a sudden stop. The lap seat belt holds the wearer in the seat and the shoulder belt prevents the wearer from jack-knifing forward. Most types of seat belts are adjustable for different sized passengers and drivers. A lap seat belt passes from one side of a seat across the seat to a releasable catch or attachment buckle on the other side of the seat. The belt passes through the catch or attachment buckle and then becomes a shoulder belt crossing over the front of a wearer and being attached at shoulder height above the seat at the side where the seat belt is initially attached.
The problem with such types of seat belts is that the angle of the shoulder belt from the catch or attachment buckle often extends across the neck of a wearer and this can become irritating as it rubs against the skin causing irritation. Devices have been made for attaching to the lap seat belt and having a clip to hold the shoulder belt. These devices slide along the lap seat belt, thus moving the angle of the shoulder belt to such a location where it does not rub against the neck of a wearer. One example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,161 to Robertson.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,161 is formed of two parts and when it is to be removed from a seat belt, requires one part to be detached from another. This invariably results in one of the parts dropping and becoming lost under the seat of a vehicle or even dropping outside the vehicle, thus one is left with only one part which by itself is useless.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds